The Second Pitch

5 months (non-linear time) before the show

It had been four weeks since Azure stormed into the office of a HR representative and angrily demanded to know why her season had been rejected. Since then, she had secluded herself in her office, obsessively reworking her pitch document to the point that some had wondered if she had given up.

It was an unwelcome surprise for Walter when he walked to the parking lot after a long day of work and found Azure waiting for him. She insisted that he review her new pitch. Although he offered to read it over the weekend, the redhead insisted that he read all three hundred and eight pages right then and there, in front of her.

Three hours later, he found himself at a diner, having finished two coffees while Azure glared at him the entire time.

"Well, this is certainly different," Walter admitted, placing the binder down as he finally finished.

"What do you expect after the studio rejected my masterpiece?" Azure snapped, a remark that made Walter realize his last few hours were not going to be appreciated.

"I expected you just to edit your old idea. You know, drop some contestants."

"Which would have ruined the entire dynamic," Azure laughed bitterly. "The concept was perfectly balanced around twelve."

"Your proposal had an even split between real and fictional contestants. Couldn't you have just picked one side and saved the other for a different season?"

"The theme of the season was about weaving and contrasting the ideas of fictional and real relationships, and how the two can be blurred," Azure explained, smugly. "Every fictional character had a real-world foil. Her cousin contrasted with Raven. Her D&D character with her roommate Kate, etc." She crossed her arms. "If it isn't going to be done correctly, it's better not to do it at all."

"But you had some good ideas," he argued. "Aside from the castle, you basically threw everything out. Not to mention the total change in tone. The last version only got dark with the twist at the end, but this one stays that way throughout."

"Good. There aren't enough dark seasons lately," Azure smirked.

Walter paged through the binder again. "I also see you recast your old master as a contestant."

"So?" Azure asked.

"I'm just surprised. I mean, weren't you bragging about how progressive your last pitch was for having a female aspie?"

"Well, the Producers clearly didn't think so," Azure seethed. "Besides, it turns out I was wrong anyway. A couple of mistresses were just undiagnosed. Sophia Maoulin works better as a contestant anyway."

"Does she really, though?" Walter asked skeptically. "I mean, doesn't she kind of go against the theme?"

"Of course not! Didn't you read the bio? Her Pokémon fanfic made him cry!" Azure insisted. "Besides, she fills the function of the nerd archetype we're lacking."

"But isn't your season about payback?" he asked, closing the binder and pointing to the title. "I mean, this kid's had a ton of bullies. Surely one of those would be more fitting."

Azure let out a long groan. "I already have two bully archetypes. How redundant do you want me to be? Idiot!"

Walter looked away. "Why are you asking for feedback if you're going to yell at everything I say?"

"I asked you for advice on the grammar and layout," Azure reminded him. "You're not an artist, so stay in your lane."

"Alright, you want layout advice?" Walter replied. "How about this?" He flipped through the pages until he found the one he wanted. "You only have a single page for this John Booker guy."

"There's not much to say. Is that a crime?"

"Well, no," Walter assured her. "It's just a little odd considering you wrote a dozen pages for everyone else."

Azure shrugged. "He's not a complicated person."

"Well, sure, but you said in his bio that he's currently the most abusive person in Levi's life," Walter argued, pointing to the passage. "It's just odd to throw that out there without elaborating. I mean, you wrote more about his sister than him."

Azure rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, she'll be his replacement after all."

"What do you mean, 'will be?'" Walter asked, furrowing his brow.

"Well, more like a 99% chance she'll replace him," Azure corrected. "I've analyzed his psych profile. There's no way he's getting past the first day without elimination."

"And you're okay with that?" Walter asked.

Azure nodded. "Yes. Having a sacrificial lion at the start is a great way to set the stakes, like that Amelia chick in Leah's season."

Walter leaned back. "Fair enough. I was just wondering if it was a waste for someone so important to the master's life."

Azure shot him a **** glare, pissed that he was stepping into her creative domain again. "It's true, he is important. I cannot have a payback season without including him. But he's also a man."

"So?"

"You've seen how the audience reacts to the token male," Azure explained. "Even when he inevitably gets gender bent, a certain subset of the audience will reject the premise."

"Didn't your original pitch have multiple men?" Walter asked.

Azure ignored this. "Having him eliminated and bringing in his sister is the best way to acknowledge the impact he's had on Levi, while also giving the audience a muscle waifu to whack off to."

Azure pointed at Olivia Booker's profile before continuing. "Besides, she's just as responsible for how John treated him. If she hadn't spent so much time emasculating her brother, he wouldn't have lashed out at people like Levi. Hell, John wouldn't have even been born if Olivia hadn't been an accident."

"Alright, but what about..." Walter began, but Azure slammed her palm on the table, cutting him off.

"That's enough. The Booker matter is settled," Azure snarled. "Either give me some actually useful feedback, or drop it."

Walter was starting to suspect that Azure's definition of 'feedback' meant 'unconditional praise.' Given the look she was giving him, he felt compelled to provide it for his own safety.

"Uh, the Peterson twins look promising," he offered. "And Ji-Woo is a perfect pick."

"Of course. I wouldn't have chosen them if it wasn't," Azure stated smugly.

"I have a question about this Tomoko lady," he said. "I see her great-great-great-great-grandmother was a contestant. Is that why you chose her?"

Azure shook her head. "No, that was just a coincidence. It's actually not that uncommon, given how many offspring masters typically have." She raised a finger and continued, "Plus, we're looking at six generations back. You can trace about 20% of the population to a Harem Hotel if you go back far enough." She scratched her arm. "In fact, at least one of my replacements can be linked back to one as well."

"Fair enough," Walter concluded. "I forget how long we've been around sometimes."

"Though considering how much bigger Tomoko's chest is than her family's, it's safe to say that whatever enhancements her ancestor received skipped a few generations," Azure joked.

"I had one more question," Walter added, glad that his brownnosing had gotten Azure off his back. "I noticed you're only requesting one staff member."

"I like to keep a small team, and I already have an editor," Azure justified.

"Right, but you requested Alison?"

"And?"

"Well, it's just, you know, she can't be controlled like the other thralls the studio offers, right? I just assumed you wouldn't be interested in someone like that, considering you're a bit of a... " Walter resisted saying 'control freak' and instead chose "...perfectionist."

"Alison will attract a specific demographic," Azure explained. "She was an assistant on some of my favorite seasons."

"You're not at all worried she won't follow your orders?"

Azure shook her head. "She's a professional who's been here longer than anyone. I'm confident she'll understand my vision." She leaned back, beaming. "'I'm looking forward to working with her."

Olivia Booker

"Let's go over this one more time," Olivia sighed.

"Okay," Tomoko nodded. "I gotta have sex with you to make ya turn back to normal."

Olivia nodded, blushing at the mental image. "That's right. Specifically, I have to make you climax. And it has to be real sex, since I already learned handjobs don't count." She took a deep breath. "Normally I wouldn't be into this, of course, but you're... condition... makes it different."

"Right, it's all mind control, so you're still straight," Tomoko replied, though feeling awkward with Olivia's insistence on her stating this.

"Yes, I am," Olivia agreed, though her degree was lessened somewhat by the mental image of naked Tomoko on top of her that was dominating her mind.

"Okay, so, where do you want to do this?" Tomoko asked, looking around the empty hallway. "The locker room?"

"And have someone walk in? No way!" Olivia declared. "There's a room I used to use for training. We'll go there."

"Sure," Tomoko shrugged.

Levi Summers

Levi and Sophia carefully lifted the sleeping Elena and gently placed her in the large bed. The two had brought the princess to Levi's tower after Azure **** her to activate Nora's invention, which caused her to fall ****. Despite originally planning to carry her, the two nerds quickly realized five minutes in that they lacked the strength to do so, until Alison had provided them a cart.

Everything had gone smoothly until they arrived at the tower and were reminded of the many stairs it had. It was only when Levi discovered that his tower had an elevator—which he had overlooked—that they managed to get her to Levi’s bedroom. This made Sophia recall the flight of stairs she had climbed in heels during their date, though she did not mention it.

Finally making it, they tucked her into Levi's cozy bed, surrounded by soft blankets and fluffy pillows. The girl was sweating, her body still reeling from the stimulation she had experienced. A disturbed expression was on her face, clearly indicative of a nightmare.

"Azure's getting more unhinged," Levi observed.

"Yeah, she is," Sophia shuddered, remembering Azure pulling out her soul. "And we're not even a week in."

"You think this is typical for this show?" he asked.

"I don't know. They started selling DVDs of other seasons, but I don't know if seeing them would do any good." Sophia began to speak faster, the usual sign of her going down a rabbit hole. "I mean, they could help us think of inspiration or open up some strategic options, but I also doubt Azure would give us anything that would help undermine her." She began pacing. "I'd say no harm in checking, but it also costs forty-four BP, and I need to save that in order to..."

Sophia stopped, realizing she was about to go into details regarding her plans for Katelyn.

"In order to what?" Levi asked, curious. Sophia merely clenched her mouth, looking around nervously. 'There's no way Azure isn't watching us right now,' she thought.

Levi noticed that Sophia appeared uncomfortable, so he chose not to ask her for more information. As he continued to watch her, he couldn't help but think about how cute she was. Being alone with her made him realize that this was the first time they had been together since she had chastised him for his crashout with Ji-Woo.

This fact made a knot of anxiety build up in his stomach. She hadn't said anything about Ji-Woo yet. Surely she knew that he had slept with her by now. Would she judge him? Was she waiting for him to bring it up?

Little did he know that Sophia equally dreaded a potential conversation about Ji-Woo. Azure had threatened her very soul regarding how she spoke to Levi about the Korean woman. Any slip-up, and she was doomed.

"So, uh, uh..." Levi stumbled, trying to think of a safe topic of conversation.

"So, the mini-challenge is coming up!" Sophia blurted out, trying to preemptively shift the subject to the first thing she could think of. "Think it will be fun?"

The moment the words escaped her mouth, she wanted to slap her face. The last challenge had **** Levi to defile all of them and brutally eliminate Katelyn. 'Why the hell would I say that?'

"Oh, that," Levi sighed. "I'm glad there aren't any points at stake," he admitted.

"Yeah, good point," Sophia nodded. "Uh, speaking of, I should probably go prep for that."

"Oh, good idea," Levi agreed, though Sophia had already turned her back on him and rushed down the stairs. The haste of her exit was not lost on him, as he could clearly see that she was avoiding him.

'She must be disgusted with me,' he thought. He considered just letting her go, but the anxiety of not knowing what she thought of him was too much. "Hold on, don't leave!" he called, running after her.

Sophia, hearing him on the floor below, stopped before her tattoo could shock her.

"Is everything okay?" Levi asked, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "I know... I know we uh... talked yesterday..."

'No! Please don't ask me about her!' Sophia panicked.

"And then... you said some weird stuff, and I thought... thought you might have been mind controlled..."

'I mind-controlled myself!' Sophia desperately wanted to communicate. 'I did it because I suck at lying. Please don't make me lie!'

"Is everything okay with you?"

'Azure is threatening me!' Sophia thought as loudly as she could, wishing beyond anything that she had telepathy. 'She'll eliminate me if I say the wrong thing about Ji-Woo'

"Please, I can tell something's wrong. Is it about Ji..."

"TOMOKO!" Sophia blurted before Levi could finish the name.

"Huh?"

Sophia gulped. "I'm sorry, I was feeling self-conscious about you and Tomoko." She found that these words spilled out effortlessly, none of them being a lie. "It's just... seeing her this morning and how much you must have enjoyed it..." she trailed off.

Levi blushed deeply, all thoughts of Ji-Woo exiting his mind. "Oh. I mean... you're just as pretty as she is."

Sophia laughed. "That's really nice of you to say, Master. But I know that's not true. Like on a mathematical level. "

"Well, I mean..." Levi started, but Sophia held up her hand to stop him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine. I'm not jealous, I swear. Like, on a pure, objective sexiness level, I can't compete with that."

"I.. well..." Levi stumbled. "Okay, I admit she's hot. Like really hot. But that doesn't mean I like her more than you."

"You don't need to hold yourself back for me," Sophia smiled sadly. "I mean, it's a dating show. And it sounds like we're all going to be sharing you, whether we want to or not." She backtracked. "Er, not that I don't want to."

Sophia began playing with her tail. "I just mean, I don't want to chain you down. I don't want you to be locked to my visual novel route just because you picked me first. You're fine try other save files."

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about," Levi admitted.

Sophia laughed. "Sorry, I just meant, I know the only thing I did to make you into me was to approach you first."

"That's not true," Levi countered. "That night with you was one of the best nights of my life."

"You mean the sex? You only think so because it was your first time," Sophia pointed out. "Now that you did it with Tomoko, there's no way I can ever live up to it." As she spoke, Sophia's face turned red, having not meant to say that last part.

"Wait, is this what this is about?" Levi asked, chuckling a bit despite himself. "Sophia, I like you for who you are, not because of that."

"You... I... you only say that because Azure made me just a little attractive. Before she transformed me, I was flat and short and boring. Hell, people thought I was still in Middle Sc..."

"Sophia, please! I don't care about that. I mean, okay sure... I like how Tomoko looks. And I admit she was... is... amazing in bed. And yeah, I like her a lot. But I also love you."

Master Admits Love: +6 VP

Mod: Said Prior, Though Contestant Wasn't Present. -3 VP

Sophia tried to talk, but all that came out was silence. Tears formed down her face as she smiled. 'He's surrounded by hotties. Why? Why is he so fixated on a weirdo like me?'

"You're... really nice..." Sophia whispered. "I just mean... You don't have to JUST love me. In fact, for everyone's sake, you shouldn't. The others need your love, too."

Encouraged Master to Sleep Around: +3 VP

Levi went through a surge of different emotions at the thought of loving the other contestants. Some felt natural, while others seemed borderline impossible.

Elena was his friend, and throughout their childhood, he had never really considered the fact that she was a girl. Olivia scared him, as every interaction he had with her had ended with her yelling. Tomoko was the sexiest person Levi knew, and feelings of lust dominated any thoughts he had about her. As for Mrs. Wolf, he couldn't separate her from the teacher she was, especially considering they had only spoken once since she arrived. And of course, Lauren and Ji-Woo were obviously impossible to even think about.

Levi cleared his throat, realizing he had been silent with his thoughts for an awkwardly long time. "Right. Of course." He then grinned. "But even so, if you want to get back in first place... maybe the two of us could... you know."

Sophia's face felt incredibly hot, as if she could fry an egg on her cheeks. "I... I think I should get ready for the challenge first," she said, laughing. "If I keep this up, my brain will turn to jelly!"

Refused Sex With Master: -4 VP

"Oh, right," Levi conceded.

"Yeah, I think I should stim to de-stimulate," she said to herself, before looking up hopefully. "But maybe after?"

Levi smiled back. "It's a date."

Promised Future Sex With Master: +2 VP

Olivia Booker

"Okay, now what?" Tomoko asked, glancing around the cozy room where Olivia had led her. The space was small but inviting, featuring a large window that framed a view of the courtyard and the forest below.

"I don't know. I've never done this before," Olivia replied, moving to draw the curtains, muting the sunlight within the room. "How do you people usually do this?"

Tomoko didn't entirely appreciate the term 'you people,' but let it slide. "I mean, it doesn't have to be that different from straight stuff. Have you ever been fingered before? Or eaten out?"

Olivia clenched her hands. "Of course."

"Okay, we'll try that then," Tomoko offered. "Start with something you know."

"F-fine," Olivia stammered. "Let me, just strip down first."

Tomoko nodded and began pulling up her top. Olivia immediately turned her back on her, embarrassed. This was a new sensation for her, as she commonly stripped in changing rooms without issue. But everything was different with Tomoko there.

"Could you please change in the other room?" Olivia asked, a slight hint of anxiety creeping into her usually commanding voice.

Tomoko, in her bra, scratched her head. "Why? We're going to see each other in a sec anyway."

"JUST DO IT!" Olivia roared, still not looking at her.

Tomoko shrugged, and walked behind a door, separating herself from Olivia.

On her own, the blonde let out a deep breath to steady her nerves. She reached for the bottom of her strained shirt to remove it, but faced challenges as her impressive bosom locked her top in place. The fabric clung tightly to her giant mounds, resisting her efforts. With an annoyed grunt, she continued to pull, the fabric making it over the mounds inch by inch, until they finally passed. Her naked boobs sprang free, jiggling from their released confinement.

“Damn,” Olivia cursed as she dropped her top to the ground. After that, she struggled to remove her sweatpants, which were stretched to their limit by the curves of her hips. Soon, they too were dropped into the pile of vanquished garments. Compared to those two, her panties came off relatively easily, which were so deeply embedded into her butt that they resembled a g-string.

Olivia stood completely nude, frozen in place as she struggled against the instinct to cover her body. She knew that Tomoko was likely finished by now. All she needed to do was call her, but it felt like she was rooted to the spot. It seemed that once she made that call, she would be crossing a point of no return.

"Okay... I'm ready..." Olivia called out, taking all of her willpower to do so. The act of doing so caused her to be hit by another wave of unfamiliar self-consciousness, and she preemptively covered her crotch.

“Coming,” Tomoko called back, her voice echoing softly in the hallway. The seconds seemed to drag on for an eternity as Olivia anticipated Tomoko, yet it still wasn’t enough to prepare her for how stunning she would look.

The elegant Japanese beauty gracefully entered the room, her naked presence commanding attention as she struck a pose in the doorway, unable to resist. Olivia felt her breath catch in her throat, nearly overwhelmed by the sight before her.

'Jesus Christ!'

Levi Summers

Levi climbed the staircase slowly after saying goodbye to Sophia, the lingering feelings of their conversation still fresh in his mind. He exhaled deeply as he made his way toward his room to check on Elena. Upon reaching the kitchen, however, he paused. There, standing with her usual manquinn-esque stillness, was Alison.

"What do you want?" Levi snapped.

"Mistress Azure sent me to tell you that Ms. Booker and Nakaya are about to have sex," she informed him.

Levi blinked several times. "Oh."

Alison gave a single nod. "Azure would tell you herself, but she wishes to watch the two from her office."

Levi looked away. "Why tell me this?"

"Azure simply wished to remind you that you can watch contestants from your theater," Alison explained.

"You want me to peak on them... uh... doing it?"

"You are free to utilize this information as you see fit," Alison clarified. "Azure simply wants you to make a decision soon, as it will impact the scoring process.."

"What do you mean?" Levi asked.

"Points are primarily used to reward contestants for pleasing you exclusively. However, due to the popularity of inter-contestant relationships among viewers, points may also be allocated for actions that occur without you." She narrowed her eyes. "However, such acts are scored differently."

Levi rubbed the back of his head. "Different? In what ways?"

"Each season has its own methodology," Alison explained. "In Azure's case, she has put fewer rewards and modifications up for grabs for such acts, as well as an automatic one-third reduction. This is to ensure you remain the central focus of these women's lives."

"Oh, I see," Levi nodded, a little surprised by how much sense this was making to him.

"However, if you were to watch them, it would recategorize it as an act for yourself. Hence, using the regular system," Alison concluded.

"You're saying they will get more points if I spy on them?" Levi scoffed.

"Yes, particularly if it successfully stimulates you to completion."

Levi shook his head. "Why are you talking to me?"

"I told you. Because Azure..."

"You always complain about Azure," Levi interrupted. "Aside from that, you barely talk to anyone but me, and when you do, you go on these long monologues." He walked over to her, and the maid didn't react at all. "What's your deal?"

Alison considered him for a long moment. Finally, she said, "The purpose of this show should be to ensure your pleasure. And half of your experience here has done the opposite."

She bowed her head, and before Levi could point out that this didn't answer his question, she was gone.

Bonus Image