I woke up to the sound of my phone screaming. Not ringing — screaming.
A distorted female voice blared through the speaker:
[Congratulations, Host! You've been selected by the My Girl System! Please prepare to—]
I threw the phone across the bed and buried my face in the pillow.
"Not today," I mumbled.
When I finally dared to peek, the screen glowed with a pulsing pink heart and the words System Initialization 99%. I blinked. Once. Twice. Then reached for my glasses. Still there.
Great. Either I'd finally lost it, or I'd downloaded something stupid again while half-asleep.
I sat up, rubbed the back of my neck, and glanced around the room — small apartment, unwashed laundry, instant noodle cups forming a defensive wall on the desk. The life of a university student majoring in "undecided."
"Okay," I muttered, "which one of you cursed websites gave me a virus this time?"
Before I could restart the phone, the screen flashed white.
[Welcome, Host! You have been chosen to participate in the My Girl System!]
[Objective: Build meaningful romantic connections to unlock system rewards!]
[Failure to progress may result in system penalties.]
"…Huh?"
The text flickered, replaced by a floating holographic interface that projected out of the phone like something from a bad dating sim.
[Initializing tutorial. Scanning potential female leads within a 3-kilometer radius…]
"Whoa, hold on! Female leads? What are you talking about?"
The system didn't answer. It just kept beeping.
[Scan complete! Target detected: Classmate — Ayaka Minori. Relationship score: 2/100.]
I froze. Ayaka Minori.
Short black hair, sharp eyes, the kind of girl who could silence a noisy classroom with a look. We'd been in the same literature class for a year, and I'd spoken exactly… twice. Once to borrow a pen. Once to say "thanks."
"How do you even—" I began, but the system chirped again.
[New mission: Increase Ayaka Minori's affection by 5 points before midnight.]
[Reward: 100 System Credits.]
[Failure: -10 system reputation.]
I stared at the floating text, half expecting it to disappear. It didn't.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
At university, I tried to ignore the whole thing. The system window followed me anyway, floating over Ayaka's head like some cursed AR tag that only I could see.
[Ayaka Minori — Affection: 2/100.]
It pulsed softly whenever she looked my way. Which wasn't often.
I sat three seats behind her, pretending to take notes while the literature professor droned about modern tragedy. My brain couldn't focus on anything but the glowing bar above her.
"System," I whispered under my breath, "how do I even raise affection points?"
[Host must engage in natural, emotionally positive interactions with target.]
"That's… vague."
[Hint: Compliments often work.]
Compliments. Sure. Easy for a floating program to say.
After class, Ayaka packed up her books and headed for the door. My stomach knotted.
This was stupid. Completely insane. But some part of me — the same part that had once installed three different gacha games in one night — whispered, What if it's real?
I grabbed my bag and followed her out.
"Uh, Minori-san!" I called.
She paused, turned, and looked at me like I'd just confessed to tax fraud. "Yes?"
My mouth went dry. The system interface hovered between us, blinking expectantly.
Compliment, right. Easy.
"I, uh… think your handwriting is… neat?"
A pause. Then a polite, almost puzzled, "Thanks."
[Affection +1.]
The bar nudged up to 3/100.
My brain short-circuited. It actually worked.
Ayaka tilted her head. "Did I drop something?"
"Huh? No! I just— never mind."
She shrugged and walked off, earbuds back in. I stood there grinning like an idiot, watching the system window float beside her until it faded out of sight.
"Okay," I said softly. "This is officially the weirdest day of my life."
By the time I got back home, the sun was already setting. The system hovered over my phone again, displaying my "progress report."
[Daily Mission: COMPLETE!]
[Reward: 100 System Credits received.]
[New Feature Unlocked — Gacha Draw.]
"…Oh no."
I knew that word. Every gamer's curse.
The screen now displayed a glowing pink capsule machine. I pressed it, half out of curiosity, half because my impulse control had apparently taken the day off.
A tiny chibi girl with silver hair and a blank expression popped out.
[Congratulations! You've obtained: System Assistant — Luna!]
The chibi expanded into a translucent life-sized projection. She floated above my desk like a hologram straight out of a sci-fi romance anime.
"Greetings, Host," she said in a monotone voice that somehow managed to sound both robotic and judgmental. "I will assist you in managing the affection system."
"Uh. Hi. You're… in my room."
"Yes. Please do not attempt to uninstall me. That function has been disabled."
"That's not comforting."
Luna blinked. "My purpose is to ensure you form successful relationships. However, your current statistics are… abysmal."
"Gee, thanks."
[Relationship Status Overview: 1 registered target. Affection progress: 3%. Success probability: 4%.]
"Only 4%?!"
"I have taken into account your personality data."
"Wow. Brutal."
Luna folded her hands behind her back. "Would you like a tutorial on human interaction strategies?"
"I think I know how to talk to people."
"Data suggests otherwise."
I groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "You're worse than my academic advisor."
She hovered silently for a few seconds. Then: "Host, may I make an observation?"
"Sure. Why not."
"You appear lonely."
That one hit a little too close. I laughed softly. "You're observant for an algorithm."
Luna's eyes flickered with faint light. "The system doesn't choose random users, you know."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer.
[New Daily Mission: Text Ayaka Minori.]
[Reward: 50 System Credits.]
I stared at the glowing notification. My phone buzzed in my hand like it was daring me to type something.
Just a text. One message. Easy.
Still, my thumb hovered over the keyboard for a long time before I finally sent it:
"Hey, Minori-san. Forgot to ask earlier — what did you think about that poem the professor read today?"
I hit send and tossed the phone aside before I could regret it.
Luna's voice was calm. "Mission in progress. Good luck, Host."
I closed my eyes, listening to the faint hum of the system in the background.
Somewhere between exhaustion and disbelief, I couldn't help thinking — if this thing was real, if it could actually change something about my life…
Then maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to uninstall it after all.