Tiktiktiktik.
The sound of keyboards echoed in the office like steady rain. Everyone was focused, faces lowered, eyes glued to their screens. No laughter. No chatter. Just the rhythm of typing filling the wide room.
I, too, had my eyes on the monitor, hands stiff as I typed line after line. My body leaned forward, my shoulders tense. When I finally pressed the last key and the first report was complete, I leaned back in my chair with a sigh.
Without thinking, I stood up and began walking toward the café on the corner of the floor.
Halfway there, my mind suddenly jolted awake. Wait… today is my first day. If I left without permission, what would that look like? What if someone saw? My chest tightened, and I quickly turned back, slipping into my seat like nothing had happened.
Just then, the heavy glass door opened. A man in a black suit, probably from administration, stepped inside and clapped his hands.
"Alright everyone, break time! Fifteen minutes!"
The tension in the room broke instantly. Chairs scraped back, people stretched, and a wave of relieved voices filled the office.
I sighed with relief. "So it's fine to go now." This time, I stood with confidence, walked to the café, and bought myself a paper cup of coffee. The warmth of it seeped into my fingers as I stepped outside.
(HEY LOSER, HERE'S SOMETHING FOR YOU.)
I almost spilled the drink.
"Whoaaa! Don't scare me like that!" I whispered sharply, looking around to see if anyone noticed me talking to thin air. "Okay, okay… what is it this time?"
(OPEN THE SYSTEM BY SAYING 'OPEN SYSTEM,' YOU DUMDUM.)
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why do you always talk like that? Can't you just say it normally?"
(NO. NOW SAY IT.)
"Fine. Open system."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the familiar blue hologram screen blinked to life in front of me. The glowing text appeared slowly, one line after another:
[TASK: DO 100 PUSH-UPS]
[REWARD: STORE UNLOCKED + 5 COINS]
I raised an eyebrow. "Push-ups? Seriously?"
(HERE, LISTEN CAREFULLY, DUMDUM. EACH COIN IS WORTH 100 DOLLARS. REAL MONEY. YOU CAN WITHDRAW IT.)
I froze, gripping the coffee cup tighter. "Wait… each coin is a hundred? That means five coins is five hundred dollars."
(YES. NOW STOP ACTING LIKE A FOOL AND DO IT.)
My lips pressed into a thin line. The language annoyed me, but the reward… that made my heart race. I thought about the debts, about my weak body, about how different things could become with just a little effort.
I stared at the glowing screen. "Hmm… so this is real. A task system. And money I can actually use."
The coffee cooled in my hand as my mind spun.
It was 6:30 p.m. when I finally wrapped up the day's work. My shoulders were heavy, but there was also a strange satisfaction in me. My first day had gone smoother than in my previous life. No accidents. No embarrassment. No ruined clothes.
I stepped out of the office, boarded a bus, and leaned against the window as the city passed by in streaks of light. By the time the bus pulled into my stop, the sky had already turned dark purple.
7:00 p.m. sharp—I reached home.
The front door opened before I could even touch the handle.
"Welcome back, Kenji," Keiko said.
My stepmother stood there in a loose silk blouse, pale pink with the top button undone. The smooth fabric clung lightly to her, and the sleeves hung just long enough to show the slim line of her wrists. She had paired it with a simple black skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her bare legs caught the dim light from the hallway, and for a moment I had to remind myself not to stare.
She leaned in and gave me a soft hug, her perfume brushing past me—sweet but sharp.
"Dinner's ready. You must be tired."
We ate together quietly, the kind of silence that wasn't awkward but wasn't warm either. Afterward, she cleared the table while I retreated to my room.
I lay on the futon, staring at the ceiling. My chest was still filled with the memory of that glowing screen from earlier. One hundred push-ups. Five coins. Store unlocked.
I clenched my fists. "Alright… let's just do it."
I rolled off the bed and dropped onto the floor. My arms trembled even before I started.
"One… two… three… four… five…"
"Huff… huff…" My breath came fast. Sweat started to bead on my forehead.
"Six… seven… eight… nine… ten…"
(WHAT'S THIS? ALREADY TIRED? PATHETIC. KEEP GOING, LOSER.)
"Shut… up…" I growled, teeth clenched. My arms shook as I pushed again.
"Eleven… twelve… thirteen… fourteen… fifteen…"
Each rep burned. My chest ached, my arms felt like lead. But somehow, slowly, painfully, I kept moving. My breath was loud in the small room.
Finally, the hundredth push-up ended with me collapsing flat onto the floor. My lungs screamed for air. My shirt clung to my body with sweat.
(HAHAHA. UNBELIEVABLE. THIS WEAK LITTLE LOSER ACTUALLY DID IT. CONGRATULATIONS.)
I lifted my head slightly. "So… now what?"
The familiar blue hologram blinked alive above me. This time, more lines appeared than before:
[TASK COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 5 COINS RECEIVED]
[NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED – STORE]
A clinking sound echoed in my ears, like coins dropping into a metal box. Then, a new tab appeared under the system title.
[STORE – OPEN]
"Store?" I whispered. "What's in there?"
I tapped the glowing word with a finger. The screen shifted, and rows of items appeared, each with a small glowing coin symbol next to them.
Energy Drink (3 Coins) – Temporarily increases stamina for one day.
Memory Boost Pill (5 Coins) – Sharpen focus and recall.
Muscle Growth Serum (10 Coins) – Accelerates physical strength training.
Dick Growth Pill(??? Coins) – Unknown contents.
I blinked. "This… looks like a video game shop."
(YOU CAN THINK OF IT THAT WAY, LOSER. BUT THIS IS REAL. AND THOSE ITEMS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.)
I stared at the list, my heart racing. The glowing number "5" sat at the top corner of the screen, my current coin balance.
"So… I can actually buy something now."
(YES. BUT DON'T WASTE IT BITCH. KNOWING YOU, YOU'LL BLOW IT ON SOMETHING STUPID.)