Oliver stood in the dimly lit hallway of his modest apartment, feeling the weight of the past several years pressing down on him like an unwelcome fog. He glanced at the freshly printed diploma resting on his desk, its paper crisp and pristine—a testament to years spent buried in textbooks and library stacks, but also a reminder of what he had sacrificed along the way.

Through high school and college, Oliver had chosen to prioritize his academics over everything else, turning down invites to parties and skipping social gatherings to keep his grades unwaveringly sharp. He watched as classmates forged lasting friendships and shared fleeting romances, but he couldn’t bring himself to join in. Isolated by his choices, he became known as the straight-A student, the quiet intellectual who floated through social circles without ever truly belonging to any.

But change was in the air, and Oliver felt a restlessness brewing within him that he could no longer ignore. He had stumbled upon an online ad while scrolling through late-night forums, one that promised "unparalleled companionship and personal growth." The idea of a sex robot intrigued him—an opportunity to experience aspects of intimacy he'd only ever read about. It was, he told himself, a way to break out of the shell of isolation he had constructed over the years. With a mixture of excitement and trepidation, he clicked the order button, justifying it as a necessary step toward understanding human connection.

Now, as he stood in front of the heavy, unmarked box nestled in his living room, the reality of his decision crashed over him like a cold wave. The box loomed large and intimidating, a silent monument to his desire for change. Oliver dragged it across the floor, his hands trembling slightly, heart racing with anticipation and anxiety. What would it even be like to interact with something designed to fulfill emotional and physical needs? As he reached for the box cutter, he hesitated, his mind racing with doubts.