Rough House(With Monster Girls)

by C-Hablerie

Kogarashi Moeru is a woman adrift on the waves of life. A former delinquent, aimless and with no real passion for... anything, really, one day her boring existence makes her spiral down a road she never expected to amount to anything. All because she signed up for the Interspecies Exchange Program in a moment of spontaneous frustration. Her home is about to become a lot less quiet.

2. Chapter 2: First Meetings

-Chapter 2-

First Meetings

The day started out like an absolute trash fire.

Kogarashi woke up around 10 in the morning with a hangover from the previous days' rage-induced bender, which was the pits. Not something she wasn't used to, but still the pits. She could deal with a petty little headache and some dehydration. She wasn't a wuss.

What was less dealable was the email she got not even five minutes after waking up. Thankfully she'd set her phone to signal when something like that happened, loudly(she hated everything at that moment), otherwise she would have missed some pretty damn important news.

Namely that an Interspecies Exchange coordinator would be coming over within the hour. So not only was she silently wishing for death, she was expecting visitors while silently wishing for death. Just... awesome!

To be impeccably precise, Kogarashi was more than a bit miffed. Usually, she'd be downright furious, but she'd long since learned that she couldn't be that mad while hungover. It made her head want to split apart more than it normally would. So miffed would have to suffice.

Kogarashi briefly, ever so briefly, entertained the idea of cleaning up to make the place seem presentable but very quickly said "fuck that" to the idea. There was no way in hell she could clean the entire compound, let alone a full room in time, even if she wanted to. In the end, she settled for a cold shower to wake herself up and getting dressed, followed by a charitable quantity of water for breakfast.

At the very least she would dispose of the empty beer cans she'd accrued throughout the night. She was miffed, lazy, and hungover, but she was no filthy degenerate who couldn't clean up after herself when visitors were coming.

You know, eventually. If she felt like it. Which she did. Right now.

Her limited time afterwards, that was spent starting up on some coffee. It was instant, cheap as hell, and tasted like actual tar. But it got her to an acceptable level of lucidity despite everything else going on. The headache would come back with a vengeance later, but it was worth it in the short term.

Just as she got herself a full mug's worth of the disgusting swill, she heard the piercing tinn of the doorbell. True music to her ears, truly. Swallowing as much of the scalding hot travesty as she could stand, she braced herself and moved with slightly swaying steps to her front door. Opening it, she immediately saw her quest.

Long black hair, a dark suit with a business skirt, sunglasses. And legs. She was briefly distracted by the legs. Yup, this was a government spook, alright.

"Kogarashi Moeru, I presume," the woman said, smiling in a much too friendly manner for it to be truly genuine.

"Aye," woman in question groused back, not even trying to mask her foul mood. "You that spook from the CEP?"

"Indeed. I am Ms. Smith."

"Mrm." Kogarashi sipped the caffeine abomination of hers, hoping it would somehow do something faster. "So, you're here to, what? Scope me out?"

"Inspecting your living conditions is on the list, yes," Smith answered with business politeness, but also didn't answer her damn question. "I'd also like to conduct a personal interview so we can be certain of your character." There it was.

"Right," she stopped to yawn widely, rudely not even bothering to cover her mouth with her hand, "well, I can work with that. The tour would take a bit, so let's leave that for last. As you can see the premises are pretty big. We can talk shop in the sitting room." She moved out of the doorway and tilted her head as an invitation enter. "I hope you're ready to be severely disappointed."

The quirk of Smith's brow made it obvious this wasn't how she had expected things to go. Regardless, she entered and Kogarashi softly(for her) kicked the door closed. She took a deep breath and a sip, already wanting the day to be over.

"The sitting room's this way," the woman of the house started to lead the way.

"Say, I couldn't help but wonder," Smith spoke up. "You seem particularly lethargic and irritated. Is this a bad time?"

"This is just how I look. I have one of those faces." Kogarashi stated blandly. "And yeah, kinda. Might have overreacted yesterday when the notice of my acceptance came in. Got absolutely wasted, and I just woke up..." she checked her phone "... about forty minutes ago. Shit, you're earlier than I thought you'd be here."

On the way, she saw that the supply closet was open again. "Gimme a sec." She took time to close the door and make sure it was firmly shut before moving on as if it had never happened. To her credit, Smith didn't stop to question the action. "Anyway, I'm hungover right now. Sorry if I'm not exactly at my best. You fuckers like to drop this visit on me all of a sudden, so I'm inclined to blame you for this."

She closed the sentence by slurping her coffee. It seemed to get Smith's attention.

"Say, could you spare a cup-"

"You don't want it," Kogarashi cut her off instantly. Then again, before she could even open her mouth again, "No, seriously, you don't. It's Tarmac Black."

Smith visibly recoiled in horror.

"Cheap Tarmac Black," Kogarashi clarified. Now the agent just looked plain nauseous. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She sipped the black, sinful, unholy liquid-like substance, and Smith seemed almost ready to hurl, green in the face.

It made sense. Tarmac Black was, by far, the worst brand of coffee in the world. Cheap Tarmac Black was a whole another abomination, an anti-christ of caffeine. Most coffee enthusiasts considered it to be a method of torture that should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention, or borderline terrorism.

Still, it was dirt cheap, so Kogarashi kept buying it.

The sitting room was a relatively small room, by the standards of the rest of the house. Enough space for around six people to sit around a fairly large square table with rounded edges surrounded by six seating pillows, two at each side. Real traditional. Kogarashi just picked the closest spot and plopped down to sit cross-legged, leaning the elbow of the arm not holding the cup of coffee on the table and leaning her cheek on her fist. She motioned with her cup for Smith to sit wherever.

She chose a seat opposite of her, for convenience. Seeming to take her example, Smith chose to sit comfortably rather than traditionally. 'Wise woman. I guess. I'd take sitting on my ass over sitting on my legs, any day.'

"Well then, shall we begin?" Ms. Smith spoke up.

"Gimme a sec." Kogarashi made sure to move her cup out of the way before she slammed her forehead into the mahogany table with some force. She shook her head afterward, feeling her head become a bit more clear thanks to the aching in her head being a little bit more real and physical now. "Okay... go."

Smith seemed to take a moment to come to terms with what just happened- and not point out how much dust had just been sent flying just now -but kept a straight face(the sunglasses helped). She cleared her throat, waving airborne dust out of her face. "Well, I do believe I should start with a simple one. Why did you choose to apply to be a homestay for a liminal?"

"I didn't."

"... Come again?" Smith wasn't sure she heard correctly.

Kogarashi blinked before audibly groaning, eyes rolling slowly in their sockets. "Urg... okay, that's not exactly true." She chugged a lot of the coffee, much to Smith's visible disgust. "I did think about it... months back. I only sent it out recently because of a really bad day. I'll be frank, I sent that application while beyond frustrated. I didn't really stop to think about it until I had already done it, so there was no taking it back. At this point, I'm just waiting for the die to land on whatever."

"I... see." Smith tried. She really tried to see. "Well then... let me re-word the question. Why did you initially consider joining the program?"

Two arms shot out, pointing here and there, basically all around. "Do you see this place? I've lived here for two gods damned years. Alone. Do you comprehend how fucking empty this place feels! There's so much damn spare I'm doing fuck-all with, just... just gathering dust! And it's not like I can spend time cleaning, trust me, I've tried, and then quit because by god was it exhausting! I literally had no time to eat, and I still could only barely make a difference!

"I couldn't handle it. Back then, I thought 'Hey, Kogarashi, you have all this damn space. How about making some use of it? I know, maybe have people come live here. They could help lighten the load! There are enough rooms~!' And it made sense, but I never got around to doing it, just... letting the idea fester." She took a deep breath. "Until a week ago. When I snapped under the weight of my frustrations and just went and did it."

She finally ended her rant and looked at the well-dressed agent. "You got that- why are you grinning?"

Smith was indeed grinning, looking over her sunglasses to look her in the eye. "Aww, someone is lonely~!"

"Hey!" Kogarashi snapped, slamming her palms on the table. "I am not lonely!"

"Aww," Smith cupped her cheek and cooed, while Kogarashi growled at her like an angry dog. "It's not shameful to admit to having feelings, Moe-chan!"

The very second the words left her mouth, it was as if the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Smith felt a shiver run up her spine. Her mouth felt incredibly dry all of a sudden, forcing her to swallow.

The look in Kogarashi's eyes had changed somehow. It was much more intense, much more piercing, and much more [menacing]. It might've been a trick of the light, but Smith could swear that there was a flicker of fire in those angry eyes.

"As you are a guest," Kogarashi started, her voice low and cold beyond words, "I will allow you this. One. Warning." She braced both her hands on the table, leaning over as close as her position allowed. "Never. Call me that. Again."

The woman then leaned back in and shotgunned the rest of her accursed drink down in one fell swoop. Smith was too stunned by the sudden change in the mood- and its as sudden disappearance -to even be horrified at the act.

Kogarashi slowly put the empty cup down with an explosive sigh. "... So, anyway. That was my reason for applying for the program. Because my home is just too god damn big and I'm getting sick of it."

"Uh... sure." Smith could freely admit she'd never been made this off-balance by... anyone before. Noticing that her sunglasses had slipped down her nose, she pushed them back up to maintain some level of professionalism. Still... "That was... enlightening, I suppose. Uh, but... are you well?"

Kogarashi merely gave a wordless, lazy thumbs up that contrasted heavily with how angry she had looked the entire time.

"Well, I'll take your word for it..." Smith cleared her throat. "Now then. Are you aware of your responsibilities if you were to take a liminal into your household?"

"Sure, sure," Kogarashi droned out. "Give them a home, treat them as well as possible, teach them the culture through osmosis, or more directly. Make sure they can follow whatever aspirations or interests they may have while here, and the big ones: don't hurt them under any circumstance, and no fucking." She gave the coordinator a pointed look while waving her arm around dismissively. "Still think the last two points are dumb as all hell, but it's not like I can do anything about it, so whatever."

Smith blinked at the woman from behind her shades. That was the most concise, comprehensive answer she'd ever received. "Yes... that's correct." She propped her hands in front of herself, finger forming a bridge for her chin to rest on. "You seem... quite well informed."

"Psh," Kogarashi scoffed airily. "Naw. I just looked into it way back out of passing interest. Some of that junk stuck." The tone turned harsh for the last words. "Especially the real dumb stuff."

Smith didn't respond, but silently she agreed. Some parts of the Interspecies Exchange Bill were... well, flawed, to be generous. It was still a work in progress, but some of the oversights were a bit too much. But the law was the law, so she had to stick to it if she valued her job. No matter how much of a pain it could be.

"Hmm," Smith hummed, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "I see. Then, next up. I'd like to talk about your personal history."

This time Kogarashi groaned loudly, letting herself lifelessly flop onto her back. "God damnit, I knew this was coming up." She slowly sat back up. "You read my file, don't tell me you haven't. Yeah, I was a punk back in high school, and yeah I've been fired from a lot of places and been unable to maintain permanent employment. But most of that's just because they can't deal with me being me." She glared at the ceiling. "I refuse to change just 'cause some jackass wants me to. If being myself is so much of a crime, then fuck it, guess I'm shit out of luck!"

She cracked her stiff neck with a scowl. "But fine. Anything specific you want to ask?"

"No, actually," Smith said with a bit of cheer. "That told me more than enough."

"...Whatever," the abrasive woman grumbled. She yawned again, at least covering her mouth with her hand this time. "Okay, I think I'm starting to come down from the hangover by now."

"Then perhaps a bit of a break would do well," Smith suggested. She leaned onto the table, accidentally accentuating her bust. "Say, how about that tour of the premises you mentioned?"

Smith had to resist a giggle at the other woman, who was very obviously glaring murderously at her boobs, while seemingly sub-consciously hovering her hands over her own chest. While the woman with partially dyed hair was on the taller side(for a Japanese woman), she seemed to be rather lacking in the chest department.

"...Suuuureeee..." The words were slowly forced out through gritted teeth.

Smith grinned ever so slightly as she rose. Kogarashi Moeru was turning out to be the most interesting individual.

Back when she had received her file on her desk, Smith would admit to being more than a little suspicious. The woman's personal history and public records did not paint a pleasant picture for the coordinator. In all honesty, Smith was fully ready to deny the application then and there but had decided to let it stew. Partly to put off the paperwork.

Then, on her weekly visit to the Mashirao household to check up on Daruu, the socially graceless dark elf had more or less confessed to running off without her host, begging for her host, Suzuki, to not be blamed for it. Smith let the small transgression slide, to avoid the paperwork involved, and because Daruu was just too precious to punish like that. But the real surprise came when the name Kogarashi came up in her story, and in a shiningly positive light at that. Even the general description matched.

That was when she started to reconsider things. At least until she got to meet the woman in person. And she was glad she did. Based on Daruu's story and her own observations so far, Kogarashi Moeru was an abrasive, rude woman with a spotty history and some really rough edges. However, Smith could also see that beyond that perpetually angry face lied a woman with incredibly strong, solid principles and moral convictions.

She had to admit she had never been so glad to be pleasantly surprised.

[An hour later]

By the time Smith was ready to leave and conclude their business, Kogarashi was beyond exhausted. Physically and mentally. While her mind slowly woke up as time went on, it only drew further attention to how unwell she felt. Made sense, since her entire breakfast consisted of liquids.

So when Smith announced that she was done, she could almost imagine herself whooping in joy once, kill all the witnesses, and then never do it again.

"Well, this has been a truly illuminating visit, Kogarashi Moeru," Smith said while standing outside the doorway. "Your domicile is quite spacious and able to accommodate quite a variety of liminal types without any further modifications needed unless something specific comes along. I'd even dare say that I see no reason what-so-ever to deny a homestay a place in your home. Maybe more than one, even."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, kay?" Kogarashi grumbled, messing idly with her two-toned hair. "Just one's good to start with if that."

"I believe you're much too modest, but if you say so," Smith replied with a grin. "Yes, I do think I could arrange a homestay to arrive within the week."

Kogarashi, for once, seemed to blink in genuine confusion. "...Wait, you're serious? That's it? This," she gestured at the large house, and implicitly, herself, "is enough?"

Smith gave the woman an enigmatic smile. "I don't see why I would joke about my job."

"... Oh," the former delinquent said lamely, seeming at a momentary loss. "Uh, honestly. I kinda figured that... me being me would just get me rejected in a heartbeat. I ain't exactly the best of folk." She didn't seem to be ashamed, just stating the facts.

Smith just laid a hand on the woman's shoulder with a friendly smile. "You're quite enough, Miss Kogarashi."

"Don't touch me," the woman growled, going back to her usual demeanor. Smith just withdrew and raised her hands in joking surrender.

"Well, that officially concludes my business here." She handed her her business card. "I'll be keeping in touch, Miss Kogarashi."

She snatched it away with a slight sneer and roughly pocketed it. "Yeah, whatever."

Without any further ceremony, Smith departed, allowing Kogarashi to finally do something about the void in her stomach. While rushing to the dining room she hastily closed the supply closet door on the way, eager to sate the emptiness within her.

In no time at all, she was slurping on the usual instant ramen. "Aah~," Kogarashi sighed, content. "It may be garbage, but it sure hits the spot right now." The fact it was ready to eat so quickly was a definite bonus. Questionable nutritional value or lack of any real taste be damned.

She opted to just wind down the rest of the day watching whatever caught her attention on Webflix. She felt like watching some thriller movies today, which weirdly always helped her relax, and she found some amusing flops, and a few she genuinely enjoyed.

Throughout it all, a thought kept rolling in her mind.

'I'm doing this. I'm actually doing this.'

The more she kept thinking about it, the more she started to second guess the whole thing. Truthfully, she had low-key hoped that Smith would have just found her unfit and just let that be that. Now she'd have actual responsibilities in her immediate future, and backing out at this point would be way too much trouble to be worth it, not to mention kinda scummy.

Then again, wasn't this what she had wanted? For this damn place to be less empty and lifeless? To feel less like a ghost living in these empty halls? To have some kind of god damn meaningful change in her life for once?

Her palms slapped onto her cheeks a couple of times to reorient her thoughts. A solid determination was taking form within her soul. She was no weak-willed quitter! She was not a woman who let adversity dictate her life! She was Kogarashi Moeru, the Demon of Benizakura! And she was not afraid of facing a challenge head-on!

Her determination solidified and her new goal fully embraced, she thought about how to prepare for her new housemate. She should probably clean up at least one of the rooms to be habitable. Maybe prepare some basic ground rules to follow in her household. Perhaps even start remembering places around the city that would be nice to visit on outings.

...

Then again, she still has some episodes qued up that she wanted to watch. Surely she could do all this tomorrow? She'd had such a stressful day and everything. Yep, that sounded perfectly reasonable. TV today, work tomorrow. She had about a week to prepare, after all.

The TV screen suddenly turned into loud static before going to black, shutting off. Kogarashi's eyes narrowed, as she tried to turn the TV back on.

It did not.

Eyelid twitching, she walked to the hallway. The supply closet was partially open.

Kogarashi tugged at her hair in naked frustration while grumbling muffled curses. She stomped over to close the supply closet, grabbed some tools from within, then shut it with a bit more force than necessary and went back to try to fix the Television.

She managed to make it work again, but by then it was late and Kogarashi was way too tired and frustrated to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

She angrily ate dinner(instant ramen, big shock) and went to bed instead.

[The Next Morning]

"I thought you said a week!?"

"I said within the week," Smith replied with a way too cheerful tone that rubbed Kogarashi all the wrong ways. "And I love to be efficient."

The former delinquent kept her withering glare at the woman once more at her doorstep, who had instantly changed classifications from 'some lady' to 'enemy'. This had to be a personal record.

"But I haven't prepared at all! I haven't even started! Shit, I haven't got around to cleaning the place, and that shit is one time-consuming pain in the ass!"

Smith just flashed that enigmatic smile of hers that Kogarashi was quickly starting to despise. "Oh, that will not be an issue. You're quite lucky, Kogarashi Moeru! I just happened to have a potential homestay that would be perfect for your situation." She turned towards the car with dark windows parked outside the compound's walls. "Why don't we get you two introduced!"

As if on cue(it probably was), the back door opened, and out stepped a female non-human figure.

The most noticeable features were that she had pale-yellow chicken legs and arms with a soft covering of short pale-gray fur. Her shoulder-length, messy hair was a similar pale-gray color, and out of it poked two brown upward-pointing horns, as well as pair of furry animal ears. She had strange amber eyes with slitted pupils, and in place of a mouth and nose, she had a prominent pale-yellow beak.

The fact that she was wearing what seemed to be a proper maid outfit barely even registered, as Kogarashi tried to reason out what in the name of god she was looking at from her- admittedly limited -knowledge of liminals.

The first thing to come to mind was a harpy, but that notion fell apart really fast. She had no wings and possessed actual hands if furry and clawed. The non-human ears and horns also were against that possibility. Also, she was a fairly mature looking physique wise, and her bust was... impressive. Kogarashi suppressed the envious dragon within. Now was not the time to feel jealous about breast size. Which she was not!

The strange liminal girl walked over to them and gave Kogarashi a polite bow. "Greetings to you. My name is Kiki, and I am thankful for you letting mine self into your homestead." Her voice was soft and clear, like the cheeping of a young chick.

"... Aight," Kogarashi answered. Even she thought it was lame. "Name's Kogarashi Moeru, but you can just call me Kogarashi, or Miss Kogarashi, whichever you prefer. I don't like nicknames, so avoid those." A moment after, she added, "Oh, and, you're welcome, I guess."

She narrowed her eyes, giving her brain a few final chances to figure things out, but came to no solid conclusion. To everyone unaware of her mental gymnastics, however, she was just glaring harder for no discernible reason.

"Okay, I give," Kogarashi folded. "What the heck are you supposed to be?"

Kiki frowned for a moment at the rather rudely asked question, but still proceeded to answer. "Mine kind are what are called the kikimora, Miss Kogarashi."

"Never heard of it," the woman readily admitted. "The hell is that?"

"Mine kind are what are called house spirits by you humans," Kiki explained, her expression easing a bit. "We originate from the Slavic regions. Mine kind tend to homesteads and take care of the places we call our homes. Your residence, if you'll permit it, could come to qualify as such."

"Slavic? That's... some regions of Europe, I think?" Kogarashi pondered, using her frankly lackluster academic knowledge. Then some parts of two different conversations clicked in her head. "Wait... so, if I got this right, you're basically like a housekeeper or something?"

Kiki seemed to smile, though the rigid beak made it hard to tell. It was mostly in the eyes. "That is part of what mine kind do, indeed."

Two annoyed eyes shifted to the coordinator, only to find the space they inhabited vacant. A quick scan located the tall black-haired woman standing outside the entrance, near the car.

"Well then, I'll just leave you two to get acquainted, I'll be in touch, bye!" She then ran inside the vehicle and sped away faster than Kogarashi could act on her sudden onset of aggravation. That woman would escape her wrath. For now.

"God damnit." Kogarashi shut her eyes and rubbed the bridge between them. "Real sorry about this."

Kiki's head cocked to the side. "I am not certain I comprehend why you apologize to mine self."

"Right, so," the woman took a deep breath to calm herself down, "Smith kinda dropped you on me quicker than I expected." Her eyes narrowed. "And totally unannounced, might I add. The first I heard of you coming was when she rung my doorbell and just said it to my face."

"Ah, I believe I understand," Kiki said, nodding. "You were not expecting me, so mine presence leaves you at a loss. I comprehend this."

"It's... not just that," Kogarashi rubbed the back of her head, "See, I meant to clean this place up before you came along. At least, to the best of my abilities." She turned her head to look at the large compound. "I'll admit, I'm not good at housekeeping or any of that stuff, and this place is huge."

"This building does seem quite large. Its upkeep must require a lot of work and dedication," Kiki notes, tapping the claw of her pointer finger on her beak. "Who else lives in this homestead, if I may inquire?"

"Oh, just me."

Kiki looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head before her gaze turned more sympathetic. "Oh... Then I must word mine sentiment differently." She looked at the interconnected buildings with a degree of melancholy. "This is much too large a home for one person alone."

"Tell me about it," Kogarashi murmured- something that did not go unnoticed -before shaking her head and clearing her throat. "Anyway, my lonesome ass aside, now that Smith just dropped you on me, I feel kinda rotten."

Kiki frowned, confused. "What about specifically, Miss Kogarashi?"

The woman heaved a tired sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't like relying on people if I can help it. Never have. So having some housekeeper dropped on me without my asking just grinds me the wrong way." She crossed her arms and looked at the homestay. "You're also supposed to be my guest, or whatever. Wouldn't feel right pushing what should be my work on you."

Kogarashi was a proud person. Granted, her life didn't have many things to be proud of outside of some notable exceptions, but she still had her principles. Even at a young age, Kogarashi had never asked for help if she could do something herself. She was stubborn like that.

When she had resolved to clean the compound or at least the room her homestay would be staying, she had meant it. Now that resolve had been undermined without her consent, and it irked her something fierce.

In response to her words, Kiki's gaze softened considerably. "I understand your strife now. But please, heed mine words as well, Miss Kogarashi." The kikimora placed her hand on her chest, which made Kogarashi's brow twitch without her notice. "We, of the kikimora, find great pleasure in our work. We clean, maintain and preserve because that is what brings our hearts joy and a sense of purpose. So believe when I say that assisting in the upkeep of your home would, to I, be an honor most great, if you'd so permit."

Kogarashi's averted eyes squinted in uncertainty. "Uhhh..." For a moment she waged an internal battle, where Practicality and Pride duked it out. It left both sides bruised, not ending in a knock-out, but when Sensibility intervened and called the match a draw. She let loose a resigned sigh. "Fine, do what you want, I guess. But," she raised a finger, glaring intently, "I'll finish what I started and help out after that. I'm your host, and there's no way I'll just twiddle my thumbs around here."

She left out the fact that that was exactly what she had been doing for the last two years, but that was when it was just herself. The presence of someone else under her roof meant she could no longer use any of the excuses she usually did. Namely the fact that she, personally, didn't really need much for herself, nor care for the quality of what little she did.

Her omission aside, Kiki seemed to take her words in stride. She gave a polite nod. "As you will, so it shall be." She then gestured at the door with her furry, clawed hand. "But perhaps it would behoove us to take things inside the premises?"

"Oh. Right." Kogarashi coughed, slightly embarrassed to be called out for lollygagging. "Yeah, sure." She stepped to the open doorway to invite her guest in. "Just warning you right now. It's... dusty, here. But otherwise, welcome to my home, I guess."

Kiki merely nodded in appreciation and stepped inside her new home for the time being.

The moment the kikimora's bird-like feet touched the wooden floorboards of the foyer, unseen and unheard by either the host or their homestay, the door of the supply closet lightly rattled, before slowly opening up a sliver...

And then closing with a resounding clack.

-Author's Notes-

I hope you enjoy Kogarashi's first homestay, Kiki the kikimora. A spirit of Slavic folklore, commonly regarded as a "bad" house spirit. Someone who our lazy slob of a protagonist desperately needs in her life.

Kogarashi is absolutely the type to postpone doing something unless she finally has to. Give her a limited time frame, and she'll get to it eventually. But without that urgency, she'll just procrastinate ad nauseam. Unless it directly affects her, she'll usually ignore it. Hence why her house is so damn dusty: She just cleans the areas she uses the most and ignores the rest because it's just too much work to bother with. And even then she half-asses the job.

...Wow, I put more of myself into her than I thought. Wicked!

As a complete side note, I thoroughly enjoyed squicking Smith out with the thing she loves most.

Next chapter, we'll get some insight into our new friend/housekeeper, things get a bit strange for a sec, and Kogarashi exposits on how her rent is so gosh-darn cheap!

-Identifying His Flaws, C-Hablerie