After our time with the Funny Rabbit, we decided to make the most of our visit and explore the rest of the medium-sized monster area. There were many animal-type creatures in this section; some looked so much like ordinary horses that I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if I hadn't been told, while others, like the Funny Rabbit, were giant versions of animals that were usually quite small.
"Look, Kaito-san! That monster over there is..."
Sieg-san seemed to be having the time of her life, leading me by the hand as we looked at one monster after another. Since we didn't have enough time to interact with every single creature, we planned to save our remaining tickets for the small monsters and focus on sightseeing for now.
It felt a bit like being on a date at an amusement park, likely because of the sheer variety of animal-like creatures around us.
"This monster, when viewed from this angle..."
"Ah..."
"Hm? Is something the matter?"
"Oh, no, you just caught me by surprise, that's all."
She had been pulling me by the hand until a moment ago, but as we stopped in front of a fence to observe a monster, Sieg-san suddenly threw her arms around mine, clinging to me tightly.
The soft sensation and the faint warmth of her body were almost like a sneak attack, leaving me a little startled.
"I—I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away."
"No, it's fine. Seeing you having so much fun makes me happy too, Sieg-san... and to be honest, I was actually glad you hugged me."
"Fufu, is that so? In that case, I suppose there is no need for me to hold back."
Sieg-san gave a delighted smile at my words and proceeded to cling to my arm even more tightly. Perhaps it was because of the abundance of animal-type monsters she loved so much, but Sieg-san seemed a bit more childlike than usual today, which I found incredibly endearing.
It was rare to see her act so spoiled, and I felt that being able to witness this side of her was a special privilege reserved only for her lover.
"That's an incredible amount of fur."
"This species lives in cold regions, so it has a thick coat to protect itself from the elements."
"I see. It looks like it would be wonderful to pet."
"Ugh, I—I certainly want to try, but... if we buy a ticket and wait our turn here, we might miss the small monsters... Ooh, it's so hard to choose."
"Then why don't we head to the small monsters first? We can interact with them and then come back here later. If the tickets haven't sold out by then, we can take our turn with this one."
"You're right... Let's do that!"
Buying a ticket didn't mean you could pet the creatures right away. The number of monsters was limited, and they would likely get frightened if too many people crowded them at once.
For the rarer species, there were time limits and organized queues, which meant a fair amount of waiting. We had to be strategic about our choices.
"Is there a specific monster you're looking forward to seeing in the small species area?"
"There is a creature called the Petit Devi. It's a lovely monster that looks like a tiny black goat and is quite popular... They are very rare, so opportunities to interact with them are precious."
"A Petit Devi... does it have something to do with devils?"
"Not directly. I've heard they were named that simply because they have tails similar to those of the Demon race."
While listening to Sieg-san's explanation, we made our way to the small monster area and headed for the Petit Devi enclosure. It seemed there were still some tickets available, but as we made our purchase, a sign was posted saying they were "Nearly Sold Out," proving their immense popularity.
"It looks like we'll be in line for a while."
"The Petit Devi is popular enough to have its own features in magazines, after all."
"I see..."
As I stood in the fairly long queue with Sieg-san, I glanced toward the enclosure. Although she had described it as a black goat, it looked more like a fluffy, stylized, and adorable creature standing only about thirty centimeters tall.
Ah, I understood immediately. Looking at it, I could see why it was so popular; it was practically designed to be cute.
"Are Petit Devis really that rare?"
"One reason is that they primarily inhabit the Demon Realm, so there are few chances to see them in the Human Realm. But more importantly, they don't reproduce biologically. They are monsters born directly from magic power, which means they can't be intentionally bred. They are solitary creatures that don't form herds, making them even harder to find."
"I see. So they're small, hard to find, adorable, and highly sought after as pets... That certainly explains the line."
They seemed to be an exceptionally rare species, and given that their enclosure was effectively the centerpiece of the small monster area, their popularity was undeniable.
Honestly, I was glad we had arrived when we did. If the tickets had sold out after coming all this way, I would have hated to see Sieg-san disappointed.
Serious-senpai: "The sugar content... it's increasing! I—It's still within the acceptable range... B—But... at this rate..."
???: "Well, they are in a crowded venue for now. Won't the real show start once they're alone? If they stay until night, there might even be a chance of a sleepover, don't you think?"
Serious-senpai: "Don't say such idiotic things! What do you think the teleportation magic tools are for?! Listen to me, go home... make sure you go home!!"