There was no sleep. Just silence.
The kind of silence that presses against your skin like damp air, heavy and cloying. Ikaru stared at the cracked ceiling until his eyes hurt. He'd blink, close them, open again—expecting the System to return, but it didn't.
No glowing screens. No floating texts.
Only the faint buzz of an old electric fan and the tick of time dragging on.
Morning eventually came, not with hope, but with dull inevitability. The sun rose like it always did—uncaring. Another school day. Another chance to pretend.
He didn't eat breakfast. Just threw on his uniform, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the house without a word to anyone.
The train station was packed as usual. Students, office workers, lovers holding hands, children clutching lunchboxes. Ikaru stood among them like a misplaced object. A part of the scene, but separate.
His phone buzzed.
Not a message.
Not a call.
[SYSTEM UPDATE DETECTED]
The screen glitched for half a second. Then:
Tutorial InitiatedWelcome, Ikaru Shinji.You have officially entered: Romance Game: Rejected Route.Status: [Rejection Confirmed]Emotional Damage Accumulated: 87Trait Unlocked: Emotional Suppression Lv1Hidden Trait Potential: [Lock Pending]
Would you like to view your status?▸ YES▫ NO
His thumb hovered.
This was ridiculous. Insane. Dangerous, even.
But… what else did he have? What else had meaning anymore?
He tapped "YES."
The train rumbled beneath him as the screen morphed:
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Ikaru ShinjiLevel: 1Route: RejectedRejection Count: 1Emotional Suppression: Lv1 (Passive)– Dulls emotional response to heartbreak and embarrassment– +5 resistance to Shame-based interactions– Unlocks unique dialogue options: [Detached] / [Dismissive]
Hope Points: 1 (rare)New Character Flagged: ???Next Objective: Survive the Week
He scrolled down, slightly trembling. A line of smaller text blinked at the bottom:
Tip: The more you are rejected, the more powerful you become. Embrace the system. Embrace the pain.
He wanted to laugh again—but his throat clenched.
This wasn't a fantasy anymore.
This was his life now.
At school, nothing felt different on the outside. Same uniforms. Same desks. Same shallow chatter. But Ikaru could see the system now—faint, like a heads-up display over reality.
Above classmates' heads were vague tags:
[Indifferent][Friendly][Potential Threat][Unreachable]
He blinked, and they vanished.
He had no idea what triggered that.
Still, curiosity gnawed at him. Was this a punishment? A gift? A hallucination spiraling out of control?
And then she appeared again.
Not Rei.
The girl from yesterday.
The one who had said, "You look like you just lost everything."
She walked past him in the hallway, eyes locked onto her phone. Still sharp-eyed. Still calm.
This time, the system pulsed:
New Character Registered: Yui HoshizakiTrait: ObserverRoute Availability: UnknownCurrent Affinity: 1%Emotional State: Curious
Ikaru froze. The screen vanished as quickly as it came, and she looked up—just for a moment.
"Still carrying the world on your shoulders?" she asked, not unkindly.
"…Something like that," Ikaru murmured.
Yui tilted her head. "You look different today. Not sad. Just… quiet."
Then she walked away again.
Later, in the library, Ikaru tried testing the system further. He thought, Show interface, and sure enough, the translucent menu popped up in front of him. It was clearer now. More defined.
There was a section labeled Traits. Most were grayed out:
Trust Issues (Locked)
Cynicism (Locked)
Emotional Autopilot (Locked)
Rejection Resistance Lv2 (?? Rejections Required)
[ ??? ] (Unknown Condition)
But one was active:
Emotional Suppression Lv1Passive SkillYou are less likely to break under emotional stress.Side Effects: Blunted happiness, delayed grief, suppressed tear response.
He shut the menu with a harsh swipe.
This system… it didn't fix heartbreak.
It buried it.
Smothered it.
Weaponized it.
When Ikaru walked home that afternoon, the world had begun to feel like a simulation. He wasn't sure if it was the system changing his perception—or if he was already too far gone to care.
Back in his room, the system blinked again.
New NotificationA player can choose their route.You are currently locked into [Rejected].Alternate routes unlocked upon specific triggers.Would you like to view possible conditions?▸ YES▫ NO
He hesitated. Then clicked YES.
A list appeared:
[ALTERNATE ROUTES - CONDITIONALLY UNLOCKABLE]
Acceptance Route
Condition: Forgive the one who rejected you. Mean it.
Detachment Route
Condition: Abandon all hope of romantic connection. Live for yourself.
Redemption Route
Condition: Help another rejected soul before healing your own.
Corruption Route
Condition: Gain 5 rejections. Lose empathy. Embrace manipulation.
??? Route
Condition: Unknown.
He read the options over and over, something hollow stirring in his chest.
"Live for yourself," he whispered.
It sounded… appealing.
But so did "Redemption." And even the dark pull of "Corruption" made his fingers twitch.
He had a choice.
The rejection didn't define him.
The system didn't either.
But his next decision would.
That night, Ikaru sat at his desk, phone open, fingers hovering over a contact.
Rei's name.
He didn't plan to message her. But maybe… maybe just reading her name could give him closure.
But the moment he tapped it—
WARNING: Affinity with Tachibana Rei = 0%Further interaction may result in:▸ Emotional Damage▸ System Regression▸ Route Lock
Are you sure you want to proceed?
He paused.
His hand dropped.
"…Not yet."
And the system pulsed one last time before sleep claimed him.
"Congratulations, Ikaru Shinji. You've survived Day 2."+1 InsightHope Points: 2New Character Thread Emerging.