Chapter 199: Paws & Claws Eatery

"Yeah. It’s a diner mainly frequented by beastmen. Humans hardly ever go there."

So there’s actually a restaurant specifically for beastmen?

Igor was a half-beastman, yet he had been eating the same food as the rest of them all this time. Qiu Nuoya wondered whether pure-blooded beastmen had different dietary habits.

When Qiu Nuoya brought up this simple question with Igor, Igor began by saying, "The basics should be no different from humans," before adding, "Come to think of it, my father did enjoy eating raw meat."

Igor’s father was apparently a grizzly bear beastman, so perhaps pure-blooded beastmen really were closer to their wild nature than half-beastmen.

"I want to go to Paws & Claws Eatery."

"But isn’t it a restaurant specifically for beastmen? There’s a chance they won’t have anything you can eat."

"But your father ate the same things as you too, right? Then I don’t think there’ll be absolutely nothing I can eat. Besides, if that happens, we’ll just deal with it when we get there."

Qiu Nuoya desperately wanted to visit Paws & Claws Eatery, and in the end, everyone who tended to be soft-hearted toward him reluctantly gave in.

The possibility that he might finally get to eat sashimi, something he had been unable to find until now, filled Qiu Nuoya with excitement.

Maybe, just maybe, they’ll even have something like a seafood rice bowl. No, I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much.

But still, there’s no doubt that they’ll have dishes I’ve never eaten before!

With light steps, Qiu Nuoya and the others headed toward Paws & Claws Eatery.

Whenever they asked people along the way for directions, everyone gave them a suspicious look, but Qiu Nuoya paid it no mind.

People and beastmen all live together in this world, so there’s nothing wrong with a little cultural exchange, right?

Paws & Claws Eatery was not particularly far from the fresh fish market, but it was located on the outskirts of the city, where there was relatively little foot traffic.

Almost everyone wandering around the restaurant was a beastman. The atmosphere was intimidating enough that ordinary humans might have felt a little out of place.

Qiu Nuoya, however, paid no attention to that and opened the door.

"Welcome, nyaaa!"

An energetic voice echoed throughout the restaurant.

The employee was a spotted cat beastman who looked exactly like a cat. He stood skillfully on his two hind legs and was slightly shorter than Qiu Nuoya.

He looked incredibly cute, and the apron he wore suited him perfectly.

And that "nyaaa" at the end of every sentence is adorable too.

"Oh my, oh my. Did you perhaps come to the wrong restaurant, nya? This is a restaurant for beastmen, and we don’t usually get human customers, nya. Or are you meeting someone here, nya?"

"No, we’re here as ordinary customers. I heard you serve raw fish here, so we came to try it..."

"Fish, nya? We got some fresh ones in today, nya. But you eat raw fish, nya? You’re quite unusual for a human, nya."

Even so, the employee apparently accepted that they really were customers and led them to an empty table.

As expected from a restaurant catering specifically to beastmen, almost every customer inside was a beastman. Qiu Nuoya could see beastmen no matter which way he looked. There were hardly even any half-beastmen around, making the place feel almost like an exhibition of beastmen.

The restaurant also had a somewhat animal-like smell, mixed with the strong scent of raw fish.

Well, that’s still within the acceptable range. It’s fine, it’s fine.

"Once again, welcome to Paws & Claws Eatery, nya! Will everyone be ordering raw fish, nya?"

"Sorry, but I’ll pass on the raw fish..."

Viktor apologetically raised one hand.

"If I’m eating something anyway, I’d rather have meat. Do you have any?"

"Of course, nya! We received some fresh Braicow meat today, nya!"

Braicow was a monster that resembled cattle, and its meat was apparently similar to beef. Despite being classified as a monster, it had a docile temperament, and Qiu Nuoya had heard that in some regions, there were livestock farms that raised and bred them much like ordinary cattle.

"Then I’ll have that."

"Would you like it raw, nya? Or would you like it grilled, nya? We can adjust how well-done you want it, nya."

"Hmm, let’s see... Medium... No, rare!"

"Medium? Rare, nya?"

When Warren tilted his head at Igor’s order, Igor explained, "He’s talking about how you want your meat cooked. My old man liked his rare, but my mother wouldn’t let us kids eat it that way. So I thought I’d give it a try myself. You guys should probably go with well-done. Actually, my mother always said that well-done was the only option for children."

Eating raw meat is probably one of those things where you’re taking responsibility for your own risk. So rare meat really is a little dangerous for children, I guess.

Still, everyone had their own preferences.

Qiu Nuoya had cooked quite often since coming to this world, but the hygiene standards here were different from those in his original world, so he made sure to cook both meat and fish thoroughly whenever possible.

However, if this restaurant was willing to serve raw meat, that meant there must be meat that was considered safe to eat raw.

Then surely the raw fish here must be properly prepared too.

His expectations rose even higher.

"Then I’ll have the Braicow cooked well-done," Warren ordered.

[ I want raw meat. ]

Long added a single request through telepathy.

Qiu Nuoya ordered that as well, then asked Viktor and Xiao Tao what they wanted.

"I’ll pass," Viktor said, shaking his head.

"What about you, Xiao Tao?"

"I’m not hungry yet..."

Xiao Tao shook his head as well, his expression slightly tense.

The restaurant was called a place specifically for beastmen, and every other customer around them was indeed a beastman. Naturally, a group of human customers like them attracted plenty of attention.