The Monster Interaction Event in the Arclesia Empire was held in a city other than the capital—a metropolis renowned for monster racing that stood as an equal to the seat of power and served as the venue for several prestigious races.
However, our goal today wasn't the races, but the interaction event itself. The facility usually functioned as a monster race track, meaning the grounds were expansive enough to accommodate Large Species monsters and provided more than enough room for the festival.
"It’s quite lively, isn't it?"
"It’s a fairly famous event. Some people even come here to touch the monsters before deciding whether they want to adopt one for themselves. I’m really looking forward to this!"
"Ahaha, you certainly are an animal lover, Sieg-san."
"I am! The Six Kings Festival was wonderful, of course, but since this event focuses on monsters popular as pets, I’m especially excited. I’d love to see the Funny Rabbits."
"Funny Rabbits... those are the rabbit-type monsters that only run seriously when they're hunting prey, right?"
The name Sieg-san mentioned sounded familiar. I remembered them from the monster race I’d attended with Alice; it was the rabbit-type I’d bet on, the one that supposedly only exerted itself once in a hundred years. I recalled thinking its personality was exactly like Fate-san’s.
Come to think of it, I believe Sieg-san mentioned wanting to keep a Funny Rabbit when we first brought Bell home.
"They’re incredibly popular," Sieg-san explained. "A lot of that is because they look like giant bunnies, but they’re also known for being docile and laid-back. They make perfect indoor companions."
"I see, I see."
Now that she mentioned it, Funny Rabbits looked almost exactly like regular rabbits aside from the horn on their heads, and they grew to about a meter in size. They were lazy creatures that wouldn't run seriously unless they were on the hunt, and from Sieg-san's tone, they were quite friendly toward humans too.
Considering all that, it made sense that they were a hit with the public.
"Are there other quintessential pets here?"
"Plenty. Small Species are favorites for indoors, while Large Species are popular as mounts. Horse-type monsters, for instance, can be raised and ridden just like normal horses, but they're tougher and faster. They’re a big hit with knights and adventurers."
"They sound like they'd be formidable in a race. I suppose Bell counts as a Large Species, then?"
"Bell-chan does, yes. Technically, Behemoths are classified as Large Species, but since they can grow to over a hundred meters, you could argue they belong in the Super-large category..."
While listening to Sieg-san’s explanations, we stood in line to purchase our tickets and entered the stadium. The racing grounds were vast, dotted with temporary enclosures and pavilions. Even a cursory glance revealed a staggering variety of monsters, grouped together by species.
As for the activities, the entrance ticket was enough if you just wanted to look at them like a zoo, but touching the monsters required dedicated Interaction Tickets for each specific area. It was likely a measure to prevent the creatures from becoming overly stressed by the crowds. Since these tickets were limited, we needed to move quickly if we wanted to get close to the most popular ones.
"Wow, a massive event like this really is something else! There are so many kinds here, even rare ones I've never seen before... Kaito-san! Let's start exploring. Where should we go first?"
"Ahaha, you're really enjoying this. Let's start with whatever you want to see most, Sieg-san. I'm sure the tickets will sell out... though according to the map, it looks like the areas are divided by size."
"I—I'm so torn... the Small Species are hard to pass up, but the Large ones are also... but let's start with the Medium Species Area. There are lots of animal-types there."
Finding Sieg-san's high spirits endearing, I agreed to head to her first choice.
"Medium Species... those are between five and ten meters, right?"
"Oh, no, that’s how Dragon Species are categorized. For standard monsters, Small Species are under one meter, Medium are between one and five meters, and Large are five meters and up. The 'Super-large' label is the same for both at over a hundred meters... but because Dragon Species are naturally massive, they have their own separate classification system."
"Oh, is that how it works?"
I see. Now that she mentioned it, there were monsters like Slimes that could fit in the palm of your hand, so it was only natural that their scale would differ from dragons.
At the very least, I hadn’t seen any Dragon Species under a meter. Even Rin, who was still a child, and Sera, who had only recently hatched, were well over that mark.
"Shall we try looking for those Funny Rabbits first?"
"That sounds great! They're so cute, and I hear their fur is incredibly fluffy... I've really wanted to touch one. They aren't native to the area around the Kingdom of Sinfonia, so I've never had the chance before."
Watching Sieg-san beam and pull me along by the hand, I couldn't help but smile too. I had a premonition that today was going to be a very good day...
Serious-senpai: "Sigh... the date vibes are intensifying. It's the New Year, so I'm heading back to my family home."
???: "This is your home."
Serious-senpai: "……………… Get away from the door."
???: "If you wish to pass, you must defeat me first."
Serious-senpai: "Stop giving me impossible quests..."