Macho Man Doesn't want a Slice-of-Life

"Where's the Divorce Space?"

"Eh? Rinji-kun, are you..."

"Duh. Of course I want a divorce." Rinji replied. "What kind of garbage design is it where you get married just because you're nearby?"

"Well... the marriage system in this game isn't super developed..."

"This is nonsense. If I end up married to Shinomiya, I might as well declare my life over before reaching the goal."

"Hey! I'm not that terrible!"

Kaguya puffed her cheeks, clearly upset at Rinji's venomous words.

She was just as frustrated. Landing on the marriage space was completely unexpected. If it had been Shirogane, she might've giggled uncontrollably. But of all people, it had to be Rinji's token that was closest.

"You really are that terrible, Shinomiya."

"Like I wanted to land on that space? You were the one standing too close."

"Absurd. I was standing on my rightful spot. It's you who should've kept your distance."

"...Such arrogance."

"Um..." Fujiwara awkwardly looked at the two. "Please don't fight. It's just a game."

"Fujiwara, is there an option for a voluntary divorce?"

"Nope."

"Then how about domestic violence forcing a separation?"

"Rinji-kun, you sure don't hesitate to sound like a scumbag..."

"If the bride is Shinomiya, then scumbag I'll be."

"You really are..."

Shirogane had been in a daze the whole time, his expression oddly twisted.

If Kaguya had "married" some random stranger in-game, he could've expressed jealousy, anger, even sadness.

But the issue was... she got married to Rinji.

His best friend.

His most beloved girl, married—even if only in a game—to his best friend. No one could remain calm through that.

The image of Rinji and Kaguya walking down the aisle kept playing in his mind.

'Ah... If it's Rinji... well, he is amazing. If Kaguya one day really chose him... I guess it'd be understandable... ah, what a rollercoaster of emotions...'

"President! What's wrong with you!? President!?"

Rinji tried calling the dazed Shirogane.

"Huh..."

"Your face looks off. Are you okay?"

Rinji stared at Shirogane's blank expression.

"No, it's nothing."

Shirogane quickly composed himself.

'Right. This is just a game. It's not like Kaguya actually married Rinji. What was I even thinking?'

He regained his confidence.

"By the way," Fujiwara suddenly added, pulling out the game rules, "since there's a wedding, each player must pay 50,000 yen in gift money."

"Hmph, fifty thousand yen? No problem."

Shirogane forced a smile and pulled out his wallet.

"No, President, in-game currency is fine. No need for actual cash."

Shirogane was clearly not okay.

He swore to himself he never wanted to hear anything about Kaguya marrying someone else again.

Even in a game.

Ishigami rolled and hit another Unlucky Space, but rolled high enough to avoid disaster.

Then it was Rinji's turn.

He rolled a six, landing on an Unlucky Space.

Fujiwara flipped the card and exclaimed, "Whoa, it's a Relationship Crisis!"

Rinji & Kaguya: "Nice!"

"...Could the 'couple' not sound so happy about this?" Fujiwara muttered.

Rinji & Kaguya: "We want to sound happy."

"They're so in sync but... why is their relationship so awful?"

Fujiwara handed the die to Rinji.

"If you roll a 4 or higher, you're officially divorced."

Without a word, Rinji rolled the die.

Six. Divorce successful.

"Alright!"

Kaguya and Rinji shouted in unison, while Shirogane finally let out a sigh of relief.

Shirogane rolled the die and ended up right behind Kaguya.

Kaguya's eyes sharpened.

'If I land on another marriage space, then my next spouse would be the president. Mm-hmm, I can't wait to see that slightly shy, slightly expectant look on his face.'

With that in mind, Kaguya rolled the die.

One.

Currently, she was only three spaces away from Shirogane, while Rinji was five spaces ahead.

As long as they kept this distance, the next marriage square would lead to her marrying the president.

Kaguya was starting to really enjoy this game.

The next few rounds were uneventful. Ishigami's funds stayed at zero, Fujiwara Chika remained mediocre, Shirogane landed a decent job thanks to his elite education (earning a small income each turn), and Kaguya kept hitting lucky tiles to the point her company went public (large income every round).

As for Rinji, he hit more unlucky tiles than lucky ones. These included "warzone" or "terrorist attack" events, but through high rolls, he managed to turn all of them into his own business ventures, eventually becoming a Middle Eastern powerhouse. His funds now surpassed even Kaguya's.

Fujiwara: "Rinji-kun's way of making money is really baffling."

Rinji: "I'm just making full use of the game's freedom."

After he rolled, it was Shirogane's turn again.

Shirogane rolled a 4 and, due to the discard rule, moved up right in front of Rinji.

The space he landed on happened to be... a Marriage Space.

Kaguya: "!!"

She checked the distances. Shirogane was four spaces from her and ten from Fujiwara.

Which meant...

'I'm getting married to the president!?'

Her cheeks flushed red, and the corners of her lips curled upward.

After so long playing the game, finally...

"Ah, I forgot to mention something," Fujiwara suddenly said.

"The marriage system in this game doesn't take gender into account. It only considers distance."

"Huh?"

"So, the president will marry the player closest to him."

And the closest to Shirogane was...

Rinji, just one space away.

'No!!!!!!!!!'

Kaguya's face contorted like a character in The Scream by Munch. Her whole expression and posture twisted into despair.