Now don't you understand that I'm never changing who I am

“What’s up?” Carly asked, plopping down on a chair. She had a guileless smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Rose returned a smile back as she closed the door, though hers was filled ulterior motives.

“You have a lovely room here,” Rose said, running her eyes over the furniture and the weapons that decorated the walls. “I especially like the little river under the floor,” she added, tapping her high heel on the glass.

Carly was still smiling. “You know… somehow I don’t think you wanted to talk about room décor.”

“You’re not wrong,” Rose agreed, walking around her chair and sitting down on the bed. “I’m not all that interested in your room. Other than the fact I’ll be sleeping in it, of course.”

Carly raised her eyebrow. “Well, that’s certainly the case. Welcome, by the way! Feel free to treat this place like home!”

Rose’s lips turned up into a slight smile. “You’re a very admirable girl, Carly. Most people I know wouldn’t extend such kind words to a rival.”

Carly just shrugged. “I’m used to it,” she replied. “After all, there are a lot of people making content like mine, I’m sure you’ll know. LonelyFans has a ton of hot cosplayers. If I was the type of girl who got jealous over other girls’ actions, well… that just wouldn’t do.”

“…So you’re really not playing any angle, then, are you…” Rose was genuinely impressed. She was playing the part of a vixen, plotting to seduce Nick with her feminine wiles. And out of all the girls here, Carly had done by far the most with him. She’d suspected that the other girl’s perky attitude and friendly demeanor were all part of an act to endear herself to everyone.

“Why would I play an angle?” Carly asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“…In order to make people like you,” Rose elaborated. “On a show like this, people tend to like the girls that go all-in on the sexy stuff, seducing the master and getting him to have a good time. So a part of me wondered if this cool friend persona was just that- a persona. Something you did so everyone would like you. But it’s not, is it?”

Carly turned serious. “If you’re asking me whether or not I exaggerate, then I can’t tell you I don’t,” she admitted. “In spite of my attitude, no, I’m not unfazed with the situation we’ve been shoved into. I have my worries, too, you know, like what if I end up getting a really messed up transformation.”

The smile returned to her face. “But it’s not like panicking is going to do any good, right? Keeping my cool and just going with the flow suits me best.”

She leaned back in her chair and flashed a toothy grin. Rose had to admit, the girl had quite a lot of willpower.

“Still… it’s not like it’s going over that well with the audience,” she admitted. “As I’m sure the polls have shown you, I don’t exactly have a ton of fans.”

Rose raised her eyebrow. “Are you talking about the popularity polls?”

Carly nodded. She was clearly feeling a little glum about her placement, but not so much that the smile left her face.

“Personally, I don’t think there’s an issue when it comes to your popularity,” Rose shrugged. “Certainly you aren’t beloved by the audience-”

“Gee, thanks,” Carly cut her off with a sarcastic grin, sticking out her tongue. Rose rolled her eyes.

“…As I was saying, yes, your popularity score could be better,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean people don’t like you.”

Carly perked up at that. “Oh?”

“It might just be that they like the other girls more,” Rose explained. “Think about the transformations you’ve gotten so far. One lets you dress up in all sorts of sexy outfits, and the other gives you the ability to change your hair at will. Those are some pretty beneficial transformations for you, wouldn’t you agree? I mean, compared to some of the things other girls have gotten, like Holly.”

“…Huh. Yeah, I never thought of it that way,” Carly admitted. “But you’re right, my transformations are pretty good.”

“The fact that audience could have done something negative to you but instead chose to give you a reward, I would take that as a sign that they like you quite a bit, in fact,” Rose continued to build up Carly’s positive attitude. “Or at least they don’t dislike you. You’re just not the favorite. But you could work on that, if you tried.”

Carly tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Not the favorite, huh? I guess that I can still work pretty hard on improving my image and endearing myself to the audience. Yeah! I can totally do that! Thanks a lot, Rose, you made me feel a lot better!”

Rose raised her eyebrow. “So are you taking my advice and planning to put on a role for the camera after all?” She inquired.

“Nah. I’m just going to be myself,” Carly grinned. “After all, what’s the point, if they don’t like me for me?”

Rose was surprised to hear such bold words coming from the other girl. Carly had basically just been told that who she was as a person wasn’t quite enough to win over the audience completely, and instead of trying to change anything, she planned to double down on who she was.

“Well, that’s impressive,” she admitted. “But then, I suppose that’s why I feel such kinship with you, Carly. I admire your dauntless willpower. We’re both just trying our best to make it through this fucked up situation.”

“Only you are pretending,” Carly noted. It wasn’t a hostile accusation, just an observation. “You’re an actress, after all.”

“…You’re right about that,” Rose admitted.

“So what’s it going to be?” Carly batted her eyelashes. “Gonna let me have a peak under that mask? I already showed you mine, after all.”

Rose had on a careful expression, as if she was contemplating something. “When you say that, what do you mean?” She asked cautiously.

“I mean I want to know the kind of person you really are,” Carly said. “It’s really not as complicated as you’re trying to make it out to be. We can get along just fine, don’t you think?”

Rose sighed. “Unfortunately… I have a bit of difficulty dropping my guard around other people,” she admitted. “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always been hiding who I am behind one persona or another, playing the role that people expected of me. It’s become a bit of a habit, at this point. It’s gotten to the point where I’m a bit too cautious to reveal my true nature, you see.”

She offered an apologetic smile and a shrug.

Carly appraised her cautiously. “…Is that another disguise you’re wearing?” She asked.

Rose’s only response came in the form of a placid smile.

“Well, I guess that’s the most I can expect out of you,” Carly sighed. “You don’t seem like a bad person, at least.”

“Why thank you!” Rose smiled. “I’m touched. But may I ask what brought on that appraisal from you? I’m afraid most people I meet think I’m a rather rude woman.”

Carly seemed surprised to hear that. “Well, I mean, you definitely give off the atmosphere of a bitch,” she said, not pulling her punches in the slightest. “But I think that deep down you’re probably a pretty good person. You’re trying to have a conversation with me, after all.”

“Well, we will be spending the night together,” Rose reminded her. “It always pays to be diplomatic with one’s roommate.”

“Diplomacy is one thing, but you were totally trying to cheer me up just now!” Carly pointed out. “You were being nice and telling me that the audience doesn’t hate me! Because deep down I know you’re a nice person!”

Rose’s face scrunched up into a scowl. Who did this girl think she was, saying something so baseless?! Rose would show her!

“I was just doing that so you’d feel indebted to me!” She snapped. “That way you might consider making me your buddy instead of Dani. It doesn’t have any deeper meaning than that."

“Nah, I think you’re just lonely.”

Rose flinched, her expression freezing for a moment.

Carly caught onto that immediately and narrowed her eyes, smirking.

“Ah-ha. I knew it!”

“Knew what?” Rose huffed.

“You are lonely!” Carly hopped up from her seat and skipped over to Rose, pulling her into a big hug. “That’s so cute! The sexy seductress who really just wants to make friends! Is that why you play a role? You’re too shy to show people your real self?”

“No! Get off me!” Rose pouted, pulling herself free from Carly’s tight embrace. She hopped off the bed and stormed across the room. “I’m not lonely, I was just making small talk!”

“Right. ‘Cause you’re lonely.”

“I’m not!” Rose sniffed. “The only value in making friends with you girls is so that one of you will like me enough to become my buddy. That’s all. That’s the only reason I was so friendly to you, but it’s clear that was a mistake!”

Carly smirked. “You know what I just heard? ‘I’m really scared that since I’m the new girl, it’s going to be difficult to break into the existing group dynamics and make friends with the others.’ But that’s okay! You’re adorable so everyone’s going to like you, I’m sure!”

“I’m not adorable!” Rose insisted, her cheeks reddening. She was supposed to be the one on the offensive here! She was the sexy seductress, not a girl who got embarrassed when someone accused her of being anxious about making friends!

“You hung out with Mary last night, right? She’s a great girl. I’m sure if you asked nicely she’ll be happy to be your friend!”

“I don’t want friends! This is a competition!” Rose reminded her. “We’re enemies, you know!”

“But we’re all ‘competing’ to please Nick the best, right?” Carly reminded her. “So it’s fine if we get along and be friends, yeah? We could even seduce the master together.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. Certainly that was part of the reason for coming here, she thought that Carly more than anyone else would be open to the idea of a three-way for Nick’s sake. But she certainly hadn’t expected for the other girl to be the one to bring it up!

“You mean, we both have sex with him… at the same time?!” Rose sputtered.

Carly nodded. “Oopp, but we won’t be able to do it this week, sorry. See… I’m really looking forward to having my private time with him, you know?”

Rose was surprised to hear that, given what had transpired on the beach.

“Really?” She inquired. “I didn’t think you’d care about stuff like that.”

“Well, sex is something sacred, right?” Carly said, her face turning pink. She wasn’t embarrassed as much as excited at the prospect of her first time with Nick. “When you have sex with another person and connect with them for the first time, there’s a bond that’s formed. And since I plan to have my first time with Nick on my next night with him… I want it to be special. No one else, just the two of us.”

Rose raised her eyebrow. “You know that it’s likely Nick would have had sex with someone before then, right? Given Dakota’s night comes before yours. Hell, you could go and seduce him tomorrow, don’t you think?”

“That would be nice,” Carly admitted with a grin. “And it would definitely help my points, that’s for sure.”

Rose wasn’t sure she needed much of a boost, given the fact that she was currently in the lead.

“But there’s a proper time and place for everything, I think,” the other girl finished. “Our night together is going to be special. I wouldn’t want to ruin it with some quickie just so I could brag that I got him ‘first’. If Nick wants his first time to be with me, then it won’t matter how long I’ll have to wait. And if he doesn’t… I can’t blame him for that, can I? He has every right to sleep with whoever he wants, just like me.”

She flashed a smile that Rose couldn’t read. Was Carly sad? Happy? Excited? The girl’s grin was a mystery that refused to be solved.

The only thing she knew for sure was that Carly was a lot more mature than she’d given the other girl credit for.

It almost feels like she’s in love with him. Rose had never fallen for anyone before, or even had a crush. But she’d seen enough romances to know the signs and had gotten into the mindset of characters in love before. And the way Carly seemed to be focusing on Nick’s happiness suggested more serious feelings than just a desire to sleep with him.

I suppose there’s a lot more to this woman than I gave her credit for, Rose admitted. “You know, at first I thought you just wanted to sleep with Nick and that was that, but you really care about him a lot, don’t you?”

Carly blinked. “Is that how it appeared?”

Rose nodded. “I’d imagine the audience probably thinks the same. It could be your lack of commitment is why you rank so low.”

Carly shrugged, and laughed ruefully. “Well, there’s no helping that. Like I told Nick, I’m not going to be his one and only, and he’s not going to be mine. At least under normal circumstances, anyway. The harem kind of messes that part up. So I guess I'm kinda **** into committing?”

Rose could see that. Rough.

“But I’m fond of him. I care about him. I want to deepen my connection with him. I can say all that for sure,” Carly said, holding her hand over her heart. She smiled. “I guess that’s one way to share a relationship with someone, even if it's not romance.”

She raised her head and looked Rose in the eye.

“What about you?” She asked quietly. “How do you feel about him?”

Rose flinched, not expecting her own feelings to be put on display here. But she masterfully slid a smile onto her lips. “He’s the master,” she replied. “It’s expected that I be devoted to him, wouldn’t you agree?”

“…Masterfully avoided,” Carly smirked. “I suppose this is all I can expect to get out of you, then.”

“Well, you could at least have a threesome with me before you expect to hear my life’s story,” Rose joked. Carly shared in a laugh with her.

“Well, maybe next week,” she agreed. “Assuming you’re still around, that is.”

Rose’s smile disappeared and a scowl took its place.

“…Don’t give me that look,” Carly said. “I like you, Rose, I really do. You're nice, even if you act mean. But I can’t just abandon Dani for you. She’s my friend, too.”

“She means a lot to you, huh?” Rose asked quietly.

“She’s a nice girl,” Carly nodded. “And she really needs a friend. That's me.”

“You realize she’s attracted to you, right?”

Carly rolled her eyes. “Who isn’t?”

Rose smirked. “Well, if you wanted to improve your reputation with the audience, you know what would go better than a three-way? A four-way.”

Carly barked out a laugh. “Hah! I don’t think we could get enough girls to make Dani comfortable with letting Nick touc her.”

“You never know,” Rose said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Enough about Dani,” Carly said, hopping off the bed and walking over to Rose. She grabbed the other girl by the wrist. “I want to get to know you better.”

“Hah?” Rose had a second to react before she was yanked over to the bed, falling onto the blue sheets with Carly coming down on top of her, pinning her down. The two blondes stared into each other’s eyes, one on top of the other.

Carly smirked.

“For me, getting to know someone means showing them all my favorite anime.”

Rose shivered at the gleam in the other woman’s eye. Thanks to Mary’s fainting spell last night she’d gotten out of having to watch Little House on the Prairie.

Tonight, there would be no such mercy in store for her.

While Carly subjected Rose to all manner of horrid punishments, another girl was plagued with worries of a different kind.

Dawn paced back and forth in her room, thinking about the situation she was stuck in.

She was losing. Badly. And she never lost!

Right now, she was at the bottom of the leaderboard with two measly Victory Points. Not exactly a good start going into the next round.

“This isn’t good enough,” she grumbled. “I’ve got to find some way to get ahead.”

“Are you still pacing?” Gina groaned, sitting up in bed. “It’s hard to get to sleep with you making so much noise!”

Dawn didn’t pay any attention to her buddy. She never did. Gina had been filled with nothing but complaints and worries since her reality had been rewritten out from under her and she’d had two lifetimes of memories smooshed up together in her brain. If Dawn had been curious she might have inquired to see how Gina’s mental state was affected, whether or not she still “felt” like herself, or if those memories were significant enough to turn her into someone who was, fundamentally, a different person.

But it was Gina. The less attention Dawn paid her, the better.

Besides, caring about Gina wouldn’t solve her current problem.

How do I get ahead on the point totals? She asked herself.

The answer to that question was obvious. It had been staring her in the face since practically the moment this little peep show had begun.

Sex.

S.E.X.

Sexity sex sex.

The producers wanted her to please Nick sexually. If she’d somehow been able to ignore that all last week, the challenge the other day had basically smacked her in the face with it. It had to be the sunscreen. That was the reason Dawn had performed so poorly. Whatever was in that gunk, it had made her feel things she’d never felt before, and those feelings weren’t stopping. Her body still had those urges, even though it had been two days and twenty showers since Nick had rubbed that sunscreen into her.

…Fuck. She could still feel his hands caressing her petite proportions.

It was obvious that the universe and Sylvia were conspiring to make her have sex with the master. And it wasn’t even that she was opposed to doing so in principle. After all, while she didn’t have any particularly special feelings for Nick, he had always been at the top of her list of potential suitors, even if that had been by default.

She wouldn’t… mind doing stuff with him. In fact, due to the recent changes in her body and the fact that if she washed her tail the wrong way in the shower she’d squirt all over the place, she actually found herself rather interested in, even excited about having sex.

Only one problem. She hadn’t so much as kissed a boy before, let alone done anything else.

So how was she supposed to do this? She didn’t know the first thing about pleasing a man. She’d gotten a transformation that made her fingers and toes super flexible and good at pleasing people, not to mention her new tongue and the fact that she could now control her tail at will, but just because she had the tools at her disposal, that didn’t mean she knew what to do with them.

What if I mess up? What if I’m… not good? It was unthinkable. Dawn, not excelling at something? She refused to let that happen. When she did sex stuff with Nick for the first time, she was going to rock his world. It simply wouldn’t do to have it any other way.

But her next night with Nick was tomorrow. Not exactly enough time for a crash course in sexual education.

If I’m going to make up the point totals, I absolutely need to ace this next challenge, Dawn decided. Or failing that, buy something from the store that would please him.

The only problem was that her exclusive purchases weren’t very useful.

• 500 BP: Collar of Bliss – Contestant Dawn will receive a special collar with a bell. The bell will ring whenever she’s feeling horny.
• 3000 BP: Coercive Cattail – Contestant Dawn will be given a special cattail. Whenever it is waved in front of someone, that person will be entranced by it, and react like a kitten playing with a toy.
• 8000 BP: Lifetime Membership – Contestant Dawn will be given a lifetime membership to the Harem Hotel Yoga Studio where she can practice her yoga routine, work on improving her flexibility, and keep up her energy with special blended drinks. She may invite up to two other contestants to a session with her. After every yoga session, she and the other contestants she invited will feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and filled with energy, both sexual and regular. (Contestant Dawn may only attend one session every 48 hours; other Contestants may only be invited to one session each round.)

None of these would be very useful to her, unless the cattail also worked on Nick. But she doubted it would. He was the master, after all, so it was unlikely that anything that would make someone subservient would work on him. No, she’d have to find another way to demonstrate her appeal. Which meant using the items on the front page.

If I can’t win him over through sex… there’s still one way I can improve my score, Dawn thought, studying a particular option that Kim had also considered yesterday, before picking a different option.

• 2000 BP: Advanced knowledge of the next challenge (May not be shared with other contestants.)

If I have advanced knowledge of the next challenge, then victory will be assured, Dawn smiled, not hesitating for a second to pick that option. Heck, if she could keep up her popularity, she could buy a hint every challenge! It was foolproof.

Dawn: 4400 BP – 2000 BP = 2400 BP