I gave everyone a transparent and fair warning about the imminent MON, but it was more for Kurusu's benefit than for the use of the others.

"Ugh," he groaned as he washed the dishes, "Do I have to start making lunch already?"

"I will be more than happy to lend you a helping hand in preparing the meal, Master," Centorea said comfortingly. However, her proximity to him was beginning to make him feel a little uncomfortable as if she was trying to take on a protective role.

"Oh, I can help too!" Miia eagerly offered from the living room, sitting up and waving her hand enthusiastically. "Romance Master has taught me several cooking tips and tricks!"

"Don't forget, it's your house, so that you can make the rules," I said to him. "If you want them gone, you can make that happen."

Kurusu chided gently, "That would be rude, don't you think?"

"So is storming someone's place while uninvited."

"Friends are always welcome," he replied with a smile, "And Zombina is your friend, isn't she?"

"Well..."

The loud creak of the front door swinging open suddenly interrupted me mid-sentence.

"HEY HONEY, I'M HOME!" shouted Zombina joyfully.

A pregnant silence descended, followed by all eyes except mine and Kurusu's swiveling toward me. A chorus of "'Honey'?" rang out, filled with varying degrees of shock and curiosity.

Kurusu amended, "Your girlfriend?"

"No way," I quickly said as I began to head out and meet our new visitors. "Just don't push yourself too hard. I'll make sure they're gone before lunchtime, one way or another." I wasn't sure how to get rid of four liminals with their formidable combat abilities and unique powers, which would be a severe challenge for a regular human like me.

"Well... I do appreciate that, Aki."

"Don't worry, man. I'm here as your assistant host, and it's my responsibility to support you in any way I can."

Kurusu let out a hearty laugh. "Indeed, that's the truth." He shook his head with a rueful grin. "I sometimes forget that."

"Yeah," I chuckled, but when I looked away, my smile faded. "Same here."

"Greetings, everyone!" Zombina exclaimed as she stepped into the room, holding a large and imposing-looking book in her hands. "I have brought a gift for you all - and it is nothing short of mind-numbing!"

"But a necessary, albeit boring gift!" Tio corrected, following the zombie through the door with a slight hunch but not without offering a cheerful greeting. "Hello, everyone!"

"P-P-Please forgive me for intruding," Manako stammered, nervously fidgeting with her skirt and refusing to look up. After exchanging a polite greeting, I glanced towards the door, expecting to see a dark-skinned shapeshifter riding her hair into the living room. However, no such being was present. It was strange; I had anticipated Doppel to be with them.

"Oooh, a gift!" Papi exclaimed excitedly, rushing towards Zombina, "I can't wait to open it!"

Zombina laughed and sauntered over to Centorea. "Sorry, harpy gal, but this is a special deal for our recruit there. Here, catch!" Without further ado, she tossed the item to the centaur.

Taken aback by the suddenness of the action, Centorea stumbled slightly before catching it. Upon examining the cover, she gasped in awe and tightly embraced the book to her chest as if it were something sacred.

Did I miss something? Wait, rookie, what did I miss?

Kurusu gazed up at Cerea with curiosity as he asked, "What is it?" She glanced down at him, her cheeks tingeing with a faint blush.

"After seeing the noble work that MON has done for liminal and human alike, I, well, that is to say..." she took a deep breath, "I... am seeking to join their esteemed ranks."

Huh. Well, that's new.

Kurusu's face lit up with a broad smile as he cheered, "That's incredible, Cerea! I'm so happy for you!"

Her face blushed a deep shade of crimson. "T-Thank you," she stuttered, her voice barely audible as she kept her gaze averted.

The others went to offer their congratulations, so I respectfully stepped aside to give them some room. I knew I would have the chance to speak to her later and congratulate her. As I sat perched on the arm of the couch, Zombina walked up to me.

"'Honey'?" I said by greeting, "You had to open with that?"

Zombina snorted and crossed her arms, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It was only some friendly banter, nothing more."

"Well," I groaned, spotting Mero eyeing us from across the room, "if your teasing haunts me, I'm holding you responsible. So why'd you bring your whole entourage? Are you guys really that bored?"

"We could be," Zombina answered with a shrug, "but Boss is tied to her desk today, so we've got nothing. Wait, hang on a minute..." She quickly scanned the room before suddenly shouting, "Hey, Doppel-chan! Stop sneaking around their house and join us, regular humans!"

"I'm not sneaking!" a defiant voice called from outside the living room. I could detect a subtle shift in the tone, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Oh yeah?! Then what ARE you DOING?" Zombina demanded.

"... Sneaking."

Zombina rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Come on already, you weirdo!"

"Fine, fine."

The individual that suddenly entered the room was, to my surprise, a black-skinned girl with silver hair cascading around her body in a spiral, strategically covering only the necessary places. The hair (I used this term loosely as it appeared to move of its own accord) shifted and coiled around her slender frame, changing and stretching as if it had its own will. Her golden eyes with black sclera lazily swept the room, eventually settling on me.

Gk!

Wait, what? What Was that? What happened?

"Ah, so this is the enigmatic dimensional voyager that Bina-chan just won't quit messaging," the shapeshifter said with a sly smirk as she glided closer to us. "Maybe you should finally break it off with her? She's so unbearable when she gets this way."

"Impressive job there, three for three," I remarked with a hint of humor as Zombina growled at her teammate. "I'm Akihiro; nice to meet you all."

She let out a short giggle, but it had an odd, almost artificial quality. Her face didn't show genuine amusement, only a forced reaction that seemed out of place. "Maybe, maybe not," she replied cryptically, a mischievous glint in her eye as she added, "Call me Doppel."

"Will do." I looked her over and said, "Excuse me, why are you not wearing any clothes?"

"The more pertinent question is, why bother being clothed?" Doppel replied, her hair instinctively coiling around her in a defensive stance. "After all, this body is only temporary, so I don't care what people think of it."

Wait, then, why are you going out of your way to cover specific parts?

Zombina urgently whispered, "Believe me, it's not worth it! She can be unbearable when she's in this kind of mood."

Doppel let out another one of those not-giggles. "Come on, let's do something! Rawr! I'm so bored just standing here and chatting about nothing!"

"So, this is the true nature of the illustrious MON Squad," Rachnera observed, her gaze lingering on us. It wasn't too surprising that she'd stayed away from the commotion earlier, given her preference for operating behind the scenes, as well as being relatively new to the group. While the rest of us mingled in the central area, she had remained close to the TV, quietly taking in the atmosphere and everyone within it. "A bunch of girls with unique personalities and mood swings," she mused.

"A bunch of badass girls prone to wild mood swings," Zombina corrected good-naturedly, giving the arachne a wolfish grin. "That's an important detail not to forget!"

Rachnera's lips curled in a faint smile as she brought her clawed hand to her face, her signature gesture. "But of course," she said.

These people and their vague threats

"Anyway," I intervened, "We were just about to play some Soup Sta - er, I mean Super Smash Bros. if you'd want to join us?"

Doppel gave a contemplative hum as she regarded the TV, the game's menu screen on display. She shrugged her slim shoulders with a nonchalant air. "Games, huh? Well, why not? Might as well try something new."

"Gucci. Hey!" I called out to the crowd back in the central area. "Anyone wanna play?"

"Papi Papi Papi does!" the harpy cried, altogether abandoning whatever conversation she had with Manako, who promptly looked somewhat downcast, to join us. "Oh, Mana, play with us, too!"

The perplexed mono eyes blushed furiously, her eyes wide with shock as she frantically waved her hands. "Ehhh?! B-But I-I've never played this game before..."

Papi declared with a broad smile, "I haven't either! We'll learn together!" At that, she grabbed Manako's hand and dragged her over to the couch, despite the latter's reluctance.

Miia said, "We'll join you later," before turning back to Tio with a flurry of hand motions, indicating they were discussing clothes and fashion.

Kurusu replied eagerly, "I'll get us all some snacks. I'll be there in a flash!" and promptly returned to the kitchen.

"In that case, I cannot wait to partake in Smash," Centorea declared excitedly, "I am more than ready to take on a new field of battle!"

"Awesome!" I grinned as everyone got their controllers ready. "Hey, where's Suu? Is she joining us?"

Something squishy nuzzled my left side. "Boop."

"Oh hey, there you are," I said warmly, "You playing?"

Suu answered by stuffing the Wii remote and Nunchuk inside her belly and smiling brightly at me.

"Great! Mero, you playing?"

"I would be ecstatic to join in," Mero began to answer, and I was shocked to discover that she was situated directly behind my couch. "But I think I'll just observe for the time being."

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed the peculiar expression on her face. It was an emotion I had never seen before - a mix of joy and contentment. "Are you sure you're comfortable back there? Why don't you come and join us?"

"Thank you, dear sir, but this position is perfectly suited for my needs," she assured me.

"Well... okay then." I turned back. "Rachnera, you playing?"

Rachnera dismissively waved as she declared, "I think I'll just sit back and observe for now, Counselor-san. I feel I'd find this much more entertaining that way."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Zombina impatiently threw herself into the seat beside me, her voice rising in frustration. "Come on already! Let's get going!"

I blinked, and for a moment, the eleven people in the room got replaced by eleven familiar faces, faces that had been my constant companions since childhood, faces of my friends that I had shared countless moments of joy and sorrow, faces of people whom I cherished more than anyone else in the world.

Faces I was worried I'd never see again.

I blinked, and the faces disappeared, replaced by a crowd of people I'd never thought I'd meet in my wildest dreams.

Something squishy rubbed against my eyes. I followed the green feeler to a concerned-looking Suu.

"Aki... okay?" she hesitantly asked.

I smiled and stroked her 'hair.' "Yeah. Aki's okay," I assured her.

The jury was still out on me, though.

"Let's do this!" I exclaimed, my excitement catching even me off guard. I eagerly grabbed the controller, feeling my anticipation rising. "Let's Smash!"

To be continued!