Tomboys don't cry

Elena Mendez

Elena's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the harsh glare of fluorescent lights overhead. The girl had awoken on the cold locker room floor, cushioned only by a dozen of her old clothes she had set the previous night and wrapped in a makeshift blanket made of towels.

She groaned as she sat up, every muscle in her body protesting with a dull ache. She looked around, her vision swam, shapes and colors merging into a blurry haze.

For a few disorienting seconds, she couldn't figure out how she had ended up here. Her mind was a foggy mess, memories fragmented and elusive. She ran a hand through her tousled hair, wincing as a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. Slowly, as if emerging from a deep dream, fragments of the previous night began to surface.

'Oh, right. I ditched my room because of Jezebel,' she remembered, shivering slightly at the memory of her roommate. 'And then I tried to crash at Olivia's,' but she was acting like a...'

She paused momentarily, looking back on her fight the previous night. She recalled how her rage had gone out of control, and she had almost smashed Olivia.

"Wait... why... why was I mad?"

She replayed the memory as she grew more awake. She remembered Olivia snapping at her about her muscles. But Elena hadn't been upset by that; she completely understood where Olivia had been coming from.

That couldn't have been the reason for the fight. No, the thing that had set Elena off was the insult towards Ji-Woo.

"That can't be the... but why would I..." she muttered in deepening confusion. She replayed the scene back in her mind several more times, the waves of guilt and confusion intensifying with each repetition. She desperately sought something to rationalize her behavior but was grasping at empty air. No matter how much she attempted, she couldn't transport herself back to the mindset she had been in at the time to comprehend her thoughts.

"Why... why did I care that Olivia insulted her? Why did I even bring Ji-Woo up?" she asked herself.

A profound, overwhelming sense of shame welled up in Elena's chest. Olivia had shown her vulnerability, and Elena had tried to make it all about Ji-Woo, saying that the woman could fix Olivia. Then, when Olivia disagreed, Elena responded with fury. Even worse, if she hadn't managed to regain control, she could have inflicted serious harm, if not worse. All for a cause she couldn't even fathom.

'Did... did I go insane?' Elena asked herself.

But as she thought about it, she came to a startling realization. It hadn't been an isolated incident. Her eyes widened in shame as she remembered the pool party and how she demanded him to love Ji-Woo.

She had seriously told her friend that he was selfish for not worshipping the woman who had destroyed his family. She basically said to him that the pain caused by Ji-Woo's actions was all in his head and that he had no right to be upset. And then, when he was obviously uncomfortable, she had persisted to lecture him like a toddler.

Tears began to fall from Elena's eyes.

'What the hell was I thinking?! How could I be so insensitive?'

She had just been reunited with her friend, after leaving him all alone for years. She had learned about the trauma he had gone through in her absence. Yet she had thrown that all aside and stabbed him where he was most ****. Then, she had gone and did the same to Booker.

“Levi. Olivia. I’m so, so sorry. What the hell is wrong with me?”

---

Ji-Woo Summers

Ji-Woo looked in the mirror, confirming every piece of her outfit was in place. Like before, she wore an unbuttoned suit and undershirt, showing off her bra-less cleavage. Her business skirt was several inches too short, showcasing her nylon-clad legs. Stiletto heels added a few inches to her height.

Her outfit, of course, was the easy part. Swallowing her pride enough to look like a secretary from an adult video was never the roadblock. With the first Challenge mere hours away, she knew this was her last chance to get through to her husband's son.

"Remember, just smile and agree with whatever he says," she reminded her reflection. "Even if it isn't true. You need to ride this out."

Silently, she added, 'He's had all night to think about what his friend told him. He'll be more fair this time.'

Nodding to herself, she turned away from the mirror, her gaze falling upon her roommate, Tomoko, who was fast asleep. Ji-Woo couldn't help but feel jealous of how carefree the woman was.

Walking to the exit in her heels, she noticed two envelopes on the ground, apparently slipped under the door. The first contained the day's schedule, as had been the case the previous day. However, the second envelope was new to her, and displayed two lines.

To: Ji-Woo (Chin) Summers
From: Harem Hotel Management

Rolling her eyes, she bent down to pick them up, partly aware of what such a pose would expose, were she not alone, due to her short pencil skirt and heels.

Opening the seal, she started reading the mysterious letter, which contained a single piece of paper with writing on both sides.

To Mrs. Summers,

The following is the first of a series of daily performance reviews. As per your Repeated with the Next Generation transformation conditions, you are expected to act as Levi Summers's secretary (herein referred to as Master or Boss) from 9 AM to 5 PM. Management previously provided a full explanation of these duties and expectations, though a new copy may be provided upon request.

In addition to a review, these documents will act as an official paystub of VP and BP that you will receive for the prior day's enactment of your duties. Note that Harem Hotel has a merit-based work culture. This income is not fixed but will be based on your daily performance or lack thereof. That said, the maximum VP payout will always be, at most, four unless in extraordinary circumstances.

Meanwhile, BP may be awarded for instances of you going above and beyond the expected requirements of your job.

Notes from HR:

Mrs. Summers began her first day in the proper sexualized attire and arrived at her first appointment on time. She prepared coffee for the Master and attempted to inform him of the day's schedule. Notably, the Master dismissed Mrs. Summers, relieving her of these early meeting responsibilities.

Ji-Woo also organized other members of the Master's harem into an aquatic-based social event, showcasing good leadership and administrative skills. Furthermore, Ji-Woo continued to display professional attire (highly sexualized bikini) at the previously mentioned social event despite not strictly needing to due to its casual nature.

Unfortunately, despite performing the explicit duties laid out to her, Mrs. Summers has demonstrated an unprofessional workplace demeanor and attitude. The most egregious of these is when she disagrees with her boss and actively criticizes him. She also casually referred to him by his first name during work hours, rather than his title.

Furthermore, while her organization of the social event was admirable, she was lax in her duties in many other instances. For example, except for a single reminder, Mrs. Summers did nothing to prepare Mrs. Peterson or her Master for their date. Nor did she personally inform the Master of the update to his schedule due to the pool party. Rather, he was only informed of it due to Kaitlyn Peterson's actions.

This will be the first and only warning: Negligence in duties is only acceptable if done in response to Masters wishes. Though her boss dismissed her during their first meeting, that did not excuse her from later expected responsibilities.

Finally, though the sexualized attire was appreciated, she should be aware that this on its own is not enough to be rewarded. Objectification via behavior is also expected. For more details, please see the pamphlet "Sexual Harassment and How to encourage it."

Thus, HR believes that Ji-Woo Summers receives one out of a possible VP and expects that she takes this moment as a learning opportunity.

Hoping you are well,

Harem Hotel Human Resources

---

Swearing loudly, Ji-Woo shredded the insulting document in her hand, startling Tomoko awake.

---

Lauren Peterson

Lauren's eyes cracked open, the dim light barely piercing the thick darkness of the room. "God damn it," she groaned softly, her head throbbing with a relentless, pounding pain. Fragments of the previous night flashed through her mind: the sushi dinner, Levi stripping in front of her, and then... nothing. Her memory was a blank, replaced by the sharp pain in her skull as she awoke.

She whined, slowly pushing herself up, her hand brushing against a cold wine rack for support. Her sheet slipped off as she did. The cool, musty air of the cellar on her bare skin informed her that she was naked before looking down to see for herself.

Lauren blinked several times in confusion, struggling to realize her state due to the lingering hangover.

Then, jumbled snippets of faded memories broke through her clouded mind: feelings of horror at seeing her score, followed by Levi yelling at her in her underwear.

Horror slowly dawned on Lauren as she took in her surroundings, the pieces falling into place. "That bastard! He got me drunk and... oh god... OH MY GOD!"

Outrage exploded inside her. "I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"

Wrapping her sheet around herself, she stormed out of the wine cellar, searching for Levi so she could strangle him to ****. However, she didn't get far before noticing the scoreboard out of the corner of her eye.

Somehow, she had gone from negative nineteen to zero during the period of time she couldn't remember.

She nearly threw up in her mouth. 'Of course I did! I know EXACTLY what he did to me!' she thought, the desire to **** him growing.

Yet, despite that, she couldn't help but be aware that a single point separated her from safety and elimination. She felt as though two different voices were screaming at her. One begging her to keep herself safe, and the other willing to throw it all away in the name of vengeance.

"FUCK!" she shouted, the voice born out of fear for herself winning out. 'You can kill him later,' it reminded her as a compromise.

She went to find her discarded clothes, ranting and raving all the way. Her swearing grew even louder as she discovered her torn panties, which she naturally blamed Levi for.

Meanwhile, on the floor above her, the now awake Levi covered his ears with his pillow until he finally heard Lauren leave the tower.

---

Sophia Maoulin

'This is a terrible idea,' Sophia's mind screamed as she hesitated outside Azure's office, her heart pounding in her chest.

She had gone over the plan multiple times as she had made her way here. It had all been part of the planning session she and Kaitlyn had done. They needed information, and Azure was the only one who could provide it. The trick, of course, was how to get it without the host becoming suspicious.

Kaitlyn and her had already discussed safeguards. They had agreed to act as if everything was normal during the day and only discuss plans when dates were going on, under the hope that Azure's attention was focused there. Even then, they only communicated by passing notes.

Sophia had volunteered to go to Azure for more information, knowing that the sadist was far quicker to torment Kaitlyn when given the chance. It was only now that Sophia felt a wave of uncertainty and unease wash over her, threatening to undermine her carefully laid plans.

"I should get some coffee first and..."

But before she could back out, the door creaked open. "Are you going to stand out there all day?" Azure asked from within. "Come on in."

Sophia felt her legs move as she strutted into the office with a sexual confidence she had never expressed in her life. The door closed behind her.

Azure sat at her desk, her eyes fixed on the Anime movie playing on the monitor. The film was reaching its climax, creating the illusion that she had been engrossed in it for hours rather than just starting it seconds before Sophia entered.

"Hello dear, I was just watching Paprika," Azure bragged, pointing at the animation on the screen. "It truly is the peak of Satoshi Kons's directorial talent, wouldn't you agree?"

"Huh?" Sophia asked.

Azure laughed condescendingly. "Oh, you haven't heard of it?"

"I mean, I have..."

Azure grinned smugly. "Oh, then you know all about its production. Truly, Madhouse went all out to bring the Yasutaka Tsutsui novel to life. Though it would never have been possible without the superb screenplay by Seishi Minakami."

Sophia had no idea why Azure was telling her this, nor why she was speaking like she just skimmed a Wikipedia page. "Uh, sure."

Azure's smile faded, replaced by a look of annoyance at Sophia's lack of reaction. She abruptly turned off the movie and demanded, "Why are you here?"

Sophia swallowed. There was no turning back now.

"You said to come up to your office if we had questions. So... yeah."

Azure looked at the clock on her computer. "I'll give you three."

Sophia was surprised to hear this. She had come here skeptical if she'd even get one. Thinking fast, she decided to save her original question for a second so that it wouldn't stand out as much. Instead, there had been something personal that had been bothering her.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia asked her question. "I was wondering. Since I got here, I haven't had a meltdown. Plus, I've found it easier to talk to some people."

"Your point?" Azure asked, annoyed.

Sophia brought her eyes to the ground, suddenly feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed for what she was about to ask.

"Did you fix my Aspergers?"

Azure rolled her eyes. "What a stupid question."

Sophia bowed her head deeper, apologetically. But Azure continued.

"I couldn't have done that because your Asperger's isn't something that’s broken."

Sophia looked up in surprise, sure she must have misheard. She never would have expected something like that from Azure.

Azure could see the surprise on her face. "Oh, get over yourself; it wasn't a compliment. I was correcting your semantics. I'm fully capable of rewriting your brain. It just wouldn't be 'fixing'"

"So then, why am I..."

Azure's temper flared. "I'm not your damn therapist!"

Sophia's fear of Azure's wrath intensified, and she quickly averted her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper as she muttered, "Sorry."

Azure massaged her temples. "Whatever. Just ask your second question."

Sophia took a moment to prepare herself mentally. It was time for what she came here to do. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"So, I was going through all the cards. You know, in Jezebels' shop? So, most card descriptions usually use the term 'contestant' or 'contestants' when referring to targets of the spell. However, I noted that a few use the phrase 'active contestant' instead.

Azure narrowed her eyes, bored. "So?"

As Sophia usually did when explaining something, she began talking faster. "Well, assuming that's not an inconsistent term, one would wonder why the qualifier 'active' is sometimes needed. It implies that the contestant described on the card isn't active by default. Otherwise, there would be no need for the distinction."

Azure gawked at the sheer obsessiveness of this girl to go so in-depth over a single adjective. "So what's your question then?"

She took a deep breath. Everything had been set up for the following statement. "Does this imply you can use some cards on eliminated contestants?"

Azure raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to?"

Sophia tensed up and began nervously improvising. "There's never harm in knowing all of one's options, just in case. You know… to ensure you're always making the optimal play?"

Azure squinted, analyzing the girl carefully. Meanwhile, it was taking Sophia's courage not to collapse from sheer panic.

Then, after an uncomfortably long time, the host began applauding. "Now that's the attitude we want on this show!" she beamed. "You really are a genius."

Rather than being reassuring, hearing Azure compliment her so blatantly made Sophia more uneasy. It was so disturbingly out of character that she was sure that the host was about to pull the rug out from under her.

Azure leaned back in her chair, mentally going through her own rules. "Let's see. I suppose you can, though, with restrictions. Any card that references VP or BP would obviously not affect an eliminated contestant. Also, transformations applied during the voting round or eliminations take priority over ones from cards. The elimination remolded dear Jezebel's entire appearance and mind, so there isn't much you could change, since there's so little that wasn't covered by the transformation."

"I see," Sophia replied, satisfied at how much information she had gotten. "Thank you."

"Of course. I believe you had one more question?"

Sophia certainly did, but they all involved ways to find loopholes in the rules, and she was worried that too many such questions in a row would give her away.

Instead, without thinking, she asked what had been bothering her ever since she arrived.

"Was I really made a contestant because you thought it would be funny?"

It was immediately apparent that Sophia should have quit while she was ahead. Azure's kind expression instantly turned to furious rage as she slammed her desk and rose to her feet.

“ALISON HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT! DON’T YOU DARE SPREAD HER BULLSHIT!”

Sophia took a frighted step back. "I'm sorry! I meant, was I really brought here because of the fanfic?!"

This only enraged Azure further. "ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?!"

"NO!" Sophia shrieked, her heart racing. "P-please forgive me!"

"GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY OFFICE!"

Sophia felt her knees give out, bringing her to her knees. Her spine arched forward on it's own, leaving her on all fours.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry," Sophia begged, terrified that something horrible was about to happen to her.

"I SAID GET OUT!" Azure roared, pointing at the door which opened on its own.

Sophia felt an invisible smack on her butt, and her body carried her out, crawling on all fours as it went.

---

Olivia Booker

Olivia lay still, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt the soft sheets beneath her and the familiar warmth of her bed, yet a knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach, knowing that she had doubtlessly transformed again in her sleep.

She kept her eyes firmly shut, afraid to face whatever changes the spell had wrought. Her mind raced with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last. What would she see when she finally opened her eyes? Would she even recognize herself?

The urge to know battled with her fear, and for a moment, Olivia just lay there, caught between dread and curiosity. She took a deep breath, flung off her covers, and approached the full-length mirror all rooms shared.

What awaited her was worse than she imagined. The girl staring back at her was almost a stranger. Though her muscles had stopped shrinking, she had grown noticeably skinnier, her frame more delicate. Her face was rounder and softer, with a youthful fullness that hadn't been there before. But the most striking change was her hair—long, silky, jet-black strands cascading down her back.

"FUCKING PISSASS SHITBAG!" she roared, her voice a half octave higher than before. In a frenzy, she balled her hand into a fist and swung it at the mirror. The impact reverberated through her knuckles, but the glass remained unscathed. Pain shot up her arm, and she let out a sharp cry, cradling her hand against her chest.

"AAHHHGGG," she yowled in pain as she pulled her delicate hand back. Looking at her knuckles, she noticed that her feeble attack had caused her knuckles to bleed and throb with pain.

"God damn it! God damn it!" she yelled as tears rolled down her face.

'Wait, tears?'

The water flowing down her cheek felt alien to her, a stark contrast to the resilience she had always maintained. She had always been able to keep it bottled up inside, no matter how much physical or emotional damage she endured.

"This… wasn't part of it. I'm not supposed to… to..." she muttered, trying to hold back her raw emotions as she fell back onto the edge of her bed. But her struggles only served to open the floodgates further.

"No... no... this is more of Azure's bullshit. She… she’s making me… I... I'm not weak! I'm not!"

---

Elena Mendez

Elena walked sadly out of the locker room, having finally managing to stop her tears. She had dressed in full princess regalia, the second of multiple dresses she had purchased, though she hardly felt pretty.

She wanted nothing more than to find Olivia, then Levi, and apologize. However, she had no idea how even to start if she did. What could she possibly say to excuse her prior behavior?

"Ow. Ow. Ow," a voice rang out down the hall, breaking Elena out of her introspection.

Turning to its source, she saw Sophia crawling on her hands and knees on the hard floor of the stone hallway.

"Sophia?" she asked. "What... what are you doing?"

"Hold on. I think it wants me to go to my room," Sophia replied, an answer that only confused Elena further. Moments later, Sophias body brought her to the door. When her skin made contact with the frame, she felt control return.

"Finally!" she moaned, rolling to sit against the wall and massage her knees. "Man, that hurt. The floor was one thing, but the stairs were a nightmare."

"Uh, sorry, what's going on?" Elena asked, totally lost.

"Azure's a jerk," Sophia replied.

"Ah, I see," Elena nodded, needing no further explanation.

Brushing off her knees, Sophia used her wobbling legs to get to her feet, letting out a breath of relief that they still worked. "Hey, you busy princess? The Day 2 door should have opened by now, and Kaitlyn and I were thinking of checking it out before breakfast."

Elena couldn't help but be amused at how easily Sophia could brush off whatever had just happened to her. "Sorry, but I should probably take care of some stuff."

"Kay," Sophia shrugged, before asking, "Hey, do you think Tomoko's up, or is it too early? I want to ask her to come, but I would hate to wake her or Ji-Woo."

"Ji-Woo," Elena repeated sadly before a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Sophia."

"Yeah?"

Elena scrunched her face in thought, unsure how to say this. "Did my transformation include mind control?"

Sophia adjusted her glasses. "Why are you asking me? I mean, you would know better than anyone."

Elena rubbed her arm. "Well, I mean, Tomoko was hypnotized into, well, not realizing she was hypnotized at all. I saw it myself when I talked to her. No matter how much I told her she was under control, her brain blocked her from realizing it."

Sophia nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Ah, I see."

"So, was my mind controlled to... uh... become randomly obsessed with certain people?" Elena asked, embarrassed.

Sophia pursed her lips together. "If that were the case, even if I told you, you would instantly forget, right?"

Elena chuckled sadly. "I suppose."

Sophia smiled. "But for as much as it's worth, your transformation said nothing about mind control."

Elena nodded in appreciation. Though a feeling of doubt persisted, she couldn't help but believe her.

"Thanks. It's just... If it wasn't Azure, I can't think of what else it could..." Elena began before stopping dead as a startling thought occurred to her.

"What? What is it?" Sophia asked, worried about the suddenly frozen princess.

"All those transformations Jezebel sells," Elena said slowly. "Can they be used on other people?"

Sophia laughed. "Can they? Are you kidding? Half the options there are about about screwing over other contestants, both body and mind. Some of the cards there make any of the stuff that's happened to us seem tame by..."

But Elena was no longer listening. Spinning on her feet, she stormed towards Tomoko and Ji-Woo's room.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Sophia called, walking after her.

Elena loudly slid the door open. Tomoko, who had just fallen back asleep, was once more awoken in alarm.

"WHERE'S JI-WOO?!"

---

Bonus Image