Apartment huntingNSFW

"Reirei, I really hate to do this to you. And I just want you to know, I value your friendship and the time we've spent together so much."

Reina leaned off the bed, staring upside-down at Tala. "You're about to ask me for something, aren't you?"

"No, but..." Tala drew in a sharp breath, then sighed it out. "... I'm leaving."

"Oh, good! Take the rabbit with you." Reina rolled over, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Safe travels!"

"N-No, I meant... I meant I'm moving out," Tala said, running a hand through her messy hair. "Miah and I found an apartment not far from here."

"I know," Reina said, smiling. "Safe travels! Take the rabbit with you."

On the bed nearby, Katrja - the rabbit in question - lay face-down, one arm dangling off the bed, one leg poking out from under the covers, contentedly sleeping off a night of hands-on research.

Tala put a hand to her cheek. Her brows knit tightly. "U-Um, I'm going to be honest, I thought you'd be more broken up about it, or at least conflicted..."

Reina hopped off the bed, padding across the room in a nightgown. "I'm not saying I don't appreciate your friendship, but you know... Since you moved in here, I've been spending a lot of time in stomachs."

"Not all of that is my fault!"

"But most of it is."

"I... err... hrm..." Tala was not finding a good way to rebut this. "Anyway, we'll keep in touch..." Tala tried on a sheepish smile. "I promise fewer of our dinner outings will end with one of us inside the other once I'm in my own place!"

"I want to believe that!" Reina said, throwing up a hand over her shoulder as she dug through her clothes.

Tala flushed, slinking off to begin packing. Maybe it would be better to approach Reina after she was more awake...

... And also more than a day after swallowing her again.

===

"Wait, I'm getting kicked out? I have done nothing wrong." Katrja was not in the most understanding mood when she woke up, either. "You made me look bad."

"To be fair, this house has had a few impromptu redecorations because of your void research."

Katrja raised a hand. "I paid for those. And besides, in at least one case, the demoness I summoned was an interior decorator, so - you're welcome, Reina."

"A demoness who decided to eat Reina as payment for her services."

Katrja put a finger to her cheek. "I forgot about that. But I got her out, didn't I?"

"Three days later, yes."

"Hair-splitting." Katrja waved it away dismissively. "Besides, my summons are to blame for that, not me."

Tala rubbed a hand over her face. "What about the time you decided to use Reina as, as you called it, a 'stay up snack'?"

"I told her she was on the forefront of thaumaturgical and black magical research. Wasn't that enough?"

"I think she thought you were going to involve her in your research."

Katrja scoffed. "She was involved! As involved as I could make her! Anyway, all this is about my void research, and I told you, I gave that up to focus on my dancing."

"About that..." Tala winced. "It may be related that most of your dance partners are succubi, and you tend to dance with them in the middle of the night."

"They are demonesses, but not all are succubi. Honestly, Tala, you should know better by now. I'm sure your girlfriend would be insulted to hear you painting voidsent with such a broad brush." Katrja examined her nails. "Besides, have you not heard the phrase 'the rhythm of the night'?"

"I really feel like you're missing the point here," Tala groaned. "And it's not my decision to make. If you don't have anywhere else to go, Miah and I are going to go apartment shopping soon. Why don't you at least come with us?"

"Hmm, all right." Katrja stretched, her too-short sleep top riding up and exposing her midriff. "We can room together again. It will be like old times."

"But not exactly like old times, right, you're not going to destroy the apartment building?"

Katrja shrugged. "Eh..."

===

It was on Tala's fourth loop of Shirogane that she finally caught sight of Miah.

"I honestly didn't expect to see you and your family here," Tala admitted. "Or for your family to be so... this..."

Miah's wife - a tall, pudgy Viera with a kind smile - took it on herself to approach here. "This is important for us! We need a place to stay somewhere closer to where Miah is, and the girls are just in love with the apartments here!"

"A-ah, of course!" Tala said, smiling awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you, um-"

"Yogurt," Miah's wife said, enthusiastically shaking Tala's hand. "And you must be Tala! We've heard so much about you and Miah's other friends. Are Katrja and Reina here as well?"

"Well, Reina is... she lives nearby, but um... I don't think she was planning on coming, no. And Katrja should be here any minute."

"I see! Well, I should get back to looking after the girls, but please, don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything."

Tala looked over at Miah. "... Does she know you're..." She gestured at Miah's stomach, swollen and sloshy once again but not particularly firm at the moment.

"She can be more aggressive than I am," Miah said, a sunny smile on her face. "I told you we were perfect for each other, didn't I?"

Tala glanced at Yogurt's retreating back. "... Somehow, I don't know if I want to find out what that actually means... Y-Your daughters are cute, though!"

Miah was gracious enough to permit Tala's hasty topic change without comment. "The twins are 9, our oldest is 15, and the middle child is 11. She's the only one who inherited her other mother's ears and tail, you know. I'd like to say it's because I gave birth to them, but I think it's just luck."

"Oh? Your oldest and Amah will probably get along great, then!" Tala said lightly, grateful to have somewhere else to put her focus. "And since she's going to be living with me, I suppose I ought to call her."

"Amah, hmm?"

"... Can you not salivate so obviously when you say my little sister's name?"

Miah grinned. "Ah, I'm just teasing~"

"Are you, though?" Tala tilted her head. "We're going to need a big apartment or a small house to fit all of us. And that's not even considering what Katrja's presence means for us... We should get going soon. I'm sure apartments are going to be going fast."