Acceptable offer

You chuckle and nod. “I can’t see any reason to refuse! When would you want me to start?”

Rachel laughs. “Let’s say tomorrow. There’s always paperwork, and we’ll need to assign you a case to work. Tomorrow morning, same time, and we’ll have someone with you for the day. Sound good?”

You smile. “Sounds great! I’m sure the girls will be excited about this!”

Rachel nods. “You have no idea. I’ve overheard some of their plotting when I visit the cafe. You had better be careful, Mazzy has big ideas.”

You laugh. “I’m well aware! She basically runs the house now. So, any hints so I can prepare myself?”

She grins. “I’ll say this, maybe consider getting that extension you’ve been thinking about.”

You chuckle. “Big plans indeed. Out of curiosity, how many girls do most sponsors end up with?”

Rachel shrugs. “It depends. We usually see four or five girls with one sponsor, but more isn’t unheard of, especially in the old world. Or so I’m told.”

Smiling, you shake your head. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Mazzy has hinted at this before. Thanks for the warning, though.”

Both of you stand, and shake hands. Rachel laughs. “Glad to help. Before you go, would you like to come meet some of the girls? It’s good to get to know them, so they can trust your judgment.”

You nod. “Of course. Lead the way!”

She does so, explaining along the way that you should expect flirty behavior. Apparently, being a sponsor already makes you more appealing to many of the girls, who are nervous about humans. Despite the checks the AWIO makes, it’s always a risk to be a sponsor’s first girl. You nod in understanding, remembering how nervous Ellie was at first.

Almost as soon as you reach the living areas, you and Rachel are swarmed by interested monster girls. You introduce yourself, and Rachel explains your situation. Most of them seem disappointed that you’re not looking for a new girl at the moment, but they’re all very friendly regardless.

As you walk and talk, you glance into an open door and stop short, spotting a monster girl of a type you’ve never seen sitting in the dimly lit room. She looks up and smiles shyly, and you gasp as you look into her glowing pink eyes. Blushing, she looks away.

You stare for a moment more. She is stunning, with a curvaceous body and white hair, framing a beautiful face. She also has large wings, and a tail. The tail appears almost scorpion like, but lacks a stinger at the tip. Suddenly realizing you’re staring, you move on, though Rachel grins at the long pause.

“She’s striking, isn’t she?”

You nod, glancing back at the door, which is closed now. Rachel laughs. “Her name is Sirona, and she’s a manticore. She’s also almost as shy as Ellie was, which I’m told is very unusual. Apparently, manticores are very…aggressive, when it comes to finding mates.”

She shrugs. “Sirona is different, which is probably why she’s here.”

You nod again, and go back to meeting various monster girls and getting to know them. But your mind keeps going back to Sirona, with the shy smile and those enchanting pink eyes. Maybe Rachel was right.