Episode 1 - I Became A Protagonist Of A Dating Sim (1)

Dating sims are immersive games where your goal is to flirt and forge romantic bonds with a selection of love interests. You'll be raising stats like "smarts" or "looks" to make yourself irresistible and capture the heart of your chosen partner.

Typically, you play as a male avatar surrounded by a variety of female characters. The core gameplay involves engaging in conversations and making strategic dialogue choices to increase each girl's internal "love meter." The game is set over a defined period, such as one month or several years, during which you need to carefully manage your interactions and decisions.

As the game progresses, you face a climax: if you fail to win over any of the girls, you lose. However, if you succeed in charming one of them, you get to "finish" the game with her, which often involves intense moments of passion like sex, possibly getting married, or achieving a deep, lasting connection.

This setup provides plenty of replay value, allowing you to explore different endings by focusing on various girls each time. If the game includes the option, you might even pursue the harem ending or the harem route.

Dating sims usually focus heavily on building relationships, featuring intricate character interactions and branching dialogue options. Players often see exactly what their character would say, word-for-word.

Otome games flip the script by giving you a female protagonist, so instead of flirting with female characters, you'll be pursuing male ones. For those looking for something more mature or sexually explicit, H games, or eroge, are the go-to options.

Naruse Naoya is the ultimate otaku, a connoisseur of all things dating sim. From the standard visual novels to the intricate otome games and the boundary-pushing eroge, he's played them all. He's poured endless hours into exploring every route, every storyline, and every bad ending with a dedication that borders on obsessive. Nothing was too tedious, no amount of time too great, for him to get the full experience.

Naoya wasn't just an otaku for the sake of dating sims; he was deeply immersed in visual novels, anime, and manga as well. His commitment to dating sims came from a void in his real-life dating experience. As a dedicated otaku, he had never really interacted with women in any meaningful way—be it dating or even casual conversations. Essentially, he was stepping into the shoes of the protagonist in these dating sims, trying to vicariously experience what it might be like to have a relationship.

This was more than just a pastime for him. It was a way to simulate the thrill of connection, of flirting, and of intimacy that he couldn't find in his real life. He knew it wasn't a permanent solution, but for now, with no real-life options on the horizon, these games offered him the closest thing to the excitement of love, sex, and all the complex emotions that came with it. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best substitute he had.

However, Naoya wasn't feeling like the usual otaku who could get lost in a game right now. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't step into the shoes of the main character he was playing. That's because the character was so goddamn stupid.

"Goddamnit! Come on! The clues are fucking obvious—why can't you get it?!"

He roared in frustration, his voice cracking with irritation. It wasn't just an ordinary irritation; it was a white-hot rage that had his knuckles turning white as he slammed his fist against the desk. The loud thud reverberated through his room, shaking the clutter of game paraphernalia and empty cans of energy drink. His face was flushed, not just from anger but from the sheer absurdity of the situation. The main character's stupidity wasn't just irritating—it was an insult to his intelligence. It was so brain-numbingly dense that it felt like he was trying to teach a brick to read a book on advanced calculus.

"No one is even this dense, dude!" He shouted, his voice hoarse and desperate, as if pleading with the screen to show some semblance of sanity.

Naoya pounded his fists against the desk, his frustration exploding as he screamed at the screen. He'd been at this for an entire night, desperately trying to score with at least one of the heroines in the dating sim. But this fucking main character was sabotaging every attempt. It wasn't just the main character's incompetence that had him so enraged—it was the game's relentless cruelty.

You had to painstakingly read every single line of dialogue to get even a hint on how to win over the heroines, and to make matters worse, the game demanded you solve mind-bending puzzles that had nothing to do with romance. It was like they'd deliberately set out to torture him.

And the sex scenes? He'd checked them out in a playthrough because he couldn't stand the main character, and they were just bland. Bland! They didn't even get his dick hard. No excitement, no thrill—just stale, mechanical motions. This was supposed to be erotic?

The lackluster scenes did nothing for his dick; they couldn't even make it twitch. It was like the game designers had drained all the fucking pleasure from them. This was pure, unadulterated torture.

"W-Would you like to come over... and have some ramen?"

Naoya's fingers tightened into a fist, the frustration building inside him. If the main character didn't take this chance, he'd lose his mind.

"I better see an option that says 'Yes, I want to,'" he growled, his eyes blazing as they bore into the screen. But when he clicked the mouse, no choices popped up. Instead, the screen was filled with the main character's dismissive response.

"Huh? No, I'm fine~ I don't want to bother you so much."

"What the fuck?! Is there something wrong with the main character?! That was his shot to get laid, and he just fucking ruined it! Fuck! Damn it!" he roared, his frustration boiling over. "I spent an entire night busting my ass to get a chance to fuck this heroine, and he just blows it with that lame-ass response?! Do this shit in moderation—this is fucking maddening!"

Naoya grabbed his hair, yanking at it so hard it felt like he might rip it out by the roots. If he kept playing this game, he was sure he'd lose his mind.

That's why he finally dragged himself out of that frustrating rabbit hole and stumbled toward his bed.

"Fuck the creators of this game. How the hell do they craft something so infuriatingly hard to finish, then make their main character so unbelievably dumb? If I were in that guy's place, I'd be handling things a hell of a lot better. I mean, why the fuck did he waste that chance? The heroine is practically begging to get laid. I'd never turn that down. Shit, I'd already be planning dates and marriage if I were in his shoes. How do you throw away an opportunity like that?"

With a frustrated groan, he threw himself onto the bed. There was only an hour left before 6 o'clock—the time he needed to start getting ready for school. One hour of sleep was all he figured he could manage.

"I'd be the male lead if I could. If only reality were as simple as a dating sim..."

He murmured these words as his consciousness drifted into the abyss, his mind dissolving into a creamy blur of darkness.

***

Naoya was yanked out of his sleep by the relentless blare of his alarm clock. With a groan that felt like it came from his very bones, he fumbled to turn it off, his hand moving like lead. He cracked his eyes open with a wince, squinting at the harsh, unforgiving morning light that cut through his room.

"Ugh... too fucking sleepy..." he muttered, his voice barely more than a strained whisper. "I can't even fucking open my eyes..."

He sat up in bed, his body feeling like lead, and dragged himself out. He shuffled out of his room and headed for the bathroom.

"Oh, good morning, Naoya-kun~" came a drowsy, sing-song voice from the adjacent room. She emerged, looking just as sleepy and disheveled. She was still wearing her nightwear—a skimpy top and mini night shorts—barely concealed by an unzipped jacket that offered no real coverage.

"G-Good morning, Hinako-nee," Naoya stuttered, fighting to keep his gaze steady. Her revealing sleepwear was practically impossible to ignore, making it a real struggle to focus on anything but the tempting expanse of her exposed skin.

"You were really noisy last night. Were you masturbating or something?" Hinako teased, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she brought her hand up to her mouth in a playful gesture.

"N-No, of course not," Naoya stammered, trying to keep his cool. "I was just playing games all night and lost track of time." He carefully avoided mentioning what kind of games he was playing. If he admitted to spending hours on dating sims, she'd definitely have a field day teasing him about it.

Hinako, full name Natsukawa Hinako, was Naoya's sister's best friend. She often crashed at their place and even slept over sometimes. With her gyaru style—bleached blonde hair, sparkling acrylic long nails, and naturally long, curly eyelashes—she was a striking vision of classic allure. Her big, captivating pupils needed no contact lenses, her small nose was perfectly shaped, and her slightly thick eyebrows were meticulously groomed. Tall and elegant, with long, lithe limbs, her figure was a stunning embodiment of every woman's ideal.

She was in her second year of college, attending the same university as Naoya's sister. At 20, she was two years older than him, and Naoya, at 18, harbored a huge crush on her. Despite his feelings, her attitude kept her viewing him only as a younger brother, which led him to abandon any hopes of romance.

"By the way, is Nee-chan awake yet?" Naoya asked.

Hinako sighed dramatically, her eyes narrowing as she considered the situation. "Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, her gaze drifting away. "Yumi didn't come home last night. She texted me saying she'd be crashing at a friend's place after missing the last train. Can you believe that? I'm starting to think that Yumi is out there, probably with another girl, cheating on me. What should I do about this?" Her voice quivered with frustration, and she pouted, her lips forming a perfect 'O' of discontent.

Her concern seemed almost melodramatic. Despite her apparent distress, it was clear that her concerns were more about the betrayal of trust than actual romantic jealousy. She had no real interest in women—her discomfort was more about the possible breach of friendship than any actual romantic inclinations. Naoya couldn't help but think that, from what he had seen, Hinako might not even be interested in men. After all, she had never mentioned having a boyfriend since the first time they met.

"Hey, by the way, Naoya-kun, have you seen where I put my underwear?" Hinako asked, her tone nonchalant but with an undercurrent of casual curiosity.

Naoya shifted uncomfortably, trying to keep his voice steady. "Hinako-nee, you really should be more careful about where you leave your underwear. And, um, could you try not to put them where I might see them? You might think it's no big deal, but I'm a—"

Naoya was about to mention that he was "a healthy young man with his own urges", but when he glanced at Hinako, he lost his words.

"What are you?" Hinako asked, raising an eyebrow as she caught his gaze. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "You know, Naoya-kun, I'm not worried about you doing anything. I mean, you've even washed my underwear before, haven't you? So, really, there's no point in being embarrassed now," she said with a knowing smile.

Naoya, however, couldn't tear his eyes away from Hinako. His intense stare seemed to pierce through her, making her cheeks turn a deep shade of red.

"W-What?" Hinako stuttered, her voice trembling under the weight of his gaze.

Snapping out of his daze, Naoya tried to regain his composure. "N-Nothing. Uh, about your underwear, maybe you left them in the bathroom or something? You always seem to forget them there after you shower, right?"

"Ah, yeah. That could be it," Hinako said with a thoughtful hum, turning on her heel and heading towards the bathroom to check.

Naoya's eyes remained fixed on Hinako, particularly on something hovering just above her head. It was a detail he remembered seeing somewhere recently—just last night, in fact. 

---

Natsukawa Hinako

The best friend of your sister. She loves to tease you and sees you as her younger brother. Although she has feelings for you, your dense nature leads you to believe she only thinks of you as a younger brother, so you haven't picked up on her affection.

Love meter: 90/100

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"What the hell?" Naoya exclaimed.