Joshua's Interview - (Masa Mune)

Joshua sighed. It has just been one of these days... Nothing to read, nothing to watch, nobody online, not in the mood to write, and worse of all, no matter which game he tried to play he just couldn't bring himself to enjoy it. So here he was, sitting in front of the computer and roaming around the web to waste away the minutes, hoping to find something to catch his eye but honestly not expecting much.

He was so bored, he didn't really pay much attention to what led him on this page, though the content of it did manage to catch his attention : some sort of character creator, or character sheet based on the Harem Hotel series. Now that sounds interesting. Sitting a bit straighter, he quickly skimmed through the sheet, which looked pretty complete with multiple options asking him what he would want, expect, and rather avoid for his contestant. Satisfied with what he saw, he scrolled back to the top of the page and started reading through it.

The premise was that his character volunteered, but as he filled in the sheet he of course chose the option that would make his contestant forget filling said sheet and even volunteering in the first place. After all, while Joshua does want some control over what happens to his contestant, it always felt more immersive to make them unaware of it... And it's also funnier to immagine the character 'suffering' through the type of situation he chose without remembering being the one asking for it in the first place. It's one of the main reason he was able to enjoy the numerous NSFW CYOA he played through. That and the fantasy of being turned into a girl being taken advantage of. If only it was that easy in real life...

As he reached the end of the sheet nearly an hour later, he saw that the last section filled up on it's own, showing what his transformation paths would be. The last option was asking him if he was satisfied with those paths. Then all that was left was clicking the 'Apply' button. As he did so, Joshua was hoping for a short description of his contestant's story, but he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment when all he got was some thanks for filling in the sheet.

Now back to his aimless roaming, Joshua could at least admit it had been an enjoyable hour.

"Dear host... can you tell me why you didn't warn me about the interview room?"

"Huh?"

"Why didn't you tell me that the interview room was not ours, but borrowed from another host? I offered to provide the hotel and everything else, and you told me you already had it, remember?"

"That wasn't our interview room. I'm not sure how you ended up there."

"What do you mean? You have no control over what happens during your show?"

"You're the one that ran off to start snatching participants, it's not my fault if you bring one to someone else's interview room."

"That's what I said, you have no control. You asked me to do what I do, but you didn't put in the minimum amount of effort to make sure your show turned out the way you wanted it to, and things took a direction you didn't know existed. That means I did my part, but you did not... You're just playing host, but you're not acting like a real host. Now I'm going to continue doing what you asked me to do. But remember, I'm not the host. I am the assistant, and I can only do what you ask me to do. If something doesn't go the way you want, you will be found responsible and at risk of being punished for it."

"There is a interview room right there. You going to someone else's is not my fault. I am also in no way responsible for your mistakes. That's very clear in the contract. And just for that, the cheerleader outfit has a cat tail now too. You can keep wearing the headband."

"Whatever. I can't help you if you don't want it."

"You can help by using the right room if you're going to complain about your own mistakes."

"Sure ... If you say so."

"Just go get the monster girl to be and make sure you take him to the right room this time."

"Yes. And let's hope no one takes this show out of your control, again."

"They wouldn't have the first time if you'd gone to the right place."

In the electronics aisle of a supermarket, LM was waiting for her next prey. Dressed in a black suit, she plays the role of an exhibitor for new VR products.

Joshua was walking at a sedate pace. While he was trying to find something specific, he was still looking around to see if there was anything of interest, or most likely a new game to catch his eye, when he crossed into another aisle and found himself close to LM's stand. She knew he was coming here so she didn't have to wait long for once.

"Hello sir, can I interest you in some of our products?"

"Hm?" Turning to face the pink haired woman, Joshua cast a quick look at the aforementioned product before shrugging. "Sure. Why not?"

With a charming smile, she gestures to invite her 'customer'. "Have you ever tried VR products?"

"Nope."

"Then let me show you. I'm sure it'll change your world." She hands the man a pair of gloves that look like they came straight out of a cyberpunk game. "They're equipped with a **** feedback system and use micro-vibrations to simulate the texture of surfaces."

Joshua's eyebrows raise slightly, a bit surprised that this technology already exist, apparently. "Uh. Neat." He puts on the gloves, testing their feel by flexing his fingers and moving his hands a little.

While the man is testing the gloves, Little Miss prepares the VR headset. Loading a basic environmental simulation. "Here, let me help you equip the headset." She says as she stands behind him. Very quickly, the customer's vision plunges into darkness before a double H logo appears in front of him. The logo then gradually merges into the wood of a door with a golden handle.

Joshua blinks, not having expected to be plugged in with no instruction or to see this particular logo here. Dismissing it as a coincidence, he takes a look around before trying to grab the handle and open the door.

The handle feels eerily real. The door opens and reveals a small room illuminated by the sun coming from a huge window, with an ornate mirror on the opposite wall. "Don't hesitate to move. If you risk hitting something, you'll see a transparent wall appear to prevent you from getting injured."

Joshua arcs an eyebrow, then shrugs. "Okay." He still takes careful steps, not fully trusting the headset, nor the woman.

As he moves further into the room, he sees more and more details. The image quality seems sharper and more immersive to him. The sound of his footsteps, transmitted by the headset, gives him the feeling of actually being in this room.

"So, what do you think?" This time the voice comes from the side and when he looks in the direction of it, he sees the exhibitor, sitting on an 18th century style chair next to a table and a second chair. Her outfit is different, now mostly green.

"Hm, pretty impressive so far. Also, probably expensive..." He answers.

"This is a demonstration model currently. The final product won't cost that much and will be compatible with a full suit for better immersion. But why not sit down for now to test these gloves?" She points to the other chair across the table.

Joshua arcs an eyebrow again, but walk up to the chair. He does check with his hands to make sure there actually is a chair before sitting down. "Alright, what now?"

"Impressive, isn't it ? It looks like it's real." A set of cups with a carafe appears on the table. "Do you want something to drink? Do you like milk?"

Joshua nods, making himself comfortable in his seat. "... Yes? That's not a question people usually ask. I mostly drink tea or soda though."

"Tea ? I can make that. English tea, I guess." The carafe fills itself and Little Miss takes it to fill the cup in front of Joshua. "Taste it, tell me what you think. Do you want milk or lemon juice with it?"

"See, your question makes more sense now. And yes for milk."

She makes a small pot of milk appear. "I'll let you use it as much as you want."

Joshua pours some milk in the cup before bringing the latter up to his face. He's a bit surprised when a furtive sniff does reveal the drink's aroma, as well as serving its intended purpose of checking it's the right drink. He then drinks a few gulps. "Hmm, now that was good. Is it a produce from here? I'll have to find myself some if it is." As Joshua picks up the milk jug, he notices the same double H logo. In fact, it's also present on the cups and carafe.

"We have our own source for these products, but you can buy them in our store." Little Miss answers, but Joshua is only half listening. There's no way that logo could be the one he thinks it is.

"Say, what does the logo stands for?"

The pink-haired woman's smile widens and she points to a badge on her chest where the double H is clearly visible, but this time in full, with the inscription 'Harem Hotel'. "Welcome to our show, Joshua."

Joshua blinks at her, a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Wait, what?"

She holds back a laugh and lets him realize where he is. "Didn't you notice? There was no chair before, so what are you sitting on? How could I serve you English tea and milk? How could you drink said tea? How could I appear here in this outfit when you're the one wearing the helmet. And when did you stop feeling the weight of said helmet on your head?"

"... I thought this were props?" Joshua raises his hands towards his face, now very aware of the lack of weight on it, but still intending to try to remove the helmet... But there is no helmet.

His reaction makes it very difficult for the assistant host to suppress her laughter. "And how do I know your name, Joshua?"

"Oh... Kay... So, I've been drafted or something?" Joshua asks, visibly distracted as he casts a quick look around, trying to understand how they got from the supermarket to here. The show has top-notch special effects, but there's no way it's actually magic... Right? But then how did they get here?

"Not really. But I guess it's a little hard to remember since it's been a few months. You applied to be a contestant on this show."

It takes Joshua a moment to realize what she means. "... Wait, that thing I filled up online?"

"Exactly. I'm glad you asked to participate. I thought no one would be silly enough to apply themselves."

"... Are you saying that I'll be a contestant in accordance with what I chose back then?" Joshua asks, sounding hesitant yet also almost hopeful.

"Mostly yes. But before we get to that and since your interview has started..." She discreetly adds a "smile at the mirror" to Joshua, before continuing. "Why don't you take the time to answer my questions?"

"Alright. Ask away." Joshua answers, trying and mostly succeeding to contain his own smile.

"Our esteemed viewers don't know anything about you. Could you introduce yourself, my dear?"

"Well, I'm Joshua Hale, 28, hm..." As his eyes drift to the mirror, Joshua finds himself answering more honestly than he had meant to. "I'm mostly interested in women, the cute ones, and especially those with large breasts and shortstacks, my favorite sex position to see them in is doggy style, I never was in a relationship... Oh, I like reading, anime, and video games. Drawing too, but it's been a while since I last drew. I'm... Not sure what else to say?" Joshua says, looking at LM for guidance.

"Big boobs... shorty... doggy style. That seems to explain what interests you in a monster girl path. But what size is enough?"

"As big as possible? I find it even better if they gradually get bigger rather than just starting huge."

"Interesting. I'm sure some viewers will love you. But let's not dwell on it. Who is your ideal woman? Character, style, sex drive."

"As a partner? Hm, busty, of course. With similar tastes to mine but the opposite alignments. And high, I'd say?"

"Could you talk a little more about these opposite alignments?"

"Well, dominant and maybe sadistic. The fun kind, not the brutal ones. I'm not into guro."

"So you're telling us you're a submissive who likes a bit of BDSM?"

"More than a bit, but yes."

"More than a little?" In a lower tone she slips a "Don't hesitate to say hello to the mirror regularly." Then she's back to asking questions as if nothing happened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, bondage, machines, toys, denial, **** orgasms... Aside from gross stuff and electricity or asphyxiation play, I have yet to find something in BDSM I'm not eagerly interested in. Even the stuff that purely fictional, sadly." For some reason, Joshua often looks in the mirror as he talks.

"I understand why the **** path now. We have a lot of things for you in our store. And I remind our viewers that with the promotional code 'Lidya-likes-it-rough' they can get 20% off any purchase." Unbeknownst to Joshua, a long line of conditions appears and scrolls at high speed on the screen following Little Miss' advertisement. "When I asked about your ideal woman's style, I was referring to clothing style. I see you like to dress in black for example, is that your favorite color? Black, I mean."

"Oh! Gothic then, both the elegant ones, but also the more daring, and... I think it's called punk? I also really like how latex look. And I'd say yes about black being my favorite color. Dark blue, red, and even sometimes pink are also in the running, but black clothes usually look the best and have the best styles."

"I see. I also have a thing for goth girls. And they're pretty famous. It seems like every harem hotel show has to have its Big Tiddy Goth Girl. You've seen a lot of our shows, right? What's your favorite so far? Why is it Shar's?"

"... Because I only watched 3 seasons so far, and she has the only one with goths characters? And I'd say my favorites are Susan for the look, and Tracy for the personality."

"Only 3 seasons ? I think I'll give you a subscription to our exclusive channel where you can find all the seasons broadcast so far. But we'll have to wait until the end of the show for that. After all, you wouldn't want to start knowing what to expect, would you ?"

"Yeees?.. But also no? I like to know what I'm in for, but it is less enjoyable, so when I play through some CYOA I chose the option to forget about my choices, or even the CYOA itself whenever I can."

Little Miss smiles for a moment. A vicious smile. But it soon disappears when she asks her last question. "Now before we part ways, if you had the choice to lock a path to make sure it was available for voting, which would it be between, Monster Girl, **** and Goth?"

"Hmm... That's a though choice. All of them sound quite nice..." Joshua crosses his arms, some fingers drumming on his biceps as he takes a moment to think it over. He looks back up at LM after nearly a minute. "Monster girl. I could handle the other two not making it, but there's no way I'll let that one slip through."

"Great!" Little Miss claps her hands to mark the end of the interview. At this moment, Joshua feels a little weird and stands up. He looks around, there is no one left in the room. He then wonders why he expects anyone to be there in the first place, it's just a lame simulator to promote stuff he wouldn't be able to buy anyway. When he takes off the helmet, he finds himself in a place he really didn't expect.

"What the..." The camera cuts.

"Well ! This seems to have gone without any problems, what do you think?" Ask the little assistant to the host.

"I think that went very well." Wrynn agrees. "The Big Titty Monster Goth Girlfriend should be quite popular with the audience as well. And you managed to get the right room this time, even."

"Gna gna gna. 'Right room' yourself, next time."

"We've already got a Holstaur and a fox. Maybe a monster mash for this one..." The dragon woman muses.