Furuhiya Uzen moved between tables with a tray in hand, careful not to let it tilt. Dressed on the established uniform, there was a hint of professionalism around him.
Plates clinked softly against each other as he stopped by another table, placing them down one by one.
"Your order," he said quietly. "Enjoy."
The woman sitting there looked down at her plate. Her horrendous makeup and faint stench made Furuhiya almost retch. When she looked up, her expression was already sour.
"…This isn't what I ordered."
Furuhiya blinked, glancing at the receipt in his hand. "It should be the-"
"I said this isn't what I ordered," she cut him off, louder this time.
A few heads turned.
Furuhiya hesitated. "I can check with the kitchen."
"Check?" she scoffed. "So I have to wait again because you can't do your job properly?"
"It won't take long."
"I've already been waiting," she said sharply, leaning back in her chair, making it screech under her weight. "What kind of place even hires people like you?"
Furuhiya's grip on the tray tightened slightly.
"…I'm sorry. I'll fix it."
"Yeah, you better."
He turned, heading toward the kitchen, but before he could get far—
"Excuse me!"
Her voice rang out again.
He stopped.
"You're not just going to walk away after messing up, are you?" she said, loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "Call your manager."
Furuhiya stood still for a moment… then nodded.
"Alright."
***
A few minutes later, he stood off to the side as the manager spoke with the woman.
"I understand, ma'am, we sincerely apologize—"
"You should," she snapped. "This is unacceptable. I don't want him serving me again."
The manager glanced at Furuhiya briefly. That look alone was enough.
"…Of course."
Furuhiya already knew how this would go.
The manager walked back over, lowering his voice.
"Furuhiya."
"…Yes."
"You've been making too many mistakes lately."
He opened his mouth slightly, then closed it.
"I'll fix it."
"No," the manager cut him off. "Go home."
Furuhiya's fingers curled slightly at his sides.
"…My shift is almost over."
"Go home," he repeated, firmer this time. "And don't come in tomorrow night. We'll handle the rest."
Silence.
"…Severence-"
"It'll be wired to you."
He didn't argue.
"Understood…"
There wasn't much point.
Furuhiya stepped into the restroom, the noise of the restaurant muffling behind the door as it shut.
For a moment, he just stood there.
Then he inhaled a breath, turned on the tap, scooped up some icy cold water in his palms and splashed it over his face.
Cold.
Good.
He leaned slightly against the sink, water dripping from his chin.
"…Tch. He was just looking for an excuse to fire me, that bag of old bones."
He took out his phone and checked the time, while at it he also checked if he had any new notifications.
[ 7:00 ]
He exhaled. It was finally time for his night shift to end.
He couldn't believe his eyes, his senses, anything. He had one new notification. And it made him sadder than being fired.
[ Congratulations, player! You have beat the game! ]
Furuhiya Uzen was your average person, really.
Except not quite. He was below average.
Relentlessly bullied through the first year of high school, he ultimately dropped out after being physically and mentally drained out.
Being a drop-out of course also meant he couldn't get any better job than working long night shifts at a restaurant.
Even now he stood there in his wrinkled uniform, faint traces of food smell clinging to him as he stared at the screen.
In his boring and lonely life there was one thing which kept him entertained. SSS-Ultimate eros.
It was a game about daily sign ups, managing your character in detail, from hair to toes. Clothes, real estate, expensive gifts for other players.
And more importantly… Just as the name suggests, sex.
From slightly erotic college girls, to overly exotic milfs you could have had anything and everything!
NPCs and players alike were free real estate to whoever was the richest.
And that someone happened to be Furuhiya.
It was one of his greatest happiness yet now, he just beat it, just like that?
"Are you kidding me?!"
His phone rang.
Furuhiya flinched, nearly dropping it into the sink.
The caller ID was… blank.
No number. No name.
Just a single line:
[ Incoming Call: System ]
"…What the hell?"
He hesitated.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
A voice came through. Calm. Mechanical. Neither male nor female.
[ Tutorial Phase Complete. Initial rewards will now be distributed. ]
"…What?"
Before he could react the phone call ended.
A translucent screen flickered into existence in front of his eyes.
[ tutorial level: Completed ]
[ Reward: ??? ]
A sharp jolt surged through his body.
Furuhiya staggered back, gripping the edge of the sink. His lungs filled—no, expanded—as if he had been breathing wrong his entire life until now.
"What the hell just happened-"
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. SSS-Eros system has been activated ]
Furuhiya was quite shocked to see, he opened the faucet and splashed cold water over his face once again.
"Still there-?" He even pinched himself, the translucent blue window stayed.
[ start binding? Y/N ]
Maybe it was due to the cold water, maybe it was due to his tiredness from the night shift but the shock and confusion quickly gave way to curiosity.
Furuhiya froze.
"…SSS… what?"
His eyes flicked to the door in reflex.
Empty.
Still, he lowered his voice.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
He rubbed his face quickly, like that might erase what he just heard.
"SSS… Eros…? Eros!?"
The words came out strained.
"…Who the hell names something like that?"
His ears burned.
Instinctively, he glanced at the mirror, like someone might be standing behind him, judging him.
No one.
Just his own tired, miserable reflection.
He leaned closer to the sink, lowering his voice even more.
Messy hair. Tired eyes. Fired. He remembered where he heard it.
SSS system ultimate Eros. It was the game he beat.