Aftershocks

Azure

Azure sat in her sleek, dimly lit office, the glow from a wall of monitors casting a cold blue light across her sharp features. Seven screens, seven contestants—each one completely still, sitting alone, gazing blankly at the floor or curled up on a bed. The usual chatter and chaos were nowhere to be found.

She frowned, tapping her nails impatiently on the polished wood of her desk. "What the hell?! No one's doing anything!"

Alison stood behind her and aimlessly glanced at the monitors. "They are still recovering. You pushed them considerably."

"Good. That’s what we’re here for, Alison—good TV. But this…" she gestured to the screens, "this is dead air. They're practically statues!"

Alison lifted and lowered her shoulders a few centimeters, which was her muted version of a shrug. "Is that not to be expected? You eliminated their companion and immediately added another method of elimination."

Azure groaned. "The new rule is minor. If they just did the math, they'd see how easy it is to avoid. It's not my fault they're being emotional about it."

"They arrived less than 48 hours ago," Alison reminded her. "You give them no time to process the mechanics before introducing new ones."

Azure rolled her eyes. "I have a lot of ground to cover and 20 days to do it. It's only natural that things be a tad faster."

Alison gazed at Levi's monitor, completely alone in his kitchen. "Your priorities are fascinating."

Azure finally turned to look at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You have focused solely on the humiliation and depravity elements of Harem Hotel while acting like the dating components are afterthoughts," she pointed out, still focused on the screen of Levi.

"No shit!" Azure retorted. "People don't tune in to watch a love story. Harem Hotel is about taking a group of real people and reducing them into a master's sex doll." She laughed, "Watching Harem Hotel for romance is like tuning in to Bimbo or Billionaire to see people win money. It's just set dressing, not the focus."

Alison considered this for a moment before responding. "Bimbo or Billionaire and Harem Hotel are separate shows. The former's premise involves tormenting a stranger over a short period, while the latter's longer timeframe allows for greater character investment and audience empathy."

Azure raised an eyebrow. "The hell? Are you feeling sorry for them?"

Alison narrowed her eyes. "I never pity. Especially for lower life forms."

"Then why are you so chatty all of a sudden?" Azure asked, throwing up her hands. "Does insulting me get your rocks off?"

Alison made eye contact with the host. "No. I don't mean to be disrespectful in this instance. Unlike your handling of Lauren, your creative decision here doesn't directly contradict your professional responsibilities."

Azure flipped her off, but Alison did not acknowledge it. "I'm simply curious why you continuously introduce new dangers to **** relationships through fear."

Azure turned back to the monitors. "You're talking nonsense. Harem Hotel has always been about exploiting fear to '**** relationships,' as you say. We're **** them and changing them until they submit. I'm just dropping the pretense. Besides, that's what makes the season unique! It's not about courtship! It's about payback."

Alison briefly looked at Levi again, before returning to the host. "So you claim. But you've made elimination so devastating that it's made him afraid to take ****."

Azure scoffed, feeling offended. "Unlike me, who studied Levi, you know nothing about human psychology. You saw how angry he was. He'll keep growing his backbone and reach the vengeful state I need him soon. Especially with the DVDs."

"As you say," Alison expressed. "However, you may struggle to maintain the theme of retribution if the audience continues to vote for mercy. Did not you find it peculiar that none of the Nasty transformations were selected?"

"If they don't like the tone of my show, it's the producer's fault!" Azure snarled. "I pitched them a 'nice' season. One that was kind and progressive, and everyone would be happy! And they rejected it!

Alison leaned forward. "Is that why you recast the former master into a player you could torment? Because she reminds you of your failure?"

Azure snapped. Flames erupted from her body, engulfing the room in moments. She leaped to her feet, snarling at Alison with glowing eyes. Surrounding her, hellfire gathered in her palm, which she pointed threateningly at Alison.

"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" she roared, her voice sounding like a thousand demons screaming at once.

Alison bowed politely and calmly walked out of the burning room.

---

Olivia Booker

Lauren had been sitting silently on her bed for hours. When she fled the stage, she came here, slammed the bedroom door shut, and barricaded it with every piece of furniture she could find to shut out the world.

At various points, Elena and Tomoko had come to check in on her, their voices soft but concerned as they spoke to her from the other side of the door. She didn't answer. She couldn't. The weight of it all was too much, suffocating her with guilt and sadness. So she stayed quiet, hoping they would give up. Eventually, they did.

Hours later, Olivia finally approached.

"Hey, you in there?" she asked, knocking on the door. "I get that you're having a moment. But you locked me out of my room, and I kinda want it back."

There was a pause. No response. Olivia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. “Not that I care, but seriously, you've been like this for hours. You doing okay?”

Still nothing. Olivia sighed, her expression softening despite her initial sarcasm. "Look, I may have gone a bit too far when I said what happened was your fault. That was a bit bitchy of me. You can chew me out if you want."

She waited, listening for any reaction, but the silence persisted. "You still alive in there?" she asked. After being greeted by more speechlessness, Olivia bit her cheek. She was used to people pushing her away, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Look, what's been happening to you is shitty, and I'm sorry for it. I don't know what losing a fortune is like, but I have a sibling too. A brother."

Lauren didn’t answer, but Olivia could hear the faintest sound of shifting behind the door as if she was finally listening.

She continued, "Yeah, my bro's a little shit and a terrible person. He fucking drives me crazy. But still, he's important to me." She shifted awkwardly, "I know how devastating it would be to lose him like you did."

Olivia finally heard a voice beyond the door. It started as a giggle before erupting into full-blown, hysterical laughter.

Confusion spread over Olivia's face. "What? What is it?"

Lauren's laughter filled space as she continued to do so louder and louder, increasing in pitch with each passing moment.

Olivia sighed again. 'This is dumb.' She projected over the laughter, "I'll come back later."

After a moment's hesitation, she turned and left Lauren to her inexplicable amusement.

---

Levi Summers

Levi had been sitting at the kitchen table for half an hour, still processing his theater experience. The boy still felt the emotions from his alternate life. If he concentrated hard enough, he could conjure up half-remembered memories from his counterpart, akin to recalling the details of a dream.

A part of him didn't want to go through that experience again, but the other was drowning in curiosity. He scanned their titles for what felt like the hundredth time.

He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to watch Laurens, at least not yet. He didn’t need a magic DVD to tell him how she had messed him up. He definitely wouldn't be watching her sisters, though. He didn't want to dishonor Katelyn's memory after what happened to her.

He did not feel the same way about John, though he was as uncertain about him as he was about Lauren. Did he truly need confirmation of the damage he dealt him?

Regarding Elena, he didn't want to get angry with her. At the same time, he longed to catch a glimpse of his life if she had stayed. Would he have been able to be happy if he wasn't alone during the worst days of his life?

Meanwhile, he was neutral about Tomoko. He couldn't imagine her babysitting would significantly alter his life trajectory. However, if the previous vision had taught him anything, it was the impact of the butterfly effect.

Of course, he knew he would watch Ji-Woo's, but not now. He had way more than enough of her for one day and wanted to save it so he would never fall prey to her manipulation again. The next time she attempted to use pity to control him, he would resist it by watching the video to re-nurture his loathing for her. He was slightly disturbed at himself for desiring this, but was too angry to care.

That just left Olivia. He couldn't get over the title, 'What if Olivia hadn't been born.' Was this Azure's way of acknowledging that Olivia hadn't wronged him, and she wasn't even going to pretend otherwise? But in that case, why was she just excluded like Sophia?

Levi ran his fingers through his hair, exhausted from decision fatigue. He just wanted to curl up and stoop, thinking.

Fortunately for him, the perfect excuse to leave the DVD decision for later presented itself as he heard his doorbell ringing. He sighed, 'I guess someone is here for points then.'

He descended from the kitchen to the living room and found, to his great annoyance, that all the damage he had caused was magically repaired. Reaching the entrance hall, he opened the door to find Elena.

"Hey, mind if I come in?" the princess asked, smiling weakly.

Levi nodded and gestured for her to enter. As she did so, his eyes remained locked on her. Finally, he sighed wearily. "I guess it makes sense you'd be first." He began pulling up the bottom of his shirt. "Okay, let's get started."

Elena held up a hand. "I'm not here for that."

Levi gave a weak smile. "You don't have to worry about me. I understand what my job is now. I'm just sorry I didn't do it the first time you asked."

"I am worried, dude," Elena countered. "After what happened to Lauren-Two, Ji-Woo, and the challenge. It's enough to break anyone."

Levi blinked in confusion. "I'm not the one who was hurt by the challenge."

"Of course you are!" she exclaimed.

Levi looked away, ashamed. "How can you say that? I'm the one who hurt you all. Who ra... did that to all of you."

Elena reached out for Levi's hand, clearly worried. "Oh god, Levi. Azure's the one who did it. You're just as much a victim as the rest of us."

"How am I a victim?!" Levi shouted. "I'm living here safe in my mansion and just became a millionaire. Meanwhile, you guys were fighting for your lives while I was too much of a coward to help."

"Is this about what Olivia said?" Elena asked. "She was out of line."

"No, she's right. She's always right," Levi explained. "Hell, if she hadn't attacked me when she did, I probably would still be..."

"Wait, Olivia attacked you!?" Elena gasped.

"Well, no, not attack," Levi corrected. "She threw me to the ground and yelled at me to stop being such a spineless shit."

"Dude! That's not okay!"

Levi raised his hands reassuringly. "No, it's fine. She was trying to get through to me. Then I gave her some points and..."

"Wait, are you talking about the... you know... handjob Azure mentioned?" she interrupted.

He nodded. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"SHE DID IT WHILE ATTACKING YOU?!" Elena screamed.

Levi took a step after. "What?! No. That was after."

Elena squinted suspiciously. "How long after?"

"I... well..." Levi stammered. He then clenched his fist. "Look, these are **** times. We can't be worried about my feelings. They don't matter."

"They do matter, Levi," Elena declared. "You never asked for any of this."

"Neither did you," he reminded her.

Elena looked away for a moment before re-making eye contact. "We're not talking about me. I'm worried about you. Worried about what this is doing to your mind. You were like a totally different person when you ran off earlier."

"How would you know?!" he roared. "You haven't seen me since you were a kid! Maybe this is the real me! Maybe Azure knows me better than I know myself."

Elena looked down sadly. "You can't possibly think that."

"I... well..." Levi shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I have to become what she wants if any of you are getting out of this."

"That's not true," Elena argued.

"So I should just hide away and let you get eliminated?"

"Of course not," Elena admitted. "But there's a middle ground. Azure wants you to treat us like slaves. You're a good person, Levi. You can work with everyone and get us through this together."

"I literally have a curse that would brand you as property," he countered.

Elena opened her mouth but found herself unable to respond. Seeing his friend's prolonged silence, Levi fell into one of his chairs, burying his head in his hands.

Finally, Elena asked, "Look, can we take a break?"

"From what?"

Elena sat beside him. "From everything. Just for a few hours. No talking about the game or dating." She smiled. "Can we just have fun together? I remember we were going to play Mario Kart last time before we were interrupted."

"I don't want to play video games," Levi muttered.

"Oh, was there something else? I could speak Spanish if you wanted.

Levi let his hands fall to his sides. "No. Can... can you sit with me a bit?"

Elena took his hand. "Of course. Anything you need, buddy."

Comforted Master: +5 VP

True Friend: +4 VP

---

Nora Wolf

Nora Wolf sat hunched over a table in the castle's tavern, a half-empty glass of something amber-colored in front of her and a weathered menu to her right. Her red glasses sat askew on her nose, and her usual strict posture had melted into one of exhaustion.

Her heightened sense of smell could pick up everything: the faint musk of old wood, the sharp tang of spilled beer soaked into the floorboards, and the lingering scent of tobacco. It was overwhelming, adding to the cognitive exhaustion she already felt.

Adjacent to her was her lab coat, neatly folded and resting on a stool. She had taken it off to alleviate her mental burden. Her mind was already struggling to process the current situation, and she didn't want to spend mental energy on geothermal vibrator designs on top of it.

The tavern door swung open with a soft creak. Nora didn't bother looking up as she heard the new patron approach her.

"Yo! Mrs. Wolf?" Olivia asked.

Nora blinked, her sense of hearing sharpening as she turned to see Olivia Booker. Gone was the ninja attire, replaced by a grey jacket over a sleek black tank top and well-fitted jeans. She stood with eyes fixated on her old teacher, a hint of tension emanating from her posture.

"Oh, hello. Olivia, was it?" Nora asked politely. "It's nice to meet you, dear."

"We know each other. I was one of your students. '94 or '95." Olivia parked herself on top of the bar counter opposite Mrs. Wolf. "Last name Booker."

"Olivia Booker. Olivia Booker," the teacher repeated to herself before snapping her fingers. "Oh, I remember. Olivia! You used to wear that adorable pink ribbon in your hair."

Olivia huffed. "I hated that thing. Burned it the day I left home."

Nora felt the wind leave her sails. "Oh."

Olivia absentmindedly leaned back and ran her hands across the counter, noticing a silverware container under it.

Nora tried again to be sociable. "Well, it's great to see you again! What have you been up to? Did you enjoy high school?"

"I dropped out," Olivia said with a tone of finality.

"Oh," Nora repeated, the conversation again terminated before it could begin. In a hail Mary, she asked, "Well, what are you doing now for work?"

"MMA fighter," Olivia answered. "Or at least I was before Azure made me weak."

"Weak? You were very athletic earlier," Nora pointed out, remembering her ninja display.

"Was I now?" Olivia chuckled, taking a knife from the silverware. In a swift motion, she threw it like a kunai, perfectly piercing a portrait on the opposite wall between the eyes.

Her teacher gave a polite applause. "Incredible! My word, you're talented."

Olivia contemplated her hand, pondering those words. Then she clenched it, annoyed. "No, it's not talent. What I had before was talent. Muscles and skills I pushed my body to the brink to achieve."

She slammed her fist down, "And then that bitch steals it and replaces it with a level that I never could have accomplished on my own. All the gain with none of the work. I should hate it."

Nora looked down sadly. "Oh."

Olivia groaned. "Fuck, what am I doing? Unloading all my shit on you like some crybaby. Just forget what I said."

"It's alright," Mrs. Wolf assured her. "This must be hard for everyone. I admit I'm still coming to grips with it. It feels like a dream."

"Well, don't worry!" Olivia declared with mock enthusiasm. "It only gets worse from here."

"That's... remarkably blunt of you."

Olivia chuckled before looking down at the empty counter. "Is there any staff here?"

"Hello," Alison said, suddenly appearing and causing Nora to drop her glass in shock.

"Oh, hey. It's you," Olivia noted. She pointed at her while looking at Mrs. Wolf. "This is Alison. She works here but hates Azure as much as us."

"I have never felt hatred," Alison countered in her typical monotone.

Olivia shot her finger guns. "Got it, don't want to shit on the boss during working hours."

Alison's eyes narrowed. "Do you require liquid, or is my purpose here meaningless?"

"What you got?"

Alison looked over to Nora. "Your companion has the menu. Using it would be more expedient than having me list the options auditorily."

Nora chuckled. "That's what she said to me when I first came in."

"Whatever," Olivia smirked as she leaned forward to get up. However, she was suddenly struck by vertigo, falling back into place.

A familiar shiver rippled through her, signaling the onset of magic. However, instead of spreading a feeling of weakness throughout her body, the sensation concentrated itself in her chest.

A sound rang out from her small breasts, resembling a gas leak stretching a balloon towards its bursting point. The new volume expanded her boobs, feeling painfully constrained within her bra. Moments later, the back strap beneath her top snapped, buoyant flesh jiggling in response.

The change only lasted a few moments and concluded before Olivia could genuinely process it. She looked down, seeing how her top's modest neckline had stretched to contend with her expanded cleavage.

Eye twitching in anger, she looked at her arms, only to see that she hadn't lost any muscle this time, the curse seemingly finding her weak enough. Instead, it seemed determined to focus on other aspects of femininity. Her hair had also grown a few inches and Nora could smell new perfume from her.

Olivia glared up at the slack jawed Mrs. Wolf. "The hell are you looking at?"

She quickly averted her eyes. "Nothing."

Olivia let out a long groan. "Fuck it. Alison, get me whatever you have that's strongest. I want to get fucked up."

Alison nodded. "Very well. And for you, Mrs. Wolf?"

Nora was about to decline but then reconsidered. "I'll have a whisky. Leave the bottle."

---

Sophia Maoulin

Sophia stood outside the entrance to Levi's castle, trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach. A part of her regretted scheduling the date tonight and wished she had given herself more time to prepare.

Instead, she had been engrossed in her research and only started getting ready twenty minutes ago. She had only had a few minutes to shower before hastily throwing together her outfit at the last moment.

It was mostly the same as before, except for her new top. Even though she knew Mrs. Wolf had been compelled to say it, Sophia heeded her advice to swap out the grey hoodie. Instead, she had made the radical decision to exchange it with a grey T-shirt.

Finally, she had set a pair of unworn stilettos she had placed on the ground. The catgirl had carried them, waiting to put them on so she would not have to walk the whole way in them.

She felt uncomfortably off-balance when she slid her feet into the heels. She had always loathed how heels made her feel unsteady but had hoped her catlike balance would counteract it. 'Though I guess cats never have to wear heels, maybe this is how a real feline would respond. Heck, the fact that I'm still bipedal is a major departure anyway, so...'

She shook her head to avoid getting lost in another train of thought. She then took out her final preparation item: a card on which she had spent her last BP.

1 BP: Permanently remove all body hair growing below the neck, excluding that caused by transformation

Sophia had become self-conscious when Olivia made fun of Ji-Woo's bush earlier and wanted to avoid similar mockery. Knowing she couldn't put it off any longer, she whispered, "Activate."

She shuddered as she felt an invisible razor across her skin, slicing her body hair at the root. In an instant, her pussy was shaved, in more ways than one. Only the fur of her tail remained below the neck.

She moved around a bit, nearly tripping out of her heels, to get a sense of the altered sensation of her panties directly touching the skin of her privates. She found it odd that the feeling was less familiar than her new tail.

Shaking her head again, she breathed deeply and muttered, "I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away."

Sophia rang the doorbell.

Bonus Image

Authors Note: The link to submit messages to the cast has been updated to include Nora. Send any questions or comments you would like to be read at Azure's next podcast.