Chapter Seventeen: Examination

The soft, dim yellow light bathed the entire room, enveloping the girl's body in its gentle glow. She lowered her head, trembling slightly as she fixed her gaze on the floor. At this moment, she was completely bare, her body thin and frail from years of insufficient nourishment—only marginally better than famine-stricken refugees in Africa, just enough to not reveal her ribs. Yet, after washing away the filth and stench that once coated her skin, her delicate flesh emerged, pale with a hint of rosy freshness.

Though she spent her days crawling and rolling in the wilderness, her skin was unexpectedly smooth and tender, lacking the dryness and wrinkles common among most wanderers of the wasteland, whose skin resembled the bark of an old tree. It was no wonder the others had suffered so much; not just her face, but this layer of skin alone was enough to make her the center of attention. Coupled with her lovely features and striking silvery hair, Ferrin felt it was nothing short of divine providence that these girls hadn’t been sent straight to District Nine to serve as high-class mistresses. Clearly, these girls knew how to protect themselves. Perhaps even the handlers in District Nine had never truly seen their faces; otherwise, with their quality, they would certainly fetch a handsome price at the auctions among the upper echelons, rather than being treated like expendables, allowed to roam the wild as they pleased.

He approached the "Tulip," gazing at the girl before him. Sensing Ferrin's eyes upon her, she grew even more uneasy, her head lowered so much she seemed ready to bury it in the ground like an ostrich. Watching her, Ferrin smiled gently and spoke in a soft voice.

"Raise your head. Look at me."

She hesitated, but Ferrin's words seemed to possess a certain magic—slowly, she lifted her head and widened her eyes, staring at the man before her. Her violet eyes shimmered like gemstones, hazy and enchanting under the lamp. Her light pink lips parted slightly, revealing the playful tip of her tongue.

At least on the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Open your mouth."

Though she didn’t understand Ferrin’s request, Eluka obediently complied, parting her lips. She knew little about such matters—she was aware of their existence but utterly ignorant of the details. Yet her thoughts were simple: whatever the commander ordered, she would do. After all, she’d already sold herself to him.

Ferrin, aided by the lamp’s glow, carefully inspected her, then nodded. Reaching out his hand, he began to gently touch her body, inch by inch.

Is it finally happening?

Feeling Ferrin’s hand upon her skin, Eluka shuddered instinctively, wanting to retreat but with nowhere to go. She could only close her eyes and endure the unfamiliar sensation. From birth until now, Eluka had never been touched like this, but soon, she realized Ferrin’s touch was different from other men.

Though she’d never experienced such things herself, wandering the wastelands had exposed her to them many times. In this post-apocalyptic world, moral and civilized restraints had long since vanished; in settlements, people fared better, but out in the wild, men would often act without a second thought. She and the other girls had targeted such men more than once, knowing their guard was lowest in those moments. In Eluka’s memory, men would climb atop women, grunting like pigs, touching and licking them—she’d never experienced it, but witnessing it was enough to disgust her.

Yet this commander was different. Though he touched her, she didn’t feel revulsion or resistance; instead, there was something curious about his manner. He seemed less interested in her body and more in examining it, as if conducting an inspection. Thankfully, she had anticipated such an event and washed herself thoroughly, inside and out—otherwise, she would have been mortified.

Soon, she felt Ferrin’s fingers pause between her legs, making her even more nervous.

Is this what’s about to happen?

Before Eluka could react, Ferrin’s voice sounded again.

"Has your first period come yet?"

She was utterly confused, her face blank. Sorry, my education isn’t good enough—I have no idea what you’re talking about.

"Your menstruation?"

Again, confusion.

"Has there ever been blood here? Does your lower abdomen hurt?"

"No, Commander," she replied quickly this time. "We’re very careful about protecting ourselves—we don’t get hurt easily."

Though they were talking about entirely different things, as long as they communicated, it didn’t matter.

"Have you ever engaged in sexual activity?"

"...?"

"Have you been touched by a man?"

"No, Commander. We hardly ever interact with others..."

Watching the serious Ferrin and the bewildered Eluka, Delin, who was recording everything from the side, couldn’t help but chuckle. For two people so mismatched in conversation to communicate so smoothly—it could only happen here.

"Have you ever touched yourself there?"

"No, no, no! That’s impossible—it’s too dirty!" Eluka quickly waved her hands in denial. She didn’t want her commander to think she was an unclean girl.

Well, as long as the message got across, it was all the same.

"Very good." Having obtained the information he wanted, Ferrin returned to the sofa and glanced at Delin. Delin nodded, then moved to the still bewildered Eluka, gently patting her shoulder.

"You did very well, Miss Eluka. Now you may put on your clothes and leave."

"Huh? Huh? Huh??" Eluka was at a loss. This outcome was worlds apart from what she’d imagined. Was it over already? What had she done? Did she somehow disappoint the commander, or was there another problem? She stared blankly at the cat-eared maid, not knowing what to do.

"Um, Miss Maid, did I do something to make the commander unhappy?"

"Unhappy?" Delin smiled gently. "The master isn’t unhappy at all. He called you here mainly to examine your body. Since you’ll be fighting for him, he needs to understand your physical condition first."

"An examination..." Hearing this, Eluka blushed, realizing that the commander had indeed only inspected her body, nothing more. She had simply misunderstood. Embarrassed, she hurriedly dressed, lowered her head, and stood aside, unsure what to do next. Fortunately, neither Ferrin nor Delin mocked her, nor did they ask her to leave. Instead, they quickly called in her younger sister, Kurona.

What no one expected was that, upon entering, Kurona’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Ferrin, then at Eluka, who stood awkwardly by the side. Then, with curiosity, she turned to Ferrin and asked,

"Commander, do you want Kurona to sleep with you together with my sister?"