Chapter 1: The Reincarnation of a Character Who Became a Best Friend in the Dating Sim World

I realized pretty early on that I had been reincarnated into the world of dating sims.

Before my reincarnation, I was a simple employee - or rather, a virgin. I was never popular with the opposite sex, much less spoiled by them. Needless to say, I remained a virgin.

How many times I thought of doubting the divine forces that put me on this path.

And then one day, as if my passionate cries had reached the heavens, I woke up a different person.

In the mirror was a blond-haired, handsome man. Had God finally answered my desperate pleas? Or was it a gracious gift meant to share my miserable existence? Either way, I was thrilled.

But wait. just a moment.

The man in the mirror (a slender but well-built handsome man) - hadn't I seen him somewhere before?

And then I realized I had entered the world of my favorite dating simulator, No Doubt My Childhood Friend Is So Handsome, commonly known as Orenaji.

Don't be fooled by the name: it's a harem game. There were so many complaints about it that the development team must have had their hands full. I was also among those who sent in tons of feedback.

The main character Orenaji, as the title suggests, is the protagonist's childhood friend. However, the choice of heroines is quite wide.

In this game, the player (the protagonist) chooses one heroine, including her childhood friend, and comes to a customized ending or, alternatively, an ending with a harem.

And here I am.

I reincarnated into the world of Orenaji, and though for a fleeting moment I got a taste of paradise, I soon realized that it was actually hell.

The reason for my grim realization was that I had reincarnated as Shibuya's best friend Charao, who gives love advice to Orenaji's protagonist.

...Seriously, developers? What kind of name is that? It's too frivolous. What is "Charao" anyway? Is there any attempt at anything here? No, obviously not.

After all, the main goal of the dating simulator is to superimpose yourself on the protagonist and enjoy great relationships with different girls.

In fact, the role of the best friend is reduced to being an information terminal that helps to get close to girls and extract information about them. Tough said, but side characters are often exactly that.

Now, even reincarnated as Charao, I didn't have much desire to change my future.

I have a younger half-sister, a childhood friend, an older half-sister, and a stepmother.

To elaborate, Charao has a backstory: he lost his parents in an accident at an early age, after which he was taken in by a neighborhood family. This is not mentioned in the main story, but is written on the developers' blog. While playing the game, it seemed to me that no one cared about Charao.

Unfortunately, stepsisters, a childhood friend, and a stepmother all become the protagonist's heroines. Of course, there are other heroines as well.

The stepmother is a teacher at the school, the older stepsister is a high school student, and the younger stepsister and childhood friend are in the same class as the protagonist.

The protagonist becomes the object of adoration of these heroines (who are my family) for no particular reason and enjoys a pampered life.

And unfortunately, as soon as these heroines started socializing with the protagonist, they started treating me indifferently.

Well, that's only natural if you think about it. They're in love with him - with the protagonist. They wouldn't want to get close to another man, i.e. me, and create misunderstandings.

Ever since the protagonist transferred to school, my stepsisters, my childhood friend and even my stepmother have become distant from me.

I want to commend myself for not becoming embittered in this situation...!

Despite all this, I was able to persevere because I genuinely loved this game. Otherwise, I probably would have already lost my mind and finally said goodbye to this world.

As the main plot progressed, the main character created his harem. Not just mine, but all the women both in and out of school.

At one point, I wanted to kill the game's creators because most of these women had something to do with me.

The game makers probably wanted to justify why I, as the character's best friend, had information about the girls who were objects of conquest. But still, they were too cold to Charao. What did Charao do to them, kill their families?

Even though I had grievances, I still loved the characters. That's why I supported their relationship. I fulfilled my role by giving information to the protagonist and playing the role of a charming friend.

In the end, the protagonist safely reunited with his childhood friend. Good for him, very good. Happy ending. They kissed happily and the game ended....

...and then the real problem starts.

In Orenaji, once you've completed the route with the main character, the game ends. In other words, the protagonist successfully completed a route with a childhood friend, and that should have been the end of the game.

But here's the rub: this is reality. Life doesn't end like a game. It goes on until you die. Yes, it just goes on.

...So let's understand the situation. The protagonist was shamelessly charming to all the women, and as a result, all the heroines fell in love with him and made every effort to be with him. Without exception, they all genuinely loved him.

In the end, the protagonist chose one woman. What happens to the others? What happens to the so-called "lost heroines"?

...The result? They all collapsed.

It was inevitable. These women who had thought of nothing but the protagonist, whether awake or asleep, suddenly found themselves pushed away.

The shock of unrequited love must have been intense. In fact, the day after the protagonist achieved the "childhood friend ending," the mental state of the other potential love interests was quite unstable. Some even considered taking their own lives.

I loved these characters, so I did my best to desperately root for them. I hated to see my favorite characters suffer like that, or worse, die.

And so, half a month after the main character's end, a storm broke out.

All around me.

Why? Why is this happening?