Ataru gripped the microphone, his knuckles white. He could feel the dream-fabric vibrating under his feet. The beach was a masterpiece of his own design-blinding white sand, turquoise water, and a crowd of invisible spectators whose cheering sounded like a distant ocean.
Beside him, the Chibi Bentens were practically vibrating. Competitive Benten was wearing a tiny referee whistle around her neck, while Playful Benten was tossing handfuls of glitter into the air.
"Round one!" Ataru bellowed, his voice echoing across the shoreline. "The Hydro-Gauntlet! The rules are simple: stand your ground while the high-pressure hoses unleash their fury. The last one standing wins the point!"
He smirked. This was the setup. The water would cling to the white fabric, making it transparent, forcing Benten to shiver and clutch herself, creating a sense of vulnerability. He'd then slide in with a towel and a comforting word, planting the first seed of dependency.
Benten stepped forward, her boots sinking into the sand. She didn't look vulnerable. She looked like she was preparing to fight a tidal wave. She planted her feet wide, shoulders squared, and glared at the nozzle of the massive hose.
"Is that all you got, you shrimp?" she barked.
Ataru flicked a switch. A wall of water slammed into Benten with the force of a fire hydrant. The other girls screamed, stumbling backward, their shirts instantly clinging to their skin as they gasped for air.
Benten didn't budge. She leaned into the blast, her eyes narrowing. She looked less like a swimsuit model and more like a soldier in a monsoon.
"Is this a joke?" Benten shouted over the roar of the water. "I've ridden through plasma storms in the Andromeda sector! This is practically a lukewarm bath!"
Ataru's jaw dropped. "You're supposed to be... you're supposed to be shivering! Look at the other girls! They're all... dainty!"
"Dainty is for losers!" Benten yelled back. She actually stepped forward, charging *into* the jet of water, her face twisted in a grin of pure defiance. "Hit me harder, you coward! Give me everything you've got!"
Ataru frantically turned the dial to maximum. The hose buckled, the water pressure screaming as it blasted Benten backward a few inches. She dug her heels into the sand, muscles straining, her wet shirt clinging to her frame like a second skin.
π ‘"Strong girl, wet girl, feel the rhythm of the tide~"π ‘ the invisible chorus crooned, the jazzy beat pulsing through the sand. π ‘"Let the water wash away the pride, let the desire bloom inside~"π ‘
Benten let out a loud, guttural laugh, wiping water from her eyes.
"I love this!" she roared. "It's like a power-wash for my soul!"
Ataru slumped. "She's not vulnerable. She's... she's enjoying the torture."
Competitive Benten blew her whistle loudly. "Point to Benten! She outlasted everyone! Now move it along, pervert, we've got a schedule!"
Ataru groaned, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Round two. The Pose-Off!"
He waved his hand, and the scene shifted. A shimmering glass stage rose from the sand, surrounded by spotlights. The other girls stepped up, arching their backs, pouting their lips, and casting sultry glances toward the judges' table.
"The goal is to be the sexiest!" Ataru announced, trying to regain his composure. "The one who projects the most longing, the most desire, the most... *invitation*!"
Benten marched onto the stage. She looked at the other girls-their soft curves and shy smiles-and sneered.
"Longing? Invitation?" Benten scoffed. "Who does that? If you want something, you take it!"
She stepped to the center of the stage. Instead of a sultry pose, Benten suddenly dropped into a deep, aggressive crouch. She slammed one fist into her open palm, leaned forward with a predatory glare, and let out a sharp, commanding "Hmph!"
The crowd of invisible spectators went wild.
"What is that?!" Ataru shrieked. "That's not sexy! That's a combat stance! Look at Girl Number Four! She's doing a classic 'come hither' look! Do that!"
Benten stood up and crossed her arms, her chest heaving under the wet fabric. "I don't 'come hither.' I 'go thither' and I break things! This is the sexiest thing there is: absolute, crushing dominance!"
"Dominance isn't what I'm looking for here!" Ataru yelled, though his heart was hammering against his ribs. The sheer aggression in her eyes was, unfortunately, doing exactly what the music wanted.
π ‘"Power girl, fierce girl, shake the world with a glare~"π ‘ the chorus sang, the beat becoming heavier, more hypnotic. π ‘"Deep inside the fire, a secret longing dwells there~"π ‘
Benten narrowed her eyes, her breathing becoming heavy. For a second, Ataru thought he had her. She looked dazed, her confidence wavering as the hypnotic rhythm took hold.
"That's it..." Ataru whispered. "Feel the desire. Associate this heat with me. I am the master of this dream. I am the reward..."
Benten's gaze drifted. She wasn't looking at Ataru. Her eyes wandered to the side of the stage, where a dream-projection of Lum was floating, cheering with a giant pom-pom in each hand.
Lum's eyes were sparkling, her pink hair fluttering in the sea breeze, her own wet shirt leaving very little to the imagination. She blew a kiss toward the stage, her face beaming with genuine admiration.
Benten froze. Her pupils dilated. The "heat" Ataru had been carefully cultivating didn't flow toward him. It took a sharp, ninety-degree turn and slammed directly into Lum.
"Whoa," Benten muttered, her voice suddenly breathless. "Since when did Lum look so... sculpted?"
Ataru froze. "Wait. No. No, no, no! I'm the one on the microphone! I'm the judge! Look at me!"
"Shut up, Ataru," Benten snapped, though her voice lacked its usual bite. She didn't take her eyes off Lum. "I never noticed how... how a certain kind of curve... fits together."
Competitive Benten blew the whistle again, looking confused. "Uh, I guess we call that a point for Benten? She's certainly projecting *something*."
Ataru felt a cold sweat break out. He had accidentally wired the "desire" circuit to the wrong person. He had spent twenty minutes telling Benten's subconscious that "intense feeling equals reward," and Benten had decided that the reward was the alien princess.
"Quick! Round three!" Ataru shouted, desperate to course-correct. "The Banana Challenge! This is the tie-breaker! This is where the real brainwashing-I mean, the real skill comes in!"
The stage vanished, replaced by a massive, gilded table piled high with glowing, pinkish bananas.
"The rules!" Ataru announced, his voice cracking. "You must pick up the bananas using only your breasts! No hands! The one who swallows the most in one minute wins the entire contest!"
He grinned. This was the most phallic, most suggestive challenge of all. The physical sensation, combined with the rhythmic music, would create a powerful association. He just needed to make sure Benten focused on the *act* of the pleasure, and then he'd swoop in to claim the credit.
Benten looked at the table. She looked at the bananas. Then she looked at Lum, who was now floating closer, giggling and clapping.
"Right," Benten said, her voice sounding strangely focused. "I'm gonna win this. And then I'm gonna take those pom-poms from Lum."
"Just focus on the bananas!" Ataru urged.
The buzzer sounded.
Benten didn't just "pick up" the bananas. She lunged at the table with a ferocity that bordered on the animalistic. She clamped her breasts together with a strength that would have crushed a lesser fruit, hoisting the bananas up and sliding them into her mouth with mechanical efficiency.
*Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.*
Ataru watched in horror and fascination. She wasn't being "sensual." She was treating the contest like a competitive eating championship. She was vacuuming the table.
π ‘"Suck it down, swallow deep, the secret promise you shall keep~"π ‘ the chorus wailed, the beat now a driving, erotic thrum. π ‘"The taste of love, the taste of skin, let the harem's joy begin~"π ‘
As the music peaked, Ataru stepped forward. "See? You're enjoying it! You're feeling the pleasure! Now, just imagine where this feeling comes from! Imagine the one who provided this feast! Imagine Ataru Moroboshi!"
Benten paused, a banana half-way to her mouth. She looked at Ataru.
For a moment, the brainwashing seemed to click. Her expression softened. Her eyes grew misty. Ataru leaned in, a triumphant smile on his face. He could almost feel her will breaking.
"You're right, Ataru," she whispered.
"Yes?" Ataru beamed.
"You're right that this is a waste of time," Benten said, her voice returning to its usual grit. "Because I'm already done."
She slammed the final banana down her throat and stood up, chest heaving, her breasts still glistening from the fruit's residue. She ignored Ataru entirely and turned toward Lum.
"Hey, Lum!" Benten shouted.
"Yes, Benten?" Lum chirped, floating down to her level.
Benten reached out and grabbed Lum's hand, pulling her close. The proximity caused a visible spark of static electricity to jump between them. Benten's face flushed a deep crimson.
"You... you're actually kind of hot, aren't you?" Benten muttered, her gaze scanning Lum's face with an intensity that made Ataru want to scream.
Lum blinked, then smiled brightly, hugging Benten tightly. "Of course I am! We're best friends!"
Benten didn't let go. She buried her face in Lum's shoulder, inhaling deeply. "I don't know what's happening, but I suddenly feel like I could eat you alive."
Ataru stood frozen, the microphone still in his hand.
"What?" he whispered. "What just happened?"
"You failed, pervert!" Playful Benten laughed, bouncing around him. "You built a bridge to desire, but you forgot to put up a guardrail! You pointed her toward 'lust' and she just took the shortest path to the prettiest girl in the room!"
"I didn't point her toward Lum!" Ataru wailed. "I pointed her toward *me*!"
"Nah," Competitive Benten said, checking her clipboard. "Your signal was too weak. Lum's aura is way stronger. You basically just gave Benten a map and a compass that pointed directly to the alien princess. Congrats! You've successfully brainwashed your target into becoming a lesbian."
Ataru fell to his knees in the sand. The dream-beach began to ripple. The sun was setting, turning the sky a deep, bruised purple.
π ‘"Love is a circle, love is a line, the harem grows in a strange design~"π ‘ the chorus sang, sounding smugly satisfied.
Benten and Lum were now floating together, drifting away from the stage and toward the shoreline, whispering and giggling. Benten was looking at Lum with a hunger that Ataru had spent years trying to elicit for himself.
"I can't believe this," Ataru groaned, face-planting into the sand. "I'm a genius. I'm a master of the mind. And I just became a wingman for my own fiancΓ© and her best friend."
"Don't be so sad, Darling!" the dream-Lum shouted, waving from a distance. "Maybe if you're lucky, they'll let you watch!"
Ataru let out a long, muffled scream into the beach.
=====
Back in the waking world, in the quiet of the Moroboshi residence, Benten shifted in her sleep. Her breathing was heavy, her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. She reached out a hand, subconsciously searching for something-or someone-next to her.
Beside her, Lum stirred, her own expression dreamy.
Ataru, sitting up in his own bed in the other room, felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. He sat in the darkness, staring at the ceiling.
"I can fix this," he whispered to himself, though he sounded unsure. "I'll just... I'll enter her dream again tomorrow. I'll use a different approach. Maybe something with more... lace? Or a library? Yes, a library. Who doesn't love a sexy librarian?"
He lay back down, closing his eyes. But as he drifted off, he could still hear the faint, ghostly echo of that jazzy beat, and the image of Benten looking at Lum with absolute, crushing dominance.
He sighed. At least the bellydancing had been a hit.
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