No way, dude.
This is netorare, right! No matter how you look at it, it's netorare!
Kiyono couldn't hold it together anymore. Now he finally understood—this was neither a web novel system nor a light novel system. This was an evil system that crawled out from some underworld!
Moreover, with his opening of just a broken bowl, how was he supposed to be the other man? This wasn't Dragon Ball!
After finishing his complaints in one breath, he became much calmer. No matter what, he wouldn't do netorare, but he couldn't just give up on the system either—this was his capital for rapid advancement! First, let's see if there's any way to have the best of both worlds!
At this time, as if hearing his thoughts, the system hurriedly introduced its functions, like a bride who had delivered herself but was cruelly rejected.
[A-anyway! You can copy the skills you practice in the simulation to reality! Also, also, after each simulation ends, rewards will be sent based on the excitement level of your simulated life and the heroine's favorability!]
So even without completing the netorare mission, he could still get rewards?
Kiyono fell into contemplation. The system's skill copying function was actually quite powerful. After all, simulated life could very well span three to five years, and if he deliberately practiced in a certain field for three to five years, what kind of achievements could he make?
This one reward alone was sufficient, and as for the netorare main quest, there was no need to deliberately complete it.
"It seems I can go from being Tokyo's most excellent beggar to Tokyo's most excellent beautiful boy."
Repaying Miss Yukinoshita was no longer a distant ideal.
Thinking of this, Kiyono lost interest in bathing, simply dried himself, blow-dried his hair, then sat on the bed and opened the system.
"So how do I start the simulation? Hurry up!"
[At your will.]
[Current available simulations: 1.]
[Begin simulation?]
[Please note, once the simulation begins, your consciousness will be projected into the simulation world at certain moments.]
[All developments in the simulation will be decided by you. The system will not interfere in any way.]
Looking at the transparent light screen in front of him, Kiyono pondered for a moment, then pressed the start button.
[Simulation starting...]
[World line calculating...]
[Character talents generating...]
[Talent generation complete. These are character talents deduced based on yourself. You can decide the future direction of simulation based on these character talents. Please review carefully.]
[You have a total of three talents for this simulation.]
[Destined Girl: In one's lifetime, meeting your destined person is a very fortunate thing, and you have one, two, three... even countless destined girls!]
[Effect: When you encounter a crisis, a girl will definitely appear to help you escape trouble.]
What kind of rule-breaking talent is this! And this is basically living off women! You might as well just rename it to "Soft Rice King"!
Kiyono's mouth twitched as he suppressed his subtle emotions and continued reading.
[Mature Appeal: You have a unique temperament that greatly increases the favorability of older married women toward you.]
[Literary Genius: You have outstanding talent in literature.]
Jackpot!
Looking at this last talent, Kiyono's eyes lit up. Setting aside the first two entries, only this "Literary Genius" was randomly drawn by the system, and it could be said to determine the career path he would pursue in the simulation.
"But literature, huh... It should probably be classical literature or light novels. Considering making money quickly, light novels would be more suitable, right?"
To be honest, it was somewhat awkward because whether novels or anything else, they all required a certain amount of time before he could get money. His biggest problem right now was how to get through the difficult early stages, but it was fine! After all, this was a free simulation, so he couldn't ask for too much.
[Pure love talents have been configured with one click. Begin simulation?]
"Yes."
[During the simulation, there may be intense mental fluctuations. It is recommended that you lie down on the bed.]
...How considerate.
Kiyono obediently lay down on the bed and covered himself with the small blanket.
[Simulation officially begins.]
[Sunlight with lively laughter passes through the window. While staying at home, you suddenly want to go out for a walk.]
[You walk out of your house, facing the warm breeze, taking a stroll by the roadside. But after walking just a few steps, you discover a truck painted in iced tea colors roaring down the road, and in front of the truck is a little girl with eyes wide with terror.]
[In this instant, you don't think. Your instincts drive your body into action. With a shout of "MAN," you are sent flying by the truck decorated with prison-themed stickers, but you save the girl.]
[But you're surprised to find that you didn't die, but instead transmigrated to the long-dreamed-of two-dimensional world.]
[You are very happy, sighing that this is the blessing from ten years of reading legitimate web novels.]
[But you soon can't laugh anymore. Having nothing, you experience the hardships of survival and begin a homeless life.]
[You sigh: "Damn it, Japan is really terrible."]
Fragmented scenes flicker.
Kiyono's emotions are somewhat complex. How does this even come with flashback CGs!
[On a night when the moon cannot be seen, after being rejected for a job once again, you sit dizzy with hunger by the roadside with a wooden sign saying "I'll do anything for money."]
[The next moment, the clouds part, and a huge, beautiful, bright, and gentle full moon appears before you, as if you could touch it just by reaching out.]
[You develop admiration for that girl named "Yukinoshita," and also feel ashamed. You want to become someone who can stand beside her with head held high.]
[You obtained 50,000 yen.]
I'm not, I didn't, don't make stuff up! That was just pure gratitude and a little bit of attraction, you damn system!
Seeing this line, Kiyono inexplicably blushed, then became angry from embarrassment.
But the current system had apparently entered serious mode, ignoring his complaints and continuing the simulation without pause.
[But what you don't know is that after you left, a sky-blue twin-tailed girl carrying a steaming hot meal came to where you had been sitting. Finding you gone, she bit her lip worriedly.]
[This day, you sleep comfortably and peacefully for the first time.]
[The next day, you put on the new clothes you bought and walk through the bustling commercial street, preparing to find a job. Because your appearance is neat and your looks have returned to normal levels, housewives on the street frequently glance at you.]
[You politely decline a mature woman's offered contact information, thinking about what kind of work you want to find.]
Consciousness projection.
Kiyono blinked, and the dim hotel environment instantly transformed into bright sunshine. Under the azure sky, he saw the regretful profile of the rejected mature lady, a schoolgirl in a plaid skirt cycling past, their brief eye contact, the aroma from roadside restaurants filling his nostrils—lively and bustling.
"It feels completely like the real world..."
Kiyono sighed, then began to take action.
With his previously accumulated rich job-hunting experience, he quickly searched for nearby shops hiring staff and filtered out those he could handle, inquiring one by one. This time he no longer faced disgusted looks but was treated normally. Finally, he got three options.
First, a convenience store that employed many worker drones. The advantage was no threshold and relative stability, but the disadvantage was minimum wage and shifts of eight hours or more.
Second, a Western restaurant. The advantage was urgent hiring with incredibly high pay—1,400 yen per hour that he couldn't even imagine. But the disadvantage was limited hours, only three morning peak hours and three evening peak hours per day, and he could be fired at any time based on business fluctuations.
Third, morning newspaper delivery work, paid by quantity. Not bad as part-time work, but he didn't have a bicycle.
Fourth, selling his body at a host club.
Kiyono sat on a park bench, weighing the pros and cons. Most importantly, he had to ensure his livelihood while finding enough time to write and submit manuscripts—this was the key to escaping his predicament.
Although this was just a simulation, it strictly followed real-world logic. It was impossible to exhaust his body working for money while seriously creating literature. To use "gaming" as an example, his character's energy was limited. Without enough energy, his writing output would decline, so he had to make trade-offs.
"Looking at it this way, choosing options two and three together would be more suitable. Although it's only five or six hours of pay, it's enough to live on. After earning money, I can buy a bicycle for newspaper delivery. The remaining time can all be used for planning and writing. The convenience store hours are really too long, and I'd have to constantly face customers, making it hard to have thinking space."
With his mind made up, Kiyono hesitated no longer and walked directly toward that restaurant.
[You came to a family restaurant located on the commercial street.]
[You explained your purpose, and the manager lady warmly received you.]
In the staff break room, a mature and gentle older sister let Kiyono sit at the table, looking at him with a smile.
"Little brother, did you bring a resume?"
Her voice was as soft as a young girl's. Now face to face, he finally saw her true appearance clearly—chestnut-colored long hair simply tied up, beautiful emerald green eyes, wearing a black and white work uniform that perfectly highlighted her graceful figure.
"Th-this..."
Kiyono certainly knew that job hunting generally required bringing a resume, or student ID, address, and such things, but he didn't have any of these! He couldn't exactly say he lived under a bridge!
So he could only smile bashfully, like a shy boy who wasn't good at dealing with beautiful older sisters.
"Ah, no resume is fine too. How old are you? Where do you go to school?" The manager sister's smile remained unchanged.
"Sixteen years old, no longer in school."
Kiyono paused, lowered his eyes, and spoke softly. At this moment, sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in light. The sunlight tinted his skin, his long, delicate eyelashes trembled lightly like tender sprouts breaking through soil in spring, and below were eyes as clear as stream water. Those eyes reflected calmness, acceptance, and a deeply hidden trace of sadness.
So this statement could have many interpretations—it could be a fallen noble abandoned by a great family, struggling alone, or it could be an innocent boy from the countryside who came to the city carrying his parents' hopes, finally compromising after being defeated by life... Looking at the older sister's eyes now sparkling with emotion, she had probably already imagined a 100,000-word backstory.
Mature Appeal, charge!
After a brief silence, the older sister took a deep breath and handed him a stack of A4 papers.
"Here, these are the work terms. We'll proceed roughly according to this. Take a quick look, okay?"