And finally, the first evening

Start of the board games evening

(Leo POV)

Leo was relieved. This was something rare enough since the start of the show to warrant mention. Despite the gloomy backdrop, the atmosphere was good. The girls seemed to be getting along well. They were laughing and smiling heartily.

Maria was particularly stunning in this respect. She looked like a bundle of joy and happiness, radiating all her strength. Leo didn't know the girl very well, and she was probably the person he knew least well in the harem at the moment. But he was sure of one thing: Maria was the kind of girl who made everyone around her happy with her simple presence. And boy were they going to need it on this show.

His discussion with Olivia, and what had followed, had been as surprising as it had been instructive. He certainly lacked willpower. That wasn't something new. Deep down, he'd known it for a long time. He talked a lot, liked to discuss, to propose, but when it came to doing, to following through on his ideas, he hesitated.

Was it because he was lazy? That undoubtedly played a role. Did he fear change? Of course, he was human. Fear of the unknown was literally ingrained in his genes. But there was something else.

He remembered a motto Kitty regularly uttered. NINTH Protocol: No Initiatives, No Troubles or Hang-up. With him, words were rarely followed by action. He had convictions on ethics, ecology or politics, but instead of taking action or committing himself, he was content to talk and annoy people at family dinners.

But here, he couldn't take a passive stance. There was no one to act for him. He had to act. Now he just had to figure out what to do. For a moment, he considered seeking advice from other people, but rejected the idea. It would be nothing more than another way of shirking his responsibilities. He had to make his decision alone.

Clearly, it was hard to go against Nola and the show's producers. They probably weren't as omnipotent as they seemed, but Leo clearly had no desire to test the limits of their power. Their objective was simple to understand when you thought about it. He wanted a good show, a good story. And it was well known that sex sold.

So as long as he respected them and gave them what he wanted, he was probably free to do as he pleased. Now what exactly would he like? Leo wasn't an expert on reality shows, he probably hadn't seen more than one or two in his life, but he knew a thing or two about storytelling.

In most cases, a story needs a hero, a main character around whom several plots revolve and are resolved over the course of the story. On this point, it was simple: he was the main character and the hero of this show. To think that as a child he'd wanted to be the hero of the novels he read, and now he really would have preferred to return to his quiet life. But as in the stories he read, the hero rarely chose to become one.

Secondly, a good story must make the reader feel emotions. A flat story that is forgotten the next day is of no interest. The problem was that Leo already had trouble with his own emotions, so understanding other people's was beyond him. What did he like in the books he read?

He liked it when the bad guy got his ass kicked and lost. He liked the sacrifices, the betrayals. But he also liked his characters to reach the end of their storylines. What was his character's storyline? Leo thought for a moment, then sighed. He had to end up happy with his loving harem.

There was probably no other way out than to end up with a harem. Not that he really minded - he'd already dreamed of it - but it's like dreaming of being able to get rid of your unbearable boss. It's nice, but you don't really want it to come true.

Then there was the story of the wish and the fact that one person had to win and get 100 VPs for the show to end. The problem was that Leo really doubted that the producers would accept the show coming to such an abrupt end. No, all the storylines had to be wrapped up before each character had reached the end of his or her road.

So he had to figure out what the path was, the plot associated with each member of the harem, and then see if there was anything he could do to speed it up. But in his way of always seeking the limits of his reasoning, Leo envisaged a scenario. What would happen if someone couldn't finish their story? What if it was too complex or too difficult to complete? Would they be stuck there forever, or at least for a very long time? No. Clearly this was something that had to be considered. But what was the solution? ... Elimination.

That's the whole point of elimination - to get rid of annoying, boring or cumbersome characters. But given what they'd done to Kitty, Leo found it hard to see this as a real solution. He had to finish the story of the harem members. He had no other option.

Now that the overall objective had been defined, it was time to specify what it meant for each individual. The problem was that there were now 8 people, and he wasn't sure how to deduce the narrative of each harem member. Leo paused for a moment. There was no point in stressing or panicking. But even though he knew better, he found it hard not to stress. Everything rested on his shoulders because he was the only one who wasn't in danger. He didn't risk elimination. Sure, he had transformations, but clearly he'd find it hard to complain when he saw the others'.

He had decided not to study medicine in parties because he didn't want to have people's lives in his hands. It was far too much responsibility. Was he even up to it? No, it was a stupid question. The stakes were too high. He had to be up to it.

First things first. He was going to spend the evening with Felicia and Eric. So it made sense to start thinking about their storylines. Fortunately now that he was thinking about it, he probably had some clues by looking at their transformations and themes.

After a minute's thought, the only idea he had for his little brother was that the show was trying to turn him into a girl. The show was trying to turn his little brother into a feminine angel of goodness. Was this Eric's storyline? Would he really be happy like that? Leo pondered for several minutes. His brother never really seemed interested in girls. Hell, he was on an island full of girls and didn't even seem to glance at them. Maybe his little brother was gay? That might explain why the show wanted to turn him into a girl. Was he aware of it or was it ****? If it was ****, that might explain why he'd never mentioned it.

Did he have to support him on the feminine path? Leo couldn't decide. Out of spite, he decided to look into Felicia's case.

…

He really had no idea. Felicia wanted to be a teacher. Felicia was a great Catholic. Felicia was calm, serene, almost maternal in some ways. She didn't talk much about herself when asked. He didn't know much about her.

Anyway, time was running out. It was now 7pm.

'Knock, knock, knock'.

He decided to open the door. Eric and Felicia were waiting for him at the door. Eric looked him in the eye, while Felicia looked at the room behind him.

"Please, come in," Leo said, leaving Felicia to admire the huge suite that served as her bedroom.

"You haven't changed rooms, I see," commented Eric.

"One of the advantages of being the Master, I guess. So Felicia, how was your first day? Not too difficult? Do you miss your family?" asked Leo.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking that my family will be worried. By now, I imagine they've already called the police," replied Felicia.

Ah yes, the families. Leo hadn't even thought of that. As for the police, he doubted they'd find anything.

"I don't know if this will reassure you, but despite the situation, I want you to know that I have no intention of forcing myself on you or **** you. We're going to sleep in the same bed, but that's the end of it," says Leo.

It was obviously out of the question for him to override her consent.

_"It's obvious, Leo. Don't worry, we know. But anyway, we're planning to ask you to spend an evening playing board games with us," _says Eric.

"Ah yes, we had planned a board game evening, Felicia," says Leo, remembering his date with her.

"I thought it would be a nice way to spend an evening. But I still have a question" says Felicia.

"Which one?" asked Leo and Eric simultaneously.

"Do we have any board games to play?" said Felicia.

...

No, of course not, they didn't have any board games.

"Is there any way to get some?" asked Felicia.

...

"Nola", said Eric, Leo and Felicia in unison.

And of course the Leprechaun replied.