Chương 22: Want to Come Over to my Place?

I woke up excited. Today was the day Mouse and I would hang out again. It feels like just yesterday we went to the arcade. Time flew by in an instant. Yawning, I went ahead with my morning routine. …

"Mm~" I hummed as I picked out an outfit, last time I went with something cute, so this time… Now, what am I saying? Everything I have looks cute. I don't really like those mature, sexy outfits. They don't even look good on me. I decided on wearing a sundress. The weather has been quite warm lately. I guess that's because we're heading into summer. I even wore the cute brimmed hat to match. With everything settled, all that was left was to wait for Mouse to pick me up.

She offered and I wasn't one to reject something like that. Being a passenger princess is quite nice. Heading to my computer desk, I studied until Mouse arrived. … [Luna: Outside] [Me: Coming!]"Oh? You look good in that dress." Mouse said as I entered the car.

"Hehe, thanks." I smiled, "You styled your hair differently today? I like it."

"Thank you, it took me a while to braid." With that, we started to drive.

"So, where we heading today?" I asked.

"Hm…Well, we went all over the place last time," Mouse started, pausing in thought, "Any ideas?" She eventually asked.

"Nope! I'm a dedicated passenger princess today! Take me wherever!"

"…Haah. Alright, princess."

"Hehe."

"Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Ah, no, I haven't."

"Then let's start with that."

"Sure!" …

"Ugh…Let me tell you, using a cooking pot for alchemy is so annoying!" I complained as we ate breakfast. I was having the classic stack of chocolate chip pancakes, while Mouse had eggs, toast, and bacon—The Grandmother's Special.

"You use a cooking pot for your potions?" Mouse asked with disbelief.

"Yeah and I hate it! It's like trying to run through wet mud!"

"Then, why don't you just buy a cauldron? I thought all alchemists used those."

"Agh…I'm too broke! Cauldrons are way too expensive! I need 25, 000, 000 points just to purchase one!"

"Huh!?" Mouse shouted in shock, "25 million?! Really?!" She paused for a moment, looking at the exchange, "Huh? It says you could get one for 1, 000, 000 points though? It's expensive but way cheaper than 25 million?"

"Haah…" I sighed, shaking my head, "I won't be satisfied with such a cheap object! If I'm going to buy a cauldron, I'm buying a nice, luxurious one that'll last me until I upgrade!"

"…So, you're just going to stick with a pot until you can blow all your points on an expensive cauldron?"

"Mhm!" I nodded, "That's right."

"…Why don't you just front the 1, 000, 000 points for a cheap cauldron and use that to have an easier time making potions until you earn 25 million?"

"Blasphemer!" I shouted and pointed, "You don't get it! A cauldron is an alchemist's life and soul! My partner isn't going to be some expensive scrap! Plus, if I bought a cheap cauldron, I'd complain and nitpick everything about it. I can complain about a 10 dollar pot without grudges, but if I buy some expensive scrap, I'd constantly compare it to what it could have been." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"…I see." She simply nodded.

"And! Don't even get me started on the aesthetics! A cheap-" Mid rant, I had a sudden thought. Is this like when she goes on about movies? Though, that didn't stop my rant. …

"I'd rather use it as a trash bin than brew potions in something that looks like a malformed kids toy!"

"Mhm, I agree."

"And-" I had to stop when the waitress came by with the bill, I handed her my card before turning to Mouse, "Ah, right, where are we going to next?" Mouse seemed to perk up at the topic change, almost instantly replying.

"Hm…Do you like animals?"

"…I'm named after a raccoon and you're named after a mouse…I think it's fair to say we both probably like animals."

"…"

"…"

"Shut up."

"Hehe."

"I have a place to visit that might be fun."

"Okay! Just lead the way!" …

"Oh my goodness…" I mumbled as we walked inside. Small fluffy creatures dotted the place. Some approached the customers, some climbed their shoulders, and some even brought out food. Yes, the place we're at is an animal cafe.

"Apparently, the owner here is a tamer who retired, so now, they just have cute animals roaming around to heal customers." Mouse explained as we got a table. Instead of a booth or even chairs, we sat on the floor with a low table in front of us. Mouse and I sat opposite of each other. The smell of animals wafted through the air, but it wasn't unpleasant. I imagined that the tamer may have a skill that helps the scent?

"There's so many…" I mumbled in amazement. Squirrels, dogs, cats, mice, raccoons, rabbits…They all roamed the store in harmony. With this variety of animals, you'd expect some tension or possible fight to breakout, but when you see a mouse lounging on a cat's stomach, that possibility flies out the window.

"Cute, isn't it?" Mouse asked, staring at the animals.

"Mhm." I nodded.

"I've wanted to visit this place for a while now, but I didn't want to go alone. So, I thought now would be the perfect time."

"Hehe! You chose well, as expected as my dedicated driver!"

"Sure, sure, princess." While we were bantering, a waitress came to our table.

"Could I get you two anything to drink?" She asked.

"Do you have hot chocolate?" I asked.

"We do."

"I'll have that." She nodded before turning to Mouse, "And you ma'am?"

"I'll have the same."

"Alright, I'll get that to you both shortly." She left the table and Mouse and I went back to chatting.

"I wonder if there's a snake cafe somewhere."

"…I can't say that'd be a profitable shop." Mouse replied.

"No way! It'd rake in the dough! Snakes are so cute after all!"

"Right…But they all look the same and aren't fluffy. And not to mention how most people don't like or are afraid of snakes." I jutted my lips and furrowed my brows.

"They do not all look the same! There's so many different species! I mean, I guess if you compare something like a coral snake and king snake or a water snake and water moccasin they might occasionally look similar…Alright, I'm lying, to someone who doesn't know snakes, they do all look the same."

"Wha-wh-what?" Mouse stammered before finally getting her words out, "Why'd you look so offended then if you know that!?"

"Hehe, it's funny."

"You!" A short while later, my eyes widened as I saw our cups being brought to us on a tray. What surprised me is who brought the tray. A small raccoon waddled over to us holding the tray above its head.

"Ah!!! So cute!!" I squealed and instantly started taking pictures.

"Huh? Bin, why are you over there? Did you start working here?" Mouse joked.

"Thank you!" I said brightly after the raccoon put the tray on the table. It gave us a salute and bow before walking away.

"Oh my goodness…My brain is melting." I mumbled, staring at the cutie's back.

"Really cute…" Mouse mumbled. Still in shock, I flinched when I felt a critter touch my leg. Looking down, I saw a cute little white mouse staring up at me.

"Hello, little buddy." I smiled, "Want to come up?" I asked, patting my lap. The mouse seemed to understand me and nodded. It climbed onto my lap but didn't stop there, gripping onto my dress, it climbed higher before taking a seat on my shoulder.

"Oh my goodness, so cute!" I said, nuzzling my cheek against the fluffy body of the mouse. Of course, I took a few selfies too.

"Hehe, Mouse when did you start working here? Is this workplace affection?" I returned the joke from earlier. Mouse was staring at me with envious eyes. But, she didn't have to stare for long as the same raccoon who brought our drinks approached her. It looked at Mouse with baby-doll eyes and she immediately nodded. The raccoon climbed onto her lap, before settling down.

"I guess so." She smiled, gently petting the raccoon. I took a few photos of her. We continued chatting for a bit before I looked over to the mouse on my shoulder,"Can I move slowly and you won't fall off?" I asked. It looked at me before nodding. I then turned to the taller Mouse sitting opposite me.

"Mouse, can I sit next to you?" I asked.

"Gladly." She replied, patting the empty seat. I moved over and plopped down on the seat next to her.

"Hehe, there's 2 mice and 2 raccoons here." I giggled.

"An amazing combination." Mouse replied. We posed for multiple pictures, Mouse took some, I took some, and even the waitress helped out by taking a photo for us. It was easily wallpaper material. I looked at my new wallpaper with a smile before gently petting the raccoon on Mouse's lap.

"Oh, right, I brewed my first mana potion yesterday." I said.

"Really? Congratulations! Is that why you told me to call you the best?"

"No, that was because I successfully modified and upgraded my skill."

"Oh! Congratulations times two! Are you happy with the upgrade?"

"Very!" I smiled, "I think it suits me well."

"That's good. I remember when I first upgraded a skill on my own. I was so excited that I ended up running out of mana using it."

"Hehe, it's just the best feeling, isn't it?" Mouse nodded.

"So you made a mana potion?" She asked.

"Mhm, do you remember how I was complaining about the pot earlier?"

"Ah…Yes…" Mouse looked at me with eyes that seemed to plead for me not to go on another rant. Fortunately for her, this wasn't the place to do so.

"I used it like a cauldron and made a batch of 10 mana potions instead of just one."

"Huh? You can do that?"

"Nope! It's such a hassle." I shook my head, "You should only wish it on your worst enemy…" I sighed.

"…Sorry?"

"But! It was worth it in the end!"

"…Congrats?"

"Congrats."

"Congrats!"

"Hehe, thanks. I used my own recipe and ended up with a D grade mana potion. I'll be making quite a nice profit once I sell them all."

"Oh! You can already make D grade potions? Even I know that's impressive. How much are you selling them for?"

"Probably 15, 000 points each. I have enough materials for 50, so you can do the math on that. I can comfortably make about 20 a day, 30 if I drink mana potions while working. So, I plan on creating them for a while."

"Wow…" Mouse looked at me with wide eyes, "Production-classes really do make a lot of money, huh?" She said, "The only way I earned money was by clearing gates or selling monster drops from the tower."

"Mhm. Ah, but you have to get your name known and build up a reputation. The starts the hardest part especially since you're going up against big names and companies who can dominate the exchange and set the prices. Luckily for me, I am quite recognized on the exchange." My face soured as I remembered the nickname they've been calling me, 'Little Bomber'…

"Anyway," I shook my head, "I'm quite excited to continue brewing more and more potions."

"That's nice." Mouse nodded, "I'm glad you enjoy alchemy." She said sincerely.

"Right?" I smiled, "Though, I am quite weak, so, you'll have to protect me in combat." I joked.

"Haha, alright, I'll make sure nothing approaches the princess." We bantered for a short while longer before leaving the cafe and continuing our date. The remainder of the day we spent visiting places we've been before, but that didn't make it any less exciting. It really was just comfortable being around her. After dinner, Mouse dropped me off back at my apartment and I headed to bed shortly after.

For the next few days, I focused solely on brewing mana potions, trying to perfect the recipe and overcome the dreaded pot. Then, before I started my batch of potions on Wednesday, a text from Mouse arrived. [Luna: heyhey] [Luna: wyd?] [Me: supsup] [Me: mana potions lol] [Me: wassup?] [Luna: I'm bored…….] [Luna: Wanna hang out?] [Me: Sure? But so suddenly?] [Luna: Ah, but I don't want to go out……] [Luna: (Lazy mouse icon)] [Me:??] [Luna: Want to come to my place?]"Eh?"