A:
About a week after asking Marla out, I found myself at the local mall with Marla, Betsy, and Veronica.
People had flocked to Forever 14 on that hot weekend afternoon. Just a few minutes earlier, Marla had grabbed my hand to keep me from getting lost in the crowd, and I was still buzzing.
"You should try this on."
Marla grabbed a frilly white shirt off the rack and held it up to my chest. It wasn't my style. The shirt's puffy wrist and chest fringe looked straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. I tried to be gentle with my reaction.
"Marla, we need to make a splash in Libertyland, but this is a bit much."
"Just try it on! It would look soooo cute—"
Betsy jumped in with a suggestion of her own.
"Listen to him, Marla. You don't want to drive him away like I did to Ian."
Marla winced.
"I don't know Betsy, I'm not a 'hat guy'. Baldness runs in my family. I'd like to show off my hair while I have it."
"That's… too much information. Anyway, I think this beret would give you a much needed air of sophistication."
She was right. The black beret was stylish and forward looking, like something a non-American would wear. But it was almost as frilly as the shirt. Betsy forced the hat on my head, and I looked in a nearby mirror.
Marla couldn't contain herself. Her eyes went wide.
"You look so hot!"
I heard her blurt that out and I was shocked. But Betsy, and a couple of other girls who were eavesdropping, nodded in agreement.
I mulled over the ensemble.
"Well… maybe I could—"
I considered the idea, but Veronica intervened. Her face was bright red as she snatched the beret from my head and shirt from my chest.
"Uh, guys, we're still in the women's section."
Betsy waved her off.
"I used to think like you do, Veronica. Having "strong feelings" about what boys and girls should be wearing. But if Andy wants to wear this beautiful blouse and hat, we should encourage—"
I grabbed Marla, and we left for the men's section before Betsy could finish her speech.
We made our way to the men's section.
Controversial Internet Influencer Andrew Jordan Paul now had his own clothing line, and an exclusive deal with Forever 14. There was a life-size mannequin of AJP (he's shorter than I'd thought) in front of his signature line of Bugatti Baller Suits for Alpha Males.
The suits were ostentatious and designed with garish colors like lime green and bright purple. I was skeptical, but Veronica quelled my doubts.
"Yep, this is perfect. I saw guys wearing these at the Streamer Awards. You'll blend at Libertyland if you come dressed like this."
She pulled a turquoise jacket of the rack and handed it to me.
"Go try it on."
"I'm not sure about this, Veronica."
"It's the Miami style. It replicates what Scarface wore when he was killed."
I swallowed hard, but steeled myself. After all, I'd agreed to this undertaking. And the girls had agreed to accompany me to Libertyland as my harem. This was all just to save Ian. Would Marla be upset if I caused the mission to fail because of my outfit?
When I started walking to the dressing room to try it on, Veronica grabbed me.
"Don't forget the pants."
I walked into the small room and closed the door. Being alone in the dressing room gave me a chance to breathe. I stripped down to my boxers and looked at the pants. There was some confusing mechanism instead of a zipper. After a few tries, I couldn't figure it out, so I decided to just gather my thoughts for a bit.
I sat on the bench, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the store and stripped down.
My mind drifted back to my confession to Marla. She'd looked shocked, but happy to see me. And I'd worked up the courage to ask. But then…
*BANG BANG*
"Andy, are you there? What's taking so long? You aren't touching yourself in there, right? There are cameras, you know."
Betsy made a stunning accusation.
"Cameras in the dressing room? I mean… no, gross. Don't talk like that!"
"It's not a big deal. I saw on Reddit that boys like to do that in public spaces. "
"Wait… what?!"
"So you're decent? I'm coming in."
"What? Wait!"
Betsy entered the room as I changed into the black pants.
"Andy, it's not a big deal. I've seen all your equipment before."
I remembered she was right. We'd gotten to know each other that day at Busty Springs on Ecchi Island. Still, I felt uncomfortable, so I rushed to don the white dress shirt that came with the suit.
"Don't be a stranger."
Betsy walked behind me, leaned in close and wrapped a black cummerbund tight around my waist.
Betsy and I were impressed by what we saw in the mirror.
"You look like a genuine baller. Like a cryptocurrency trader during a bull market. But there's still one thing."
I looked down and saw that my zipper was still wide open. Embarrassed, I reached down to grab it, but Betsy got there first.
"Betsy, your hands are too cold!"
After kicking her out, I put on the outfit and walked back out to myself to Marla and Veronica. It impressed Marla.
"What a glow up!"
B:
"Andy, you need to help pick out a sexy swimsuit for Veronica. Something that would distract away from her small chest."
"Betsy!" Veronica protested in embarrassment as we walked back into the women's section.
"Oh, I guess some guys like that. Either way, it needs to be *hot* so you look like a real baller when we roll up to Andrew Jordan Paul's estate."
Betsy was right, but not just about Veronica's chest. We needed to make an impression in Libertyland. The whole reason we were at Forever 14 that afternoon was to get clothes for our upcoming trip. It was hard enough to secure an invitation to the private country. Gaining entrance to Andrew Jordan Paul's inner circle would be even more difficult, yet necessary to save Ian.
Marla had gone to try on a yellow sundress. What she'd pulled off the rack looked like just a yellow piece of cloth, but when she tried it on, it looked amazing.
The dress could've been made it just for her. It highlighted her figure from her chest to her hips and ended right above her thighs.
"Andy, what do you think?"
It mesmerized me. The dress left just enough to the imagination. And my imagination gave me vivid ideas about what was underneath.
"Andy, don't stare!"
Betsy smacked me on the back of the head and I was brought back to reality.
"It looks... it looks great."
Marla blushed a little and gave a quick twirl.
"Good enough for a harem, I think."
Not to be outdone, Betsy grabbed a skimpy two-piece bikini ran off to the dressing room.
All of this was necessary because of the strict rules Andrew Jordan Paul had placed for entering Libertyland. Despite the professed "principle of freedom", the lifestyles of people entering were strictly regulated. Andrew Jordan Paul specifically forbade monogamy. As were so-called simps, incels, blue pillers and anyone else AJP identified as part of "The Matrix". To put it plainly, you needed to have a harem to enter Libertyland.
Like every otaku, I'd always dreamed of having a harem. I never thought would ever happen, so this was a dream come true. Still, the circumstances were odd.
Betsy returned in a skimpy swimsuit that caught everyone's attention.
It was a string bikini with blue and white strips, one small enough that her hefty chest was pouring over the top. She must've bound the knot behind, because it looked like it was about to burst.
Honestly, her body was amazing. Betsy's flat stomach looked sunken below her protruding breasts. The bikini bottom looked good too, but it hid its true glory until she spun around to show off her behind. And what a behind it was: shapely and tight, but not at all lacking in mass. I was stuck marvelling, until I was struck with a sharp pain in my stomach.
"Andy, don't stare!"
Marla, still donned in her gorgeous yellow sundress, took exception to how long my eyes had been lingering on Betsy's body.
Next came Veronica. The outfit she'd chosen was more modest. A tight navy blue one-piece swimsuit, one that looked almost exactly like the "sukumizu" worn in Japanese high schools.
Despite being the most modestly dressed, Veronica still looked embarrassed.
"What do you think, Andy?"
I gave her a confident thumbs up and made sure my eyes didn't linger too long.
A female salesperson, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, came up to us.
"You all have wonderful taste. Is this young man your... little brother? Or perhaps your simp--"
"No, they're my harem."
The woman's immediate reaction was a bitter scowl, but she recovered.
"Oh, haha. I guess there are all kinds of relationships these days. Oh well, if you need anything, I'm sure someone else will help you."
She rushed off as quickly as she'd appeared. Now, Veronica had found something she liked on the rack.
"This is so cute!"
It was a frilly bikini that looked like a cross between a traditional sailor school uniform and the sukumizu she was wearing. Unfortunately for Veronica, Betsy had the same idea. Betsy looked over the rack but only one was left.
"It's more sexy than cute, isn't it? I think your chest is too small, it would fall right off of you!"
The two girls, still in swimsuits, had a tug of war in the women's department.
Betsy scrunched her face up, turned all red, and was pulling as hard as she could. She was pulling so hard that her chest jiggled in the little bikini as she yanked.
Sensing a potential wardrobe malfunction in the making, Marla intervened.
"Girls, you're embarrassing yourselves. Let Andy decide who he'd rather see in the swimsuit."
Veronica and Betsy both looked at me with anticipation. Betsy batted her eyes at me rapidly. Veronica looked at me with more sympathy, batting her eyes more slowly and looking deep into my soul as I tried to not sneak a quick look at her chest.
I didn't want to disappoint either of them.
"Ummm... I think you both should wear it!"
Apparently, that was the worse answer I could've given. They shoved the swimsuit back on the rack and it looked like our shopping was done for the day.
After we checked out, Betsy stopped to address all of us in front of the store.
"I... I just have to thank you all for doing this. It was my fault that Ian left and got involved with AJP. I feel you're cleaning up my mess."
"It's ok Betsy. Ian's part of the Gaia Defense Force, too. And he's his own man. You can't hold yourself accountable for every decision he makes."
Marla took sometime to console Betsy, as I thought back to that fateful night. The night I had confessed to Marla.