Chapter 67: Yuhwa’s Test (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Yuhwa’s Test (3)
Monopolies are a wonderful thing.
You can control a specific market as you please. Even if you raise prices, consumers can't really complain.
Because there are products they can't get anywhere but my store. The cat café was one of them.
A type of café that had never existed before. A therapeutic space where watching the lazing cats made you want to laze around with them.
Similar stores might pop up later, but not right now. So I had to strike while the iron was hot.
I didn't think one successful shop would be enough to pass Yuhwa’s Test.
That's why I came up with the dog café.
I hired a figurehead to lease the building across from the cat café, then carefully selected and brought in stray members of the dog tribe—the cute ones, of course.
All of it was done anonymously.
After all, if the cat people found out I was the owner, it would surely create some animosity.
The structure of the dog café was almost identical to the cat café's. The only difference was that instead of massages, there was a backyard where you could play with the dog tribe.
All that was left was to open for business.
“A dog café? Isn't that the same as the cat café?”
“You don't get it. Unlike the prickly cat people, the dog tribe will rush over happily if you treat them just a little bit nicely.”
“That's true… The cat people barely reacted no matter how many treats I gave them. Should we just check it out?”
A couple was chatting on the street. They were regulars at the cat café, but today, they entered the dog café.
The cat people, pressed against the window watching them leave, ground their teeth in fury.
“How could they leave us for those dimwitted dog tribe members, meow? It's a betrayal, meow! Don't even think about coming back to our café, meow!”
“Th-they have no taste. We cat people are a far superior species to the dog tribe, who just wag their tails for anyone.”
The cat people couldn't hide their shock each time a customer was poached right before their eyes, even though it was a good thing that customers were spending more money for their care.
“You. A word with me for a moment.”
Seira, glancing warily at the cat people, called me to the back of the shop. Only after checking that no one else was around did she speak.
“That dog café… that was your doing, wasn't it.”
“That's right. It would be difficult to pass the test with just one café.”
“But why a dog café, of all things? Wouldn't it be better to open a different type of business to expand your customer base?”
“Normally, yes.”
I had several businesses planned out in my head.
But the lack of time was a concern.
In that respect, now that people understood the concept of a 'café with beastkin,' I could also show them the charms of other beastkin. I didn't have to pave a new path.
But I was aiming for something else entirely.
There was a reason I chose the dog tribe, of all things.
“There's nothing better for drawing attention than sowing a little discord.”
*
The next day, an article appeared in a Vestian newspaper.
[Cat People VS Dog Tribe. Who is the Superior Beastkin? Find Out at the Cafés in the 6th District]
Which species is superior?
This was a hotly debated topic since before the founding of the beastkin kingdom of Vestia, back when they lived in tribal units.
Land beastkin over sea beastkin.
Carnivorous beastkin over herbivorous beastkin.
And of course, the flying beastkin who ruled the skies were the most superior of all.
After Vestia was founded, the embers of this conflict gradually died down over time. But an ember is still an ember. With enough kindling, it's always ready to burst back into a roaring flame.
Just like now.
In a certain café.
A gentleman with a mustache and a noblewoman holding a fan were in the middle of a heated discussion.
The topic was the recent hot issue: Dog Tribe vs. Cat People.
“The dog tribe is the original, you could say. They've been man's companions and family since ancient times, have they not?”
“For nobles, it's obviously the cat people. Their elegant movements, their aloof attitude. Don't you think they symbolize us nobles?”
“You have no taste. Look at the dog tribe. They greet people with a wagging tail and wait faithfully for their masters to return.”
“The cat people are the same…”
The gentleman shook his head firmly.
“We call those cats 'puppy-cats.' In the end, cats are just an inferior version of dogs. And what about all the shedding?”
“Some dog tribe members shed too, you know! And a dog that wags its tail so freely for anyone is no different from a harlot.”
“There's a limit to such crude talk!”
Unable to stand the insult, the gentleman shot to his feet.
Because of this, a cup on the table fell and shattered with a crash.
“Oh, my! Look here. Why are you getting so worked up? It's just a debate. Honestly, being unable to sit still and making such a fuss… you're just like the dog tribe.”
“Urgh… Excuse me, could you clean this up?”
“Are you hurt anywhere, sir?”
“I'm fine. My apologies for causing a disturbance.”
A dog tribe employee came over, cleaned up the broken glass, and withdrew. Watching her leave with a bright smile, the gentleman couldn't hide a pleased grin.
“You see that? How polite she is. In contrast, the cat people…”
“If it were a cat person, they would have deftly snatched the cup before it fell.”
“What?”
“And they would've given you a kneading massage on your back with their little white paws to calm you down.”
“…If it were the dog tribe, they wouldn't just give you a massage. They'd cook you a feast fit for a king.”
“A cat person would have hand-fed you that food. Cat people are superior. GG. No rebuttals. Rebut and your next three generations will be Cerberus.”
“Why, you old hag?!”
The hot debate in Vestia over the superiority of the dog tribe versus the cat people.
But what started as a matter between two species gradually grew larger over time.
For example, it spread from a simple fight between dogs and cats to a fight between canids and felids.
Vestia Royal Palace.
Princess Hilde of the beastkin nation was sprawled on a sofa as if decorum was someone else's problem. Yawning widely with leisure, Hilde couldn't stand the boredom any longer and spoke up.
“Bandy, there's a controversial topic making waves in the kingdom lately. You know about it?”
Bandy, a raccoon beastkin who was busy with her work, jumped in surprise and answered in a small voice.
“Huh? Yes… It's the debate about whether the dog tribe or the cat people are superior…”
“Honestly, making such a fuss over a pointless debate. The answer was decided from the start. Obviously, the felids are…”
“Right. All beastkin are equal.”
“Huh?”
“Yes?”
Hilde and Bandy's gazes met in mid-air.
“All beastkin are equal, but the felids are above those equal beastkin, Bandy.”
“B-but…”
“But? Is this cute little raccoon talking back to her princess?”
Hilde's lips curled into a cruel smile as she slowly approached Bandy.
CRASH.
“Eek?!”
Hilde slammed her fist on the desk.
The desk cracked.
“Was that remark meant to imply that the Lioness royal family, myself included, are the same as those insignificant nobodies crawling on the ground?”
“I-I have committed a crime worthy of death, Princess!”
“Oh? Look at this. You're not denying it, are you?”
Bandy, prostrated flat on the floor, flinched. Hilde looked down at the back of her head, her own head held high.
“Repeat after me. Word for word.”
“W-word for word.”
“Cats are superior to all other species.”
“C-cats are superior to all other species…”
“Dogs are inferior to cats.”
“Dogs are inferior to cats…”
Bandy clenched her teeth, trembling.
“Eek!”
Suddenly, poof! With a burst of smoke, only a single leaf remained where Bandy had been. It was an escape magic commonly used by raccoons.
Hilde let out a hollow laugh. Look at this cute little thing. How dare she ignore the princess's words and run away?
Well, they were close—from Hilde's perspective, at least—and it was fun to play with her, so she wouldn't punish her for this.
However, when she returned, she'd have to perform some tricks as penance. Make her do a handstand, make her roll over and over.
But before that.
Hilde stretched, loosening her stiff body.
“Shall we go see just who started this whole mess?”
*
After the article came out, a record-breaking number of customers flocked to the cafés.
It didn't matter if it was run by a human or if there was a pink fox there. What mattered was who was superior and defending their species' pride.
The cat faction and the dog faction growled at each other across the street as if it were a border.
I had my employees hand out cool drinks to the heated crowds.
“Mmm! It's even sweeter because a cat person gave it to me!”
“That's just the taste of fur. Aren't you chewing on fur in your mouth?”
The atmosphere was getting overheated.
From my perspective, the louder, the better. A commotion of this scale would surely have reached Yuhwa in the Celestial Pavilion.
Profits were rolling in smoothly, too.
The test was as good as passed.
“Mastah.”
“Yes?”
Rin, who had been watching the situation from my lap, tilted her head back to look up at me.
“Mastah, do you like doggies or kitties?”
“Me? Well…”
Honestly, I liked them both.
The dog tribe got bonus stats when assigned to guard duty, and the cat people had business methods only they could perform, like the current massages.
It all depended on the situation.
Rin stared at me intently as I pondered, her gaze serious. It was a look that said my answer was a matter of grave importance.
I couldn't help but chuckle at that and replied.
“I like foxes the best.”
At that, her face instantly filled with joy.
“I like Mastah the bestest, too!”
Rin flicked her three tails, wrapping them around my waist.
“So there were two foxes.”
Seira, who was watching the scene with cold eyes, muttered to herself. She sighed and looked off into the distance, her eyes gradually widening.
“Huh?”
“What is it? Did another fox show up?”
I tried to joke, but her expression was dead serious, as if she had no time for such things.
It was rare to see Seira this flustered. Puzzled, I followed her gaze.
A woman with black hair that flowed like a lion's mane was striding toward us. Her eyes had golden irises and black, vertical pupils.
Why is that crazy bitch here?
Hilde something-or-other Lioness.
The future tyrant of Vestia.