> "I'm sorry, you're not my type. Don't take it the wrong way—let's just stay friends."
She said it calmly and walked away like nothing happened.
Eiden, our protagonist, stood there dumbfounded.
That was Linda. Cute? Absolutely. A beauty? Definitely. Short brown hair, dark eyes, model-like features—basically someone you'd expect on a magazine cover. Many guys were chasing after her and she was the desired girl for everyone.
So why was I being rejected?
You might ask, Did you confess to her, Eiden?
And the answer is: No. I did not.
That's right—I got rejected without even confessing. What?!
Am I really being rejected? But why??
All I wanted to do was talk to her about the project our teacher assigned us.
It's not like I don't find her attractive or anything—I do. I mean, come on, she's gorgeous. But I know my limits.
I might have thought she was cute and all, but I had zero intention of confessing. So why the hell am I getting rejected!?
Maybe I looked at her too long. Or maybe I accidentally smiled.
Wait—did I trigger some sort of misunderstanding flag!?
This was Fors High—a prestigious high school filled with rich and elite brats, geniuses, and drop-dead gorgeous students. The unspoken rule to enter this school? Be born with a silver spoon or crack the scholarship exam like a wizard.
Me? I'm not rich. I'm not even that smart.
I got in by pure dumb luck.
I took the entrance exam as a joke, just randomly ticked boxes like it was a lottery ticket—and somehow, the gods of RNG smiled down on me. Now, I'm here on scholarship.
And no, I'm not slacking off. If I'm gonna be here, I might as well make the most of it.
Who knows, maybe I'll even land a rich girlfriend? One with a limousine and a daddy complex?
...Okay, back to the present.
Linda probably misunderstood what I was doing. I was just bending down to tie my shoelaces—did she think I was confessing!? Damn.
Even if it was a misunderstanding, getting rejected still hurts.
I'll clear it up when I get the chance. For now… screw it. I'll do the project myself.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
It's mostly finished anyway—just a few edits left.
Let's just go home.
As Eiden walked down the street, thoughts of the accidental friendzone swirling in his head, a blink of light caught his eyes.
Huh?
He looked toward the source.
Something shiny…?
Was that a squirrel? A… cat?
He walked closer.
It was a cat, alright—stuck on a tree.
But something behind it was shining like crazy.
Curious, Eiden climbed the tree to get a better look.
> "Wait... the hell is that?"
A bizarre, glittering object… shoved somewhere it really shouldn't be.
> "No way… is that a damn butt plug!? What kind of twisted cosmic joke is this!?"
Before he could even process the horror, the branch beneath him cracked.
> Crack!
> "Shiiiiiit—!"
Swoosh—Thud!
He hit the ground hard, groaning.
> "Owwww… my head…"
And then—
> BAM!
The cat landed right on his face, and the shiny object flew straight into his mouth.
> "MMMPPH!!"
Gulp.
His eyes widened in pure terror.
> "W-WAIT… did I just swallow that thing!? That was—NO, PLEASE NO—"
He started coughing violently, shoving his fingers down his throat to vomit it out.
> "YUUUCCKK—FFCCK—this is beyond disgusting!! I just swallowed something from a cat's butt!!"
And just when things couldn't get any weirder—
> Swish!
A glowing, transparent window appeared in front of him, floating mid-air.
> "....Huh?"
Eiden blinked.
> "Did I hit my head that hard? Am I hallucinating a system window?"
He rubbed his eyes. Still there.
He reached out to touch it.
> Ding!
Congratulations!
You have been chosen to be the Ultimate Thief:
The Stealer of Hearts.
A mysterious voice echoed in his ears.
Eiden stood there in silence, completely frozen.
> "Say whaaaa—?!"
"Is this for real? Am I not just hallucinating?"
He pinched his cheeks.
"Oww. I'm not dreaming either..."
As he was thinking, the floating window began shining, and words started being written on it:
"I'm your assistant, System-chan! And I will help you on your journey to become the ultimate Harem Stealer!"
Eiden raised his brow.
"Steal? Not make?"
"Yes, exactly! Aren't you frustrated about how others are getting girls left and right without any effort, whereas people like you are left in the dust— not even noticed as a breathing, living being?"
"...Not really. I mean— yes."
"That is why I will help you get those hoes! And since there's no fun in making one— which is boring..."
(To me it's okay to make one. I can't be picky, Eiden thought.)
"...We will be stealing harems from others!"
Eiden nodded as if agreeing. Suddenly, his gaze fell onto some passersby who were giving him strange looks.
"I must be looking silky right now to them. Let's just go home first."
Then he sprinted home.
Reaching, he went straight up to his room and began listening to the window again.
"Say, window—"
"You call me System-chan!"
"Well okay, System-chan. So you want me to steal the harems of others instead of making my own?"
"Yes! Exactly! And for that, this almighty System-chan will help you!"
"Oh man, this is really happening... or I'm going insane. But I can feel it— it's really happening. My new life!"
"MUAHAHAHAHA!"
Eiden laughed in an evil manner.
Then he thought again,
"Wait... I'm stealing. Doesn't that make me a villain instead of a protagonist?"
"Well, who cares! I'm not some saint or goody-two-shoes. I'll use whatever means— as long as I'm not killing anyone. Besides, I'm just winning hearts... yeah, that's it."
Eiden: "So, System-chan, are you able to show me some kind of status?"
System-chan: "Yes. Here it is."
---
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Eiden
Gender: Male
EXP: 0
Level: 0
Height: 5.8 ft
Strength: 15
Speed: 17
Intelligence: 22
Charm: 6
Skills: None
Status Points: 0
Harem Count: 0
---
Eiden blinked at the screen. "I see... So this is my status."
He squinted at one particular stat. "Hmm... why is the charm so low? Am I really that unattractive?"
Eiden: "Hey, System-chan, what's the average charm stat?"
System-chan: "The average charm is 5."
"Phewww... so I'm not that unattractive." Eiden let out a relieved sigh.
"But with you, System-chan, I can probably increase these stats, right?"
System-chan: "Correct. I will give you quests, and upon successful completion, you will be rewarded with points or skills."
Eiden grinned, eyes gleaming. "Oh-ho... now we're talking."
"Well then, harem MCs..."
"...Hold on to your harems, 'cause here I come!"
To be continued ...