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Monster Girl Encyclopedia Stories: Baphomet Complex

From Monster Girl Encyclopedia
Baphomet Complex
<tabber> Lilia Filmlight=File:Lilia filmlight.png|-|Baphomet Lilia=File:Baphomet lilia.png</tabber>
Story Info
Title "Baphomet Complex"
Author ストレンジ ('Strange')
Translator OtherSideofSky
Canon? Yes

Baphomet Complex is a 60-page novella focusing on Lilia Filmlight, a young human girl turned Baphomet.

a normal day


The town was gently wrapped in early afternoon sunshine. The sun shone dazzlingly in the perfectly clear, blue sky, illuminating the people who came and went on the stone-paved streets.

The main street was lined with shops whose signboards advertised foodstuffs, daily necessities, books, and a variety of other goods. Before their doors clerks cried their wares, holding up the goods on display and extolling their virtues to anyone who stopped to listen. Beside them horse drawn carts loaded with goods were busily racing past.

The usual sights of a peaceful town.

As I stared through the window at the scene, I, Lilia Flimlight, let out a little yawn.

Sitting in my chair, leaning on the counter and resting my chin in my hands, I wiped away the tears that had risen in the corners of my eyes. A few more tears oozed out when I blinked.

"Ah, I'm so sleepy. The weather's nice and warm, too, so I guess it's no wonder I ended up wanting to take an afternoon nap," I mumbled.

Even indoors the gentle weather enveloped me, coaxing me towards drowsiness. If I let my mind wander, it would soon creep up on me and tempt me off to sleep. I shook my head lightly in an effort to dispel my drowsiness, but unfortunately that had no great effect.

Be that as it may, I couldn't allow myself to fall asleep here. For the time being, I was in charge of minding the shop. Business might be in a slump, but I couldn't abandon my duty.

In an effort to drive off the persistent drowsiness somehow, I extended my arms, still seated, arched my back and stretched. As I did so, the hem of my short smock lifted and my belly button peeked out briefly.

"Oops." I cast a furtive glance around me, wondering if that might not be a bit improper for a girl. I don't know if "lucky" is the right word for it, but there was no one to find fault with me. There wasn't a soul in the dim little shop aside from me. It was filled with a quiet atmosphere, in contrast to the bustle outside.

"Although I guess it is nice that I get to take it easy," I said to no one at all in an effort to cover my embarrassment. My painstakingly maintained vigilance wavered, and I let out another huge yawn. Then I turned in a circle, surveying the inside of the shop.

"Flimlight's Odds and Ends," a small shop on the town's main road. That was the name of the shop big brother and I ran, and which was also our home.

True to the name, we stocked a great variety of goods. To start with, there were antidotes and medicines for treating wounds. Then came knives, lamps, and a miscellany of flints and compasses, as well as amulets and rings infused with magical power. Besides all that, there was a mountain of goods I couldn't readily identify piled in one corner of the shop. It didn't look like anything but junk to me, but the things in it sometimes turned out to be shockingly valuable, so I couldn't to treat it lightly.

To be honest, I had no clear idea what more than half the items arranged around the shop were used for. Medicines and daily necessities were one thing, but I'd given up hope when it came to the specialty goods needed by adventurers. In most cases our customers knew what they needed on their own, so just minding the store was no trouble. That was a relief.

Besides, even with the best will in the world you couldn't say that the customers who came into this shop were many. Big brother and I ran it just the two of us, so that was probably preferable to being so busy we couldn't keep track of everything, but even so I couldn't deny that it sometimes made me sad and uneasy. If anyone asked me what I wanted, I'd have wished for it to be a bit more prosperous.

"Hmm... I wonder if I can think up any good ideas."

Chin still cupped in my hands, I stared up into empty space and pondered. I considered several possibilities, but ultimately there wasn't much that could be done with a little family-owned shop. I was probably better off letting things remain peaceful and uneventful than I would be attempting some hare-brained scheme and failing.

I remained in my chair as I thought, and there was not the least sign of a customer coming to justify my presence there.

"Like I thought, there's nothing for me to do," I mumbled, throwing myself down on the counter.

I tried staring aimlessly at the goods in the shop, but there wasn't much there to draw my interest. If there had been clothes or accessories I could have enjoyed myself thoroughly, but no matter how long I stared at the goods sold here there was nothing of interesting to an ordinary girl.

After a fleeting glance at the wares, I returned my gaze to the window. Beyond it was a peaceful-looking townscape, unchanged since I had last looked. A cat lay on the ground in front of the shop across the way, basking in the sun. The sight of its contentedly closed eyes made me just a little bit jealous, and I shifted my gaze.

Then, the figures of a boy and girl walking hand in hand right in front of the shop were reflected in my eyes. From the impression of closeness the two gave, I guessed they were lovers.

The girl didn't look that much older than me. She'd clearly put a lot of effort into dressing up, and a lovely bag was hanging from her shoulder. They were probably on their way to play somewhere. The girl's smiling face was turned to the boy walking beside her, and she seemed to be talking to him of this and that. The boy responded to her words and flashed an occasional smile. I couldn't hear the content of their conversation, but from their expressions I could tell they were having fun.

"A date, maybe?"

I followed the couple with my eyes for no particular reason, watching them until they turned a corner and vanished from sight. When they completely vanished from my field of view, I let out a murmur that was half a sigh:

"Must be nice."

Romance draws a girls interest like nothing else. Especially if they had someone they fancied, or someone they loved. Recalling the image of the couple — the girl's happy expression — I sighed once more.

"I wish I were going off to play too, not minding the boring old shop."

Not alone of course. With someone I liked. And I'd decided who that was a long, long time ago. We hadn't actually gone on a date yet, however.

"I wonder if big brother will come home soon."

Still cupping my chin in my hands, I stared at the entrance. My gaze rested on the large, wooden door. But, of course, it showed no sign of opening. Big brother, the rightful proprietor of this shop, and my only family, was out today procuring stock.

Most of the goods our shop dealt in were procured from friendly merchants. But very occasionally a bargain market where peddlers hawked goods from far off places was opened in a nearby town. At such times it was normal for big brother to go out himself in order to obtain goods that couldn't be got through the usual suppliers.

Besides that, big brother also single-handedly took responsibility for business meetings, negotiations, and most other important jobs — jobs I couldn't do. I say that "Flimlight's Odds and Ends" was our shop, but the reality was that big brother managed most of it.

That was why big brother had gone out early this morning. It looked like he might be back late, so he he'd told me when he left that when it got dark I could close the shop without waiting for him to come home.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. The short hand was still pointing between the two and three. Heaving a sigh, I muttered, "I guess there's still a while until closing time."

Even if no customers came in, I could still have killed time talking if big brother were here, but alone I couldn't even do that. That being the case, I should probably have done some little job around the shop, but I'd mostly taken care of arranging the goods on the shelves and cleaning the shop over the course of the morning, and there was no need to do it again in the afternoon.

Of course, I wasn't completely out of work, and there were still a few things left to do if I wanted. But faced with the lazy afternoon weather, I couldn't muster the energy. Still, slow business day or not, I was in charge of the shop for the time being, so I couldn't leave the place.

"He might as well have taken me with him. I wish he had," I complained, pursing my lips. I had no interest in bargain hunting, but it would be far preferable to staying here alone.

The idea of just flipping the wooden tag hanging on the storefront to "closed" popped into a corner of my mind. Napping until evening seemed like an extremely attractive idea.

"But I guess I can't do that, however much I'd like to." I gave my head a little shake and chased those thoughts away. Still, I had a feeling that idea would be just a bit difficult to keep out.

"I already said I can't do that." Still regretting the loss of my afternoon nap, I gave my head another shake and continued to diligently mind the store.

And still, not a single customer appeared. The tedious hours flowed on.

I genuinely had more free time than I knew what to do with. I stood up, thinking that moving my body a little would help keep me awake. I thought I'd do some cleaning around the shop, even if there wasn't much point to it. I crouched down under the counter and grabbed a worn-out feather duster from its metal hook.

Then I heard the door open. The clear tone of the bell hanging from the wooden lintel signaled that someone had entered the shop.

"Ah... Welcome to our shop," I called out instinctively as I stood up. I was just a little flustered by the unexpected appearance of a customer, but I was steeped in the ways of a shop clerk. My dulled senses switched over to customer service mode as I turned my gaze to the entrance. But even before I got a look at the person who stepped into the shop, their words reached my ears:

"Much appreciated, Lilia."

The voice carried a gentle quality, even in a short utterance. It's familiar sound was enough to tell me the identity of the speaker. As I did so, I felt my face break into a smile of its own accord.

"B, big brother." My voice practically oozed with delight. The slightly drooping blue eyes turned in my direction were filled with a gentle light, and the mouth below them widened in a quiet smile.

His features were said, making allowances for the difference in sex, to closely resemble mine, and revealed the same gentle disposition, but there was also a manly dignity running through them. His hair, tawny with a slight reddish tint, was neatly arranged and gathered behind his head into a bunch like a tail.

There was something androgynous about the impression created by his overall silhouette, which was somewhat slender for a man, coupled with his gentle features. He was dressed simply in jacket, shirt and trousers. His neat clothes, without a tear or a stain anywhere on them, seemed an expression of his earnestness.

Shutting the door behind him, big brother walked over to the counter where I was sitting. He was much taller than me. Big brother always had to look down at me when we stood face to face.

To be honest, I didn't like standing face to face with tall people all that much. People looking down at me gives me a complex about being so tiny. But in big brother's case, I didn't mind it at all. On the contrary, when big brother looked at me it gave me a ticklish, warm, happy feeling.

"Thank you for taking care of the shop. It must have been hard all on your own."

As he voiced his gratitude, big brother narrowed his eyes and looked hard at me. Faced with his slightly apologetic expression, I hurriedly shook my head in denial.

"No, not at all. It's been just as you see," I added with a smile, indicating the empty shop, and big brother flashed a little wry smile back.

"I suppose so. Actually, that's not something to laugh about, is it?"

"Ah ha ha. I guess you're right. Oh, will you take a seat?" I offered him a chair in front of the counter, and he took it. While I poured tea for big brother, who sighed, I asked:

"You're early. What happened?"

He'd told me he'd be back late, so I'd been sure his business would take him until nighttime. But he'd returned while the sun was still high, so I naturally had questions.

Maybe he had concluded his business early. Maybe that was why he'd come home so early. But if that were the case, he ought to look happy. My hope must have shown on my face. Big brother turned towards me with a look of discomfort.

"Ah, no. Sorry, the business isn't entirely finished. The actual procurement is done, but I still have to go meet with the client firm. I just ended up with some time on my hands, so I came by to look in on you for a moment."

"I see," I replied, although I still felt inwardly disappointed. If my wilted hope showed in my voice, I think it's understandable. To be honest about my feelings, I wanted big brother to stay in the shop with me like this always, but there was no way I could interrupt important business with my own selfishness.

That being the case, the most I could do was to keep my eyes on big brother's face and put up with it. I quietly shifted my gaze to that face with its calm expression. In an effort to distract myself from my feelings of loneliness, I tried to burn big brother's face into my memory anew. I'm not sure if he noticed that or not, but he took one look at me and chuckled.

"What's the matter?" I asked, my head tilted slightly to one side in concentration.

"Oh, nothing," he answered, smiling. "I was just thinking that you're always staring at me, Lilia."

"I, is that so? Sure it's not just your imagination?" I hurriedly denied his words, aware that my face had grown hot again. It must have been dyed crimson. In spite of that, I tried to preserve as much of my usual expression as possible so as not to be found out.

I pointed to his empty teacup, hoping to change the subject even if I had to force it.

"Oh, look at that. Would you like more tea?"

"Hm? Sure." Big brother looked where I was pointing and nodded.

"Got it. It'll only take a moment," I said, picking up the teapot and pouring black tea into his now empty cup. The rising steam was accompanied by a faint aroma that tickled my nose. It was the aroma of our favorite brand. We always kept plenty in stock so that we could drink it any time.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." Big brother smiled as he accepted the cup I offered him.

"You're welcome." I returned his smile and poured tea into my own cup as well. I picked up the steaming teacup and brought it to my lips. The liquid was just a wee bit too hot on its way down my throat.

"Ah!"

"Heh heh... Don't rush; sip it slowly, okay? There's plenty more where that came from."

"Yeah. Thanks," I smiled at big brother, and he grinned again in return.

We made idle chit-chat for a little while longer.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

"Well, it's about time for me to get going," big brother said, taking advantage of a pause in our talk. The sound of his setting down his empty teacup on the counter resounded in the quiet shop.

"Already?"

"I've already stayed longer than I meant to. They're sure to be angry, and they'll have a right to be if I'm any later than this."

I followed big brother's gaze to the clock on the wall, and sure enough quite a lot of time had passed. I wondered bitterly why fun times go by so fast.

"I guess you're right. It'd be awful if you were late." I understood that, but a note of loneliness still crept unconsciously into my voice. Hearing it, big brother looked a little distressed, and opened his mouth:

"Come on, don't be like that. I'll come home as soon as I possibly can."

Rising to his feet, big brother came up beside me, laid a hand on my head, and stroked it gently, as if to give comfort. I narrowed my eyes at the feeling of his warm hand combing through my hair and nodded.

"Okay; I understand. I'll save dinner for you, okay?"

"I'll look forward to it. Well then, see you later."

"Yeah. Later."

At my words, big brother's hand withdrew. Feelings of loneliness filled my breast. I could bear it. I called after him in spite of myself.

"Big brother."

"Hm?"

When he looked back, I clutched the hem of my apron and forced myself to smile.

"Ah, I mean... Take care."

"Thanks. Well, I'm off."

Flashing a smile at my words, big brother left the shop. I watched his retreating figure, unable to completely deceive myself about the feelings growing in my breast.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

I lingered by the window for a while after big brother left, following his progress with my eyes. But he soon vanished from sight among the hustle and bustle of the town. In spite of that, I stared longingly out the window for a little while longer. With a sigh, I slowly lowered the arm that had been pressed against the window glass.

Really I would have liked to go with big brother, but I couldn't abandon the shop on a whim. Smothering my feelings of loneliness at our parting, I sunk weakly into a chair. I was on my own again, staring vacantly about the shop. The very air seemed to grow stagnant and heavy.

When I looked at the wall clock, I saw that, while the hands had advanced, there was still plenty of time left until I could close up shop. I didn't know whether or not there would be any customers, but for the time being I had no choice but to mind the shop until evening, the usual closing time. Realizing that I would have to pass more tedious hours alone, I let out another sigh. I didn't feel all that motivated, but I couldn't stay staring into space like this forever.

Stepping away from the window, I approached the counter. The empty teapot and two cups lay where we had left them. I cleared them away, and then stared at the chair in which big brother had been sitting until moments before.

"Big brother," I murmured, and stretched out a hand to gently brush the chair. It seemed to me that the faint body heat that lingered on its smooth surface transferred itself to my fingertips.

Softly wiping my hands, I moved away from the counter. Still in that state I crossed the shop and stood before the mirror that hung in one corner.

The mirror, which big brother had received from an acquaintance a long time ago, was fairly large, and when I stood a little way back from it, it could show almost my whole body. A large mirror in an item shop could serve no real purpose, unlike in, say, a clothing shop, but I could use it to check that there was nothing wrong with my outfit before work, so I found it useful.

I stood squarely in front of the mirror, and my figure was reflected in its cloudless surface. A petite girl stood in the mirror. Her familiar childlike face and small body were my own. Her long hair was gathered into pigtails, one bunch on each side.

I don't mean to boast, but I was fairly pleased with my looks. Big, blue eyes and a small mouth. I worried that my nose was a bit flat, but taken as a whole I thought it achieved a certain balance. My long hair I groomed carefully every day without fail, and thanks to that it flowed silkily through my fingers when I ran a hand through it. On the whole, while I might not be able to call myself a beauty due to the strong childlike impression I gave off, I thought that I could say I was plenty cute, although I might be biased in my own favor.

"But," a dissatisfied grumble escaped my lips. The face in the mirror reflected my thoughts, knitting its brows in a downcast frown. I understood the cause of that dissatisfaction only too well.

My body was extremely slow to mature compared to other girls my age. No, it would be more accurate to say that past a certain age I hadn't matured at all. I was poor in curves and small in stature. My body looked as if it could be lifted and carried easily by most adults and not at all like that of a girl who would turning seventeen this year. Subtract seven from that age and I could still probably pass.

"Why do I have to look like this?" I groaned, glaring at the childlike girl in the mirror. I'd tried all sorts of things, drinking milk every day and doing exercises to improve my figure. But unfortunately I had nothing to show for it.

"It's not like I don't get enough to eat."

We weren't exactly rich, but we weren't badly off enough to be called poor, either. At the very least we ate normally, so I'm sure I was getting enough nutrition. I mean, it was enough to make big brother taller than average. I couldn't understand why only I didn't grow.

I hung my head, shifting my gaze downward, and my meager breasts came into view. My chest was too flat for my age. The chests of other girls my age had swelled enough to be obvious even through clothing, but mine was practically perpendicular. I might as well call it a sheer cliff. I tried to gently cup my breasts in my hands. There was nothing for me to grab onto. As a girl, it was extremely saddening. I felt myself on the verge of tears, but I managed to hold them back.

I ran my hands over my breasts, slid them softly over my skin, and was eventually able to feel enough of a bump to assuage my fears. I looked in the mirror every day, and in the past several years my appearance hardly seemed to have changed at all. Actually, I thought I might have begun to swell recently. I thought so, but my hands felt nothing, the same as always. When I removed my hands from my breasts, unable to completely deceive even myself, I let out yet another sigh.

I took a step back from the mirror and tried taking another look at my full body. I was currently wearing a jersey blouse, a gently flared skirt, and a white apron with a frill. I couldn't call it a uniform, as I chose my work clothes to suit my needs each day, but I generally wore something like this when I was minding the shop.

I liked this outfit for its cute design, but I also had a feeling that it encouraged the childlike impression I gave off. Having said that, it was clear as day that a deliberately adult outfit wouldn't suit my child's figure.

"I'm not much of a match for big brother like this, am I...?" I wondered aloud, saddening myself.

"I'm sure big brother would prefer a beauty to an underdeveloped girl like me, too," I murmured, hanging my head. I pictured someone who wasn't me walking shoulder to shoulder with big brother, and ended up bringing myself back to the verge of tears. We were brother and sister, so we could probably never be lovers. But still, when I thought about my beloved big brother being taken away by somebody else, my chest hurt so much it seemed about to burst.

"Not that." I couldn't hold back my tears. I wiped them with the back of my hand, but they flooded out one after another and wouldn't stop. My small sobs resounded in the deserted shop.

Just then, a voice called out unexpectedly from behind me. "Excuse me, is this a bad time?"

monsterisation


Hurriedly shifting my attention, I found that a person who looked like a customer had stepped into the doorway without my having noticed them. I couldn't tell their expression thanks to the robe pulled down low over their eyes, but from the voice I guessed it was a young woman. I'd never seen her before, so maybe she was from out of town.

At any rate, her appearance was so sudden I thought my heart might stop. Still feeling the violent palpitations in my breast, I called out a greeting to the strange visitor.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Welcome to our shop."

Still, it was stupid of me not to notice the sound of the door opening, even if I do say so myself. She might even have seen me crying. Fighting down my embarrassment, I tried to speak as I usually did.

"Is there anything you need?"

Going by her robe, she was probably a traveler. But a woman travelling alone was rare. Or maybe she had companions? A woman coming to an item shop wasn't so unusual, but she seemed cloaked in a strange atmosphere.

As I stared at her, thinking such thoughts, the robed woman walked briskly in my direction. Maybe she was looking for something. But there was no indecision in her gait. Maybe my staring had offended her. She stopped in front of me and looked down at my face. But due to the shadow of her hood, I still couldn't make out her expression very well.

"Umm... Anything?" I shortened my words, strangely uneasy, although I couldn't say why. I had a feeling that the robed woman smiled faintly at my question. And then she said something that caught me by surprise.

"There's something troubling you, isn't that right? I could give you a hand, if you like."

"Huh? Umm..." The words were too strange coming from a customer I was meeting for the first time. My bewilderment showed on my face. But the robed woman seemed to pay me no mind and let slip a little grin. She continued to speak without concern.

"Hee hee. You want to ask how I knew? Anyone would think so once they got a look at your face. Let me see now... Is it something to do with love, perhaps?"

"Huh?" My heart gave a jolt. The corners of the robed woman's mouth rose in a smile, as if she had heard the noise.

"I thought so." The robed woman squatted down in front of me so that our gazes met. I instinctively turned my face away, unsure of the situation, and noticed something unexpected peek out from the hem of her robe. I drew in my breath instinctively, so shocked that I thought it might stop.

It was a long, thin tail. It was white, ended in the shape of a barb, and moved back and forth with a swaying motion. It looked too natural to be man-made.

There was no such thing as a human with a tail. If she had one, she must be something other than human. And, although the color was different, I knew what grotesque creature possessed a tail of this characteristic shape.

"M, monster." My voice, grown hoarse, slipped out before I could stop it. At those words the woman raised her eyebrows and glanced down at the tail peeking out from under the hem of her robe.

"Hm? Oh dear, that won't do." Despite her words, the woman showed no sign of dismay. She spoke cheerfully, with a mischievous grin.

"Looks like I've been found out, huh? Well, I guess there's no need to hide it anymore, then," she said, removing her hood and exposing the expression it had concealed. I was shaking with fear, my teeth chattering.

My eyes were irresistibly drawn to her. What they saw was, in a certain sense, the figure of a young woman, just as her voice had lead me to imagine. Her long, beautiful hair was like silver thread. Her skin was spotless and white as snow. Her almond-shaped eyes were like red jewels rimmed with long lashes, and there was something in their beauty that engendered a bewitching charm. Beneath her straight and gently sloping nose, a smile hovered about her small mouth. Her features could only be described as beautiful. They made me think of a work whose elements were in perfect harmony.

Her charms were enough to fascinate even a fellow woman like me. The word "pretty" wasn't sufficient to express her figure. But the too-regular beauty of her features only made me more forcefully aware that she wasn't human — a conviction that was further strengthened by the grotesque features with which her body was endowed.

The ears that peeked out from her silver hair were like a human's in color, but unlike a human's they tapered to points. A single pink earring hung from one of them, swaying slightly. Similarly, two horns, which certainly didn't exist in any human, emerged from her head. Appearing rough, bony and hard, they resembled those of an animal, but I understood instinctively that they were entirely different. They were the badge of a monster.

I couldn't suppress a hoarse shriek. To encounter a monster in the middle of town in broad daylight — and in my own home, at that — seemed like nothing so much as a bad dream. The woman looked at me, frozen in place with fear, and grinned.

"You don't have to be so scared. You'll make me feel bad, getting as frightened as all that." Despite her words, the monster woman showed no sign of hurt feelings. She stepped forward with a smooth motion. At the same time, the robe she was wearing dissolved into empty space and vanished completely, and a pair of wings unfurled from her back. The shape of the wings, whose thin membranes gave an impression of toughness, reminded me of a bat's, and their color was the same as her tail — pure white like new fallen snow. The white wings fluttered, strumming the air. Equipped with a waving tail, horns on the head, and wings, she was surely the very image of a demon in a story.

"Yes, this is much better than that plain old robe." The woman nodded in satisfaction. Her revealed silhouette, with its large breasts, narrow waist, and long, thin legs was brimming with a feminine charm that would have made it the ideal of any woman in the world.

Wrapping that body was a beautiful, black dress. The glossy, jet black garment, embroidered with silver thread and studded here and there with precious stones, was so magnificent that it seemed somehow unreal. It seemed impossible that any craftsman, however skillful, could have produced it. The reason for that was probably that it had been made by a monster's hands. Such a dress was certainly out of my reach, and I even doubted whether any human could obtain one.

Twin mounds so voluptuous that the dress could barely contain them made their presence known through its daringly open bust, and a long, slender leg peeked out from a large slit cut in it with each step she took. Although the dress, with its large degree of exposure, possessed a bewitching attraction, there was certainly nothing vulgar about it. On the contrary, it gave an impression of being high-class, like a noble's evening dress, that made me hesitate to touch it.

I was so captivated by the beauty of the woman and her clothing that for a moment I forgot even my own situation. Noticing my condition, she giggled again.

"Oh, do you find me that charming? Hee hee. That makes me feel better."

"Ah." I couldn't stop my cheeks growing hot when she pointed it out. Then the situation I'd been placed in came back to me in a flash, and I hurriedly took a step back.

"Oh my. What's the matter?" She took a step forward, as if in pursuit. Her black heels struck the floor, making a dry, hollow sound. I retreated further, and she matched me step for step.

"Well, I suppose it's understandable. I doubt you've had much opportunity to see monsters in a town like this. Especially not to meet high-ranking ones like me — a lilim — am I right?" The woman, who had identified herself as a lilim, muttered, a gentle smile playing about her lips. Just as she said, although I knew that monsters existed, this was the first time I had actually seen one with my own eyes.

Confronted with a reality I'd never even imagined, my legs trembled. If I let my mind wander even a little, I might not be able to remain standing.

"Save me. Please, save me." The words leaked out instinctively, without thought.

The lilim frowned slightly. "I'm not going to snatch you up and eat you if you relax, you know? I only came here in the first place because I happened to pop into this town for a bit of fun, and I sensed a presence that seemed interesting," she said, peering at me with her sinister red eyes. The light of a desire like that of a beast that had captured its prey flickered along with curiosity in their ruby-like centers. I tried to look away, but, almost as if I were in a trance, I couldn't avert my eyes from her features.

"Hmm. I see. I thought it would be something like that," the lilim finally murmured after peering into my eyes for a short while. Her expression seemed to blend faint surprise with comprehension. "I didn't expect to find much to interest me, but... if it's like that, then I suppose it's to be expected."

I was bewildered by her mutterings, which I didn't understand at all. When the lilim noticed that, her smile deepened meaningfully, and she whispered in my ear.

"Hee hee. You ought to be pleased, you know? You've got the makings of greatness in you. As a monster, I mean."

"What?" I still couldn't comprehend the meaning of her words. Staring happily at my blank expression, the lilim continued:

"It was a very intriguing presence, so from the start I intended to change whoever it was into a monster when I met her. But I was still a little because I never thought you'd have quite so much potential," the demon whispered in my ear. Her face, enchantingly beautiful even from the perspective of a fellow woman, maintained a sadistic grin throughout.

"Hee hee. So, that being the case, don't you think it would be a waste not to change you into a suitable monster?" At that point, I finally realized what was about to be done to me. Still with a smile that I could only describe as wicked, she added to her explanation:

"After all, it will be much more fun that way." The lilim's words had the cheerful quality of a child about to embark on some mischief, but to me they brought only despair.

Fear, despair — the emotions I couldn't entirely suppress rose to my eyes as tears. The moment I shut my eyes, the tears escaped and ran down my cheeks. The small droplets fell soundlessly to the floor and shattered.

"No. Stop." A thin, hoarse cry escaped from deep inside my throat. What floated into my mind as I stood there, my eyes shut with despair, was big brother's image. Even while a part of me understood that there would be no salvation, I held on to a faint hope and looked to the person I loved most for rescue.

But at the same time, my reason gave me the cruel answer that it was impossible. Even so, I couldn't resist calling out to him.

"Save me, big brother."

But my cry provoked an unexpected response.

"Ah." Hearing my words, the sharp-eared lilim gave a little gasp, as if of comprehension.

"So that's it." As she spoke, I got a feeling that the presence in front of me had suddenly increased in kindness.

—She'd seen through me.

I opened my eyes in spite of myself, just as the warmly smiling lilim brought a gentle hand to my cheek. Her hand, wrapped in a long, black glove, caressed my cheek as if she were afraid it would break. There was an un-monsterlike kindness in her touch, almost like a mother pacifying her child.

"It's alright. If you become a monster, even that wish can be granted."

My fear faded slightly at her words. When I instinctively turned my face toward her, the lilim gave a little nod. I was still confused, but her words of a moment before were repeating themselves inside my mind. The monster before my eyes had definitely just said that "my wish would be granted."

The wish I'd harbored as long as I could remember. I tucked it away in the bottom of my heart so that no one would know about it — but I always kept thinking about it in a corner of my mind. And it was a wish that I was sure could never bear fruit. She'd said that wish would come true.

By all rights, I should never have trusted the words of someone I'd only just met, and a monster at that. Being told such a thing so suddenly should, on the contrary, have caused me only confusion. And yet, for some reason, I believed what she said. Her words seeped quietly into my heart like water and kindled a little hope inside it.

"Really?" The faint hope pushed aside confusion and fear. The mysterious power in the lilim's words was that strong. Strong enough to make me forget the shock of being seen through by someone I'd just met, the embarrassment of having my secret feelings known, and the fear I'd felt for monsters before today, if only for a moment.

"Yes." The lilim's hand traced the contour of my cheek as she nodded. I felt the texture of the smooth cloth and the tickling movements of her fingers. I couldn't help narrowing my eyes in response to that pleasant sensation. I wanted to surrender myself to her.

Perhaps those thoughts showed in my expression. The lilim, peering at my face, flashed a satisfied smile. Her soft whisper seemed to slip through the cracks of my heart.

"Well, shall we begin? This is to make the big brother you love so much yours, you know?"

As she spoke, the shadow at her feet increased unnaturally in thickness. It had grown strangely dark, considering that we were indoors, and increased its area, stretching out towards me.

"Wh, what...?"

The shadow was growing even darker and denser, heedless of my confusion. Ripples rose on its surface, which was now darker than a pitch black night, and it stirred, almost liquid-like.

I let out a long sigh, quivering with fear. As if that had been a signal, strange shapes leapt out of the shadow in front of me.

Things like long, thin cords, five in all. They were pitch black as shadow given form and yet gleamed with a bewitching light. But they were unlike ordinary ropes, wriggling sinuously as if they possessed wills of their own. There was something about their shape and movements that made me think of snakes or creeping plants, or else the tentacles of some creature.

"Tee hee hee."

At the same time the lilim's cheerful voice reached my ears, the tentacles rose up, their heads bent in goosenecks, and turned simultaneously in my direction. The tentacles slowly but steadily approached me, wriggling ominously as if they were all a single organism.

"No. Stay away... Don't come any closer..."

An unspeakable terror welled up within me at the bizarre sight before my eyes. I didn't know much about monsters and magic, but I understood clearly and instinctively that the black tentacles in front of me were sinister.

"It's alright, these little ones are mine — a monster's magical power given form. I'm just going to have them help me turn you into a lovely monster. I already told you earlier, but I'm really not going to snatch you up and eat you or anything."

The lilim was saying something, but I hadn't the composure to grasp its substance. Fear blotted out my mind and crushed my breast.

"Stop..."

I tried desperately to flee, but my body had stiffened as if it were no longer my own. I couldn't move so much as a finger. All I could do was plead feebly as I stared at the slowly approaching tentacles.

At last, one of the black tentacles seized me. It twined smoothly and soundlessly around my foot, and then crept up my leg, gliding over my skin. Another tentacle caught hold of my other leg at almost the same time and had already slithered up as far as my thigh. I felt the tentacles on my skin, as smooth as they looked and warm like living things. I couldn't help crying out at the queer sensation, which was unlike anything I had felt before. Even as I did so, another tentacle twined around my hands, and an especially thick one that had sprouted from at my feet wrapped around my waist as if to hug me tight.

The tentacles restraining me stroked my skin as if to trace some pattern on it. It felt as if something was seeping into my body with each of their movements. The strange sensation, accompanied by a heat, soaked into me from the places the tentacles touched, and made my heart flutter. My breathing grew ragged and I couldn't hold myself back from letting slip a moan-like cry. Even as I did so, more tentacles were appearing one after another from the darkness at my feet and twining themselves around my body. It was such a frustrating sensation, both uncomfortable and just a little bit pleasant. Every time the tentacles increased in number, the sensation of heat being sent into me increased as well, and now it was causing my thoughts to become dim and blurred.

A portion of the tentacles wrapping around me suddenly changed shape, and before I knew what was happening my hands and feet were engulfed in a mud-like substance the color of darkness. I writhed, unable even to resist, at the mercy of the tentacles slithering across my skin.

Eventually, one of the tentacles wriggled into another shape and edged closer to me. It was trying to slip inside my clothes.

"No, don't..."

Guessing the tentacle's intention, I struggled instinctively to escape out of fear and embarrassment. But with my whole body already held fast by the tentacles, I didn't have a chance. I could mount no resistance as the merciless tentacle swooped down on me. It had smoothly and speedily succeeded in invading through the hem of my skirt, and now stroked my belly with a movement like a snake slithering. The sensation made me ticklish and, bound as I was, I squirmed reflexively.

Heedless of my cries, the tentacle was crawling up towards my chest. Before long it had passed it, and its tip emerged from my collar. I could see the tentacle undulate right before my eyes. It swiftly twined round my neck and crept up as far as my cheeks. The tentacles stroked my cheek as if imitating the lilim's earlier movements. As before, heat flowed steadily into my body when the tentacle touched me.

The heat was gradually intensifying, and my reason melting away. Already I had almost ceased to be capable of feeling repugnance for the tentacles, and their touch on my skin was becoming pleasurable. I was moaning as if delirious with the heat. The lilim stared at me with satisfaction.

"Hee hee. What a lovely sight. I'd like to watch a little longer, but I suppose we've got to move forward," she said, and stepped towards me. She raised one palm, appearing to concentrate slightly. Then, from that hand oozed a black, sticky substance, the same as that in which my body was wrapped. It rose soundlessly from her palm, whirling round and round, and formed a sphere a little smaller than a baby's head.

"Something like this, perhaps?"

Just like the tentacles that stretched from my feet, the black sphere wriggled as if it had a will of its own. I could see strands of black fluid stretching from it, almost like water dripping. It looked as if its surface was some syrupy liquid, or else as if it was made of mud.

Looking at my bound figure, the lilim, the ball of darkness still floating over her palm, set her hand on her chin in a pensive expression.

"Hmm. I suppose your clothes will be in the way if we leave them like this, won't they?" She muttered, and snapped her fingers. As if in response to that sound, several new tentacles were born from the darkness at my feet. Glancing at the undulating tentacles, she spoke briefly.

"Strip her."

"Huh?"

I showed my confusion, momentarily unable to comprehend the meaning of her words. But the black tentacles sensed the lilim's intent and moved swiftly. Accompanied by a noise of rushing air, the bending tentacles entered my field of vision. The moment I registered their presence, they tore the clothes I was wearing to pieces without hesitation. My favorite clothes became so many scraps dancing in the air. But mysteriously there was not the least shock to my body, let alone any pain.

After a momentary cessation of thought, my reason began to function once more. It was then that I finally realized I had been stripped naked. It was probably too late, but I tried to scream anyway. But, perhaps due to the enormity of the shock, I could make no sound emerge from my throat. I had been stripped of everything, even my underclothes, in an instant. The air was in direct contact with my skin, carrying with it a faint coldness. At that chill the haze in my head cleared, and the feeling of pleasure was rapidly receding. My reason reasserted itself and my shame and fear returned.

This time the scream came out. I screamed, but the lilim and the tentacles did not appear to take any notice. On the contrary, the lilim, seeing me bright red in shame, was looking even more cheerful than before.

"Hee hee. What pretty skin you have. How lovely," the lilim said, looking at my exposed nakedness. When I instinctively looked down in response, I could see my bare body, with nothing to hide it from my flat chest to my intimate parts. My face burned with the shame at the sight.

"No... Don't look..."

Even more than being stripped naked, it was the shock of my unripe body being seen by another that made my tears fall. But with my arms and legs still wrapped up in tentacles, I could neither escape nor hide my breasts and privates with my hands. I had no choice but to bare my childish body to the wickedly smiling demon before me. At the sight of me sobbing, my tears falling in large drops, the lilim spoke in a slightly embarrassed voice.

"Oh dear. Perhaps I overdid it a little." When my head remained lowered, she continued in a kinder tone than she had used before. "There's no reason to be so down on yourself. In all honesty, I think you look perfectly charming." The tone of her words told me that it was no lie; she really thought so. But it was no comfort to me.

Seeing me like that, the lilim seemed to be struck by another idea. As she eyed me, there was still something of her former maliciousness in the kindness of her expression.

"I see. In that case, I'll make you a monster capable of making the very most of that body's charms. It would normally be quite difficult to do, but with my magical power and your potential it should be possible," the lilim said, circling me and softly passing an arm around me in an embrace. At the touch of her hands, which were as smooth as they looked, on my skin, I looked up in spite of myself. My eyes met her red ones, so close at hand.

"Hee hee..."

The lilim, still smiling suspiciously, slowly held out her other hand. The black sphere was still floating over her palm, wriggling ominously.

"Now, accept it. It's a present I set aside just for you, the best one I can give — a monster's magical power." The lilim turned her palm towards me and slowly pushed it against my breast. I felt a queer sense of discomfort, as if my skin had come into contact with something half-liquid. As it touched my skin, the sphere was sinking inside my breast and disappearing.

I trembled at the realization that the black sphere — going by what the lilim had said, it was a mass of magical energy — was being absorbed into my body. And yet, against all my expectations, there was no sign of a conspicuous change in me. Even when I looked at the spot where the mass of magical power had been absorbed, I could see only my own flat chest, the same as always.

"Nothing's happening..." My doubt and bewilderment found expression in words. In response, the lilim flashed a broad grin.

"Well, I wonder about that." The lilim's words were laden with meaning. The instant I tried to voice another question in response, a huge jolt abruptly shook my body. I opened my eyes in shock, and the lilim whispered in my ear.

"See? It's begun."

As if to attest the truth of her words, a bizarre sensation suddenly assaulted me. My heartbeat quickened rapidly, and a storm seemed to raging inside me. Violent shocks convulsed my body over and over again, and my sweat scattered across the floor. Added to that shock, a heat so intense that what I had felt when I had been toyed with my the tentacles didn't even compare to it had been born deep in my breast, and was rapidly growing. Even though it was so hot I thought my body might burst into flame at any moment, what it gave me was not pain, but pleasure. The heat was dying my mind white.

"Tee hee hee. Incredible, isn't it? But it's only just begun," the lilim whispered, still embracing me as I was tossed about by the raging sensations. Her hand crept gently up to my chest, then slid softly over my skin. Just that was enough to give me a shock as if I'd been struck by lightning.

"Hee hee. You're twitching so much. Here; have some more," the lilim whispered in my ear, her voice cheerful. True to her word, she was sliding her palms, laden with black magical power, over my breasts, belly, and between my legs. Her fingertips left black marks, like ink marks, on my skin wherever they touched. They looked as if they were forming a complicated pattern, but vanished in an instant, leaving pleasure in their place. Every time her hands touched me, caressing my skin, the heat inside me increased, and blazing pleasure was poured into me. The heat was clouding my thoughts, violating me bit by bit.

"No...! St, stop...!"

The pleasure was so strong my body and mind seemed about to break from it. It made me shake, sobbing and drooling. But, contrary to my words of refusal, and without my being aware of it, something almost like a thirst had been born in a corner of my heart.

"I wonder if this will be enough magical energy," the lilim whispered at last, after toying with my body for a while, and as she did so left my side. The tentacles, perhaps linked to the lilim's will, slowly released their hold, and then vanished without as sound into the shadow at my feet.

Released from the tentacles' bonds, I cowered feebly on the floor. The inferno inside me raged on without pause, making me tremble. I drew ragged breaths, still tossed about by inhuman pleasure and clutching my body, which was flushed as if I had come down with a fever. I couldn't completely resist shedding tears from the heat and pleasure which, far from calming down, continued to increase. I felt sure that the magma-hot drops would scorch the floor. Then, that instant, I was shaken by another intense pulsation.

"No! Something... strange is...!"

Fear cut through my thoughts, become hazy with pleasure, like a blade of ice. At the same time, a sense of discomfort that resembled pain sprung up in my head. It felt as if something strange was trying to be born from inside me. I raised my hands to my head almost reflexively. My palms returned a ghastly sensation, as if something was growing beneath my silky hair, swelling up and breaking through my skin.

"No... What, what's going on...?" My confusion spilled out along with my tears. My reason protested that it didn't even want to understand. My reason protested that it didn't even want to understand. Even so, an instinctive part of me was cruelly aware of why this was happening to me. I felt myself becoming something other than human. As if in answer to that realization, something grew out from beneath the hands clasping my head.

"No, no... Not this. I'm scared. I'm scared, big brother!" I bawled, squeezing my eyes tight. As if to mock me, the foreign objects that had grown from my head were increasing in length. As they did so the feeling of discomfort was fading, and one of pleasure springing up in its place.

"No... I don't want this, but... Aah!" My reason felt revulsion at my transformation, but I still couldn't repress a cry of pleasure. Even as it escaped me, the things were growing longer and longer, and before long revealed their finished shape.

"My, you've grown quite a pretty pair. Here, take a look for yourself."

When, trembling, I opened my eyes at the lilim's words, I could see someone reflected dimly in the window glass. It took me a little time to realize that it was myself. I was at a loss for words at the sight. I had become something that could not be thought human — that could only be considered grotesque.

Two curved horns poked out through my hair. Newly grown from my head, they looked at first glance like those of a goat. But they were certainly no goat's. A demon's horns. The words ran over and over through my mind. When I timidly reached up my hands to them, a rough sensation met my touch. It was enough to tell me that these horns were unmistakably part of my body. For an instant, my vision seemed to go pitch black. But that wasn't the full extent of the change.

"N, no way... More...!?"

The pleasure returned, and I slumped to the floor. My hands, hugging my body, and my feet inside my shoes squirmed restlessly as the pleasure intensified again.

"No. Save me, big brother. Big brother..."

My vision had become hazy with pleasure, but I could see light brown fur covering my arms little by little. The fur, which was rich and soft, just like an animal's, was covering my skin completely. Not only that, it seemed my skeletal structure itself was changing. The same change seemed to be taking place inside my shoes as well, and I felt as sense of discomfort as if my feet were swelling.

"Big bro– Aah...!"

The pleasure was increasing as the changes in my body progressed, just as it had when the horns had grown. In fact, perhaps because my hands and feet were changing at the same time, or else because my body was no longer a human's, it was even more intense than before. My breathing grew ragged, sweat ran down my whole body, and tears spilled from my eyes. But the animal fur was still growing thicker, and it now covered everything from my fingertips to my elbows.

I let out a piercing cry, signaling that my forearms had completely changed into those of a beast. Their ends split into three fingers, a hard, sharp claw growing on the end of each. There were even pads like a cat's or dog's on my palms.

At almost the same time, my swollen feet burst my socks and revealed their grotesque new form. The feet peeking out of my wrecked shoes were not the flesh color I was used to seeing; like my arms, they were covered in light brown animal fur. The five toes into which they should have split had vanished, and the tips become large, hard hooves.

On top of that, my ears itched. They were lengthening and becoming covered in the same soft fur as my arms and legs. When I focused on my ears, which assumed a bizarre new shape, they flapped.

I could do nothing but cry out in despair at the sight of myself steadily growing farther from human. But the sensation of my hand on my cheek — hard claws, soft fur, squishy pads — and of the animal legs and hooves I could see poking through my ruined socks brought home to me the cruel reality of the situation.

Finally, the pleasure intensified in a region a little below my hips, and I could feel something beginning to grow. Something shot out from the spot almost before I had a chance to realize what was happening. It was a thickly-furred tail. I cried out at the sensation of it swishing back and forth, tickling my still-sensitive skin.

When the tail finished growing, the pleasure raging inside me began to lessen a little in intensity. Even so, the pleasant sensation that suffused my whole body continued. It was as if something inside me was radiating heat. I felt it especially in the changed parts — in my horns and ears, hands and feet, and at the base of my tail.

Tingling heat and intermittent waves of pleasure, like memories of what I had just experienced, made me tremble. It may have been the influence of the transformation, but my whole body felt heavy as if I had been running all-out, and there was still a sense of discomfort, as if my body was still somehow not my own. But, strangely, it didn't feel unpleasant. Maybe there was something different about my mind as well as my body.

The lilim glanced briefly at my condition. Having made sure of my transformation with her own eyes, she opened her mouth.

"That went splendidly. I knew my eyes weren't playing tricks on me." The lilim stepped towards me with a vaguely satisfied expression. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't put my pleasure-addled thoughts in order and ended up just flapping my mouth wordlessly.

She embraced my limp form. The vestiges of the pleasure were still making my body sensitive, so the mere touch of her hand was enough to send an electric shock running through it. I shook with a start, and let out a little cry.

"Oh dear, sorry about that. But, see? Look how cute you've become." Still embracing me, the lilim turned me to face the large mirror hanging on the wall. There seemed to be a note of cheerfulness in her voice. At her urging, I turned my eyes to the mirror.

"Ah..."

Reflected in the mirror's glassy surface was a girl with a childish figure. Her familiar features and petite frame were my own. The only definite difference lay in the grotesque abnormality of her appearance. The girl in the mirror had a pair of rough, bony horns growing from the top of her head, and her hands and feet were those of a beast, covered in light-brown fur — her appearance was unmistakably that of a monster. I was looking at a little monster being embraced by a demon woman. It was an uncanny scene, like a painting of a fall from grace.

"This is... me..."

Horns, ears, paws and hooves, tail. I stared at and touched each changed part in turn. As I did so, the monster in the mirror made the same movements, only with right and left reversed. The palpitations of my chest were growing more rapid at the sight. It wasn't nerves; it was something close to anticipation.

"I feel strange. This is me, isn't it...?"

I clenched and unclenched my hands and swished my tail, as if trying to make sure of my now-monstrous body. Each time I did so, I felt myself growing more accustomed to the sensation of it. I became engrossed in moving my body, like a child who had gotten a new toy. As I did so, the revulsion I had felt for this grotesque form was fading away without my even being aware of it. It now seemed lovely to me, just as the lilim had said. My tail swished violently back and forth, reflecting what was in my heart. I couldn't help smiling a little at the tail, which was honestly expressing my gladness.

The lilim, still embracing me from behind, whispered in my fur-covered ear.

"Hee hee. How do you like it? How does it feel to have become a monster — the demon-beast baphomet?"

"Demon-beast... baphomet..."

The moment I spoke that name aloud, I felt a tiny spec of humanity remaining somewhere in my mind suddenly vanish. At the same time, the sense of discomfort left my body, and a strangely pleasant feeling took its place. It was an airy, comfortable sensation like I'd felt when, a long time ago, I'd drunk alcohol by mistake.

"This must be what it means to become a monster," I thought absentmindedly. Still in a dreamy state of mind, I hugged myself tight.

"I see... I... ended up becoming a monster..." An unaffectedly cheerful voice slipped from my mouth, which formed into the shape of a smile. Tiny fangs peeked out just a little from between my lips.

"Tee hee, ah ha ha..." I let out an innocent laugh, still looking like a child. But there was definitely something different about it — a lascivious note that hadn't been there before.

"Ah... Big brother..." I called for the person I loved most. That alone was enough to make lascivious visions float through my head one after another, increasing my arousal. The flames of lust burned red in the violet eyes reflected in the mirror, which seemed deeper than before, and a long, hot sigh escaped my half-open mouth. My tongue darted out like a fire lizard's and ran over my lips with an audible smack. The me in the mirror shook too, her face flushed.

"Big brother, big brother." I deliriously called for big brother, hugging myself and squirming as I rubbed my inner thighs together. My breathing was ragged, and the sound of panting tickled my ears. I murmured heartrendingly, my carnal desires ignited by my now-monstrous body and mind.

"Ooh... Ah, aahn... Big brother, I want you..."

Driven by the almost maddening thirst, I instinctively stretched a hand to my secret place. It would have been an unthinkable act when I'd been human, but as I was now I showed no hesitation. My extended fingers touched my closed slit. As the soft fur-covered fingers made contact with my sensitive parts, an electric shock went through my spine. It was so intense I felt that my mind was being burned up. The pleasure sated just a little of my hunger. But it wasn't nearly enough. I collapsed to the floor with a thump and began to move my fingers furiously. At that, the pleasure swelled up into a gigantic wave that tossed me about.

"Aahn! So good! This feels so good!" The pleasure brought tears to my eyes as I continued to move the fingers I'd slipped into my secret place. My ceaselessly-gushing love juices dirtied my hand and stained the floor, but I took no notice in the face of the pleasure racing through me. While I immersed myself in masturbation, the satisfied lilim called out to me.

"Hee hee. You certainly seemed to be entranced. I've set a ward to keep people away, so pleasure yourself to your heart's content."

I didn't even spare the time to answer her and continued stirring up my secret place. As I was now, being watched by the lilim didn't bother me in the least. Lewd, wet sounds filled the room and, as if in answer, my monster's body gave birth to an intense pleasure.

"Take your time now..." As she finished speaking, darkness enveloped the lilim's figure. Just like that, she vanished as if dissolving into thin air. Left alone in the room, I indulged in the endless pleasure welling up from my body without regard for anything else.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

My consciousness slowly floated up from within the pitch-black mud.

I let out a groan, restlessly twisting my body. As feeling returned to my cheek, I became aware of the sensation of soft cloth. What I'd thought was the ground was white sheets. It seemed that I was lying on a bed. The room was dark, and the lamp at my bedside burned with an orange flame, so I must have slept for a very long time. I blinked two or three times, then raised my eyelids, still heavy with drowsiness. The lamplight revealed familiar scenery to my blurred vision.

The brown wood-grain ceiling; the pale-pink curtains; the desk on which the lamp rested; the cushioned chair. On the opposite wall, I could see a bookcase on whose shelves my favorite books were neatly arranged. When, still lying on my side, I turned my head, several strands of hair fell across my face, tickling my skin. Right beside my face, near my pillow, a stuffed animal sat, looking small and quiet. It was my favorite stuffed bear, faded and with telltale stitches here and there where frays had been mended.

"Huh?" A bewildered exclamation slipped from my mouth. There could be no mistake: this was my own room. Still, I felt something catch at my mind. Raising myself from the bed, I stretched in an effort to clear my head. When I did so, I finally realized the source of my discomfort: I hadn't been in this room until just now.

"Come to think of it, what happened to minding the store...?"

That's right. I ought to have been minding the shop on the first floor. It appeared that I had returned to my room at some point, but I had absolutely no memory of having done so. Quite the opposite: I didn't even remember lying down in bed. Judging by how dark the room was, the sun had already set, but everything since just past noon was a blur and I couldn't remember clearly what had happened. Once I became aware of that, I couldn't help being bothered by it.

I wracked my brains and tried to remember. I was sure that I'd been minding the shop, but somehow I couldn't convince myself of it. Or maybe being in the shop had been a dream. My mind was still muddled with waking and wasn't working properly.

"Maybe I was tired?"

Maybe I'd gone back to my room mostly unconscious, and ended up going to sleep in that state. It wasn't impossible, but I didn't feel like I'd been that busy. Now that I thought about it, I had a feeling I'd been having a strange dream. I didn't remember it very well, but the weird feeling of it remained in my body, somehow both frightening and pleasurable.

I also had a feeling that the me in the dream hadn't been me at all. That she had changed into a completely different person, body and soul. And the dream me had thought that a wonderful thing. The hazy revival of those fragmentary memories was enough to make my face grow hot. It had been an odd dream, but a strangely happy one.

—No, that wasn't right. It hadn't been a dream at all. I mean, I was already—

Feeling as if I could hear a voice speaking to me, I raised my head with a start. I was probably hearing things. I must still be half asleep. Reasoning thus, I shook my head and tried to force myself to forget. Then I became aware of a queer feeling in my body.

My head seemed strangely heavy. At first I'd put it down to having just woken up, but now that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe I'd caught a cold. But it didn't seem quite like feeling sluggish or dazed. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. For the time being, I decided to check my temperature and raised my arm to do so. Then I caught sight of the hand moving to touch my forehead. I froze for an instant, unable to make sense of what I was seeing.

"What... is this...?" The voice that eventually emerged from me dwindled as my confusion rose until it vanished entirely. My upraised hand remained frozen at eye level. I slowly lowered it.

Still dazed, I stared down at my hands. Their shape was grotesquely inhuman. From the elbows down my arms were covered in fluffy fur and shaped almost like an animal's paws. Sharp claws peeked out through the fur at my fingertips, and there were pads like a cat's or dog's on my palms. They looked like a beast's forelimbs had been stuck onto a human body, or maybe like I was wearing something resembling soft and fluffy fur gloves. But I didn't have any gloves like that. Besides, the sensations transmitted through my skin were telling me clearly that these were no gloves, but living flesh and blood.

"What... does it mean?"

Still staring at my trembling hands, I timidly flexed my fingers. The three thick digits were moving slowly, just as I meant them to. I shook my hands, raised them, and lowered them again. The soft, fluffy animal hands moved as I wished, without the least deviation. I even felt a sense of rightness suffuse my body with every movement, in contrast to the unease I'd experienced when I first laid eyes on them. It felt as if these hands had been mine from birth.

That sensation made me remember more of the dream. As the memories floated through my mind, an unpleasant premonition was rapidly growing inside me.

"That's right. I'm sure... In my dream, I ended up like this, and..." The muttered words brought on a sudden flash of insight, and I leapt instinctively to my feet. Forcing the fact that the feeling of my feet striking the floor was different from before from my mind, I peered into the bedside mirror.

Then, I froze. The Lilia Flimlight in the mirror was not the one I was used to seeing. Looking back at me now was a girl monster with big horns growing from her head and ears covered in soft fur. The pigtails hairstyle, the large eyes, the slightly snub nose, the small mouth and the childish features were just as I remembered them. It was my own familiar face. Only, the eyes turned towards me were stained a deep violet, and little fangs peeked out from the corners of my mouth.

The mirror reflected my small, unripe body that didn't look more than ten with its flat chest. I was clothed only in a lacy white chemise, so thin that my skin was visible through it. My exposed skin was tinged with a faint blush, which contrasted with my lovely clothes and grotesque body to lend me a mysterious, bewitching elegance.

"N, no way... It wasn't a dream...?" was all I could manage to stammer out after staring slack-jawed at the mirror for a while.

It was the spitting image of my monster self as I'd seen it in the dream. My field of vision swayed dizzily for an instant at the sight of the cruel reality. I felt on the verge of collapse, but I persevered and somehow managed to keep on my feet. I stood absolutely stock still.

Slowly, I raised a grotesque hand and touched my head with it. When it came in contact with the hard horn, I felt the touch in both my hand and head. I instinctively drew back my hand, but the sensation remaining in both it and my horn was unmistakably real. The girl in the mirror opened her mouth, a frightened look on her face.

"Wh, what should I do? I've been turned into a monster..."

My words gave birth to terror and despair. If anyone found out that I'd been turned into a monster, people would certainly come to suppress me at once. Of course, I wouldn't be able to stay in this town anymore. If that happened, I probably wouldn't be able to be with big brother anymore, either.

"What should I do...?"

I huddled up on the floor, wanting to ask big brother for help. But what would he think if he saw me like this? He would probably be frightened or disgusted. Or he might hate me. That would be worse than anything else. I didn't think my heart could bear it.

I wanted big brother to save me. I wanted to see his face this instant. But that couldn't happen while I was in this form.

"No, I don't want this... What should I do, big brother...?"

I cowered on the floor, clutching my head in confusion and despair. Before I knew it, my sadness had become tears and overflowed, running down my cheeks and dripping onto the floor. I couldn't say how long I sat crying like that. Suddenly, a voice echoed in the dark room.

"What should you do?" Why are you worrying?

I instinctively raised my head and looked around the dark room.

"Wh, who's there?"

There was no sign of the person who had responded to my question. I was still alone in the room. Then the voice rang out again.

There's no need to cry, is there? Not after you went to all the trouble to get the power to make your wish come true.

The voice sounded a little surprised. It seemed to belong to a young woman, and I was sure I'd heard it somewhere before, but just then I couldn't recall whose it was. The voice continued, indifferent to my confusion.

There's only one thing you ought to do: Use that body to feel good with your beloved elder brother. That's all there is to it.

The voice made unthinkable declarations as if they were quite natural, in a tone as if explaining to a child. And yet, mysteriously, its words were calming my confusion.

"Yeah. That's right, isn't it?" I whispered, as if to persuade myself. That instant, the heat I had felt in my dream — no, that I'd felt a little while before in reality — returned to my body. My loins ached, seeking the person I loved. A heat other than embarrassment circulated throughout my body, violating it like poison. Frustrated, I breathed raggedly.

What little remained of my human mind now disappeared entirely in the face of that heat. My mind changed completely into that of a monster, and I was stirred by an irrepressible thirst. It felt almost as if I had become a beast in search of prey.

I took another look at my reflection in the mirror. This time there was none of my previous discomfort or revulsion, and I was able to honestly view my current form. My gaze met the monster's violet eyes. Feeling a little bashful, I giggled, exchanging smiles with the me in the mirror.

A girl monster with sinister-looking horns and the limbs of a beast. A baphomet. A monster that, if I were human, I would probably call a demon and fear. But the large, curved, rough and bony horns; the animal hands and feet; and the tail swaying on my bottom all felt wonderful to me. I was happy that they were part of me. I was glad that I'd been able to assume the form of a baphomet, blending the childish appearance of my human self and the new charm I'd obtained when I became a monster. I wondered why I'd been so prejudiced against this childish body. As I was now, it seemed lovely and charming. I let out a genuine, joyful laugh.

"Ah ha... Ah ha ha..." There was a lascivious note blended with my laughter. Desire was welling up ceaselessly in my heart. I wanted to fill this body with my beloved's seed and energy soon. I wanted to feel pleasure with the person I loved. Just imagining that scene and the pleasure I would be able to experience then was enough to send a thrill down my spine. The flames of sexual desire scorched me, and made me writhe uncontrollably. It was frustrating as well, but the rising anticipation and arousal were pleasant to me as I was now.

"Mm... Big brother..." I called for my beloved in a voice thick with emotion. Just the thought of big brother's face was enough to make my heart beat faster.

Just then, the sound of a door closing came from downstairs. It was a tiny sound, but my animal ears twitched and caught footsteps on the stairs that followed. Even through the wall, I could recognize the presence of my beloved. I couldn't be mistaken. Big brother had come home. As soon as I realized that, my emotions swirled together until they seemed about to explode. I wanted to leap out of the room and shove big brother down that instant. I struggled desperately to restrain the impulse.

Eh heh... I want to do it properly our first time, after all. Giving away my virginity was something I wanted to do right, on a bed. I wanted big brother to accept me gladly.

Chapter 3


Chapter 3.

Chapter 4


Chapter 4.


Image Gallery

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