[Location: The World God Only Knows - Japan - Maijima City - Cafe Grandpa / Private Residence.]
Keima Katsuragi, a young high school student, was lying on his bed, his eyes fixed on the screen of his handheld console.
His fingers moved with near-automatic precision, executing commands he had perfected after countless hours of play.
The room was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow of the screen, and the clock marked nearly one in the morning.
Despite how late it was, Keima had no intention of going to sleep just yet.
Now, the path that had led him to this moment was strange, to say the least.
Although Keima didn't fully understand it, he had sealed a contract with demons.
A contract that, while not explicitly detailed in full, obligated him to help capture Loose Souls—supernatural entities that had escaped from Hell.
These Loose Souls were no simple ghosts.
They represented fragments of demons that, following the destruction of Hell's old hierarchy, had lost their physical forms.
Now they wandered the human world, hosting themselves inside people with deep emotional gaps: loneliness, insecurity, sadness.
They fed on these negative emotions, growing stronger until they could regain their power and be reborn as full-fledged demons.
The problem was that if a spirit grew sufficiently within a person, it could take complete control of their body, endangering their life.
The only way to avoid this outcome was by filling the victim's emotional gap. And that was where Keima came in.
'Having to spend hours deciphering the irrational hearts of 3D girls just to expel a spirit... What a waste of time!' Keima thought with annoyance.
His task was to conquer the possessed girls, helping them overcome their internal problems and expelling the spirit in the process.
Once the spirit was expelled, it was immediately captured by the magical containment vessel that all soul-capturing demons carried.
For someone like Keima, a fanatical gamer obsessed with video games—especially dating sims—this contract was nothing short of torture.
As the self-proclaimed "God of Conquests" due to his ability to conquer any girl in the 2D world, he infinitely preferred virtual girls.
Real girls, in his opinion, were far too complicated, unpredictable, and boring.
Unfortunately, he had no choice. The demon he was forced to assist made it abundantly clear that if he refused, his head would be severed. So, bound by a magical collar he simply could not ignore, Keima had no choice but to use his skills to fulfill his contract.
At this moment, however, he wasn't worried about loose souls or girls he had to conquer.
What was keeping him awake was a personal quest: recovering lost game progress that had vanished.
"Finally!" he muttered, setting the console aside after reaching the progress he was after.
If he didn't have to attend classes in a few hours, he would have kept playing, clearing the game, and even starting others.
But as he lay back, an uncomfortable thought struck him: all the time wasted conquering a girl in real life.
He let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted to blame the demons, but he knew there was no point. The collar around his neck was a constant reminder that he couldn't afford to rebel.
Resigned, he closed his eyes, ready to sleep.
Then, he heard it.
Ding!
A strange sound shattered the silence.
At first, Keima thought it was a notification from his console and instinctively tried to ignore it. But something didn't add up.
That wasn't the usual sound.
His eyes snapped open.
Floating before him was a holographic text window.
[It's really amusing to think you ended up involved with demons all because of your pride.]
"What on earth is this?" he muttered, sitting up in bed with a mix of irritation and surprise.
He rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his head. 'A lucid dream?' He quickly dismissed the idea.
If he were dreaming, perfect 2D girls would be appearing, not something ripped straight from a generic anime with protagonists and systems.
To confirm he was awake, Keima stood up and began pacing around his room, inspecting every corner.
The holographic window remained there, floating right before his eyes and obstructing part of his vision.
After a few minutes, he slumped into his gaming chair, crossing his arms as he scrutinized the text with skepticism.
'Who is it this time? Is it the work of another demon...? Or perhaps angels...?' he thought, his mind already analyzing the possibilities.
If demons were real, and magical contracts were too, then... why not other supernatural entities?
'Or maybe it's some bored god who decided to play around with me, like in those generic anime?' he thought sarcastically, glaring at the window with a blend of frustration and resignation.
He wasn't willing to accept another supernatural mess, but if there was one thing his demonic contract had taught him, it was that ignoring these things didn't make them go away.
With a heavy sigh, he decided to address it head-on.
"Well? Aside from mocking me, what do you want?" he asked, letting his head tilt to the side, his tone as weary as it was defiant.
Whoever was responsible, one thing was certain: he was being watched.
That uncomfortable sensation of being under invisible scrutiny began to grow within him, like a cold draft seeping through a crack in the wall.
The presence of the holographic window was no simple visual whim; its very existence implied a clear intention. It wasn't there by accident.
It was a deliberate message, an open door to establish communication, even if the exact nature of that communication remained shrouded in mystery.
Just a few seconds later, the familiar chime rang out again.
Ding!
[Sorry, couldn't help myself. Here is my proposal.]
Another window materialized alongside the previous one.
[Do you want to obtain the necessary means to break free from that contract?]
[Yes / No.]
And a third window deployed immediately afterward.
[Of course, coming out unharmed and alive is merely an appetizer.]
Keima observed the holographic windows with an expression that combined exhaustion and skepticism. His eyes narrowed as he read them, as if analyzing the script of a low-budget visual novel.
"Break free from the contract? How convenient..." he murmured, letting out a short, bitter laugh. 'This smells like one of those trap choices that lead straight to a game over. Though... I admit the "appetizer" sounds tempting.'
Despite his words, Keima couldn't deny that the offer had its appeal.
The magical collar around his neck, symbol of his servitude to demons, was a constant source of irritation and danger.
However, as an expert in dating sims, he knew that accepting an offer without questioning it was the fastest path to disaster.
'This is like a game with hidden routes,' he thought, bringing a hand to his chin. 'If I just say "Yes", I risk falling into a trap. But if I say "No", I might miss a unique opportunity. Both paths have implications, and I need more information before making a choice.'
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His mind operated at full speed, weighing the possibilities. If this message came from a demon, it could be an attempt to manipulate him. If it was the work of another supernatural entity, things could prove even more complicated.
"In any case, I have nothing to lose by playing along a bit," he said aloud, returning his attention to the windows. His gaze took on a determined glint as he pointed a finger at the [Yes] option, though not to select it immediately.
"Before I answer, I have one condition," he said, as if speaking directly to whoever was behind the windows. "I want to know exactly what 'the necessary means' entails."
The silence that followed was heavy.
He waited in silence for several minutes before concluding that the other party would not respond.
Keima sighed in resignation, leaning back in his chair. "How original. A blind choice... again." His tone reflected a fatigue that was not merely physical, but mental.
Dealing with the absurd was exhausting.
Yet he still didn't select an option. His gaze remained fixed on the holographic windows, his mind analyzing every possibility.
'If this is a game, the rules might be implicit... or deliberately hidden.' His expression hardened. 'But it also means there's logic behind this proposal. Nothing in a game is there by accident.'
Keima rubbed his chin, reflecting. The text alluded to his desire to free himself from the contract and promised further benefits. But at the same time, it specified neither terms nor consequences.
[Yes] seemed like a direct path, but one fraught with potential traps. 'What if the "support" they offer comes with conditions even worse than the demonic contract?'
[No], on the other hand, meant rejecting what could be his sole opportunity to rid himself of the burden he carried. 'What if this is my only real way out...?'
"A god doesn't play dice..." he murmured, recalling a phrase he had once read. "A god calculates routes with 100% effectiveness."
Finally, with a sigh of frustration and a shrug of his shoulders, he reached his finger toward the [Yes] option and selected it. 'Either way, I can't play in peace anymore...'.
A new line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Great! Then, welcome to the "Part-Time Workers Group"!]
The words floated in the holographic window, radiating an almost mocking enthusiasm that stood in sharp contrast to Keima's growing discomfort.
"Part-time workers...?" he muttered, his brow furrowed as he tried to make any sense of the text.
The phrase, so trivial and mundane, failed to fit the surreal atmosphere of everything taking place.
Before he could ponder any further, an overwhelming sensation engulfed him.
Suddenly, his surroundings vanished. An intense, blinding white light consumed him entirely, erasing every trace of his room and plunging him into an absolute void.
The world ceased to exist—or at least, the world as he knew it.
/////
I'll need your help to improve this story. (More understandable and better written). So comment and review this story.