One Day, I Adopted Three Monstergirls!

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."