"Hah~ Life sucks."
A very chubby lady was sitting on a swing in a small playground near the vicinity of her dormitory. She was wearing a university uniform and had a distant look on her face as she mindlessly kicked off the ground to move the swing she was sitting on.
Today, she had finally gathered up the courage to confess to her crush. Although she was feeling nervous, she still decided to push through with her confession. She didn't have high expectations in the first place and was prepared to be rejected.
However, she felt heartbroken because in addition to the rejection, the guy even insulted her for being fat. The girl was indeed fat, but by no means she was ugly. Even though she might not be an outstanding beauty, she had a charmingly plump face. Unfortunately, her above average weight made most guys lose interest at first glance.
"I admit I'm fat, but he didn't have to be rude," the very chubby girl lamented. "I'm only 185 lbs. That's not considered too fat, right?"
As if waiting for that cue, the steel chains supporting the swing broke. She dropped to the ground landing heavily on her butt.
"Ouch!" the chubby girl yelped. "That hurts! Dammit whoever made this swing used cheap materials!"
She angrily slapped the ground beside her in frustration. Luckily, the sun had already set and there was no one in the park aside from her. If there were children playing around they might have laughed at the chubby university student, adding insult to her injury.
After a few minutes of throwing a tantrum like a child, the chubby lady calmed down.
'Why me?' the lady sighed in her heart. 'Why wasn't I born beautiful? Why wasn't I born rich? Why is this world unfair?'
After lamenting for a full minute, she supported her body and stood up from the ground. It had been a very frustrating day for her. Casually dusting her skirt, she sighed at her misfortune for the umpteenth time.
"Look at the bright side Abbie," Abbie muttered to herself. "It can't get any worse than this." As if the heavens were waiting for her to say those words, something small, yet weighty hit her squarely on the head.
The poor girl cried out in pain and held her aching head with both hands.
Goddammit! Why am I so unlucky today? What did I do to deserve this?!
A litany of profanities and other miserable questions escaped her lips making the place the object hit throb more. Today was the worst day in her life and she felt like a failure. Abbie searched the ground for the object that hit her head and was surprised to see that it was a mobile phone.
She originally planned to slam the phone into the ground and shatter it to pieces to ease her frustration. However, she immediately changed her mind after seeing the design and the model of the phone.
"T-This, isn't this the latest model for the I-Foam Series?"
Although Abbie was not up to date with the current fashion trends, she was very knowledgeable when it came to the latest gadgets that were released on the market. This mobile phone was worth $3,000 and she would be a fool if she broke it to pieces.
"Hum! I guess this is the compensation that the heavens are giving me for breaking my heart," the girl said with excitement. "Fine, it's just a boy anyway. I believe that I will find someone who will love me for who I am."
Feeling better, the chubby lady decided to leave the playground and head back to her dormitory. As she was about to exit the playground, a beautiful lady with long blonde hair, and wearing a pink floral dress, called out to her.
"Excuse me! Did you see a mobile phone around here?" the lady asked with a smile. "I accidentally threw it just a minute ago."
Accidentally threw it? You threw it and it was accidental? Do you think I'm stupid?
"Sorry, but I didn't see any mobile phone," Abbie lied with a straight face. 'Are you kidding me? After hitting my head you want me to return this phone to you? No way!'
"Eh~ really?" The beautiful lady's lips curled up into a smirk. "You really don't know where my mobile phone is?"
"I don't."
"Heh~ How could that possibly be? I aimed for your head when I threw it," The beautiful lady chuckled. "Did it hurt?"
"So it was on purpose!" Abbie gnashed her teeth in anger. "Why are you throwing mobile phones at people? Don't you know that it's dangerous? What would you have done if I had been seriously injured?"
Abbie was infuriated. Any decent person wouldn't just randomly start throwing things at people. She eyed the beautiful blondie in front of her and snorted. "I'm having a terrible day right now. If you don't give me a proper explanation for hurting me, I'm going to beat you up!"
"How about I give that phone to you as compensation?"
"If you plan to throw mobile phones again, please come and look for me!"
Abbie did a complete a hundred and eighty turn in her attitude the moment the blondie told her that the phone would be hers.
The beautiful lady laughed and her laughter was like the pealing of bells. It echoed around the abandoned playground. Her laugh was infectious so Abbie wasn't able to stop herself from laughing, too. The mood between the two parties became amiable afterwards.
"Let me introduce myself," the beautiful lady said. "My name is Alice. How about you?"
"A-Abbie," Abbie replied. "Are you sure you're giving this phone to me?"
Abbie held up the phone above her shoulder, clutching the edges tight. Then, she quickly added, "If you say yes, I won't be giving it back even if you begged."
Alice chuckled with her lips closed. She hadn't expected to see that the depressed girl from earlier had a really funny sense of humor, "Sure, you can have it. I have plenty more where that came from."
"T-Then, can you throw another one at me?"
"No..." Alice shook her head, lips still stretched in a smile.
After the introductions, Alice invited Abbie to a nearby cafe to talk. She introduced herself as a game developer. The blonde girl added that she was looking for people to test the latest game that their company had developed.
"The moment I saw you, I knew you'd be the perfect candidate."
"Oi! You don't just randomly throw mobile phones at people and ask them to be a beta tester."
"Do you want me to take that phone back?"
"I'm very interested in this game that your company is developing! Allow me to test it for you!" Abbi said shamelessly. Clearly, she had no intention of returning the phone.
Alice nodded her head in understanding. "Mmm, I like working with smart people."
The two were seated in a private room and they chatted while they ate the snacks that they had ordered. Alice told Abbie that this game was highly confidential. She was not allowed to leak the information to anyone, even to her family and close friends.
"Um, isn't it better to let the information spread so that you could get more publicity?"
"We don't want our competitors to know the kind of game we are developing. They might copy the idea and release their own version before our release date."
Abbie nodded her head in understanding. She waited patiently for Alice's explanation about the game.
"This game is a bit special," Alice grinned mischievously. "It is a game that will allow anyone to have one of their wishes granted if they manage to clear the game."
"Pfft! I've heard that line so many times before," Abbie chuckled. "Isn't that what all fantasy games are about? A wish being granted once the game is completed. Can't you think of any original ideas to make it more appealing?"
"The game will guarantee that you will no longer have the 'Forever Alone' status for the rest of your life."
"On second thought, tell me more. Do you have a walkthrough available?"
"The company will also provide you with a special bonus. You will have a handsome man at your beck and call 24 hours a day 7 days a week! Ah, and I'm talking about real men, not a 2d one," Alice tempted her like an expert saleslady. "Also, the man you are given will be very loyal. You can make them your boyfriend, your hubby, or your slave. Whatever floats your boat, darling, you can do it!
"Alice, where do I download this app? Why are you wasting my time? I want to play it now!"
"But wait! There's more!"
(A/N: *Gasp*)
"T-There's more?" Abbie straightened in her seat. Because of her weight, the chair started to creak dangerously.
"While you are beta testing the game, you will receive a monthly allowance from the company."
"How much is it?"
"$5,000 a month."
"Y-You, you're making this sound too good to be true. There must be a catch somewhere!" Abbie was starting to doubt. Just what kind of game company would give her a handsome hunk for free and money to boot? Although she was having doubts, she was still somewhat interested in Alice's offer.
"Ara~ you're right," Alice admitted. "There is indeed a catch."
"I knew it! Tell me! Do I have to sell my body? My organs? Do I have to take part in illegal activities?"
"No, no, and no." Alice tried to hold back her laughter by covering her lips with a hand. "Abbie, you have a very wild imagination."
"T-Then what's the catch?"
Alice narrowed her eyes and her countenance became serious. "You can't choose the guy who will be assigned to you as your partner. He will be randomly genera- chosen among our many candidates. Also, once you get him, you're not allowed to return him. Our company has a no return no exchange policy, so remember that."
"So you're saying that I'm stuck with the 'guy' until the beta testing phase of the game ends?"
"Yes. Until someone manages to clear the game, you'll be stuck with him."
"Uh… do any of them have mental issues?"
"No comment!"
"Disabilities?"
"No comment!"
"Personality disorders?"
"No comment!"
"Am I supposed to be one of those 'Personal Care Aids?' a 'Caregiver'?" Abbie asked seriously. She narrowed her eyes and propped her chin on the back of her hands. While getting $5,000 as a monthly allowance sounded good, she was still a university student. She was unsure whether she had the capability to take care of a man with physical or psychological problems.
Alice saw the anxiousness in Abbie's eyes. She was an expert when it came to reading the body language of people, so she decided to ease her worries.
"I can guarantee that the man you will meet will not have any disabilities. As for personality disorders, the possibility exists."
"Is your company working with a mental institution? Are you using this game to look for candidates to help cure their mental disorders?"
"No. We don't work with a mental institution or any other institution," Alice explained. "Abbie, everyone has different personalities. You, me, and everyone else. While we get along with some people, there are people that we can't get along with no matter what we do."
"So you're saying that if I get a man with an attitude, I can't exchange him for someone else? Is that what you're telling me."
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm trying to say."
Abbie leaned back on her chair. It creaked for the umpteenth time, but it still supported her weight. The chubby university student weighed the advantages and disadvantages of agreeing to Alice's condition.
"I live in a dormitory, will the man be living with me?"
"Yes. If you like, the company is also willing to provide you with a high-class suite that you could use for the duration of the testing phase."
Abbie leaned forward and held Alice's hand. She made up her mind. There was only one last question that she needed to ask.
"What is the name of this game?"
Alice smiled and held Abbie's hand firmly.
"The name of the game is…"