Chapter 72

Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls (モンスター娘のいる日常, Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou) Chapter 72 is the seventy-second chapter of the Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls manga series.

Written and drawn by mangaka Okayado (Inui Takemaru), this chapter was released in Japan on March 31st, 2021, by the Japanese publishing company within the seinen manga and anime magazine,.

Plot
Kimihito and Centorea sit with a Unicorn named Nico at the ANM48 Cafe and Store, with her ordering a lot of desserts and meals on the menu one after the other, while Centorea, silently drinks a drink. However, Centorea's attention is briefly diverted by Kimihito, who is making a phone call in the background and then joins Centorea at the table. After the waitress has brought the many dishes, Nico explains that she asked Centorea for advice as she has issues with how to spend her money, which Centorea mockingly comments given the many desserts and meals that the Unicorn girl ordered. As the waitress delivers a collection of coasters with the motifs of the members of ANM48, Centorea introduces her to Kimihito, who could obviously tell from her horn and that that she is a Unicorn, a subspecies of Centaurs.

Kimihito agrees with Centorea that he's heard of Unicorn horns being extremely medicinal, but hesitantly adds, that he's also heard that Unicorns like pure maidens, with Centorea hesitantly supposing that's true. Kimihito asks Centorea again why she brought him with her this time and asks if it had anything to do with what happened with Meamill last time, where she embarrassingly admits to be somewhat true, but she thought it would be prudent to ask Kimihito for advice regarding budgeting since he is so good at it, which he accepts humbly. However, when Centorea notices that Nico is still looking admiringly at the coasters with the ANM48 girls, she asks the Unicorn girl about the advice she wanted from them, whereupon Nico awakes from her trance and explains the situation.

Nico explains that she loves idols like ANM48 and whenever there is new merchandise or events, she cannot hold back with her money and therefore wants to learn to control her spending. When Centorea inquires about the exact amounts of these "spendings", Nico explains embarrassed that she supports all 48 members of ANM48, much to the astonishment of Kimihito and Centorea. Deeply ashamed, Nico adds that she is so happy about the new songs and concerts that she simply ignores how broke she is afterwards, although Kimihito and Centorea seem indifferent to the idols. Kimihito quietly asks Centorea whether the reason why Nico likes idols so much is because she is a Unicorn and therefore likes virgins and purity, which Centorea embarrassingly suspects the same. When Nico hears this, however, she gets angry and clarifies that this is not the reason for her love of idols, although she admits that purity is important for an idol and purity also has a high value in the practice and tradition of Unicorn Culture. The real reason is that Nico sees idols as the physical embodiment of goodness and that she therefore wants to help them as a fan to reach their dreams.

After this lecture, Centorea asks if Nico is just as serious about controlling her spending and when she confirms this, Centorea asks Kimihito if he has a suggestion about Nico's problem. Kimihito then suggests that Nico could make a pie graph, so that it is easier to see where she can reduce her spending. However, when Nico showed her graph to Kimihito and Centorea, the two were amazed to see that Nico's income was about 1,500,000 Yen. Centorea hesitantly asks if the income is a calculation for a year, but both are stunned when Nico explains to them, embarrassed, that this is her monthly income. The two begin to imagine Nico's job, with Kimihito considering that she is a Yakuza boss or a pro gambler, while Centorea suspects something even more nefarious. Nico explains, however, that she sells the powder scraped off her horn bit by bit to a private research laboratory, with Kimihito and Centorea suspecting that they may know the research laboratory in question.

In the evening, the suspicions of the two that it is the Black Lily Advanced Materials Laboratory is confirmed when Mr President receives them in his office. Mr President, quite unmoved, confirms that they occasionally buy something from Nico's horn and adds that the Unicorn horn can cure a variety of diseases to the point where it can be considered a panacea. He goes on to explain that it would be the find of the century if his laboratories were able to recreate the specific molecular structure of those horns. Centorea then angrily clarifies that his payment for Nico is exorbitant and that it is his fault that Nico's spending is so out of control. However, Mr. President says that his company is not paying Nico enough and adds that she is still selling her horn of her own free will. Centorea reluctantly agrees with his reasoning, but before she can add anything else, Mr President states that he buys products as long they are not stolen and that he will not deny anyone who wants to sell.

However, Mr President then reveals to Kimihito and Centorea that they aren't the only ones who believe that something must be done about the continued sale of Nico's horn. Much to Nico's dismay, he pulls a photo out of his desk drawer that shows a picture of Nico's physical examination, but with the clear difference that her horn in the picture is more than twice as long and larger as it is now. Mr President explains that this is a picture of Nico when she first came to his company and if she were to file her horn even further, there would be a danger that it would become permanently damaged. He says it would be best to direct Nico's passion of idols away from such wasteful practices so that she can make money without selling her horn. Mr President goes on to say that his company happens to be in the middle of a little project that could help, but when Kimihito heard this, he says aloud to Centorea's astonishment that Mr President does not mean what he suspects, to which Mr President smirks and mentions that Kimihito has already heard of it.

Mr President explains that it is an extra-species idol project to surpass ANM48 and that this project not only affects the lightweight animal-eared girls they have now, but also hardcore extra-species like Lamias, Harpies and Mermaids. Mr President's scouts were able to get in contact with Mero and Papi, as both have some experience on the stage, but Mero had to turn it down because of some family issues on the part of her Mother and with Papi the attempt turned out to be pointless because she always forgot what was happening no matter how often the scouts talked to her. For this reason Mr President was the person who had called Kimihito earlier, but since he was on the opinion that this is Nico's choice to make, Mr President turns to Nico directly and openly asks her if she would like to be part of his new idol group: The "Black Lilies".

Nico is totally shocked by this sudden offer and makes it clear that she cannot become an idol overnight and that it would be ridiculous for the idea of becoming an idol to fix something like a little overspending. However, Mr President tells Nico that if an idol's earnest efforts are worth roothing for, then making an earnest effort to fix her spending problem would be the same, and if she denies it now, she would also deny the same effort that she sees in her favourite idols. After a short pause, Nico agrees to his terms, but as he hands her the contract, she points out that it is not possible for a Centaur to sing or dance on a stage, since her large body is a hindrance for the other members. To Nico's astonishment, however, Mr President says that this is not a problem, as his group is not that kind of idol group.

As it turns out, the Black Lilies is a virtual idol group, and under the alias of "Yunico Monokerosu", communes with various people over the livestream and answering several questions about herself. Mr President explains that as a virtual idol, there is no stage or any need for stamina, and already people love how much of an otaku she is regarding idols. She also seems to be completely immersing herself into it, and reasons that in time, her passion will be completely aimed at streaming and she won't waste anymore money. Centorea wonders if it can be that simple.

As he says that, Nico reveals that she is streaming from an office because she doesn't have her own PC yet and asks the people for advice, which they readily give. As a result, she ends up buying several more things necessary to stream from home. Centorea and Kimihito feel she hasn't cut back at all, but she reasons that all the things she bought are necessary, with Mr President writing them off as expenses.

Key Events

 * The Unicorn Centaur subspecies and Nico make their debuts in the manga series.

Trivia

 * The ANM48 Cafe and Store is a parody of the AKB48 Cafe and Store that operated in Akihabara next to the JR Akihabara Station from September 29th, 2011, until its closure on December 31st, 2019 due to "renovations to the commercial area".
 * The image that Centorea conjures of Meroune and Papi as singing idols shows the pair in the same outfits they wore while working as idols in Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls Hello Work!.
 * Yakuza is the generic term of japanese criminal organizations.
 * One of the meals that Nico orders in the store is spicy curry, but it is probably meatless curry, as Centorea explains in several previous chapters that Centaurs can't eat meat.