Chapter 24: Little Flower!

Together with Kazumi and Yuki, Eryn and the monstergirls explored the Little Flower academy. Along the way, they talked about their children.

"They're quite a cute bunch!" Kazumi grinned at the monstergirls. "It's quite rare to see a human owner with monstergirl children."

"Oh, really?" Eryn raised a brow. It's true. He has rarely seen any other monstergirl children with human owners. Actually, nothing really comes to mind.

"How did you meet each other?" Yuki asked, curious.

"I found them at a monstergirl shelter," Eryn replied. To be honest, it was Iris that found me first. "They were the only monstergirls left."

"Yeah!" Melty bobbed her head excitedly. "We were alone in the monstergirl shelter for a long time… until Eryn found us!"

"I see." Kazumi nodded with a smile. "It seems like you're a blessing in disguise for the monstergirls, Eryn."

"N-No, it's nothing much…" Eryn rubbed the back of his head. It was just a stroke of luck they met. If Iris wasn't waving at him that day, he might have never adopted them. He could have passed by the shelter and never met them.

"It is very much." Lofie, who was sitting on his shoulders, patted his hair. "Eryn is very kind."

"I can definitely see that." Kazumi agreed. "The monstergirls seem to adore you a lot."

"Y-Yeah…" Eryn averted his eyes, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. He still couldn't handle direct compliments.

They continued exploring the school while sharing casual conversations. To Eryn's surprise, Little Flower was not so little. It spanned various areas: classrooms, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and an open field, among many other things. This school has more facilities than I thought.

What caught his interest was the diversity of monstergirls here. He noticed the monstergirls were grouped by their types if he could call it that. He saw winged monstergirls hovering in the sky, presumably practicing their flight. Monstergirls in the swimming pool resembled sea creatures which reminded him of the mermaid they talked to earlier.

Those monstergirls were accurate to their name. Instead of hands and feet, those monstergirls in the sky had wings and talons, but their bodies were mostly human. The monstergirls in the swimming pool didn't have legs. Some had long tail fins while others had tentacles like a kraken. It's quite diverse.

Iris, Lofie, and Melty shared a strong resemblance to humans, aside from their monster ears and tails. They looked more human than monster. At a glance, they looked like cosplayers. Their tails and ears could pass as accessories. But maybe they haven't fully developed themselves yet. As far as he's aware, Melty is capable of harnessing fire. He's yet to see Iris and Lofie perform any… supernatural acts. I'm intrigued and scared to find out.

"So, uh… Kazumi?" Eryn cleared his throat. "You said you wanted Yuki to attend Little Flower, right?"

"That's right." Kazumi nodded. "Yuki's interested in meeting other monstergirls, like yours."

"Yeah!" Yuki exclaimed. "Monstergirls are cool! They look like they come out of a fairy tale!"

A fairy tale, huh? It's been a while since the start of the human-and-monstergirl society when they began coexisting as one. Back then, coexistence with creatures that could only exist in imagination was just unheard of. I used to think they were characters in costumes. Now, the existence of monstergirls was pretty normalized. He didn't bat an eye at them.

"And they're also pretty soft!" Yuki glanced at Iris. "Iris's face was very nice to touch!"

"… Huh?" Eryn blinked at her, then turned to Iris.

"Yuki…" Kazumi crouched down, facing his daughter. "Did you put your hands on another monstergirl again?"

"… Uhm." Yuki cast her eyes away and scratched her cheek. "No."

"Yuki."

"I mean… maybe."

"Yuki…"

"… I may have put my hands on Iris."

Eryn turned to Iris and gently squeezed her hand. "Did something happen between you two, Iris?"

"She… squeezed my face," Iris said timidly.

"Is that true, Yuki?" Kazumi asked, narrowing his eyes.

"… Maybe." Yuki puffed her cheeks out.

"And why did you do that?" he drew his hands to her face.

"I don't kno–ow?!"

Kazumi playfully pinched her cheeks. "How many times have I told you not to put your hands on other monstergirls?"

"I'm sowwy…!" she cried out, regretful of her actions.

"Did you apologize to Iris?" he asked, casting a glance at the little catgirl.

"No, but I will…!" she bobbed her head.

"All right." He smiled, letting go of her cheeks. He patted her shoulders and turned her to Iris.

"I'm sorry, Iris…" she bowed her head, apologetic. "I shouldn't have done that to you."

Iris stared at Yuki, then turned to Eryn. She tugged his finger, looking for guidance.

So Yuki squeezed Iris's face, is that right? Eryn chuckled silently. He would agree that Iris's face was soft to touch, like the cheeks of a kitten.

"Go on, Iris." He caressed her head between the ears to encourage her. Iris was the most responsible one of the monstergirls. I believe she knows how to handle this.

"I forgive you, Yuki." Iris walked to her and smiled. She extended her hand.

Yuki stared at her hand. Slowly, she reached her hands out and wrapped them around the catgirl's hand, giving it a handshake. Her eyes widened at how soft Iris's skin felt in her hands.

"Wow…!" Yuki began kneading the catgirl's hand, her fingers gently pressing into it. Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Your hand is really soft, too!"

"She's squeezing your hand now, Iris!" Melty giggled.

"She needs to give another apology." Lofie bobbed her head.

"Uhm…" Iris blinked, confused about what to say. Well, things have come full circle, haven't they?

Oh, dear. Eryn turned his head away and held back a laugh.

"Yuki…" Kazumi sighed, his lips curling up. He ruffled his daughter's hair.

"A-Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Flustered, she frantically shook Iris's hand, almost forgetting her apology.

They all shared a laugh at little Yuki's expense. Eryn found this moment nice, bonding with another family. Before adopting the monstergirls, he wasn't too fond of interacting with children, mostly because he was awkward with them. Perhaps his monstergirls were indirectly helping him break out of his shell.

"Eryn, what do you say to checking out the classrooms?" Kazumi asked. "I think it'd be a nice experience."

"Oh, that would be nice." Eryn nodded. "Er… but are we allowed to?" He doubted they could just waltz into a classroom.

"I figured you asked that." He waved his hand to waive his concern. "I didn't mention this, but I was offered a classroom tour by a friend's wife. She's actually a teacher at this school."

"Ah." Eryn raised his brows. That is rather nice but… "Would she mind me being there?"

"Don't worry. She's a sweet person." Kazumi smiled. "I'm sure she'd love to meet your monstergirls, especially."

"Oh, why's that?" Eryn folded his arms.

"You'll find out soon enough." Kazumi gently held Yuki's little hand. "Come on."

Eryn and his monstergirls followed Kazumi as he led them to the classroom area. They could see three floors of classrooms which were presumably divided by the level of education. He wasn't sure what level the three monstergirls would fall into. They'll probably start anew.

"Some of the classrooms seem full and busy." Kazumi hummed. "We might have to wait for a while–…"

"Kazumi!" A voice called out.

In the distance, a girl was running toward them. She was wearing a blue tracksuit. Oh, is that the teacher? As she got closer, two certain features stood out, catching his attention.

"Piromi, it's good to see you!" Kazumi greeted her.

"Sorry for running a little late!" The woman, known as Piromi, stopped in front of them. "Classes just ended."

"No worries." He shook his head. "We only just got here."

"Ms. Piromi!" Yuki beamed. "Hello!"

"Oh, if it isn't little Yuki!" Piromi crouched down and faced her. "Is your sister not with you?"

"Nope! I'm coming in her place!" She puffed her chest out.

"What a good big sister you are!" Piromi patted her black hair. She stood up and turned to Eryn. "Oh, is this your friend, Kazumi?"

"This is Eryn!" Kazumi patted his back. "We only just met recently. He's interested in checking out Little Flower with me."

"Uhm… hello." Eryn waved. Awkwardly. His eyes kept switching between her head and her back. That… looks awfully familiar. Two mouse ears poked out of her fiery red hair, with a sleek black tail curling around from her back. She's just like…

"You're a hinezumi!" Melty's eyes widened in surprise. She pointed at the teacher. "Just like me!"

"She's like… an older Melty." Lofie stroked her chin.

"Hello there, adorable one!" Piromi smiled brightly and waved at the little hinezumi. "I didn't expect to see one of my kind here!"

Piromi was a monstergirl. And a hinezumi just like Melty. I did not see that coming at all. Eryn assumed they would be meeting a human teacher. But monstergirls attend this school. Of course, it makes sense there would be monstergirl teachers. That mermaid we met earlier was also a teacher. Every new monstergirl he's met surprised him.

"Are these your little children?" Piromi asked, glancing at each of his monstergirls.

"Y-Yes, they're… with me." Eryn rubbed the back of his head.

"I must say… it's rare to see a human owner taking care of monstergirl children." Piromi put her hands behind her back.

"Is that… odd?" Eryn asked. Kazumi made a similar remark earlier. Well, I did adopt three monstergirls out of the blue.

"Oh, not at all." Piromi shook her head. "I think it's nice to see a human caring for monstergirl children. You don't… see that every day."

Eryn gazed into her orange eyes. He sensed a heavy weight behind her words. It almost made him want to reach out to her. As if he was seeing a lost child in her eyes. As if he was seeing Melty all over again.

"I don't think I've introduced myself properly." Piromi cleared her throat and offered her hand. "My name is Piromi. I'm a teacher at Little Flower. Physical education is my specialty!"

"Nice to meet you, Piromi." Eryn drew his hand to shake hers. The moment their skins touched, a familiar warmth spread through his hand. W-Woah, her body temperature feels high. He chalked it up to her being a monstergirl associated with flames.

"And if your children end up in that class over there…" She pointed at a classroom on the second floor. "I will be your homeroom teacher!"

"Wow." Lofie's eyes sparkled with curiosity. This was another teacher standing in front of them. She and the mermaid seemed very nice.

"So!" Piromi clapped her hands. "Kazumi, you came here for a little tour around the school, yes?"

"That's right." Kazumi nodded.

"Classes won't be over for a while, so I can't give you a tour around the classrooms right now." Piromi continued. "If you'd like, we can start from other areas, like the fields!"

"Sure, that's fine by me." Kazumi replied.

"Yeah, I want to see the fields!" Yuki raised both her hands.

"I've also got something cool to show your monstergirls." Piromi turned to Eryn. She shot glances at the monstergirls. Her eyes observed the little hinezumi especially.

"Oh…?" Eryn pointed at himself. "What would that be?"

"You'll see very soon!" Piromi grinned, then began walking to the fields. "Come along."

They followed the teacher as she led the way to the wide-open fields. Eryn was curious about what she wanted to show them. She looked particularly excited about Melty. He imagined it felt like an unspoken bond, being able to see someone of the same kind.

Let's begin the tour.