Chapter 4-B: After Breakfast!

"Iris, you don't have to worry about all that," Eryn said. "I'll give you head pats anytime. It's no big deal."

"Is it… really okay?"

"Of course, Iris." Eryn continued patting her. Does she hold head pats with high importance?

"Oh… hehehe…" Iris closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his hand.

"No fair, Iris!" Melty jumped onto Eryn's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't hog all of Eryn's attention to yourself!"

"Humph." Lofie bumped his arm with her head.

"Melty, you're–guh!–choking me…!" Eryn tapped her arm a few times, trying to get her hands off. So much strength in her little hands…!

"O-Oh, sorry!" Getting off his back, Melty pulled her arms away from his neck.

Speaking of attention… Eryn looked at her. Melty certainly needs attention, lest another fire arise. Now, so far, he has yet to see Iris and Lofie react in unexpected ways.

What does the notebook say about them? He flipped the book open and turned to the relevant pages regarding their interests and hobbies if it could be put that way.

Lofie likes to… draw? Interesting. Eryn figured he could give her his old sketchbooks, then. She likes to play in the sand…? By burying things in them. Huh, okay. Eryn attributed that to her being an Anubis, whatever that was supposed to mean.

What about Iris? He turned to the pages concerning her. She likes to do chores… huh, that explains it. She seems to have a habit of overworking herself to the point of exhaustion. What…? Eryn blinked at what he just read. Why would Iris do that…? The mysteries of their circumstances seem to pile on and on.

"What are you reading, Eryn?" Lofie asked.

"O-Oh." Eryn quickly shoved the notebook into his pocket, then stood up. "It's nothing." He turned to the hinezumi. "Melty."

Melty tilted her head upwards to look at him with curious eyes.

"How about… spending some time with me?" Eryn asked. "Let's do something together."

"…Wah!" Melty's eyes sparkled with excitement.

According to the notebook, she likes physical activities. I think we could do something to burn off that excess energy of hers.

"Would you like to go on a morning jog with me, Melty?" Eryn caressed her red hair. Sometimes, Eryn goes on morning jogs if he can wake up early enough. Maybe he can bring Melty along now.

"I would love to, Eryn!" Melty's tail began wagging back and forth in joy.

"Eryn…" Iris puffed her cheeks out, tugging on his sleeve. "I want to come, too!"

"Me too." Lofie softly head-butted his leg.

Mhrm… Looking at their pleading faces, Eryn found it hard to say no to them. But this is important for Melty's sake. I need to spend time with them to get to know each of them better.

"Sorry, Iris. Lofie." Eryn smiled softly. "It'll just be me and Melty."

"Wha…?!" Both Iris and Lofie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hehehe, I get to spend time with Eryn!" Melty said in a teasing manner, sticking her tongue out in victory.

"Hmph." Iris folded her arms, pouting at… me? I think that's the first time I've seen her pout targeted at me.

"Iris…" Eryn rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. That actually hurts…

"Weh…!" Tears began welling up in Lofie's eyes, her ears draping downwards.

"… Lofie?!" Eryn waved his hands around frantically. Not you too, Lofie! Now that hurts more!

"Listen, it's… really important that I do this with Melty." Eryn sighed, crouching down to face Iris and Lofie at head level. "I want to… prevent the incident from this morning happening again."

"I understand, Eryn." Iris nodded, still pouting at him. "Still, it's unfair you're giving her all your attention." She walked up to him, twiddling with her hair bangs. "If it's not too selfish of me to ask, I want you to give me attention too…"

"If Eryn spends time with us later…" Lofie said, rubbing her tears away. "Then I don't mind."

"… I see." Eryn let out a faint sigh, his lips curving into a smile. I guess I need to be mindful of that. "Okay, how about this… once I'm done jogging with Melty, I'll spend time with you two. Sounds good?"

Iris and Lofie looked at each other, then looked at Eryn with gigantic smiles spread across their faces.

Sometime soon, I'll need to create a schedule and divide my time accordingly. Though he appreciated they were open about their needs. It meant they trusted him to some extent.

"Alright, Melty…" Eryn's gaze shifted to her. She was still wearing the pajamas, which weren't affected by the fire in any way. That's something…

"Let me get you a change of clothes."

"Okay!"

…

..

.

Eryn had lent Melty his old sports uniform from his younger days. It fitted her nicely, wasn't too big or too small. It was a purple shirt with black shorts. He also gave her an old pair of shoes, though it wasn't exactly designed for jogging…

"How is it, Melty?" Eryn asked, moving her in front of the mirror. "Does it fit you well?"

"I love it, Eryn!" Melty struck a few poses in front of the mirror, grinning from ear to ear. "It's nice!"

"Good to hear that." Eryn smiled. As he observed her, his long red hair came to his attention. Huh, it might be better to tie that up. He grabbed a couple of hairbands and a comb from his sister's room. He dropped to his knees in front of Melty. "Melty, could I do your hair? It might get in the way of your jogging."

"Oh, okay!" Melty turned around, presenting her red hair to him. Eryn ran his fingers through her red hair, feeling its softness and volume. It has nice care to it… when he was younger, he was made to do his sister's hair from time to time. Though he didn't care about his hair.

With a careful tenderness, he combed her long hair, straightening it out.

"This feels nice, Eryn…" Melty's tail moved from side to side, probably in approval.

"I see…" Eryn continued combing her hair, admiring its softness and color. Although, he felt two pairs of eyes drilling into the back of his skull. What's with this… unsettling aura I'm sensing? From the corner of his eye, he could see Iris and Lofie watching from a distance.

"He's combing her hair…"

"Humph."

… I will give you two all the attention in the world. Later. I swear. He quietly promised them.

After combing her hair, he used the hairbands and skilfully tied her hair into fiery twin tails. Very puffy. He gave the twin tails a gentle squeeze. "What do you think, Melty?"

"Wah…" Looking at the mirror, Melty brushed her hand against the twin tails on her head. "It's so cute, Eryn!"

"… I'm glad to hear that." Eryn smiled sweetly. A work of art, if I do say so myself.

He shifted his gaze to the catgirl. "Iris."

"What is it, Eryn?" Iris came up to him.

Since he and Melty were going to be leaving the house a bit, he needed Iris and Lofie to keep themselves occupied. With the notes in mind, he may have just the thing for them.

"Could I trust you to watch over the house?" Eryn patted her shoulder.

"Me?" Iris pointed at herself.

"That's right." Eryn nodded. "I need someone to watch over the house while I'm gone, and I believe you're up to the task."

"Oh… okay!" Iris raised her palm in approval. "Leave it to me, Eryn!"

"What about me, Eryn?" Lofie asked, tugging on his arm. She was feeling left out.

"And Lofie…" Eryn handed her his old sketchbook with a crayon set. "Why don't you draw something in the meantime?"

"Wah, a sketchbook!" Lofie's eyes sparkled as she accepted it in her hands. She quickly sat down and flipped it open, placing it on the carpet. "Thank you, Eryn!"

"Of course." Eryn felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him, seeing her cute expression.

Afterward, Eryn changed into a set of clothes suited for exercising: a black vest with training pants. He walked to the doorway, with Melty and Iris following behind.

"Here, Melty. Let me put on your shoes." He crouched down and motioned for Melty to sit down in front of him.

"Okay!" Melty listened and set herself in front of him. Eryn cradled her foot, and Melty let out a giggle.

"Hehe, that tickles!" Melty wiggled her feet around away from his hands.

"Ahah, sorry." Eryn chuckled, slowly adjusting the shoes to her feet. "One sec…" he tied the laces together, pulling on the ends to make sure they were tight enough. "… And there!"

Melty stood up, staring down at her new (well, old) shoes. She moved her legs around, trying to get a new feel for her shoes. Liking her new shoes, especially knowing they were from Eryn, she hopped around with excitement.

"These shoes are nice!" Melty exclaimed.

"They aren't the best for jogging, but I hope you'll like them." Eryn put on his shoes quickly and wore a cap on his head. He then turned to Iris. "Alright, Iris, watch over Lofie and the house for me, okay?"

"Okay!" Iris nodded. "Please, come back soon!"

"Haha, all right." Eryn opened the door and urged Melty outside. He waved goodbye to Iris before leaving the house and closing the door. "We'll be back soon!"

Eryn turned around, seeing a grinning Melty already waving at him from the sidewalk. I'm glad she's enthusiastic about this.

"You ready to jog, Melty?" Eryn asked as he approached her while stretching his arms.

"I'm ready, Eryn!"