Chapter 2: Awkward Comfort

The smell of various jams and probably semi-burnt slices of toast invaded my nostrils, without my consent, as soon as I took a step into my kitchen. Guessing Anuri attempted to make some toast for us. I see her diligently working on spreading the jam on the toast, being extra precise to distribute the jam equally so we don't have a flavourless burnt crisp for breakfast nor a sticky mess all over our mouths and hands...phrasing. It was probably taking a fuck load of effort with those paws of hers in the way.

Another thing I noticed is that she was wearing the same clothes she was wearing yesterday. I guess she is still packing out all of her bags and suitcases- Wait, did she even bring anything? She didn't, did she? Damn gonna have to talk about that at some point but for now I will just make my half of breakfast.

The kitchen is actually rather small and only big enough to fit a few people at a time with its "U" shape. It has a sleek wood counter top and cabinets or in a variety of sizes, each with various pots, pans, cutlery, plates or bowls. The counter was actually pretty standard but a bit crowded with a toaster, a waffle iron, a microwave, a basket containing some wonderful spices and herbs arranged in no particular pattern. Also at the base of of the centre-most counter there was an oven with baking trays and lastly above the oven there was a very modern looking gas stove. Speaking of gas stove, I sidle past Anuri, to the stove and acquire my trusty frying pan. It was a very trusty frying pan because it both cooked my meals and defended me against unwanted advances. It hadn't done the latter yet, until like 2 chapters time, but it sure as hell did the former.

"Hey Anuri, I thought I could maybe make something in addition for breakfast. You got any dietary preferences I should know about? Lactose intolerance, diabetes, nut allergies, vegetarianism or anything like that?" I asked. It would be good to know now and remember before I poison her with something.

" I didn't expect you to be so considerate to ask first Ethan, but I don't have any specific needs regarding my diet. I am omnivorous, however I would prefer if we included lots of meats and proteins nonetheless, as it is ideal for my diet." she informed. What does she mean she didn't expect me to be considerate? Geez, give me a break already.

" Good to know." Forgetting the indirect insult she uttered, I got ready to make us a meal fit for the gods or in this case, to the Anubis. Technically, that would make her god wouldn't it? Maybe a Demi-god? Pseudo god? Regardless whether I was serving a god or not, I prepared a scrumptious feast of crispy, fried bacon. This bacon was so mouth watering that Anuri's mouth was, indeed, watering. " You like what you see~?" I coyly whispered, before laughing like a mule that was a smoker for 20 years.

This brought Anuri out of her bacon-induced trance as she took the several portions of toast into the small dining room on a large plate with a side of concealed blush and a drizzle of embarrassment as I followed her with clean cutlery, bacon and some plates into the dining room. Well, its not really a dining room because its kinda just space I didn't use up in my living room. The "dining room" was an extravagant, dark brown wooden table that was 2m long or about 6"5" feet. It was surrounded by 4 chairs which left a lot of room which went unused on this table.

Made my dinners pretty lonely. However, now that I have Anuri it already looks a lot less gloomy and a lot more pleasant.

We both sat down with our simple but grand breakfast of at least half a dozen slices of before mentioned, semi-burnt toast with jam, crispy but slightly too greasy bacon and freshly gotten-from-the-fridge orange juice.

We both wolfed down the breakfast in a matter of minutes. The difference though was that Anuri was somehow eating this all with giant furry paws at unbelievable speeds whilst still having manners and composure. Meanwhile, I the host, was eating 3 times slower than her and still managed to get crumbs on the table, grease on my hands and shame on my face.

"Thank you for the meal Ethan. Your cooking of the pork was excellent. Although may I ask you of a favour Ethan?" she asked "I wish to enquire if you could show me around the nearby town and plaza for the outing we had planned? I am very curious of what human society has to offer and present to foreign people such as myself and I think it would be best to learn in public spaces."

"Sounds good but I might have to ask Miss...Adams was her name? First if their are any procedures I need to go through before we go out in public." "Sure." she nodded with a faint smile to herself before cleaning the mess I made. "Just gonna talk to Miss Adams real quick about any sort of things I need to keep in mind about host and homestay stuff. I got no information about the Species Cultural Exchange except for small bits and pieces of info but no specifics. You can still get ready though." I assured with a smile and closed eyes.

I got up and went through the spacious, gracious and capacious living room. After I patted myself on the back for that rhyme, I passed through the living room, which was essentially just a large open area in between the entrance to the kitchen and the hallway which led to the bedrooms. The living room had a black leather sofa chair and an amazing cushion couch which was "L" shaped and haphazardly adorned with matching pillows. In front of the sofa was a short but lengthy wooden table which I usually use when I invite guests over and beyond that there was a flat-screen TV next to the wall, which I bought when I moved away from my parents.

Normally in such circumstances one would never be able to afford a TV with just a part time job but luckily for me, my parents insisted that I would still receive a small monthly sum of money because they are well off and they pity me deeply like the far end of the pool. So pretty deep.

Fortunately for me, I got to my room before I could start pitying myself again and went towards my very generic phone. As I swiped through the contacts I realized something very off...

I had a contact named "Adams". As anger and dread came over me, along with two gallons of sweat, I called the number just in case to see if this was true. " Ah, hello Mr. Spade. What can I do for you?" the Miss Adams said innocently but obviously-not-innocently.

You can tell me how you got this number and how are you in my contacts? was what I wanted to say but I knew the answer already: "For us to know and you to not find out.", so I decided to humour her, well, humour and just be kind in the meantime. " Wanted to ask if you could give more information on the Cultural Species Exchange Bill? I planned on going out with Anuri to town so we could have some fun. Phrasing." That was too close.

"Wow and I expected you to pout because I got in your contacts. That aside Ethan, I already sent someone with more instructions about hosting, Miss Talibah's belongings and some fantastic news! They should be there later in the evening so just don't take her out on a late night date~." she said, presumably winking suggestively." No, in all seriousness Mr. Spade I need you to be at your residence at evening hours in between 6pm and 7pm due to some paperwork which needs signatures and valuable belongings to Miss Talibah and ,don't forget, don't do anything to hurt Miss Tabilah on your date either. The government will really shove the law up both of our asses if you don't do both of those things."

"OK, I thanks for the 1st bit..." Much needed information is appreciated. "but is there any reason to believe I would hurt Anuri in any way?" Not needed accusation is not appreciated. "I mean, I don't want to toot my own horn here, but I am the most non-violent person I know."

"There are more ways to hurt people than you might think Mr Spade." she said sinisterly

"Breaking into their phones without consent isn't a way to hurt someone?" I retorted. My know-it-all self was showing. "Well that to but also sexually." she replied ignoring the situation I was bringing up. At this I paused for a moment in sheer disbelief with my jaw stretching far beyond the average length and me getting very offended but also embarrassed. "Geez, I'm not going to take advantage of her! How little do you think of me exactly!?" She became annoyed a this "No! I mean sexual intercourse in general, you dolt! It's general knowledge that the only relationships allowed between humans and non-human are either platonic or romantic but never intimate. So just don't take her to a nightclub or a love hotel, OK? Also, to be safe try and limit your alcohol consumption if you drink. Don't want to make any bad Friday night mistakes, alright?" "Sure." Just like that, she went from being a total jerk, to a very informed and analytical coordinator which was frankly hard to believe. I thanked her for the info and hung up.

With the reassurance that I would be properly informed of how to host liminals, I freshened myself up for the tour I was gonna give Anuri and I got into some more presentable but still casual clothing. I now wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple grey shirt. I am not claiming to have any sort of fashion sense, but I was looking fabulously fabulous. Well that or at least 40% less ugly and it didn't look like I was a full time hobo any more.

I strolled out of my bedroom with a spring in my step before encountering a wild *sudden POV change* in the hallway.

Unfortunately for me, during the transition I could already feel myself becoming less and less relevant and my thoughts no longer being recorded. "Ah, damn it..."

POV: Anuri Talibah

"Ah, damn it..." Ethan mumbled in the hallway. He seemed disappointed and mildly annoyed so I figured I would assist him with any problems he may have.

"Ethan? Is there something troubling you at the moment, which I can assist you with?" I replied calmly.

Despite my calm and controlled demeanour, I was actually infatuated with him since when we first hugged. This inconvenience made it increasingly difficult to interact with Mr. Spade and still maintain my composure. "It's nothing important, really. What is important though, is what Miss Adams told me on the phone just before. She basically said that we were not allowed to do anything intimate on our trip apparently and also not drink like Irishmen. Besides that, she just said that later someone is going to be dropping off your stuff." he explained.

I cringed at the mention of not allowing any intimate activities. Ethan really did strike my fancy and by the faint scent of his adrenaline and other hormones, I could confirm he had some interest in me too. Luckily not too much which was perfect. Unfortunately, trying to achieve a romantic relationship will be very difficult if any passionate activities are illegal. Although, If something beneficial that is to arise from this information it's that I will have my clothing and staff in due time and I can proceed from that point on.

"That is wonderful to hear Ethan. If your business with Miss Adam's is finished, may we be on our way?" I suggested. He nodded paired with the sweetest smile. My insides stirred at the sight~.

We made our way outside and embraced the warm sunlight and a gentle breeze before continuing to walk through the neighbourhood. Strangely, all the houses seemed to be identical and possessed brick exteriors. It was very unlike the temples and desert ruins I was accustomed to.

" So, um, how are you doing? You comfortable with everything and I'm not disturbing you or anything?" Ethan's face contorted when he uttered the question. I could sense the worry and awkwardness in his voice or, more accurately, the adrenaline in his body. Observing that he desperately needed comfort, I clutched his hand firmly and gingerly rested my head on his shoulder. " I'm doing just fine Ethan and I am perfectly satisfied with you being my host. Also..." I paused briefly to lean a bit closer towards his delicate ear...

" I appreciate every second with you."

From his point of view, I seductively whispered that I was interested in him. From my point of view, I struggled to utter that sentence without choking on my own shame. I am still unsure if I said that due to audacity, stupidity or lust but it would be safe to assume all three. With no more willpower, I nestled myself away from his weird human ears and into his neck with closed eyes and soothed tail. I also adjusted my body to walking closer to him and wrapped my other paw around his arm to the point of me hugging it.

"What?" he said blankly. "Didn't hear what you said."

Meanwhile, in Anuri's mind:

"WHAT?! He didn't here it? How?!" exclaimed a small chibi Anuri amongst a group of other equally chibi Anuri. "How the hell did he not here us?"

"Does he suffer from a hearing impairment?" "No he is probably just brain-dead." "Did he ignore us?!" " Maybe he just hates us and pretends he didn't hear anything to avoid reacting to it..." "Should we repeat ourselves or did we miss the moment?" "Just pin him down make him ours!"

The chaotic unison of all the mini Anuri's was interrupted by another one of their kind which had the label "common sense" on her.

"Obviously, his crappy human ears just didn't hear us. We may have heard ourselves but we also have much stronger and more sensitive ears! The best course of action is just to repeat ourselves, albeit keeping it suggestive and not making ourselves sound like we are going through heat."

Unfortunately, the other Anuris did not heed the message of "common sense". This led to a massive influx in imports of unnecessary thoughts generated by insecurity, which caused a devastating economic/mental crisis in the brain. The brain couldn't compensate. They were in massive debt. The only option that was left, was to shut down the business before the debts would pile up. Sadly enough, the brain was still in massive debt despite all the efforts, after going blank and bust. The end payment reached almost 2 hours of contemplating life choices in bed or the shower along with permanent spontaneous cringe which occurred randomly until death.

Back in reality:

"..."

"Anuri? Anuuuuuuuri. This is getting real awkward because I don't know what you whispered at the end and if it was a question or not."

I slowly recovered from my mental breakdown, with the help of a new private firm managing my thoughts securely and effectively. " I said I enjoy having your presence. You made me feel safe when I first arrived and overnight your scent became one of intrigue to one of trust. Additionally, you showed me the meal you call "bacon" which tasted sublime. When I first said that my expectations of you weren't high, it was merely because I heard of a variety of stories and rumours regarding foul play against liminals by humans. However, when I met a human who did not have bad intentions with me. A human that was so kind to me. Was so assuring. I may not express it well, but let me do it now."

(Chibi Anuri's: We're on a roll! Go for first base! 8D)

I stopped him from walking and with closed eyes I kissed him. His mouth had an essence of what we had for breakfast. Throughout our embrace of each other, he was entirely submissive or just passive; not even moving once to show me the love I was showing him. I opened my eyes when he abruptly interrupted our heart to heart- or tongue to tongue in this case, only to be greeted with him curiously eyeing me with an eyebrow raised and blushing profusely. I decided to take it a step further by forcing his chest to my breasts. I embraced the sensation of my heart skipping a few beats only to beat faster as the moment drew longer until our heartbeats synchronized.

POV: Ethan Spade

Normally, I would describe the sensation of becoming relevant again and feeling like your thoughts genuinely matter but I was more fixated on my furry companion expressing there liking of me very vividly on my tongue. Thankfully, I stopped her kissing me any further as she did not have my consent. However, I required an additional few seconds and a lot of determination to take a step back from her breasts.

"Isn't it a bit premature to be proclaiming your love for me after, like, a day and a half? Hell, probably a bit less than that." I reasoned. While I did say this because it was for the most part true, I mainly said it because I didn't really know how to react to someone genuinely trying to show romantic interest to me and was never really put in this situation before due to me not being very popular and only having one person I can call a friend to the end. She had a counter though which threw me off momentarily.

"To be fair, I have been smelling your hormones for the past day and it's effects are almost intoxicating. You are the equivalent of a centaur's teaser in this instance, with the sole difference being that you are oblivious or just ignoring me."

So I'm being a tease huh? This calls for desperate measures and a reference.

" Objection! Even if I am being a tease, does that justify not asking for permission? I believe that if the victim never agreed to the activity and weren't conscious of the teasing, they aren't a tease!" I pointed out with lethal precision and excellence. "Take that!" As I stomped Anuri with my wonderful defence attorney skills which wasn't filled with baseless conjectures and was totally necessary to say, instead of explaining it like a normally functioning adult.

"Firstly..." she said she squeezed her thumb and index finger on the bridge of her nose in disappointment "why do you need to exclaim "Objection!" and "Take that!" in public? Secondly, even if it you don't say it, your musk tells me that you are at the very least infatuated or attracted to me." she sighed before drooping her ears down and her tail coming to a slow halt. "Look. I will explain this the simplest way I can. I want you to return the love and affection I show you. Not by doing things like gifts and food or the sort. I mean through hugs, kisses or at least petting?"

I got a nosebleed at "petting". It was getting hard to talk about all this and not look bloated tomato. As Anuri was witnessing my concerning amount of blood loss, she gasped which was followed by burning anger and rage. "NOT THAT TYPE OF PETTING! At least not yet, Ethan. My standards aren't that low." The raging fire burned down a bit and was now just a smouldering flame. "I meant like petting my head or giving me a belly rub."

"Those still sound kind of sexual actually, but I'll throw you a bone." She stepped back away from me in disgust at my attempt at humour with a pained expression. "Bad puns aside, I'm not saying that I don't like you-" she shuddered, anticipating the friend zone almost as if I kicked her. Damn! I need to word everything carefully or she'll hate me! "It's just that this is a lot to coming at me at once. I can still show you love and affection but keep in mind that we aren't lovers. Yet. I know this is cliche and kinda cruel but do you mind if we be friends for a bit until we know each other better and then we can try this again?" I was begging that she would understand and not be a kicked puppy- er, a kicked Anubis? I was begging that she would understand and not be a kicked Anubis about this. "I understand, Ethan." she sighed, without any other signs of sadness or unhappiness but even I could tell that she was upset.

In order to comfort her the best way I could, I decided that I would give her a pick-me-up in the form of a pet behind the ears. She was surprised when I stroked her hair, without any form of consent, and stared at me teary eyed coupled with a small smile showing that I wasn't molesting her publicly. I ran my hand down her hair a couple of times before setting off. "So, let's get going then. I want you see all the stuff we have in human society." At ease, she followed me to town.

Anuri and I eagerly arrived at the town plaza a couple minutes after our bout. I couldn't wait to show her this place and I bet she couldn't wait to see it. Although in order to get home in time, to do a little bit everything and still explain human society we had to montage everything.

*A series of photos start to appear of Ethan and Anuri eating different foods from different cuisines, the duo observing pigeons scurrying for crumbs, Ethan stupidly going to a karaoke bar to Anuri's dismay, Anuri smilingly stepping into a lingerie store to Ethan's dismay and Ethan pointing standing between a bitter Anuri and a German Shepard (the dog, not an actual German Shepard) whilst comically mocking dog ears and a wide grin.*

"That was a good montage." I pointed out. "What montage are you referring to precisely?" the Anubis replied. "Don't worry about it." I told her.

As we walked toward my house I noticed a peculiar figure about 15 yards or 14 meters away. I recognized the individual as soon as he recognized me. This guy was both good and bad news.

"Yo, Ethan! What's up, man? Who's that girl with ya?" shouted the man sporting his big white smile. His name was Jackson King and was a certified jackass by my standards and probably could be certified legally. He was also my best friend since primary school. We met when we went to the same school but became friends when were assigned partners for a school-trip and turns out we became good friends. As nice as a guy Jackson is, he has a two major flaws. First, he is a flaw. Second, he won't change them. Sadly, something included in those flaws is that he is rude and suggestive in a joking manner which lead to pretty much the entire female population hating him. Even his mother in some instances. Problem is, not everyone understands that he is just joking and assume he is a creep. I am one of the few people that he is able to call a friend when it really comes down to it. As much as we sometimes claim to hate each other, we're best buds till the end.

Introductions now out of the way, the 6"3" beast of a man came up to my tiny 5"11" (when compared to 6"3") and gave me the typical informal handshake. "This is my homestay, Anuri. Anuri, this is the biggest jackass known to man but you can call him Jackson." Jackson extended his hand kindly and formally to Anuri who was at first hesitant to take it but shook it reluctantly. " Nice to meet you...Jackson..." she uttered. Jackson agreed: "Nice to meet myself too." he replied. I snickered at this suddenly without warning. "Nah man, just kidding. Nice to meet ya too, man. Ethan though. Why you doin' this homestay thing? You tryin' to harass foreign girls or is this more like some creepy bestiality fetish you got goin' on man?" Somehow, I snickered at this too. The best thing about real friends is that you can insult them anyway you like and you both know you will still be friends.

Anuri seemed offended by the word "bestiality" and retorted almost immediately. "I'm not an animal, Jackson, so it doesn't qualify as bestiality." I could feel Anuri getting pissed at Jackson so I subtly mouthed "Message me later." so he would end the conversation or soon to be bloodbath. " So if you don't want any regrets, I would sincerely recommend to be more respectful.

"Yeah, I get what ya mean man. Sorry bout that Miss Anuri. Anyway, cya Anuri and dumbass!" he concluded as he walked past us with a small wave. He whispered " Be careful, man." on his way past us. Anuri was dumbfounded that her confrontation with jackass Jackson went by so easily. It looked like she was preparing to fight him or just murder him. "Huh. You associate with that peasant Ethan?" I nodded that I was unfortunately best friends with that guy. " You honestly don't need to be with people of such low calibre."

As I checked the time, I noticed that we spent way too much time in town and walking, because it was already 20:30. Wait a minute, 20:31?! The realization that I had failed to plan time effectively and even waited a full minute led to my inner fear of what Miss Adams and the government would do to me. I opened to door only to see that it was strangely unlocked and now that I noticed I could hear the faint sound of electricity. Me and my Egyptian protector of tombs, stood breathless at the sight. Somehow my house was almost doubled in surface area. The living room to the front was packed with my old furniture but with additional sofas and cushions that seemed sturdier. Instead of the simple wooden table, it was now a reinforced glass oval table. The TV was now mounted onto the wall instead of standing by it and had an additional shelf which held various electronic equipment.

I looked to the left to see the dining table and it was now, dare I say it, a dining room. It is definitely the same table but somehow a bit taller and has a larger surface. There were shelves on each end of the table which held some of my books and albums on one side and plates, cups and other eating but not cooking appliances on the other side. There was also an overhead lamb which was dangerously suspended by what seemed to be a few strings.

A brief glance in the kitchen reveled that it was the same just more space to walk in and larger everythings. Another thing I noticed was I had a lot more outlets but they had that protector thing you put on when you have toddlers.

I fell down on my knees in disbelief. "Am I on weed? What happened to my house? It's awesome now." Anuri tried lifting me up from my unusual state of mind and from the floor but only got so far as making my upper body upright and my brain functional enough to talk. " Well ,it still smells the same and I do see a few resemblances, so this must be our home. I just don't know why its renovated. Ethan could you recall Miss Adams saying anything remarkable which could possibly lead to this?" Now that I think about it maybe she wanted me here at 6 to 7 was so I could manage and agree to something. Maybe it was them renovating my house. " She may have actually hinted that this could happen but seriously it's SO BIG!"

As if on queue or stalking cameras watching our every movements deciding that this would be the most dramatic time to make an entry, Miss Adams waltzed in with a big smile. Not even a sweet smile but a shit-eating one, like, if you both took a test and you failed but she had two more points than you which actually made her pass the test.

"That's what she said.". Can't believe she said that but then again I can't believe my house getting this big. "How do you like it so far? Guessing by your expressions though, you're ecstatic. Just wait until you see upstairs and the new basement though."

"THERE IS AN UPSTAIRS NOW AND A BASEMENT?! AWW IT'S SO BIG." It's strange how I didn't see it from the outside actually. Before figuratively creaming my pants any more than I already have, I let the Agent continue. "I will let you tour yourselves in your own time but I need to get priorities out of the way first." She became less upbeat and more serious.

"Firstly, is the man "Jackson King" permitted to give future permission for any legal changes of this house or property? I allowed him to talk to the construction crew and construction crew leader and consent to changes. I made an exception this time and didn't try to confirm anything as he had the keys to this house and was residing in it at the time but I do need to know for future reference."

Miss Adams took off her signature glasses and gave me a stern look to calm me down so I could answer the question. Me and Anuri replied at the same time "He is permitted." and "He is not permitted." respectively. Anuri glared at me. "He shouldn't." "He will." Against her liking, I allowed Jackson to do things like this for me in case I can't.

"Secondly, Anuri your bags and suitcases are inside your room. Also the staff of yours...,as difficult as the ordeal was to get that through the country, is safely locked in your room. You are permitted to use it at any time as you normally would as long as you carry a permit for it and you do not violate the Interspecies Exchange Bill, or Basic/Equal Human Rights. The permit is on your desk and we request you keep it safe and notify me when it becomes damaged to point of becoming illegible. We can easily make copies for you."

Anuri nodded silently with a relieved face. I don't know what this staff is that or why it requires a permit but it sounds impressive to say the least.

"Lastly, Ethan Spade. The big news I would like the deliver to you depends entirely on Anuri's response.". I waited in anticipation with the furry companion beside me. "Anuri, you do enjoy it here don't you? We have reason to assume this but I'm just making sure." Anuri glanced at Adams, then to me, then back at Adams and replied with: " I enjoy staying here and would appreciate staying here in the future."

I already knew she was going to say that but pride built up in my chest anyway. I was proud that I was a good host. "Well in that case, Ethan Spade. I have come tonight to tell you that you will be responsible for hosting a few additional liminals over the course of the next few weeks. As you know, extra-species people can vary greatly from, lamias to centaurs to mermaids but they get even more diverse than that. What the Office of Interspecies Exchange has decided that we will have 100 different randomly-selected households from our group of hosts and potential hosts around the world to care for some of the more mythical species out there and ta-daaa! you are one of them. To be specific, Es,Host:M #79 or Extraspecies Host: (Mythical) Number 79. By the way, "Mythical" extraspecies are those with either very strong abilities which would be dangerous if went rampant or in high masses, or anything which has specific and hard to maintain needs."

She handed me a some identification with the abbreviated information on it. It also had my personal information on it and doubled as an ID apparently. "This very flattering but why me exactly?" I said humbly unsure how to process this. "What part of "randomly-selected" did you not understand, Mr. Spade?". "Well yeah it was random for hosts but I was only a host yesterday. Seems a bit too convenient, don't you think?" I deduced that for this situation I should look the gift horse right in mouth this time.

"Mr. Spade I believe you should know that before you jam scepticism down my throat you should know that the random selection made you from potential host to host. For clarification, Miss Talibah would fall under the "mythical" category too. So you have 3 options." Anuri's ears perked up straighter than ever at this.

"1. You forfeit your "mythical" Extraspecies Host status and we give you standard extraspecies which you can host, care for and educate. This means Anuri will be forced to move away to a different household which gets your "mythical" status or if against her will to go to a different host she would have to be sent back to her residence in Egypt."

Anuri silently pleaded. for me not to choose that option.

"2. You refuse to host any additional extraspecies, but keep Anuri here in which case, renovations will need to be reversed or the costs will need to be paid for. You maintain "mythical" status and will still be accounted for in the experiment.

Anuri nodded at this but your wallet begged to differ.

"3. You stop being such a cautious prick and realize that the government isn't always out to get you. You host Anuri and the next few homestays as a trial phase just to see if the experiment works and we can safely integrate these mythical species into human society. When the experiment is done you can keep caring for the homestays or you can abandon them. Choice depends on you from that point."

With the 3 options presented to me, I saw that 1 was probably the worst option considering Anuri already hit 1st base with me. 2 was physically impossible as I can't pay for what is downstairs, much less what's beyond that. I got off the floor and I would have gone with what my heart told me. Sadly, it kept saying ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum and I don't understand Morse code so I listened to my brain which said option 3.

"I'll go with option number 3 then Miss Adams." I said nervously but with a hint of excitement in my voice. She approached me and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I assure you that you made a good decision here, Ethan. I'll be taking my leave you two. The documents containing information on The Interspecies Cultural Exchange Bill are in your room in case you need them. Good night."

The agent proceeded to walk outside my house and...locked...the door...behind her. Ignoring the fact that Miss Adams somehow managed to get keys to this house I bid Anuri good night along with a ginger stroke of her hair. She let out another soft and gentle moan at my amazing seduction techniques which was absolutely not comparable to someone petting a stranger's dog at the park.

With both mental and physical exhaustion, we both respectively went into our rooms where I went to read the file and climb into bed and Anuri was probably organizing all her stuff.

I opened the file to see it was separated into 5 segments. The first one was very thick and contained a summary of the Species Cultural Exchange Bill and also the long, unedited version which went on for at least a dozen or two pages. The other 4 segments. were actually profiles. The first one was of Anuri and all her private information and a photo. The next trio were...,to say the least a mixed bag.

The first seemed to be a Chimera going by the name "Sigma"? Who calls their child "Sigma"? Sounds like it's from an anime. Not even a last name either? Geez. The file stated that Sigma was almost a fusion of a goat, dragon, snake and lion but human like structure. Unlike Anuri's, this didn't have any private information or photo yet. Only dietary requirements, estimated date of arrival and the name and species with some extra bits and pieces.

Moving on the next seemed to be a Nightmare? I imagined an unholy mass of flesh and blood consuming the whole house only to realize that it was just a type of centaur that could go into your dreams. Neat. Also looks like we are gonna be getting a herbivore in all due time. Guess I might need to broaden meal variety. I could maybe try going to a cooking course or at least practising in my free time. Her name was "Caitlin William". This proves that extra-species can make normal names at least.

Ending on the last one, it was something that was called a Raiju. I translated it and it supposedly means "thunder beast". Upon further reading of the files,the species fell under the weasel family. So an electrically charged weasel. Why does that sound familiar? She was called "Sandā Ann". In pen at the bottom of Sanda's file, there was a small note saying: "Sanda" means "Thunder" in Japanese lmao xD.- Adams

Getting a chuckle at the comment, I put the papers away and decide I will keep them on my night stand as I feel the exhaustion hit me like a truck and pass out to wake another day.

Author's Notes

This is the arrival of the 2nd chapter and to be honest I feel kind of good about this chapter but I'm not sure if I've taken too many leaps here.

First, increased the chapter size. Feel like it is better this way because then I don't feel like I am rushing a too many events but at the same time I'm not dragging out events which could be summarized in a couple of sentences.

This is the debut of Jackson King, aka the Jackass. This guy was kinda rushed in this chapter but I plan on expanding on him later because he is only a side character. His deal at the moment is that Ethan is going to enjoy hanging out with Jackson but the harem will dislike or hate him. Gonna see how I can make chapters out of that if he still seems good to be in the story. He definitely won't appear as much as the harem or Ethan. Depending on how this story goes though, I might change that.

The next thing where I may have gone a bit to adventurous with is the mention of "Mythical" Extraspecies. When this idea came to me I was thinking of the Harem OCs and how each species should feel unique and have something making them standout from each other but also the OG Monster Musume. I thought maybe If I get some of the more unusual ones I could give them more depth.

Then I wondered how much harder it would be to care for, live with and intergrate some of the more extreme species like Lich or Elder Devils and how not just any horny teen with a house could just be responsible for extraspecies like that. Only a select few would caring for something like a Pharaoh or Echidna but it would be pretty easy to assign someone a Mummy or standard Lamia. So it is kind of separated into two sub categories: Standard and mythical. Standard liminals would be average stuff like centaurs or harpies. Anything with human or similar to human needs. Mythical would be anything which is either dangerous or has very specific needs. (Sometimes both)

Depending on feedback, I will change and improve ideas, or if it really comes down to it I can just scrap the idea.

Thanks for reading and as always appreciate constructive feedback. :3

-UltraDunk