The First Confession

As the theme music faded away for the last time of the evening, Vanessa let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Whew! That sure was tirin’. I had no idea hosting would be so killer on my feet.” The small host then kicked off her heels, jumped back onto Dan's loveseat, and lay her head on his lap. “Stay there for a moment, Darlin’. I need to decompress.”

Dan accepted his fate as the redhead's pillow, much to Tori and Maddy’s chagrin. “Uh, Vanessa? Now what?”

“Oh, right!” Vanessa pointed at a group of small purses that hung from a rack near the elevator. “Each of y’all gets one of those purses over there, which will have your hotel card, a BP card, and a smartphone for you to use. They are color-coded and labeled, so no trying to take multiple.”

“What’s a BP Card?” Natalia inquired, already tired of new information being thrown her way every minute.

“It’s sorta like a debit card that holds all of the bonus points y’all earn throughout the competition. You all start with a balance of 2000BP except for the lovely Madison, who gets an extra 1000 for winning the poll.”

“And what exactly are Bonus Points used for?” Yui continued, curious at the prospect of a currency management system.

Vanessa replied, conjuring up a magic window to demonstrate the App. “You can buy all sorts of things with them. Food, traits, services, and even transformations! You can check the BP App on your new phone for a full list of stuff. Totally worth checking out. Maybe after you check out your new rooms!”

“Uhm… do we get our own rooms?” The quiet Gabriella then asked. The thought of sharing a room with any one of these strangers was practically all it took to give the introvert a mini panic attack.

“Yes and no!” The petite Hosts’s magical display morphed into a simple blueprint of their new rooms. “The ladies will all be in a set of four suites down a floor. Each suite has two bedrooms, each with its own full-sized bathroom, as well as a shared common area. Though I’m sure, most of y’all will end up hanging out up here instead since this penthouse is where our lovely Master and I will be staying.”

“In the same room!?” Tori suddenly questioned loudly, drawing no shortage of eyes on her outburst. “I mean… uh…”

Vanessa grinned and saw an opportunity for some teasing. “Perhaps, I’m just a host during the day and a bed warmer at night. Now, ain’t that a thought. Darlin’ and I, all alone, just sheets between us.” The ginger giggled a little before shooting the blonde a smirk. “I reckon that’s where you want to be.”

“N-n-no-That’s not…” Tori stuttered out as she failed to play it off cool. ‘Damn these memories, making me act like a schoolgirl when it comes to Danny…’

“I’ll trade you!” Maddy spoke up while raising her hand.

Vanessa smiled at the gamer. “I’m sure you would, cutie. But no, I have my own room that I’ll be staying in on the other end of the penthouse. The Bed Warmer position is all of y’alls anyway.”

That announcement relieved the former childhood friend, and surprisingly, Gabriella, who was beginning to fantasize about what her friend and the host would be doing in bed together.

A cough broke up the break in conversation, where Kaylee interjected with a question of her own. “Ignoring that last statement, are we fine to retire for the evening?”

“Mhmm, there’s no curfew, so y’all can do whatever you like for the rest of the evening, as long as you stay in the resort. In the future, y’all will be able to explore the rest of our small resort island, but for now, we just need you to be close by for tomorrow's competition. Which brings me to the last announcement.” The host sat back up straight and looked over at her cast. “The first competition starts at 10 AM tomorrow mornin’, so I’ll need all of you gals down in the lobby by 9:30 AM. And trust me. You do not want to skip out. Eliminations this early can be real ugly, so please show up. Does that all sound good? Darlin’, you can show up whenever before 10. Looks like it’s about 9:30 PM, so I shall see y’all in twelve hours!”

Without any further fanfare, Kaylee, Chloe, and Natalia were the first to get up and head for their new purses, which they begrudgingly grabbed and then took the elevator out.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Dan. Good night.” Gabriella softly spoke as she started to leave the penthouse as well.

Yui decided to hop on the train as well. “I’ll join you, Night Dan. See you tomorrow.”

Without realizing it, Vanessa vanished on them as well, leaving Dan alone with Tori, Maddy, and Sam. Likely to get some sleep, given her previous exhaustion as a sign.

“Guess it’s just us. Want to check out the hotel or something?” Dan casually asked the remaining folks, hoping to bring some semblance of normality to what was otherwise anything but.

“Sure, I’m down!” Maddy answered enthusiastically before an odd expression formed on her face. “I’m… Gonna run to the bathroom real quick, brb!”

Maddy quickly looked around, identifying a room that might have a bathroom, and then ran off. Meanwhile, while Sam was thinking hard about something, Tori looked unsure of Dan’s question.

The blonde then set her sights on an exit sign near the stairwell. “I think I need to be alone. There’s too much that's… new.”

“Then shouldn’t we be talking about it together?” Dan’s annoyance with her avoidance was beginning to show in his voice. “What good is tackling this alone!?”

Victoria: -2 - Upset the Master

“Danny, I need time… I don’t know how I’m supposed to look at you now! You were always my bro, my best friend, my lo-” Tears began to well up in her eyes, shocking Dan. “I hate this. I feel like I’m not me anymore! But at the same time… I am… but more.”

“Tori… I-” Before Dan could respond, his childhood friend darted down a hallway towards the stairwell, not even wanting to wait for the elevator before making her escape. The man began to give chase, but was stopped by someone hugging him from behind. Someone much shorter and with a considerable softness to them.

“Give her some time,” Sam spoke softly into his back.

Dan sighed as he let his tension go, “We’re going through the same thing here… I just don’t get it.”

“Not just you…” His sister sighed. “My memories are starting to get all jumbled up, too.”

Dan’s eyes went wide as he turned around to face his sister. “What? Why? Didn’t the transformation only list me and Tori getting new memories?”

“I guess it makes sense, right?” Sam tilted her head. “I’ve known her practically my whole life! Of course I would know if the two of you were dating this whole time. I’m not that dumb.”

‘Then everyone who knew the two of us would have their memory changed,’ Dan realized as he thought of their two families.

“I’ll go check on her.” Sam decided after a few moments of silence. “She said she wanted to be alone… But I think we both know what she meant. I might not be the best at reading the room, but even I know when to be serious.”

“Alright… Thank you, Sam.” Dan moved to give her another hug, not shocked in the slightest that she was as soft as she appeared.

“Anytime!” Sam’s usual cheerful self came back as she moved into the hug. “I’m your favorite sister, after all!”

Dan released the young woman from his grasp. “And the only one. Good night, Sam.”

Sam punched him on the shoulder and darted for the elevator. “Night!”

Thus, Dan was all alone until he heard the toilet flush and the sound of running sink water coming from another room.

“Well, that was different!” Maddy proclaimed as she joined Dan in the living room, quickly noticing the lack of other people. “Where'd everyone go?”

“They, uh, needed to leave,” Dan replied as he moved over to where Maddy was standing. “Tori needed some time to rethink our lives while Sam went to keep a pair of eyes on her.”

Maddy frowned but understood. “Makes sense. Y’all have a lot on your plates now.”

“Want to postpone our little tour till tomorrow?” Dan asked, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “Not sure if I’m in the mood to explore now.”

“I guess-” It then dawned on the young woman. ‘We’re alone… This is my chance!’

“Sure!” Maddy chirped before a blush began to creep on her face. “But there's… something I want to talk about with you for a second.”

Dan went along with it, “Oh sure, what’s up?”

“Uhhhmmmm… So.. you know.. I.. uh…” Maddy began to clam up. ‘Why is this so hard! Just tell him how you feel, damn it!’

Dan watched the fidgeting girl struggle with her words with mild amusement. ‘It’s kinda funny. It’s like she’s a schoolgirl about to ask out her crush. Wait…’

The blue-haired girl managed to calm her nerves just long enough to shout her next few “words.”

“Iloveyouwillyougooutwithme!”

Dan couldn’t believe what he just heard. Though in his heart, maybe he should have expected this. “Huh.. wha-.”

The maiden in love was screaming in her head. ‘Eeeeeeeeeeek, I said it, I can’t believe I said it!’

Now it was Dan’s turn to start blushing as he looked at his close friend, who was trying to avoid eye contact with him. “- uh, wow. Uhm. Well…”

‘Fuck, what do I say!? Yeah, she’s cute, and I’ve always liked her as a friend, but now…’ Memories of a relationship with Tori swam through his head. ‘Things are… different…’

Maddy realized that Dan was struggling to respond and misunderstood his hesitation. “Is it… because I used to be a guy?”

Dan was startled out of his thoughts and quickly went on the defense. “No! That’s not it all. Honestly, if anything, I’ve always kinda treated you as a girl. That’s partly why I wasn’t shocked at how you handled the swap.”

Hope returned to her eyes. The cosplayer tilted her head and pushed the initiative. “Then is it because of Tori?”

“Yes!” Dan shouted, then backed down. “I mean... I don’t know. I just… There’s so much going on. I’m sorry.”

Maddy smiled as she now understood what was going on. “You know… We are on The Harem Hotel…”

Dan’s eyes widened. “What are you-”

“Whose to say you can’t have both of us?” Maddy offered genuinely, moving closer and closer to him. “You were pretty thrilled about it when Vanessa was talking up having a harem of pretty girls, right?”

Dan stepped back. “Things are different now, Maddy. Plus, why are you suddenly okay with that? Even I could see how you looked at Tori during the show earlier. You’d be fine with sharing me?”

“Caught me there,” Maddy admitted, but she kept on the attack as she shook her head. “But I wasn’t jealous of her per se. More like I was jealous of your relationship with each other. To me, you’re my best friend, but I know that I’m not yours. She is, and now she’s sorta your girlfriend, and I feel like I’m so far behind.”

Maddy steeled herself with determination as she successfully wrapped her small arms around Dan’s neck this time. “Let me say it a bit more clearly this time. I love you, Dan Whitaker. Can I please be your Girlfriend too?”

Madison: +5 - Love Confession

Then, she kissed him.

Madison: +10 - First Kiss of the Competition

Dan's dilemmas seemed to grind to a halt as his young friend placed her lips on his. His concerns seemed to sift away as he felt the physical touch of love he had been craving for so long. After all, as much as the happy memories of being with Tori lived in his head, so did the memories of being lonely and heartbroken.

After what felt like an eternity, the kiss ended as Maddy pulled her blushing face away to ask, “Sooo~~?”

Something right there and then snapped in the man’s mind as he bore witness to this gorgeous girl waiting for him to respond. ‘Fuck it.’

Maddy shivered as she felt Dan’s muscular hands grab her waist, and his face leaned back into hers. The two deepened their kiss as Maddy became hungrier and Dan grew more aggressive. Soon, the two slowly moved as Maddy pushed him back further and further until he tripped back onto his loveseat. Taking the opportunity, the young woman straddled his lap and initiated the kiss once again, this time cupping his face as the man cupped her ass. Her back arched as she began to grind in his lap.

Breathless, the two parted and rested their foreheads on one another. Dan gazed into her blue eyes and spoke, “Is that enough of an answer?”

Maddy giggled as she continued to move her hips. “Hmmm, not sure. Might need a more convincing answer.”

“I can do that,” Dan answered as the two returned to making out. The two didn’t make it further than that, however.

Maddy eventually parted from her crush and began to speak, “So, how do you want to handle Tori?”

Dan hesitated to answer. He had no honest answer for his new girlfriend. “I don’t know. My head screams that we’re lovers, but it doesn’t feel real. At least not yet. Who knows what it’ll be like tomorrow or the next day?”

Maddy put her fist to her chin as she began thinking. “Well, if 'Operation: Get Dan a Harem' is going to work, we’ll need to figure you two out.”

Dan rubbed her back. “So you are serious about the harem.”

“I’m a degenerate weeb. Of course I am!” Maddy’s proclamation made him chuckle a bit. “Do you know how many trashy harem anime I’ve seen? Besides, I doubt this game show will let you walk away from it, either. Practically everyone's transformation had something to do with falling in love with you. Hell, even Resting Bitch Face Kaylee will eventually want you to breed her if her transformation is taken literally.”

Dan winced at the notion of knocking up his former asshole of a professor. “Not sure how I feel about that. Unlike you and Tori now, those girls are still guys in my eyes. At least somewhat…”

“For now.” Maddy shrugged. “We all were just a few hours ago. Hell, I’d say Gabriella is one of the girliest ones here already. Have you seen how cute she is? She’s a natural.”

“I could say the same about you,” Dan commented as he raised his hand to touch her face.

She pecked him on the lips before continuing, “Grr. Stop being so fucking smooth. We’re trying to get you laid here.”

“I feel like you could accomplish that yourself.” Dan grinned as he began to move his hands to a more sensitive area.

“Not yet!” the blunette responded with a slap of her hand. “I need to prepare. Plus, I have some hot as fuck ideas I want to try first. I’m a professional Cosplayer now, ya know.”

Dan grinned, “And I can’t wait to experience those skills firsthand.”

“And you shall.” Maddy then reluctantly got off her long-awaited boyfriend. “For now, I’m going to start laying the groundwork. Wormtongue my way into some heads, starting with whoever my lovely roommate is.”

Dan also got up and followed her to where her purse was hanging. Kissing her on the lips again, he exchanged his farewell. “I wish you luck in your endeavor.”

“I’m sure you do.” She smiled lovingly. “Don’t forget that you must figure out this thing with Tori.”

“Yeah… I know. Hopefully, we get a moment together tomorrow.” He responded glumly.

“Cheer up, Danny. We’ll make sure your childhood friend gets her man.” She spoke softly as she kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Dan. Love you.”

This time, Dan glowed with happiness at hearing those words. “Love you too, Maddy. Good night.”

The elevator doors closed, and Dan’s newest girlfriend disappeared for the night. With no more energy, Dan wandered into what he assumed was his Master Suite and fell onto the bed without taking off any clothes.

Staring up at the ceiling fan, Dan could only chuckle at what his life was becoming. “What the fuck is happening?”