"So, I've got a question for ya."

"Ahhh," I sighed in pleasure as I brought the cup of chai latte to my lips. The sweet aroma of the aromatic spices filled my nose, and I savored the taste as it touched my tongue.

"Do you ever have a decent night's rest?" Zoe asked, her eyes glinting with worry as she sat beside me. She was outfitted in her MON Squad uniform, clearly ready for battle. Hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary, but it was better to be prepared. "'Cause I swear, every time before you work, you have a shitty mornin'," she continued.

I could hardly fault her for saying such. When they arrived to pick me up earlier that morning, I was groggy and rubbing my eyes. I hadn't noticed the dark circles under my eyes until Tio kindly mentioned them. Zoe was accurate in her assessment; it was likely evident that I had not slept very well (or at all) the night prior.

"I've had a couple of really good nights of sleep since I arrived here," I replied, rolling my shoulder and feeling it give a satisfying pop. "The night after the ordeal with Preya and Kii, I was out like a light."

"No shit, I had to carry your bony ass back home," Zoe snorted, turning away and resting her chin on an open palm as she looked outside. "But yer good, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Gucci," I dismissed. "Just a little anxious about meeting six high-risk women, maybe."

"Don't you worry!" Tio cheerfully assured me, her full plate tactical armor gleaming in the light. I felt like I was staring at a Space Marine, except one whose primary interests were frilly dresses and hugging people. "Bina and I will be here to protect you if anyone tries to harm you!"

"I'm sure they won't be out to get me, but I'm grateful for your concern," I said, with a hint of exhaustion. "If Takasaka can survive living with all six of them, then I'm sure I'll be okay too."

"There ya go, bein' all rational an' stuff," Zoe said, giving me a playful jab on the arm."Knew you had it in you."

"Your care and support are noted," I commented, smirking at her. "But I just want to get the ball rolling already."

"Good thing that we're here, then," Zoe said as the car slid to a halt. After checking and double-checking their gear, she and Tio looked at me expectantly. "Well, it's yer show now, Aki. You lead, we'll follow."

And wasn't that simply terrifying and ridiculous?

Zoe and I had agreed earlier that we would only use our real names in private. She never explained why she hesitated to share her name with others, and I didn't want to press her for answers. I had my secrets to hide, the biggest of which I knew I would have to tell her eventually. I had forgotten to ask Kuroko about it earlier...

Well, one thing at a time.

After taking a deep breath to steady myself, I stepped outside. I had decided against wearing sunglasses as it would make me look suspicious, so I had to quickly adjust my eyes to the sudden, harsh burst of sunlight. Once the glare softened and my eyes adjusted, I could make out the Takasaka household.

It was remarkably similar in size and shape to Kurusu's, despite being owned by a police officer whose income I doubted could have afforded such an extravagant home. It was likely safe to assume that the Cultural Exchange had remodeled and expanded the place when he took in six liminals, just as they had done with our house. Looking down the road, I spotted an overly-unremarkable white van parked less than a block away. It was either the Cultural Exchange or local law enforcement keeping an eye on the house, as I had been warned.

I gulped. A moment after I did, a hand gently rested on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

"You got this," Zoe said from beside me.

People rarely took notice, but touching someone had a power greater than a thousand calming words. A gentle hand, a warm hug, and a passionate kiss were all silent expressions of reaching out and connecting. That's why I made a special effort to teach Suu the importance of physical contact so that she could have more appreciation for it than her original character. People could forget the significance of touch, mainly if they were used to being isolated and seemed to recoil at the thought of it. I had experienced that same feeling for a long time.

When it came down to it, it was simply delightful to be touched. Having it done by someone I was beginning a romantic relationship with was a bonus that made it all the more special.

My shoulders lost their tension. I rested my hand atop hers momentarily before striding forward to the front door.

Show time. I rang the doorbell.

I heard a loud commotion from inside, followed by determined strides toward the entrance. Eventually, the door creaked open, revealing a man with an unmistakable aura of weariness. Dark circles beneath his eyes, hair disheveled and seemingly unchanged since the morning, and a faint but warm smile, His presence alone was enough to leave me exhausted.

"Hello there," he greeted, leaning slightly on the doorframe. While thin, I noticed a wiry strength that bulged slightly from his arms. He was physically fit, at least. "I'm Hyouske Takasaka. Are you guys from the Cultural Exchange?"

"That we are," I informed him, bowing slightly. "I'm Akihiro Bando, a liminal counselor for the Cultural Exchange. These two are my partners, Zombina and Tionishia, and members of MON Squad."

"We've met," Zoe remarked with a smirk, folding her arms. "Once or twice."

"Nice to see you again!" Tio waved at him, her bulky plates grinding against each other as she moved.

"N-Nice to see you guys again, too," Takasaka replied shakily. However, I couldn't tell if it was from remembering the circumstances of their previous meeting or just his general tiredness. "Well, would you like to come in? A couple of the girls are in the family room, but the rest are still in their rooms, I think."

"Yes, please, thank you," I answered, stepping inside as he moved to give us the room. "So, Mr. Takasaka, is it just you helping these six?"

"Yup, just me," he said. I noticed Zoe and Tio lingering at the back of the group as Takasaka, and I made our way down the hall. Assuming they knew what they were doing, I didn't question them. "Piper and Tula also do their fair share to help around the house. That's a blessing since without them around..." He sighed. "It would be a lot more work."

"Gotcha. So do you even have time for your actual job?"

"No, not really. I still get paid for watching them since it's my job, but..." He seemed conflicted. "I don't want to appear as if I'm being indolent. These girls need someone to help them adjust to human society, and I was the only one passionate about it. I feel a responsibility to help those in need. It's just... I didn't agree to be a nanny if you get my drift?"

"I understand," I said compassionately, nodding. "Believe me; I comprehend the situation. That is why I'm here. Today is not intended to be a deep and thorough assessment; it's just me trying to understand their current situation and progress better. Depending on the outcome, one or two of them may need to be placed with other host families soon."

Takasaka's voice was worried as he said, "As long as they are taken care of, I do my best to do as much as possible. However, considering what they have all experienced, they deserve better."

I was starting to like this guy.

Curious, I asked, "Would you be open to having at least one of them stay with you long term? You care about them, but the current situation is unsustainable."

"Yes, it is," Takasaka conceded, though his expression was reluctant. "Well, maybe, but I need to give it more thought. Besides, with all the changes this place has gone through, it would feel isolated if I were the only one here!" He chuckled at the thought.

I chuckled along with him. "For sure, for sure." The house was quite nice, though there were visible signs of deterioration. Claw marks were etched into the walls and floorboards, there were random pieces of trash strewn across the corners, and what looked like acid burns spattered about, though I was no expert, and I couldn't be sure. Nevertheless, it was pretty worrying. "No rush, really; I just wanted to offer."

"It's appreciated."

By then, we had arrived at the family room. It was far dingier than my own, which was no surprise. The couches had multiple gashes and stains on them. Sprawled on one of the couches was an echidna, her golden slit eyes peering through her dusty brown hair. I was immediately taken aback by her scaled lower body, which resembled that of a rattlesnake. It's sandy light and dark brown coloration slowly coiled and tensed as soon as our eyes met.

The other person in the room was curled up in a ball, reading a book silently. She wore a peculiar, gothic maid-like dress that reminded me of what Mero would have worn had her slimy skin not prevented her from wearing regular clothes. A pair of large black headphones covered her ears, completely isolating her from the world. I would have assumed she was a human child if not for her large red eye staring down at the book with an emotionless face. She didn't even spare Takasaka and me a glance when we entered the room.

"Hey guys," Takasaka greeted the both of them. "This is the man from the Cultural Exchange I told you was coming. Wanna introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Akihiro Bando," I told them, waving at them. "Nice to meet you both."

"Hello," the echidna grunted. "I'm Piper. So you're our new shrink?"

"No, not really," I replied, a gentle smile spreading. "I'm here to check in and see if you want a more permanent host family."

Transparency would be the best option, without a doubt. Many girls here had been deceived or taken advantage of and would not respond well to someone who attempted to do the same. Therefore, if I wanted to make any progress with them, I had to be straightforward and honest. Hopefully, this could create the trust that we need to move forward.

Piper lazily sat up, stretching her scaled arms and yawning. As I got a better view of her face, I noticed that her looks combined Miia and Zoe: she had the same mesmerizing golden eyes as Miia, but her short hair and tomboyish demeanor reminded me of Zoe. It was oddly attractive. I quickly tried to repress the sensation, however, as she flashed me a smile revealing a pair of sharp fangs protruding from her upper lip. "Well, that's a relief," she said. "The last thing I need is some human shrink trying to pick my brain. That said, though..."

Holy shi-!

A brown blur struck at me faster than I could blink, and I felt cool scales wrap around my waist, pulling me up. Before I knew it, I was dangling in the air, held up by Piper's tail.

"You better not be lying," Piper finished a harsh glint in her eyes.

Sweet Jesus, she was fast! I took deep breaths, reminding myself that I had been in worse situations before. A wave of realization washed over me, and I was surprised to find that I had been in much worse predicaments. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Hey, Piper, stop that!" Takasaka exclaimed, gripping her tail and attempting to force me to the ground. "Just because I let you do that to me sometimes doesn't mean you can do that to others! You know it's against the law to hurt humans, remember?"

"You should listen to the fuzz, sand snake," suggested a disturbingly sweet voice that materialized beside me. "This human ain't one you should be worryin' about."

Zoe was smiling, but there was no joy behind her toothy grimace. The dangerous glint in Piper's eyes paled in comparison to the murderous look in Zoe's. Her right hand rested on the sheath of her combat knife while the left hovered dangerously close to the tip of Piper's tail. I remembered how sensitive echidna tails were, almost as sensitive as a typical lamia. Zoe was never one for subtlety, and this was no exception.

"... I was just teasing the guy," Piper pouted after a moment. Her tail was uncoiled around me, dropping me to the floor. I helped myself up before anyone could offer, dusting off my pants as I did.

"I'm okay," I reassured them. Despite my heart pounding like a drum, I had expected some roughhousing. These were just those types of people. If I became anxious over little things like that, I would never be able to help these girls or any others like them in the future. "While I understand your concerns, there's no need to resort to such measures to get me to talk. And between us," I leaned forward to stage-whisper, "I'm pretty much powerless when people are nice to me."

"I'll remember that," Piper smirked as she rolled off her spot on the couch. Her eyes darted away from me as she gracefully left the room. "Mm, I'm starving. Hey Coach, do we have any food around here?"

"There's some leftover chicken still in the fridge," Takasaka replied. "But Mako already called it."

"I think I'll raid it anyway. That's what she gets for using my panties as an eye patch!"

I opened my mouth...

"Please don't ask," Takasaka sighed.

...and closed it.

I glanced at Zoe, making brief eye contact before giving her an affectionate smile. She responded with a snort and a shake of her head, already heading in a different direction. With no sign of Tio in sight, I assumed she was off tending to whatever she had to do. I remained confident in her capabilities and decided to have faith in her.

Takasaka and I walked over to the lone backbeard in the chair, who hadn't reacted in any way to what had just happened.

"Hey, Iris," Takasaka said, poking her headphones. "We got a visitor." His voice was gentle, but I could see more tension in him than when dealing with Piper. That had to bode well.

Iris spared a glance at us, her red eye peeking out from shaggy bangs of wild black hair. I tried to smile and offered a wave, but she quickly looked away.

"Tch," she muttered in a low, soft voice. "pervert."

At that, she increased the volume of whatever she was listening to and dove back into her book.

Shut down at the gate. Takasaka gave me an apologetic look, and I shrugged back. I could hardly expect to make actual progress with all of them on the first day.

It still stung a little, though.

To be continued...