Tokyo, 2037.

A 1.74m-tall, 18-year-old guy, was standing in front of a huge high-class apartment building. He was a bit skinny, and although he didn’t have a particularly bad-looking face, there were faint signs of acne.

He wore plain clothing that showed signs of wear and tear, had a backpack on his back and was dragging a wheeled suit case. It was easy to see that his life hadn’t been the best so far.

His name was Kinoshita Asahi.

Standing there, blinking, he was trying to process what was happening. ‘Is this really the right building?’

He had come from Saitama, to attend Tokyo University, and this was one of the buildings in which the University owned a portion of the apartments. The apartments they owned in this building were usually reserved for their most promising students.

Him being there was part of a series of scholarships that the University was offering to low-income students, which included housing. Among those, they selected one to live in that building.

Asahi not only ranked within the top 100 in the entrance exams, but was also an orphan found in a dumpster as a baby, who never got adopted. Putting those two things together, the University couldn’t help but pick him, even if it was to avoid the inevitable media backlash, in case they picked someone else.

Although relatively smart, Asahi wasn’t by any means a genius. He only managed to rank so high because he studied like his life depended on it, which wasn’t a completely incorrect way to put it.

After showing his Uni ID and the appropriate paperwork to the security guard at the entrance booth, he was directed to the security office where he had his building clearance card made. The process was quick and simple, lasting less than half an hour.

The staff there was quite used to the students, and some of them weren’t well-off, so Asahi looking poor barely even registered for them.

He took the fancy elevator to the 9^th floor, where his new home was, apartment 901. The hallways were spotless and well-lit, with some artwork as décor.

When he was about to insert the key in the door, he stopped.

‘Wait, I might have a roommate already. I can’t just barge in, since they might not be expecting me.’

Just in case, he rang the doorbell, with his student ID in hand. ‘I can already see me having the worst roommate ever. With my luck probably a pretentious douche and/or raging asshole. What do I mean, or? It’s obviously and, of course it’s both.’

A few seconds later, he heard a sultry feminine voice. “One minute, I’ll be right there.”

After less than two minutes the door opened.

A 1.78m woman with slightly tanned skin, thick thighs, plump butt and perky d-cup breasts stood in front of him. She wore booty shorts and a sleeveless crop top, which had art from a video game drawn on it, while visibly not wearing a bra. Her body was extremely fit, but not bulky. She had sharp Japanese features, but she was a redhead with blue eyes. Her long wavy hair was tied in a bun.

She smiled. “Sup.”

His eyes widened, taking a couple seconds for him to recover.

He then raised both hands, showing her the keys and ID. “Hi. I’m your new roommate, Asahi. I didn’t go in directly to avoid any possible awkwardness.”

“Oh, come on in. I’m Mayumi by the way.”

“Nice to meet you.” He said, before taking off his shoes at the entrance hallway.

“Likewise. You’re a freshman too, right? Which course?” She asked, closing the door.

“Game Development. You?”

Her eyes shone with excitement. “Awesome, me too!”

He stayed silent for a few seconds, then chuckled. “Sorry, I was processing the stereotypes you just broke in my mind, mainly the anxious introverted nerd one.”

She laughed. “In that case, you yourself seem to break that one too, didn’t even stutter once. Let me show you the apartment.”

The apartment had a minimalistic décor, with a high-end kitchen. Everything was furnished by the university, with even an 80” TV in the living room. The bathroom was spacious, with a surprisingly big bathtub. The bedrooms were quite spacious as well, around 3.5x3.5m, also fully furnished.

He raised his right eyebrow. “A queen-sized bed? Nice.”

“Of course, we’re in Uni. Unless you have something against getting laid.” She said, with a joking tone.

A tinge of red appeared on his face. “Well, I do fit the most cliché stereotype after all, even if it was by choice.”

Her left eyebrow rose up in curiosity. “By choice?”

“Well, I’m not good-looking or even in shape, nor did I have time for an actual girlfriend. Most of my time was filled with me working and studying, so I had to make a choice. I either used my spare time trying to talk my way into some girl’s panties, or playing video games and reading novels, which actually helped to keep my mental health from deteriorating even further.”

She put her hands on his shoulders, and spoke with fire in her eyes and an expression filled with determination. “Don’t worry, we got this. There is a gym in the building, and we have over two months until classes start. We will get you laid.”

Before he said anything, she stepped back and crossed her arms in an x shape, then spoke with a joking tone. “It can’t be me though. We’re roommates and I don’t want shit to get awkward.”

He sighed and nodded.

“I appreciate your sacrifice. I know it must be excruciating to deprive yourself of all this.” He said, oozing sarcasm, while gesturing to his body with both hands.

They both laughed.

“Are you gonna be busy today?” She asked.

“No, why?”

“Nothing, just wanted to hang out. Get to know each other better while playing some games.”

“That’d be great. Let me just put my things in my room and take a shower.”

“Sure thing, there are clean towels in your wardrobe.”

“Thanks.”

 

After putting his suitcase and backpack on his bed, he picked up a change of clothes and a towel, then went to the bathroom.

Although it had a bathtub, he only used the shower.

‘Okay, this is freaking me the fuck out. Although I don’t have any problems talking to people, I don’t feel this comfortable around them either, especially with how hot she is. I was even joking around! It’s not like I don’t have a sense of humor, but that was a bit too much.’

‘She seems nice, but she still might be a psychopath, or even worse, a flat-earther.’ He shuddered at the thought.

He took a deep breath, then remembered how horrible his luck had been since he was born, and why he had come Tokyo. He needed a new beginning.

‘You know what, fuck it. I spent the last three years studying and working so I could be here today. Since I’m getting along so well with her, might as well enjoy it, instead of letting my fucked-up issues get in the way. Let’s just assume the worst and hope for the best.’

As he was thinking about his previous interactions with Mayumi, he looked down at the only gifted part of him.

‘Getting laid, huh? Maybe you’re gonna finally see some action bud. Just don’t wake up near Mayumi, okay? That’d be awkward.’

He sighed.

‘Fantastic, now I’m telepathically talking to my dick.’

He chuckled and shook his head.

A while later, he arrived at the living room, wearing shorts and a plain t-shirt, where Mayumi had already put out some snacks and beverages on the center table. She had already started the console, and was just waiting for him in order for them to pick a game.

She was looking at her phone, which she put to the side when he came in.

Smiling brightly, she handed him a controller and asked. “What do you wanna play?”

“Dealer’s choice, but something co-op would be better, otherwise it’ll be just me getting my ass kicked.”

She nodded. “Dungeon Divers Dystopia it is. I haven’t played yet, so we’ll be on an even playing field.”

He sat down, grabbed a controller, and they stared playing.

 

While they played, they talked about themselves.

Mayumi’s mother was European, of Scottish, Irish and Swedish descent, but born in Germany. Her father was Japanese and they both met while her mother came to Japan on vacation. After falling in love, she never went back.

Asahi felt a kinship with Mayumi’s mother, because she was also an orphan who had a tough life before becoming an adult.

Mayumi grew up in a happy upper-middle class family in Yokohama, no siblings. Her parents owned a sports/fitness store, which was one of the reasons that she was so fit herself.

Despite all of the privilege she grew up with, Mayumi was quite self-aware. She knew that her situation was a best-case-scenario kind of deal, and that she was better off than most people.

While being really into video games was a phase for her friends, it was quite different for her. Mayumi’s absolute love for video games was made clear during their conversation.

Asahi talked about being an orphan and growing up basically alone, but he kept it on a light tone. He got his emancipation at the age of 15, and started working as a dishwasher in an Italian restaurant, and other several odd jobs, which he did throughout his three years of high school.

He also taught himself how to draw by hand and through software, how to code, and how to make music through sampling. Granted, he wasn’t great at any of it, above a beginner’s level at best. Overall, he was a sample-sized jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Well, except surviving against all odds.

The vast majority of the money he made, he saved up, in order to not need to work during his first year, build a pc setup, and be able to focus whole-heartedly in school, while still having time to have fun.

When they started playing, it was around 2pm, but in the blink of an eye, it was already past midnight. Those hours of conversations just solidified how well they hit it off, to the point that they were already quite comfortable with each other, even with some playful shoves once in a while.

*GROWL*

Both their stomachs roared in unison, making them laugh.

She put her hand on her abs. “Let’s go to the convenience store around the corner grab something to eat.”

He nodded. “Are you a good cook?”

“I can microwave anything, so basically a chef.”

He chuckled. “I’ll do the cooking then. We can buy some pre-cooked ingredients and I’ll make something decent out of it.”

“Ah, a man after my own tummy.”

Laughing, they left to the convenience store.

 

After buying everything they needed, they went back to the apartment, and Asahi started prepping the vegetables.

Sitting at the kitchen counter, she watched him work. “Okay, I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Earlier I joked that you broke the stereotype of the shy computer nerd, but now that I know more about you, I’m actually a bit confused. You’re not shy nor aloof, and your social skills seem on point. Given the life you had, sounds a bit strange.”

He stopped dicing the vegetables. “May I be honest and blunt?”

She smiled. “Always.”

He nodded and pondered for a few seconds, before speaking. “I’ll put aside the ‘I had to adapt in order to survive’ part. So, it’s partially how my brain works, and partially because there is something about you.”

He paused for a bit, then continued. “As for my brain, while I don’t particularly have a problem talking to people, the social dances are exhausting to me. I rather someone speak their mind around me, than to try and find the ten layers of sub-text within the conversation. I’m not talking about sarcasm or jokes, those I get. Since you didn’t play those stupid social games, I didn’t have any problems talking to you.”

After a second brief pause, he concluded. “Now, the part about you, also the scary thing for me. Although I don’t particularly have any extra trouble talking to girls, I’m still an 18-year-old virgin whose dick is constantly bugging its owner to get laid.  And as you’re aware, you’re at the holy fucking shit level of attractiveness, and I’m not even counting personality. So how the fuck am I so comfortable being around you? I have no fucking clue, and that freaks the shit out of me. If I hadn’t worked hard for the last three years to be here, in order to attempt to give my life a new beginning, I’d probably just leave. I mean, given how my life played out so far, this is way too good to be true.”

She smiled. “I was expecting blunt, but went full Mjölnir huh?”

“Sorry, it somehow turned into a rant there. I was kind of bottling it up and freaking out by myself, and I’m probably more comfortable than I was before my rant. See? Scary shit.”

She chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you do feel comfortable, because I had a blast today. It’s actually kind of a first for me too, getting along this quickly with someone, like insta-BFFs.”

He sighed, then looked at his own crotch. “You heard her, we’re in the friendzone now, so stop pestering me.”

She started laughing.

After the food was ready, Mayumi took a picture of the two them with the dishes in the background. They talked and joked around throughout their dinner, then went to bed.

 

In his bed, Asahi hugged one of his pillows.

‘Today was great. Too great, actually. She might be my first actual friend, but I still can’t shake this uneasiness. I feel like something is about to happen, but I can’t even think of what.’

As he started to get anxious and tear up, he took a deep breath.

After calming himself down, his exhaustion finally caught up to him, and he fell asleep.

 

After a dreamless night, he woke up.

Upon barely opening his eyes, he closed them again.

‘Great, now I’m seeing things.’

Still lying on his bed, he stretched his body and rubbed his eyes.

Opening them again, he blinked.

‘Fuck.’

A purple game-like window with white text was floating half a meter from his face.

[ Congratulations, you have unlocked the Love & Lust System, becoming the sole owner of a System in this universe. ]

‘Please, don’t tell me I’m developing Schizophrenia.’

[ Temporarily unlocking Scrying Mode for proof of sanity. ]

Before he could even think, a video appeared of Mayumi drinking coffee in the kitchen while looking at her phone, wearing booty shorts and a crop top, similar to what she wore the day before.

His eyes widened.

‘Think, just think… If this is real, I’ll need an excuse to leave the kitchen immediately, in order to inquire further.’

He got up and grabbed a change of clothes.

When he got to the kitchen, his heart started racing. Mayumi was there, exactly like in the video.

He had read a couple novels with such a theme, and it was fairly common in manga, so he obviously had fantasized about it before. But weirdly enough, it appeared when his life started to change for the better, and not when it was at its lowest, unlike in the stories he read.

Without thinking too much, he spoke. “Good morning.”

“Good morning” She replied, smiling.

[ Proof of sanity given. Scrying Mode has been locked. ]

“Uh, are you busy today?”

She put down her phone. “No, what are we doing?”

“I need to buy some things, and I’d like your input on them. PC parts and clothes.”

She smiled, lightly clapping her hands. “Yay, parts shopping! What kind of clothes are you looking for?”

“Just sportswear.”

“Alright, I know a store nearby for the clothes. We can go there and I’ll help you pick them up. For the parts, it’s better to order them online. Oh, are you thinking air or water-cooled? We can do a custom loop too; I made my own, so I can help. Oh yeah, I haven’t showed my baby to you!”

He laughed. “Calm down, one thing at a time. I’ll take a shower first.”

With a tinge of red in her cheeks, she stuck out the tip of her tongue. “Hehe, got a bit excited there.”

Asahi left to the bathroom with a smile on his face.

 

As soon as he entered the bathroom, he thought. ‘Is thinking enough to activate the System?’

[ Correct. ]

The appearance of the window startled him a little bit, but he quickly calmed down. ‘Okay, why do I have a System?’

[ Only one System can exist per universe. When the owner of a System dies, a living creature that is being conceived, whose species has a high enough base intellect, receives a System. ]

‘You used a instead of the. Does it mean that the previous creature had a different System?’

[ Correct. ]

‘I received the System upon conception, but you said that I just unlocked it. What was the requisite to unlock it?’

[ For you to either make someone genuinely care about you, without even a shred of ulterior motives, or to incite sexual attraction on someone that you are sexually attracted to. That would have defined if you would receive the Love or the Lust System. However, those two things happened simultaneously, down to the picosecond. Thus, the Love & Lust System was born. ]

While he put his thoughts together, he started taking a shower.

‘She can’t possibly be in love with me after less than a day, right? If it’s the combination of those two things… more like a BFF with possibility of a sexual component?’

[ Correct. ]

‘How can she be into me in that way? She’s so hot and I’m… well, me.’

[ Physical appearance is but a initial baseline for attraction. Although it differs from person to person, personality and actions tends to dictate a sizeable portion of overall attraction. You already know this, but you are letting your past cloud your reasoning. ]

‘I know we hit it off, but still…’

[ You currently have an erection. ]

He sighed and looked at the monster who had awaken from its slumber. ‘Yeah, I know.’

[ At least you will not need to purchase the penis enlargement, unless you want to walk down the bestiality route. That is still lust, and animals can love you. ]

‘I’m gonna pass on that one.’

[ That was a joke. I, the System, was tailored by your core principles, therefore only interactions with humans will earn you points. ]

‘Great, my System has a sense of humor.’

[ It is great. ]

‘Wait, if you were integrated with me upon conception, how come it had requisites to be unlocked? If we’re talking about the requisites being a price to pay, isn’t that too cheap for a System? Given that Scrying mode you showed me, it seems that I’ll get some reality breaking shit from you.’

[ You are correct, the requisites are not the only part of the price, just a final barrier. However, you have already paid it in full. ]

Asahi thought for a bit, and could only come up with one answer. ‘Was it my abysmal luck?’

[ Correct. To put it in simple terms, so you can understand, the host of a System has the entropic laws around them distorted, into something you humans would call bad luck. Every single moment in your life, where you thought ‘How can my luck be so bad?’ or ‘How come only bad things happen to me?’, it was a trial in order for you to earn a System. ]

‘You mean that being abandoned on a dumpster to die as a newborn, getting shot, stabbed, beaten up, hospital infections, having to eat off of dumpsters, and all the other horrible shit I’ve been through, was for being your host?’

[ Correct. ]

Asahi trembled with anger. ‘First of all, go fuck yourself all the way to hell.’

[ That’s fair. ]

He then took a deep breath, calming himself down. ‘Second, how do you explain meeting Mayumi? I hadn’t unlocked the System yet, and to me, meeting her was anything but bad luck.’

[ After the host overcomes a preset qualitative value worth of challenges, they will have one stroke of good luck equivalent to the sum of all the bad luck they previously had. Being assigned to the same room as Takagi Mayumi was yours. However, it is up to the host to seize that opportunity and unlock their System. ]

He silently laughed. ‘No wonder I got along so well with her, and also felt so comfortable around her, but it still freaks me out though. Okay, my third and final question. What is the survival rate of hosts until unlocking their System?’

[ 0.00001947856% ]

He sighed, then smiled. ‘Wow, I’m a fucking cockroach, but I’m weirdly proud of it. Alright, can you give me a quick rundown of how to use you?’

[ Of course. I can read your true intentions, so you just need to will it. The things you can look at for now are: Stats, Skills, Relationships and Store. As for Quests, I will give those to you when we are done with the introduction. ]

‘Stats.’

 

• Name: Kinoshita Asahi
• Age: 18
• Height: 1.74m
• Weight: 61kg

 

• Acumen – 7
• Appearance­­­ – 4
• Athleticism – 4
• Charisma – 6
• Cognition – 7
• Composure – 8
• Creativity – 7
• Hand-Eye C. – 6
• Physique – 4

 

[ Your stat cap is 10, which is the maximum stat value for a human, with 5 being the average. However, each point is worth more than the previous one. ]

‘Well, at least I’m above average.’

[ Cheer up, you stand at the Phallic Apex! ]

‘Nah, I’ve seen bigger on the internet. But I’m actually still worried it might be a bit too big.’

[ That was a joke, but your penis is considered too big for some people, especially girth-wise. However, it is still within a size that can be helped with technique. ]

‘Talk about first world problems… Do I have any Skills?’

[ No. ]

‘Relationships.’

[ Takagi Mayumi (???) (???) ]

Affinity: 83(Intense Liking)

Attraction: 72(Attracted)

Asahi had a lot of mixed feelings upon looking at it, then her personality came to mind. ‘Yeah, she would 99.9…% look at it if she was in my place. I doubt she would use it to gamify her life though, which I have no intention of doing as well.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘What are those question marks?’

[ Some people will have qualifiers next to their name. Those are special qualities regarding their relationship with you. You can’t see them at the moment, but after you earn enough points I, the System, will evolve. Each evolution will unlock different features and items at the store. ]

‘I’m assuming you can’t tell me how many points I would need.’

[ That I can’t. There are a lot of things that I can’t tell you, for a good reason. I’m prevented to do so in order for you to progress naturally, instead of destroying your life trying to get there faster. ]

‘That makes sense. Store.’

A window with many tabs and sections appeared in front of him, making his eyes widen.

‘…!’