RING RING RING
The doorbell could be heard ringing. Yosuke stood up and asked who it was. Immediately, he heard Himeko's voice from the other side of the door. And then he proceeded to open the door, as it was the person whom he expected to come visit. However, what he witnessed was rather unexpected. Very much so.
The Blonde coordinator was not alone by the looks of it. Beside her was someone Yosuke knew of. A wheelchair, that light blue dress, a barrette on her head, light green hair. It was the person he had met and helped out after a little incident earlier today. It was Thalia.
"H-Huh?"
"Someone's certainly surprised to see me with company outside his doorstep. What is it, Mr Dear?"
"Good evening, Yosuke-sama.."
The coordinator was acting with a lot of amusement in both her tone and expression, as she smiled at the one she was in charge of. Meanwhile, the more gentle voice belonged to the girl known as Thalia. It was an interesting contrast between these two, but that did not matter right now. Yosuke was convinced up until now that Thalia was a human who had trouble walking, hence the wheelchair. But apparently, things were much more complicated. After all, if she were here, it only meant one thing really.
"Ah, you're slow to catch on, Mr Dear..Yes yes, the lady here is a Liminal, exactly what you're thinking in your head right now. Miss Thalia, if you do not mind, please show him."
Himeko took a more respectful and gentle tone when it came to addressing the Liminal. It was far more gentle than how she acted with Selene, which meant that something was different in their relationship. It was as if she was speaking to someone who was higher up the chain. It certainly felt strange.
Speaking of Selene, the Lamia was watching from the back,wide eyed while her shoulders were shaking. Someone did not really seem happy someone else was going to settle in their little apartment right now..
Back to Yosuke however, as he was not aware of Selene's reactions to all this, he was paying attention to the now revealed Liminal.
Thalia raised her dress a bit, as a Light Green fish tail came out, revealing itself. Its pelvic fins were also present. Two fin-like ears revealed themselves and her long light-green hair was now separated in two strands curled into drills on their lower parts that went on her back. All in all, she looked far more attractive than before, especially due to letting her hair down.
Her membrane hands were visible now, as she put them together on her lap, offering an easygoing smile. Indeed, it was such a nice smile, quite similar to his other homestay. He only hoped he could see such smiles whenever he could. Making people happy was something he wanted, especially for those around him.
"I should introduce myself again, Yosuke-sama.."
A slight pause, until the mermaid spoke up.
"I am Thalia Oceania and I am a mermaid. I once again thank you for your assistance while I was helpless. And by the looks of it, I will be one of your homestays for the foreseeable future. I am looking forward to learning about you and your people, and I also am looking forward to teaching you all about mermaid culture.."
Thalia was acting quite formally, more formally than Selene for sure. A glint was visible in her eyes as she spoke of teaching about mermaid culture, but Yosuke did not notice it at all, being too busy due to being so surprised by her attitude. It was quite something to be on the receiving end of something like this. It was as if he was talking to someone superior in a way.
"O-Oh..I will be pleased to um, have you around, Thalia-san..And please, just call me Yosuke, I uh, I don't think you should address me like that. We are equals here, after all.."
". . ."
The mermaid remained silent for a moment, her eyes scanning him. He really treated her normally, just like before he knew she was a liminal. It really looked like that were the case. She was treated as a girl and not as a monster girl. And that certainly made her heart race. She had noticed the one behind him that was watching them, most likely his first homestay. Her mind was already making plans on how to create situations like those stories she so loved..
And she already had a phase 1 to her plan..
"I..I appreciate how kind you are, Beau. I, Thalia, will wholeheartedly look forward to getting to know you!"
She exclaimed with a smile ever present, and Yosuke's reaction was one full of surprise, mostly because he was being called another name. Beau huh? He could swear he heard something crack behind him however, as a hand was put on his shoulder. A hand he was quite familiar with by now. Uh oh..
"Dear..What are you two talking about?"
Selene held a smile on her face, but it was quite scary. Was that what it meant to be cold blooded? He did not know what to think about right now. So he just said something simple.
"Apparently, Himeko-san is bringing someone to live with us. Here she is, this is Thalia. Thalia, this is Selene. I hope you uh guys can get along.."
He said awkwardly, as he looked at the coordinator who seemed to be returning to join the trio. She held some papers, no doubt about having Thalia properly arranged into living with him as her host. But what came next was quite important.
"Remember how you asked me to find you a better place of residence since well, this place is not enough for you to house liminals? The Cultural exchange program has found quite something for you and the girls to live in. It's in Shibuya, of course, and it is also far closer to Tokyo University as well. I am certain you will enjoy your time there."
Himeko said, quite calm as well. Well, of course she was calm about it, she just did her job as a coordinator. Yosuke was amazed at how fast it was for her to find a proper place of residence. It really spoke volumes of her efficiency. As such, he took the papers and began signing them after reading them properly, excusing himself from the trio for a moment as the two liminals seemed to be giving stares towards each other. Thalia's was one of gentle nature and Selene's was one full of suspicion. She did not wish for rivals in this household at all!
"Oh, Mr Dear, I also would like for you to pack your things, same goes for Selene. You will be moving there shortly, as I have made all needed arrangements."
Yosuke hurriedly turned to face the coordinator, his face full of surprise as his eyes were widened. He did not mind doing what was asked of him, but this really was going too fast. Not like there would be any trouble at all. He simply nodded.
"I will see you and miss Selene there, Beau."
"We'll see you there indeed, Mr Dear. The truck is waiting outside!"
Both Himeko and Thalia bid them farewell after the latter winked at the Lamia, before being pushed away by the coordinator. Selene sighed to herself and slithered to Yosuke, hugging him from behind for a moment. Yosuke patted her hand that was resting on her shoulder to comfort her and then told her to go get her luggage ready. He was done with the papers as well, so they both had a lot of packing up to do.
And packing up they did, eventually leaving with the truck after Yosuke bid his landlord a farewell. Oh boy he had a lot to explain to his grandparents later. But that's for another time. It was moving time now.
And move they did...
The ride towards their new place of residence was uneventful at best. Nothing much happened beside some small talk between Yosuke and Selene. They continued talking about how his day had been, as they were interrupted back home by the arrival of a new homestay and Himeko. Selene still had not forgotten that, and still held some disdain over the fact that she'd have a potential rival in the house.
But Yosuke was just too busy talking about his day, even mentioning the fact that a friend of his was the host to a raptor harpy, which seemed to be found interesting by the Lamia. Indeed, she found it quite interesting that Yosuke had a friend who extended a helping hand to an extra species person in order to further educate them on the human world.
But that still did not stop her from having her own worries in regards to the person coming to stay with them. She did however look forward to the new place, especially due to the fact that she'd have an easier time to navigate through it instead of knocking down stuff.
Speaking of stuff, Yosuke and Selene had packed up everything they needed, all of their belongings were loaded into the truck currently taking them to the new place they'd be living in. Yosuke did not have much to pack up, in fact, he had a lot less than what Selene had with her, mostly because Selene had the backing of the interspecies exchange when it came to her expenses before she became Yosuke's homestay.
Which also brought the question of whether the budget Yosuke had from his grandparents would be enough for the house they would be living in now. However, he already knew he was going to be fine. The papers he signed let him know that the current place of residence will share ownership between himself and the Interspecies exchange program, which also meant he did not have to pay taxes for the place, as long as he was hosting a liminal.
It brought massive relief to the young man, because it really opened up his budget as a whole. No rent to pay, no taxes to pay, it really meant that he'd have to spend less to live there than in his own apartment. He did still have to take care of everything else with his own money, which included groceries or anything his homestays wished to buy, but that was no problem compared to having to pay bills and the like.
The truck eventually stopped moving, and that was their cue that they had arrived to their new home. As they exited the truck, Yosuke immediately recognized the area as Koen street, which was between Shibuya station and Yoyogi park, and that also meant that he could go to university on foot. That certainly made things a lot easier, and he could also now show the girls around Yoyogi park as well, as he promised to himself to do the next time they'd be going out.
The place they were at was full of buildings all around, but there was a quite decently sized patch of land where there were no buildings attached to it and a lot of space between the busy city and it was present. It felt as if it were its own little thing, its own little estate. That meant that they would not have anything to bother them, including street noises and the like.
From afar, the house looked like a mansion, and it most likely was a mansion to begin with. The gate was open in front of him, and it looked like it needed 5 minutes or so of walking to reach the mansion itself. Selene slithered behind him, holding unto her luggage, just like Yosuke did with his own. They were both surprised and impressed at their new home, which looked like a classic western mansion by the looks of it.
"Damn, Himeko-san really went all out huh?"
"Y-Yeah dear, she really did. She does scare me sometimes but that just means she's really capable, right?"
"Right.."
The duo looked at each other, and nodded as they began making their way further into the mansion grounds, closing the gate behind them as they did so...
The walk towards the Mansion took ten minutes, as both Lamia and Human were carrying their luggage and were also exploring along the path there. It was quite the change in scenery. Open space, trees, small ponds, even a pool in the distance. It was quite surprising to see something like this in the middle of Tokyo. Shibuya was quite a big part of Tokyo and naturally, places like this were quite rare, especially because of the location they were currently in.
Either way, Yosuke had no reason to oppose this, as it quite literally was a little natural heaven in the middle of a huge city. There was no noise from the busy city, and it felt like it was their own little world. Selene seemed to be thinking the same, as she was pretty amazed by the sights around them.
The duo of Host and Homestay reached the front of the mansion eventually, as they were greeted by Himeko and Thalia waiting for them there. Himeko was holding unto a piece of paper as well as a pen, as by the looks of it, Yosuke had to sign one more paper. Meanwhile, Thalia had her hands neatly folded on her lap, as she watched patiently.
"And here we are.."
Yosuke muttered, as he placed his luggage to his right for now. Selene did the same, as she crossed her arms with a slight pout. While she was happy, she also was lowkey annoyed due to the current circumstances.
"Good afternoon once again, Mr Dear. Or should it be Mr Beau instead? Man you got quite a few names already eh?"
The coordinator laughed a bit, as she handed Yosuke the piece of paper as well as the pen. She did not seem to have anything to explain, as Yosuke quickly began reading the contract given to him. Quite understandably, the paper wrote that this mansion is owned by the Interspecies Exchange Program, however he was offered full freedom when it came to utilizing everything in the estate, as it was under his name now. Should he stop being a host however, this privilege would be revoked.
Nodding to himself, she signed the contract and then handed it to the coordinator. After doing so, Himeko moved away as the mermaid moved her wheelchair in front of him. Offering a smile at the young man, she seemed happy to see him here already. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by Selene who was already giving her a death stare, as if saying that she was her rival now. Apparently the mermaid either ignored it or did not realize as much, awkwardly waving at her instead.
"Alright..Let's go inside and see what this place is about, shall we ladies?"
Himeko had already left by now, after offering him the house keys, as well as a card he could use to get a monthly sum of money, a gift from the Exchange Program, to handle their finances. Yosuke had no problem with money at the moment but he would use it since it would be a waste to just have it there unused. Plus, he could do a lot more by conserving his own money, in case of emergencies.
He was alone at the entrance by the looks of it, only his luggage remaining there as the two homestays had gone inside already. He could hear some gasps, they seemed to be amazed of the place. So he decided to hurry up and go inside after picking up his stuff.
And the sight he witnessed was something he was not ready for.
This mansion was so much bigger in space than his old apartment. It was so huge to the point where Selene could move without even breaking or touching anything. So much space. The furniture were much better, even special seats for extra species were present as well. The kitchen was adjacent to the living room by the looks of it and it was so much more wide in space than his old kitchen. Much more to work with as well by the looks of it.
Apparently, there was a second floor to this house as well, but there were two more doors to check out. As expected, one of them led to the bathroom which was huge, much more wide in space than his old bathroom. A huge tub that looked like it could fit in 10 or more people in it. There was also a shower, and two bathroom sinks to wash your face or brush your teeth on.
And lastly, the final door led to a room that had a pool in it. It most likely was Thalia's room, because the moment they found it, she requested him to carry her to the pool. After picking her up, she wiggled in his arms and removed her dress, revealing a black bikini. Yosuke blushed furiously due to the sight he was witnessing. She really was a beauty. Her skin was slimy, mucus most likely as he had read, and she also had gills on both sides of her body, most likely to help her breathe underwater.
Selene had not followed them and when she entered the room and witnessed such a scene, she clenched her fists. This fishy woman seemed to be playing rather bold, given her pleased smile right now. Something had to be done, or so Selene thought as she watched with a death stare.
Meanwhile, Thalia hummed as she looked towards the pool, then she jumped off Yosuke's arms and dived right into it. Yosuke was amazed at the graceful sight he witnessed. It looked as if a dolphin performed a graceful dive into the ocean. But he said nothing, instead he remained awestruck, until he was shaken out of it by Selene who slithered up to him, a pout on her face.
"Hey Dear! Let's go check the room upstairs while the fish woman is playing around in the pool like the dolphin she is!"
Selene said as she dragged him away, Thalia watching with amusement present in her eyes. Quite the sight indeed.
As for the duo, Yosuke was free to move now, so after asking about why Selene did what she did and receiving no response but a pout, he forgave her and agreed to check out the floor upstairs..
The hallway leading to the upper rooms was very wide. In fact, it could certainly fit 3 centaurs if Yosuke wished to do so. It really was huge. And he had the chance to live in such a big place. Selene must have thought the same, as she seemed to be very amazed by the sight of her new home.
"Alright, that seems to be it. They even put door signs on each door to show us which rooms we ought to be using at the moment. The one to the right is mine, the one on the left is yours and there's another room a bit ahead, on the right side, which belongs to Thalia. Alright, this looks very decent."
Yosuke spoke, astonished by what he was seeing. Selene nodded in agreement, as she slithered towards her own room, while Yosuke stood there. Unaware he was of the fact that someone was crawling up the stairs, and when he turned to look back, he came face to face with green.
'Why did she not call out for me instead?'
The man thought to himself as he saw Thalia crawl up the stairs. Having noticed him looking, she offered a gentle smile, and spoke up.
"Hey Beau, could you um..help with this?"
She motioned to herself, as she pretty much asked for him to carry her if he could. Yosuke sighed to himself, as he moved towards her, offering one of his signature smiles before picking the mermaid up. Well, it looked like she wanted to explore, so he had no reason to deny her request.
"I'll get you to your room, then I have to unpack my own stuff. I think your stuff's in there already so you have nothing to worry about."
Yosuke effortlessly carried the Mermaid, as her head was pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat while they stood in front of her room. Unaware they were of a certain someone watching, while frowning. Yosuke opened the door and proceeded to get the mermaid into her little pool, before he bid her farewell and walked out, closing the door behind him.
'This is quite something. I did not expect another homestay so soon.'
He thought to himself, as he could finally make sense of what was going on. He either was considered very trustworthy and capable or Himeko was a lazy one, so she just did this without thinking much about the consequences. Oh well, he realized he could not complain about it, as he was a volunteer to the exchange program.
Shaking his head, he looked towards Selene's door, seeing it closed, and shook his head. Then he made his way to his room, closing the door behind him as he did so. His luggage was waiting for him to unpack it. The room was very wide in space, had a huge wooden closet, as well as a Queen size bed. It seemed very decent. There was also a wooden desk, a much better one than the one he had in his apartment.
"It really is an upgrade heh."
He mumbled, shaking his head and then he got to work, unpacking his stuff just like the others did.
'This Summer is full of changes, but still, I don't think it's so bad...'
AN: And here we go with another chapter! A new homestay, a mermaid at that! I decided to include only 2 homestays for the time being, as I believe that's more than enough at this stage of the story. When and if the time comes for a third one, I'll ask for everyone's opinions on the matter, as I already have a few options that I will keep to myself for now. Until next time!
54Godamora: You were very spot on with your thoughts about Thalia! As we both know, the harpy type has been decided. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
