Wise, a video rental store manager and underground proxy (Zenless Zone Zero)

"You've been hanging out with a lot of girls lately, bro! Is there something you want to tell me?"

Wise spit out half out a sizable shot of coffee, staining his black pattern tee as he swung his chair around to face his sister. The two were joined at the hip most times and rarely ever hid secrets from one another, but part of that was a sort of unwritten promise: they never talked relationships. Way too awkward, not to mention the logistics. Where were either one of them going to put a girlfriend, after all? Hide her in the back room and let her sleep on the sofa? No way. Too weird.

With that rare spit take out of the way and its consequences all over his clothes, Wise began to wipe himself down with a stack of take-out napkins sitting on the table. His ordinarily loveable, occasionally mischevious sister Belle, began chuckling at him. He'd given her exactly the reaction she'd wanted. The two might look different-- him tall with white hair, her shorter with blue-- but they were as close-knit as siblings came.

"Listen, I don't pick and choose with clients. I do plenty of missions with Anton and Ben, too, remember? The manly musk of those two ought to balance out the girls, right?" Wise joked, still a bit taken aback that his sister had broached upon such a taboo subject for the sake of seeing him squirm.

That wasn't it, of course. She was always a little teasing, but she cared for her brother more than anybody. Belle adopted a warm smile, resting her chin upon the back of one hand as she leaned in the computer chair where they conducted their work as proxies. "He he... Awfully defensive there. I'm telling you that it's okay. There's nothing wrong with you being interested. The agents we work with are really friendly-- and a lot of them are local celebrities. It's not surprising at all if you're interested in them, or even if you want to date them or even bring them home-."

"I'm not planning on mixing business with pleasure," Wise retorted, grumpily sipping at his coffee and casting his eyes aside in a moody way.

"Okay, sourpuss," Belle sighed, then put on another cheeky grin, dimly illuminated by the soft blue glow of the computer screen to her side. "You can't blame me for wanting to gossip, right? Come on~ If you had to choose, who would it be?"

"If I had to choose?" he repeated dumbly. Something about that question made his head hurt. Somehow, the coffee wasn't working. In spite of being mid-conversation with his sister, he felt himself getting groggy. Was that just the power of their legendary sofa, the most sought-after sleeping spot in the video store they called a home? He reached for his phone and found himself scrolling through his contact list, as though trying to really apply himself to the task at hand. "If I had to... choose...?"

"Yeah. No need to overthink it. I'm just curious. Don't worry, I won't tell, I promise! It's between me and you only... Well, and Fairy. She's a whole-home AI and there's not really a way to turn her all the way off."

Was he really getting that flustered by this sort of childish, playground-grade gossip? No, that wasn't it. Feeling dizzy, he closed his eyes and tried to reorient himself. Something like this had happened before-- his eyes had begun to react to something he'd seen in the hollows and he'd been **** to lie down. They'd never gotten to the bottom of it and ever since then, he'd tried to play tough, so as not to upset his sister. This time, it didn't feel like he was going to be able to tough it out. He was fading fast.

"Bro...? Wise? Wise-!"

He collapsed on his side upon the couch, as he had countless times on the past...

... Only, those past times usually resulted in him waking up right where he nodded off, in the comfort of his video store / chateau.

This time around, he found himself awakening to the sight of a place he'd never seen before. At first, he wondered if he'd fallen asleep at the HIA club again after playing the virtual simulator too long. The hall around him looked like an especially high class reception area, with a wide, black leather sofa, just as comfortable as his own at home, and a very chic white-and-black tiled pattern all around him. In fact, not just the floors-- even the ceilings and walls seemed to have it. The reception desk was empty, white and marble in a huge C shape, and tall, silver light fixtures with spiraling, fluorescent white bulbs surrounded him on each side. There were metallic double doors past the reception desk, closed, with an odd depiction of two Bangboo-- rabbit-like robots native to New Eridu-- on them, bent at the waist so that their chubby butts were bumping together. Their left and right ear respectively were bent, so that they formed the shape of a heart with their bodies.

"Actually, that's kind of cute," he admitted to himself in a hushed whisper. He did have a soft spot for Bangboo.

What wasn't so cute was the door out, which he found himself compelled to test, just to get a sense of where he was. It obviously wasn't the HIA club, and a place like this couldn't be anywhere on Sixth Street where his video store was located-- he'd know it by now. It had to be somewhere in Lumina City, right? Unfortunately, the metal door out didn't have any give at all. He didn't see a lock on it, but even pulling on the silver bar handle as hard as he could, it didn't move an inch, or even rattle like it was capable of moving. It was like it was built into the wall, despite seeming to have hinges. Security cameras in the corners of the room seemed to follow him mockingly as he put all his energy fruitlessly into the task.

A little embarrassed at himself, Wise finally made the sensible call: stop trying to break the door off its hinges and check his phone instead. Surely there'd be something in there that would clarify his whole situation.

The good news: he had his phone in the pocket of his sweatpants, right where he left it.

The bad news: it seemed to only have a local connection, titled unimaginatively: "HOTEL NETWORK." Worse, however, he seemed to be missing a lot of messages and data he'd collected during his work as a proxy. In fact, even his contact list had been trimmed down somehow. The only thing in there was "HOTEL STAFF" and a few other faces he recognized from work. The Inter-Knot seemed completely inaccessible.

He sighed and scratched the back of his shaggy white hair. "At least I know I'm in a hotel now. Darn, though... If somebody's been through my phone, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do," he thought to himself. He couldn't make any calls, but what he wanted to do now most of all was confirm that his sister was safe. "This hotel looks spotless-- like it was just given the once over by Victoria Housekeeping, actually. There ought to be someone around here who can explain what's going on," he muttered to himself, feeling increasingly uneasy. He made a lot of enemies in his line of work and a lot of them were the types who owned pristine hotels on the surface while operating shady businesses underneath. This place didn't look like the kind of place you bring a captive after you **** them, but still, the vibes were way, way off.

There was one thing he absolutely needed to do before anything else: make sure his sister was safe. "Belle..."

"Belle, Belle, Belle! Is that the only girl you think about, huh? You a sis-con or something?"

Irritated, Wise stopped one step from the Bangboo-engraved door he'd begun to place his hand on, then looked down to where the voice was coming from. A Bangboo stood at about waist height-- it had been hidden behind the desk this whole time. Its appearance was much like the door ones but dressed in a flowing white toga that allowed its rounded butt to hang out the back and carrying a cupid bow-and-arrow in a holster over its back. Also, its eyes... they were pink with big, heart-shaped pupils in their light-up surface.

Despite his affinity for Bangboo, this one gave Wise the creeps. His distaste probably had a little to do with its rude opening statement, but it had a lot more to do with the fact that it already knew about his sister. "Hey, little guy. I don't suppose you can tell me where she is, can you?" he asked, trying to play nice despite the bad first impression.

"Oh, she's fine. You're better than fine, though!" the Bangboo laughed in a sultry, adult woman's voice, oozing mirth. Its voice didn't sound like one of the pre-programmed ones... was someone communicating through it, just like he did during his proxy work in the Hollows? He and his sister had a special setup where they'd hacked a Bangboo so they could follow agents on dangerous missions while keeping their identities concealed. This person seemed to have figured out the same trick. "Wanna know why I say you're 'better than fine?' It doesn't just have to do with your appearance, although, I gotta say, you and your sister are both pretty mouthwatering."

Wise got called handsome a lot and his sister got called pretty a lot, but "mouthwatering" was a new one for him. He didn't like it. "Fine. Why am I fine?" he retorted, giving a wry smile.

"Because you are the Master on our newest season! We are now live with Harem Hotel: New Eridu Edition!"

"Harem... Hotel?" Wise questioned, frowning and knitting his brow thoughtfully. As a video store owner and card-carrying cinephile, he knew not just everything about movies, but everything about TV that got put on tape for rentals. He'd never once heard of any program by that name. "Is this a reality TV show?"

"Ha ha ha! It is, actually, although you'll soon see that reality is a pretty limited way of thinking about it. We're a broadcast show that goes far beyond the limitations of reality! Even calling this a 'TV show' isn't properly respecting its scope."

"You totally lost me."

"Well then, let's find you again. In fact, let's start from the start: introductions. You can call me Loverboo! I'm here to serve as the host of ceremonies for our reality show, and also, to guide you through the hotel so that you can get acclimated! And you are?"

Wise held his tongue, not wanting to say it out loud, especially if he really was on TV. He needed to keep a low profile. He-

"Wise, age an estimated 21 years old-- what's up with that? Why doesn't anyone in New Eridu have known ages? Pretty weird! Sex: male. Likes movies, animals, and his sister, a suspiciously large amount, as I alluded to earlier. His ideal woman, as composited from an amalgamation of his porn browsing history, is-"

"Okay, okay! I get it, you know everything about me already," Wise hushed it, not wanting that information out in the open. Besides, he hadn't had a chance to look at any digital pornography for nearly a year due to Fairy's involvement-- it was too embarrassing to do that sort of thing when you know a human-like AI is watching every digital interface in your house. He'd instead fallen back on print material and physical tapes-- truly, a maven of retro masturbation. "What did you mean when you said I was the master? If I'm the master do I... I don't know, get special treatment? Do I call the shots?"

"Yes and no! You do get very, very special treatment. You do not, exactly, call the shots. As the Master on Harem Hotel, you will get just what it says on the tin: your very own harem, with one lucky contestant rising above the rest to become the lucky number one in your life! They'll get some magical sorts of prizes as well, hm hm. A lot to look forward to, really, even if they weren't interested in you."

"Interested in me?" Wise repeated, holding one hand to his mouth with a skeptical frown. Was there anyone like that?

"That's purely speculation on my part, of course! Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Hm hm hm..."

"Look, I'm happy you picked me out for your show, but I have a business to run-"

"I know all about your business, but fear not. Your darling Belle and Fairy will be plenty to keep it running while you're gone. Don't think about business or family-- think about the end of your bachelor life, replaced with the new glory of several loving wives!"

"I don't want several loving wives. I don't get a say in this?"

"You do not! So sorry. In case you haven't noticed, there is no way to leave the island--"

"We're on an island?" he exclaimed in surprise. There weren't even windows in this reception hall, so he'd yet to realize that crucial fact. "Where?!"

"You're the kind of guy who skips through text impatiently when you play RPGs, aren't you? Please, stop interrupting me, keep quiet for a while, and let Loverboo explain all the perfectly lovely features we have in store for you. Your phone's message archive will be updated with a full breakdown of all of the rules of the game, which I highly recommend that you reference, but the long and short of it is that contestants here are going to compete for your affection. A studio audience-- in combination with a very invasive measurement of your arousal in response to the contestants' efforts-- will be the ultimate deciders, while you will be the chief beneficiary! In short, you can kick back, relax, and be pampered and sexually pleasured by more attendants than you'd have polychrome to purchase!"

Wise started to object again, but found himself suddenly unable. It was the same as when he thought his coffee had been spiked earlier-- trying to resist only made his head hurt. He held his forehead irritably and nodded for the Bangboo to continue.

The creature bounced up onto the desk, striking a pose with both of its stubby arms bent so that its equivalent of fists rested at its equivalent of hips. "The winners will accumulate points, called VP, by doing things that the audience likes and that, just as importantly, your body likes. They'll also compete in fun, reality-show style contests to win these. The first to win 100 gets to become your permanent girlfriend! The others are... also your girlfriends, but with a litany of mental or physical transformations attached to them! Oh, I hadn't mentioned that part yet. Yes, losers of competitions-- and those eliminated from the contest, either due to continued resistance or going negative on VP-- will face lasting effects."

"Can't... do that to other people..." Wise groaned, holding his head harder as he tried to mount his own resistance and found himself met with a splitting headache that threatened to throw him back into a state of unconsciousness.

"Can and will, my darling. As our producers and viewing public demand it, so it shall be done! Besides, I haven't even told you what changes will be made yet, have I?"

"I've seen enough movies to know where this is going," the young man retorted.

"Oooo, dirty movies, then," Loverboo chuckled, its heart-shaped eyes momentarily bending into amused crescents. "Yes, the transformations shall all be quite salacious, but also quite useful in helping the others to, shall we say, get with the program, acting as both an incentive to do well in the contests and, in some cases, mental alteration to bend their wills into that of your perfect lover! Or someone's perfect lover. Look, I have a lot of information on you, but this is going to be a learning experience for us both."

"They can't refuse... but what if... I refuse?" Wise grunted, feeling like the answer had to be that his head was going to explode.

"Hmmmm... You remember how much I know about your sister, right? We're doing all in our power to keep her happy and focused on work right now, but, oh my... if her brother was so unhappy about being on this extra special edition of Harem Hotel and ended up really missing her, I could end up bringing her here to cheer them both up. Making her a contestant, I mean," the hostess sighed, turning her toy boy over in her hand and testing the sharpness of one of the heart-tipped arrows in her quiver. "So for her sake-- and yours, and all the other contestants-- try to put on a nice, big smile and enjoy yourself, darling. Or don't, and I'll rescue audience intrigue with some spicy **** brother x sister play."

Wise nodded with surprising assurance, putting on a poker face. He'd had plenty of experiences where he had to play along with a dirty client, only to double-cross them for the sake of good later. It wasn't going to be easy, but if he acted his part well enough, there might be a moment where Loverboo let something slip or he found a crack in the Hotel's defenses. Even if something like magic was at play, he'd seen it all-- rifts that teleport people through space, monsters that shoot laser beams from their faces, AIs that appear out of nowhere and infiltrate all digital interfaces in one's home. This was crazy, but it wasn't unthinkable. It wasn't unbeatable.

His usual, kindly smile appeared on his face. "Fine. You win. I'll be the Master. A guy like me doesn't have the money to turn down an all-expenses paid vacation."

"Oh, thank goodness. It's always hilarious how hard it is to talk you types into accepting a harem. Do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes?"

"If the audience is as big as you say it is, it's a bigger number than I can imagine, I'm sure," Wise answered, sticking his hands into the pockets of his dark-colored sweatpants. He tried to make himself look more comfortable than he felt and reminded himself that other people's well-being was also contingent upon how he acted here. Speaking of other people... "So, the other contestants... where are they?"

"Antsy now, are you? Ready to meet your future partner? I don't blame you! Plus, this one room of the hotel is so, so dull. Let's get started and, while we do, I'll give us some appropriate lighting..."

The Bangboo clapped its hands together-- or, more accurately, plopped its paws together with a squeaky noise-- and suddenly, every white surface in the area seemed to take on an ethereal, pink glow. The hot pink was actually a little eye-searing. "Ahem. Boys? Tone it down a little." The pink became a softer, cotton candy shade. "Much better. Feeling in the mood?"

"How couldn't I? I love pink," Wise joked, thinking that he couldn't identify a single pink object in his household, even in his sister's room, if he didn't count the cases of some of the movies they held in stock.

"Wonderful! Then let's meet the other contestants and tour some of the other areas of the hotel."

The doors opened slowly, seeming to move automatically rather than actually responding to Loverboo's exaggerated pushing motion. As they dragged across the marble tile, letting in an odd, white smoke from the other side that seemed overly theatrical, Wise couldn't help but think back to his last moments in a sane reality, back when he'd still been lying on the couch in his back room.

Belle had asked him: "if you had to choose, who would it be?"

It seemed the time to choose was close at hand, but a new question emerged: was any of this going to be his choice? Furthermore, who was he going to be choosing between?