Chapter 33: The Soldier Beetle

"Let's get the show on the road!" Azusa cheered.

"Yeah!" The three monstergirls replied in unison.

What was supposed to be a trip for school supplies quickly turned into an adventure through the grandest mall for monstergirls in the entire world. Eryn walked behind the monstergirls and Azusa, recollecting his thoughts.

"Mega-Monstah…" His eyes traced a circular structure extending far past the clouds in the sky. This place feels so… magical, like it came straight out of a fantasy. How has he never heard of this mall before? I may not be familiar with monstergirls, but surely a fantastic place like this would catch my attention…?

"Come on, Eryn!" Melty dragged his arm forward. "You're too slow!"

"Easy there, Melty." He let out a soft chuckle. They're awfully excited to explore the mall… and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way.

"So!" Azusa twirled around and clapped her hands. "What are you interested in checking out first, Eryn?"

"Er… should you really be asking me that?" Eryn stroked his chin, putting a hand on his hip. "I don't even know where to start." As he looked around, a variety of stores and structures lined the horizons as far as his eyes could see. And there are multiple floors, aren't they? Floating panels connected from their floor to the upper levels, forming a magical stair of sorts. Not to mention the great diversity of monstergirls going about their day.

"We're on the same page, then." She winked. "I have no idea, either."

"… Even though it was your idea to bring us here?"

"Hey, coming here unprepared is part of the fun!"

"Is it now…" He folded his arms and hummed. Well, I guess we could pick a random direction and see—…

"Excuse me, Eryn Reine."

"Hmmm…?" He turned his head around to see a pair of pure black eyes gazing upon his face. "W-Woah, you're…!"

"Oh, apologies." She took a few steps back and bowed her head. "I did not intend to startle you."

"Ah!" Melty whipped a finger at the woman with the lower body of an insect. "It's the soldier beetle from before!"

"I-Is something the matter?" Eryn cleared his throat. It's gonna take me a while to get used to seeing those insect legs of human proportions…

"I have a question for you." Her insect-like eyes studied the features of his face. "I couldn't help but wonder if you were related to… Ms. Riana Reine?"

"… Oh!" His eyes widened in surprise. Did she notice the name from the ID cards? "We're siblings, actually. I'm her little brother."

"I see." She nodded. "Ms. Riana had asked me to watch over her brother if he ever came to Mega-Monstah."

"Oh, she did…?" He raised a brow.

"Certainly." She nodded once more. "However, I did not expect her brother would come this early." She placed a hand over her chest and bowed at the waist. "I apologize for not accompanying you sooner."

"No, no, it's all right!" Eryn waved both his hands, feeling a tinge of guilt. "Riana didn't tell me anything about this either. Please raise your head!"

"… I see." She raised her head, strapped her lance to her back, then offered her hand. "Then please let me introduce myself. My name is Yvonne."

"O-Oh, uh…" Eryn shook her hand back, her face still devoid of expression. "It's nice to meet you, Yvonne."

"And I believe your…," Yvonne shifted her gaze to the girl next to him, "… girlfriend standing next to you is referred to as Azusa?"

"G-Girlfriend?!" The monstergirls cried out in unison.

"Why, you're absolutely right!" Azusa playfully wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm Eryn's girlfriend, Azusa! Teehee~!"

"Eryn, you can't let your heart be stolen!" Melty fumed, throwing her fists down.

"Azusa is not allowed to be Eryn's girlfriend." Lofie puffed her cheeks out, her eyes glaring at him.

"I'm… I'm sure she means it as a friend who happens to be a girl, right?" Iris said, hoping that would be the case.

"You've got it all wrong!" Eryn shoved Azusa away. Red dyed his flustered cheeks. Dammit, Azusa! You're doing this on purpose! "She's a dear friend, but we aren't like that!"

"Oh, I apologize for the misunderstanding then." Yvonne bowed her head, her face remaining dead serious. Her eyes then diverted to the monstergirl children. "And you three must be under Eryn's care. Iris, Lofie, and Melty."

"That's right!" Melty crossed her arms and straightened her pose. "And Eryn has no girlfriend!"

Lofie clenched her fists close to her chest. "Eryn loves us the mos—…"

BONK!

"Ow!" The little hinezumi and Anubis cried out; they rubbed their struck heads.

"What was that for, Iris?!" Melty huffed.

"That hurt…" Lofie pouted.

"That's no way to behave to a good friend of Eryn." Iris gently held their backs and bowed them. "I'm sorry for how they are acting."

"Hmmm…" Yvonne tilted her head, amused. "Eryn is raising three very good monstergirls."

Eryn blinked comically a few times, witnessing the interaction between the soldier beetle and the three monstergirls. He swore he could see the corners of Yvonne's lips curling up. Is she… smiling? I can't tell. Iris's stern outburst and karate chops especially caught him off-guard. At times like this, I'm reminded that she's the eldest of the trio.

"So, uh… Yvonne." He drew his hands to his hips, curious. "Riana asked you to watch over me, right? What does that entail exactly?"

"She simply wanted me to accompany you and keep you safe," Yvonne answered. "I was told you had a tendency to get yourself into trouble. Serious trouble, if I may add on her behalf."

"… She said that, didn't she?" Eryn groaned, letting out a deep sigh. What kind of trouble would I get into here, anyway? "But, uh… are you familiar with this mall? Mega-Monstah?"

"Yes, I would consider myself well-versed with Mega-Monstah." Yvonne answered, in the same expressionless manner.

"Oh, in that case…" Eryn smiled wryly, rubbing the back of his head. "Do you think I could ask your help to… guide us around the mall?"

"Of course." She nodded. "I don't see why I should not. It is your first time here, after all."

"Thank you so much." Eryn smiled. "I'm truly grateful—…"

"Way to go, Eryn!" Azusa patted his head. "With Yvonne around, our time at Mega-Monstah is bound to be better!"

Yvonne stared at Azusa, then back at Eryn. "Your girlfriend looks eager to get started."

Eryn facepalmed himself and took a deep breath. "I told you… she isn't my—…"

"I know." She replied with a straight face. "I was joking."

"… You were joking?"

"Yes."

"… Oh."

Eryn simply stared back at her, dumbfounded. With her strictly monotonous voice and unchanging expression, how could I tell that was a joke? It was hard to get a read of her expressions. Like not a single thought existed behind her eyes. At least I can feel the monstergirls' eyes drilling into me! He could sense their feelings of possessiveness without even looking at them!

"Eryn, Eryn." Lofie raised her little hands. "Pick me up."

"Okay, okay." With a soft smile, he lifted her onto his shoulders and she immediately nuzzled her chin into his hair.

"Perhaps I can tell you a little bit about Mega-Monstah." The soldier beetle took a few steps in front of them. "It was conceptualized to accommodate the monstergirl race as many monstergirl species could not thrive in human-centric society."

"I see!" Iris's ears twitched with curiosity. "And there are so many kinds of monstergirls, too!"

"That's right." Yvonne nodded. "Over time, our society has evolved to allow both humans and monstergirls to exist together. It has come a long way since then, but it may take many more years before all kinds of monstergirls can live comfortably."

"So this is where Mega-Monstah comes in…" Eryn placed a fist on his palm. As far as the three monstergirls were concerned, they wouldn't have a tough time adapting to the current state of society. They look more human than monster, after all. But for monstergirls like Yvonne, perhaps some difficulties would stand in her way…?

"If you are curious about me, I have my fair share of challenges." She answered the question written on his face. "For the most part, if you can navigate on land, you will generally have an easy time."

"Oh, oh, like us three!" Melty bobbed her head, motioning to herself and her two sisters.

"That's right." Yvonne locked her hands to her hips. "Although, I have a rather sizable lower body which may not fit in some places."

"That would pose a challenge…" Eryn's eyes traced the curves of her insect abdomen and multiple slender legs. Some monstergirls are quite… large. The centaur he met at the convenience store came to mind. What about monstergirls that don't have human-like legs? There was the mermaid at the Little Flower academy, and she was sitting in a wheelchair. Man, a human-monstergirl society involves more complications than I thought.

"With the creation of Mega-Monstah, it hopes to evolve our society into being far more inclusive for both humans and monstergirls."

"Eryn, Eryn." Lofie grabbed a few tufts of his hair. "Would you still adopt me if I didn't have legs?"

"… Huh?" He blinked a few times, drawing his chin up. "If you didn't have… legs?"

"I think Lofie means to say if she were a different monstergirl." Iris clarified on her behalf. "Maybe, if she were a soldier beetle too, for example."

"Or maybe a mermaid!" Melty added. "Mermaids don't have legs like us."

"Huh… why would that matter?" Eryn raised a brow, confused. "I don't think that'd change anything."

"Really?" Lofie rested her chin on his head. "Eryn wouldn't find it harder to adopt me?"

"I guess I would need to be more mindful…" He reached his hand over his head, patting her hair. "But to me, Lofie is Lofie, no matter what kind of monstergirl she is."

"… Hehe." Lofie smiled; her giddy tail bounced around. "That sounds very much like Eryn."

"Yeah!" Melty grinned and formed a peace sign with her fingers. "Even if I was a mershark that could bite his hand off, I'm sure Eryn would still love me a lot!"

… A what now? Eryn stared at the little hinezumi. Is there some kinda shark monstergirl out there too? I'd prefer not to lose my hand…

The soldier beetle put a hand on her cheek. "I see your monstergirls have a deep admiration for you, Eryn."

"Of course they do!" Azusa slammed her palm against Eryn's back, almost enough to knock him off balance. "Eryn is obviously smitten with his kids!"

"Hehe!" Iris giggled and pointed at his face. "Eryn's face is getting red like a tomato."

"Cut it out, you guys…" Eryn covered his face with his forearm, visibly flustered by the attention. "Y-Yvonne, why don't we begin with the mini-tour?"

"You seem eager to begin the mini-tour." Yvonne gently held his shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes. "Still can't handle the compliments?"

"Er, well…" His eyes darted to the side as red glowed across his cheeks. "I, uh…"

"You do not have to answer." She said in the same deadpanned manner. "It was another joke."

"… You were joking again?"

"Yes."

"… Oh."