Chapter 9-B: Shopping for Clothes!

Eryn had finally reached the mall. After parking his motorcycle and strapping his helmet to it, he walked to the entrance which was an automatic sliding door. Upon entering, he was greeted with the sight of many shops and levels which spanned up to the sky. More interesting though was the variety of monstergirls doing their business here. I didn't realize there were that many of them…

He moved to one of the digital maps in front of him and scanned it closely, looking for clothing brands. I wonder what brand sells children's clothing? Or maybe monstergirl clothing? He figured he could check the brands one by one. The clothing stores were on the upper floors, so he made way to an escalator that connected to those floors.

Around him, he saw other monstergirls shopping together with what he assumed were their owners. It might have been nice if I could bring them along… the little monstergirls' sad expressions were still fresh in his mind. I'll come back as fast as I can…

Getting off the escalator, he could immediately recognize various clothing brands lined across the area. Some were human brands, then others were designed for monstergirls. A very interesting variety… he took step towards one of the shops and–

"Mnnnguh…"

"Huh…?'' The sound of someone crying stopped him in his tracks, prompting him to turn his head. Is someone crying? His eyes landed on a little girl in the distance, standing near the wall. She had short pink hair with two little pigtails coming out of the sides which stood out. Both her eyes were different colors: the left a pink shade, the right a blue one. Is she… lost? He didn't know if he wanted to approach her and turn a blind eye to this… but seeing her in this state reminded him of the monstergirls.

He hated seeing them cry.

He approached the little girl and crouched down in front of her. How does one talk to a lost child? He hoped he didn't come off as intimidating. "Uhm, hey…"

Sobbing, the little girl raised her head to look at him.

"What's… wrong?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"My mommy…" she sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I lost my mommy."

"I'm… sorry to hear that." He rubbed the side of his neck. A lost child… she must be really scared. "Do you know where you last saw your mommy?"

"Over there…" she meekly pointed at a nearby clothing store which happened to be the place Eryn wanted to check.

"I see…" he hummed. What should I do… should I stay with her here or help look for her mother? Or do I report to the authorities? He's never been in this situation. What would be the right thing to do…?

"Do you… want to look for your mommy with me?" he offered, going with his gut feeling. Actually, I'm just a stranger, aren't I…?

Much to his surprise, she nodded her head timidly and reached her hand out.

"Okay." He gently took her hand. "I promise we'll find your mommy together."

Eryn led her to the clothing store where she last saw her mother. It looks like a small place, we might be able to find her mother soon. Upon entering the store, it turns out the store had multiple levels! And the lines of products extended out as far as his eyes could see! What the… it looks much bigger from the inside?! Of course, it wasn't going to be this easy.

"Oh, sorry." Eryn shifted his gaze to her. "I should… introduce myself. My name is Eryn. What's your name?"

"… Taki." She whispered.

"Taki… that's a lovely name." he smiled softly. "May I ask how your mommy looks?"

"My hair… it's pink like hers." She tugged at her pigtails.

"I see!" Her hair color does stand out… it should be recognizable. "How about your mommy's clothes? Could you describe them?"

"She's… wearing a maid costume."

"… A maid costume?" Eryn blinked in surprise. That was the absolute last answer he expected to hear. Is her mother a… cosplayer?

"Yeah!" her lips slowly curved into a smile. "Mommy looks really cute in it!"

"I… see?" he nodded. Well, pink hair and a maid costume… she would stand out in a crowd, even among monstergirls…

As he looked around the store though, it was somewhat crowded. Finding a woman wearing a maid costume might still prove to be difficult… if only they could broaden their search…

"Taki." He dropped to his knees beside her. "It might be difficult to find your mommy in this place. Could I lift you onto my shoulders, so we'll have a better chance?"

"… Okay." She bobbed her head down. Getting her approval, he slowly lifted her and sat her down on his shoulders, holding her legs in place. She got a better view of the store and could see farther.

"Do you see your mommy, Taki?" Eryn asked as he walked around.

"… Oh!" Taki's eyes lit up. "I see mommy! She's over there!"

Eryn followed her line of sight. Sure enough, there was a woman wearing a maid outfit who seemed to be frantically looking around, presumably searching for her daughter.

Thank god… he gently put Taki down and urged her towards her mother. "Go on, reunite with your mommy."

Taki immediately ran towards her mother, stretching her arms out. "Mommy! Mommy!"

I'm glad she's found her mother. Eryn stepped aside and let them be. All's well that ends well… now that he was here at the store–

"Excuse me!"

"Ah…?" Eryn turned around and saw Taki's mother approaching him.

"Thank you so much for finding my daughter!" she gracefully bowed herself at the waist. "I'm truly grateful!"

"N-No, it's nothing!" Eryn waved his hand around. He wasn't used to these kinds of interactions.

"Thank you, mister!" Taki grinned from ear to ear. "I told my mommy you helped me!"

"I-I see…" he averted his gaze, blushing slightly. "You're… very welcome."

"You must let me repay you!" her mother exclaimed.

"W-What?" he took a step back. "No, no. It's fine! I was just doing what anyone else would do…"

"Please, I insist!" she pressed on. "I wouldn't let any kindness such as yours go to waste."

"A-Ah…" Eryn ruffled his hair, feeling rather perplexed. She's… quite a character. All I did was help her daughter… which may or may not be a big deal. He imagined it happening to the monstergirls and admitted he would probably do the same thing… maybe it is a big deal.

His eyes drifted to the shopping bag in her hand. New clothes… that is what he came here for. What better person to ask than a mother?

"Mhmm, maybe there is one thing…" he nervously scratched his cheek. "This is actually my first time shopping for clothes for… children."

"Oh!" the mother's eyes lit up. "Are you perhaps a parent, too?"

"You could put it that way…?" he never really thought of himself as a parent to the monstergirls. "I've… adopted three kids recently. I'm quite new to this."

"Awww, a new parent of three? I bet they must be thrilled to have found a new family." she smiled softly.

"I sure hope so…" he silently sighed.

"You're looking for new clothes for your three kids?" she stroked her chin for a moment. "I'd be happy to help you pick some new ones!"

"I'd appreciate that a lot, miss… uhm…"

"Akiko." She offered her hand for a handshake. "My name is Akiko."

"Akiko…" he gave her hand a good shake. "My name is Eryn. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

And so, to return the favor, Akiko helped Eryn to choose new clothes for the monstergirls. Casual, home, going out, formal, and many other outfits would be added to Eryn's selection. Luckily, Taki was roughly the same size as the monstergirls, so Eryn didn't have much trouble choosing the correct sizes.

After paying for their items, they exited the clothing store.

"Thank you so much for your help, Akiko." Eryn bowed his head. "The… kids will really be happy."

"Just returning the favor, Eryn." Akiko smiled sweetly. "I would–"

RING! RING!

"Ah, excuse me…" Akiko quickly took out her phone and answered it, then put it back. "Sorry, my husband is waiting for me."

"Daddy is here?" Taki asked, tugging at her mother's skirt.

"No worries." He smiled. "Talk about perfect timing. I have to get back soon, too." I've kept them waiting long enough…

"It was nice meeting you, Eryn." Akiko took something out of her bag and slapped it into his palm. "You should come here with your kids someday! I would love to meet them."

"Hmmm…?" Eryn scanned the item in his hands intently. It was a voucher for a maid café… Oh! Now the maid costume made more sense. It's where she works!

"Bye, Eryn!" Akiko turned around, taking her daughter's hand in hers. "I have a feeling this won't be our last encounter!"

"Thank you, mister Eryn!" Taki waved back.

"Thank you, too…" he waved back as their figures slowly disappeared in the distance. Akiko and Taki… I wonder if we'll meet again?

He stared at the shopping bag in his hand, feeling quite content. Can't wait to head back home! They're waiting for me!

…

..

.

The monstergirls were sitting together on the carpet. To distract herself, Lofie drew various pictures of their family in her sketchbook. Melty played around with her fire magic to get better control of it so she wouldn't hurt Eryn accidentally. And Iris… she simply observed them in silence. After all, Eryn entrusted her to watch over the house… whatever that meant, she still was figuring that out.

"Eryn… will come back to us, right?" Melty asked, her flames gradually dimming.

"Of course, Eryn will!" Iris answered. "He's given us so much."

"Eryn's… a good person," Lofie added.

"Eryn… won't leave us like the… others, right?" Melty cast her gaze down, remembering some… memories from their past homes if they could be called that.

"…" Iris couldn't say anything to her. They've been through some... owners who gave off very nice first impressions, but then ended up treating them terribly. But… she felt she could trust Eryn. He's given them a home, a bed to sleep in, new clothes, meals, and even baths! And he's never once hurt them in any way.

Melty hugged her knees as her thoughts spiraled into worries. She never sensed any malicious intentions from Eryn. Yet, she couldn't stop herself from worrying about negative scenarios. What if Eryn were to…

"Eryn won't leave us." Iris scooted to her and cradled her hand. "Eryn will come back."

"I wish Eryn would come back now…" she pouted.

"I'm sure Eryn's buying us many clothes!" Iris clapped her hands. "That's why Eryn's taking some time–"

CLICK!

The sound of a door unlocking could be heard, prompting them all to turn their heads and twitch their ears.

"Oh!" Melty hopped up. "Eryn's home!"

Lofie immediately put her sketchbook and crayon set down. "Eryn!" The two monstergirls were elated to hear him back so soon. But the same could not be said for Iris…

"…!" Iris took a few sniffs of the air. An unfamiliar, strange scent passed through her sensitive nose… one that didn't belong to Eryn. Melty and Lofie wouldn't be able to tell since their sense of smell isn't as keen as Iris's.

"Let's go meet Er–…"

"No!" Iris snatched her sister's hands and pulled her behind her. She spread her arms apart as if shielding them.

"Iris?" Melty's brows curved upwards. "What's wrong?"

"… That's not Eryn."