And there’s still a softer morning in March, a gift

Sylvia took a deep breath and exhaled. She sat back on the lounge couch and looked up at the ceiling, anticipating what was coming.

It was finally here! Her big date with Nick! All she needed to do was get dressed, and meet him in the lobby like they agreed!

…Well, there were a few other things that needed taking care of, too. But nothing she could do right now, unfortunately.

No, right now she was getting a nice glass of water and decompressing in the lounge. It helped her to relax, and think about what was important.

She definitely wasn’t freaking out! Not at all! Even though she’d given up a lot for today to go the way she hoped.

If it didn’t…

No! Don’t think that way! Sylvia shook her head and swallowed the last of her water, determined to clear those nagging thoughts from her mind. This date with Daddy is going to go great! Getting yourself psyched out by it will just make things worse!

She hopped to her feet, and turned back towards her room, ready to go get changed.

“Sylvia? What are you doing here?”

“Eh?!” Sylvia jumped in surprise, and her face lit up as she recognized a familiar voice. She whirled around with shiny eyes. “Marley! Oh, hey, wow! It’s so good to see you! Good morning! You look great! You too, Carly!”

The twins were just leaving their room. Marley was bright-eyed and happy as ever to see Sylvia so early in the morning, and her sister was smiling too, even if a little more subdued.

Carly’s cosplay for the morning was rather interesting. She was wearing a choker and leather pants, and a punk-style top with a band name on the cover. Her hair was short and black, and she wore her bangs parted to show off her forehead.

Sylvia nodded in approval. It was a style that she could get behind. In fact…

“Say… who are you dressed as today?” She asked, leaning in curiously.

“Hmm?” Carly blinked, taken aback. “Err, I’m Nana,” she said. “From the show Nana? Specifically, Nana Osaki.”

Sylvia didn’t know why Carly needed to specify a last name, but she didn’t really care. Having developed a respect for Gina’s style over the last few hours, she could really appreciate another girl taking on the punk look.

“I think Gina would really like that one,” Sylvia laughed. Carly chuckled and nodded in agreement on that point.

But while they were having fun with each other, Marley was still concerned.

“What are you doing here, Sylvia?” She asked. “Isn’t your date with Nick coming soon? Shouldn’t you get ready for it?”

“I am getting ready,” Sylvia said defensively. “I just needed to take a breather… or I guess, um, Gina needed a breather… apparently, I was getting a little… intense.”

Carly and Marley looked at each other. The idea that someone could be too intense for Gina, well…

That was rather questionable to say the least.

Sylvia scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. “I guess I’m really worked-up and excited for my date with Daddy,” she said.

Marley winced. “Um… do you have to do that?” She asked quietly.

Confused, Sylvia turned to her. “What do you mean? Do what?” She asked.

“The whole ‘Daddy’ thing,” Marley said. “Don’t you think that’s going to make your date even harder for Nick? Drawing attention to the fact that you’re playing at being his daughter right now?”

“Not harder, no, if anything I think it will get him quite flaccid,” Carly commented.

Marley glared at her sister who laughed at her own bad joke.

“Well… you’re not wrong,” Sylvia admitted, scratching her head sheepishly. “Gina and I talked about that a bit, actually, and the whole ‘Daddy’ thing is definitely a problem… it’s gonna keep Daddy from seeing me as a date partner, or a real romantic prospect.”

“What can you do about it, though?” Carly pointed out. “I mean, it’s a transformation, so you’re stuck with it. It’s not like you can veto your own transformation.”

Marley sighed. That was a good point.

“Actually, I already used my veto,” Sylvia informed them. “I took Vivian’s New Style. So now, not only can I nix other people’s clothing transformations and replace them, but I can even copy them for myself!”

She flashed a cheerful smile at the sisters. “So just say the word, Carly, and I’ll be happy to give you a brand new outfit!”

“Whoa, just take it easy there,” Carly said, smiling a little and holding up her hands. “I happen to like these clothes, actually.”

Sylvia chuckled. She figured that would be the case. Compared to the fetish outfits Carly sometimes ended up stuck with, these clothes were a much better fit.

…Then again, Carly didn’t seem to have much problem with the fetish stuff, either…

Marley cleared her throat. “Kinda shady, offering to help with a transformation you assigned yourself, don’t you think?” She pointed out. As much as she loved Sylvia, it was important to keep the former host grounded by reminding her of her roots.

Marley knew a thing or two about roots, to say the least.

“Anyway, back to the point, Carly, actually, I don’t have to be stuck with this if I don’t want to,” Sylvia informed her.

“Huh? But-”

“Don’t you remember the list of stuff you can purchase from the shop?” Sylvia reminded her, pulling up her screen and indicating the relevant category.

• 3000 BP: Suppress the effects of one Transformation for one day

“See? If I just spend 3000 BP, I can go the whole day without calling him Daddy,” Sylvia stated. “…But that’s quite a lot of BP to spend.”

Yeah. 3000 BP, AKA “all the BP Sylvia had”.

She’d be crazy to spend that on a single date.

“Well, I mean, I’m not using my BP for much,” Carly pointed out, scratching her cheek. “I was saving up for a camera, but-”

“No, it’s fine,” Sylvia interrupted her with a shake of her head. “I don’t need it! Trust me, it’s fine! I’ve got it all worked out! Daddy and everything!”

Marley squinted, staring suspiciously at her. “What do you mean you’ve got it ‘all worked out’?” She asked.

“Err…”

“Sylvia, I swear, if you’re just going to spend the whole date leaning into the ‘daughter’ thing, even when you know Nick doesn’t like that…”

“No! No, no, you’ve got it all wrong!” Sylvia wailed, shaking her head. “It’s not like that at all, I promise you!”

Marley bit her lip.

“Oh, really, then what is it?” Carly asked, joining in with her sister on the feelings of suspicion. “Because the way you’re talking, Sylvia, it sure does seem like it…”

“Well… look, just playing up the daughter aspect isn’t going to work, right?” Sylvia pointed out. “But I can redirect those tropes in a way that Daddy will like! By being a rebellious daughter and acting out a bit, see?”

The twins looked at each other. Their faces were mirrors of confusion.

“…How is that going to work…?”

“Mom, that sounds so stupid, I swear…”

“Look, it’s complicated, okay?” Sylvia huffed. “But I know a lot about this show! And I know that whenever there’s a bratty daughter, the dad usually ends up in some tension with her, and that tension overwhelms any feelings of familial connection! Now, if I was being an obedient daughter, then Daddy wouldn’t be able to separate it. But if I get him super frustrated with me, then calling him ‘Daddy’ will seem less like a signal of affection, and more like being a brat!”

Carly and Marley stared blankly at Sylvia as they tried to process what she just said.

“That… that almost makes sense, actually,” Carly admitted, scratching her head.

Marley turned and looked at her sister, mouth open.

“How does that make sense!?” She demanded.

Carly winced and shrank back. “Well, I mean, stepdaughter porn is a big genre, okay? And brattiness is a big part of it! Being attracted to a sweet and loving daughter, that’s one thing, but Sylvia’s right, when the brat aspect takes over, I guess… I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal?”

“Exactly!” Sylvia nodded. “Now, don’t get me wrong, this will only go so far. When I say I’m going to be a brat, I don’t mean I’m going to be a flirty tease or try and get in Daddy’s pants or anything like that! No, no, the fetish aspect is going to be very downplayed! I’m just going to be a bit disobedient. You know, a headache!”

“I-I guess… maybe it could work, if you’re not trying to turn it into a sexual thing?” Marley acknowledged. Her head was starting to hurt, and she really didn’t like the direction this was going. But she wasn’t sure what to say in response to Sylvia’s bold proclamations, either.

At the end of the day, Sylvia was going to do what she was going to do, and Marley would either be there to support her, or she wouldn’t.

Marley really hoped it wouldn’t end up blowing up in her face, though.

“Well… Sylvia, it sure sounds like you’ve got this all figured out, then,” Carly said, trying to sound supportive while simultaneously not convinced in the slightest. She scratched her head and pondered to herself. “Still though… I don’t know. If you’re trying to have a good date and have fun, you’re gonna run into some problems this way. Won’t you just run the risk of upsetting Nick and bothering him? This has a good chance of things going bad…”

Marley nodded. That was exactly what she was thinking!

Sylvia winced, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. That was definitely a concern… “I know, I have to be careful,” she assured them. “It’s a balancing act. But I’m going to have fun no matter what… and I believe Daddy will, too.”

She knew Nick well. He wouldn’t let a bit of brattiness ruin a date. He’d do whatever he could to make sure she had a good time.

And if she pretended to struggle against that every step of the way, then the date would be even more memorable.

After all, when Rose did stuff like that, it worked all the time! And while Sylvia wasn’t trying to emulate Rose, she definitely didn’t want to be an obedient little girl, either.

And maybe… maybe if she showed everybody she could be a rebellious daughter, then maybe that would help Dakota see that she was her own person, rather than just a creation designed to follow directions.

Maybe then, things could be better.

Marley looked at her mother, and saw a renewed look of determination on Sylvia’s face. While she didn’t know what the other woman had resolved, she could tell that Sylvia wouldn’t be easily convinced otherwise.

That made her smile. She patted Carly on the shoulder, letting her sister know that the time for talking was done.

“Well… good luck, mom,” she wished Sylvia the best. “I don’t know if it’s gonna work, but I hope you have a good date this way.”

“It’s definitely going to be a memorable one,” Carly agreed. “Good luck with your little teenage rebellion, Sylvia! We’ll be rooting for you!”

“Thanks you guys,” Sylvia nodded, wishing them both well as they headed off. “I’m going to make this a date for the ages!”

She’d watched a lot of Harem Hotel, and she’d arranged for dating events back when she still ran the show. If anybody could make a great date happen, it was Sylvia!

There was no need to worry!

Nick was a little worried. He’d come down to the lobby to meet up with Sylvia, and she was already late for their agreed-upon time. She wasn’t that late, but still, it was an issue.

Did she get breakfast and lose track of time or something? Nick wondered. That possibility was better than the alternative, which was that something had happened to her.

He really doubted that was the case. But given the nebulous state of Dakota’s relationship with Sylvia, there was always the possibility that she might have interfered.

Or she could have gotten cold feet. Another possibility Nick hoped for more than that one.

“Master Nick.”

Nick jumped, and turned to see who the unfamiliar voice belonged to. It was one of the faeries, a bright red one. She had a look of concern on her tiny face.

“Err, yes, that’s me, what’s up?” He asked, fearing the worst. Usually when the faeries got involved, it meant bad things.

“I came to deliver a message from Sylvia,” the faerie informed him.

“A message? From Sylvia?” Nick didn’t know what to think about that. “Did she send you because she’s late?”

The faerie nodded. “She said that she had a delay in her preparation work, and was going to be late. But that you should meet up with her in the Shopping District, at the Main Street Sign. She’ll be there shortly.”

Nick took a second to process that. “Okay, uh, I know what sign you’re talking about,” he said with a nod. “But is this really…”

The faerie had already left, her message delivered. That left Nick all by himself in the lobby, feeling very confused.

Well… I suppose that makes a little sense, he had to admit, scratching his head. After all, Sylvia would definitely use the faeries to send a message. But she’s in the Shopping District? Why? What kind of preparations would she need to do there?

For a moment, Nick considered that Sylvia might have gone to buy some new clothes. But wouldn’t that be something they could do together? Unless she really wanted a new outfit that would wow him, of course…

He had a bad feeling about this. As glad as he was that Sylvia was so eager for this date, the situation was still a complicated one. After all, she still referred to herself as his daughter! That wasn’t exactly something he could overlook.

If she had gone to dress up in a way that would draw further comparisons to being his daughter, that might make the whole thing even more awkward.

Nick shook his head. No sense getting worried about that! He said to himself. He knew he was just getting into his own head at this point. Sylvia was trying her hardest, and he needed to stop worrying and just go see her.

It’s not like she’s really my daughter, anyway. She just calls me Daddy. I can live with that. It’s weird, but it doesn’t mean I should hold that against her on my date, or assume that we can’t have a good time together. I promised Sylvia that today would be all about her, and I’m not about to ruin that because being called “Daddy” skeeves me out!

Nick resolved to make this date the best date he possibly could for Sylvia, regardless of what bizarre fetishes her clothing and choice of vocabulary chose to emulate.

So with that in mind, he made his way to the elevators and headed off to the Shopping District, where he soon reached the sign.

Still no Sylvia.

Honestly, he should have expected that.

Nick sighed and prepared for another long wait, when he heard a loud clomp behind him from a pair of heavy boots. It almost sounded like the kind of clothing Gina would wear, but there was no chance that she’d be here, not this early in the morning.

Then who-?

Nick turned, and his jaw hit the ground.

Standing in front of him was Sylvia, and she had clearly pulled out all the stops for her date today.

To start, he barely recognized her. The only part of her that hadn’t changed was her bright blue eyes and the mischievous smile on her lips. But everything else? Completely different.

The first thing he noticed was her hair. Gone were the shining golden locks that she so meticulously cultivated, and in their place was a sharp curtain of scarlet that framed her heart-shaped face. She’d dyed her hair! A stark crimson that clashed with the dark clothes she was wearing.

Nick wasn’t sure how that outfit could possibly have been allowed under the conditions of her transformation. Wasn’t she supposed to wear something skimpy at all times? But right now, she was dressed in nice punk wear, with tight leather pants, a choker, and a stylish shirt with a band name on the front. The epitome of a punk girl, right down to her dark makeup.

“S-Sylvia?!” He stammered in shock. “What the heck happened to you!?”

“Oh? What do you mean, Daddy?” Sylvia asked, cocking her hip to the side. “You don’t like what I chose for today?”

“Err…” What was he even supposed to say to that? …Well, the truth wouldn’t hurt. “I like it just fine, actually,” he said. “I was just a little surprised. I didn’t expect it. But I think it suits you, Sylvia.”

Sylvia blinked, and a wave of disappointment quickly flickered over her face. Then she cleared her throat.

“…It’s not a phase, Daddy! This is the new me!” She proclaimed. “And if you don’t like the way I’m dressed, well that’s just too bad!”

“Huh? But I just said, I didn’t-”

“I’m not your obedient daughter anymore!” Sylvia said, stomping her combat boots and sniffing, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I’ll do what I want to do! You can just okay boomer yourself! I’m on that sigma rizz grindset now, skibidi toilet!”

Nick had no idea what any of those words meant. But if Sylvia wanted to play at being his rebellious daughter, he might as well do his best to humor her.

“Well… okay then,” he relented. “That works out perfectly. For our date today, I was thinking that it would be best to do what you want to do! As long as you’re having fun, that’s for the best.”

Sylvia blinked, and a bright smile crossed her face for a fraction of a second before she **** her cute features into a rebellious scowl.

“Err… well, I don’t want to do what I want to do! So there!”

Nick burst out laughing while Sylvia fumed. She was so determined to be contrarian, she was even going to sabotage herself.

As crazy as it was to think, he actually was feeling really good about this date now, seeing her shenanigans.