Inside a modest restaurant in Crescent Moon Village, deep within the Mokomo Dukedom—
Wooden tables were buried beneath towering stacks of empty plates. Every dish that had once been placed upon them had been utterly annihilated.
Gern Reginald Sigmar's eating speed could only be described as terrifying. His fork blurred through the air, and the moment a platter of roasted meat was set down, it was reduced to bare bones in the blink of an eye.
The chefs were running themselves ragged, sweat pouring down their foreheads as they worked nonstop—yet even so, they couldn't keep up with his pace.
"Another extra-large grilled meat platter!" Gern shouted, his mouth still full, words muffled by food.
"Y–You want more?!"The restaurant owner stared in disbelief, nearly dropping the spatula in his hand."We… we've already used up all our meat reserves…"
"Then I'll take ten servings of cake!" Gern grinned, his eyes already scanning the menu for what he hadn't eaten yet.
Every Mink in the restaurant froze.
Whispers rippled through the room.
"Is his stomach a bottomless pit…?""He's eaten the entire restaurant…""Where did Li Bo even find this guy…? Is he here to bankrupt us?!"
Meanwhile, seated at the same table, Li Bo clutched her carrot-shaped coin purse tightly in both hands.
It had once been plump and heavy—Now it sagged like a wilted leaf.
"T–This can't be…"Her hands trembled as she turned it upside down.
Clink.
A single lonely coin rolled across the table.
Her long ears drooped completely, pink eyes shimmering with tears.
Across from her, Gern was in the middle of devouring his twenty-seventh plate of roasted meat while the head chef, panting heavily, staggered over with the thirtieth serving of stew.
Just as Gern reached for the final slice of carrot cake in front of her—
Li Bo snapped.
"WAAAAAAH!!"
She launched herself at him, leaping onto his back and locking her legs tightly around his waist while grabbing his collar with both hands.
"NO MORE EATING!! Li Bo's wallet is STARVING TO DEATH!!"
Tears streamed down her face, soaking into Gern's Marine cloak.
"Do you know how long it took me to save that money?! Three whole months! It was for buying new seeds!"
"I—I can't breathe—!" Gern choked, his fork wobbling dangerously. "W-Wait—!"
"I'M NOT WAITING!"She bit his ear lightly—not hard, but enough to make a point—muffled sobbing in her voice."Is your stomach connected directly to the ocean or something?!"
"Li Bo, this is a bit much!!"
"How is it too much?!" She pulled back, teary-eyed and furious. "You ate all my money!"
Gern froze for a moment, then awkwardly scratched his head.
"Uh… sorry. I might've gone a little overboard."
"Sorry doesn't fix it!!"She grabbed his collar again and shook him violently.
Dizzy, Gern raised both hands."O-Okay, okay! I'll pay you back!"
"Pay me back? With what?!" She released him and plopped down into her chair, arms crossed and cheeks puffed."I don't even have money for carrot seeds anymore! I thought it'd just be one meal…"
At that moment, the restaurant door creaked open.
Two small figures stepped inside.
One was a dog Mink girl with a ponytail—Wanda.The other was a leopard-mink dressed like a ranger—Pedro.
The moment they took in the scene—
The mountain of empty plates.The exhausted cooks.The strangely cheerful owner.And Li Bo slumped over the table, teary-eyed—
They froze.
"Li Bo…?" Wanda blinked. "Why are you crying?"
Li Bo looked up slowly. The moment she saw them, her eyes lit up like she'd found salvation.
"Wanda… Pedro… d-do you have any money…?"
The two exchanged a glance, their mouths twitching.
"Li Bo… did you spend all your money again?" Wanda asked as she handed over her savings with a sigh.
"It's not my fault!" Li Bo pointed dramatically at Gern."It's him! He ate all my money!"
"Him?"Only now did Wanda and Pedro notice the tall man calmly wiping his mouth.
"A human?" Pedro frowned. "What are you doing here? Why are you in the Mokomo Dukedom?"
Before Gern could answer, Li Bo jumped up proudly, hands on her hips.
"He's the hero of justice—Gern! He came here just to find me!"
"Hero of justice?" Wanda tilted her head, curiosity shining in her eyes.
Pedro, however, stiffened.
The word justice made something click in his mind.
After all, he had followed Inuarashi and Nekomamushi before—they had gathered plenty of knowledge about the outside world.
His expression sharpened.
He subtly stepped in front of Li Bo and Wanda.
His eyes locked onto the white cloak behind Gern.
"…You're a Marine."
Wanda blinked. "A Marine? What's that?"
Li Bo tilted her head too, equally confused.
Pedro didn't answer them. He stared straight at Gern.
"Why is a Marine here?"
Gern calmly set down his utensils and rose to his feet, a faint smile on his lips.
"Relax. I'm not here to arrest anyone."
He paused, letting his gaze sweep across them before settling on Pedro.
"I'm just interested in the Mokomo Dukedom.""And while I'm here… I'm looking for a suitable companion."
"A companion?" Li Bo's eyes sparkled as she leaned in."You mean… me?"
Gern smiled. "If you're willing."
Her face lit up instantly, eyes sparkling with joy."Then I wanna be a hero's partner!"
Pedro frowned and stepped forward."Li Bo, don't be reckless! Marines aren't on our side!"
Gern turned his gaze to Pedro calmly."Pedro, right? You seem to know a bit about the outside world."
Pedro's hand tightened around the hilt of the sword on his back, but he didn't deny it.
Wanda tugged at his sleeve and whispered,"Pedro… he doesn't seem like a bad person. He smiles so gently…"
"Wanda," Pedro sighed, "a gentle smile doesn't mean someone's good."
At that moment, the restaurant owner approached, carrying a large sack of coins and smiling broadly.
"Li Bo, here's your money."
Li Bo stared at it in disbelief."M-My money…? It's back?"
"This gentleman paid in advance—with several gold coins," the owner explained cheerfully."So you didn't need to pay anything at all."
(The Mokomo Dukedom doesn't use Berries, but gold is universally accepted.)
"Thanks to you bringing him here, we sold out all our food!"
"I know how much I can eat," Gern said with a chuckle, patting her shoulder."That tiny carrot wallet of yours wouldn't even cover a snack for me."
"Li Bo, he—" Pedro started.
But Li Bo cut him off instantly.
"Pedro, no more talking! Gern is absolutely—absolutely—a good person!"