Why Am I the Protagonist of the Hentai Game You Made?

I pinched my nose the moment I opened the door to her studio apartment. Even though it was broad daylight, the dim room was thick with the pungent scent of night-blooming flowers mixed with the heavy smell of pizza.

"Ugh... Open a window, would you? Why does a girl's room smell like this? And what are you, some child of darkness? The sun's blazing outside!"

I sighed and yanked the blackout curtains aside, throwing the window wide open.

"That's not important right now! Hurry up and look at this!"

My childhood friend Choi Na-ri's voice rang out. Shockingly, we'd known each other since the day we were born. By pure coincidence, we were delivered at the same obstetrics clinic, lived in neighboring apartments, attended the same schools, and even ended up in the same classes. It was an absurd twist of fate. On top of that, our parents seemed to have made some kind of pact—disappearing together on trips for more than half the year. Relatives would come to look after us, but the time Na-ri and I spent together far exceeded the time we spent with our own parents.

Her long bangs partially hid features so beautiful they could rival any idol, yet I'd never once felt the slightest romantic attraction toward her. Well... maybe a tiny, microscopic amount without realizing it, but no. Definitely not. The reason was her utterly unfiltered, vulgar mouth, which brutally shattered any illusion her appearance might create.

Influenced heavily by her parents from a young age, she'd casually spout things like "Ah, I wanna fuck!" when we were alone, or stare at anime characters and say, "I want to rail both of them." And there was one more fatal secret about her—the source of that familiar, sticky night-blooming flower scent filling the room. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It came from something between her legs that no ordinary girl should ever possess. She was what they called a futanari, a terrifying physical anomaly.

And yet, this morning, that crude girl had sent me a text.

She was so weird that most people wouldn't understand what she meant, but I knew exactly what this was. Without a doubt, it had to be the update news for Aerial Online—the so-called greatest ultra-lewd god-tier game in human history that she'd been yapping about for days. Or rather, the story she'd been hammering into my ears since we were kids.

I really didn't want to go. Because the truth was, this game was an indie adult title that Na-ri had developed entirely by herself. She'd started making it back in middle school, and I'd genuinely thought she was going to flip the world upside down. Just from the character lines and illustrations she'd shown me, it was obvious that if she released it, she'd become filthy rich.

But even though ten whole years had passed, for some reason this girl stubbornly refused to release it. She kept playing it in secret all by herself. I walked behind her chair and clicked my tongue in exasperation.

"You're still not releasing this game and just playing it alone... Ugh, what the hell is this... Pathetic. Truly pathetic."

"Ahem... S-sorry about that! But no matter what, don't insult this world! It's super super super super super realistic!! Plus, the new Si-yul route finally dropped today!"

"World my ass. It's just a game you made. And I was insulting you, you idiot..."

While I stared at her with a look of utter disdain, Na-ri kept talking as her fingers flew across the mouse with practiced ease. She was smoothly violating a succubus on screen.

"I... will curse you... for the rest of my life... AAAAAARGH!"

The succubus collapsed, spewing a curse mist at the hero. Immediately afterward, a new choice window popped up in the center of the screen.

Na-ri excitedly slammed the mouse on Route 3. My exasperation shot through the roof. I gave her a dumbfounded look and smacked the back of her head.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"

"You made this game!!! You coded and developed it yourself, so what the hell are you talking about a 'newly added route' for, you crazy bitch! And 'looks like you got caught'? You probably just forgot the condition you put in yourself!"

"Ouch, ouch... That's not it, okay? I really did my absolute best! You cheapskate idiot dog Si-yul, with a dick as small as yours!! J-just look at this!!!"

Just as I was seriously considering hitting her again, Na-ri quickly opened the status window and showed me the protagonist's appearance and name. The moment I saw it, I flashed her a bright smile.

"Hehe... What do you think? Nice, right?"

Smack. I slapped the back of her head with my palm as hard as I could.

"...You insane bitch. Why is the protagonist's name mine? And why did you copy my plain, average face exactly? Why the hell is the dick size 5cm?!"

"It is 5cm!!! No fact-checking allowed!!!"

My face burning red, I swung my hand relentlessly, determined to deliver 2578 smacks—one for every insane clear count she'd racked up.

"I-it's not that bad...!!!!"

"Ack!! Aaaack! S-stop...! Hey, hey! I told you! It's the Si-yul route!!"

When I raised my hand again, Na-ri desperately blocked it. "S-still... I've taken tons of screenshots while grinding the endings. I'll show you! Just forgive me!!!"

Na-ri hurriedly moved the mouse, minimized the game, and opened a folder full of captures on her desktop. The screen filled with shots of the game's main heroines—the Saintess of the Holy Empire and the noble Imperial Princess—staring coldly at the camera. Especially prominent were images of the pure Imperial Princess whipping the in-game Si-yul.

Na-ri rested her chin on her hand, smiling in satisfaction as she looked at them.

"Ehehehe... Isn't our princess amazing? This is the exclusive submissive masochist ending for Si-yul! Oh, don't worry? Since I have a thing for our Si-yul getting treated like a masochist, I didn't take any screenshots of the shitty NTR endings where the heroines lose their virginities to other guys! Only Si-yul lives as a masochist! Hehe!"

"Ugh..."

As I looked at the pitiful photos of in-game Si-yul and considered giving her one more smack, the quick-witted Na-ri suddenly yelped, "…! W-wait, I really have to pee! My bladder's about to burst, so just look at these for a second!!!"

She bolted for the bathroom.

"Perverted freak..."

I shook my head, sighing at her disgusting and vulgar tastes. She was definitely going to die single as a spinster. Listening to the bathroom door slam shut, I let out another long sigh and slowly scrolled down with the mouse wheel.

"...Guess I'll take a quick look."

It wasn't because I wanted to see it. I was only checking to see what kind of messed-up things she'd done using my face and name. But the further down I scrolled, the more the screenshots exceeded my wildest imagination.

"Hiiiieek..."

If I saw my own expression in a mirror right now, I'd probably think I looked hideous. But I couldn't help it. There were shots of the primordial dragon Akasha sitting on top of in-game Si-yul, looking down at him like a bug. There were also images of the Saintess Cecilia stripping him naked, putting a dog collar on him, and taking him for a nighttime walk.

"This... this crazy bitch, ugh..."

The screenshots perfectly captured just how miserably she'd tormented the in-game Si-yul. I felt like I'd lose my mind if I kept looking, so I closed the folder and returned the game to full screen.

But something was off. When I clicked the character status window, it looked like the distant Veronica turned her head.

"...Do the illustrations usually move like that...?"

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, I clicked on the next heroine. At that moment, the entire monitor screen was engulfed in bizarre blood-red darkness. The air in the studio apartment froze instantly. From beyond the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠screen, within an endless abyss, a massive and absolute malice that seemed to curse the entire world began to bubble up.

Soon, a sinister and majestic voice that crushed all space flowed out.

"Hik?!"

I froze, unable to even breathe. The being inside the monitor continued in a voice dripping with chilling mockery.

The moment those words ended, a gigantic, grotesque hand burst out of the screen, grabbed my body tightly, and began dragging me inside mercilessly.

"Hiiiieeeeek! N-Na-ri! S-s-s-save me!"

I screamed as I was gradually pulled into the monitor. Right then, Na-ri came out of the bathroom. She didn't seem surprised at all by my scream or the situation. Instead, her face was tense, as if she'd been expecting this. She swallowed hard and approached me.

"Si-yul. Good luck?"

"What...? What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bitch! Let go of me first!"

Instead of helping me, Na-ri gently pried my fingers off the chair I was desperately clinging to. Then she whispered into my ear—low enough that only I could hear, but in a voice heavier and more serious than ever before.

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"Those bastards broke the barrier and found you. In this magicless Earth, if my dad and mom fought them to protect you, the planet itself would've been wiped out without a trace long ago... We have to move the battlefield to that world overflowing with magic so you can survive—and so our world can survive too."

"What...?! What kind of bullsh—!"

"Dad and Mom asked me. They said when the time comes, I must send you there. I'm sorry, Si-yul. Still... go and get pampered a lot, okay? Hehe... Take care."

Na-ri gave me a strange smile mixed with apology and affection, then suddenly kissed my cheek.

My words never finished. With that creepy yet grand farewell from Na-ri, my vision was swallowed by perfect darkness.

And in the darkness where I fell, gripped by that hideous hand, a mechanical system notification began ringing out mercilessly.

BOOOOOOM!

With a massive impact like a seal being shattered, the system text flashed red.

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Silence fell over the room. On the monitor Na-ri was staring at, the text [??? Route: Declaring 'The Beginning'] flickered clearly. She smiled wickedly, picked up her phone, and made a call. A slender, beautiful black tail with a heart-shaped tip had already sprouted and was swaying gently.