Chapter 3-A: Getting Breakfast!

"Mhmmm…"

A brand, new day had settled. The Sun shone its magnificent rays through the windows of a house, landing on the face–more accurately the eyes–of our unfortunate protagonist.

He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear his hazy vision. He let out a deep and long groan.

Morning already…? When did I fall asleep? He apparently didn't realize he passed out sooner than he expected.

Ah, it won't hurt to sleep a little longer. Giving in to his sleepiness, he closed his eyes once more, ready to drift into slumber.

My body… feels heavy. Quite heavy. Did he not sleep enough? Did he completely exhaust himself somehow? It feels so… unnaturally heavy. Maybe I do need to sleep more.

He attempted to shift his body but was unable to move even a single muscle. Huh…? As he regained his consciousness, he could feel a considerable weight on his left arm, right arm, and chest.

It's like… someone's pushing me down. He tried to wiggle his body around to no avail. Am I… experiencing sleep paralysis?! Yeah, right…

He tried craning his head up and felt something… fluffy under his chin. What's this… soft sensation? It felt familiar to him as if he felt this quite recently. He could feel someone faintly breathing against him.

He moved his head around to get a better view, and his eyes immediately widened at the sight. What the…? He looked to his left, then to his right… and finally understood the cause of this considerable weight on his body.

The monstergirls were sleeping with him. Iris was on top of him, Melty was on his left while Lofie was on his right. He was reminded that… right, I adopted three monstergirls.

W-When did they crawl into the couch?! Surely, if three people tried to sleep with him, he would have at least woken up. Man, I must have passed out real bad.

Eryn let out a sigh. He was pondering how to get out of this mess. He considered waking them up, but looking at their peaceful, sleeping faces, he didn't have the heart to do it. I can't… disturb them. They probably haven't had a decent sleep in a long while.

His eyes shot open with determination. Alright, engaging stealth mode! With meticulous movements, he carefully pulled his arms from under Melty's and Lofie's body. Then with his free arms, he gently hugged Iris close to his chest and raised his body. So far, so good.

He slowly inched himself back to sit on the armrest. Slowly, he laid down Iris's body…

"Mhmm…" In her sleep, Iris gripped Eryn's clothes, preventing his escape.

Uh, oh… well, he didn't expect to get into this predicament. Please let go, Iris… he carefully pried her hands away and slipped away from the couch.

Success! He pumped his fists up in victory. Man, my arms feel kinda numb… What a way to start the day, he thought. Now, what's next…

He observed the sleeping monstergirls for a moment. Right… breakfast. That was the next thing he had to be mindful about. When they wake up, they would surely be hungry. He didn't know what monstergirls would eat. Do they eat food as humans do? They… wouldn't eat human flesh, would they? He gulped at the thought, hoping it was not the case.

He dug his hands into his windbreaker's pocket to take the notebook. He flipped it open, trying to find if there was any relevant information about the monstergirls' diet. Sure enough, it was noted down in pristine detail. Thank you, Aiden, Amber.

According to the notes, the diet varies from monstergirl to monstergirl. Not everyone would share the same diet. However, it seems human food is safe for monstergirls' consumption. Makes sense… they are humans, in a way.

Next, he looked over the specifics for each of the monstergirl. Both Iris and Lofie seemed to be light eaters, while Melty seemed to eat a lot. All of them have preferences toward meat products. They can eat fruits and vegetables, and they each have their own preferences. As for sweets, Iris seems to like cake a lot. Melty and Lofie have never had any sweets. That's interesting to hear… I should introduce them to the world of sweets sometime.

There was an extra note left at the end of the page that reads:

"The meals at Mon-Mon-Con have a lot of good deals! Saves us the trouble of starting from zero." - Amber

Mon-Mon-Con… that's the name of a common convenience store found around town, meant to accommodate monstergirls' needs. I should check that out.

He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was… 6:07 AM. It's early enough. With a plan in mind, he took a new change of clothes from his room and took a quick bath. Keys, wallet, and phone: check. He put on his windbreaker, ready to begin the day, and exited his house…

…

..

.

At Mon-Mon-Con…

He jogged to the nearest convenience store, following the directions on his phone. Luckily, it was a seven-minute walk, so he appreciated the exercise and distance. He had never been to one of these stores, seeing as he had nothing to do with monstergirls before. Standing in front of the entrance, the store was pretty massive, different from the stores meant for humans.

As he approached the entrance, the doors slid open automatically. Oh, it has a sensor? Neat. After he entered through, his eyes were met with a grand sight of items and products displayed all over as far as his eyes could see. Rows and rows of items in freezers and glass displays could be seen from where he was standing.

What also caught his eyes was the variety of monstergirls he was seeing. Horns, wings, those tails… are those spider legs? It's like he walked into a different world. If he didn't believe his eyes, he'd think he walked into a cosplay convention.

"Excuse me, sir, do you need assistance?" a gentle and caring voice called out.

"… Huh?" Eryn turned his head to the voice. His eyes widened at the person before him. Wow, she's tall! She had long, silver hair, flowing down to her back, with narrow, green eyes that could pierce through his very soul. Her pointy ears cutely stuck out through her hair. She was wearing a blue and white uniform representing Mon-Mon-Con. As his gaze shifted downwards towards her waist, the sight left him paralyzed from his neck down to his legs. Those weren't human legs he was seeing–they belonged to a horse.

"… Sir?" she called out again.

"…" her voice fell on deaf ears as his mind was still processing what he was currently seeing. She… she's…

"… I'm sorry. Would you like me to find you a human assistant?" She asked, with a hint of sadness in her voice. She slowly turned her body around…

Huh?! Hearing her say that snapped him from his trance-like state. Regaining control, he frantically waved his hands around. "N-No! No! That won't be necessary!"

"Oh… very well then." She let out a faint sigh of relief, smiling at him.

"It's just…" Eryn averted his gaze, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "It's my first time seeing a centaur… up close."

"Oh, I see..." The centaur ran a hand through her long hair. "I apologize for frightening you."

"N-No, it's fine." Eryn laughed awkwardly. I didn't know monstergirls could have jobs. That was news to him. "Y-You asked if I needed any assistance, yes?"

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

"I… suppose I need it." Eryn rubbed her neck nervously. "You see… this is my first time coming here."

"I see!" The centaur gave a warm smile. "Do you need help getting around?"

"Ah, I guess?" Eryn nodded. "Do you know where's the… uh, food section for monstergirls?"

The centaur's face beamed brightly as if she was waiting for this very moment. "Right this way, sir!" She turned around and walked to one of the sections.

The… horse part of her is massive. Of course, horses were pretty big creatures, it was just surreal to see a girl's body attached to it. Eryn thought as he followed her. A frilly white cloth with blue trim at the ends was draped over the entire, white horse part of her. It's like a horse skirt…

"Here we are, sir! We have a fine selection over here!" The centaur waved her hand towards the food items placed on the shelf. "There are even some discounts."

"H-Huh?!" Her voice snapped Eryn out of his stare. "Wow…" Eryn's eyes scanned the shelf from top to bottom. There was a colorful variety of food for monstergirls. And I thought human diet was complicated. He stood in front of the shelf, stroking his chin in deep thought. I have no idea what to choose!

"You seem to be troubled, sir…" The centaur said in a concerned tone.

"Ah, well…" Eryn folded his arms. "There's just… a lot to choose from…"

"I might be able to make some recommendations if you'd like to describe what you have in mind." She suggested.

"Mhmm… to be honest." Eryn averted her gaze, a faint red growing on his cheeks. There was this friendly and familiar aura around her that just made it easy to talk with her. "I recently adopted three monstergirls…"

"Oh." Her eyes widened in delight. "That's lovely to hear, sir."

"They're… a cat, a hinezumi, and an Anubis." Eryn continued.

The centaur folded her arms and drew her chin back for a moment, pondering her mind. "No problem, sir! I can recommend these meals. They're currently discounted, too!" She pointed to several items based on the monstergirls he mentioned. They were meals that the three of them could eat. That'll save a lot of time.

"If you prefer something more specific…" she pointed to three different items, each having a different color for its packaging. "These will do, too. They cater to each of the monstergirls' diets."

"That's nice." Eryn smiled. This is very convenient. I suppose I could adapt these meals. Eryn himself made simple meals since he lived alone. On weekends, he likes to treat himself to some delicious, instant food. Though with the monstergirls here, he would have to expand his skills in cooking more kinds of food.

He proceeded to take a handful of the meals the centaur recommended. The amount would last for a week. For what it is worth, he believed the price was fair enough. It's not like I'll need to use my money for anything else… for the monstergirls, he'd buy it in a heartbeat.

"Let me help you to the cashier." The centaur said, carrying some of his items.

"Oh, thank you." Eryn nodded and followed her to the cashier.

After paying for his items and putting them in his own bag, he turned to the centaur and bowed down at the waist.

"Thank you so much, miss." He raised his head. "I don't think I'd get through this without your help."

"You're very welcome, sir!" the centaur blushed slightly, clasping her hands together.

"Well then…" Eryn turned towards the exit. As he walked away, he smiled and waved at the centaur.

"Good luck, Eryn!"

Eryn froze outside the store. He turned his head around to see her but the centaur was already out of his view. Did… she just say my name? Did I introduce myself? Huh… he shrugged it off and began walking towards his house.

Time to head home!