Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

A Lost Kitten, Guardians, And Its Finder?

“So, what do we do about this kitten sleeping so peacefully now?”

“What do we do? It’s a stray werecat—what else can we even do?”

“Camille, it’s not just any werecat. It’s a royal werecat.”

“…I’d rather not remember that…”

With Aroru’s blunt remark, Camille slumped his shoulders, and Yuuri did the same. They had only gone out for a simple shopping trip, but somehow ended up with a collapsed, starving kitten (that Rooks took in without permission). How had it come to this? The three of them pressed their foreheads together and sighed.

The royal werecat kitten in question, dressed in clothes and boots, slept soundly, looking utterly content. After downing three bowls of cat food, it seemed perfectly full. Meanwhile, Rooks, who had become the kitten’s makeshift bed, didn’t seem to mind the creature resting on his head. In fact, he gently rocked his body to help the kitten sleep even better. What are you, a cradle?

“…It’s hard when there aren’t any adults we can talk to.”

Yuuri muttered under his breath, and both Camille and Aroru quietly averted their gazes. The only adult in the hideout today was the scholar, Jake. Completely useless—he was a textbook example of an unreliable adult, more of a cautionary tale than a role model. Though talented, Jake was hopelessly laid-back and not someone you could turn to in an emergency. The kids knew that all too well.

The kitten mumbled contentedly in its sleep. Upon closer inspection, its golden-brown fur shimmered with beauty, hinting at how carefully it had been raised. While the children couldn’t judge the quality of its clothes or boots, the fact that they were spotless and without damage spoke volumes. They couldn’t help but wonder—why had it collapsed from hunger?

The royal werecat was supposedly a higher tier of werecat. Some clans of them lived separately as a superior race, while others existed in mixed settlements with ordinary werecats. One thing was clear—they were more impressive than typical werecats, even if the details were fuzzy.

“…If it were a normal lost pet, we’d just take it to the guards.”

“But the guards would only be confused, wouldn’t they?”

“Yeah… that’s what I thought too.”

Camille agreed with Aroru’s comment, and Yuuri nodded. They were stuck. If only they could communicate with the kitten and figure out what had happened. But the little one was deep in slumber, oblivious to their troubles.

As the three of them groaned over their predicament, the door to the dining hall swung open. They turned to see Licht, holding a flyer in his hand.

“Huh? Licht, weren’t you at the guild?”

“Yeah, there was a bit of a commotion there. Thought I should let you guys know.”

“…A commotion?”

Licht handed them the flyer, and Rooks, still rocking the kitten on his head, didn’t even look up—he seemed to be enjoying playing cradle too much. Where’s your familiar pride, or the pride of a rare mutated beast? Wait… Did you ever have those to begin with?

The flyer detailed a missing person. Unfortunately, it was text-only—no helpful illustration. Camille grumbled about how a drawing would make things easier, but Aroru calmly reminded him that not everyone has artistic talent. Meanwhile, Yuuri devoured the words on the flyer, studying every detail.

Missing Person.

Child werecat. Looks like a young kitten.

Golden-brown fur. Eyes: ice blue.

Wears a light brown shirt and pants. Boots included.

Too young to speak, so it only meows.

Extremely friendly and fearless.

After reading the flyer, Yuuri’s gaze drifted up to the sleeping kitten on Rooks’ head. Licht followed Yuuri’s gaze—and then let out an audible “Ah.” Having thoroughly read the flyer, he understood exactly who was being described.

“…Yuuri?”

“We didn’t kidnap it, okay?! It was collapsed from hunger, and Rooks just picked it up!”

“Picking it up without permission still sounds a lot like kidnapping, you know.”

“No, it’s not! There was no one else around—it was already lost when we found it!”

Yuuri desperately pleaded his case to Licht, terrified of being treated like a criminal. When they had found the kitten, there hadn’t been anyone nearby. If someone had been around, they would’ve appeared the moment Rooks put the kitten on his head—or chased them all the way back to the hideout. No, this kitten was definitely lost.

Licht sighed, while Yuuri wiped the cold sweat off his brow. Meanwhile, Aroru and Camille tugged at each other’s cheeks, trying to confirm if this was reality or just a dream. Realizing they couldn’t avoid getting dragged into a mess, they both let out exasperated sighs.

What bothered them most was that the flyer didn’t mention the kitten being a royal werecat. Although the species was rare, it wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret. So why was the kitten listed as just a regular werecat? The two had a sneaking suspicion—there might be a reason no one should know its true nature. They wanted to pretend this wasn’t happening.

“Well, if this matches the flyer’s description, we should probably take it to the guild.”

“…You’re coming with us, right, Licht?”

“Huh? You want me to stay here?”

“PLEASE come with us.”

“Uh, okay…”

Yuuri’s pleading question confused Licht, but the three children looked at him with such desperate seriousness that he reluctantly agreed. They couldn’t bring themselves to admit, “This kitten is actually a royal werecat.” If they handed it over at the guild, the matter would be over. Surely that would be the end of it—at least, they hoped.

And so, with Rooks in the middle carrying the kitten on his head, the four of them headed to the Adventurers’ Guild. Flyers were distributed there since adventurers traveled far and wide—perfect for gathering information. If needed, they could also turn the case into a formal request, seeking help from those skilled in intelligence work.

“Kyuu kyuu…”

“Rooks, you seem kind of down.”

“He was all set to keep it as a roommate.”

“Why would you even think that, Rooks?”

“Kyuu?”

Rooks tilted his head in confusion, as if mimicking a human gesture. His big, round eyes gazed up at Yuuri. Although Yuuri couldn’t understand Rooks’ words, he had a vague sense of what the familiar was thinking.

“Listen, Rooks. No matter how cute it is, someone else’s pet can’t become ours.”

“…Kyuu.”

“It’s okay if you want to be friends, though.”

“Kyui.”