A young man with striking black hair and deep crimson eyes stood in the middle of the store—surrounded.
Not by enemies. Not by monsters.
By women.
And not just any women. The kind of women that would make many hesitate to pick a favorite.
The old man sweeping in the corner froze as he leaned on his broom as he squinted at the sight.
"Woah…"
His wrinkled face softened into nostalgia.
"Poor kid. Back in my days, even I wasn't this popular with the ladies…"
He huffed a laugh and shook his head before going back to sweeping.
But his ears were still listening.
Meanwhile, the young man in the navy-blue school uniform looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Jacket neat, shirt ironed crisp, boots polished—yet sweat already beading on his forehead. He raised his hands like someone trying to calm a pack of angry lions.
"Uhm… girls…"
His voice cracked.
He took a hesitant step back as his shoes squeaked lightly against the wooden floor.
The ladies circling him were of every shape and charm.
And it wasn't just about curves or looks.
More about race and genre.
Their presence alone was suffocating.
First, the elegant elf.
Blonde hair, sapphire eyes, and a school uniform that seemed almost designed to highlight her flawless figure. Her slender arms were folded tightly under her bountiful breasts while her chin was raised high.
She gently moved her hips to the side and her cute miniskirt bounced along with them.
"I was worried about you…"
She kept her eyes closed as she spoke.
More than that, she looked very calm and proud.
"So I made time yesterday to come see you. But that old man lied and said you weren't here. Too bad he's not the best at keeping secrets. So…"
Her pretty eyes opened to quietly sweep the room.
They narrowed at the other women.
"You've been busy… (￢_￢)"
His forced smile twitched like glass about to crack.
『Damn it… I really thought this would work! That dumbass Dave443 on FriendPage swore that if I just dated the girls separately and then gathered them all together, they'd be jealous at first but eventually agree to share me! Harem achieved! Easy! But nooo, of course it only works if the author wants it to! Stupid, stupid, stupid—』
The young man stretched out his hand, maybe to explain himself or calm her down, but the beautiful elf only leaned back slightly. She gave him that same proud, disgusted look she always threw at other guys in the academy—anyone she thought wasn't worth her time.
His eye twitched in shock.
『She hates me… (;一_一)』
His shoulders slumped, and his head drooped as he muttered under his breath, sounding like he might cry. But before he could even wallow in the heartbreak of realizing the pretty elf he'd spent months trying to win over actually despised him, he was cutt off.
A small but fiery storm marched forward.
"You absolute bastard!"
It sounded like the high-pitched voice of a spoiled brat.
The petite girl pointed at him with her dainty finger like she was commanding an army. Her porcelain face, long raven black twin-tails, and big red eyes (one hidden beneath an eyepatch) should've made her look terrifying. Instead, with her gothic-lolita dress and smallish frame, she was more like a dangerous doll that would cut your throat while pouting.
And just like the elf, she was quite proud.
The only thing humble about her would be her chest.
"I left an invasion to come see you!"
The evil space princess shrieked.
"And what do I find? You surrounded by inferior trash!"
She stood with arms akimbo, frowning up at him.
"Explain yourself, you dick! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)"
He blinked at her… and against all odds, nearly laughed.
『I just can't hate this author! His character design sense is something else! She's so tiny. She's like an angry kitten spitting cosmic radiation. …Nope. Don't smile. She'll kill you if you smile.』
But then another voice cut in.
"Can the shitty midget shut up for one second?"
It was a low and sharp voice.
Or rather, a smooth but alluringly deep feminine voice.
The princess gritted her teeth as she glared.
But the one who spoke ignored her completely.
The tall girl had wavy cream-colored hair with a red beret resting on top. She wore a cropped, sleeveless black jacket, zipped just low enough in the middle to reveal her deep, full cleavage, and short enough to show off her sexy midriff. Her abs stood out the most—maybe even more eye-catching than her pretty face, her smooth thighs, or her round, full breasts.
She gave off the vibe of a tough military type.
As she adjusted her red skirt, she shot the young man a sharp side-eye.
"Having fun, huh? Did my mischievous junior somehow forget to invite the right girl on a date?"
Her hand rested casually on the hilt of her gunsword.
"Or are you just collecting conquests now?"
His throat bobbed as he took a shaky step back.
"I swear… I-, I can expla— (;一_一)"
"Are you… cheating on me?"
The voice was fragile.
The blonde with big round glasses that framed her pretty green eyes stepped forward. She wore the same school uniform as him, though hers came with a miniskirt and tights. There was a calmness and elegance about her that felt almost royal—probably because the tiara on her head made it clear she was a British princess.
She gave him a soft stare.
"You meant to call just one girl here, didn't you? Please tell me I'm wrong."
She adjusted her glasses as her lips trembled.
"Please…"
The way she sounded so vulnerable made him feel bad.
And just when he thought it couldn't get worse—
Click.
A flame lit up a cigarette and a sexy voice sighed.
"Should've known."
At the back of the store, his chain-smoking mage instructor was leaning casually against the wall. Her jacket hung open just enough to hint at curves that no student was supposed to notice. With her eyes half-closed, she looked over the crowd with a bored, uninterested expression.
"To think I got in bed with a problem child like you."
She exhaled smoke as her lips curved.
"Then again, you're quite the man down there."
Her half-lidded eyes blinked slowly.
"Tch. Figures."
Every girl's head snapped toward her.
"Wait—"
The elf's proud face cracked like a ceramic.
"You slept with her──!?"
She was trying to act nonchalant about this, but more and more it was becoming difficult.
The space princess flared with cosmic energy.
"Ee…! (ﾟДﾟ;) You disgusting human! "
He chuckled nervously, waving his hands.
"It's not what you think—!"
"Then prove it."
The princess stomped her foot as her cheeks reddened.
She shut her eyes and puckered her lips.
"KISS ME!"
"…"
The elf's voice was icy.
"Kiss me."
She didn't say anything else, and how it came out sounded more like an order than a request.
Her pride would never allow her to beg for it.
The princess's trembling voice sharpened.
"Kiss me… or I'll make a scene."
The military girl pointed at her lips, eyes dead serious.
"Here. Now."
She looked calm, but she was probably the type to slam him with a suplex the moment he hesitated.
The professor smirked as she sucked on her cigarette.
"Don't hold back, kid. We've done it before. Let's see that horny teenage passion again."
And then the entire room was filled with girls.
Tender lips puckered and eyes locked on him.
To them, the answer was simple.
Whoever he kissed first… was the one he loved most.
He froze. Not a word. Not a twitch.
The old man muttered as he swept—
"Say something already, kid…"
The young man inhaled sharply, then exhaled.
"I'm sorry. I can't kiss any of you. It wouldn't be fair."
The elf's nostrils flared haughtily.
"Are you mocking me?"
The space princess stomped one platform boot.
"I demanded it first! You owe me!"
The princess with glasses lowered her head.
"You're quite irresponsible. I… misjudged you."
She sounded very hurt.
The military girl's eyes narrowed.
"You think this is funny?"
The sexy professor looked unimpressed now.
"Pathetic…"
Even the other women nearby didn't hold back.
They scolded him nonstop—calling him terrible, saying he was irresponsible and shameless, and even going as far as to label him the absolute scum of the earth.
The old man sighed.
"I'll just… go help customers."
He shuffled away.
The young man was completely out of luck.
The small crowd of women edged closer to him.
If he looked left they were there.
Right, the same thing.
His hands rested on his hips as he thought grimly.
『The old man's probably wondering how I managed to mess up with so many waifus… but the truth is, it's the exact opposite. I'm not fumbling them—I'm aiming for something even the author said was impossible. I've been stuck in this romance novel for a while now, living as just an extra. But my real goal? To somehow get all these ladies to actually agree to a harem with me.』
A confident smirk crawled onto his lips.
『I know this story inside and out. I've read every single chapter so many times that I could almost recite it word for word. Honestly, I'm not trying to brag, but no one understands this novel better than I do.』
A small worried look appeared on his face.
『I've tried countless scenarios and different routes to test every possible approach. But no matter what I do, I always end up failing in the end. Still, I guess I'm lucky. Unlike the protagonist, I've got one special edge—my System lets me force a do-over whenever things fall apart.』
And then—
[Ding! Would you like to rewind?]
The blue panel shimmered before him.
He nodded.
"From the beginning this time."