"This is the worst."
At that moment, Shion Reita lamented. A little over a month into high school, he still couldn't make a single friend, forced to eat alone in the restroom while contorting his face at the stench of ammonia and human feces.
"The sparkling, happy youth life feels so distant."
On April 1st, he entered high school. Having worked hard in junior high, he managed to enroll in the local prestigious "Yamayu High School."
Fresh high school life, a new start. Despite being an introvert in junior high, he wanted to change himself at this opportunity, make friends, get a girlfriend, and enjoy a smooth sailing youth.
"But... none of that happened."
It's not like he had an unpleasant appearance. With a height of 165 cm and a weight of 55 kg, black hair slightly long but not untidy, his facial features were decent.
Of average build and height, with a slightly gloomy atmosphere, but nothing particularly bad about his appearance. Yet, he had no friends. Why?
"...If only it weren't for this social awkwardness, I could easily have around 100 friends."
He was inherently introverted, incapable of having a normal conversation with people. Despite attempting to talk to classmates, he ended up being timid and unable to express himself properly.
The result? Eating alone in the restroom while most classmates enjoyed their meals together.
"Regrettable... I want to experience youth too."
Muttering while eating, he sighed. If only he didn't have this social awkwardness, he could have made friends and enjoyed the best youth.
Improving social skills seemed difficult. Since being rejected by a childhood friend at the age of 5, he developed a fear of people. That's when he became socially awkward.
"Well, it's not as bad as it used to be."
Now, he was significantly less afraid of people. After all, he could ride crowded trains and maintain eye contact for more than 2 seconds. It was a considerable improvement compared to before when he couldn't do either.
However, being tongue-tied remained unchanged. When it came to talking to people, the conversation always stalled.
Opening the drawer in his mind, only mediocre topics came out. There were no interesting or engaging topics that could capture someone's interest in his mental drawer.
"Should I expand the variety of my conversation topics? But... it's quite challenging."
Expanding to topics that don't interest him is difficult. He once tried to make friends by watching idol shows but found them utterly uninteresting.
He loves anime more than the average person, but his classmates, even the otaku, only discussed voice actors and their radio shows. Nobody seemed interested in discussing the content of the anime itself, and he wasn't interested in voice actors. So, this was also challenging.
"...Can't help being sad. Now, I need to think about how to survive the school trip after Golden Week."
For a loner, the school trip is the most hellish event. Having been a loner in junior high, he has bitter memories of this event. But now, he must think about how to endure it.
"Well, this might be... a chance?"
He had seen it in junior high. Loners becoming friends with extroverts during the school trip and joining their groups afterward. He vividly remembered envying them.
"If I do something interesting during the school trip, maybe I can join the extroverts' group?"
What's interesting? Get naked and dance? Mimic a comedian? Do a backflip while chugging a cola?
No, those are lame. He needs something with a strong impact, something cool. His grandmother, being from Osaka, always emphasized that his blood should be lively.
"I, the introvert, secretly being super interesting. I want a gap like that. Something more... entertaining and exciting."
Thinking about it, time passed quickly. Lunch break was almost over.
"Oh well, time to go back."
Shoulders slumped, he sighed. Being a loner in the classroom is tough, akin to waking up with hay fever for a pollen allergy sufferer.
"...That phrase just now was interesting."
At that moment, a notification sound came from his smartphone.
Probably the usual spam or an advertisement. Regardless, when he opened his phone...
"New app installed."
And there it was, in the lower right corner of the home screen: an unfamiliar app with the name "Dungeon Survive."
"...Dungeon Survive?"
He hadn't installed such an app, at least not that he remembered.
"...Scary, but should I open it?"
Opening the app might lead to his phone being hacked or even short-circuiting. However, curiosity couldn't be suppressed.
Dungeon... that word tickled the second-year junior high student in his heart. Despite knowing it would be wise to refrain, excitement was unstoppable.
And then...
"I've been waiting for you!"
"Congratulations! You are the first player!"
"As a special bonus, we grant you the 'F-rank Skill: Physical Enhancement'!"
Upon opening the app, these messages appeared.