Chapter 27: The Library!

After a magical encounter with the owl mage, Eryn thought he'd explore the library. Melty and Lofie were interested in their own magic abilities, so they stayed with Nona to learn more. Iris, not being magically blessed, followed Eryn around.

"The library here looks huge," Eryn said, folding his arms. For a school that looked small from the outside, their library was anything but limited. Many shelves lined the halls, each stacked with a diverse selection of books. Little Flower's library is not so little at all!

"What kind of books do they have here, Eryn?" Iris tugged on his finger.

"Why don't we find out?" He smiled. "I'm sure there's a lot of kinds we can find here."

Holding her hand, Eryn followed the wooden patterns on the floor, seeing whatever books may catch his eye. Each shelf had a gently glowing sign showing what books it had. Words were engraved on the wooden signs. What language is that? They look like magical inscriptions…

"Did you have a library at your schools before, Eryn?" Iris asked.

"Of course." Eryn nodded. "There was this small library I'd always go to whenever I had free time. I always liked to read those short stories with happy endings."

"Oh!" Iris stroked her chin, her eyes lighting up. "Maybe we can find those stories here!"

"Haha, maybe we will." Eryn chuckled. I think Iris would like those stories. Back then, he was a rather optimistic and cheerful boy. There was something about stories with happy endings that gave him hope. That made him look forward to tomorrow. And they simply made him feel good. I might not see that same boy in myself anymore but… sometimes, he caught glimpses of himself in the three monstergirls, reminding him of simpler times. Back then, I thought my life had ended.

And yet, that all changed when he met them.

"Look, Eryn!" Iris pointed at a pile of colorful books. "I think those are storybooks!"

"Oh, I think they are." Eryn walked to the pile with her. He picked up a random book, observing its cute and cartoony illustration on the cover. Speaking of which, Iris said her previous caretaker read her stories before bedtime. Are these the kind of stories she listened to?

He quickly glanced at Iris. She already opened up a book and began reading it, her eyes scanning line by line. Wow, she looks very focused on the story! I think I'll leave her to it.

Eryn diverted his attention to the nearby shelves. So they have books for kids. What other books do they have? Maybe something for humans like me? He looked at the many titles on the books' spines. Oh, this looks interesting. He stared at Iris from the corner of his eye to make sure she didn't wander away. Let's check this one out.

"Let's see… Monster Girl Encyclopedia? I wonder what this is about." He pulled the book off the shelf and it slipped through his hands. W-Woah, it's heavier than I thought. He tried to catch it in midair, but a pair of hands caught it at the bottom.

"A-Ah, sorry!" Eryn quickly bowed his head, a little embarrassed. "I didn't mean to drop it."

"No worries." A gentle voice replied as they stood back up. "Master Eryn."

… Huh? Master Eryn? He blinked a few times. That sweet voice rang through his eardrums. Where did I hear that before? He raised his head and saw a woman wearing a butler costume. Her pale pink hair and pink eyes stood out. Eyes that stared back at his blue ones.

"Mayonee?" Eryn tilted his head in a curious fashion. "Is that you?"

"Oh, it appears you remember my name!" Mayonee bowed herself at the waist. "I'm very delighted."

It would be extremely difficult not to remember your pinkiness and butler clothes. Her appearance, even among monstergirls, stood out to him. Her gaze still unsettles me…

Eryn coughed into his fist. "W-What are you doing here, Mayonee? Wouldn't you be working at the–…"

"The maid café?" Mayonee handed the book back to his hands. "I don't always work there. I don't qualify as a maid, after all."

"Well…" He rubbed the side of his neck. She wasn't wearing a maid costume, so that wasn't exactly wrong. But a butler costume is close enough, I think?

"I work there some days." She adjusted her tie. "I came here at the request of Riana."

"My sister asked you to come here…?" Eryn raised a brow. She did tell me they had a professional relationship of sorts. I wonder what this entails.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." She smiled softly, placing her hand on her chest. "I'm here on personal business."

"Oh, I see." Eryn nodded timidly. That makes sense. A random thought occurred to him. My sister wouldn't ask her to watch over me, would she? He remembered Riana being a very protective sister when they were younger. Maybe to the point of being overprotective…

"Although I must say…" Mayonee took a few steps forward, their faces mere inches away from each other. "I wasn't expecting to see you here either."

"O-Oh, uh…" Eryn reflexively took a few steps back. She's getting really close! A sweet strawberry scent tingled through his nostrils. Is that… her perfume?

"Perhaps my visit to Little Flower can be a little eventful with you here." She gently cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking his skin ever so slightly.

"A-Ah…?" His cheeks rose in heat indefinitely at the slightest touch of her fingertips. W-What is she doing?! Whatever it was, it sucked the strength out of his legs and made his knees all wobbly. T-Too close…! He couldn't look away from her eyes as if they locked him in a trance.

"… Hmmm?" Mayonee's senses tingled. She felt little hands pushing her legs away, prompting her to bow her head down.

"Leave Eryn alone!" Melty puffed her cheeks out, spreading her arms apart in front of him.

"Don't touch Eryn." Lofie wrapped her arms around his leg, squeezing it gently.

Iris gripped the hem of his shirt. She's always had a bad feeling about the butler. Did she actually want something with Eryn? Was she pining for him?!

"It looks like your children are trying to rescue you, Eryn." Mayonee giggled behind her hand. "Aren't they just lovely?"

"Ahaha…?" Eryn let out a nervous chuckle. How did the monstergirls know I was in this situation, anyway?

"Rest assured." Mayonee bowed her head at the children. "I mean no harm to your owner."

Melty pointed a finger at the butler. "You were going to steal Eryn away!"

"You must be planning something sneaky." Lofie swung her flower like a sword.

"Calm down, you two." Eryn sighed. What is with the monstergirls' behavior towards other women? Is this a trait shared among monstergirls? I've always wanted to question this.

"Generally, monstergirls have possessive instincts towards humans they deem their owners," Mayonee answered the question on his mind. "It shows how much your children adore you."

"Oh, is that so?" Eryn hummed. She didn't read my mind, did she? Regardless, it explained a lot about the monstergirls' past behaviors. An interesting way of showing their adoration.

"That book in your hand contains useful information about monstergirls." Mayonee motioned to it. "It's a great read."

"Oh…" He stared at the cover. Has she read this book? "I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, I'll leave you to your business." Mayonee waved, then turned around. "Your dear monstergirls seem to want your attention now."

Eryn shifted his attention to each monstergirl. Indeed, they were all huddled close to him, their eyes locked on the mysterious butler. Especially Iris. Her pupils appeared quite constricted. She stared at the butler until she disappeared from their view.

"Are you okay, Eryn?!" Melty turned around, worried. "Did she do anything to you?"

Lofie bobbed her head. "We saved Eryn just in time."

"She didn't do anything…" Eryn crouched down and sighed. Aside from her touching my cheek and making me feel all weak, nothing really happened! Nope!

"Mmmh…!" Lofie sniffed his cheek, catching the butler's scent. A scent she didn't want on him. She softly nuzzled her head into his face to try and replace the scent.

"Easy there, Lofie." Eryn gently pressed her face away, though he found the gesture endearing. "Anyway, how did you all know I was with Mayonee?"

"I could sense it!" Melty pointed at her ears and her tail straightened like an antenna. "That Eryn was in danger!"

"Humhum." Lofie folded her arms and nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It looked like Eryn was nervous around her…" Iris twiddled with her fingers.

"… Nervous, huh?" Eryn drew his chin up. He didn't know what to think of the butler, but their recent interaction did leave him stunned if only for a moment. Was that me being nervous?

"You're not… denying it?"

"She's… an interesting character, to say the least." Eryn coughed into his fist. "Still, she doesn't seem like a bad person."

"I see…" Iris bowed her head, staring at her feet.

I wonder what Iris senses about Mayonee that her sisters do not. Melty and Lofie didn't share any particular thoughts about the butler. They were wary of her as they were with any other woman near Eryn. But it's a different matter for Iris. He couldn't stop thinking about it ever since she mentioned it at the maid café. Should I be worried as well? Was there more to Mayonee than what meets the eye? I don't know–…

"Eryn, Eryn." Lofie poked his cheek excitedly. "I learned new magic."

"Oh, really?" He smiled. I'll think about that later. "What did you learn?"

"Look, look." Lofie presented the white flower to him. Her fingers gently wrapped around the petals. A little green burst of magic flowed out of her hand. She then slowly uncovered the flower.

"Woah." Eryn blinked at the flower. It was still a flower, but its petals had changed colors! "They're purple now!"

"Yeah!" Lofie's eyes sparkled with delight, her dog ears bouncing up.

He patted her hair between her dog ears. "That's really cool, Lofie."

"Hehe." She nuzzled into his hand, enjoying the gentle caress. Head pats were always welcome.

"I can do cool magic too!" Piromi brought her hands together, not wanting to be upstaged by her sister. A little ball of fire appeared in them.

"Hold it, Melty." Eryn chuckled nervously. He gently put her hands away. "I don't want you setting this place on fire." Another fiery accident is the last thing I need to happen here!

"O-Oh, okay…" Melty rubbed her hands together. A gloomy expression spread across her lips as her ears draped over her hair. She really wanted to impress him with her fiery magic. But having her fire powers go haywire would worry Eryn too much. And worrying him was the last thing she wanted.

"She has a lot of magical energy flowing through her."

"Hmmm…?" Eryn raised his head and saw a familiar cloaked figure.

The owl mage offered a gentle smile. "Are you enjoying your time at the library?"

"A-Ah, yeah." He stood up. "I'm, uh… surprised at the selection the library has to offer."

"I'm glad to hear that." She adjusted her cloak. "Please don't hesitate to ask if there's a book you'd like to read."

"I… appreciate that, Ms. Nona." He returned her smile. The owl mage emitted such a powerful and mysterious aura. There was something about her presence that sent a tingle up his spine. Despite her shadowy looks, she's been very welcoming to us.

"Miss Nona." Lofie raised her hand.

"What is it, little one?"

"Are there any scary stories?"

Nona stared at the Anubis blankly. "… Scary stories?"

"Wha?!" Melty's eyes shot open. She threw her hands down. "Why are you asking about scary stories?!"

"Because I want to read it with you and Iris." Lofie's eyes flashed a glint. A suspiciously evil glint. Surely her intentions were pure...?

"Wah!" Melty hid behind Eryn's legs. "Eryn, Lofie is being mean to me!"

"No, I'm not." Lofie crossed her arms.

"There, there, Melty…" Eryn sighed, patting her red hair to calm her down. I am admittedly curious about Melty's reactions to scary stories…

"… Ms. Nona!" Iris raised her hand.

"Y-Yes, little one?"

"Is there any book about… getting head pats?"

"Getting… head pats?" Nona blinked twice. What an innocent question.

"Uhuh." Iris nodded shyly.

Eryn scratched the side of his forehead. "Iris, I'm not sure such a book exi–…"

"Oh, oh!" Melty bobbed her head rapidly. "I want to know, too!"

"Me too, me too." Lofie softly headbutted Eryn's leg.

"… Haha!" Nona couldn't help but giggle at the trio of monstergirls. Asking about a scary book, and now about getting head pats? It would be easy to guess that the monstergirls must adore receiving head pats from their owner.

"… Ms. Nona." Eryn raised his hand. "… I suppose you don't have a complete guide about raising three little monstergirls?"

"Do you need a book for that?" Nona winked, waving her hand. "I believe you're doing a fine job as it is."

"Yeah!" Melty grinned, wrapping her hands around him. "Eryn is taking care of us well!"

"Eryn is the best." Lofie gave a thumbs up.

Iris nodded and clapped her hands. "Eryn doesn't need a book!"

"W-Well, I, uh…" Eryn cast his gaze away, a faint blush creeping up to his ears.

Nona simply observed the little family, finding their interactions rather amusing. The monstergirls cherish him deeply. Their visit was certainly the highlight of her day. A human parent and monstergirl children? She's seen quite nothing like this before.

Eryn, I hope to see your children attend Little Flower.