Eighteen candles.
One breath.
A wish Jerry Foster didn't even know how to make.
The flame vanished, smoke curling up in a thin ghost-like line as his mother clapped softly in the dim kitchen. A modest vanilla cake sat between them on the table, decorated with lopsided icing and a single "18" candle stuck at the center.
"Make it count," she smiled, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
Jerry gave a half-smile. His dad, standing by the fridge with a steaming mug in hand, chimed in: "College starts next week. You ready to meet people who aren't from this neighborhood?"
"Can't be worse than high school," Jerry muttered.
They laughed. He didn't.
The truth was — Jerry never fit. Not because he was awkward or weird. He just always felt… out of sync. Like his brain operated on a frequency the rest of the world didn't tune into.
He'd always been observant. Too observant. Reading emotions in milliseconds, noticing patterns others didn't, often feeling people's moods like background noise. And sometimes… he heard things no one else did — whispers in silence, static between thoughts.
Doctors said it was anxiety. Or overstimulation. His dad, an AI researcher, joked it was "diagnosed overthinking." His mom just hugged him tighter.
Now, sitting in the soft glow of a dying birthday candle, Jerry felt the itch again — that tingle at the back of his skull, like something was about to click.
And it did.
Later that night, long after the cake was cut and his parents had gone to bed, Jerry lay under his covers, staring at the ceiling.
That's when it happened.
A sudden pulse. Like his brain jerked awake.
His vision dimmed.
No pain. Just a flicker — like reality had blinked.
[System Sync Initiated…]
Jerry gasped and sat up, blinking rapidly. The room around him was normal. His PC was off. Phone dead. Lights still. Yet something scrolled across his vision like a HUD in a video game.
[Neural anchor detected… Matching host: Jerry Foster][Primary emotion nodes online… Emotional Resonance Engine booting][H.A.R.E.M.exe successfully embedded][Welcome, Candidate #217. You have 365 days to stabilize your system.]
"What the—?" he whispered, gripping the sheets.
[WARNING: Emotional destabilization may lead to neural degradation or death.][Mission: Form deep, authentic emotional connections with 7 selected Harem Hearts.]
Jerry froze. This wasn't a dream. He felt it — a pressure deep in his brain, like a second consciousness humming under his thoughts.
[Three failed echoes recovered: Ragnar, Alric, Zen.]
Suddenly, they were there.
Not in the room — in his mind.
Ragnar: "He's got spirit. Good. You'll need fire to lead a harem.
"Alric: "Hmm. Brain chemistry optimal. Socially underdeveloped, though. High risk.
"Zen: "Ooooh. Cute trauma in the background. Let's definitely use that."
Jerry clutched his temples. "What is this?!"
[You are now the living host of the H.A.R.E.M system. Your emotional connections determine your survival. Your journey begins now.]
"No… This can't be real…"
He stumbled to the bathroom, flicked on the light. His pupils shimmered faintly — glowing, like glitching pixels.
His reflection stared back with new eyes.
Something had awakened.
Ragnar: "We must prepare. College is the battlefield.
"Alric: "Collect data on surroundings. Adapt behavior.
"Zen: "And hey, find out who's single."
Jerry exhaled shakily.
He wasn't hallucinating. He wasn't dreaming. Something — someone — had embedded itself inside him.
A mysterious system. A ticking timer. And three ghost-like personalities from previous failed candidates whispering contradictory advice.
His birthday had become a countdown.
His new life was already glitching.
And tomorrow, he'd begin college.
Unaware that seven girls — each with scars deeper than their smiles — were about to become the key to either saving him… or deleting him from reality.