Chapter 10-A: An Old Friend?

Finally home!

Eryn took off his helmet and keys and placed them in the garage. After putting away his motorcycle and leaving the garage, he shut the garage door down.

In his hands were shopping bags containing brand new clothes for the monstergirls. Spent a lot of money, but at least they'll be able to wear comfortably. He walked around his house to reach the door. He inserted the key into the lock and…

"Huh…?" his eyes widened. He tried twisting the key, but it was already… unlocked? Did I forget to lock the door? He clearly remembered locking it. Hmmm… he pushed the door open and immediately noticed something out of the ordinary…

A pair of shoes…? Shoes he'd never seen before in the shoe rack. Are they mine?

"My, you're quite cuter up close!" a cheery voice could be heard from the living room.

That voice… Eryn felt like he heard it before. But more importantly… it didn't belong to any of the monstergirls. He dropped the bags down and dashed to the living room. Is someone else here?! A trespasser?!

"Your cheeks are very soft to touch!"

"Hey! What's going on–…."

Another person was there. A girl? Someone who looked familiar… and she was currently squeezing Lofie's cheeks. Iris and Melty were keeping their distance from this stranger.

"Grrrr…" Lofie growled at this person who was not clearly Eryn. Her ears and tail stood tall, being on high alert.

"… Azusa?" Eryn called out, recognizing the long black hair flowing down her back.

"… Eryn?" the girl in question turned her head around to look over her shoulder. Blue eyes equipped with glasses met his own. She wore a red plaid jacket over a green tank top with black jeans fitting her legs.

Her eyes lit up with recognition and her lips broke into a wide smile. "Hey! You're finally–!"

CHOMP!

"Ouch?!"

"Mnnngh!" Lofie bit her hand, sinking her canine teeth into her skin.

"H-Hey! I'm sorry!" Azusa panicked, struggling to pull her hand out of her mouth. But Lofie had an iron grip.

"Lofie?!" Eryn ran to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Lofie, let go!" She's got a surprisingly strong hold on her finger!

"I won't touch your cheeks agai –Ow ow ow!" Azura frantically shook her hand, but all it did was make Lofie bite harder.

"Lofie!" Eryn called out in a stern voice. "Stop it! Don't bite her!"

Scared by Eryn's voice, Lofie reluctantly opened her mouth and let Azusa's hand free.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch…!" Azusa stared at her bitten hand. Blood was slowly trickling out. "She's got some teeth, I must say!"

"Wait right there. I'll fetch some bandages." He moved to his fridge and opened the medical compartment to take some bandages. "Lofie, stay put."

Lofie silently stared at Azusa, glaring at her.

"E-Easy there…" Azusa shifted herself backward. Lofie's eyes drilled into her skull, piercing her soul. "I w-won't touch you again…"

"Hold still." Eryn crouched down in front of her and took her hand. He gently wiped the blood away with a cloth and plastered the bandage over it.

"Thank you, Eryn…" she smiled weakly.

"I've got lots of questions to ask you." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. First things first, he needed to make sure the monstergirls were all right. "Iris, Lofie, Melty… come here."

"Eryn!" They all ran to him and jumped into his embrace.

"I've also got lots of questions to ask you, too…" she glanced at each of the monstergirls.

Facing Azusa, Eryn sat all the monstergirls in his lap. "So, how did you get into my house?"

"Like this?" Azusa whipped out his backup house key and whistled. "You've always kept a spare key hidden somewhere. It just so happened to be in your plant."

"… Seriously?" he sighed. Note to self: keep it in a more secure place. "How did you find me?" Did she track my phone's location?

"I tried calling your phone many times, but it never got picked up." She folded her arms. "But luckily, someone answered. And her name was Iris… which I've come to realize might be that girl with cat ears on your lap."

"Huh?" Eryn blinked in confusion. He bowed his head to look at the catgirl. "Iris, did someone call before?"

"… Oh!" Iris's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, Eryn! When you were outside with Melty, someone called your phone. I picked it up."

Must have been my other phone… Eryn hummed. This is surprising. I guess Iris forgot to tell me about it? Then again, I was never expecting anyone to call my phone…

"Were you that person who called Eryn?" Iris asked Azusa.

"Yes, that was me!" she smiled, bringing her hand to her chest. "Sorry, I should have told you that first. I got distracted because… I wasn't expecting you all to be really cute!"

"Grrr…" Lofie hissed at her. "Are you here to hurt Eryn?"

"What?" Azusa raised her palms, frantically waving them. "No, no! I'm a friend of Eryn! In fact, I'm his best friend! I've known him for a long time!"

"Best friend?" Lofie seemed doubtful of her, for whatever reason.

"It's okay, Lofie." Eryn patted her head. "She's… a dear friend of mine."

"Will she steal you from us, Eryn?" Lofie asked, gripping the fabric of his shirt.

"No, no." He let out a soft chuckle. At least, I don't think so? Why is she here, anyway?

"… So, who are these adorable girls?" Azusa asked in a suggestive tone, crossing her arms. "Don't tell me you kidnapped these little girls?! Or are you into–"

"Eryn is not that kind of person!" Lofie huffed.

"Yeah! Eryn is a nice person!" Melty continued.

"O-Oh…" Azusa stared at them wide-eyed, not expecting such an aggressive reaction. But that means they trust Eryn. Kids tend to be the most honest, after all.

"I don't know what you're thinking but throw that idea out of the window." Eryn ruffled his hair.

"So, what's the reason?" Azusa blew on her bandage. "Did you find them in a back alley or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that." He shook his head. "I… adopted them."

"… Huh?" Azusa slammed her palms to the floor. "You adopted them?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Eryn rubbed the back of his neck. "Found them in a shelter. Guess you could call them my… kids?"

"Wow." Azusa bobbed her head in admiration. A single father of three… that's not something she expected to hear or see after reuniting with her best friend. "And what's with the animal ears and tail? Are you into dressing them up?"

"What do you take me for?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "No, it's not dressing them up. They're–"

"We're monstergirls!" Iris raised her palm to answer. "Our ears and tails are very real!"

"Monstergirls…?" Azusa cocked her head at a curious angle, pondering the word. Where have I heard it before? Her gaze shifted to each of their ears and tails. They all seemed so lively, so… animated. The Anubis, in particular, seemed tense while the other two looked playful. The ears and tails moved too naturally for it to be an impressive cosplay if they were.