An issue of trust

Ji-Woo Summers

Ji-Woo trembled in her seat, her heart racing as memories of her earlier terror lingered in her mind. The fragrant steam from her cup of tea filled the air with a calming aroma while soft melodies played through the office speakers. Despite the soothing atmosphere, she remained tense, her senses heightened, and her guard up.

Azure watched her patiently, her face radiating warmth. "Is there anything else I can get you? How about a warm blanket?" Before Ji-Woo could respond, she felt a heated, weighted blanket wrapped around her like a warm hug, exposing one hand to hold her tea.

"Why are you doing this," Ji-Woo asked in a raspy whisper.

"I want to ensure you are okay," Azure replied. "You've been under unbearable stress, and your health is at serious risk. I know you haven't been sleeping either." She leaned forward and took Ji-Woo's hand, moving the tea away. "You deserve some rest."

"I don't have time to rest," Ji-Woo squealed, pulling her hand away. "I have to survive! I have to keep myself from being eliminated! I have to last till tomorrow!" Her panic steadily increased as she listed each task.

Azure shook her head sympathetically. "My dear, haven't you looked at your score? You're safe. You have nothing to worry about." Azure gestured to one of the monitors behind Ji-Woo. The secretary craned her neck to see, to her bewilderment, that she was in third place.

Rather than reassuring her, it only filled her with paranoia and suspicion. "I don't understand."

"You took intuitive action and were rewarded for it," Azure beamed. "You're the only one taking this game seriously. It's so cruel how everyone has treated you like a pariah just for playing the game. To be punished just for using BP as it was intended. No one has given you sympathy despite playing with the biggest handicap. I'm truly appalled by their behavior."

"You're trying to trick me," Ji-Woo quivered. "You don't care about us."

"Your lack of trust is justified, especially since no one has given you any of theirs." Azure leaned back into her chair. "It is true. I'm not your friend. But understand, my priority is the show. And seeing someone suffer under a handicap for so long is just painful, especially when that someone has shown the greatest ambition."

Azure chuckled. "If it weren't for everyone working against you, you'd be beating Sophia right now."

Ji-Woo shifted uneasily in her seat, her brow furrowing with uncertainty. A whirlwind of emotions churned within her, caught between distrust of Azure and a deep, yearning need for the first genuine, sympathetic words she had encountered in days.

"What do you want?"

"Like I said, I want you to rest," Azure assured her.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT," Ji-Woo shouted, in no mood for games.

"Eager are we? Very well," Azure sighed. She got to her feet and walked over to Ji-Woo, leaning down to whisper, "Secret Agenda."

"What?"

Azure leaned back. "Secret Agenda. It's a gameplay mechanic designed for the midgame. At some point, when I judge a contestant as worthy of the responsibility, I am permitted to offer them a secret objective that can lead to great rewards. One that comes with a certain benefit, a 'cheat item,' to help them succeed."

She gently rested her hand on Ji-Woo's shoulder, the warmth of her touch conveying a sense of reassurance. With a sincere smile, she leaned in slightly. "I want to assist you."

Sophia Maoulin

Sophia stood before the mirror, tears streaming down her face, feeling utterly betrayed. After a lifetime of searching, she let herself believe she had finally found her purpose in life among a new family of fellow slaves. For once in her life, the world had made sense.

She had envisioned that her confession to Levi would be the pinnacle of her time on earth—a moment where everything would make sense for both of them. Instead, he had rejected her revelations and accused her of being out of her mind.

He had no idea how much that hurt her. As someone on the spectrum, she had spent a lifetime hearing people say that her way of thinking was wrong or that she didn’t know better. However, she never expected to hear that from her master.

'I was ready to be abused by my master. It's his right to **** us. But I never expected... never expected...'

Sophia blinked away her tears in confusion. Her self-inflicted mind control expired, freeing her thoughts.

Dread settled in her stomach as memories came rushing back. She remembered how Azure threatened her, forcing her to alter her own memory.

A rising sense of panic began to take hold. Levi had seen right through her. Of course he did; how could she have been so stupid to think he wouldn't? Even worse, she had escalated the situation with Ji-Woo to a much more dangerous level.

She began to tremble as she thought of Azure. Surely, the host had seen her performance. Would she deem her a failure and make good on her threats? Or would she be satisfied by Sophia inadvertently reigniting Levi's hatred? Sophia felt a pang of guilt for hoping for the latter.

She looked around the bathroom in a panic, her hair and fur standing on end, claws out. The girl half expected Azure to strike from the shadows and rip out her soul once more. However, as she searched and found nothing amiss, the tension in her shoulders began to ease. Finally, she took a slow, deep breath, allowing herself to gradually relax as the weight of fear lifted.

'It's fine. Right now, you're fine. Just take this one step at a time,' Sophia thought, recalling her parent's advice. Slowly, she walked to the bathroom door and opened it.

"Hello," Alison said, waiting for her on the other side.

Sophia let out a piercing shriek as fear, and she tumbled backward, landing with a thud on the bathroom floor. Despite the seriousness of the situation, her anime TF took the liberty of giving Alison a panty shot.

'Oh god! Azure sent Alison to punish me!' Sophia thought, trembling on the floor.

Alison just looked down at the catgirl. "Do you need assistance?" she asked in her usual monotone.

"I... I..." Sophia muttered, her brain trying to process how to escape and failing. 'It's all over! I should have thought of a more believable story! How could I have been so stupid?'

Alison narrowed her eyes and reached forward. Sophia instinctively raised her hands to shield herself, only to feel Alison take her hands and help her up and out of the hall.

"Are you unharmed?" Alison asked, making disturbingly unbroken eye contact.

"Uh, I... yes," Sophia mumbled, barely able to stop herself from fleeing in the other direction. 'What's going on? Why is she asking? Is this Azure's way of toying with me?'

Alison tilted her head, eyes still locked. "You appear nervous. Is something troubling you?"

"NO!" Sophia screamed, utterly unconvincing. She cleared her throat. "No, nothing wrong."

"Are you sure?" Alison asked, stepping forward into Sophia's personal space. "Are you having any issues with the staff?"

"W-What?" Sophia stammered, her voice quivering with anxiety as she took a cautious step back. 'What's Azure planning? Is she sending Alison to test me?'

Sophia's eyes darted around the empty hallway, looking in each direction that invisible cameras could be watching: the unseen eyes of Azure.

Watching Sophia, Alison realized her paranoia. "By coincidence, an unexplained outage is localized to this hallway," she informed her. “It is quite inconvenient, but neither the audience nor hosts can see or hear us right now."

Sophia's brain was working overtime, thoughts moving faster than she could process. 'Wait, was Alison not sent by Azure? Does she not know about Azure's threat? But why would she want me to talk about it? Can she even do anything? Isn't she Azure's minion?'

Alison took several steps forward, backing the scared Sophia against a wall until her piercing blue eyes were a mere inch from the catgirl's green. "In any case, if there were a problem, I would need you to say it."

Sophia could sworn she heard the smallest hint of emotion in Alison's statement—the pleading use of the word "need."

'Is... is Alison trying to help me? But she's never tried to help any of us before. Wait, was Azure going rouge when she cornered me? Can Alison get her in trouble if what Azure did came out?'

"I... the thing is..." Sophia began. However, at that moment, the memory of Azure gripping her soul came flooding back, accompanied by her terrifying words:

'You're never, EVER, going to mention this conversation happened!'

Sophia gulped. 'What if this is Azure's test, and she'll destroy me if I fail? But Alison said she can't see us. But that could be a lie. Can I really take that risk?'

"The truth is," she managed to say, but her fear of Azure intensified as her imagination manifested an image of Azure in her mind's eye: a monstrous hag wreathed in flames, mouth twisted into a nightmare of fangs, reaching out to claim her soul.

After a long moment, Sophia bowed her head. "N-nothings wrong," she assured Alison.

The maid did not move or speak for nearly 30 seconds, simply staring at Sophia, who was increasingly sweating. Finally, she turned her back on her. "Very well, please enjoy the rest of your day."

"Th-thanks," Sophia stuttered, turning down the hall and speed-walking away.

Alison narrowed her eyes as she watched the girl leave. "The burden of proof is quite irksome."

Alison prepared to teleport, but she stopped when she heard a call after her. Sophia had turned on her feet and was coming back.

Olivia Booker

Olivia paced in her room, anxiously striking her palm. For the hundredth time, she brought up the memory of topless Tomoko to find, to her triumph, that she could do so without feeling arousal.

"I knew it! I knew I could beat this thing!" Olivia exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. "You hear that Azure? My will is stronger than your mind control, bitch!"

It had taken her tremendous mental effort to do so, but she had managed to disconnect the eroticism from the memory. After experiencing nonstop failures over the days, the woman finally achieved victory, which tasted utterly delicious.

"Tomoko has no sway over me," she said softly to herself.

'Prove it,' a competitive voice challenged in the back of her head. 'See her and prove you're immune.'

"Fine, I will!" Olivia responded to the mental dare with an uncharacteristic lack of resistance. 'Maybe she'll be changing when I get there,' a hopeful thought sounded. 'Which will prove I'm unaffected by her,' she hastily added.

She marched out of her room and traveled the short distance to Tomoko and Ji-Woo's. Then, without knocking, she threw open the door.

Tomoko was not, in fact, changing. Instead, she sat on her bed with a large sketchbook on her lap, switching out a thicker pencil for a thinner one.

Olivia felt her heart flutter as Tomoko looked up and made eye contact. Her face was the perfect blend of cute and sexy, naughtiness and innocence. Olivia could feel herself blush.

"FUCK!" Olivia shouted, slapping herself across the face.

"Woah! What are ya doing?" Tomoko asked in alarm, closing her sketchbook and putting it aside.

"Don't talk to me!" Olivia screamed as if her adorable voice was lethal.

"I'm sorry, but what's happening?" Tomoko asked, in confused alarm.

Olivia stomped her foot. "Fuck you! You know exactly what you're doing!"

"I do?"

"Of course you are!" Olivia pointed accusingly at the Asian's cleavage. "Dressing like that when you know how it affects people."

Tomoko couldn't help but chuckle. "Ya sound like my mom when I was teenager."

"That's not..." Olivia shook her head. "You know you have that curse that makes women find you attractive. Is that why you only started talking to me when I ran out of options to regain my muscles? Because you knew I'd have **** but to sleep with you?"

Tomoko was utterly lost. "Seriously? Even if I wanted to... whatever you're talkin' about... do you think I'm that smart? I don't freaking plan."

Olivia looked away in disdain. "Being a dumbass is no excuse! You should think about how you're hurting others."

Tomoko threw up her hands. "I was drawing by myself before ya barged in and started screaming! I wasn't hurting nobody."

"Fuck you, of course you are!" Olivia countered. "You're trying to make me a lesbian! You're turning me into a freak!"

Tomoko's eyes widened in disbelief, the surprise swiftly giving way to a fierce glare that ignited her anger. "The fuck does that supposed to mean?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Oliva swiftly backtracked. "That... I... I'm not a homophobe! That's not what I meant!"

Tomoko sneered. "Then what did it mean, huh?"

Olivia crossed her arms. "Fuck you! It's none of your business!"

Tomoko threw a pillow. "It is if you're gonna keep bursting in and yelling at me!"

Olivia caught the pillow and chucked it to the ground. "You're an idiot! You wouldn't understand!"

"Try me!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"Why are you acting this way?"

"That's none of your..."

"Just talk to me," Tomoko pleaded, reaching out to her. She grabbed Olivia's wrist, her fingers soft and cool against Olivia's skin. The brunette felt a wave of attraction wash over her from the point of contact, making her realize how good Tomoko's touch felt, making her want to lean in and embrace Tomoko in her...

"AAAHHHGG!" In a moment of intense fury, Olivia pulled her hand away before delivering a ninja chop to Tomoko's shoulder. The two women heard a loud crack as it dislocated.

Injured Contestant (Minor): -4 VP

Tomoko cried out in anguish as she collapsed to the ground. The fierce blaze of Olivia's rage swiftly extinguished. Horror washed over her as she realized what she had done.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” Panic laced her voice as she leaned down, her heart racing and stomach twisted in guilt. "I'm sorry. I can fix it!"

Tomoko remained still, whimpering loudly, as Olivia grasped her arm firmly. Using her experience as an MMA fighter, she pulled with ninja precision, and a loud crack signaled Tomoko's shoulder shifting back into place. Tomoko let out a cry, but she stopped when she realized the pain was gone. She looked up at Olivia, who was furious with herself.

"I'm sorry. I just got so mad, and you remind me of what my dad said, and..." Olivia shook her head, "No, that's no excuse. I'm sorry." She leaned her face towards Tomoko. "Here, you can hit me back. Several times if you want."

Tomoko rolled her shoulders, still surprised to feel everything back in place. "Nah, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean don't worry? I nearly broke your arm. Aren't you mad?"

Tomoko shrugged. "A little. But you fixed it, so it's no big deal." She got to her feet. "But what about you? Are you still angry? You said somethin' about your dad."

"That's none of your..." Olivia began before stopping herself. She couldn't justify keeping it from Tomoko after she just hurt her over it. "Fine, I'll tell you. It's a stupid reason, though."

Tomoko sat on her bed. "You don't have to if ya don't want."

"It's not a big deal," Olivia lied. "It's just; my dad's a bigoted asshole—the kind of person who views submissiveness as a virtue in women and cruelty as one for men. It's no wonder mom left him for another guy."

She clenched her fist. "He became obsessed with making sure we followed his bullshit gender roles. If we deviated an inch from then, he insisted we were gay, threatening to disown us or worse. Finally, he did. It was the happiest day of my life."

"That's why you're upset?" Tomoko asked sadly. "Like, that's it?"

"What, is that not good enough?" Olivia snapped, totally misreading Tomoko's tone.

"Huh? That's not what I was saying," Tomoko insisted. But Olivia's temper began to rise again, mixing with her anger at thinking about her father.

"What would you know about it? Do you even understand what it feels like to have a father who despises you? Who sees you as nothing but your gender and calls you a freak for any deviation? No, you don't! So don't lecture me about my reasons being good enough!"

Olivia gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly, as she glanced angrily at Tomoko, who remained motionless and quiet. Finally, amidst the thin tension between them, Tomoko spoke softly.

"My parents tried to send me to a conversion camp."

This utterly removed the wind from Olivia's sails.

Sophia Maoulin

"Do you have something to tell me after all?" Alison asked, as Sophia returned to her.

The girl looked away. "No, that's not it. I just have a question."

"Ask it," Alison replied, far quicker than usual.

"How do souls work?" Sophia asked.

A long pause followed, the usually unflappable Alison thrown off guard by the complete pivot in topic. "Why?"

Sophia nearly blurted out her experience of being reduced to a soul, disregarding all the caution she had exhibited, before stopping herself. Instead, she gave an alternate explanation: "I never believed they were a thing before, but I also never believed in magic. But since I now know the latter is real, I'm curious about the former."

Alison's familiar disinterest began to show itself. "Yes, souls are real. Is that all you wanted to know?"

"No, I had another question about them," Sophia explained. "What are souls exactly? Do they have thoughts? Are they separate from the brain?"

"Those are several questions," Alison pointed out. "They are also totally irrelevant to your role as a contestant."

Sophia gripped her arm. "Oh, sorry. Are you not allowed to talk about them?"

"I'll answer one question," Alison offered.

"Oh, okay." Sophia tried her best to think of a way to cover what she really wanted to know. After a deep breath, she asked it. "My question is about the souls existence of the self. If you were to move a soul from one person to something without one, would the original consciousness travel with it? Or would it be a separate entity, with the old consciousness left behind?"

Alison's mouth hung open slightly, the closest she had ever been to being stunned. Finally, she answered, "If the new body truly had no soul of its own, then the consciousness and mind would persist throughout the transfer."

Excitement surged within Sophia, the panic she felt moments ago fading quickly. So enthusiastic was she that she accidentally dropped all pretense of hiding her intentions. "And when Azure eliminates someone and takes over her brain, does she leave the soul intact?"

"I told you I'd answer only one," Alison reminded her. "And regardless, the premise of your question is flawed."

Sophia raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You asked about when Azure 'takes over their brain.' But Azure does not mind control eliminated contestants."

"Huh?" Sophia asked, scratching her head in confusion. "Of course she does. I've seen Jezebel and Lauren-Two. Azure entirely rewrote their minds."

"No, elimination only takes over the body," Alison informs her. "It controls all movements, including speech, making a person act as if they were someone else. However, the mind and soul remain untouched and aware."

Sophia's blood turned to ice. "Aware?" she repeated. "That... that can't be."

Alison tilted her head. "I assumed you already knew. Azure explicitly called it 'Free Will Deletion,' after all."

Sophia fell to her knees as the ramifications of this information grew more horrifying the more she thought about it.

Alison looked away. "I am needed elsewhere," she announced before vanishing.

Alone, Sophia hugged her knees. 'Katelyn. Oh god!'

Ji-Woo Summers

Azure gently massaged Ji-Woo's shoulders from behind. "So tell me, what will it be? Are you interested?" she asked. "I wouldn't even be asking if you hadn't already proven you can do it."

"This Secret Agenda. What happens if I fail?" Ji-Woo asked nervously. "Will I be eliminated?"

"No, of course not," Azure giggled as if the idea of such easy elimination was ridiculous. "You won't even lose points. All that will happen is you will receive a Nasty transformation at the show's end, should your agenda go unfulfilled."

Ji-Woo shuddered, remembering how horrifying the nasty options were in the last vote. "And if I succeed, what happens?"

"You'll get 25 VP," Azure answered.

Ji-Woo couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. "That's all?"

Azure shook her head. "Of course not. In addition to the aforementioned cheat item for simply taking on the agenda, your success will also be rewarded with knowledge."

"Knowledge?" Ji-Woo repeated.

"Yes. In exchange for completing your agenda, you'll be given the answer to the question that's haunted you your entire life." Azure leaned in and whispered. "The whereabouts of your parents."

Ji-Woo gasped, leaping to her feet and letting the blank fall off her. "What? They're alive?"

"They may be and may not be," Azure teased. "I'm offering to answer that mystery for you finally. If they’re gone, you’ll at least have closure. But, if they are alive, I will give you the information to save them."

"You... you... I don't..." Ji-Woo fell to her knees, the whirlwind of emotion too much for her fragile mental state.

Azure sat on the ground beneath her, pulling her into a hug. "Yes, I know how much the uncertainty has tormented you. The guilt at knowing how much they sacrificed to get you out of North Korea while they stayed behind." She ran her fingers affectionately through Ji-Woo's hair. "I'm offering you the explanation you've sought for so long."

Ji-Woo opened her mouth but mumbled inaudibly.

"What was that dear?" Azure asked, stroking her palm beneath Ji-Woos chin and bringing it up to face her.

Ji-Woo wrapped her arms around Azure, reciprocating the others embrace. "What do you need me to do?"