Mornings on Laputa were far quieter than on the surface. Pazu woke on the hard bed. Their body felt light. They lifted a slender arm, and the reality that yesterday hadn't been a dream sank in. (*It's true… I'm really…*) A sigh escaped them. After that light yesterday, everyone had been in an uproar. Dola was ecstatic about becoming a man, while their sons kept screaming and fainting on repeat. Muska had vanished somewhere, their smug face twitching. And Pazu themselves—their voice had changed, their body had changed. But the worst part was that they couldn't look Sheeta in the face anymore. "[sad]Ahh, seriously, why did this have to happen…" Pazu rose from the bed and stepped out into the corridor. Laputa was vast inside. The area where the royal family had lived, a section called Casa Regia, had hallways stretching out like a maze. Desperate to avoid Sheeta, Pazu deliberately chose a roundabout path. (*Protecting Sheeta was supposed to be my job.*) As they were now, they couldn't even do that. Their arm strength was gone. Their voice was high and feeble. They didn't want Sheeta to see them in such a pathetic state. And yet, somewhere in their heart, they also wanted to see her. Frustrated with themselves, Pazu kept walking aimlessly down the stone corridors. —Meanwhile, Sheeta. She was alone in Laputa's library. Ancient stone tablets lined the walls, covered in dust. Perhaps because she was a descendant of Laputa's royal line, Sheeta could read the ancient script carved into them. "[gentle]Just as I thought… it's written here too…" Brushing away the dust with her fingers, Sheeta traced the letters on the tablet. The Trial of Empathy—a spell created roughly seven hundred years ago by King Teol of Laputa. To end the conflict between men and women, one would walk in the other's shoes. Through that, they would come to understand each other's feelings. But if, after seven days, they still couldn't truly reach an understanding— "[scared]…Those who cannot understand one another shall drift past each other for eternity." Sheeta's voice faded into the dusty library. A tightness gripped her chest. She knew Pazu had been avoiding her since yesterday. (*Did I… do something wrong?*) That Pazu, of all people, being so cold to her. Sheeta clutched her levistone pendant tightly. The pale blue glow of the stone returned a faint warmth to her palm. "[determined]…I have to talk to them. Properly." Her resolve firm, Sheeta left the library. As noon approached and the air of Laputa grew just a little warmer— The two of them, by chance, found their feet carrying them to the same place. The Garden of Verde. A colossal garden on Laputa's upper level, nearly eight hundred meters across. For seven hundred years, the robot soldiers had tended these flowers, which now bloomed wildly, untamed. As Pazu stood at the garden's entrance, the sweet scent of blossoms tickled their nose. "[surprised]Wow…" A voice. Pazu's head snapped up. There stood Sheeta. Her silver braid, reaching down to her waist, swayed gently in the breeze. Her deep emerald eyes were opened wide and round. "[flustered]P-Pazu…" "[embarrassed]Ah… y-yeah." Pazu's heart suddenly began pounding wildly. (*Oh no, oh no, why now of all times—*) The harder they tried to calm down, the hotter their face grew. "[gentle]I had no idea there was such a beautiful garden here." Sheeta's face was red too. But Pazu could tell she had mustered her courage to speak. "[brusque]Y-yeah. It's amazing, isn't it." Pazu forced a reply. But their voice was high, so unmistakably girlish, and that only made it more embarrassing. "Pazu, ever since yesterday, you've been—" "[hurried]No, look, it's not what you think! I don't, like, think you're, you know—" They started to speak, then faltered. Because they saw the sad look on Sheeta's face. Her deep emerald eyes were glistening, trembling. "[sad]…I'm sorry. Did I do something—" "[panicked]No! You didn't do anything wrong! It's me, I just went and—" In that instant, the sky went dark. *Whooooosh—* A sudden downpour came crashing down as if someone had overturned a bucket. "[surprised]Wah!" Their voices overlapped. Pazu scrambled to take Sheeta's hand—but their hand fell short, swiping through empty air. Their body had shrunk, so the length of their arms had changed too. (*Dammit, at a time like this!*) "[hurried]This way! There's a gazebo!" This time, it was Sheeta who grabbed Pazu's hand and broke into a run. They tumbled into a lonely old gazebo. The rain grew stronger and stronger, lashing at the garden's petals. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Hahh… hahh…" "[shivering]I-it's cold…" Both of them were soaked from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes. Pazu's soft black hair clung annoyingly to their face. Sheeta's silver braid, heavy with rain, looked ready to come undone. (*If this keeps up, Sheeta's going to catch a cold.*) Pazu lifted their chin sharply. "[determined]Wait here! I'll find some cloth or something!" "Pazu?!" Pazu dashed out into the rain. At the edge of the garden, there was an old storage shed. Maybe some cloth from Laputa's era was still left inside. But— "[strained]Nngh…! I-it won't open…!" The heavy stone door wouldn't budge an inch. The old Pazu could have forced it open with sheer strength. Thanks to all that training in the mining town, they'd been pretty strong even at fifteen. But with this body now, they couldn't move it even a finger's width. "[crying]Dammit… dammit…!" Tears welled up. They felt so pathetic, so frustrated, so utterly helpless. The rain hammered down. That was when— "[gentle]Let's do it together." A voice, and a slender white hand rested on top of Pazu's. "Sheeta…!" "We'll push on three. …One, two—!" When the two of them put their strength together, the stone door slowly creaked open. Inside, old cloth lay neatly folded, covered in dust. "[excited]Found some!" They grabbed the cloth and hurried back to the gazebo. Wrapped together in the large cloth, the two of them sat side by side, listening to the rain. The rain still hadn't stopped. But it wasn't as cold as before. "[whispers]…Hey, Sheeta." "[gentle]Yes?" "I always thought… protecting you was my job." Sheeta listened quietly. "[sad]But now, I've got no strength, and my voice is like this. I was scared of you seeing me so pathetic." Pazu's voice trembled slightly. "[crying]I'm sorry. For acting so cold on purpose. You probably hate me now, right." Sheeta shook her head softly. "[gentle]You're still Pazu. You're still you." "Huh…?" "I love the Pazu you are right now, too." After saying it, Sheeta's face flushed bright red. "[flustered]I-I mean, that just now was—" "[embarrassed]Y-you, what are you saying—" Both of them turned bright red and hung their heads. But deep in Pazu's chest, a gentle warmth spread. (*Sheeta… you're so strong.*) True strength wasn't about power. It was about her saying "you're still Pazu," even when they were like this. Just how incredible was that? "[embarrassed]…Thanks, Sheeta." "[gentle]No. Thank you, too." The sound of the rain began to fade, little by little. "[embarrassed]Still, we're totally soaked, huh." "[laughing]Hehe, we really are." "We're gonna catch a cold at this rate." Sheeta lifted her head as if an idea had just struck her. "[excited]Um, why don't we look for Laputa's old wardrobe room?" "Wardrobe room?" "[gentle]Yes. I'm sure there must be a change of clothes there." Sheeta's emerald eyes sparkled. "[embarrassed]…But, I mean—" Pazu realized. Going to the wardrobe room meant—in other words—changing clothes. In front of Sheeta? No, that wasn't the only problem. They might have to wear women's clothing. "[flustered]Uh, umm—" "[curious]Is something wrong?" With a completely oblivious look, Sheeta tilted her head. (*Wh-what do I do about this…*) Even though the rain had stopped, Pazu's heart kept pounding furiously.