You Need to Become Maiden

Codey sat down on a bench in the center of the street. He had been reading the book he had earlier discovered in the box and had found some of the most distressing aspects of the residents of Castlemania's lives.

Natan was standing in front of a market where he had been seeking for supplies to make cleaning the ship more efficient and quick. He intended to purchase it and bring it to the ship.

Only Karisa's eyes, who'd been standing next to Ayuka, who was excitedly awaiting the arrival of others to the area, caught his attention as she sat there seeming bored.

"He's been looking at those brooms for half an hour now. I'm starting to think that his addiction to cleaning is something that needs to be worked on. Really, if it keeps up, he might be surrounded with obsession only to never then realize that he'd been fully taken over by the duty to clean every nook and cranny."

"What's weird about him is his complete opposite side. Just look at those grim clothes, dressed as if somebody had died. Now, look at his eyes." Replied Ayuka.

Karisa concentrated on the gaze of Natan. She observed him glowing with excitement, which were the feelings he never expressed. He passed his over the bristles of the broom, which made the handle sparkle like a diamond. He was so close to letting his smile break through his expression of seriousness.

"The good news is that we don't have much cleaning to do. There was not a single day that we were on the ship that I can recall seeing dirty. He would likely make a fantastic cleaning service."

After Karisa nodded in agreement with Ayuka's assertion, they heard Codey's shrill call as he leaped forward. He was slowly making his way toward them, his eyes firmly fixed on the page of the book. Natan, on the other hand, kept thinking about brooms and cleanliness as he indulged his fantasies.

"I've found some information that would definitely benefit you to hear. This book says that a while back this island seemed to have been the main place for high-tier agents to gather, then it slowly fell apart after the world government insisted to apprehend them, then imprison them into global jail."

"I couldn't find much about the reasons to why this happened, but something tells me that this book should be worth keeping for the future. It might come in handy to learn more about the relationship between the navy and the agency." He explained.

Ayuka looked in bewilderment. "I thought the agents were supposed to be the good guys. How come they've been apprehended by the world government?"

"I don't know; nothing here helps. Possibly there's been some kind of a conflict between the two sides that caused both to disperse, and now, based on what I think, the 'Agent Establishment' and the 'World Government' have different goals."

Codey gave Ayuka the book so she could browse through it. Together with Karisa, she finished reading the page. It included nothing more than what Codey had already revealed, but they were able to uncover some further hints.

Although none of them held any significance to them, reading them wasn't a waste of energy. They agreed to bring the book along in case it would be useful and pocketed it.

Natan came back to them carrying a broom, its handle protruding from behind his shoulder. He stood in front of them with a stern expression on his face, like a solid rock, as they all shared a dumbfounded look.

"You're seriously bringing that broom to the ship?"

He nodded to let the conversation be carried on by the silence. She accepted it because she knew it would be impossible to make him change his mind, and Karisa watched as she slid the book into her butt pocket as her face exhibited uncertainty.

Tomomi was unable to do much other than stay on the ship while everyone else was somewhere on the island. Her condition had gotten worse rather than better.

She was losing the ability to see her body, and her body temperature was beginning to plummet. She had been trying to preserve energy by sleeping, but she didn't budge.

She needed to be treated as soon as possible, even if she still had some time before she entirely vanished and gave in to gloom. Her companions need to look for some form of item to which she could link her soul in order to continue living.

Her body was only able to force a warm, excruciating breath from her mouth. The only warmth she could sense was the sweat running down her forehead, the heat that had been confined inside her head.

After being finally disentangled from the flames, many of the homeless people received treatment from Yumiko. Some of the kids' conditions got worse. Tears had been streaming down their faces.

She tried to cool down the scorching skin by placing a damp cloth on their forehead. With the ingredients Ralphie was able to gather, returned to the area carrying a basket of food. Although it wasn't much, it was plenty to feed the hungry children.

Parent thanked him for his compassion before gleefully beginning to feed the poor kids as he worriedly observed them. He turned to face Tem, who had been standing still, pondering close to the house. Her arms crossed.

She has been considering whether or not she should avoid the maiden selection depending on how certain their plan to go was. She was blushing with discomfort unlike usual, but this time her eyes turned into white dots, watched by Kou.

"Wha'? You want me to dress as a maiden and then enter the castle? You must be insane to think I would do that?"

"Tim.... I mean, Tem.... You're the only woman of this group. If you attend the maiden selection, all you'll need is to wear a maiden dress. Then, you'll have the entrance to the castle. Once you enter, we'll make sure to follow you inside unnoticed." Explained Kou.

"Why would *YOU* expect me to agree to this nonsense?! Why me of *ALL* people?! Yumiko's a full-on girl, she could do it? Or, perhaps, Ayuka, Karisa... All of them are born as a girl. Unlike me, who's been accidentally transformed into one from a masculine body!"

"I can think of three reasons. Number one: They would notice the tattoo on Yumiko's shoulder, after body inspection."

"Number two: Karisa doesn't know about your transformation. She'd probably faint after hearing it. So, she's out of the question."

"Number three: Ayuka wouldn't agree to something like this. You're crazy to think she would do that, and finally,.."

"Number four: You're the only other person whose body is an exact replica of a woman."

Her eyes whirled in response, like a never-ending twister. Only when she started to think about it did her face begin to grow purple. She was openly spewing question marks like feathers in the breeze.

Even after being confronted with reality, she continued to deny much of it. Her impression was that it wouldn't be a good idea. She would probably break inside the castle if she could without much concern for staying undetected. She just does what she always does.

She made no attempt to rethink her position. She closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and firmly rejected the suggestion. Kou's eyes began to pop from their sockets as a result of it.

"You can't change my mind. Not a chance. You really thought you could fool me so easily for being a man, now a woman. But, sorry to say this, you're fired. Find somebody else."

"Um.... What if I told you that putting on that uniform would open up the door to a massive feast with loads of delicious meat, covered with warm and soft sauce, put on the plate where there's a big variety of greens, followed by a massive collection of drinks that would sweeten your taste?"

"Would that change your mind?"

Kou lied to her while awkwardly smiling. Tem's ears perked up as he spoke, and she slowly opened one eye. She started to show interest, and soon a happy smile spread across her face. Her mouth began to drool softly, and her eyes were actually covered in meat due to the thrill in them.

"Drinks.... Greens.... Meat.... Food...."

She shook her arms as she raised them in front of her chest, demonstrating how pumped she was. She was so happy and pleased that she was unable to contain herself; all she wanted was to enjoy the delicious cuisine. That was the single thing that made her crumble.

"'Kay! Where do I get this uniform?"

Kou at first had a smug expression and turned to the side. He chuckled covertly so she wouldn't hear him as he was amused with how quickly he had been able to alter Tem's choice.

"What a goofball...."

Yumiko walked out of the house smiling. She came to a stop in front of them and produced a maiden dress. It was made up of a hairband, a white apron, and a black dress.

"Here's one. It's the dress I wore when I attempted to become a maiden. You'll need to behave like a maiden, so keep that in mind. That implies that you must fulfill everyone else's requests. For instance, you'll have to make meals and drinks, clean the rooms and hallways, and give massages."

"Basically.... Just do whatever they ask of you."

Tem was troubled by the uniform's design as soon as it was presented to her. The concept of performing lazy tasks for others didn't sit well with her either. Her eyes began to twitch as she looked over the entire uniform.

Kou couldn't help but giggle when he saw how uneasy Tem was. She blushed, embarrassed, as if her entire face had been literally burning. She couldn't stop sweating; instead, she bowed her body downward and let her arms hang loose. To see Kou laughing, she softly rolled her eyes to the side, a decision she quickly came to regret.

Love-filled thoughts gushed out of Elliott's mouth. He couldn't help but wait to see Tem in her maiden attire. He was teetering back and forth on his toes while the hearts kept oozing out like water from a tube.

The silence prevailed for a short while before Tem abruptly spoke.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

To be continued...