“Yeah. He was town mayor, a real upstanding and well-regarded guy as far as the public was concerned. With us maids, though, he had a short temper. He only employed hybrids, and when the stress got to him, he took it out on us. He figured that if he did anything to a human, there’d be an uproar, but hybrids would just take it no problem.”
“I see,” I said, then paused. “I will never do anything like that. You have my word. On those grounds, I’d be delighted if you’d continue to live in my home with me.”
“Of course I will! As long as you continue to let me stay around!” Tigaro said, smiling with her whole face. We had successfully deepened our bond and, in the process, killed some time. Oltea and Frieze would be returning home about now.
“So, have you picked any flowers?” I asked.
“I have!” Tigaro said. We had the florist make them up into a bouquet for us and stepped out to head back home.
“We’re home!” I said as we entered the house. Inside, it was dead silent. I wondered if the two were not yet home or if they were quietly hidden away somewhere within...which begged the question: where were we going to hold the welcome party anyways?
“Hmm. I think those two are in the parlor,” Tigaro said, as though the three of them had discussed a meeting place. Perhaps waiting to see my surprised face, she was smiling like a mischievous child pulling a trick.
I opened the door to the parlor, and—
“Welcome, Tigaro!” shouted Frieze.
“From the bottom of our hearts, welcome!” Oltea said. At the sight of the two girls receiving her with applause, Tigaro looked absolutely dumbfounded.
“Wh-Why me? It’s Kaito’s par— Wait: ‘welcome’?”
“I know it’s a little late, but we got to talking and thought that we ought to throw you a welcome party! Here, this is for you,” I said and handed the bouquet of flowers to Tigaro, who still seemed to have a giant question mark floating above her head.
“But this was for decorating your—”
“It was a surprise. For you. Are you surprised?”
“Of course I’m surprised... Thank you so much. Oltea, Frieze, you too! Thank you all so much!” Tigaro said. All traces of confusion had disappeared from her face, leaving only joy.
Now fully confident in the success of their welcome party, Frieze and Oltea shared a high five.
“I’d say our surprise was a huge success!”
“Now let’s make sure the party is too!”
I had to wonder if Oltea and Frieze had only just gotten home before us: the cheese, wrapped in a paper bag, was sitting atop the table but the wine had not yet been prepared. With a spring in their steps, the two went off to retrieve it.
As soon as Tigaro and I were alone, she lost her composure. Though she had opened up to me, it seemed that she was still nervous when it was just the two of us. As I was thinking about how she might feel, she suddenly spoke up with resolve in her voice.
“H-Hey, Kaito? You like ears, right?”
“I love them. Yours too, Tigaro.”
“R-Really? Mine are so short and stubby. They’ve got this splotchy pattern too. To be honest, I don’t really like them that much, but...”
“Nonsense!” I said, raising my voice. She’d only barely begun to feel at ease with me and under normal circumstances, we’d still have needed to get a little closer before I could praise her ears, but if Tigaro lacked confidence in herself, that was another story entirely. “Your ears are fantastic. You should have more confidence in yourself. I love the way they’re short and stout and I think their splotchy pattern is stylish! Their fur has that nice shine too—they’re absolutely adorable!” I said.
“O-Okay, I get it! You don’t have to say any more!” she said as her face flushed bright red. I didn’t think I had praised them enough yet, but her blush was proof that my words up to that point had made their impression. I’d be happy if my compliments could make her like her ears even just a little bit more.
“Anyways...I know you like animal ears, so...I was thinking...” she began. She took a deep breath and looked at me with upturned eyes. “As thanks for giving me flowers, I’ll let you touch my ears.”
“Really?!”
“Y-Yeah. But... I don’t want those two to see, so please be quick about it!”
“Thank you! I’ll take you up on it!” I said. To be touching Tigaro’s ears so soon was like a dream come true! I reached for them right away. They had a firm, fleshy texture, though it would have been inaccurate to say that they felt “hard.” On the contrary, there was a suppleness to them. A coat of soft fur, the surface of which was smooth to the touch, gave them a fluffy, pleasant feeling in my hand. With every rub, I felt the tension in my face melt away.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” came Oltea’s voice. As the other two girls entered, Tigaro immediately pulled away, taking that wonderful feeling with her...
“Let’s get this welcome party going... Hmm? What’s wrong, Tiga? Your face is as red as a tomato,” Frieze said.
“You haven’t even had anything to drink yet, but your face looks like you’re three rounds in!” said Oltea.
“It-It’s just a little hot in here, that’s all. But anyways, let’s hurry up and get drinking!” Tigaro said.
“Mm-hmm. Tonight’s all about you, Tiga, so drink as much as you like!” said Frieze.
“Even if you get a hangover tomorrow, Kaito can just fix you up with his beam!” Oltea said.
“Oh! You really pulled out all the stops for this, huh? In that case, I’ll make the most of it and drink to the bitter end!” Tigaro said. Her bright, cheerful declaration served as our cue: the curtain rose on the welcome party for our newest member, one week late though it was.