Chapter 1: Hero? Sage? Saint? No, Thank You! My Mind Is Made Up!

The teachers ran up and mobbed the black-haired girl from every side as soon as they saw her pass by.

“Lady Kanata! Our apologies for the delay!”

“I can’t believe this day is finally here!”

“We’re all so proud to be your teachers.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a Selection Ceremony this much!”

“Perhaps you’ll be one of the rare few chosen to become a Saint.”

They heaped praise on Kanata, forgetting their work registering students who entered the assembly hall.

Kanata had every feature considered enviable in a beautiful young woman: lustrous black hair, enchanting eyes, and fair skin. But she didn’t just have beauty. She had a definite grace to her bearing and a divine aura that made her hard to approach. Her teachers looked at her with reverence.

She gave them a gentle smile and brought her hands together as a blush crept into her cheeks.

“Thank you for your kind words!” she said. “I owe everything to your teaching. But I’m afraid I’m running late to the ceremony, so if you will excuse me...”

She bowed politely.

The teachers stepped aside to let her pass and stared idly as their star pupil walked by.

“It’s finally time.” Kanata passed through the door to the auditorium where the ceremony was about to begin. She balled her fists up tightly in front of her chest. She closed her eyes, forcing her pounding heart to still. Her teachers hadn’t noticed, but Kanata was extremely tense.

“It will be all right,” she told herself. “I’ve trained so hard for this day. I’m sure I’ll be given the Profession I want!”

To Kanata, who had just turned fifteen this year, today was the most important day of her life. Today was the Selection Ceremony, when she and all of her fellow boys and girls would be given their Professions.

In this world, such things were decided by the gods themselves. It was not an unfair or random selection. The gods could see the Professions most suited for each person. It was nothing short of divine revelation.

The selections were also not simply a matter of talent. The gods took the way each child had spent their first fifteen years into account and would adjust the number and variety of Professions revealed to each on that basis. A child of merchants who had spent their early life helping in their parents’ business might be given something related to commerce. A child who had taken up the sword from a young age might be made some type of sword fighter. One who had engrossed themself deeply in the study of magic might have Professions related to magecraft revealed to them. Most would be given one or two choices. An extraordinary prodigy might have as many as five.

Among those, the Saints mentioned by Kanata’s teachers were exceptionally rare. It was a Saint’s job to receive oracles from the gods and guide humanity to the right path. They stood at the top of the Holy Church and all its tens of millions of believers around the world. They were the elite of the elite, with power and wealth surpassing even that of a king. It stood to reason that Kanata’s teachers wanted that for their student. There were other very rare Professions as well: the Hero, whose job was to defeat the armies of the Demon King from the Dark Continent, and the Sage, who pursued the truth of the world and led humanity to greater wisdom and more advanced technology. Usually, when a child was selected as one of these, their home country would gain international significance.

Regardless, the Selection Ceremony was an important ritual that happened only once in a person’s life. The decision made here would reflect everything a child had done so far.

“I’ve done everything I can,” said Kanata. “I have no regrets.” She stepped inside the large school auditorium to find her fellow graduates—all girls at Kanata’s school—waiting for her. They, too, were here for the ritual. The air was thick with tension. Every single person was on edge.

“Oh, look!” said someone. “It’s Lady Kanata!”

All around her, people started whispering:

“Do you suppose she’ll be selected as a Saint after all?”

“She might be a Sage. Lady Kanata has to be the greatest prodigy in the history of our school.”

“What about a Hero? Lady Kanata has the skills for it. Didn’t she win the national fencing tournament three times in a row? It feels a bit like she’s just showing off.”

Lady Kanata this, Lady Kanata that. A Saint or a Sage or a Hero. Kanata reached her seat in silence. Her chest burned as she waited for the ceremony to begin. None of those possibilities were acceptable to her.

Saint? Sage? Hero? she thought. No, I don’t want such an overblown Profession. Anyway, my mind is made up. She kept a straight face as more and more students turned their curious glances her way.

Born to the household of a lord of this land, Kanata had exerted all of her effort toward this day. She’d refused to grow complacent despite her considerable talent, and she’d trained diligently every day. Even when it got painful or difficult, she had refused to rest. She had never been absent from school even once. She grew up well versed in both literary and martial arts, and she was incredibly beautiful. Her etiquette and personality, too, were refined beyond compare. Why had she put in so much effort? It was because there was a Profession she hoped to be chosen for no matter what. She had overlooked nothing, no matter how slight, all for the sake of today’s Selection Ceremony.

“Silence, please! We will now begin the Selection Ceremony. When your name is called, please come forward and touch the holy orb.” The priest sent by the Church to conduct the ritual pushed his round glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. “White Hawk Class, Ariel Martha.”

“H-Here!” The girl whose name had been called stood up and approached the altar to stand in front of the large round gem.

“Before we begin,” said the priest, “please remember that this is your only chance to determine your Profession. There is no precedent in history for recognizing a change in Profession after you decide it here. The gods will not permit it, no matter if you later change your mind. Therefore, I ask you to think carefully about your decision.”

Ariel gave a serious nod. She joined her hands in prayer before reaching out to touch the orb. “I pray, O gods, grant me the Profession to which I am most suited.”

Glowing letters appeared in the air. The priest read aloud, “It is revealed. You may be a Beast Tamer or a Diviner. Which will you choose?”

The girl looked between the two Professions.

“Beast Tamer would be kind of...” she started to say, an openly contemptuous expression on her face. “I choose Diviner!”

“I had no doubt that would be your decision,” said the priest, comforting her. “I can scarcely imagine that someone would choose Beast Tamer. I believe it ended up mixed in because the qualifications for that Profession are very broad. I wouldn’t worry that it appeared in the divine revelation.”

His tone seemed to calm her. Even if an unfortunate Profession were to appear, it was perfectly acceptable not to choose it.

“Now, place your hand to the divine writing, where it says ‘Diviner,’” the priest continued. “Your Profession shall be engraved onto your very soul.”

“O-Okay...” The girl touched the glowing letters as she was told, and the words vanished. They looked as though they were absorbed into her body.

“Now, your ceremony is complete,” the priest concluded. “In accordance with your Profession of Diviner, you will receive a blessing to your Magic and your Spirit. If you continue to pursue your path with discipline, you may even obtain abilities that grant you knowledge of the future.”

“Okay!”

“A Profession is not a job, and there is no requirement for you to perform a Diviner’s work in actuality. Of course, you may choose to do so if you wish.”

“I understand.” The girl bowed her head and returned to her seat. Her friends nearby congratulated her.

“Next,” said the priest, “Blue Swallow Class, Yolanda Feribell.”

“Present!” Yolanda stepped forward.

“You are suited for two Professions: Beast Tamer and Apothecary.”

“Beast Tamer again...” She trailed off.

“Now, there really is no need to pay it any mind. Most people can fulfill the conditions for that job, you see.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I’m fine with anything except Beast Tamer!”

“Indeed. All Beast Tamer serves to do is to lower your abilities. It is only because I must act as an officiator that I ask. You would like to choose Apothecary, then?”

“Of course!”

The ritual continued smoothly. Every student received their revelation from the gods and decided on their Profession with some combination of joy and fear. Finally, it was Kanata’s turn.

“Black Owl Class, Kanata Aldezia,” called the priest.

Kanata stood, all eyes on her. It was only natural. Everyone here was keenly interested to see which Profession was best suited for Kanata. Kanata held her head high and her back straight; her long, alluring black hair fluttered as she walked. She was like something out of a painting.

The girls watching the ceremony held their breaths.

“Please,” said the priest, “place your hand on the holy orb.”

“All right.” Kanata prayed and touched the gem, as the priest had instructed. There was a flash of light.

“What?!” The priest gasped, staggering back from the sheer brightness.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!” the girls in the auditorium screamed.

Nobody was certain what had happened. A second later, however, they understood. A vast array of divine writing had appeared in the flash of light. The writing towered high above the holy orb. Nobody could tell exactly how many Professions were listed.

“I’ve never seen this many before!” the old priest exclaimed. He stared, neglecting to fix his crooked glasses, astonished at the pillar of light. “A thousand? Two thousand? Even advanced Professions I’ve never seen! All of them!”

“If I qualify for this many, surely it must be in there somewhere.” Holding back her excitement, Kanata faced the words of divine revelation.

As for the class, they were shocked into silence by the unprecedented number of Professions, and they watched with bated breath.

All sorts of Professions were written there: Saint. Hero. Sage. Paladin. Sword King. Holy Fist. Oracle. Dragon Knight. Archmage. Even more. There were rare and powerful Professions, jammed in so close together that they were hard to read. But none of them were the Profession Kanata was looking for.

It wasn’t until she had reached the very end that Kanata saw it. “It is there!” she cried. There, alone in a corner, was her chosen Profession. “Oh, thank goodness.” Kanata breathed a sigh of relief. Without waiting a second longer, she touched her hand to the letters. The rest of the divine writing crumbled away. That left only the Profession Kanata touched to be absorbed into her soul—her Profession for the rest of her life.

As soon as her ceremony was over, the students began chattering. All the way in the back, they couldn’t see what Profession Kanata had chosen.

“Did you see? What Profession did Lady Kanata choose?” one of them asked.

“I don’t know. It must be Saint, though, right?”

“No way, she’d be a Sage!”

“She might have chosen to be a Hero.”

“Oh, I can’t stand this suspense! I wish the priest would hurry up and tell us.”

It seemed this last sentiment was a common one. The students were very curious as to what Kanata had picked, and they were impatient to know the answer. Their gazes were fixed on the priest, urging him to hurry.

The priest looked like he couldn’t believe what he had seen. “L-Lady Kanata Aldezia?!” he squeaked, still frozen in place.

As close as he was, only he had seen what Kanata had chosen.

“Yes, Father? What is it?” Kanata was in high spirits, completely unlike the priest in front of her, who was now beginning to sweat. She smiled sweetly. The dream she had held for years was finally coming true.

The priest could only think that she had lost her mind. “Wh-Wh-Wh-What was the Profession you chose just now?! I thought I saw,” he spluttered, “but it can’t be! It can’t! It just can’t! I must be mistaken! You can’t have—”

“Yes, Father,” Kanata said. “The Profession I chose was Beast Tamer. With your help, I’ve finally achieved the Profession I’ve always wanted.” Kanata politely bowed.

Nobody had ever seen Kanata smile so much. Once, she had been known as The Princess of Sacred Ice, but now she was radiant and beaming.

“What have you dooooooone?!” screamed the priest. His voice echoed throughout the auditorium. “Beast Tamer? A Beast Tamer?! Why would you choose a Profession for failures?! I know they say all Professions are equal, but that one?!”

Kanata giggled. “Oh, a Profession for failures? But I’ve wanted to be a Beast Tamer for so long, what else could I do?”

“Stop giggling!” The priest sprung up, his back pain forgotten. “Do you understand what you’ve done?! Beast Tamer is a Profession that bestows the ability to command magic beasts, but in exchange it lowers your Vitality, your Strength, your Magic, your Spirit—all of your abilities! And even then, a magic beast will only acknowledge you as their master if you face them in single combat!”

“How wonderful! All I need to do is fight, and they’ll accept me!”

“What are you saying?! You’ll be as strong as the average child! You won’t even be able to defeat a slime!” the priest screamed.

By this point, he was weeping openly. After all, among the Professions revealed to Kanata was Saint—the symbol of the Church itself. It was a grave failure for the priest, as officiator of the ceremony. A girl with the potential to become a Saint, after they’d gone so long without one, had chosen Beast Tamer under his very nose. If the Holy Church were to learn of this, it could very likely end in his excommunication. He could feel everything he had labored to build crumbling under his feet.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the priest repeated as the color drained from his face. “W-We can change your Profession!” he said. “Perhaps, if we pray in earnest...”

“Please don’t worry, Father.” Kanata’s voice was gentle. She gave the priest a smile filled with benevolent kindness.

“O-Oh, such grace,” he mumbled. The priest, his mind still in turmoil, made the sign of the cross. He had seen a glimmer of hope in Kanata’s smile. Perhaps even now she could return to being a Saint. No. She had to. Her smile was nothing short of divine. Surely she could do something about this situation. He smiled back.

“Father, did you not say that there is no precedent in history for acknowledging a change in Profession? Let us abide by the gods’ laws. Isn’t that best, Father?”

“Nooooooooooooooooo!” Far from offering a solution, Kanata’s response had only plunged him further into despair. The priest sobbed. “How could this be happening?!” he cried. “How could something this absurd be allowed?!” His knees buckled.

Kanata spoke gently to the priest. “Bless me, Father,” she said. “I have become a Beast Tamer, just as I wanted. There is nothing to worry about.”

“But... But... If this... I won’t...” he blubbered.

“It will be all right. Nobody could see that Saint appeared in the divine revelation, and I shall not speak of it to anyone. Your position is not in danger.”

“Ohhh.” The priest wiped the tears and snot from his face. “You can even see through my petty vanity... You really should have been a Saint.” In his mind, it was truly regrettable to have let someone like her get away.

“Excuse me, Father,” Kanata said with a formal bow. “There are other students waiting.” She turned, and without returning to her seat, left the auditorium, her skirt swaying as she walked.

“I did it,” she said. “I did it! I became a Beast Tamer, just like I always wanted! My efforts weren’t in vain!”

She was wrong, of course. Her efforts were very much in vain. With Kanata’s talents, Beast Tamer would have appeared in the divine writing whether she had exerted herself or not. Her ten years of hard work had served no benefit whatsoever in selecting her Profession. However, her decade of diligent work had given her a tremendous amount of power. Even with the general debuff from the Beast Tamer Profession, the feature that made people think of it as a black mark, even without any beasts to fight for her, there was nobody who was a match for her strength. She had become the strongest Beast Tamer in the world.

“Now, to find some fluffy beasts! Everything that I am, I devote to my quest for fluff. Wait for me, beasties!” She let herself imagine all the fluffy friends she had yet to meet. It was enough to melt her heart.

The students, who had been shocked speechless, seemed to return to themselves after Kanata left. They didn’t understand what had taken place until they heard the screams of the teachers waiting outside.

† † †

“A Beeeeaaaaaaast Taaaaaaamer?!”

Kanata’s teachers collectively let out the most horrifying scream when they heard what Profession she had chosen. They had been certain that this was the ceremony where Kanata was to become a Saint. Everyone had been. She went far beyond being a Renaissance woman. She had studied magic and medicine, theater and music, even cooking and art. In every one of those fields, she’d exhibited extraordinary talent. She had triumphed in so many contests, in so many fields, that it would be faster to list the tournaments held in the Royal Capital that she hadn’t won. She had been born with extraordinary talent, devoted herself single-mindedly to a life of discipline, and shown striking results.

Her teachers, for their part, had been supremely proud to have her in their classrooms. They’d been looking forward to a future where they could boast to everyone that the Kanata Aldezia had once been their student. How could she have chosen a Profession like Beast Tamer? They wept bitter tears.

Kanata curtsied politely. “Farewell, everyone,” she said. “I wish you good health.” Whether she knew what was in her teachers’ hearts, she gave no indication.

“W-Wait! Lady Kanata Aldezia, where are you going?!” one teacher beseeched.

“I am going to enjoy a bit of beast taming.” She smiled elegantly, as if she had declared her intention to enjoy the flowers accompanied by gentle harp music.

“Ex-Excuse me?!” several teachers continued. “We aren’t finished here! We need to discuss your plans for education! To think you would throw away your future to become a lowly Beast Tamer!”

Skillfully dodging past her teachers as they attempted to restrain her, Kanata bowed her head in apology. “I am terribly sorry, but I have decided not to pursue higher education.”

“What?!” her teachers all shouted at once, taken aback.

“Now that I have become a Beast Tamer,” Kanata said, “I have no further business with this school.”

For many long years she had played the part of a dignified and studious young lady, all in order to qualify for as many Professions as she could. Now that she had become a Beast Tamer, there was no longer any need for the facade.

“Ha ha ha,” she started to laugh. “Aha ha ha! Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I’m free! No more stuffy noble girls’ schools! And good riddance!” She was giddy with her success, laughing maniacally as she effortlessly evaded her teachers.

“C-Come back here!”

Despite the major decline in her stats from becoming a Beast Tamer, Kanata showed no signs of difficulty. She could lose another tenth of her power and would still far outstrip her teachers in agility.

“Fluffy fluff~♪,” she sang as she skipped along. “Fluffy fluffy fluff~♪”

Anybody who knew Kanata during her time as a student would be shocked to see her skipping happily like this. She had finally discarded her honor-student mask. She left the school gates with a big grin on her face and headed for the edge of town.

“Oh, it’s been so long!” she exclaimed. “Finally...finally I can find fluffy beasties to pet!”

Why did Kanata pretend to be an honor student for so long, and why did she throw away every rare and valued Profession to select Beast Tamer? To understand, we must go back in time.

To the moment of her reincarnation.

As Kanata reflected on her trials, she, too, thought of what had happened before she was born.

† † †

In the beginning, there was darkness. There was no sound and no light. She was floating through an utterly empty expanse. It felt like an eternity passed, when suddenly she could hear someone calling her.

“Yoshino Kanata-san,” the someone said.

“Yes?” Yoshino Kanata had been her name once, so, hesitantly, she responded.

In the next second, a white, shining sphere appeared in her vision. It was the only thing she could see in the darkness.

The sphere seemed to recognize that Kanata was conscious. It spoke to her in a soft voice. “Listen calmly to my words. You have passed away. This is the Realm of the Hereafter.”

Kanata wasn’t especially surprised. She had been expecting to die for a while.

“I knew it,” she said. “So this is death.”

If this was the Realm of the Hereafter, Kanata thought, then the sphere might be a god. She decided to try asking. “Are you a god?”

The sphere gave a well-rehearsed answer. “I am nothing more than an entity that manages souls. I am not any god that you would worship.” It seemed like it got that question a lot. “I called you here because there was an irregularity with your soul.”

“An irregularity?” Kanata was surprised. As far as she knew, she had been completely normal.

“Kanata-san, while you were alive, you were forced to endure many hardships.”

“Was I?” she asked. “I think I led a pretty normal life. Really, by the standards of our world, I was sort of lucky.” Kanata had never known severe hunger or thirst. Her death had been from natural causes. The moment of her death itself had been more frightening, but that, too, was comparatively mild. From Kanata’s perspective, it was a fairly decent death. It was even a valuable experience, she thought, to feel her consciousness fade to the flat beeping of the ECG machine.

The glowing sphere, however, did not seem satisfied. “Since your birth you lived connected to many tubes, forbidden to leave the hospital, alone. The only time you met your family was on your deathbed. You do not consider these to have been hardships?”

“Oh, well, I had the internet,” she said. “It may have only been through a computer screen, but I was able to interact with the outside world.”

Aside from the medication, the injections, and the surgeries, her life could’ve been seen as the envy of any NEET. Although her parents had never come to visit while she was old enough to form memories, they’d always paid the hospital bills. She felt she must be grateful for that, if nothing else.

“Perhaps it is due to the considerable weight of your soul that you did not feel that these were hardships.”

Despite everything, Kanata was a girl. There was no way she would let a comment about her weight slip by unchallenged.

“Excuse me, it’s rude to talk about people’s weight like that!” In fact, she thought, now that she was dead she must have withered away to skin and bones. She was probably very light!

“You misunderstand,” the sphere clarified. “I am speaking of the mass of your soul.”

Kanata didn’t know what that meant, but whatever it was didn’t sound good.

“It is not a matter of good or bad,” the sphere continued. “The scales are out of alignment. Your soul is uncommonly heavy. To bring balance to the World Tree, we must move your soul to another dimension.”

“Well I don’t really understand what that means, but wouldn’t it be enough to let me go free, now that I’ve died? I lived the best life I could, and I died a proper death, after all.”

“Then you have no regrets? Not even a small one? You truly mean to say that you have no regrets at all?”

“Hmm,” she thought aloud. “Regrets, is it?” Something finally came to mind after the sphere’s prodding. A regret. There was one thing. One thing that she had to regret from her life. “W-Well, if I must say, I suppose there was one...”

“I see. And what is your regret? Tell me, no matter what it is.”

“I wanted fluff.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Fluff. I wanted fluff.”

“Fluff, you say?” The sphere didn’t seem to understand. Somehow it gave the impression that it was tilting its head in confusion.

“I’m sure you know, but I lived my life in a sterile room. I never had a chance to touch an animal. And their fur looks so soft, I’m sure it would feel amazing to touch. Oh, if only I could have caressed the fluff and licked the fluff and breathed in the fluff and fondled the fluff and...”

Ah yes, fluff. Fluffy fluffy fluff. She used to get so worked up watching AVs (Animal Videos, in her case), longing desperately for what she couldn’t touch with her hands.

“Fondle...you say?” The sphere floated a half step back away from her.

Had she said something strange, she wondered?

The sphere made a sound like it was clearing its throat. “Well,” it continued, “regardless, it is good to hear that you have one regret.”

“I do. I want the fluff. Would you let me pet your fluff, please? I mean, you don’t look very fluffy, but—” She reached out to touch the sphere, but it dodged back.

“I-I am not for petting!” The sphere somehow gave the impression of a sigh. “I’ll never understand why so many heavy souls are such strange people,” it muttered before proceeding. “Let us return to the point. If you have a wish that was never granted in your previous life, it is within my power to grant it in your next life in a new world.”

“Wait,” said Kanata, “is this an isekai thing?”

“You are quick to understand. Exactly. You are to be reborn in another world.”

“I had a sense that was where this was going. I’m a big web novel fan, you know.” Web novels had been her constant companions in her dull hospital life. No, they’d been more than companions. It might be better to call them friends. She’d had no human friends in the real world, after all.

“You will be reborn in a world of swords and sorcery. You might call it a fantasy setting.”

“Ooh!”

“And I will ensure that your...fluffy animals will be there for you.”

“Wonderful!”

“Furthermore, to bring equilibrium between your past and future lives, I will grant you a blessing.”

“Oh, my cheat powers!”

“You will be as strong of body as you were feeble in your past life. You will have as much fortune as you previously had misfortune. And as lonely as you were, you will have just as much companionship.”

“I’ll use my cheat powers to pet as many fluffy animals as possible! Isekai fluff fluff! Isekai fluff fluff!” she chanted. Kanata’s excitement showed no signs of abating. She wanted the fluff. She needed the fluff.

“I will take that as your consent to send your soul to another dimension,” said the sphere. “The contract is sealed.”

It seemed that this conversation had been nothing more than a prerequisite for her reincarnation. It felt to Kanata a little bit like she was being strung along, but she was getting fluffy animals out of the deal, so it didn’t bother her much.

“Everything is in order,” the sphere concluded. “I wish you a good life, Yoshino Kanata-san.”

“Thank you! I’ll be sure to pet lots of fluff!”

The sphere seemed a little taken aback by that last remark. “Ah. Indeed,” it said. “Good luck.”

The next thing Kanata felt was a strong pulling sensation. She felt her consciousness vanish, and she was reborn.

† † †

“The gods have spoken,” said the priest with the round glasses. “This child’s name is Kanata.”

“Kanata,” said the newborn’s mother. “What a strange name...”

“I like how it sounds, though,” said the father. The two said their child’s name to themselves, as if they were turning it over in their mouths.

Kanata’s mother lay down on the bed, exhausted from the birth. Her baby was cuddled up next to her, small cheek pressed close. “Kanata,” she said. “I’m so glad you were born...”

Kanata’s father, who had been watching from her bedside, touched his daughter’s hand with the tip of his finger. “Oh!” he cried. “Kanata grabbed my finger! She’s very strong. I’m sure she’ll grow up healthy and—wait, no, she is strong! Ow ow ow! She’s going to pull my finger off!”

“Oh, darling,” said his wife, “you’re such a kidder.”

The baby smiled happily, her eyes still closed, as she listened to her parents’ voices.

† † †

Time passed in the blink of an eye. Under the doting care of her loving parents, Kanata grew into a healthy three-year-old. And how did three-year-old Kanata spend her time?

“Puppy!” she cried out.

But the dog barked furiously at her, clearly unwilling to be pet. She tried again with another animal.

“Kitty!”

But the cat hissed and ran. No matter how many animals she approached, they would threaten her or flee.

“Today’s no good either,” Kanata sobbed.

It had been three years since her reincarnation and she had yet to touch an animal. She was beginning to suspect the sphere had lied. She had a healthy body, yes, but where was the fluff she was promised?! She sighed deeply and slumped her shoulders.

Her mother, who was holding her baby brother, smiled down at her. “No luck today either, Kanny?”

“No,” she sniffed. “No luck at all, mama. They won’t let me touch their fluff...”

“You’re such a sweet girl,” her mother said. “I wonder why animals won’t let you hold them.” She rested her dainty cheek in her hand and tilted her head in thought.

“I wanna know that too.” Kanata pouted. She had been reborn seeking to pet fluff, but so far her quest had been fruitless. Animals cowered before her as if she were a terrible magic beast.

Her father laughed warmly. He’d walked in after returning from work. “Animals running away from you like always, Kanata?”

“Hmph...” Kanata puffed out her cheeks. Her father patted her on the head with his big hands. “Hm-Hmph,” she said again.

“Now, now, don’t pout,” her father said. He squeezed her cheeks, forcing the air out of her mouth with a bppppfpf.

Perhaps she hadn’t been able to achieve her fluffy dreams, but Kanata was glad to have been reborn to such kind parents. Her baby brother was cute too. If only he were fluffy as well. That would have been ideal. But her brother, who was taking his time to grow, still didn’t have a single hair on his head. Her father was the lord of the fiefdom, but unlike many nobles, he had no illusions that he was better than anyone else. He was never strict with his daughter either. To the people of this world, steeped as they were in feudal values, he was an eccentric thinker.

“Animals really do hate you, though,” he said. “You might have to become a Beast Tamer if you want to pet them so badly!”

“A Beast Tamer?” Kanata looked up. She had never heard this title before.

“Beast Tamers,” her father explained, “are a Profession with the ability to befriend magic beasts. If you were one of them, you’d have no trouble at all getting your precious fluff!”

Kanata’s face lit up. “Wow!” she said. “Wow wow! I wanna be a Beast Tamer!”

“Now, now, Kanny,” her mother said.

“Ah, but Kanata,” her father continued, “it can be very difficult to get the Profession you want! You know, when I was young I wanted to be a Magician, but the Profession I qualified for was Fencer.”

“I’ll work hard!” Kanata exclaimed. “I’ll do my very, very best and I’ll become a Beast Tamer!”

“I see! You’ll do your very best, will you?”

“I will! My very very best!”

Her father picked Kanata up and let her ride on his shoulders, laughing. Even her mother cracked a smile at the sight. Her baby brother clapped his hands. He clearly had no idea what was happening.

And Kanata did her best. She studied every field of learning, mastered every art, honed her body, attended to her looks, and practiced flawless etiquette. She cut no corners, spared no effort, until the day of the ceremony.

Yes! It was all for the fluff!

And now that the Selection Ceremony had concluded, her long effort had finally borne fruit! Well, perhaps all that effort hadn’t been strictly necessary. Beast Tamer was always going to be on her list of Professions, after all. Still, it was thanks to those efforts that she had more than enough power to compensate for the debuff, so they weren’t exactly wasted.

Snapping out of her recollections, Kanata squeezed her fists tight, psyching herself up. “Beasties! Wait for me!”

“Excuse me, young lady. Are you leaving the city?” A nearby soldier in armor called out to her. This was the gatekeeper. He looked puzzled by the girl who seemed to be setting out to leave the city with no equipment and with her school uniform on.

“I am!”

“You are? I mean. There are magic beasts outside the city walls. It’s dangerous to go out without a guard, wearing—”

“Have a nice day!”

“Are you even listening, young lady? Don’t go out! Wait!!!”

But Kanata was already gone, sprinting toward the horizon.

† † †

Kanata left the town to go wander around inside the forest a short distance away. She walked so skillfully that she didn’t even get mud from the forest on her nice shoes; the leaves under her feet made no sound as she crept along. Kanata could have been an Assassin—literally, it was one of the Professions she could have chosen.

“Hmm,” she pondered. “I thought I would run into a magic beast right away, but I haven’t really seen any.”

Suddenly, she heard shouting. “Waaaaait!”

“Young lady! It’s dangerous to go alone!”

She looked over her shoulder to see the two gatekeepers, outfitted with spears and armor, waving frantically in her direction. It seemed that they had come after her.

The guards doubled over, gasping for breath. “You are frightfully fast, miss!” one puffed.

“We’re not in bad shape either,” said the other.

“What seems to be the matter, sirs?” Kanata asked. “Are you not needed to guard the gate?”

“What seems to be the— I saw you walk out of the gate like you had just decided you fancied a stroll, dressed as you are. I was worried about you!”

“There’s no issue, we just finished our shift. It’s just gonna cut into our lunch breaks a little is all.” They were off duty at the moment and more than willing to spend their break time helping this girl.

“Oh my!” Kanata gasped. “You shouldn’t waste your precious free time on me!”

“It’s not a waste at all!” said the guard. “We can’t just send you off alone now that we’ve found you!”

“You wish to come with me? Truly?” Kanata blinked.

“Well, in a way,” the guard said. “Miss, we came to take you back to town.” The guard raised the visor of his helmet, revealing a middle-aged face. Hot steam from his perspiration rose from inside his armor.

“Sir,” said the other guard, “allow me, please.” He also raised his visor. This guard was a young man. He was used to handling people of Kanata’s age, and he knew how her school operated. “Miss, you are a student at the Lulualas Academy for Girls, are you not? And I believe that the color of your necktie marks you as a third year. Isn’t this the day of your Selection Ceremony?”

“Yes!” said Kanata. “I just chose my Profession. I wanted to try my Profession Ability as soon as possible.”

The older guard shrugged his shoulders and smiled with fond exasperation. “Ah,” he said. “One of those. Sometimes fledglings with a battle Profession like Fencer or Magician get carried away and leave to challenge a magic beast. You shouldn’t take magic beasts so lightly, miss! You should return to the city before you get hurt.”

“Come on, sir,” said the younger guard, stepping in front of the older guard, “we were both that age at one point, you know.”

But what he had to say amounted to the same thing.

“There might not be much worse than slimes and goblins around here, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to walk around alone. I’m sorry, but would you please come back with us?” The guard was speaking out of the goodness of his heart—both of them were upstanding, sensible grown-ups.

As the younger guard looked at Kanata’s face, he suddenly seemed to remember something. “Hey,” he said, “have I met you somewhere before?”

“Hey, hold on!” said the older guard. “Are you flirting with this young lady? She’s a beautiful young lady to be sure, but she’s much too young for you!”

The younger guard shook his head. “No! I really feel like I’ve seen her before. I’m sorry, but may I ask your name?”

“Of course! I am Kanata Aldezia,” Kanata said.

No sooner had her name left her lips, than the guards’ expressions froze. They both started to move and exclaimed at once, “Kanata Aldezia? The Kanata Aldezia?! The pride of the Lulualas Academy for Girls?! The girl they say is the second coming of the First Saint?!”

“Oh! I’ve heard of her!” said the older guard. “She’s a famous swordsman! For the past three years in a row she’s come in first in the Royal Capital’s fencing tournament, against the best sword fighters in the country! I had no idea she was so young!”

“I can’t believe we’d run into someone like Kanata Aldezia!” exclaimed the younger with excitement. Kanata, on the other hand, was on edge. She wanted to find a magic beast as soon as she could. Her fluff cravings had soared past their limits.

The older guard took the younger guard aside. “So, the girl turned out to be some kind of big deal, huh?”

“We probably don’t need to take her back to the city,” said the younger guard. “She’s gotta be stronger than us anyway.”

“Even so, we can’t just send her merrily on her way. No matter how strong she may be, she’s still a fifteen-year-old girl! And she’s walking around unarmed, in her school uniform and nice shoes, like she’s going shopping!”

“I guess we have to convince her somehow...”

“Now, young lady,” the older guard said, “I understand that you’re a formidable opponent. But could I ask you to return to the city, just temporarily? You should equip yourself properly and find a companion or two before you go out adventuring. So why don’t we—” He turned back to Kanata. “Hey, wait! Where did she go?!”

“Sir!” The younger guard pointed ahead. “Look! She got away!”

Indeed, Kanata had moved on while the guards had been discussing what to do. It didn’t seem like she and the guards were coming to an accord, and so, she reasoned, any further conversation would be meaningless. The fluff was more important. She had no use for guards who didn’t even have the good grace to be fluffy.

“Waaaaaiiiit!” shouted the guards as they began to chase after her again. Just then, something cried out from deep in the forest.

“Gugeeeeeeey!”

An ominous, piercing, discordant shriek rang out. The men covered their ears. They realized at once what that cry was. They had spent too long protecting the city to mistake it.

“A magic beast! No—was that?”

“Miss! Come here! It’s dangerous up ah—oh dear gods, why are you speeding up?!”

“Because there’s fluff up ahead!” Kanata cried.

Her head was too full of fluff for her to even think about stopping. The guards had never stood a chance.

Kanata’s sixth sense was telling her that the shrieking voice would lead her to the fluff. And if the fluff was there, Kanata must go. She had qualified to become an Oracle, you may recall—a credit to the precognitive powers she was currently exhibiting. The trees here were thick; they made a tight woven ceiling of branches that covered the gaps between them. Kanata took to the treetops, jumping from branch to branch, moving like the wind, until, in very little time, she reached her destination.

“Gugeeeeeeey!”

“Gargargar!”

Two enormous magic beasts spread their black wings and took to the sky. They had sharp beaks, like a crow’s, and a wingspan that cast a shadow great enough for five adults to sleep comfortably within it. At first glance, it looked like the two birds flying back and forth at high speeds might be fighting each other, but on closer inspection, they were targeting a figure cowering on the ground. It looked like a piece of tattered cloth or some other kind of rubbish, but that was not the case.

The cowering figure was a black ball of fur about the size of a kitten. Yes, that’s right, a ball of fur. Looking at its tiny shaking body, it was impossible to tell whether it had legs somewhere in there or not. Its only distinguishing feature was a pair of pointy, catlike ears that stuck out of its fluff. Its fur looked like it was ordinarily pitch-black and soft, but after so many attacks it had become filthy with blood and dirt.

“Gugeeeeeeeey!”

The giant birds kept attacking, swooping down to rake at the creature with their talons, then taking to the sky once more. Each time they attacked, the creature would roll around on the ground, but it couldn’t escape. It trembled in fear.

“Gugeygeygeygeygeygey!” the birds shrieked.

Their shrieks sounded almost like laughter. It was clear that these birds wanted to torment the furball to death.

Kanata moved to dash off and rescue the creature, but suddenly her path was blocked by the guards, who had finally caught up to her. They were slower than her, even after abandoning their helmets and spears.

The older guard huffed and puffed. “How are you so fast?! I was running all out! I’m actually impressed with myself for keeping up...”

“W-Wait!” the younger guard shouted. “Don’t get close to those magic beasts!”

Despite being on the brink of collapse, the guards moved to block Kanata.

“Please, miss, listen to us!” said the older guard.

“The kingdom has put out a bounty on those beasts! You’d need a team of skilled knights or adventurers to take one down! No matter how strong you are, it’s simply impossible to take on a monster like that unarmed!”

The two guards were genuinely concerned for Kanata’s safety. For now, the birds were focused on the furball, but there was no telling if they would notice the humans and decide to attack.

“It’s good that it wasn’t a human who was attacked. We should get away while the magic beasts are killing each other,” the guards called to Kanata.

However, Kanata showed no signs of moving. She was staring fixedly at the poor injured furball.

“You want to save the little one?” one of the guards asked. “Give it up. A magic beast won’t show gratitude toward a human.”

“It’s a fight between magic beasts,” said the other. “It’s not our place as humans to interfere. We should leave and let nature take its course.”

The guard was about to place his hand on Kanata’s shoulder, when suddenly Kanata seemed to return to herself.

“Sir guard,” she said, “I’ve actually given some thought to the matter of what to do if I should witness magic beasts fighting.”

The guard was probably correct. It wasn’t a human’s place to interfere with a fight between magic beasts that had nothing to do with them.

“Whether they are fighting to protect their territory, or hunting to live, for us to interfere would be nothing more than the self-serving self-interest of the human ego.”

She began to stride forward, with such assuredness that the guards forgot for a second that they were here to stop her. They let her walk past.

“However,” Kanata said, “I came to a conclusion of my own. In times such as this...”

“In times such as this?” the guards echoed, curious.

Kanata made a tight fist. “In times such as this, I shall side with the fluffiest!”

“That is self-serving!” blurted out one guard.

“You can’t get more self-interested!” shouted the other.

Kanata chortled and made a break for it, running ahead of the guards. “Of course it’s self-serving!” she called. “It’s absolutely solipsistic! It has nothing to do with the laws of nature! I didn’t come this far to be held back by something like that!”

All of Kanata’s efforts had been for this day. All of her talent, all of her training, all of her progress. All to be offered up on the altar of fluff! Kanata flew like the wind to the furball’s side. She was full of determination.

“That’s enough!” Kanata shouted.

“Gugeeey?!” the birds squawked.

For just a second they were so shocked to see a young girl cutting in between themselves and the furball that they stopped moving. But upon realizing that their opponent was a young girl, they cried with delight. This was more prey!

“Gargargargar!” Their terrible shrieks filled the air as one of the two flew down to rake at Kanata with its wicked talons.

“You will harm the fluff no further!” Kanata declared. “I won’t allow it!”

She swung up with one of her arms, smacking the monster on its incoming talons with the back of her hand. Just that small movement was enough to send the bird flying, looking for all the world like it was slipping on ice. It lost its stability and fell from the air in a tailspin, crashing noisily into a tree to one side behind Kanata.

“Gu... Gugey?!” The birds were confused.

They had fought humans who blocked their attacks with great shields, but never before had they seen a human parry their attacks with only her bare hands. She was strong. There would be no toying with or tormenting this human. For all that she looked like a small girl, this was an opponent worthy of their full strength. They had been careless, but no more. To bring down their opponent, they would have to change tactics.

“Gugeeeeeey!”

The bird who had crashed into the tree did not seem to be badly injured. Its rock-hard feathers had protected it from the blow. Both birds flew up high, wheeling around in great circles, trying to feel out a weakness in Kanata’s defense.

Kanata, still keeping an eye on the birds, turned to the furball she had covered. “Are you all right? I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can.”

“M-Miu...” the furball cried feebly. It sounded like a small kitten.

“S-So cute!” Kanata was so charmed by the creature’s adorable voice that she lost her focus.

The birds noticed. One bird stopped circling and dove straight for her. This time it was not using its talons, but its sharp, spear-like beak, launching its own body like a deadly arrow to impale its prey. This attack could tear through the thickest of shields and the sturdiest of armor as if they were tissue paper. Some of the humans these birds had fought had thought that they could brace themselves to take the hit and finish the bird off with a counterattack. For their cleverness, they had all ended up skewered on the birds’ beaks. There was no defense against the penetrative force of this dive.

The bird’s hard feathers cut through the air, making a high-pitched whistling sound. Certain of its victory, it sped up, aiming to open a hole in the human’s soft belly.

“Gugeeeeeey!” it cried.

With the help of gravity, it flew through the air faster than an arrow. It was flying just about fast enough to break the sound barrier.

“Miu! Miu!” the furball cried, trying as hard as it could to tell Kanata, Behind you!, but Kanata wouldn’t turn around.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed. “Cuuuute!”

The bird scoffed at her stupidity. Foolish human girl. She would die along with the critter. It braced its body for impact, stiffening its muscles and pulling its wings back around its body to minimize air resistance. Thin, stiff, and straight, it resembled nothing so much as an arrow. Its force was enough to break through a castle’s strong gate as thoroughly as any battering ram. It bore down on Kanata, the roar deafening as it tore through the air. It had her. She would die with that goofy expression of adoration still on her face. Or so it thought.

“Gu...gugeygey?!”

Kanata blocked the attack effortlessly. No, block isn’t quite the right word. She caught the bird’s beak in her hand, stopping it in midair with nothing more than her reflexes and her grip strength. All that even after the debuff from the Beast Tamer Profession.

The two guards cried out in justifiable shock at her fearsome power. “N-No way!” one shouted. “O-One handed?!”

“Like she’s playing catch! What is this girl?!”

However, the birds were still confident of their victory. That attack had been a feint. Even though its dive was faster than an arrow, there were some skilled adventurers who were able to dodge one way or another. And when they were off balance, the other bird would strike. The first bird would cry out when it dove, bringing the enemy’s attention to itself, while the other streaked silently through the air for the killing blow. These birds had perfected this flawless two-stage attack as brothers, and it had yet to be defeated.

The other bird silently flew at Kanata from behind, beak first.

“M-Miu! Miu!” The furball knew how dangerous this attack was. It tried desperately to warn her.

“You really are just the cutest!” Kanata exclaimed passionately, and she easily caught the second bird in her other hand. The birds, whose movement had been suddenly halted, vibrated in her grip.

“Miu...” The furball didn’t know what to make of this girl.

“Cute, cute, cuuuuuute!” Kanata couldn’t get enough of that little voice. Even its astonished gasp just now made her squirm—even as she still clutched the birds in both hands.

“Hold on, this isn’t the time for distractions!” Kanata exclaimed. “I need to help this baby. Well, let’s see. First of all—” She looked down at the giant birds she had captured.

The birds went stiff. This girl had looked careless and off her guard, but now they found their beaks held tight in her vice-like grip, unable to escape. They could do nothing but wait to be killed.

“Gu... Gug...” The birds withered under Kanata’s icy gaze. If they were human, they would have broken out in a cold sweat by now.

Kanata yanked the birds close to her face. “Bad!” she scolded as if they were mischievous children. She didn’t speak especially loudly, but the invincible strength in her voice struck the birds like lightning. Literally.

“Gu... Gey...” The birds spasmed violently and fainted, their eyes rolling back in their sockets. If they were conscious, they were too overwhelmed by fear to move.

“Don’t do it again, okay?” Kanata said in a motherly voice, squatting down near their heads.

Then she turned to look at the furball. The critter was pure black and completely round. If it weren’t for the eyes and ears, there would be no way of knowing which part was the face.

“M-Miu,” it cried, with all the loveliness of a sweet little kitten.

“Oh wow!” Kanata cried. “I can’t handle the cuteness!”

She staggered back, clutching her heart as if it had been struck. At that moment, there was no doubt in her mind. She had to bring this critter with her. But first, she had to tend to its wounds. Despite the relentless attacks, the furball wasn’t seriously injured, but it still had more than its fair share of painful cuts.

“Pain, pain, go away~♪” Kanata sang.

She held her hand over the furball cat and focused, and its wounds started to close before the guards’ eyes. Judging the danger to have passed, they ran up to Kanata.

“She’s using healing magic now?!” one said. “So quickly, and without an incantation!”

“You really are something else, aren’t you, miss?”

“That does it for your injuries,” Kanata said. “Now I need to get you cleaned up and fed! Then we can decide if you want to be my companion!”

She scooped up the furball cat, taking advantage of its surprise. It hadn’t been expecting to be healed so quickly either. It was just big enough to hold in both hands, and extraordinarily soft. Kanata felt like all the happiness in the world lay in that softness.

“Oh wooow,” Kanata gasped. “My hands are in heaven.”

Its fur was nicer to the touch than Kanata had ever dared dream, and beneath she could feel the furball cat’s soft, warm body. Kanata was in ecstasy. She wanted the fluff. She wanted to pet it for days on end. She wanted to fall into it. She wanted to lick it. She wanted to breathe it in. But Kanata’s will was iron.

“P-Patience,” she told herself.

Beneath her beatific smile, she was holding in bitter tears. She could see to the fluff after the critter was all better. This furball might end up being with her for life, after all! She didn’t want to take advantage of its vulnerable state. She wanted it to choose to become her companion, in a state of sound body and mind.

That was the way she would reach her fluffy, fluffy paradise. Her patience would be rewarded in fluff a thousand times over.

“He he he,” Kanata laughed. She looked like a saint, but her smile concealed a beastly lust.

“Hey! Hold on! Wait!” The guards called out for her to stop.

“Miss,” said the younger guard, “are you planning on bringing a magic beast home with you? As small as it is, a magic beast is a magic beast. You can’t make pets out of them. They’re not meant to live with humans. Furthermore, that’s not a type of magic beast I’ve ever seen. You should bring it to the Adventurers’ Guild and contact the researchers in the Royal Capital. They’ll know what to do.”

Kanata confidently shook her head. “There’s no need to worry,” she said. “I am a Beast Tamer. Under the king’s laws, a Beast Tamer may bring a magic beast that they control with them into a city, taking full responsibility for its actions.”

“Oh, I see! If you’re a Beast Tamer, then— Wait, hold on! You’re a Beast Tamer?! That’s a loser Profession!”

“What?! Don’t Beast Tamers pay for their power to control magic beasts with a severe penalty to all abilities? But—”

“A severe penalty?” Kanata echoed. “I suppose my body does feel a tiny bit heavy. Or maybe it’s my imagination.”

“Your imagination?” one guard repeated.

“After watching you fight, I find that hard to believe,” said the other.

“But it’s the truth!” Kanata protested. “I did the ceremony properly. Ask the Church, they should have a record.”

“I’m not sure what to say,” the older guard said. “I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” said the younger. “I’m getting tired of strange things happening.”

The two sat down. They looked exhausted.

“And I’m afraid I must be going.” Kanata held the furball cat in one arm and curtsied properly with the other. “It was a pleasure to meet you, kind sirs. I will leave the rest in your capable hands.” With that, she darted off back in the direction of the city.

“Leave the rest in— Oh!” the older guard had almost forgotten. “The giant birds! It’s good that she took them down, but what exactly does she expect us to do?”

“Drag them back, I guess...” said the younger one. “There’s a bounty out for these two. We can’t just leave them here.”

The two guards sighed deeply as they roused themselves. They felt like they had already done enough work for one day.