I Hate Harem!

Inuzuka Kai, a 16-years-old high school student in Tokyo, has a deep love for novels, manga, and anime. In short, he's a full-blown otaku. He enjoys almost every genre, but there is one thing he really hates: harem stories.

He can't stand them, especially the cliché ones with predictable plots. Anytime he finds a harem novel, he gives it a terrible review and a low rating to vent his frustration.

One night, at 2:00 AM, Kai was still awake at his desk, his computer glowing in the dark. He was reading yet another harem novel online. His eyes were heavy with sleep, but he pushed through to finish it.

"This is garbage. Yet another trash harem novel! Just look at the cringey title: [When Girls Fall for the Most Average Guy: The Harem Chronicles]. It's making me sick."

"And what's with the ending? Everyone lives happily ever after? One guy marries six girls? That's so unrealistic!"

"What's the MC even got going for him? Is he as handsome as a Hollywood star? Is he filthy rich? Charismatic like Casanova? No! He's just plain boring! I can't stand this anymore. Time to write a review."

Kai grumbled in frustration as he opened the review page and began typing furiously, slamming the keyboard with every word.

"Total trash! Predictable plot, nonsensical conflicts, and the worst part—an annoying, clueless MC who thinks he's so cool, smart, or lucky. Zero character development. Completely unbearable!"

He wasn't done yet.

"And don't get me started on the heroines! Too nice, fake, psychotic, dumb, too boyish, or the weird rich kid. All of them were unbearable! The author clearly has bad taste. Don't waste your time reading this garbage like I did!"

With a satisfied smirk, Kai clicked [Submit] and turned off his computer, ready for bed.

But just as he was falling asleep, his computer turned back on. A bright light began pouring from the screen, waking him up.

"Huh?! I swear I turned it off!" Kai rubbed his eyes, confused. The light grew stronger, filling his entire room. Kai screamed.

Out of nowhere, a beautiful woman, with blue hair flowing down her back, a nice body and big breasts, dressed like a goddess, there's a halo above her head, she appeared from the screen.

"WHAAAT?! ARE YOU SADAKO?!" Kai yelled, thinking she was the ghost from that scary Japanese movie.

The woman glared at him, her face a mix of anger and beauty, but her body got stuck in the screen because of her large chest. 

"Do you need help? Pfft," Kai tried to offer assistance while holding back his laughter. 

The woman grew even more frustrated and ended up smashing Kai's computer screen, finally freeing herself. 

"No! My computer! The payments aren't even finished yet!" Kai looked upset and clenched his fists. 

"I don't care! Don't you realize your mistake?!!" The woman snapped, her eyes burning with anger, making Kai feel both scared and confused at the same time.

"How dare you, you miserable human! You insulted my work, trashed my novel, and now you're calling me a ghost?! Have you no shame?!" she snapped, tears of frustration in her eyes.

"W-what? Your novel? Wait... Are you the author of that garbage harem novel?!" Kai blurted out, still in disbelief.

"It's NOT garbage! It's my masterpiece! I'm the Goddess of Love, and I won't stand for this humiliation!" she shouted, her voice echoing like thunder.

"Pfft, yeah right! Go ahead, curse me if you want. Your novel still sucks!" Kai laughed, convinced this was all a dream.

"Oh, you arrogant fool! Fine, I'll curse you! That harem novel you hate so much is going to come true in your life! And you'll be a side character! To escape, you'll have to complete a special quest: build a harem with the heroines that you hated so much! Otherwise, you'll be stuck there forever!"

A magical circle appeared beneath the goddess, glowing brightly.

The light filled the room, but Kai didn't flinch. He crossed his arms confidently, certain he'd wake up any second.

"Do your worst. This is just a dream anyway," he scoffed.

The light engulfed Kai, and he finally drifted into unconsciousness.

....

Morning.

Kai's alarm buzzed loudly at 8:00 AM. He lazily turned it off and stretched.

"What a weird dream. A Goddess of Love? A harem novel come to life? So stupid," he muttered, shaking his head.

Looking in the mirror, he saw his same old reflection: light brown hair, fair skin, and a small mole near his mouth.

"Why am I even checking? Like I'd actually wake up in some dumb harem world. Ha, ridiculous."

Kai quickly got dressed—it was the first day of his second year in high school, and he didn't want to be late.

But something felt... off.

Suddenly, there was a knock on Kai's door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see his parents dressed in neat clothes, wearing sunglasses, and carrying large suitcases.

"Kai, your mom and I have decided to follow our dream of becoming artifact hunters! We're going to travel around the world and find ancient artifacts," Kai's dad said confidently, his eyes sparkling.

"That's right, Kai. We made this decision because we think you're grown up now and can live on your own. We'll send you a monthly allowance, so don't worry. Well, we're off now. Please take care of the house," his mom said with a bright smile.

They quickly left the house, called a taxi, and happily drove away.

"A- I didn't even say anything…" Kai stood there, speechless, unable to believe that his parents were leaving him without hearing a single word from him.

Kai froze.

"What the hell? What a careless parents!" he shouted, crumpling the note. "Unbelievable!"

With no time to cook, he grabbed a piece of bread from the fridge, muttering angrily as he rushed out the door.

"This day can't get any worse... right?"

But as Kai stepped into the street, he had no idea just how wrong he was.

...

Kai was running to school. As he walked down the hallway, he accidentally bumped into a girl with dark brown hair, fair skin, and a nice figure. She had a sweet expression, and her skirt lifted slightly, exposing her smooth thighs.

Kai's face immediately turned red with embarrassment.

Then, he was surprised to see that the girl was wearing the same school uniform as him.

For some reason, her face seemed familiar to him.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking. Are you okay?" Kai asked, worried, as he reached out his hand to help her up.

"Hmm, I'm fine. My fault, I wasn't paying attention," the girl said as she stood up, brushing off her skirt.

"You're from my school, right? Are you a new student? I don't think I've seen you before." Kai asked, curious.

"A new student? Hahaha, what are you talking about? Hey, Bakachin, what's more important right now is that we hurry, or we'll be late!" The girl smiled sweetly and grabbed Kai's hand, pulling him to run with her.

"Bakachin?" Kai was about to ask what that meant when the girl had already dragged him off.

They ran to school together, with Kai trailing behind. The sweet scent of her body reached him, making it hard for Kai to concentrate.

They arrived at school just in time. The girl waved goodbye and went ahead to her class, and Kai regretted not introducing himself.

Kai walked lazily to his own classroom, 2-C.

As he opened the door, he was shocked to see the girl sitting in the back row. He couldn't believe it. How did she end up in his class? Kai had checked the class roster yesterday, and he knew everyone in it, so he was really curious about who she was.

Kai started looking around for someone he recognized. Finally, he found Ganta, a chubby otaku who was his only friend. They used to sit near each other in the first year, bonding over their shared love for anime and manga.

"Hey, Ganta, do you know the girl sitting in the back?" Kai asked, his face full of curiosity.

"Are you seriously forgetting? You don't know Takashima-san? She's really popular here. We were in the same class last year," Ganta replied, looking at Kai with surprise.

"Takashima…" Kai felt like he was remembering something.

Before he could process it, the teacher came in and told everyone to sit down. Kai decided to sit near the girl, since the window seat was his favorite.

"We're in the same class again, Bakachin. I'll need your help," the girl smiled and greeted Kai.

"Hey, I don't know why you're calling me that…" Kai was about to protest when suddenly, a guy entered the classroom, causing a stir.

"Sorry I'm late, sensei. I won't do it again," the guy apologized to the teacher.

Kai froze as he recognized the guy. A memory suddenly flashed in his mind.

"An average height slim guy with messy black hair, a lazy look in his eyes, looks cool, and has charming expression…" Kai thought. He was sure he knew who this guy was, but he couldn't quite place the name.

The guy walked toward Kai, clearly intending to sit next to the girl.

"We're in the same class again, Haruto-kun. I hope we're together until graduation," the girl said with a sweet smile. When she said his name, Kai suddenly remembered something from last night.

"Haruto... Kurogane Haruto! Takashima Aya!" Kai shouted in shock. He realized that the characters from the harem novel he had trashed were now real and right in front of him.

He now recognized that Kurogane Haruto was the main character from the harem novel [When Girls Fall for the Most Average Guy: The Harem Chronicles], and Takashima Aya was one of the main heroines.

Kai couldn't believe his eyes. The curse from the Goddess of Love was real, and it wasn't a dream.

"Huh, stop shouting, Bakachin. You look like you just woke up from a nightmare," Haruto said with a small laugh.

Hearing the name Bakachin made Kai realize something. It was the name of Haruto's close friend in the novel. The actual character's name was Bakaichi Haneko, a side character who was just there to provide comic relief. He was foolish, unlucky, and never got any romantic storylines—basically, he was the worst, most useless character.

"I'm not Bakachin! I'm Inuzuka Kai! I'm not Bakaichi Haneko!" Kai protested, refusing to accept this strange reality.

"What are you talking about? Your name has always been Inuzuka Kai, but we've been calling you Bakachin because you're funny. Right, Aya?" Haruto chuckled.

"That's right. Hahaha, Bakachin, you're already making jokes this early? I can't stop laughing. You're like an amnesiac," Takashima Aya giggled.

"This can't be happening…" Kai couldn't believe it. He was now Bakaichi Haneko, a side character in a harem novel. Even though his appearance was still the same as before—he didn't have the nerdy look, glasses, or acne of Bakaichi—it still felt surreal, and he couldn't speak.

Just then, a notification appeared in front of Kai, like in a video game.

----

[!!!WELCOME TO THE HAREM CHRONICLES WORLD!!!]

You have been cursed to become the side character, Bakaichi Haneko (Bakachin). From now on, quests will come your way. You must complete them and finish the story of the novel, or you'll never return to your old life.

I will give you a gift:

[Harem Quest!]

Make Takashima Aya open her heart to you by the end of the week.

Failure Penalty: Eternal bad luck. 

With love, Goddess of Love.

-----

Kai's eyes widened in horror as the words sank in. His mind raced—he had no idea how to even begin. But before he could react, a voice suddenly echoed through the room, soft and teasing.

"You better get started, Bakachin."

He turned around, only to see a familiar face sitting in front of him, smiling cruelly and coldly with a mischievous glint in his eyes.