After Bahamut went into the Babel tower with Demeter for the Denatus meeting, Draco found himself with approximately three hours of free time.

  ‘How do I kill time until the meeting is over?’ he pondered.

  After sidering various options, he made a snap decision to return home quickly to grab his cloak.

  Now alone, he had bee increasingly self-scious about the curious stares he received from strangers, which made him even more unfortable.

  With his unique features—thick horns jutting from his head and a long, bck, scaly tail—he felt like a spectacle rather than a person.

  Although it was te evening, the fading light did little to mask his distinct appearance.

  ‘I ’t believe Bahamut had to ehis stantly, no wonder she didn’t like going out oftehought.

  Upon arriving home, Draco swiftly collected his trusty cloak, relishing its familiar weight as it settled around his shoulders and head.

  Although still goofy looking with the bunny ears, he felt it provided him a degree of anonymity and fort, despite the same amount of attention being pced on him.

  , he made his way to the Nekomata Inn's stable to drop off the carriage and hitch the horses.

  Navigating through the bustling streets with a carriage felt cumbersome, especially when he desired a sense of freedom during his stroll.

  Before tinuing his journey, Draco took a moment to greet the innkeeper, who was busy tending to the ter.

  “Oh, Draco! You’re back so soon!” she excimed.

  The innkeeper had been quite shocked when Draco reintroduced himself earlier that day.

  She had previously known him simply as the peculiar boy who always wore a cloak, but now he presented himself as a young man adorned with thick horns and a long, bck scaly tail.

  “Draii!” called a small, adorable voice. Cleo, the innkeeper’s you daughter, dashed over and clutched his leg tightly, looking up at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

  With a gentle lift, Draco scooped her into his arms, feeling the warmth of her small frame against him.

  “Cleo, you’ve grown so much,” he said, lightly ruffling her hair with his free hand.

  Her fluffy cat ears were delightful to py with, evoking a sense of nostalgia for him.

  His own step-sisters had simir features, but they rarely allowed him to touch them, knowing how much he ehe tactile iion.

  Draco had been surprised, Cleo had not shown any fear of his appearance, when he reintroduced himself earlier in the day.

  In fact, she was the first tnize him despite barely ever seeing his real appearanbsp;

  “What are you talking about? We met earlier in the day! How could I have grown within that time?” she replied, her brows furrowing in a cute expression of fusion.

  “Ah, my bad! Just felt like the right thing to say,” Draco ughed, giving her a light tickle on her side, elig a fit of ughter from her.

  ‘She is so much more talkative now. What oh did my sisters do to this girl?’ Draused.

  When he had met Cleo around four months ago, she was a shy little girl, hesitant to eh others and g in friends.

  Now, however, her energy was almost overwhelming, and it was evident that the innkeeper was at her wits' end trying to keep up with Cleo’s newfound exuberance.

  “St…op, please!” Cleo gasped, nearly breathless from ughter.

  “I hardly breathe!” she pleaded.

  “Alright, now run off and help your sisters i. I have somewhere else to go,” Draco said, gently pg her ba the ground.

  “Are you leaving already?” she asked, her little hands gripping his pants in a desperate attempt to keep him there, her big feline eyes wide and pleading.

  ‘Ugh, those darn girls must have taught her this,’ Draco thought, nearly succumbing to her charm.

  The innkeeper watched the exge with amusement, happy to see her daughter so joyful.

  “We will see each other ter, so don’t be sad,” Draco soled, aantly, Cleo let go, trusting him.

  No one from the Bahamut familia had ever lied to her, and that established bond provided her the reassurance she needed.

  With a quick farewell to the innkeeper, Draco stepped out into the evening twilight.

  He took a leisurely walk along the western road, his mind wandering to various thoughts—until he passed the Hostess of Fertility, a well-known pub in Orario.

  His heart raced with the idea of entering.

  He had been avoiding this establishment, mainly due to his apprehension about running into Syr, who had es to Freya.

  But today was different; with Denatus underway, Freya would be occupied, him a rare opportunity to visit without her presening over him.

  Draco’s i in visiting the Hostess of Fertility was twofold.

  Not only did he want to try out the delicious food, but he also sought to see if there were any strange rumours about himself or the Bahamut familia.

  He uood all too well that leaviation to public specution could lead to wild exaggerations and misuandings.

  This tavern was frequented by adventurers, and with the owner Mia—a strong, half-retired adventurer—on the premises, it was uhat trouble would arise.

  ‘Sigh, I hope trouble doesn’t fioday,’ Draco thought.

  He then stepped ihe door creaking softly.

  The warm ambiance was weling, filled with the ughter and chatter of adventurers unwinding after a long day.

  A young cat girl with short brown hair and simir feliures greeted him.

  “Wele!” she said cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  Dracnized her immediately as Anya Fromel.

  “Nya, is something on my face?” Anya asked, notig he had been staring for too long.

  “Sorry about that; you just looked a bit simir to someone I know,” he replied, immediately feeling a tad embarrassed for staring.

  “Oh?” Anya tilted her head, her expression curious as she wondered who it could be.

  “Draii, over here!” a familiar voice called out, pulling his attention away from Anya.

  He turo find Cir, Dimitra, Eleni, and Vasiliki all seated at a table piled high with various dishes.

  ‘What oh are they doing here?’ Draco thought, taken ababsp;

  He had specifically instructed them to linger he city western gate in case anythi awry during the Denatus meeting that Bahamut, their goddess, was attending.

  “Will you be seated with them?” Anya asked, notig Draco’s familiarity with them.

  “Yes,” he replied, and Anya led him to the table where his panions were gathered.

  Theook his order before departing.

  “Before you pin about anything, this pce isn’t far and is a straight lio the city gates,” Vasiliki interjected before Draco could voice his s.

  He had to cede that Vasiliki had a valid point.

  In actuality, he hadn’t explicitly forbidden them from enjoying a meal at a pub, so he couldn’t be too upset.

  “Sigh, where are the boys?” Draco asked, sing the pub to see if he could spot any familiar faces among the various groups of adventurers dining and drinking.

  “They’re in another pub closer to the gates,” Dimitra responded.

  Draco couldn’t shake the feeling that he had warhem against this establishment in the past.

  Yet, as he reflected on it, he realized he might have imagihose warnings.

  He wasn’t truly angry at his sisters for enjoying themselves; rather, he felt frustrated with himself for being overly paranoid and failing to pely.

  If he had thought things through, he would have realized that simply l around the city gates could make them appear suspicious, while casually hanging out in a lively pub would draw far less attention.

  ‘Sigh, I could really use a cold drink right now,’ Draco thought, rubbing his temples as a headache began to form from overthinking.

  “Did you perhaps go home, Draii? I remember you leaving without your cloak. You were saying something about revealing yourself or whatnot,” Vasiliki asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

  ‘Ugh, I ’t exactly tell them that I felt unfortable being stared at by everyone on the road, so I chied out,’ Draco thought, caught off guard by Vasiliki’s question.

  “Uhm…” he started, but before he could formute a response, Anya returned, pg his meal order oable.

  “Thank you,” he said, trying to shake off his earlier thoughts as he set his meal down.