Deep in his chest, his father's words came back to life. "Laputa really exists." Pazu clenched his fists. The legendary castle floating in the sky. Everyone had laughed it off as a fairy tale, but now, he was standing on its stone floor with his own two feet. "Amazing…" He murmured the word without making a sound. The unruly hair of a boy soon to turn seventeen swayed in the wind blowing in from somewhere within Laputa. His strong-willed brown eyes were locked onto the regular octagonal chamber spread out before him. For someone who worked as an apprentice mechanic in the mining town of Slag Ravine, this place was truly a dream. The smell of steam engine oil, the taste of bread bought with copper coins called *gil* clutched in his hand — all of it felt distant now. The pendant glowed with a pale blue light. "…We really made it to Laputa." This time, he said it out loud properly. He turned toward the girl beside him. Sheeta. A fifteen-year-old girl with long silver hair in a braid that nearly reached her waist. Her large, deep emerald eyes gazed back at him. "[gentle]We made it because you were here, Pazu. Thank you." Her voice was quiet, but strong at its core. As a descendant of Laputa's royal line, she was the girl who had inherited that small pendant — the levitation stone. At first, he'd thought of her as just a reliable friend, but lately, there were times when looking at Sheeta made his heart beat just a little faster. "[embarrassed]D-don't say stuff like that. I just… I just wanted to fly in the sky, that's all." Embarrassment made his face burn. Pazu hurriedly looked away. This regular octagonal chamber seemed to be located in the heart of Laputa. Each side was about four meters long. The floor was paved with the same blue ore as the levitation stone, glowing faintly with a soft light. Every wall was densely carved with ancient characters he had never seen before. When he looked up at the ceiling, points of light like a star chart floated gently in the air. "I wonder what it says." Pazu approached the wall. He loved tinkering with machines and had confidence in his hands. He traced the shapes of the characters with his finger. "Can you read it?" When Sheeta asked him, he felt a little proud. "Well, sort of. Back in the mining town, I learned a bit of ancient script at Old Man Pom's place." Old Man Pom was an eccentric old fellow at the ore research institute who had taught Pazu how to identify ores and read old characters. Thinking back on it now, that must have been Laputa's writing. Pazu fixed his eyes on the largest characters and slowly read them aloud. "…Th-thou, shalt, a-ban-don… the self… and be-come… with others…?" That was the moment. The ore in the floor blazed with dazzling brilliance. No, it wasn't just brilliance. Blue light flooded the room, the characters on the walls lit up, and the points of light on the ceiling began to spin wildly. "[surprised]Sheeta! What's—" Before he could finish, the world went white. —When he came to, he was collapsed on the floor. His body felt strangely heavy. No, was it light? Something was off. Still lying face down, Pazu slowly pushed himself up with his hands. …Huh. His fingers were slender. They weren't the rough, calloused fingers always stained with machine oil. They were smooth, slender, white fingers. Pazu hurriedly tried to stand up — but his arms had no strength. "Huh…?" The voice that came out wasn't the low voice he knew. It was a high-pitched, girlish voice. His heart started pounding violently. He twisted his neck to look at his body. His white shirt was baggy. His black slacks were suddenly far too big, about to slide off. More than anything — "I-I, me… huh, my voice, this, no way…!" Panic. He picked up a shiny piece of metal that had fallen on the floor and peered at his own face. An unfamiliar girl was looking back at him. Soft-looking black hair reached down to her shoulders. The strong-willed eyes were still brown, but the eyelashes were long, and the contours of the face were more delicate. Slender, and unmistakably a girl's face. "Kyaaaaaah!" Pazu screamed involuntarily and threw the piece of metal away. He tried to stand up and lost his balance again. His body's entire sense of itself was completely different. His shoulders were narrow, his center of gravity was lower — or rather, his whole body had gotten smaller. (*What is this, what's going on, what happened—*) Even as his mind went blank, he desperately tried to think. (*Sheeta? Where's Sheeta?*) When that light had engulfed the room, she should have been in this room with him. Pazu staggered out of the stone chamber on unsteady legs. The corridor glowed faintly with pale blue light, and every step echoed with small footsteps. His own footsteps made a flapping, clumsy sound because his shoes were too big. Then, from further down the corridor, he heard screams. "[terrified]No waaay!? What is this!? Big brothers, where are you!?" "[panicked]Kyaaa! Don't look in the mirror, please don't look!" "[hysterical]Waaaaah! My beard is gooone!" Apparently, those were the voices of Dola's sons. All three of them. Every single one was screaming in oddly high-pitched voices. And then — "[shocked]What the hell is thiiiiis!!!" A tremendous roar shook the entire castle. That was Dola's voice. But — the voice was deep. It had become a thick voice, almost like a bear's. "Th-this is insane! Hey, you lot, are you all right!?" Mixed in with those words, from even further away, came a cold but clearly shaken voice. "[cold]…Ridiculous. How can this be possible?" Muska. That pretentious man who was after Laputa's power. He was always so composed, but his voice now was tinged with panic. Pazu broke into a run. Tried to run. (*Ugh, this is so hard to run in! These slacks are heavy and baggy!*) Nearly tripping on the hems of his trousers, which were practically turning into a skirt, he headed for the main hall anyway. When he reached the main hall, Sheeta was standing there. Her braided silver hair, her deep emerald eyes — unchanged. Her petite frame, one hundred and fifty-two centimeters tall — just the same. Except — the moment she saw Pazu, she gasped. "[breathless]…Pazu… is that you?" Her large green eyes were perfectly round. Her cheeks flushed faintly pink. Just seeing her face made Pazu's own face burn. "[flustered]Y-yeah… uh-huh. Yeah. It's Pazu. Probably. I'm, probably, Pazu…" Even as he spoke, the pitch of his own voice threw him into confusion again. Hearing himself speak in this voice in front of Sheeta was incredibly embarrassing. "[whispers]Cute…" Sheeta murmured quietly. "Huh?" "[hurried]N-nothing!" Both of them turned bright red and looked down. Awkward. Incredibly awkward. Normally, he could casually ask, "Are you okay?" but now, no words would come out at all. Pazu's heart was racing. This was… that. It was different from the fluttering he'd felt earlier. Stronger, more painful — and sweet. (*Why can't I look Sheeta in the face properly, I…*) Just then, with thunderous footsteps, a huge man burst into the main hall. Though only about a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, his shoulders were absurdly broad and his arms were thick. Short-cropped reddish hair, and sharp, gleaming golden eyes. What had originally been a gray-streaked bun was now the hairstyle of a rugged old man. "[booming]Oi, Pazu! Sheeta! You two all right!?" It was Dola. No — formerly Dola, now a male Dola. "D-Dola…?" "[hearty laugh]Just as you see! What a body I've ended up with! My arms are thicker, I'm bursting with strength — with this, I could take on all the seas of the world, or the skies for that matter!" From behind Dola, who was laughing heartily, three — girls — timidly emerged. No, not girls. Charles, Louis, and Henri. Dola's sons. All three had become young, cute girls. Their faces were deathly pale, and all three were trembling violently. "[teary]M-Mom… I mean, Dad…? What's happened to us…" "[faint]Uuu… I can't get married now…" "[dizzy]I looked in the mirror, and there was a strange girl, and then, and then…" Having said that much, Henri nearly fainted again and staggered. "[stern]Pathetic!" Dola's fist came down on Henri's head. "[crying]Owwww!" "What's this 'can't get married' nonsense! You're the sons of pirates! Or are you daughters now? Well, either way! Pull yourselves together!" Even as she — he — brought his fist down, Dola glanced at his sons' condition and his mouth softened just slightly. He was worried. That was always how it was. He yelled, but in the middle of the night, he was the kind of person who would come and fix your blankets — even if he was an old man now — a kind person. Then, another figure appeared in the main hall. A woman with glossy, beautiful blonde hair flowing loosely behind her. Cold blue eyes, narrow and sharp. Her tall frame of a hundred and seventy-five centimeters now stood in the slender form of a woman. Clothes resembling a military uniform somehow fit the lines of her body perfectly, and he — no, she — seemed unbearably displeased about it. "[icy]…Hmph. Laugh if you wish." Even in a woman's voice, her tone was cold and somehow haughty. But her cheeks were faintly red. Dola stared openly at Muska. "[gruff]Heh, Muska. You've got a pretty nice body there, don't ya." "[furious]Wha—! Don't be absurd! You insufferably insolent pirate!" Muska raised her voice in fluster. It was a kind of discomposure he had never shown before. She tried to sweep her blonde hair back, but her fingers got tangled in her now-glossy locks, making her face turn even redder. Pazu and Sheeta instinctively exchanged glances — and then immediately looked away again. Their hearts were pounding, their ears burning hot. "[quietly]Everyone, look at this." Sheeta dragged a large, dust-covered stone slab from the corner of the main hall. Apparently, someone had found it in a corridor earlier. It was densely carved with ancient characters. "[serious]…Can you read it? Pazu." Muska asked, her voice still carrying a trace of agitation. Pazu fixed his eyes on the slab. More ancient characters. With fingers still slightly stained with machine oil, he gently traced the writing. Even if his fingers had become slender, his eyes for reading characters hadn't changed. "…The Trial of Empathy… approximately seven hundred years ago, King Teoru of Laputa… created this. It swaps the genders of those who enter the chamber… and unless they come to truly understand the other's position within seven days… they cannot return to normal." When he finished reading, the main hall fell into complete silence. Far away, the wind was howling. From Laputa's garden sector — the Garden of Verde — the faint fragrance of wild flowers drifted in. "[shocked]Seven days… you say." Muska's cold blue eyes narrowed with unease. "[bold]What, it's just seven days! This is interesting, ain't it!" Dola folded his thick arms and grinned. "[worried]But… how do we turn back? Truly understanding the other's position…" At Sheeta's question, Pazu looked at the slab again. At the very end, in small letters, this was carved: *Empathy is not done with the head. It is done with the heart. Until you can truly feel that it is fine to remain as the other.* Pazu swallowed hard. He, who had been just an apprentice mechanic in a mining town, in a castle in the sky, in a girl's body, and more than anything — had to face the fact that he could no longer look Sheeta in the eye. (*Seven days… huh.*) Pazu looked at his slender hands once more. What he had thought would be an adventure into the sky — this seemed like it was going to be an unprecedented battle with himself. From the high ceiling of the main hall, the wind blew down again. We — no, we — just stood there, none of us saying a word. Laputa's silence seemed to gently wrap around everyone. The strange, seven-day trial ha