I owe my soul to the company store

Kim stood still as a statue, posed in sexy red lingerie and standing still as a statue as her faerie manager took pictures of her. Her smile remained fixed to her face, a mask of happiness that concealed the fact that inside she wanted to die.

Still, not the worst job she ever had. But she certainly felt lonely.

I have to spend most of my day working here, she thought bitterly. It’s ridiculous. The whole point of this show is for me to spend time with Nick and get to know him better, but I’m stuck working in this shop instead!

Kim’s current situation was a rather grim reflection of her life back home. When all her classmates were off enjoying themselves, getting laid and going to clubs and partying, she was working her ass off for pennies.

I guess some things never change.

“Alright, that’s enough,” the pink faerie said, setting down her camera. Kim sighed in relief and relaxed. Her body was getting sore.

“What should I do next, boss?” She asked.

The faerie raised her eyebrow. “Haven’t you had enough?” Even she was surprised at how dedicated Kim was to her job.

“If I’m working, then I need to do the best I can,” Kim asserted. Even for a job like this, where I’m only paid based on commission.

“…Well, if you say so,” the faerie said, staring incredulously at her. “For now, why don’t you put away all these outfits? In their proper sections.”

She gestured towards all the boxes of lingerie that Kim had just modeled. Kim nodded eagerly.

“Yes, ma’am!” She agreed, gathering up the boxes and putting them back on display. The faerie sat back, impressed by her thoroughness.

“You’ve only been working here a couple days, but you really seem to know your stuff,” she noted, making small talk.

“This isn’t the first clothing store I’ve had a job at,” Kim replied. “A few years back I had an evening shift at Macy Penney, and most of that was stocking.”

“Hard to believe a pro like you has to do this stuff for free,” the faerie sighed, scratching her chin. “I never understand those big bosses. But if it was up to me, I’d at least give you some fair wages.”

She paused.

“…Although, we don’t really use money here, so… huh.”

“It’s fine,” Kim smiled, finishing up her stocking by placing the last box. She turned it so that the film cover faced out, letting potential customers get a good look at the merchandise. “I’m only working here because of my transformation anyway. It’s not exactly a normal employment. So, what do you need me to do next?”

She turned with hopeful eyes to the faerie, who actually felt a little guilty. “You’ve got the work ethic of a faerie, you know that miss?”

“…Huh?” Kim asked, confused.

The pink faerie clarified, “us fae folk, when we’re created, it’s with one purpose. That could be to work in a clothing store like me, or at a bar, or in the library, the massage parlor, whatever. We get absolute fulfillment out of doing our job; there’s nothing else we want to do. So of course we give it our all, that’s the reason we were created.”

“…I think I get it,” Kim said, nodding. “So you guys were literally made to work.”

That sounded kind of shady to Kim, but she didn’t say anything. Corporate America's dream.

“We love to work. It’s our passion. For me, there’s nothing I like better than seeing beautiful women try on my lingerie,” the faerie proclaimed. “Or even you.”

Kim’s eye twitched, but she let that one go. She knew she was rather plain compared to women like Carly and Rose.

“But you’re the first human I’ve seen who works as hard as one of us,” the faerie noted. “And I’ve met a lot of them over the years.”

“Really?” Kim blinked. “But I thought this was Sylvia’s first host assignment.”

“Well of course,” the faerie nodded. “But this island has been around long before her. In fact, the previous host-”

“Slacking off on the job? Now that isn’t like you at all, Kim.”

Kim flinched and the pink faerie went stiff as a board, nearly falling out of the air before remembering to keep flapping her wings.

“Oh, milady!” The faerie turned to Sylvia with a frantic smile on her face. “What a pleasure to see you again! Tell me, what brings you to our lovely establishment today?”

Sylvia gave the faerie an icy smile. “Don’t you have work to do?”

In a blink of an eye and a flash of pink, the faerie vanished. With that settled, Sylvia turned to Kim.

“It’s nice to see you’re getting along well with your employer, my girl.”

“Y-Yes,” Kim stammered. She **** her best customer service smile to her face. “How can I help you today?”

“Always the consummate professional, that’s what I like about you,” Sylvia chortled, patting her on the shoulder. “In fact, I’ve come here today on business. I’d like to purchase some lingerie, if you don’t mind.”

“R-Really?” Kim brightened for a second, thinking she was about to get a big commission. Then she saw the wicked gleam in Sylvia’s eye.

“Oh, but it will be on store credit, of course,” Sylvia added. “I’m fresh out of BP.”

It was a struggle for Kim to keep smiling, but she pushed through it. Sylvia was just the latest in a lifetime of troublesome customers.

“May I show you our selection then?” She suggested through gritted teeth. “A nice red or black to complement your outfit, perhaps?”

“Not today,” Sylvia said, shaking her head. “Let me see what you have that’s white.”

Kim nodded, surprised by the blonde’s choice. But she fulfilled her customer’s request and went to assemble a nice collection of their best white lingerie, all of which she tried on for the assessment of the host.

“What about this one?” She asked, gesturing to the silk teddy draped over her figure. “Does this suit your needs?”

“Hmm…” Sylvia tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You know? I just can’t decide. Put it in the ‘maybe’ pile, would you please?”

Kim nodded, smiling so hard her face hurt. She went back into the dressing room to change into the next set, placing the one she’d just worn in the maybe pile with all the others. Sylvia had not found one piece of lingerie she wanted to purchase, nor any that she absolutely did not; which meant that, at some point, she would have to try all of them on again.

She’s enjoying this, Kim realized as she posed in front of Sylvia again, seeing the blonde’s smirking face light up with malicious glee. She likes making me pose like a doll for her.

“Tell me something, Kim,” Sylvia asked as the dark-haired girl changed into the final piece she’d selected. “How are you liking your job here?”

“It’s fine,” Kim replied, trying to keep the testiness out of her voice. She stepped out of the changing room and displayed the half-cut brassier and panties she’d selected. Though it would be better without you trolling me like this.

Sylvia nodded. “Well, that’s good. I was worried you might start slacking off. Since it’s usually rather slow. But you wouldn’t do that, would you my girl?”

“Of course not,” Kim snapped. No attempt was made to keep the testiness out of her voice this time. “If I’m given a job to do, then I’ll do it.”

“That’s my girl,” Sylvia grinned. “But it can’t be easy. Working here, while all your friends are out having fun with the master, getting progress with him while you’re stuck? Better be careful, if you keep up this mindset, there’s a chance you might be eliminated at the end of this round.”

“What?” Kim gasped.

“Mary is starting to bond with the others,” Sylvia said, shrugging. “She saved you last time because she’s such a nice girl, but who knows? Maybe she’ll save Mimi next week.”

Kim winced. “Look, it’s not… it’s not like I want to be here. But you said it yourself, this is my job now. I have to work here!”

“Yes, you do,” Sylvia nodded. “After all, that was what your transformation said. You have to work here part-time. You’ve got a significant amount of hours to meet, my girl, but it’s not like this job takes up ALL your time in the day.”

It sure feels like it. Kim scowled at Sylvia, finally letting the mask of her customer service smile drop. “What are you trying to say?”

Sylvia shrugged. “All I’m saying is that a hard-working woman like you, maybe you’ve earned a bit of a break. Giving it your all every day here just leaves you worn-out when your shift ends. Even though you didn’t even want to work here in the first place! That’s what I call dedication.”

“I’m not some lazy slacker,” Kim snapped. “If I’m given a job, then I do it. That’s all.”

“And I find that very admirable,” Sylvia said, nodding. “But it isn’t going to be much help to you if you go all this way only to drop out in the end. You won’t be able to achieve your dreams that way, my girl.”

Kim had to admit she had a point. But that didn’t mean she was just going to start slacking off. Her manager had just complimented her work ethic. That made her prouder than she had thought. Most of the time, her bosses overlooked just how hard she worked.

“Is this one satisfactory for you?” She asked, gesturing to the lingerie wrapped around her modest figure.

“…Yes, I think I shall take that one,” Sylvia nodded. “No need to worry about any of the others. That will be more than enough.”

Kim stepped back into the changing room and sighed with relief. Finally, I can get rid of that annoying witch.

It was hard to believe that she’d had worse customers than Sylvia River, but reality couldn’t be altered so easily. She changed back into her standard uniform (a set of lacy black lingerie to match her hair) and boxed up Sylvia’s purchase.

“That will be 1000 BP,” she tiredly told the host from across the checkout counter. Or at least, it would be, if she weren’t able to just charge the store.

“Here you go,” Sylvia smiled, presenting a card to Kim. The clerk was caught off-guard.

“W-Wait, what?”

“Well, I felt bad, you working in here all day, not making any money, when that was the entire point of this transformation in the first place,” Sylvia sighed, shaking her head with exaggerated concern. “It simply isn’t fair! So consider this a modest investment.”

Kim scanned the card incredulously and watched her own point total go up. She earned 50% on every commission.

Kim: 5200 BP + 500 BP = 5700 BP

“Congratulations my girl, you’ve made your first sale!” Sylvia chirped.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Kim mumbled, not sure if she should feel grateful to Sylvia or not.

“And don’t forget, tomorrow is your night with the master,” Sylvia reminded her.

Kim blinked. “…Wait, what?!”

“You weren’t aware?” Sylvia seemed genuinely surprised. “Oh, that’s right! When I announced the order, you were already hard at work, so you missed half of the transformations!”

A scowl crossed Kim’s face for a fraction of a second before she **** her service smile back on. Mary had filled her in on the other transformations that first night, but the order of who was spending the night with Nick must have slipped her mind. And Kim had been so exhausted from working the last few days that she had forgotten as well.

“So my night with him is tomorrow, then…” Kim mumbled. In the previous round, she’d used 2000 BP to purchase a dream that would let her know what Nick would want from her. And apparently, he wanted a walk on the beach at sunset. That dream seemed like a lifetime ago.

“I do hope you’ll have the energy to satisfy him,” Sylvia purred, leaning over the counter. “After all, tonight is his night with Gina. And she’s definitely going to be giving it her all.”

Sylvia traced her finger across the hem of Kim’s brassier.

“I wonder if you’ll be able to compete…”

Her words were a knife into Kim’s chest. She reflexively covered herself, only to feel her arms grow heavy. They dropped like lead weights to her sides.

Sylvia clicked her tongue, waggling her finger from side to side. “No, no, you’re not allowed to cover yourself, remember? Part of your job is putting your body on display.”

Kim glared through her smile at the blonde, and Sylvia laughed it off.

“Now then, where was I?” Sylvia mused. “Oh, that’s right. Your night with Nick tomorrow. If you want, I could pull some strings, to give you a day off.”

Kim’s face lit up for a moment. “Really?!”

“…Oh, but you wouldn’t want that,” Sylvia sighed, shaking her head. “No, not a diligent worker like you! Taking a day off? Just to be with a man? No, that’s simply unthinkable!”

She smirked at Kim and wiggled her eyebrows while Kim stewed in frustration.

“I know what you’re doing,” she scowled.

“What am I doing?”

“You’re trying to goad me. Make me do something I wouldn’t normally do. But I’m not going to give into you.”

“Are you sure? Remember, your main priority here is to win over the master’s heart,” Sylvia reminded her. “Working part-time like this is fine and all, but if you shirk your primary responsibilities… well, it might not work out in your favor.”

Kim knew that the right move was to take Sylvia up on her offer and accept the day off. The same way she knew that if she worked all day tomorrow, she probably wouldn’t have the energy or the appeal to have a good date with Nick.

But she was a stubborn person at heart. She had commitments to uphold, even if they had been **** upon her. It just felt wrong to blow off work to go out with a boy; it felt like she was spitting in the face of everything she stood for.

I can’t do it. I won’t.

“Well, it’s your choice,” Sylvia said, shrugging. “By the way, how are things going on coming up with the master's transformation? Any good ideas?”

Kim had nothing. She’d been working all day, and hadn’t had the chance to give it a second thought. Or a first one, for that matter.

“…I’ll come up with something.”

“See that you do. Have a good rest of your shift, my girl!” Sylvia chirped, giving her a wave and strutting out the door with her purchase in hand.

That night, Kim trudged back to her room looking and feeling dead. The minute she got to the bed she faceplanted on top of it, to her roommate’s concern.

“Kim, are you alright?” Mary asked, placing a gentle hand on her friend’s back.

“Mmungh…” Kim mumbled, peeking out from around the pillow.

“It’s this job, huh?” The redhead sighed. “You’re working too hard.”

“I’m just doing what I’ve always done,” Kim replied, turning over now that it had become apparent Mary wouldn’t just let this go.

Mary frowned. That didn’t make it right.

“You know, it’s admirable that you work so hard,” she said. “But you don’t have to kill yourself to do it. I’ve barely seen you these last few days!”

“Sorry, but… no, just sorry.” Kim didn’t even have the strength to argue at this point. What’s the matter with me? It used to be I could handle tons of shifts like that, and still be ready for the next one. Why am I so exhausted these days? Is it because I got so used to slacking off here that my body got used to a lighter schedule?

That was a scary thought.

“Mary… you know, you forgot to tell me that tomorrow is my night with Nick,” Kim informed her roommate.

Mary blinked. “Aaaaah!” She gasped in realization. “Oh my! I’m so sorry, Kim! It completely slipped me mind!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m not mad,” Kim assured her. “It’s just… look, earlier today, Sylvia came into the shop to talk to me.”

“Sylvia did? What about?” Mary’s expression immediately turned suspicious.

Kim stared thoughtfully at her. Well… it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion, I suppose.

“She offered to let me have tomorrow off, so I could prepare for my date with Nick. But I told her-”

“So you took her up on it, right?” Mary cut her off. Then she clasped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry! That was rude…”

“No, no, it’s fine… but actually, no, I told her that I’d work tomorrow,” Kim said. Saying the words out loud actually made her feel a little sad.

“But… why?” Mary asked. “You deserve a break, Kim, you’re clearly worn out!”

“Because it’s my job,” Kim replied, not sure why Mary was so confused. “I can’t just blow off work for a guy.”

Mary frowned. “Kim… would you mind if I gave you my opinion?”

“That’s why I told you about it,” Kim assured her. She winced in preparation for Mary to unload on her.

“I said that it was admirable that you’re such a hard worker,” Mary gently told her. “And it is. But keep in mind that our duty is to make Nick happy. Do you think he would be happy knowing that you’re killing yourself at a job you hate?”

“I-I don’t hate it…” Kim mumbled.

Mary shook her head. “That isn’t the point. Tomorrow is your date with Nick. And the way I see it, you have two choices. You can either spend that day working hard in a… a l-lingerie store, or you can work hard getting prepared for your big date and make him happy.”

She shrugged. “I would choose the second without hesitation. If I could do something to make my future husband happy, then I would. That’s my joy as a woman. Don’t you feel the same?”

There was a lot Kim could say about Mary’s assertion, but she didn’t want to sound like one of those “homemakers are sexist” crazies. The truth of the matter was, while she and Mary had vastly different views of their place in the world, Kim had a lot of respect for the farm girl.

“…I’ll think about it,” she finally admitted.

“I’m glad,” Mary smiled. “Whatever choice you make, I’ll pray tonight that you'll be happy with it.”

With that, Mary turned out the light and clasped her hands around her rosary. “Now I lay me down to sleep…”

While Mary said her usual evening prayers, Kim went to the bathroom. Inside, she took out a piece of paper that she’d been wrestling with for the last week, the list of purchasable items from the shop. Specifically, her exclusive items.

• 3000 BP: Employee Handbook – Contestant Kim will receive a special employee manual that she may check once per day for instructions on how to best fulfill her responsibility of pleasing the master.
• 5000 BP: Corporate Restructuring – Contestant Kim will have her “Hard Worker” transformation path permanently changed to reflect a more ethical form of employment. (Details of this new transformation path will not be provided until a purchase is made. All purchases are final.)
• 8000 BP: Liberal Dress Code – Contestant Kim will be granted an expansion to her wardrobe, allowing for a greater variety of clothing. Instead of just school uniforms, she will be granted access to new outfits for different types of student cliques. (Cheerleaders, Nerds, Goths, Preppies, Burnouts, etc.) Mixing and matching is not permitted.

With just 5000 BP, I could completely change myself… Sylvia gave me the power to change my own path, from the beginning of the game… and become someone who isn’t such a hard worker.

Kim had been grappling with this dilemma ever since she got this sheet, ever since Nick had given her the temptation to actually get out and enjoy life. At first, she’d rejected it outright; she took pride in how hard she worked, after all.

But now she wasn’t sure what to do.