Evan Smith. Eighteen years old. A freshly graduated high-school student. Virgin. Average grades, decent at sports. He didn't get into college. Currently looking for a job where he could pursue his passion for cooking. He sent out a few résumés and was waiting for replies.
He happened to be walking through the city when he heard his phone. A text message appeared on the screen. He smiled as soon as he saw it. It was a reply from Fur Café. He had applied for a job there. He opened the message and immediately imagined his future. Fur Café was famous for its waitresses wearing animal ears and tails. He loved that kind of vibe. If he got lucky, maybe he'd even meet a cute girl there. He already imagined some coworker winking at him in the back room.
He read the message, which said…
Thank you, but no.
Evan felt his strength leave him. He didn't even get an invitation for an interview…
After a moment of whining, he straightened up and looked ahead. He shouldn't break down—he still had other résumés sent out.
Right then, his phone was flooded with replies from every place he had applied to.
All of them sounded roughly the same.
Rejection.
"Seriously? I just want to work in a kitchen and have a girlfriend. Preferably a furry one. Is that so much to ask?"
Silence answered him. People walked past lost in their own business, not even glancing at him. He turned toward the crosswalk. Time to head to the employment office again.
He started to worry. What if he never found work in a kitchen? He saw an ad for a discount store job next to him. A shiver went down his spine at the thought.
"Please… cooking and furry girls…"
That's what he thought as he stepped onto the crosswalk when the light turned green. Suddenly he heard a blaring horn. He turned and saw a truck speeding straight at him, its trailer labeled Carving Love: Best Meat Ever. There was no chance to dodge.
He closed his eyes, and a split second later he felt the impact…
Then he felt himself lose the ground under his feet, then another impact, and then darkness.
"I just wanted cooking and furry girls. Is that really too much?"
That was his last thought.
He felt dizzy. He had no idea where left or right was. But he knew where the ground was, because he was lying on it. Beneath his hand he felt grass. In his nose, the fresh smell of herbs.
Sage, rosemary, thyme…
Above him he heard a voice. He shook his head. Strangely, it didn't hurt. He began to regain awareness. His vision returned—blurry at first—and the dizziness faded.
"Are you alright? Can you stand?"
He moved his hand, pushed himself off the ground, and slowly got up. The dizziness was basically gone. His sight was back, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He was in the middle of some courtyard surrounded by gothic arches and columns. Under him was a lawn. When he realized that, he took a step onto a paved walkway. But the thing that shocked him most was the owner of that voice.
It belonged to a towering figure in a suit. Nothing unusual—except for the lion tail swaying behind him, and the fact that instead of a human face he had the face of a lion, complete with a majestic mane. He was staring at Evan with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Evan had seen plenty of furry-fan costumes before, but with the lion's faint scent of fur drifting over to him, he was certain.
This wasn't a costume.
This was a real furry lion.
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then the lion said:
"Let's talk in my office."
Evan sat on a carved chair with velvet upholstery. He tried to sit still, but his eyes darted all over the place. The office was richly furnished. Heavy red drapes hung by the windows. An impressive collection of diplomas decorated the wall. What confused him was that there were culinary awards mixed in.
The lion sat in an ornate office chair behind an intricately carved desk. A lioness in a maid outfit stood beside him. Not a normal maid outfit—an extremely sexy one. Short skirt, bare midriff… in a word: sexy. Evan could hardly believe his eyes. He had already had time to look her over carefully. It wasn't a costume or animatronics. Everything about her was real.
Had he arrived in furry heaven? But why was she licking her lips at him like that? Maybe he was imagining it… or maybe…
The thought that she might be horny flashed across his mind. Was this the famous isekai protagonist luck?
His thoughts were interrupted by the lion.
"I'm Arslan Flambe. Headmaster of Tenebrae Inter-Species Relations Academy. What is your name?"
"I'm Evan Smith."
Arslan leaned toward him and looked him straight in the eyes.
"So, Evan, how exactly did you get here?"
The boy scratched his head. He had a strange certainty that this lion would detect any lie.
"You probably won't believe me, sir, but it was…"
Evan told him about the accident and how he woke up on the grass.
The headmaster fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
"I believe you, Evan."
"But… what I said… you believe me?!"
Evan could hardly believe it. From his perspective the situation was absurd. Like a cliché straight out of some web novel.
"Why do I believe you? The reason is simple."
The headmaster looked straight into his eyes.
"You are the only human in this entire world."
Evan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He, the only human in the entire world? Did that mean…
"This world is called Carnivora. It is inhabited by many races like us."
Those words echoed in Evan's mind. A world full of furry girls. A whole parade of furred beauties flashed through his imagination.
Meanwhile, the maid poured him tea. He suddenly realized he was staring at her breasts—and she noticed. He quickly looked away and covered a certain hardening part of himself. The lioness smiled playfully at him, baring her teeth.
"You're cute. I could just eat you up."
Eat him?! Evan's mind immediately conjured an image of him lying naked on a bed while the lioness gave him a blowjob.
She licked her lips again at the sight of him. He felt himself getting aroused. When he looked at her, he noticed she was licking her lips and showing her teeth as if she was about to bite into him. He wondered if that meant she was horny. He even considered suggesting she "eat" him.
Before he could say anything, the headmaster returned.
"Back to the topic—how old are you, Evan?"
"Eighteen."
Arslan smiled.
"I don't know how it is in your world, but in Carnivora, compulsory education lasts until you turn twenty-one. Besides, you could use some schooling."
Evan thought for a moment. If he went to school here, he'd meet plenty of furry girls, but something bothered him. He was alone in this world. Shouldn't he worry about work? About money? The headmaster must have sensed it.
"You don't need to worry about money. We have a fund for cases like yours. I suggest you first get used to this world, and then look for work."
Evan brightened up and accepted the headmaster's offer.
"Welcome to Carnivora, Evan."