"We can’t be together anymore Arthur. I’m sorry but I have found my soul mate, the love of my life. I know it sucks for you but if you really love me, I hope you can move on."
A woman with above average looks said to Arthur as she held another man’s arm. Her name was Melissa Halls, Arthur’s Girlfriend, or ex girlfriend because they broke up just now.
The guy she left Arthur for is a rich second generation. He was tall, handsome with brown hair and Hazel eyes. Arthur knew his name but forgot, and honestly didn’t care.
Arthur gazed at both of them silently. Although Melissa worded her break up like some fairy tail love story, anyone can tell what she was after. The handsome rich guy has come to pick her up in a Mercedes.
Arthur could see that guy’s lips twitching even though he tried to pretend to be a worried person for Melissa. He was clearly enjoying the feeling of being superior to Arthur by stealing his girlfriend.
"Heh."
Arthur chuckled and shook his head. He turned around and left. Melissa and the guy both frowned, not expecting this kind of reaction. Both were very dissatisfied. They wanted to call Arthur to ask if he even cared about his girlfriend at all but he took a turn and left their view.
Arthur walked through the city aimlessly.
Nothing particularly ground breaking going through his mind. He was surprised at how calm he was. Maybe it was because he had expected it already. He had suspected his girlfriend was a gold digger from her behaviour. But she had no reason to date a guy like him. So he wanted to believe that he was wrong but he was proven right instead.
He couldn’t help but laugh to himself. The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Everything started when he was 18, his cousin accused him of sexual assault to cover up for her boyfriend who sneaked into their house.
She had come to stay for a few days. Her boyfriend would sneak in at night and he knew, she knew he knew. Their family was religious, his cousin knew that if she got caught with her boyfriend, she would surely get disowned.
So she framed him. Till this day, Arthur did not know what the fuck did she say to convince all of them so throughly. Or maybe they got convinced by her tears because he remembered she was crying a lot.
When all of this was happening, he was soundly sleeping after a rough day. With head phones on, listening to ASMR. And which is why he did not notice the clamour.
His father barged in, slapped him awake and dragged him out of his room. He was still confused, angry and feeling dizzy from suddenly waking up whe. He was thrown out of the house and his father said he was disowned and was dead to them. He just sat on the front porch, just trying to get back to his senses. And when he did, he realised what situation he was in. He gazed at everyone in his family, and his cousin who was getting concealed by the ladies of his house. She was crying and avoiding his gaze. He knew instantly this bitch framed him.
But he did not lash out, what else could he do in front of a bunch of grown men pointing guns at him and telling him to leave?
He swallowed his anger, picked his stuff and left humiliated and angry. He crashed at a friend’s house for a few days hoping the misunderstanding would clear. But it didn’t and things escalated.
His family was fairly well known so they basically spread the news all over the city and made it almost impossible to go somewhere without people judging him. No one would even give him a job.
It was fortunate that his graduation exams were over and the graduation ceremony was in a few days.
And at that time, it felt less like a graduation ceremony more like a humiliation ceremony as almost everyone that gave a speech was indirectly attacking him.
He just received his certificate and left. Humiliated once again. He took the little stuff he had and left his friend’s house as well. He couldn’t live there forever and drag them into this mess as well. Even though they all begged him to stay.
Arthur was forced to leave the city he was born in by his own family.
In the new city, he found a job, a place to live, and got into a university. But he was still angry and seething. But he was also hurt and depressed. Life was slowly becoming unbearable. When he met Melissa.
She was pretty. But most importantly, her presence made him forget the pain. He proposed to her, expecting rejection but she accepted.
He had tried everything in his power to meet her demand even if he didn’t eat or missed paying rent.
But deep down he knew her demand and behavior was not natural and she was using him. And he was right.
Arthur felt that this may be an even worse day than the time he got disowned. Today, he went to his part time job, the company cut off employees and he was among the unlucky few.
When he came back, he found an eviction notice and his stuff was gone. Thrown to the storage room where he collected it and was going to meet Melissa and ask if he could stay with her for a few days until he sorted things out. But it seemed her gold digger instincts kicked in and she sensed that she probably would have to spend money so she revealed her true colours.
"Sigh~. Homeless, jobless... and penniless. The combo couldn’t get better."
Arthur could help but murmur to himself. He had been homeless two times in the span of his 20 years of life. He will be turning 21 next year but the situation made it an uncertain destination. He stopped at a cross walk, waiting for the light to turn green for the pedestrians. He took a deep breath and gazed around the city.
The light of the setting sun painted the city in yellow, cars speeding through the road, pedestrians walking on the side of the road, doing their own thing, everyone was busy with their own lives. The world was moving at its own pace. Uncaring.
Arthur went to a small local restaurant to eat something light. He was famished. His bill was $9.83. When he was about to pay, his card declined. His eyes went wide from shock. He didn’t even have that much money to pay for a measly $9 meal. He stood frozen for a moment when the cashier paid for him instead.
"... Thanks man. I—I will pay you back later."
"Don’t you worry about it. Just.... Just keep fighting."
The cashier said with a worried look on his face. Arthur gazed at his face, pursed his lips and nodded. He thanked the cashier one last time before leaving.
At night, Arthur was sitting on the ground lazily. His expression was blank. He was leaning against a wall, his blank gaze looking at the busiest square of Magic City from a distant ally. The shadow of the wall covering him.
Distant music, clamours and laughter drifted towards his ears. Even though he was in the same place, those people felt like they were in a completely different world from him.
At that moment, Arthur heard a ding should accompanied by a mechanical that snapped him out of his thoughts.
He found a blue hologram floating in front of his eyes, his eyes slowly went wide.
[Ding!]
[Host Detected...]
[Binding System...]
[...Binding Complete!]
[Welcome To Simp System Host!]
[Spend Money on Beautiful Women and Get Instant Cashback! Earn Their Affection by Simping as Hard as you can and want!]
Arthur was stunned for a moment. He stared at the blue screen that only he could see. He should be happy. Jump in joy. Or say some edgy line about getting back at all the people who have wronged him.
But the hollowness increased even more. Through all this, he never cried once. But with the System’s appearance, tears involuntarily flowed.
He crossed his arms to cover his eyes and quivering lips. He could not stop himself from quietly sobbing. Not from happiness but from anger, helplessness, self loathing.
"Fuck. I’m so pathetic that I need a system to lift up my ass..."
He murmured to himself. Even the universe thought he could never succeed and sent pity help. He felt all his remaining pride and self integrity crumble into dust. He felt so pathetic that he wanted to die. And that thought became more and more enticing until someone sat beside him.
"First time?"
An old man appeared out of nowhere and said to him with a smile. Arthur was so confused he stopped crying and gazed at the old man through the cracks in his arms.