Chapter 6-B: Family.
"I know it's a little early but… what do you say to having cake?" Eryn asked them.
"Oh, I want to try it!" Melty exclaimed.
"Me too! I want to see it!" Iris followed.
"Haha, all right." Eryn pulled his arms away and stood up. He walked to the kitchen and opened a drawer to take a lighter. He then walked to the dining table and held the box in his hands, then returned to sitting on the carpet with them. He placed the box in the center. The monstergirls gathered around it.
Eryn pulled the ends of the gift ribbon apart. He then lifted the cover-up, revealing the three-layered cake with three candles on top.
"Wow…" The girls said in awe.
"It smells so nice!" Iris's tail wagged around in excitement.
"I like the colors." Lofie admired the decorations.
"Can we eat the candles?" Melty asked, staring at the candles intently.
"Please don't." Eryn mused. "Melty, remember when you asked me what the candles were used for?"
"Yeah!" she nodded. "What are they used for?"
"Well, you see…" Eryn cleared the packaging away. "We humans… have a tradition that's passed down from generation to generation. Have any of you heard of a birthday cake?"
"A birthday cake?" Iris wondered, putting a finger on her chin. "What's that?"
"Having cake to celebrate birthdays," Eryn explained. "To celebrate the day we were born. It's a special occasion to share with others."
"To celebrate the day… we're… born?" Lofie tilted her head at a curious angle.
"But… I don't remember when I was born." Iris said timidly. "We've never had… birthday cake."
"Me too…" Lofie's ears draped downwards.
"Does that mean we can't have a birthday cake?" Melty asked, her lips curving downwards.
So they don't remember. Their responses confirmed his suspicions before. They've never had the chance to celebrate it.
"Of course, you can." Eryn patted her head. "In fact, it makes it all the more special."
He held the lighter and flicked it on, causing a small fire to burn. "These candles are often used with birthday cakes." He lit each of the three candles, faintly illuminating their surroundings with an orange hue.
"Oooooh…" the girls' eyes widened in surprise as they witnessed the fire.
"That's so cool!" Melty beamed. "The candles are on fire!"
"It's like… magic," Lofie said with awe.
"Each of these candles… they represent each of you." Eryn glanced at each monstergirl.
"They represent us?" Iris asked as she pointed her herself.
"I… want to celebrate your adoption," Eryn said timidly. "I… want to celebrate our new beginning together… as a family." He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I know it's a day late… but I…uh, want us to… experience this moment together."
"…" The monstergirls gazed into his eyes.
"Ahm…" Eryn found their stares a little unnerving. Nervousness settled into his body. Did I say something weird? Maybe they didn't understand human culture as much as he believed…
"Weh…" Tears began streaming Lofie's eyes, taking him by surprise.
"L-Lofie?!" Eryn flinched back. "W-What's wrong?"
"Hmrnh…" Iris began sobbing. She tried to rub the tears off her eyes.
"I-Iris?!" Eryn frantically waved his hands around in panic. Did I say something wrong?!
"WAAAHHH!" Spreading her arms wide, Melty leaped into Eryn's body, pushing down onto his back with a loud thud.
"Owh!" Eryn grunted in slight pain. He attempted to raise his body but…
PLOMP!
Both Iris and Lofie leaped onto him as well, completely hugging him down on the floor.
"Eryn…!" Iris sobbed into his shirt, clutching the fabric of his clothes.
"H-Hey, what's the matter?" Eryn raised his body by his elbows, pushing against their weight.
"Eryn is so kind to us…" Lofie sniffed.
"I've always wanted a family!" Melty wailed into his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears.
"Thank you… for adopting me, for adopting us, Eryn…" Iris rubbed her tears away.
Eryn wrapped his arms around them in a tight embrace. Their teary-eyed faces tugged away at his heartstrings. "Hey now, you shouldn't be crying so soon. We haven't had the cake yet."
Using one hand, Eryn stretched towards the plate of cake and pulled it closer, bringing it in front of the monstergirls. He adjusted the monstergirls on his lap, so they were facing the cake.
"I want each of you… to make a wish." Eryn gently stroked each of their heads.
"A wish?" Lofie asked.
"Yeah." He nodded with a smile. "Something that you want to come true."
"Anything we want?" Melty's ears twitched with curiosity.
"Can we be… as selfish as we want?" Iris looked up at him.
"Go crazy." Eryn nodded. "Something you deeply wish for."
The monstergirls looked at each other in deep thought. They inched closer to each other and began whispering among themselves.
What are they talking about? Eryn grew curious about what they were discussing among themselves. He was tempted to eavesdrop.
They then turned to the flickering flames on the cake, ready with their wishes.
"We wish… to have a happy family." Lofie went first with a straightforward wish.
"And to make many, many, many memories with Eryn!" Melty exclaimed.
"And… to stay with Eryn forever." Iris continued.
Oh… Hearing their wishes, Eryn couldn't utter a single word. Their words touch his heart in such a tender way. He thought they would have wished for something extravagant but this…? Can… I truly make them happy?
"It's time to blow on the candles now," Eryn said. "… to realize your wishes."
The monstergirls leaned their mouths closer to the candles and, in sync, took a deep breath and blew the fires out.
"The fire's gone!" Melty exclaimed.
"Will our wishes come true now?" Lofie asked, drawing her chin back to look at Eryn.
"I think they already are!" Iris beamed, looking at Eryn with upturned eyes.
If things continued at this rate, he felt he wouldn't be able to hold back his tears for much longer. So to liven up the mood…
"All right!" He clapped his hands together. "Let's eat the cake together!" Eryn moved to the other side of the cake so he was facing the monstergirls now. Using the plastic knife that came with the cake, he began cutting it into small slices for the monstergirls. "Dig in!"
"Lemme try, lemme try!" Melty was quite enthusiastic to eat cake. She grabbed a small slice of strawberry cake and chomped on it. The sweetness of strawberry exploded in her mouth, causing her to squeal with joy. "It tastes so good!"
Iris took a vanilla slice and gave it little nibbles, savoring the flavor in her mouth. She hummed in delight. "I love cake!"
Lofie took a big chocolate slice and inspected it closely with her eyes. She took a few sniffs and received a sweet smell through her nose. She opened her small mouth wide to shove the entire slice in.
"Woah there, Lofie!" Eryn gently held her hand. "Don't try to eat it in one go."
"Oh." Lofie blinked a few times.
"Here…" Eryn took her slice from her little hands and pulled a small chunk from it to feed her.
"Aaaah…" Lofie chomped down on the cake from his hands. Her ears immediately began twitching with excitement at how the chocolate melted in her mouth.
"It's good, isn't it?" Eryn found her reaction adorable. "Here, give this vanilla one a try." He cut a small chunk of vanilla and fed it to her.
"No fair, Eryn!" Melty pouted. She pointed at her lips. "Feed me too!"
"Haha, okay, okay." Eryn let out a faint sigh. "Which one do you want?"
"Chocolate!"
Eryn took a small chunk of the chocolate layer in his hand and drew it to her mouth.
"Aaaah…!" Melty opened her mouth and chomped on the cake from his hand. Her eyes sparked with joy. "It's so good!"
I'm glad they're enjoying this… his gaze naturally drifted to Iris, who was casting glances at him. She looked like she wanted to ask something. Of course, Eryn expected this to happen.
He cut a small slice of the strawberry layer. "It's okay to be more selfish, Iris."
"Huh?" Iris tilted her head at a curious angle.
"Here." Eryn offered the slice to her lips to feed her.
Seeing the cake in his hand, Iris quickly stuffed the vanilla slice she was holding into her mouth, then chomped down on the slice from his hand, giving her a mixture of two sweet flavors in her mouth. She clasped her cheeks happily and her tail swayed from side to side. While it did come from the cake, she was mostly content because Eryn fed her.
I never knew seeing others happy was… nice. He cherished the unfamiliar yet warm feeling growing in his chest. It wasn't something he was used to. Eryn, you're starting to not sound like yourself. He cut a slice of vanilla for himself and took a bite.
"Eryn!" Iris grabbed a chunk of the vanilla and extended her hand towards his lips. "I want to feed you!"
"Huh?" Eryn raised an eyebrow. "N-No, it's fi–"
"Me too." Lofie took a chocolate chunk and inched closer towards him.
"I want to feed Eryn too!" Melty divided the strawberry slice she was holding, intending to feed half to Eryn.
"Ahah, oh dear…"
Eryn shared a sweet moment over the sweet cake with the monstergirls. Never did he think he would come to see them…
As a family.