The rain fell hard tonight.
I didn't have an umbrella. Again.I told myself I'd buy one next payday, but I knew I wouldn't. Rent came first. Then food. Then utilities. An umbrella was a luxury I couldn't afford. Like most things in life.
Each raindrop felt heavier than the last. Not just water. It was like the world itself was trying to drown me slowly. The kind of rain that soaked you to the bone, where no part of you could feel warm anymore.
My name is Ryou. I'm 23.And tonight, like every night, I was walking home from another grueling shift. Another wasted day. Another few thousand yen for twelve hours of degrading work in the back of a convenience store where no one even knew my name.
It's funny.When I was a kid, I used to dream of becoming something.A doctor. A pilot. Even a game developer.But dreams are fragile things. Easy to break. Easier to forget.
My life started falling apart when I was fourteen.A car accident. A truck. A single moment.And both my parents were gone.
One second, I had a family.The next, I had nothing.No siblings. No relatives that wanted to take me in. Just a government allowance that barely kept the lights on. I managed to stay in school for a while… but I eventually dropped out during my second year of high school. Tuition? Books? Not a chance.
From then on, my life became about survival.
Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
No time for friends. No time for dreams.
Just enough time to exist.
But there was one bright spot. A single light in the darkness.
Her name was Yuki.
She came into my life two years ago. Back when I thought maybe things could change. That even if I had no future, I could at least have someone beside me.
She was kind, warm, and always smiling.Said she didn't care that I was broke.Said I had a good heart.
Lies.
All of it.
I knew something was wrong weeks ago.The way she stopped texting me first.The way she flinched when I reached for her hand.The way she laughed at her phone more than she ever laughed with me.
But I ignored it.Because I was afraid.
Afraid of losing the one thing I had left.
Afraid of facing the truth.
And tonight, the truth hit me like a freight train.
The apartment I rent is barely more than a box. A 1K in an old building that probably should've been condemned ten years ago. Rusted pipes. Mold in the corners. But it was cheap, and I could walk to work.
I opened the door quietly. I was two hours early. I wanted to surprise her.
Instead, I got the surprise.
The door creaked open, and I heard it.Moaning. Panting. Rhythmic.
I froze.For a second, my brain refused to process it.Then I heard her voice.
Yuki.
Gasping. Pleading.
But not for me.
I didn't move. Didn't breathe.
I just stood there, like a ghost.
Then I saw them.
Her body on top of his. His hands gripping her waist. Her mouth on his neck. Clothes scattered across the floor. The couch they were on? That was my couch. I paid for it. I assembled it.
And now they were using it like it belonged to them.
He was handsome. Of course he was.Chiseled jaw. Designer watch. Confident eyes.The kind of guy women turned their heads for on the street.
I looked down at myself.
Cheap uniform. Secondhand shoes. Calloused hands from lifting boxes.What was I compared to him?
Nothing.
I didn't say anything.
I didn't yell. I didn't scream.I just quietly stepped back, closed the door, and walked away.
The rain had stopped by then. But inside me, a storm was just beginning.
I walked aimlessly through the city, past glowing signs and laughing strangers. Past people who had somewhere to be. Somewhere to belong.
And I thought…
Why?
Why does everything I love get taken from me?
Why is life so cruel?
Why do I always end up with nothing?
My parents.
My future.
My girlfriend.
All gone.
I sat down on a bench by the river, my clothes still damp, my phone buzzing endlessly in my pocket. I didn't check. I knew it was her. Apologies. Explanations. Maybe even excuses. I didn't care.
I pulled out my phone and stared at the cracked screen.
The reflection showed a hollow-eyed stranger staring back.
"I don't get it," I whispered. "Why me?"
And then…
Everything changed.
[System Binding: Initiated.]
The words appeared mid-air. Glowing. Blue. Floating in front of me like a game interface.
My breath hitched.
"...What?"
[Analyzing Host…]
[Trauma Level: 89%]
[Despair Detected.]
[Survivor Profile Matched.]
[Binding is complete.]
[Welcome, Host.]
[Don't worry… I will help you.]
I blinked.
The screen didn't go away.
I reached out with a trembling hand… and it responded to my touch, pulsing faintly.
[Would you like to begin your first quest?]
My heart was racing.
"Am I hallucinating?" I whispered. "Is this a breakdown?"
[You are not hallucinating.]
[You have been chosen, Ryou.]
[To rise.]
[To fight.]
[To change your fate.]
I stared at the glowing screen, fingers clenched.
For years, I had nothing.
But now, I had this.
I didn't understand it. I didn't know if it was real, or if I was just going insane.
But if there was even a chance…
Even a 1% chance…
That this was my way out—Then I'd take it.
"...I accept."
The screen flickered.
[Quest Accepted: First Step Forward]
[Objective: Stand Up and Move On.]
[Reward: +1 to All Stats | System Core Unlocked]
I stood up slowly.
The weight in my chest was still there—but it was lighter now.Like something had shifted. Something deep.
I looked at the city skyline, still glowing in the distance.
And for the first time in years…
I took a step forward.
End of Chapter 1