Chapter 1-B: Welcome Home!

Eryn wasn't sure what led him to this decision. He wasn't sure why he was standing right here. He wasn't sure how he found it in himself to take action. He lived a life of loneliness, devoid of social communication. It was something he had grown used to. It was something he didn't want to change.

And yet, the words easily slipped through his lips.

"… Could I adopt her?" Eryn asked without as much as a second thought.

"Huh?" Aiden's eyes widened.

"What?" Amber's mouth went agape.

What the?! Even Eryn was surprised by himself.

"You… want to adopt her?!" Aiden held his eyeglass, almost crushing it to bits.

"Y-Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"N-No, in fact, we're delighted to hear that! It's just…" Aiden's voice trailed off in the end.

"It's just…?" Eryn raised an eyebrow.

"There's another reason why people don't want to adopt them…"

"Mister, you're going to adopt us?!" The monstergirl's ears perked up in excitement, her tail wagging around. "I'm so happy! I need to let them know!" she ran to the back as if searching.

"… Another reason?" Eryn asked, now feeling unsure of his decision.

"Look, he's going to adopt us!" The monstergirl exclaimed, holding the hands of two other… monstergirls.

"Wah!" The monstergirl with mouse ears charged against the fence, almost breaking it. "Are you going to be our new master?!" She had red hair, with orange eyes that matched the color of flames. She bubbled with so much energy.

"H-Hello there…" The monstergirl with pointy dog ears approached him slowly. "Will you… adopt us?" She had dark brown hair with dark, green eyes. Unlike the other monstergirl, she had a rather shy demeanor.

"You see…" Aiden grinned sheepishly as he scratched his cheek. "These three monstergirls are inseparable. They're one family. You kinda have to… adopt them together."

"Three monstergirls and they're adults," Amber stated. "You can see why they're free. They're also not adopted… until now. I totally understand if you want to change your–"

"… That's fine." Eryn waved his hand. "I'll adopt them." He was even more surprised at himself now.

"Wha–… are you sure?" Aiden asked, visibly shaken. "It's… a big responsibility, you know? It won't be easy."

"… I know." Eryn averted his gaze. "Whether I am fit to take care of them or not… you'll be the judge of that."

"… Right." Aiden stroked his chin, turning to Amber. "What do you think, sis?"

"I think it's wonderful!" Amber hopped around with glee. "These monstergirls will finally have a place to call their home. And since it's you, I know we won't have to worry that much."

"All right, then." Aiden went to the counter. "Let's fill in the adoption papers together, shall we?"

"Lead the way." Eryn followed him to the counter.

"I'll get the girls ready!" Amber told them, then went into the backroom.

"So…" Aiden placed some papers on the counter. "I'll just need you to read this and sign here. Take your time, this is mostly a formality."

"Ah, got'cha." Eryn scanned over the papers, line by line. I hope that's the case…

"One of the things you need to be mindful about is this…" Aiden pointed at a particular paragraph.

"… Oh?" Eryn raised an eyebrow.

"As we've mentioned before, we only let people adopt them if we believe them to be capable owners," Aiden stated, his tone becoming serious. "A week from now, we'll need to see them again to make sure they're taken care of in a proper fashion. And if we decide you're not a good owner…"

"… I understand." Eryn nodded.

"Well, I have full faith in you!" Aiden gave a hearty laugh. "Let me tell you a bit about these monstergirls." He rested his arms on the counter. "The one who's already taken a liking to you, she's, unsurprisingly, a catgirl."

"Ah, I see." Eryn tapped his fingers on the counter. "What about the other two?"

"The monstergirl with the round ears, she's a hinezumi. Basically, a fire mouse."

"… Fire?" That raised some concerns in his ears. But it matched her appearance.

"The shy one, the one with the pointy ears, she's an Anubis. Or a jackal, in easier terms."

A catgirl, a hinezumi, and an Anubis. That's one interesting triplet… As he signed the adoption papers, the monstergirls' descriptions matched up with what Aiden said. I've never heard of a hinezumi or an Anubis, though…

"How… did they end up together?" Eryn asked curiously. "They're a very… uh, unique bunch?"

"… Good question." Aiden hummed in response. "I don't know."

"… You don't know?"

"When we first found them, they were already together." He answered. "They've been inseparable since then."

"Huh…" He wondered what circumstances led them to be together. "Well, here you go." He placed the pen down on the counter, next to the signed papers.

"Great!" Aiden took the papers in his hand, stacking them. "Let me process and photocopy this for a moment."

"Alright." Eryn nodded and waited patiently. He turned around, taking a glance at the monstergirls… and Amber was there.

Amber carried a box that looked worn out. She placed it on the floor, in front of her feet. She then motioned for the monstergirls to come to her so she could pick them up and place them in the box.

"I think you'll need this."

"Huh?" Eryn turned to the counter. Aiden was already back, with a notebook in his hand.

"This is mine and my sister's notes." Aiden placed it on the counter and pushed it towards Eryn. "It contains everything you need to know to take care of them… since the day we took them into the shelter. This has better use in your hands."

"Oh… much appreciated." Eryn bowed his head down, taking the notebook in his hand. At a mere touch, he could feel the amount of love and attention to detail put into his book. It clearly had years of experience behind it.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Aiden placed his hands on his hips. "You'll need to register these monstergirls under your ownership eventually."

"… Ah, right." Eryn folded his arms in thought. "I imagine that's important." Each monstergirl was registered to its owner. It's apparently a law as far as he's heard. Without a monstergirl ID, their freedom is rather limited.

"Certainly." Aiden nodded. "Unfortunately, we don't have privileges to provide that service to you… seeing as we're just a shelter."

"No worries. I appreciate all the help." Eryn smiled.

"Master! Master!"

Master? Eryn turned around and saw Amber carrying the box with the monstergirls in it.

"You might be wondering why they're in this box." Amber gave a sheepish laugh. "This is the box they were brought in. It's… important to them."

So it holds a lot of sentimental value. He found that strangely adorable.

He wrapped his arms around the box, taking it from Amber. He could feel a considerable weight to it. No surprise, there were three adult monstergirls in it.

"Master! Master!" The hinezumi wrapped her little arms around his neck, hugging it tightly. "You're really going to adopt us? Thank you, thank you, thank you! We've always wanted to be adopted!"

"Urhk…!" She's choking me! For someone with such a small body, her grip strength was impressive.

"Hey, let go of him!" The catgirl pried her arms away, her tone exuding an aura of authority. "You're going to hurt Master!"

"O-Oh, sorry, Master…" the hinezumi stepped away, her mouse ears curving downward. "Do you hate me?

"…" He couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "No, of course not." Her mouse ears curved back up in response.

"Isn't she just adorable?" Amber smiled, patting the hinezumi's head.

Eryn had to agree. They were all adorable in their own right.

"Well, it's getting late!" Aiden slapped him on the back. "Perfect timing. It's about time for us to close, too."

"I'm going to miss you all three." Amber felt tears welling up in her eyes. She rubbed the tears away with her finger.

"Don't worry, we'll see them again after a week." Aiden gently squeezed his sister's shoulder. The siblings had watched over them for years, quite so.

"Thank you… Aiden. Amber." Eryn bowed his head down.

"Thank you for taking care of us!" The catgirl waved her hand at the siblings, followed by the other two monstergirls.

The siblings gave a bittersweet smile, wishing the best for Eryn and the monstergirls. They waved back.

"I'll be on my way." With that parting remark, Eryn turned around and opened the door, a box of monstergirls in his arms.

"Oh." Eryn looked over his shoulder. "Could you two… keep quiet about me being here?" It would be troublesome for him if… others knew about his whereabouts.

"Ah…" Aiden nodded in understanding. "Sure thing, Eryn."

After Eryn exited through the door, both Aiden and Amber let out a huge sigh of relief.

"I never thought I'd see the day someone adopt them," Aiden said. "… and to think it would be Eryn."

"He's… changed a lot, hasn't he?" Amber asked. "I almost didn't recognize him."

"Yeah…" Aiden leaned onto the counter.

I wonder what happened to him…

…

..

.

Having exited the shelter, his mind had started to settle down. Looking at the three monstergirls in front of him, the reality of his decision was starting to dawn on him.

I just… adopted three monstergirls.

What was he thinking? What drove him to take this decision? To adopt not one, not two, but three monstergirls?! Not to mention they were all adults! His life would be turned on its head! Did I make a rash decision?!

"I can't wait to go home, Master!" The catgirl exclaimed cheerfully.

"I'm really… afraid of the rain." The hinezumi whispered.

The Anubis remained quiet, instead clutching onto his jacket, not wanting to let go.

Seeing these monstergirls, he let out a sigh. A sigh because he didn't need to berate himself over his decision. All he knew was… he just couldn't leave them alone.

He placed the box on the ground and removed his scarf from his neck.

"M-Master, a-are you going to leave us?" The hinezumi asked, fear in her voice. "I-I'm sorry if I've made you mad!"

"… No, it's nothing like that." Eryn wrapped the scarf around their delicate bodies, to keep them warm.

"Oh, this scarf…" The catgirl pressed it against her face. "It's really… warm."

The hinezumi and the Anubis cuddled closer to the catgirl, seeking warmth within the scarf.

Eryn picked the box back up. Hopefully, this will keep them warm and safe from the rain.

"Let's go home."

…

..

.

After a while, Eryn had finally reached his home. It was in a fairly secluded spot. It was surrounded by a wooden fence, with an entrance leading to the front yard. His home had a fairly spacious yard surrounding it, considering he lived alone.

Unfortunately, since it was still raining, his house had a depressing atmosphere at the moment. Still, the monstergirls seemed to appreciate the view.

"Wow! Is this your home, Master?" The catgirl asked, taking in the new surroundings.

Eryn simply smiled as he approached the door of his house. It wasn't a crazy big house, but it was decent enough for him. It only had a single story to it, which was enough to accommodate three new members of the family… after some adjustments.

Using one hand, he rummaged around in his pocket and took his key, and inserted it inside the keyhole to unlock the door. He walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Welcome home." Eryn said as he walked to the living room and placed the box down on the carpet.

"Wow!" The hinezumi stepped outside the box, her eyes bubbling with excitement. "Are we really… home?" She ran in circles around Eryn.

"… Indeed." Eryn tried to give a reassuring smile. "This is your home now."

"Your home has a carpet!" The catgirl jumped out of the box. "It even has a sofa! I've never slept on a carpet before!"

"… Uh." Eryn tilted his head at a curious angle. Surely, they slept on something comfortable before?

"Before we lived in that shelter, we always slept on the cold floor…" The catgirl said, puffing her cheeks out. "It wasn't nice."

"Well… I can imagine that." Eryn hummed. "But… I'm not going to allow you to sleep on the carpet."

"Huh?" The catgirl's eyes widened. "We can't sleep on the carpet?"

"Wouldn't the bed be better?" Eryn suggested, folding his arms.

"A bed?!" The hinezumi's eyes sparkled in excitement. "We get to sleep on a bed, master?!"

"… Of course." Eryn crouched down, patting the hinezumi's head. "I want you to have a good life here."

"Master…" the hinezumi smiled, leaning into his touch.

"That's no fair, Master!" The catgirl grabbed his other arm. "I want you to rub my head too!"

"... Oh, bother." Eryn chuckled at her display. He then felt someone tug at his jacket, causing him to gaze downwards.

"… U-Uhm… Master." The Anubis, who was still in the box, called out shyly.

Ah, she's been really quiet. Eryn thought. She seemed… hesitant to trust him if he had to guess.

"It's okay." Eryn gently patted her head, reassuring her. "This is your home now."

"It's going to be okay!" The catgirl gently held her sister's hands. "I know Master is a good person!"

The Anubis stared at him for a moment, then slowly her lips curved into a smile. "T-Thank you, Master…"

… Master, huh? Eryn wasn't very fond of that name. He coughed into his fist, clearing his throat.

"So, uh… I believe we need to introduce ourselves, first." Eryn said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. He slowly picked up the Anubis and placed her outside the box, then set the box aside. He sat down, crossing his legs.

"My name is… Eryn." He placed his hand on his chest. "You… don't have to call me Master. It feels… odd."

"O-Oh, okay, Eryn!" The hinezumi raised her hand in understanding.

"Hey! You can't address our Master so casually!" The catgirl puffed her cheeks out.

"It's alright." Eryn chuckled. "I prefer if you called me by my name."

"O-Oh, alright…" The catgirl rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "… E-Eryn…"

It seems she's not used to referring to people by their names…

"Eryn…" The Anubis whispered his name. "I like it… Eryn."

"… Mhmm." He smiled sweetly. "So, next thing… do each of you… have names?"

"No, Ma-… Eryn." The catgirl twiddled with her fingers. "We've… never been given names."

"Huh, really…" Eryn folded his arms in deep thought. This is going to be tough…

"Eryn! Eryn!" The hinezumi raised both of her hands in joy. "Why don't you give us names?"

"… Me?" Eryn pointed at himself. Me… giving them names?

"Oh!" The catgirl's eyes sparkled with delight. "That's a good idea!"

"N-No… there's no way I could…" Eryn waved his palms to dismiss the idea.

"I would… like that too." The Anubis calmly agreed, looking at him with big eyes. "If Eryn… could name us."

"Ehhh…." Eryn averted his gaze, stroking his chin to consider.

The monstergirls crept closer to him, looking at him with eyes filled with expectation.

"Oh, boy…" Eryn let out a defeated sigh. "Let me think…" his eyes rested on the catgirl.

She was most likely the responsible and level-headed one of the trio. Being the eldest, she had this aura of authority around her. She keeps the hinezumi's excitement in check while supporting the Anubis's shy personality.

"… Iris." Eryn patted her fluffy hair between her cat ears. "Could I… call you Iris?"

"Iris…" the catgirl whispered the name a few times, letting it roll off her tongue. She beamed brightly at him. "I love it, Eryn!"

His gaze then shifted to the hinezumi, the youngest of the trio. She looked like the type to act first, think later. Her expression was clear as day, showing her excitement and joy. Not to mention, her red hair and orange eyes reminded him of flames.

"… Melty." Eryn patted her head next between her mouse ears. "How does Melty sound?"

"Melty!" The hinezumi hopped up in excitement, receiving this new name. "I'm Melty! Yeah!"

"Last but not least…" his gaze shifted to the Anubis, the middle monstergirl. She seemed to be reserved and quiet, having a shy demeanor. Though, her ears and tail hinted at her mood.

"Lofie…" Eryn gently caressed her head. "Is… that alright with you?"

"Lofie…" She looked at him with upturned eyes, smiling. "I like it… a name from Eryn."

"… Great." Eryn rested his hands on his knees, looking at each of them.

"Iris, Melty, and Lofie… Welcome to your new home."