Rest had been reminded of his precarious position once again, but for the moment, he was enjoying a brief respite in the Royal Capital.
There was no longer any need for Rest to involve himself in the development of the Subnock Plain. The Corrosion Beasts had been swept away, and even the Elder Worm had been subjugated. While some monsters remained, they were well within the capabilities of the noble houses and adventurers participating in the pioneer group.
In truth, there were many who preferred that Rest did not distinguish himself any further. Jealousy toward his meteoric rise was rampant. If not for the protection of the Marquis Rosemary House and the King's personal favor, several nobles would have already moved to actively eliminate him.
From this point forward, Rest would focus on building a town on the territory he had been granted. his days of aggressively clearing the wilderness were over, at least for now.
"Well then, shall we head out on our date? It’s been ages since it was just the two of us!" Viola declared enthusiastically.
Today, he was meant to spend the day alone with her. In other words, a real date. Since he would have to begin construction on his base once the holiday concluded, they intended to enjoy this hard-earned time off to the fullest.
Following a girls-only meeting that had pointedly excluded Rest, his schedule had been finalized: he would go out with Viola today, Primula tomorrow, and Yuri the day after.
"We’ve gone out as a trio with Primula so many times, but it really has been a while since it was just the two of us. It feels a bit different—strange, almost," Viola remarked.
"You’re right. We usually were a trio, weren't we?" Rest nodded in agreement.
The two walked arm-in-arm through the streets of the Royal Capital. Both Rest and Viola were dressed in their finest, most stylish clothes. Rest looked presentable enough, but Viola was a peerless beauty. Passersby—the men in particular—couldn't help but turn back to steal another look at her with blushing faces.
"It’s alright that we're going where I want to go today, right?"
"Yeah, of course."
Today was Viola’s day. He had already decided to respect her wishes regarding their destination.
Actually, it’s a three-day dating marathon, he thought. There’s no way I could come up with three different plans on my own, so this is actually a huge help.
He was scheduled to take Primula out tomorrow and Yuri the day after, but he felt it would be rude to take them all to the same place. That being said, a socially oblivious man like Rest had no hope of creating three distinct date plans in parallel.
"There's a place I've wanted to visit for a long time. This way!"
"This is...?"
Viola led him to a quaint little cafe. He had visited coffee shops many times before, but he wondered what made this one special.
"You'll see once we're inside."
Led by the hand by Viola, who wore a mischievous smile, he stepped inside and immediately grasped the cafe's concept.
"Meow."
"This is...!"
A small creature greeted them the moment they crossed the threshold. It was a cat. The shop was filled with them, and the customers were busy adoring their feline hosts.
"A cat cafe...!"
"It opened recently. I’ve been dying to come here," Viola said, her voice bright with delight.
Evidently, Viola was a cat person.
"Surprised? It's not every day you see this many cats running loose inside a shop."
"I am... yeah, definitely."
He never would have expected to find a cat cafe in another world. He wondered who could have possibly come up with the idea.
This is clearly a Japanese concept, he realized. Is it another reincarnated person...?
"I heard this shop was started by a certain woman. Apparently, she used to be a maid serving Her Majesty the Queen Dowager. The idea of opening a cafe filled with cats was something the Queen Dowager herself proposed."
"The Queen Dowager... so it’s Shoko again..."
It seemed this shop was yet another legacy of Shoko Sanada. Her cultural influence on this world was far more pervasive than he had anticipated.
"I’ve heard the Queen Dowager was a woman with many internal struggles, but since she came up with a place like this, she couldn't have been all bad," Viola mused.
"I suppose you're saying there are no bad people among cat lovers? Well, I wouldn't know about that."
Regardless, since they were here, they might as well relax. Rest had never actually visited a cat cafe in his previous life.
"There’s an open spot over here. Let's sit."
"Yeah, sounds good."
Rest and Viola sat side-by-side on the carpeted floor. While there were many cats in the shop, most were either napping or watching them from a distance; none seemed inclined to approach.
"They aren't coming over. Should I go and pet one?"
"No, Rest! Cats are very cautious creatures!" Viola chided him in a whisper. "We sit here and wait for them to get used to us. That’s how it’s done."
"Understood."
He did as she suggested and waited. Before long, one of the cats walked briskly toward them.
"Nyaa."
"Oh...!"
A white cat hopped onto Rest's lap. It stretched out, clearly making itself at home, and drifted off to sleep.
"This is..."
"You’re lucky! To think one would climb onto your lap right away."
"Y-Yeah... I guess so..."
Rest held his breath, sitting perfectly still. He didn't have much experience with cats, but seeing it relaxing on his lap like this, he found it undeniably adorable.
"Funyaa..."
"It’s so cute... I'm actually jealous..."
"It really is."
Feeling the cat's warmth, a deep sense of calm washed over Rest.
I feel like I'm being used as a cushion, he thought, but there's a strange kind of enjoyment in being pushed around like this.
Perhaps there was a parallel between being at the mercy of a cat and being at the mercy of a girl. For a man like Rest, who spent most of his time being swept up in the whims of the women in his life, it was perhaps his destiny to fall in love with cats as well.