Aoyama slumped on his creaky bed, staring at the cracked ceiling of his tiny, one-room apartment. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten since yesterday. The only thing heavier than the ache of hunger was the weight of rejection.
He balled his fist. What's wrong with me? It wasn't like he was unattractive—he wasn't. With his sharp jawline, messy black hair that always fell perfectly out of place, and those piercing dark eyes, girls often stared at him when they thought he wasn't looking. Yet, every time he mustered the courage to confess, he was met with rejection after rejection.
Aoyama sighed. "I guess good looks mean nothing without money."
He glanced at the cracked mirror propped up against the wall. "Am I doomed to be alone forever?" he muttered bitterly.
That's when the thing appeared.
Floating in mid-air was a glowing, circular interface. Words and symbols shimmered in golden light: Harem System Activated. Beneath the text was a large, red button labeled Spin.
"What the hell?" Aoyama blinked and rubbed his eyes. "I must be losing my mind."
Ignoring it was easy at first. He'd thrown a towel over the floating screen, pretended it didn't exist, and gone about his miserable, lonely life. But it didn't go away. Every time he thought about it, the screen would reappear, glowing like a neon sign in a dark alley.
A week later, desperation won out.
"All right, fine," he muttered, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Let's see what this stupid thing does." He hesitated, his finger hovering over the red button. "If this thing makes me explode or something, I swear…"
He pressed it.
The golden light intensified as the screen spun like a roulette wheel. Names flashed by too fast to read, but he swore he saw some familiar ones—Hinata, Mikasa, Saber… Finally, the wheel slowed, landing on a name written in elegant blue letters.
Aqua – Konosuba
The room was suddenly filled with an intense, blinding light. Aoyama shielded his eyes, heart pounding. When the light faded, he lowered his arm—and froze.
Standing before him, in all her haughty, shimmering glory, was a young woman with sky-blue hair tied into a high ponytail. She wore an outfit that was equal parts elegant and absurd: a short blue dress with white frills, a giant blue bow on her chest, and thigh-high stockings. Her eyes sparkled like the ocean under the summer sun.
"Where… am I?" Aqua blinked, looking around the dingy apartment. Her gaze landed on Aoyama, and her expression immediately soured. "Who the heck are you?"
Aoyama's mouth opened, but no sound came out. His brain short-circuited as he stared at the goddess of water standing in his room.
"Well?" Aqua crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. "Why am I here? Did you summon me? Are you some kind of creepy cultist?"
"W-wait!" Aoyama stammered, raising his hands defensively. "I—I don't know what's going on either! This… system thing… it just appeared, and I—"
"System?" Aqua interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "You're saying some kind of weird magic brought me here?"
"I guess?" Aoyama said helplessly. "I just pressed the button, and then—"
"Ugh, this is so typical!" Aqua groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "Why does this stuff always happen to me? I was just about to relax with some wine, and now I'm stuck in this… this dump!"
Aoyama's eye twitched. "Hey, it's not like I asked for this either! And my apartment isn't that bad!"
Aqua glanced at the peeling wallpaper, the single flickering lightbulb, and the stack of instant ramen cups in the corner. "Are you serious?"
"Okay, maybe it's a little bad," Aoyama admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But that's not the point! The point is… I think you're supposed to be part of my… harem?"
Aqua stared at him. "Your what?"
"Harem," Aoyama repeated, cringing as the word left his mouth. "The system said it's a 'Harem System,' and… yeah."
There was a long, awkward silence.
Then Aqua burst out laughing.
"Oh, this is rich!" she cackled, doubling over. "You? A harem? Don't make me laugh! Wait, too late—I'm already laughing!"
Aoyama felt his face heat up. "Hey, I didn't ask for this, okay?! And why are you laughing? You're part of it now!"
Aqua wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. "Oh, please. If you think I'm going to be part of your little 'harem,' you've got another thing coming."
"Fine!" Aoyama snapped. "If you don't want to be here, go back to wherever you came from!"
"Believe me, I would if I could!" Aqua shot back. "But I'm stuck here until… I don't know, you 'unsummon' me or something."
"Well, I don't know how to do that!"
"Great! Just great!" Aqua threw herself dramatically onto his futon, which groaned under her weight. "I'm trapped in this miserable world, in this miserable apartment, with this miserable guy! Why does the universe hate me?"
Aoyama pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm the storm of frustration brewing in his chest. "Okay, let's just… think this through. Maybe the system has some kind of instructions."
He pulled up the glowing interface, which now displayed two new options: Summon and Status.
"Let's check 'Status,'" he muttered, tapping the option.
A new screen appeared, listing Aqua's stats.
---
Name: Aqua
Role: Goddess of Water
Skills: Healing, Purification, Party Tricks
Harem Affection Level: 0/100
---
"Harem Affection Level?!" Aqua screeched, reading over his shoulder. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"Uh…" Aoyama hesitated, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. "I think it's, uh… how much you like me?"
"Like you?!" Aqua's voice hit a pitch that could shatter glass. "Oh, no. No, no, no. This is not happening. I refuse!"
"Hey, I'm not thrilled about this either!" Aoyama shot back. "But if we're stuck together, we might as well figure this out!"
Aqua groaned, burying her face in the futon. "Why me?"
Aoyama sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, let's just… take it one step at a time. Maybe if we complete whatever this system wants, you can go back home."
Aqua peeked out from the futon, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "And what do you get out of this?"
"I don't know," Aoyama admitted. "Maybe… maybe I won't be so lonely anymore."
For a moment, Aqua's expression softened. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by her usual arrogance.
"Fine," she huffed, sitting up. "But don't get any weird ideas, got it? I'm a goddess, not some kind of… harem prize."
"Trust me," Aoyama muttered, "you're not my type."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
And so began the strangest chapter of Aoyama's life. Little did he know, this was only the beginning.
---
To be Continued..