*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

A young man was seen sleeping on the bed, until a beeping noise, which only he heard, made him wake up with a flinch.

''Ugh...'' Ichiro groaned; he put his hands on his ears and said, ''Make it stop...''

[Host, It seems I am your personal clock now, which means that I also have to wake you up]

Ichiro couldn't even open his eyes, ''W-What time is it...'' He lazily asked.

[3.30 AM]

Ichiro groaned, ''Why did you wake me up so early... I went to sleep at 1 AM...''

[Your fault, not mine]

*BEEP* *BEEP*

The beeping sound grew even louder, ''Fucking hell!'' Ichiro shouted and fell down from his bed, landing on the ground with a thud.

Ichiro rubbed his painful butt, ''Why you need to be so ruthless... It is too early for me to deal with this shit.''

[...You deserved it!]

Ichiro stood up and rolled his eyes, ''You still mad about it?''

[IT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!]

''So sensitive~'' Ichiro mockingly said and left his room.

...

[Flashback]

Ichiro put down his headphones and stood up from his sitting position. His legs felt numb after playing few hours, he has been training nonstop for almost a month, and now when he can finally relax, his muscles are not used to it.

The sky was already darkening, and the city became brighter and brighter.

Ichiro lied down on his bed and looked at the ceiling.

''Hey, system,'' Ichiro said.

[...]

The system stayed silent because it was time for Ichiro's talk time.

Ichiro shrugged; he has gotten used to System's silence, ''Night's End is a pretty nice game honestly, too bad that you can't try it. It would be nice. Especially with friends, I only met NightButterfly recently, but she is a nice one. I can feel that we will become good friends.

''Now I have to focus on that Quest; I think I can reach Martial Captain if I do it, which would make things easier for the future, especially easier to get in good High Schools. Slych did suggest going to Enforcement Department's school, but I am not too sure about that.

''It would be nice and all to be with Slych, but he only comes a year later, we will be in different classes as well. Hard choices. I can't probably leave too far away from Irio either, my parents wouldn't allow it, and I don't want to separate with them this soon either.

''Martial Arts is a lonely journey, and once I graduate from college, who knows when I meet them again, I will go traveling the world, visit other Continents and join the tournaments. It will be fun, but I will miss my family.'' Ichiro talked while System 'listened.'

''Thanks for listening System, even though you are a terrible bitch sometimes, you are alright,'' Ichiro said, but System still didn't answer.

[...]

But then... Ichiro remembered System's betrayal.

''But... you did betray me today... and you have to suffer.'' Ichiro grinned.

[..?]

Ichiro put his hands towards his pants and took them off.

[???]

''It is time for manly routine, enjoy System.''

[WHAT?! NO, DON'T! NOOO!]

Systems despairing sounds were heard, but only Ichiro heard it, but he was busy doing his manly routine while making System suffer for its betrayal.

...

[Flashback END]

[...I will never be able to unsee it]

''You have seen me naked before; what's the big deal?'' Ichiro scoffed and entered the bathroom.

[It is not the same...]

''Drama Queen.'' Ichiro said and started brushing his teeth, ''And besides... You are the one who rudely entered my mind; I want some private time as well!''

[...Fine... Upgrade the System, and you can shut down the system, but you can also restart it when you want]

Ichiro nodded and spat the remaining toothpaste to the sink.

He wiped his mouth and said, ''Sounds nice.''

''Can you also add a clock on the system? You are slow to respond sometimes.'' Ichiro said and left the bathroom.

[...Fine]

System's voice was getting angrier by second.

Ichiro entered the downstairs; he put on his sneakers and the jacket.

He opened the door and left the house.

Summer was approaching, and warm weather came with it.

Even though the sky is still slightly dark, the weather is still warm and comfortable.

Ichiro left the yard and started running towards the city, where the people who woke up early were about to open their shops.

He saw most people waking up early were older people, with time to spare after their Age of Deterioration had passed. People who have suffered and managed to survive to the end of the Age of Deterioration get a massive monthly payment. Enough to live their life freely to the end, but there aren't many years left.

Some don't even make it past 70, let alone 80.

It is a sad and terrifying experience, but the older they get, the less they care. Some older people open shops, which is mainly customer service. They can talk with younger people more accessible that way, making their lives more bearable than only spending their time in loneliness or with some other older folks who can die anytime.

Ichiro saw an old lady trying to open the door to her shop, but her hands shook too much and kept missing the keyhole.

Her hair was grey, with wrinkles all around her face. She was pretty short, with a height of 150cm, she was holding herself up with a wooden cane while trying to put the key into the keyhole, but her trembling hands made it very difficult.

''Need help?'' Ichiro walked towards her and asked.

The old lady turned her head and saw Ichiro's face; she pointed at him and said, ''Hey... I know you.''

Ichiro smiled and nodded, ''Need some help?'' He pointed towards the key.

The old lady smiled gently and nodded, ''My hands aren't what they used to be... I can barely pour a cup of tea anymore...''

Ichiro felt sympathy towards her, even he was terrified in his previous life when he entered his 40s. He felt so old and felt his body becoming weaker; it was the worst fate he had imagined. He believed that he would die on a battlefield, surrounded by hundreds of enemies.

Instead, he died when a truck ran over him; what an irony.

Ichiro took the key from the shaky hands of the old lady; he put it into the keyhole and twisted, opening the door.

''There you go.'' Ichiro gave the key back to the old lady.

''Thanks.'' The old lady smiled gently, but then her face turned into pity, ''How horrible that those students bullied you... You are such a sweet kid.'' She touched Ichiro's cheek and said.

'Oh, man.' Ichiro thought.

[HAHAHAHA]

System roared in mocking laughter in his mind.

Ichiro was planning to start cursing towards the System, but the old lady was still standing in front of him, and it would make him look very weird if he suddenly started cursing.

Ichiro scratched the back of his head, ''It's all in the past.''

The old lady smiled gently and entered her shop, ''Do you want something... I am selling delicious cookies; people love them.''

Ichiro nodded and entered the shop; it was a pretty ordinary shop, with few tables and a long desk with dozens of different cookies on display.

The old lady took a plastic bag and put a few bigger cookies inside; she gave the plastic bag for Ichiro.

''Those are called Honey cookies, they are the most selled item in this tiny shop.'' The old lady said and walked back to the desk.

Ichiro looked inside the bag and saw the massive-looking cookies, he turned his head towards the old lady and nodded, ''Thank you.''

The old lady waved her hand, ''No need... You can visit anytime, you might not be able to stop eating them, once you have tasted them.'' She innocently chuckled.

Ichiro's mouth curved into smile, ''Next time I will pay, see you later.'' He waved his hand and left the shop.

The old lady smiled and sat down on the small wooden chair.

''Youth...'' She smiled

Ichiro started running his usual route, but this time he had a battle of words in his mind.

'Fucking system, it was funny eh?'

[It was, I can already imagine the amount of pity looks you will get in school]

'You fucking bitch!'

[HAHAHA, suck it you dwarf. I think I will enjoy this day very much]

'Dwarf? I am not short!'

[I am talking about the thing between your legs]

Ichiro gritted his teeth, his blood pressure started increasing, 'FUCK YOU! IT IS NOT SMALL!'

People in the streets saw very angry-looking young man running, while his face turned sometimes into absolute rage, and they could even swear that they heard curses leaving through the young man's mouth, but they might have misheard it.

Battle between Ichiro and System lasted, even after he reached his home, they still didn't stop it.

Score: Ichiro (67) Vs. System (82)

System is currently winning!