Chapter 74

Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls ( Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou) Chapter 74 is the seventy-fourth 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 15th, 2022, by the Japanese publishing company Tokuma Shoten within the seinen manga and anime magazine, Monthly Comic Ryu.

Plot
The story begins early in the morning with Liminal girls of various species and humans attending Grimoire High School peacefully together as students. Also among the students are Kimihito and his household girls, but while Kimihito is alone in the schoolyard, he seems deep in thoughts and very concerned about something. However, his thoughts are interrupted by Miia, who suddenly appears behind him and wishes him a good morning.

Miia asks Kimihito if something would bother him, leaving him unsure what to tell her. Miia then assumes that he is worried about today's Japanese quiz and assures him that he can do it. However, with Kimihito is still unsure, Miia moves closer to him and seductively says that if he's worried about the quiz, he and she could have a little "study" session together after school.

Before Kimihito can reply, however, Papi suddenly falls out of the sky and onto him, knocking him to the ground. Concerned about Kimihito, Miia asks Papi what she's doing, to which Papi apologetically says she's just very sleepy. Miia reproachfully asks Papi if she's been gaming all night again to which Papi flippantly says it was only 3am. Miia continues to asks if Papi even studied for the quiz, but Papi blithely replies that she couldn't do it anyway and swings back into the air with her wings.

However, Papi is than approached by Centorea, who shouts at Papi to use the gate and flying is strictly against school rules. However, Papi replies that she isn't late and Centorea doesn't have to worry about it. However, when Centorea is upset with Papi flies throught the window into the school building (since she should be using the door), but Papi doesn't mind.

While Kimihito and Miia are talking in the school building about Centorea having a hard time, Mero greets them with a good morning. Kimihito remembers that the swim club, which Mero attends, has practice every morning, to which Mero expresses her excitement because she has always been interested in such kinds of challenges. Before Mero can continue, however, she is interrupted by the ringing of the school bell, prompting Kimihito, Miia and Mero to make their way to their classrooms.

Meanwhile, Centorea is about to close the school gate when she notices Suu running to the gate in hurry. Centorea tells her that she is late and should star writing an apology. However, before Centorea can finish the sentence completely, Suu simply slips through the gap in the not yet fully closed gate due to her Slime body. Suu is happy to have made it to school on time, although Centorea annoyed reprimands her for having to be more punctual next time.

Centorea sights and closed the gate, but notices Rachnera, who simply climbs over the school wall. Annoyed, Centorea calls out to the Arachne that she is too late. However, Rachnera blithely claims that she doesn't feel well, adding that Centorea probably wouldn't lecturing a sick students. Centorea is annoyed by this apparent excuse, especially when Rachnera adds with amusement that Centorea himself has to hurry to avoid being late for class.

As Centorea argues with Rachnera about the apology, Kimihito watches the situation with deep concern. He realizes that with the exception of himself, everyone of his household girls, even the perceptive Rachnera, are totally convinced that they are high schoolers. Not knowing what to do, Kimihito mentally curses Ms Smith and realizes that this is by far the worst thing his Interspecies Exchange Coordinator has ever gotten him into.

In a flashback, Kimihito recalls the past events. Ms Smith has come to the Kurusu House carrying a book with a mysterous sign on the cover. When Miia enquires about the book, which looks like a book a wizard would use, Ms Smith reveals to everyone's amazement that it's actually a real genuine magic tome. When asked by Centorea, why she has the book, Ms Smith states that the book itself is a kind of "Liminal" although Rachnera is skectical of this claim. Mero reluctantly asks if the book is alive, to which Ms Smith says it depends on how she define "alive".

Ms Smith explains that a grimoire (also known as a magic tome) was originally just a normal book, but with all the magic imbued into it, it's now a sort of living creature. Ms Smith adds that the Grimoire absorbs information from its surroundings through some unknown mechanism, and then used the information it receives to affect its surroundings through something like magic. So basically it's fantasy. Confused, Kimihito rightly interjects that this description is a little unscientific, but Ms Smith is amused to note that Kimihito herself is surrounded by unscientific things (especially Lala and her detachable head).

Miia, fascinated by the idea that she could use magic through the book, tries to open the Grimoire's seal, but Ms Smith loudly warns her not to do so. When Miia asks, confused and terrible, Ms Smith tells her that it is absolutely not allowed to open the grimoire and that there is a reason for the seal. She explains that it's very likely that the grimoire has something to do with the rash of cases of group unconsciousness that's been in the news recently. This announcement startles everyone and Miia questions why Ms Smith brought the grimoire to the Kurusu house if it's so dangerous. However, Ms Smith assures them that nothing can happen as the book is locked.

Due to the grimoire's dangerous nature, Ms Smith was commissioned to retrieve the book from the Kayado Public Library. However, since Ms Smith didn't have time to eat anything beforehand, she is starving, so she brought the book to the Kurusu house, as she needs to eat something before she can decide what to do with the book. Ms Smith adds that actually the members of the M.O.N-team were assigned to getting the grimoire in the first place, but for some reason Ms Smith cannot reach them.

Confused, Kimihito asks if the magic tome also has a name. Ms Smith confirms this, but cannot directly recall it. So suddenly, despite her own warning, she opens the grimoire and opens it to the first page where the name is, which is Arbatel. However, Kimihito and the girls then stare at Ms Smith in complete horror given the fact that Ms Smith has just completely ignored her own warning about the danger of the grimoire. Before anyone can say or do anything, however, lightning suddenly erupts from the grimoire, transporting everyone to their current situation of beings students at Grimoire High school.

Back in the present, Grimoire High School has just started its lunch break, where the students are also engaging in friendly chats with each other. Centorea gets annoyed again when Papi flies out the window again for the break. Rachnera wants to go back to the nurse's office for a nap, although Centorea annoyed points out that the nurse's office is not Rachnera's personal break room. She also dissaprovingly adds that school rules don't allow Rachnera to bring her own decaf coffee from home to school, although Rachnera reminds her that regular coffee makes her tipsy (although some of the other students agree that Rachnera and Centorea strain like best friends). Mero also attracs a lot of attention, as she is served at her own table by the fishfolk butlers Sebasstian and Flounnder due to her status as a princess.

Miia has also made a lunch box for Kimihito, although Miia's homemade food is, as usual, inedible. However, Suu tells Miia that Kimihito has already left the classroom. Miia is disappointed by this as she can't give Kimihito her homemade lunch, but then asks Suu if she wants to eat it instead, to which the Slime girl happily agrees.

Meanwhile, in the school hallway, Kimihito reflects that all of this events began after the flash that erupted from the grimoire. He fears that the book might absorb the consciousnesses of his victims. Then, however, Kimihito becomes horrified and realizes that this could also mean that all the other students around him have also been absorbed by the book. He again questions why he is the only one aware of the situation and why this place in the grimoire is is a high school anyway.

Kimihito thinks the best possibility to do would be to look for Ms Smith during the lunch break since she was there when it happened and so she should be in the grimoire as well. He remembers that Ms Smith is an expert on stuff like this and adds that the whole situation is only Ms Smith's fault. Kimihito wonders if Ms Smith could be in the teacher's room since she does seem kinda like a teacher and hopes she's still sane like him.

However, that hope is dashed when Ms Smith, in school uniform, runs up to Kimihito, also unaware of the situation and believing she ist a high school student. Kimihito is unsure because he doesn't know what to do next.

Key Events

 * The school arc begins.
 * Ms Smith brings a mystery book to the Kurusu House that turns out to have magical power. In fact, Ms Smith even states that the book itself is a kind of Liminal, although it is difficult to define whether the book is actually alive.
 * Ms Smith specifically warns against opening the book as there have been reports of humans falling into comas afterwards. This seems to mean that the book is potentially dangerous.
 * Ms Smith has taken the magical book to the Kurusu house for safekeeping. As she explains, the members of the M.O.N-team were originally assigned to do this, but for some reason, Ms Smith couldn't get ahold of them.
 * When Kimihito asks if the book has a name, Ms Smith can't remember, and despite her own warning, she ironically opens the book herself. However, this results in everyone in the room being transported into a kind of parallel world in which they are students at Grimoire High School, which most likely doesn't exist in their world.
 * All of the Liminals and Humans absorbed by the Grimoire are unaware of what happened and are convinced that they are high school students. Kimihito is the only one who is aware of the situation, although he doesn't know the reason for it himself.

Trivia

 * This is Sebasstian and Flounnder's first appearance in the manga series since Chapter 37.