Smooth and fluffy are both wonderful.
As the crowd gathered around Shirayuki and his fluffy entourage, Mofumaru wasn’t about to be outdone. He trotted over, making his own appeal. Kesaranspasans—gentle and famously docile as magical pets—had already drawn a decent crowd. At some point, Mofumaru had even gotten himself a wife, and now there were tons of Mofumaru babies.
And wow, Kesaranspasan fur is even softer than I imagined.
"Kecha~"
"Pacha~"
Turns out, their babies make these adorable little noises. The world is full of surprises. For some reason, the Kesaranspasan babies had taken a liking to me. Pure happiness.
The Crystal Rabbits were also a huge hit. Normally a protected species (with capture strictly forbidden), seeing so many in one place was rare. Yet here they were, hopping around as beloved pets.
Huh? Is that… Pochi?
At first glance, I mistook him for a crystal ornament—until I realized he was covered in Crystal Rabbits. When did they get so close?
"Kyuu!"
Crys, our own Crystal Rabbit, waved a paw, gesturing for me to come closer. Then, he turned to the others and… explained something?
"... Kyuuu."
An elder-looking Crystal Rabbit (probably?) stepped forward, holding out a very familiar rabbit-shaped stone.
"Mofumaru, translate."
This time, I declined to take it. "If anyone deserves this, it’s Pochi—the one who saved you all."
Popularity Rankings (Fluffy Division)
Mofumaru, Shirayuki-kun, Crys-kun, Hojo-kun the Wind Hawk – Using wind magic to make kids float? Genius. Even Holy Beast-sama joined in, playing with children (when he felt like it).
As for the Unpopular Squad
Kou & the Dragons – Intimidating at first glance, but so cool. Darkness-sama… who looked like a monster (being a giant feathered serpent), and was now on the verge of tears.
Time to fix this.
I approached Kou, who tilted his head. "You wanna play but don’t know how, huh?" Boys nearby whispered, "Dragons are so cool…" I get it.
"Kou~"
When I called him over, he lowered his head—embarrassed but not resisting. Then, kids from my orphanage came running.
"Kou! Let’s play hero!"
"No, dragon slide!"
"Sure~ For hero games, ask the other dragons—they’ll probably join~"
One bold kid turned to the nearest dragon. "Seriously! Hey, pay with me?!"
… Wow. My orphan kids have zero fear of dragons now. Good? Bad? Either way, the dragons were friendly here.
A noble boy, watching this, tried to order a dragon around. Predictably, it growled—sending him tumbling backward.
"Hahaha—dumbass! Dragons are smart! Talk down to them, and they’ll bite your head off! Except Kou—he’s chill. But the older ones? Rosarin Oneechan said you gotta be respectful! I also got scared a bit when they growled at me the first time! Hey, let’s play together!”
"... Hmph. Can’t be helped.”
Soon, even the noble boy caved. Kids are kids. They bonded instantly, and the dragons—once treated with respect—happily joined the games.
The dragons are taken care of, now the problem is Darkness-sama. He doesn’t look like anything but a scary Quetzalcoatl. He was on the verge of tears. By the way, Suigetsu-san who’s appearance humans are also not good with was currently acting as a guide in her human form. Mahiru-san, the Paralyzing Snake, was doing a lightning show, and although people couldn’t touch her, the spectators were enjoying her show.
"Darkness-sama—er, Yue."
"Rosarin Why can’t I befriend humans…?"
"Let’s brainstorm… Aha! Can we attach a gondola to you?"
"… If you insist."
We rigged a seating area onto his head (courtesy of the World Tree’s branches) and added a flat rear section—improvised slide included.
"Karte! Wanna go first?!"
"Yeah! This is AWESOME! Hey, can we fly?!"
Karte, the most fearless of my orphanage kids, leapt at the chance. The noble boy, pale but prideful, followed. I clung to the back (switching to knight gear via ring—safety first).
"Yue, fly!"
"As you wish!"
Unlike dragons (who fly erratically), Yue glides smoothly.
"Whoa…"
"Wow, so HIGH!! Hey, can’t we go faster?!"
"I could, but your friend seems uneasy. Besides—look. That’s your town below. Spot anyone you know?"
"Oh! It’s Hanna! Can you get down slowly? Hey, HANNA!! "
Karte immediately found a friend on the ground. The girl called Hanna was startled at first when she saw Yue, but she started waving her hand once she saw us.
"Wait, isn’t that Rosarin-sama’s spirit?!"
“That startled me.”
“Heh, I knew all along. Rosarin-sama is an unusual one. She keeps cacti, dragons, and giant spiders, you know?"
“Serously?”
“How peculiar.”
"She also has a massive fish, right?"
“For real?”
(Well, it’s lady Rosarin, after all.)
I’m being stereotyped. Can I cry now?
"My apologies. I’ve caused you grief.”
Yue murmured.
"Don’t worry. Just glad you’re making friends."
Back on the ground, Karte immediately rallied the troops.
"Okay! Raise your hand if you wanna be Yue’s friend! YUE, LET’S HANG OUT!"
This kid’s charisma is maxed out. Even the noble boy stammered:
"C-Could I… also be your friend?"
"YES! Rosarin, look! I made friends without help!!"
In his excitement, Yue shifted to human form—and hoisted the noble boy into the air.
"WH—WHY ARE YOU HUMAN NOW?! WHAAAAAT?!"
Turns out, they’d assumed he was just a weird monster.
But in the end? Yue got his friends. And that’s all that mattered.
What do you think about this chapter?
