And we’re moving up, up, living other lives

Kim seethed with fury as she stood as still as a statue in the Fashion Suite. She hadn’t been in here since this had been her room, a few rounds back. It didn’t help her mood in the slightest that she was surrounded by so many clothes that she couldn’t try on. Not because of her transformation that restricted her to only wearing schoolgirl outfits, no.

That transformation had apparently been put on pause or something. Because Kim was wearing a whole new outfit now, courtesy of the punishment transformation that she’d stupidly accepted from Echo.

And unless butler school was a real thing, this definitely didn’t count as a school uniform!

That bitch! Kim ground her teeth together and looked contemptuously down at the bed in front of her. See if I ever take another Sick Day again! Like hell am I going to risk getting a stupid transformation like this one next time!

The transformation Echo had stuck her with was very simple.

Served Up: Kim will be forced to wear a butler uniform and accompany Vivian wherever she goes for the rest of the day. Every time she follows one of Vivian’s orders, she feels a burst of pleasure in her lower body. (Punishment)

How would this be a punishment for anyone other than me!? Holly or Sylvia or one of those submissive girls would actually like this fucking transformation! Even Rose would probably be fine with it, and she hates following orders! No, this is just a shitty hand dealt to me and me specifically!

Kim knew on some level that, as far as punishment transformations went, this one was actually pretty modest in the grand scheme of things. It wasn’t like she was forced to obey every word out of the heiress’s mouth, or even do anything for her, technically. All she had to do was remain in her presence as far as the transformation’s specific restrictions seemed to denote.

…But in her irrational, “I don’t want to be with Vivian any longer than I am physically compelled to” mind, Kim really, reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyy didn’t like this one.

Besides! The whole point of taking a Sick Day was so that she wouldn’t be obligated to go into work, and could spend the day doing whatever she wanted to do! What kind of Sick Day was it where you had to keep doing work regardless?! Kim had never heard of such a thing!

…Well, except that one time she was a caller who sold people insurance. When she’d gotten sick with pneumonia her boss still made her take calls from home.

Fucker.

But anyway, that wasn’t supposed to be the norm! And at least then she got to bundle up in a threadbare blanket while nursing herself with warm water, instead of having to wait on a spoiled heiress all day!

Kim walked over to the edge of the bed and glared down at Vivian’s snoring face. Her other butler- her actual butler- was resting beside her embracing the girl gently in her arms.

Octavia was sleeping so still that she looked like a statue.

Even Kim could admit that it actually looked pretty sweet.

Haaah… if she could just be like THIS the whole time, instead of always being so overbearing and throwing her money around, I could actually tolerate her, Kim thought, sucking on the inside of her cheek.

Now, Kim wasn’t the kind of person who believed that women should be seen and not heard, but… maybe some women? Was that too much of a controversial take?

“Would that I could have ‘fuck you’ money that let me sleep in all morning in the arms of my family butler,” Kim sighed in exasperation.

She was so annoyed to be standing here waiting for Vivian- late sleeper that she was- to wake up that she didn’t even notice the other figure stirring in bed.

And because of how silently the woman moved and how adept she was at concealing her presence, she still didn’t notice until the assassin was practically right on top of her.

“O-oh!” Kim’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s eyes appear in front of hers. She pulled back, and nearly fell over. “Um… g-good morning. …I didn’t break into your room or anything, Echo brought me here. I’m technically… working right now.”

She was almost going to show Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin the text of her transformation before she remembered that the mute girl still couldn’t read all that well.

Fortunately, Kim found that she had nothing to be worried about. Her assassin friend blinked and then pulled back her lips into a smile, and covered her mouth as she silently giggled.

Yeah, I guess she’s just happy to see me, Kim thought, relaxing a bit. It was hard to tell just what was going on in Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s mind- while she knew that the mute girl was very attached to her, she didn’t really know how deep that attachment went. But she did know, at least, that she’d never seen her friend get that upset with her or anything.

Nope, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin hugged her from the side instead, pressing her modest breasts into Kim’s arm and looked up at her with an expectant gleam in her eyes.

Kim almost wished that she could spend the day as Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s butler instead of Vivian’s. Then she remembered some of the wild stuff her mischievous friend got up to, and considered that maybe it would be better to not get involved.

“So anyway, I, uh, I took a Sick Day off work,” Kim whispered to the mute girl, trying to explain her situation so she would understand. “And as my punishment transformation, I have to spend the day as Vivian’s butler.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin twisted her mouth into an “O” and a look of irritation flashed across her cherubic features. She looked down at Vivian’s slumbering figure on the bed, and scowled deeply at her.

Kim wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have said what she just said.

“No, hey, it’s fine,” she assured her friend, patting her on the arm. “I’m not mad at Vivian or anything. It’s not HER fault I’m in this mess. It’s that stupid Echo’s fault.”

And her fault. For being a fucking moron and trusting the bitch.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin looked at Kim in shock. Her mouth dropped open.

Kim frowned. “What? …Is it that surprising that I’m not blaming Vivian for something that isn’t her fault?”

The assassin bobbed her head up and down.

Kim’s eye twitched. “Okay, listen here… …Haaaah, never mind. I guess that’s on me,” she conceded, scratching her head.

If even Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin thought that she was being a little unfair to Vivian, well… maybe there was some merit to the argument.

But Vivian was soooooooo annoying sometimes!

“Heheheehhhheeeeeeh… hoo… hoo… …Hehe…”

…Case in point. The brunette was giggling like crazy and drooling a little in her sleep, no doubt imagining going horseback riding or target shooting or golfing or some other rich person activity that Kim would never have the time or money for in the real world.

Meanwhile, Kim just wanted her to wake up already. That dumb grin on her face was aggravating sometimes.

But she tamped down on those feelings. It wasn’t fair to Vivian if she just got irrationally angry at her, after all. The heiress was doing her best.

Kim… she even felt bad for her sometimes.

Rarely.

“Sorry we won’t be able to hang out today,” Kim apologized to her mute friend. “I’m gonna have to stick with Vivian it seems.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin shrugged. She didn’t look as disappointed as Kim expected, which she took as a good sign. The best thing for her, Kim thought, was that the assassin branch out and start making other friends besides her, instead of hanging on Kim’s every word.

A girl could dream, right?

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin went to go get changed, and Kim turned to look down at Vivian again.

She still looked nowhere close to waking up.

Vivian wished that she could sleep forever. She was having one of those great dreams, the ones that rarely come, where you know it’s a dream and that means you can do whatever you want in it. So she was putting off waking up as long as possible, and just enjoying the feeling. Right now, she was getting wrapped up in a giant pancake, and it felt so warm and soft…

There wasn’t a better word to describe what she was feeling than “utter bliss” that was how great she felt.

But, in the end, she knew she couldn’t stay asleep forever. So even though it greatly pained her to do so, she let the marvelous pancake dream fall by the wayside and allowed herself to wake up. Her eyelids fluttered open and she noted that she still had that pancake feeling… courtesy of Octavia’s arms wrapped around her.

What a wonderful feeling to wake up to. Octavia hugging her tightly from the side, while Kim was standing over her bed, looking like she’d just swallowed horse manure…

Wait… Kim? Vivian blinked, wondering if she was still asleep. “Am I still dreaming? Why are you here?” She wondered with a yawn.

“Nope, not dreaming,” Kim said dryly. She pinched her wrist. “Trust me, I’ve tested if this was a nightmare or not enough times already.”

Well, if it wasn’t a dream, then Vivian was even more confused. She tried to sit up as best she could with Octavia’s arms wrapped around her, and looked at the short-haired girl.

“So… is it my birthday, then? Is that it?” She wondered.

“How should I know?” Kim griped.

“Then… what are you doing in my room?” As Vivian got a closer look at Kim and the clothes she was wearing, Octavia woke up and got out of bed, stepping aside to give the two women some space.

“Lady Carrington… I would suggest that, per her presence here and the state of dress… this is a transformation orchestrated by the new host,” Octavia suggested, looking Kim over for a moment. She made a passable enough maid, Octavia supposed.

Vivian nodded slowly. “Is that right?” She asked, raising her eyebrow.

Kim wanted to jump out the window and fall however many stories it took to hit terminal velocity. “…Yes,” she finally admitted. “It’s a Sick Day punishment transformation. I’m supposed to serve as your butler for the rest of the day.”

“What?! My butler!?” Vivian’s mouth fell open. “That’s not a punishment transformation, what’s that woman thinking!?”

Kim shook her head. “Oh, believe me, this feels like a punishment.”

Vivian pouted. “Well, you don’t have to be so rude about it,” she said with a huff. “A good butler should be polite to their mistress!”

“That is not in keeping with my experience, Lady Carrington,” Octavia interjected, earning her a glare from her boss.

But Vivian wasn’t really angry with Octavia. She was far more interested with everything that was going on with Kim, so that’s where she directed her attention. She looked curiously at the tomboy and got out of bed, and circled around her.

“Well, you definitely look the part,” she judged, stroking her chin. “Those clothes really suit you, Kim! And they’re quite fancy!”

“Gee, just what every girl wants to hear,” Kim said sarcastically. “‘You make a really great servant, nice job!’ Yay.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Vivian groaned. “I mean that the broad shoulders of the suit, the way it highlights your slender figure while not excessive emphasizing your femininity, and how the style suits your short hair, it’s perfect! It draws out all your masculine charms!”

Her eyes were sparkling and the way she clasped her hands together gave Kim pause. She normally would have thought that the heiress was just buttering her up like usual, but Vivian sounded genuinely sincere.

It left Kim at a loss as to how to respond.

“Do a twirl,” Vivian encouraged her excitedly. “I want to see how you look in motion!”

Not seeing any issue with obliging her, Kim did a half-hearted turnaround to show off her body at all angles.

It was only when she had nearly completed it that she realized the fatal error in her oversight.

Pleasure shot through Kim’s lower body and for a second she saw stars. Her knees knocked together and she bent over in surprise. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she let out a throaty moan that left Vivian startled.

“Whoa there, you good?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. She’d nearly had to grab Kim out of fear that the other girl was going to collapse before Kim managed to recover.

Kim leered at Vivian, her face hot and flushed with annoyance and a hint of lingering pleasure. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she griped. “I just forgot the other part of my transformation… damn it… I don’t have to follow your orders, but if I do, then… that happens.”

Vivian blinked. “…What, you mean have an orgasm?”

“I didn’t have an orgasm!” Kim snapped. “It just felt really, really good, that’s all!”

Vivian took in this detail with a blank expression on her face. “…Huh.”

She turned to Octavia. “Is that how it is for all butlers, then? Do you nearly cum whenever I order you to do something?”

“I wouldn’t know, Lady Carrington. That would require me to actually follow one of your orders, and you don’t pay me enough for that privilege.”

“Very funny.” Vivian rolled her eyes and turned back to Kim. She bit her lip tightly and scanned her eyes over the other girl.

Kim wasn’t sure she liked being looked at like that.

“What is it?” She griped, frowning.

“…No, sorry, it’s just, uh…” Vivian reached up and scratched her cheek. “…I feel kind of bad? I guess? …I mean, not for making you orgasm-”

“Stop saying orgasm!” Kim blushed. Her repeated use of that word made everything SO much more embarrassing!

“…Right, well, um, making you, uh… …you know. Sorry.”

Kim sighed. “Only YOU would apologize for making someone else feel pleasure,” she muttered under her breath. “Look, it’s not your fault I’m stuck like this.”

She glanced down at her trousers and noted with some relief that she hadn’t stained them or anything. That was good. At the very least it meant that Echo had been considerate enough when designing the uniform to take Kim’s pleasure in mind. So even if she squirted, maybe her underwear was, like, super-absorbent or whatever.

That was a mental picture she didn’t want to paint ever again. Sheesh.

“Echo’s the one who gave me this transformation, so just forget about it,” Kim said, shaking her head.

But that wasn’t good enough for Vivian.

“No, it’s really not good,” she said, shaking her head even harder than the other woman. “It’s not fair that you’ve gotta work for me like this! …I know what this is! Echo’s just trying to drive a wedge between us! She knows that you don’t like me, and she’s putting you at my mercy to make the situation even more complicated!”

Kim thought about what Echo had said about trying to help her and Vivian get along with one another. “…No, I don’t think that’s it,” she said sincerely, shaking her head. “And also, like… I don’t have to follow your orders,” she reminded the other girl.

It was starting to become annoying that Vivian was assuming Kim would obey her directions as a matter of course. No way!

“Still!” Vivian pouted. “Between this and what happened last night, it’s obvious that Echo has it out for me! She’s just trying to mess with me!”

“No, again, I don’t see how me serving as your butler is messing with you,” Kim replied. Just Vivian’s ego at work again, as usual.

Then she had a realization.

“…Hey, what do you mean about ‘last night’?” Kim asked, frowning. “What happened last night?”

Vivian froze. Her face turned bright red as she was forced to dwell on the subject in detail instead of just glaze over it with a couple halfhearted words.

“Err… that, uh… that’s personal,” she stammered, suddenly finding it hard to look Kim in the eyes, afraid that the other girl would somehow be able to see exactly what happened just through her expression alone.

After all, Octavia seemed to be able to read her mind! Maybe that was a secret skill that every butler cultivated or something!

Kim looked suspiciously at Vivian. Something definitely happened there, and something embarrassing, judging by the look in her eyes.

She seemed pretty flustered last night, too, when she came by to tell us that Nick was alright, Kim noted, remembering Vivian’s shifty behavior the night before. She’d been too tired from everything that happened to really think about it at the time, but now that she’d been reminded, her curiosity from the night before was returning.

And the fact that she had known Nick was okay… yeah, there was something going on.

Kim wasn’t stupid.

She leaned forward and gave Vivian a scrutinizing look. “So be honest,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Did something happen between you and Nick last night?”

Vivian flinched so hard it looked like her face was going to tear itself off. The way she seemed to fight her lips’ attempt to smile also didn’t go unnoticed by the suspicious tomboy.

Oh yeah. There was DEFINITELY something going on here.

“Vivian?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing! It’s no big deal!” Vivian waved her hands frantically. “Nick, he, uh… it’s a personal matter! Between the two of us! We’ll tell you guys about it later, okay?!”

She didn’t have it in her to talk about it right now, not until she could see Nick again and they could get their stories straight.

And she definitely didn’t want to see him again because she wanted to know if he had “enjoyed” her gift to him or anything! That wasn’t what it was about! It was all because of Echo’s machinations that things had gotten so complicated!

Kim was totally right- Echo was the one to blame here, not Nick!

“Ha… oh, well… whatever,” Kim sighed, shaking her head. It wasn’t like it was any of her business, anyway. Besides, a good butler probably wasn’t supposed to be prying into the personal matters of the person they were serving, right?

…Wait, why was Kim suddenly so concerned with being a good butler? Stupid transformation! It was getting way too easy for her to be swept up in everything! Yeesh.