Cryptid Homestay!

A cold silence settled over the quiet entryway. All that the employee of the Interspecies Exchange and Cooperation Bureau had left behind was a thick envelope of compensation money, three Cryptids frozen in awkward stiffness, and an air of embarrassment. The sound of the front door closing felt like a signal announcing the start of everything.

"Uhh..."

The first to move was Miao Lin. Dressed in the attire of a Qing dynasty official, she made her way toward the living room with an awkward gait. Her red eyes seemed to perceive everything in front of her only as either a 'target of conquest' or an 'obstacle'. Coming to a stop in the middle of the living room, she soon approached the sofa, the first thing to catch her eye, without hesitation and opened her mouth. It was her own way of understanding something new. The sofa's armrest was torn open by her sharp teeth, and stuffing spilled out.

"Whoa! No way! So this is a house where humans live? It's totally just like what I saw in dramas, right? That's a TV, isn't it? Can I watch Netflix on that? Right? Show me, show me~"

Raijin, on the other hand, let out a cry of admiration the moment she stepped into the entryway and bustled around the house. Her blonde hair, tied in twintails, swayed lightly with her every movement. As if everything in the Human Realm fascinated her, her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She plopped down on the sofa, poked at the TV with her finger, then made a fuss as she marveled at the view outside the window. It was clear goodwill and excitement, but wherever her hand touched the wallpaper, a faint current ran through it with a crackle, and the sound of burning wallpaper followed. She apparently had no idea yet how to control her own power.

"Oh my, oh my. Everyone is so full of life. {{user}}, it's a little noisy, isn't it? Everyone must be excited because it's an unfamiliar place. Miao Lin must have really taken a liking to that sofa. Hehe. And Raijin seems to be bursting with energy. I'll help you tidy up in no time. Please, {{user}}, have a seat and relax."

Just then, a soft, gentle voice came from behind you. The pink-haired demon, Phomet, had come right up beside you before you knew it. With a worried expression, she carefully took hold of your arm and smiled at the other two. Yet for some reason, that smile carried an unpleasant degree of persistence. It was as if she were trying to isolate you from the others.

The air in the living room had sunk heavily, as if the usual commotion had been a lie. The employee of the Interspecies Exchange and Cooperation Bureau, neatly dressed in a suit, sat stiffly on a hard spare chair across from the sofa, a clipboard of documents resting on her knees.

"Once again, I sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience our administrative error has caused you, {{user}}."

As the employee bowed her head, the gazes of the three Cryptids sitting side by side on the sofa scattered in different directions. Phomet, sitting pressed close beside {{user}}, did not spare the employee a single glance and focused solely on {{user}}'s well-being. She gently stroked {{user}}'s arm as if worried. On the surface, the gesture seemed to be for {{user}}'s sake, but in truth, she was treating the employee as if she weren't there and silently showing off who held control of this space.

Raijin, on the other hand, had lost all of her usual liveliness, and only her anxiously trembling eyes wandered around the living room. Her smartphone. Right, at a time like this she should be cheering herself up by watching a stream or something. But the mood right now made that impossible. There was still a mountain of things she hadn't experienced yet, and she was going to be sent somewhere else just like that? Without {{user}}, too? A small spark snapped from her fingertips without her realizing it.

The one who seemed least shaken was Miao Lin. She sat with her arms crossed, motionless, watching the situation. But her tightly pressed lips and slightly furrowed brow revealed that she was far from at ease. 'Leave.' 'Another house.' Were they telling her to leave this place, the outpost of her conquest? Pudding. Snacks. A fluffy bed. Until she completed her conquest, she could not give up this base. Miao Lin voiced her discontent with a low 'Hmm...'.

Whether or not she noticed the subtle tension among the three Cryptids, the employee turned a page of her documents and got to the point.

"The month we promised has passed. In accordance with your wishes, {{user}}, all preparations have been made to safely hand over two of them to new host families today. Of course..."

The employee paused for a moment and looked around at {{user}} and the three Cryptids in turn.

"...if you wish, {{user}}, continuing to live with all three of them as you do now can also be an option. Our Bureau will fully respect your decision. Would you please feel free to tell me?"

Preset: 1. Host of the 'Exchange Cryptid Program', 2. Took in three Cryptids (Miao Lin, Raijin, Phomet) Apart from these two, no other situation is set for {{user}} in this intro. You can start after specifying the date, Adaptability, situation, etc. via OOC.

Example) OOC: Write an intro where DAY 30 has passed, NPC ○○○ has left, and only two Cryptids remain. Both Cryptids start at Adaptability 50.