Chapter 66

Cat Café Opens in District 6, Edenbar

Rather than buying an entire building, which seemed premature, I opted to lease a space.

The location was ideal—a cluster of shops with easy access from the street, though the rent was high. But time was of the essence; if I set up shop in a corner somewhere, it would take ages to attract customers.

Getting a prime spot like this was tough, even with the funds, but Bolt helped connect me with the building owner. Since arriving in Bestia, Bolt has been a huge help in many ways.

After securing the lease, it was just a matter of bringing in the necessary supplies and finishing up the interior.

"Welcome!"

"Oh, what a lovely place! The catfolk are wearing maid outfits. What kind of place is this?"

"It's a cat café. You can enjoy drinks while spending time with the cats."

The first floor was a standard cat café.

There was plenty of space for the catfolk to lounge around and for customers to relax. A small entry fee allowed access.

The menu was simple—basic tea and coffee that anyone could make. Getting both staff and ingredients was no small feat at the moment.

Even so, the prices were slightly higher than regular cafés. After all, I needed to make a profit on the drinks.

But there was something on the menu that was even more profitable than the drinks.

"A warm milk for one silver? Why is this milk so expensive, Manager?"

"Oh, that’s for the catfolk."

"You’re asking me to buy milk for the café staff with my money?"

"It’s just a way to quickly break the ice with them. You’re not obligated to buy it."

"Hmm…"

A hesitant woman. At that moment, one of the catfolk approached her, lay on the floor, and started licking his paw, putting on a cute act.

"Nyaa~"

"Oh, are you hungry? Well, what’s one silver? I’ll take a warm milk, please."

"Coming right up, fresh milk."

That’s how the first floor operated, as a cozy spot to interact with cats.

But the real gem was the second floor.

"Over there, just there."

"Is this spot comfy, nya?"

"Ah… that’s great. This is the best. I’ve never had such a refreshing massage before."

"Right? The manager really came up with a brilliant idea."

The air was fragrant, and customers lay comfortably on beds, with the catfolk kneading their backs.

The second floor was a massage space, linked to the first floor.

After building rapport with the catfolk on the first floor, customers could receive massages on the second. It was an additional service.

Of course, the price was steep—20 silver for a massage.

A shameless dual pricing scheme.

You’d think it wouldn’t be popular, but it was quite the opposite.

Seeing people spend a fortune on virtual pets, how could they resist a real massage from an adorable catfolk?

Some regulars even aimed to receive massages from every catfolk in the café.

And occasionally, customers would compete with each other.

"Rona is the cutest, hands down."

"What are you talking about? Obviously, Nero is the best. Look at that sleek, shiny black fur!"

"Hmph, you clearly have no taste. How can you look at Rona’s fluffy tail and say that?"

"What a poor taste in men. Right, Nero?"

"Nyaa~"

While they argued, Nero and Rona lay back, happily munching on treats given by the customers.

Customers were effectively paying to feed the staff, with the snack money going straight to revenue. It was practically money-printing.

As I surveyed the bustling café with a satisfied smile, Seyra approached me.

"I still can’t believe what I’m seeing."

"Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment."

"I wasn’t talking about you. I meant them. What do humans see in this that they’d spend so much?"

Seyra asked a fundamental question.

Cats are notoriously fussy creatures, with a reputation for being lovable nuisances. If they weren’t cute, they’d have gone extinct ages ago.

Yet humans pour money into gaining a cat’s favor. They melt at the sight of a cat nuzzling against them.

"You don’t understand. That’s the charm of having a cat."

Seyra still looked unconvinced. It was a difference between humans and beastfolk.

At that moment, Bolt entered through the door.

"Karamir, I finished everything you asked for."

"That was faster than expected. Did you keep it anonymous?"

"Of course. No one will know you’re the manager."

"Thank you."

"Really, I’m amazed every time I see your business skills."

As Bolt and I exchanged cryptic remarks, Seyra gave me a suspicious look.

"What are you plotting this time?"

"It’s nothing. I was just thinking…"

I looked over at the new shop that had started construction across the street.

"People do love competition."

Two weeks after opening the cat café, business had stabilized.

I hired more staff, allowing us to offer premium tea and coffee, and brought in a few more catfolk.

Watching the expression of a regular who’d finally "collected them all," only to light up as new catfolk arrived, was quite the spectacle.

Of course, he kept coming back, trying to charm the new recruits. I gave them a subtle hint that giving in too easily would be a shame for a cat. They’d handle the rest on their own.

We had a steady stream of customers, young and old. I thought it was a simple tycoon business.

"Hey, where’s the manager?"

One day, commotion arose outside.

A group of older women stood outside the café.

"What’s going on here?"

"Are you the manager?"

"Yes, but who are you?"

"We’re an animal protection group!"

There’s an undeniable truth that has existed since time immemorial:

Groups with "protection" in their name are rarely reasonable. A shiver ran down my spine.

"We know everything. We heard you’re kidnapping catfolk and exploiting them."

"Excuse me?"

"Kidnapping those poor things and forcing them to work? Are you even human? Don’t you have any shame?"

"…?"

What is this?

Maybe I messed up again.

When you free beastfolk slaves, they call it abandonment; if you take in strays, they call it kidnapping.

I glanced back into the café. The customers were baffled, while the catfolk lay sprawled on the floor, lazily munching on snacks.

Does that look like someone who’s been kidnapped?

‘I wish someone would kidnap me like that~’

If a cute girl or lovely lady kidnapped me and fed and sheltered me, I’d have no complaints.

"The catfolk seem fine to me."

"They’re too delicate to voice their objections!"@@novelbin@@

Damn, cat moms.

Bad luck must have struck.

The best way to handle this might be to diffuse the situation amicably.

"Fine, let’s say that’s true… what do you want?"

The moment I expressed willingness to negotiate, the women’s expressions shifted.

Their anger had all been an act to reach this point. It was like watching a WWE skit.

"Let those cats go and set them free!"

"But that’s considered abandonment, and I’d be arrested."

"Abandonment? It’s called giving them freedom!"

What?

I briefly struggled to follow their twisted logic before piecing it together.

So, let’s break this down: groups like these specialize in wrapping nonsense in a convincing veneer, forcefully pushing their views.

Here’s the crux.

Their twisted logic aligns perfectly with Bestia’s odd worldview.

Freedom equals abandonment in this world, meaning the absurd thinking of these protection groups is rational here.

A negative times a negative equals a positive!

"Exactly. You’re absolutely right, madam. Setting them free is hardly abandonment; it’s a righteous act of kindness."

"Oh? Well… yes, you’re quite reasonable."

Finally, someone I could reason with.

I felt like Archimedes shouting "Eureka."

"So, you’ll release them?"

"No, I can’t do that."

But I still couldn’t let them go.

I had a business to run.

"What do you mean, no? Then at least pay us an adoption fee and a care fee!"

So this is what they’re really after.

They saw the catfolk as theirs now that they were clean and well-groomed, claiming ownership. If they were so precious, they should have taken care of them from the start.

"You’re hopeless."

"Perse, come here."

I called over Perse, our most popular catfolk, who sat like a regal princess.

In the alley, she was just a shabby stray, but after a bath, she looked like royalty.

"What is it, Manager?"

Ah, “Manager.” Has a nice ring to it.

But that wasn’t the point right now.

"These ladies here want to take you back with them."

"What?"

"They want to return you to where you came from. If you wish to go, I’ll let you."

"Miss, you don’t have to stay here. Come with us."

Learning that cat moms existed here too was a shock, but the environment was different from Earth.

What I mean is—

"No way. Why would I go with you?"

"Huh?"

Here, cats could talk.

Perse narrowed her eyes.

"I remember your faces well. You used to come to the alley and take my friends away. None of them ever returned. Where did you take them all?"

"W-What are you talking about? You must be mistaken…"

"Don’t try to deny it. You can’t fool our noses."

The cat moms flinched, their eyes shifting nervously.

Looking back, I saw the other catfolk glaring at them from inside the café, their eyes glinting with a dangerous light.

"Hmm, since you’re so insistent, I’ll let the catfolk go. But if they retaliate, I won’t be responsible. They’re not my employees anymore."

"N-No, that’s alright. It looks like they’re doing fine, so we’ll let it go this time. We’ll be off now."

The cat moms hurriedly left, stumbling and tripping as they fled.

Unlucky for them.

Or maybe lucky for me, depending on perspective.

"Manager! We’re in big trouble!"

Perse, who’d seemed so composed yesterday, came running in a panic.

"What’s going on?"

"Out-outside… outside…!"

I followed her and the others outside, across the street where new construction had been underway. A new shop had opened.

[Dog Café]

"They knew there was a cat café here and set up a dog café? That’s a direct challenge, nya!"

"Manager, aren’t you going to say something?"

"Yeah, go over there and give them a piece of your mind!"

"Ahaha… I’d love to, but I’m not great with confrontation."

The catfolk looked at me with utter disappointment.

What they didn’t know was—that shop was mine too.