A few days passed, and the four of them boarded the ship to sail across to their next location, according to the plan to save the parents of those children back at the orphanage. It turns out, Haru had more ships to spare. 

...or to be more precise, more stolen ships to spare. 

Everyone started to organize their belongings in the rooms that were provided by Haru. Once again, the ladies were assigned to one room and the men to another. The room was furnished with simple furniture, and an opened window that had a great view of the clear, blue sea. A table with two chairs was situated beside the window, along with two beds at the other end of the room. 

It was as Yun stated, this continent was surrounded by water and the most common means of travelling was via a boat. 

Alas, the only person dreading to sail across the sea was only Hana. 

She sat at the bed, hugging her legs to herself as she pouted. 

“We have to ride on a boat again,” Hana whined. “I don’t want to get sick and vomit again! Why do I only get sick when I’m at the sea?!” 

“I bought another book that taught me how to make medicine for common ailments,” Cecil explained, smiling helplessly at Hana. “I made some medicine to help with your seasickness.” 

“Is-Is it like the bitter medicine like last time?” 

“Well,” Cecil shrugged. “All medicines are bitter.” 

Hana recoiled back in alarm. “Eee! Bitter medicine!” 

“Vomiting or bitter medicine, which do you prefer?” 

Hana ducked her head down, pouting. “Bitter medicine.” 

Cecil walked up to Hana on the bed, and Hana naturally extended her hands out. Cecil placed the bottle of medicine in her hands, her smile somewhat guilty. 

“Sorry, since I do not have the proper equipment to make it into pills, it’s liquid. So you’ll have to swallow it down.” 

Hana paled, her expression wanting to burst into tears. 

She simply placed the bottle of medicine on the bedside table and turned around, before drawing circles on the stark white bedsheet. 

“Bitter medicine. Vomiting. Bitter medicine or vomiting. Both are equally bad. Both are equally bad…” 

Cecil couldn’t help but chuckle. 

She approached the table, taking a seat and staring out into the clear, blue sea. She could hear the crew members hollering from upstairs, as they were slowly bringing in crates of food and items to prepare themselves for this trip. 

Just then, a notification popped out from the system informing her of the new upcoming mission. 

[ The mission details will arrive once you land on the next island. ]

[ Look forward to it, Cecil Lan~ ]

Cecil shook her head to herself, sighing. 

At this point, whenever she sees AI500 talking in such a manner, she knew it would be a troubling mission for her. It was then a thought suddenly occurred to her. 

“AI500, since I have chosen to deviate from the original novel storyline, will there be any consequences?” 

[ Of course not~ ]

[ You should know, your presence in this world right now is as good as being one of the protagonist in the story~ ]

“...so I guessed it right.” 

“Does that mean...I will be under the effects of being a protagonist in this world?” 

[ … ] 

“What’s...what’s with the silent response?” 

[ Would you like me to be precise? ] 

“Please do.” 

“And why does it sound like you are mocking me?” 

[ Right now, you are siphoning off the aura of the heroine of this novel, Hana Katae. ]

[ In simple words, you are gradually turning into the heroine of this novel. ] 

Cecil froze on the spot. 

“...wh--when did this ever start?” 

[ From the very beginning. ]

If someone were to describe Cecil at this moment, she would be malfunctioning in every part of her brain. 

She slowly swivelled her head to look at Hana, blinking rapidly. 

“...” 

“...so you are saying, me and Hana…” 

[ Yes. ]

Cecil lifted her hand up, pointing between herself and Hana still drawing circles on the bed. 

“That me and her are--” 

[ Yes. ]

“That we switched--” 

[ Yes. ]

“That I am--” 

[ Hah… ]

“Did you...did you just sigh and scoff at the same time?” 

[ … ] 

AI500 stopped responding after that. 

“Hey, wait!” 

“AI500, come back here! I still need to--” 

“...you are just going to ignore me, aren’t you?” 

Cecil stared blankly into space, still malfunctioning. The questions currently running through her mind was her comprehending that she was slowly becoming the heroine of this novel.

“Cecil, what are you doing?” Hana questioned, blinking curiously. “Why are you just looking at the air like that?” 

She gasped awake at Hana calling out to her, and she forced a smile on her face. 

“Ha-Hana!” Cecil called out with exaggerated enthusiasm. 

Not knowing what was happening, Hana decided to call out to her friend with the same exaggerated enthusiasm. 

“Cecil!” 

“Hana, you know, I did ask you to read a lot of romance novels in the past,” Cecil asked, somewhat nervous. “...and...the heroine and the protagonist always...ends up together, right?” 

“Of course!” Hana nodded, before she lit up. “Ah! And they always kiss too!”

Cecil almost choked on her saliva. 

“Well, sometimes,” Hana giggled shyly. “They do take things further.” 

This time, Cecil choked on her saliva, coughing harshly. 

Hana was oblivious to Cecil’s suffering, continuing on with her babbling. 

“They always kiss so much, it’s so cute! And the protagonist is so smooth with the way he kisses!” Hana squealed, standing up and starting to re-enact the scene in the books she always read. “Hands around the waist, or pinned against the wall, or--or the way he tilts up the chin of the heroine, leaning in to kiss--” 

Cecil covered Hana’s mouth with her hands. 

“That’s...that’s enough!” 

Hana tilted her head. 

“Mmmh?” 

Cecil wanted to explode from embarrassment. 

Hana pushed away Cecil’s hands from her mouth. “Why are you so red, Cecil? You yourself asked me to read those books last time and summarise them to you, and you did not turn red even once!” 

Cecil squeezed her eyes close. 

That wasn’t me! That was the original Cecil Lan! 

And this time is different! 

Because...because…! 

Cecil felt her face burning even more. 

“I’ll be going...to breathe in some fresh air,” Cecil spilled those words out, rushing to the door. “Don’t follow me!” 

Cecil opened the door, and Hana lit up in recognition at that moment. 

“Cecil, are you feeling shy?!” 

She stiffened, turning around to look at the red-haired woman as she stormed out.

“N-no!” 

Just then, Cecil collided into a hard object. 

It was Xue, who raised his hand to knock on the door but Cecil came running out of the door without warning. 

Xue immediately wrapped his arm around Cecil’s waist to balance them both, and at that moment, something made the whole ship rock violently. 

There were startled yelps all around. 

“Oi, you bastard! Watch where you are steering your ship! You almost made us drop our stuff into the water!” 

“Sorry! It’s my first time maneuvering a ship this big!” 

Cecil opened her eyes, feeling something supporting her head. 

It was Xue’s hand, preventing her head from hitting against the wooden wall. 

He withdrew his hand, placing it on the wall beside Cecil’s head, his arm was still around her waist. 

Cecil instantly realised the compromising position they were in, her eyes growing wide. The words that Hana spouted out replayed in her mind. 

“Hands around the waist, or pinned against the wall, or--or the way he tilts up the chin of the heroine, leaning in to kiss--” 

Xue leaned in. 

Cecil stilled, her mind becoming blank. Her eyes automatically drifted to Xue’s lips that looked utterly soft and plump. 

“Are you alright?” Xue asked softly. 

At that moment, Cecil felt as if someone splashed her with a bucket of cold water and she could finally breathe again. 

Wh-wh-what was I thinking? 

Why am I even looking at his lips?! 

Am I some kind of pervert?! 

Cecil did not know what expression to show, trying to maintain her composure. 

“I’m...fine…” She forced a smile on her face, slowly pushing away Xue’s hand from her waist. 

“Oh sorry, my hand…” Xue started to say, trailing off when he saw Cecil sliding down slightly and moving to the side. “...I...uhh…?” 

Without any words, Cecil escaped from his arms and walked briskly down the hallway, wanting nothing more than to run out of the area. 

“...?!”

Xue watched her leave, blinking rapidly in confusion. 

Meanwhile, a few fragments inside Xue’s head were clapping at his great timing of catching Cecil. 

Xue ignored his noisy soul fragments, turning to look at Hana who had been observing them the entire time with gleaming eyes. 

“Did she...is she avoiding me again?” 

“Hmm?” Hana beamed. “She is just shy!” 

“Shy?” 

“Mhmm!” 

“...why?” 

“Well, that’s because we were talking about romance novels…” Hana started to say, before an idea struck her. “Do you want to read romance novels, Xue? I have some with me right now!” 

Xue hesitated. 

Kai: “Romance novels? Sorry, Hana but...no.”

Alric: “I read one before, it’s surprisingly...cute.”

Leonaut: “Cute? How innocent. I have come across other novels that are better, should I ask Xue to get them?” 

Leonaut smirked. 

Zasiok: “Don’t listen to him, Alric.” 

Sid: “Yuck. Books.” 

Isleif: “No.” 

“Not interested,”  Xue shook his head at Hana, turning around. “I’ll go and find Cecil.” 

Hana pouted at her failed attempt to bring in another person to chat about her favourite romance novels. If she could, she would bring K’xug in but alas, he could not read. 

At that moment, Hana decided to pull out her trump card. 

“Cecil loves romance novels, I can show you the ones she loves!” Hana chirped. 

Xue halted, instantly turning back. 

Kai: “I take it back, read them, Xue!”

Alric: “I wonder what kind of romance novels Cecil likes?”

Leonaut: “Innocent? Cute? Or…racy?” 

Alric looked at Leonaut smirking wolfishly to himself. 

Zasiok: “Don’t listen to him again, Alric.”

Sid: “The books that my goddess loves deserve to be shared.” 

Isleif: “Yes.” 

Xue stretched out his hand. “Give them to me.” 

Hana beamed, nodding eagerly. However, on the inside, she assumed a praying pose out of guilt. 

Sorry, Cecil!

Just this once, let me borrow the power of your presence!

Hana started to push her favourite romance novels onto Xue’s outstretched hands, and she grinned from ear to ear. 

“Enjoy them!” 

Xue looked down at the novels in his hands.

Leonaut: “Oh, they don’t look like the racy romance novels, huh.” 

Zasiok: “It’s innocent.” 

However, Xue knew nothing about romance books or about romance. The entire time up in the heavenly realm, he only knew about the affairs between the two realms and training to make himself stronger. 

“Are...are you sure Cecil loves reading these...novels?” 

Hana nodded innocently. 

These novels will definitely help you in pursuing Cecil! 

So yes! 

If Cecil knew about Hana’s true intentions of recommending Xue those novels, she would have dug a hole in the corner and hide in it due to embarrassment. 

Xue scratched his head, carrying the novels in his hands and walking out of the door. He was startled by K’xug’s sudden presence beside the door, his arms across his chest. 

“Damn it, K’xug,” Xue heaved out a heavy sigh. “Even now, you still haven’t got rid of the habit of appearing out of nowhere.” 

K’xug pointed to the books Xue was holding in his hands. 

Xue only nonchalantly moved the books out of K’xug’s line of sight. 

“It’s something to help me know Cecil better,” Xue muttered out, keeping the books close to his chest. “Hana gave them to me.” 

K’xug raised his arms in the air. 

Fine.

I’m not interested anyway. 

“If you want something, go ask Hana.” 

K’xug frowned in confusion. 

“You look like you want something.” 

K’xug pointed to himself, bewildered. 

Xue nodded.

“You aren’t here to look for Cecil, or to look for me,” Xue stated. “So you can only be here for Hana.” 

K’xug scratched at his head. 

Xue shrugged, walking off. 

Since he got the feeling that Cecil was avoiding him once again for unknown reasons, he would study these romance novels that Cecil “loves”. 

Meanwhile, K’xug kept his thoughts to himself, his expression conflicted. 

***

Cecil escaped to the deck of the ship, inhaling the refreshing scent of the ocean breeze. The wind blew by, cooling the heat from her face and someone joined in beside her. 

“Hey, pretty black-haired lady, we meet again!” Kiyae greeted with a wink. 

“You can just call me Cecil.” 

“Ah, sorry sorry, I remember appearances better than names,” Kiyae chuckled, supporting herself with the wooden fence of the ship. “Where’s that red-haired cutie friend of yours?” 

“Are you talking about Hana?” 

“Yes, her, she reminds me of a doll. Ahhh, so cute, I want to hug her again!” 

Cecil stared at Kiyae, bewildered. 

“But you are cute too, let me hug you!” 

Kiyae towered over Cecil, and Cecil had no chance to react. She found herself in the warm embrace of Kiyae, her mouth pressed against her chest. 

“I am kind of...kissing your…” 

“We are both women! What are you so shy for!” 

“Mmmph--” 

“Ahh, so soft and so small. I have been waiting for a chance to hug the two of you!” 

“A chance?” 

All of a sudden, Kiyae felt a chill down her spine and she recoiled back with a grin, her arms up in the air. 

“Aw man, time’s up, no more hugging.” 

Cecil tilted her head, giving Kiyae a confused stare. 

“Your lover is getting unhappy, and jealous.” 

“Lover?” Cecil furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t have...one.” 

“What? How is it possible?” Kiyae frowned back at her. “It’s that handsome gloomy guy with the grey eyes. Not cute at all, I definitely won’t hug him.” 

“Are you talking about Xue?” 

“Yeah, yeah! That guy!” Kiyae nodded. “Who else can he be other than your lover? His eyes follow you around the entire day, and he gives you a smile that he never shows to anyone else.”

Cecil was speechless. 

“Oh damn, don’t tell me…” Kiyae leaned in, whispering. “Is his love unreciprocated?” 

“I…” 

“It’s true, isn’t it? What a sad fella!” 

Kiyae sighed, shaking her head before she perked up, snapping her fingers. 

“Wait...so, that means you are not taken? Great!” 

Kiyae leaned down, tilting Cecil’s chin up with her fingers. There was a wolfish smirk on Kiyae’s face that seemed more masculine at that moment. She lowered her husky voice even more, sounding seductive. 

“How about picking me? Being a woman myself, I know how to satisfy you better than that gloomy guy--” 

Someone grabbed Kiyae by the collar of her shirt, dragging her back. 

At the same time, the chill running down Kiyae's back increased. 

“Stop flirting and get back to work, we still have more things to carry up,” Yun chastised. “As long as the person is cute in your eyes, you’ll never stop.”

“Tch,” Kiyae pouted. “At least I’m not slacking off as much as someone else.” 

“Stop sleeping, Ryo,” Yun warned, just as a black-haired man walked past him with a loud yawn. “Or I’ll toss every single alcohol beverage we have in this ship.” 

Ryo immediately straightened himself, saluting Yun. “I’ll work hard, captain!” 

Yun rolled his eyes. 

“What? Who called me?” Haru walked past them, carrying a crate in his arms. “Oh, Ryo?” 

“I’ll work hard!” 

“O-oh…” 

Ryo scrambled off, carrying two crates on his shoulders. 

“Keep your hands off her, Kiyae,” Yun advised. “Or her lover will sink the whole ship down with you.” 

“He’s not my--” 

Yun started to drag Kiyae away who was looking at Cecil with sad eyes. Haru walked up to Cecil, grimacing. 

“Hey, pretty lady. Keep your lover happy, alright? I don’t want him to sink another ship of mine again.” 

Haru felt a chill down his spine as well, wincing as he scuttled off. 

“For the last time, he’s not my--” 

Cecil was cut off by a sudden announcement from the system. 

[ It is apparent now that Xue is only looking at you like a protagonist would at his heroine. ] 

[ The characters in this world have started to recognise it as well. ] 

[ Your status as a love interest has changed. ]

“Please don’t tell me--” 

[ Congratulations! You have unlocked the rarest achievement “Steal the Role of the Female Lead”! Celebrate and rejoice, Cecil Lan! ]

[ You have twenty-one achievements left! ] 

“...” 

Cecil was speechless once again. 

***

Pt. 1

《 start 》

Stop getting so close Cecil. 

Stop hugging Cecil. 

Stop touching Cecil. 

Is...Is she trying to kiss Cecil?!

Damn it.

It’s not enough that I’m jealous of myself…

Now I’m jealous of someone of the same gender too? 

...this is ridiculous. 

《 stop 》

***

Pt. 2

《 start 》

Xue is right. 

Why did I come here? 

Definitely not to find Cecil. 

Definitely not for Xue either. 

I...came here without thinking. 

To look...for Hana? 

But why would I want to look for Hana? 

《 stop 》

***

Author's Note: Don't worry, K'xug isn't as dense unlike a certain someone. Just think of a young boy trying to sort out his feelings properly and I present to you...K'xug. Of course, Hana is the least dense out of them all, surprise surprise!

Ironic that Hana who is completely air-headed like a balloon drifting in the sky...is actually the most sensible of them all in terms of emotional intelligence.