Uragiri. A shitty name if you ask me. Thanks to my mother being unfaithful, she ended up pregnant with me, which is why I'm described as a bastard son.
I used to live in the city of Hokiyo with my family, but I decided to move because of how unbearable it was. For as long as I can remember, they never bothered to hide my story.
I was always interested in creating things, so I looked into programming, and now I work as an independent programmer. I sell video games, software, and take on the odd job that comes my way.
A small sigh escaped my mouth as I stood up from the sofa in my living room.
I currently live in a large apartment and study robotics. I know most of the topics by heart, and if it were up to me, I wouldn't be in university. But no matter how much of a genius you are, you always need formal documentation.
I started walking towards the kitchen, grabbed a coffee mug, and placed it under the coffee maker. Then I started it so the coffee would begin to flow, releasing a delicious aroma.
I currently live in the country's capital. Roburo is, to say the least, a quiet place. Cars are heavily regulated due to pollution problems, so public transport, cycling, and walking are the go-to options for daily commuting.
The coffee finished brewing, so I grabbed it, blew on it a little, and then started drinking it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my phone. I grabbed it without hesitation and looked at the screen while still sipping my drink. Then I put it away.
Today is Saturday, April 27th. Exams are starting soon. At most, I'll have to study a thing or two about electronics.
Thoughtfully, I headed back to the sofa. When I sat down, I placed the coffee cup on a table in front of me. This day rings a bell, but what was it?
I thought about it for a full minute when I remembered what was important about the day. Today is my only friend's birthday!
I retrieved my phone from my pocket and dialed Sameru's number. It took him a few seconds to answer, but at least he did.
"Hello, hello, my dearest friend. How's it going on your birthday?" I asked while looking at the ceiling.
"What are you talking about? Today isn't my birthday." Sameru stayed quiet for a few seconds. "But it is my favorite waifu's birthday! Her name is Himari. You should read the story she's in. It's called 'That Time I Fell in Love'." He sounded incredibly excited while telling me about his beautiful waifu.
"I couldn't care less. I have exams soon, and you know my standards for reading stories are high." I moved my thumb, bringing it close to the button to hang up. "Bye."
"Wait, wait! Just read the first part." Sameru yelled close to his phone's microphone, as his audio got distorted.
"Ugh, I already told you no."
"Remember 'The Lord of Discoveries'? You loved that story. I'm the one who recommended it to you, and at first you said no because it was too long and boring, but after giving it a chance, you got hooked." Sameru started talking like crazy.
"Ha... I'll give it the first 20 chapters. If it doesn't convince me, I'll drop it." I rolled my eyes, my gaze landing on a sofa cushion.
"I swear you won't regret it," he said in a proud tone.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." I quickly hung up before he could try to recommend something else.
I stood up and headed to my workroom. It was spotless. Three monitors stood proudly on the desk while a black mouse pad covered it. On it were a normal mouse and keyboard, and underneath was a massive PC, capable of running all existing programs and video games.
I turned on the PC and the monitors, went to the browser, and typed the name of the story my friend mentioned. But I had a bad feeling from the cover.
A boy surrounded by 7 girls. Also, among the tags, it said 'harem', so it already smelled bad.
I leaned back in my chair after moving the mouse cursor right over the 'read' button. Then I took a deep breath, straightened up, and clicked firmly.
I read the 20 chapters half-heartedly. It was quick anyway because it was a manhwa. All I could think was that it was trash.
The protagonist was a guy with green hair and blue eyes, but he was insecure about it, so he ended up dyeing his hair blue. Also, his personality was that of an average hero who didn't show a hint of change after the first arc.
The female lead wasn't any better. Her personality was that of an ordinary girl who just waited to be saved and became infatuated with the protagonist in just a few chapters without any real justification.
The worst part was the design of the girls. Obviously, I spoiled myself by looking at each of them. Their assets were exaggerated, and they were extremely sexualized.
All I could think was that I wasted several hours of my life reading garbage.
I looked at the ceiling of my room and then straightened up in my chair again. I started working on a new game. I'll work on it today and tomorrow too.
Anyway, nothing will change.