Monster Girl Encyclopedia Stories: Baphomet Complex

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

Chapter 1
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?"

Chapter 4
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