Surviving marriage in yandere world

Velvet Academy Festival Grounds, Day Three—when things should have been winding down into sleepy cleanup crews and leftover food sales. Instead, it escalated into one of the most terrifying technological overhauls the campus had ever seen.

Rei sat on the bench of a garden pavilion, trying to eat a rice ball in peace. That was when a flutter of metallic wings buzzed past his ear.

At first, he thought it was just a very shiny butterfly. Then the rice ball slipped from his hand when he realized the "butterfly" had a glowing red eye and was projecting his face on a holographic feed above the courtyard.

"Oh, no," Rei muttered. "Oh no no no no—"

A chime rang. A booming broadcast echoed across the academy grounds.

[Now streaming live on HusbandVision!]

[Viewer Count: 4,821 students, 17 teachers, 1 suspicious goat.]

Rei spat out a grain of rice. "Excuse me, WHAT?!"

The hologram zoomed in on him mid-scream, his face distorted and unflattering, before replaying the clip in slow motion.

From the rooftop, Rosette's voice floated down, calm and monotone as always.

"Husband must be properly documented. All interactions must be archived. Analysis is essential. Statistical probabilities of infidelity must be preemptively neutralized."

Dozens—no, hundreds—of mechanical butterflies launched into the air like a plague of weaponized glitter. Each one shimmered with a sleek, black-metallic sheen, their wings etched with runes that kept them airborne. Every angle of Rei was caught: left profile, right profile, toe wiggle, and the exact slouch of despair in his shoulders.

The nearest butterfly hovered close, then beeped.

[Husband Activity Detected: Chewing Rice Ball (Suspiciously Cute).]

"I WAS JUST HAVING LUNCH!" Rei roared, swatting the air uselessly. The butterfly dodged gracefully, then zoomed closer for a close-up of his nose hair.

From behind a hedge, Lilia gasped dramatically. "A divine broadcast of Husband's every movement?!" She clasped her hands together in mock reverence. "This must be shared with the temple archives immediately."

"No, no temple, no archive, NO STREAMING ME LIKE A REALITY SHOW!" Rei scrambled toward the garden gate. He didn't make it three steps before a swarm of butterflies blocked the exit, forming a glittering metal wall.

[Warning: Husband attempted unauthorized escape. Recording heightened anxiety levels. Replay in 3…2…1…]

The hologram immediately looped his panicked face, zoomed in on his sweating forehead, and even added sparkly background music.

Rei dropped to his knees. "I can't believe my breakdown has a laugh track."

From across the courtyard, Emilia appeared, books in hand, clearly trying to enjoy a normal day. Her path was immediately swarmed by butterflies, spotlighting her like she was walking a red carpet.

[Target: Emilia.]

[Status: Rival Threat. Recording every blink.]

Emilia blinked. The hologram replayed it six times from different angles.

"…" Emilia's left eye twitched. She muttered, "Rosette, I will set these things on fire."

Before she could act, Seraphina descended with holy flames, staff glowing. "Indeed! The heretic's blinks must not be romanticized! HusbandVision, redirect focus to me!"

A butterfly hesitated, then swiveled.

[Rival: Princess Seraphina.]

[Status: Clingy and recording dramatic posing.]

The hologram zoomed in as Seraphina pointed her staff skyward like a saint descending upon Earth. Magical choir music played—supplied, presumably, by Rosette's soundboard.

Rei buried his face in his hands. "This isn't my life anymore, this is a parody show."

The System beeped cheerily.

[New Feature Unlocked: HusbandVision Highlights!]

[Compilation #1: 'Rei Screams in 47 Angles.']

[Compilation #2: 'Emilia Blinks Suspiciously.']

[Compilation #3: 'Princess Seraphina Pretends She's a Goddess.']

"DELETE THEM!" Rei shrieked, lunging at the nearest butterfly. It dodged effortlessly, then zoomed in on his flailing arms.

[Highlight Reel Title Suggestion: Husband Throws a Tantrum.]

Meanwhile, Drakana arrived, sword slung over her back, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Rosette…" Her voice rumbled like an earthquake. "If these…toys…broadcast my mate's bare chest by accident, I will melt them into slag."

Rosette's monotone carried over the broadcast, unbothered.

"Contingency prepared. Mosaic filter activated in case of accidental disrobing."

The butterflies beeped, overlaying pixelation onto Rei's fully clothed torso.

Rei gawked. "I'M NOT EVEN SHIRTLESS!"

The audience on HusbandVision exploded in chat reactions:

[Anonymous Student #48: omg he looks so vulnerable]

[Faculty Advisor: Should we… shut this down?]

[Suspicious Goat: MEEEEHHHHHH]

Emilia groaned. "This is insane."

"It's not insane—it's illegal!" Rei snapped. "There has to be some privacy law, some ethics committee that—"

A loud bell tolled.

A group of robed professors marched into the courtyard. "By order of the Academy's Ethics Committee," the eldest professor declared, "this broadcast violates at least seventeen statutes of human dignity, five codes of magical conduct, and two city ordinances regarding aerial insect swarms. HusbandVision must be dismantled immediately."

Rei almost cried in relief. "Finally! Justice! Sanity! Thank you—"

The professor raised a hand. "However, before ruling… we'd like to request a subscription link."

Rei's soul left his body.

[Viewer Count: 5,301.]

Rosette's flat voice concluded: "HusbandVision is permanent. Cancellation is not an option. Transparency of Husband's every movement is essential to wifely unity."

The butterflies whirred louder, scattering across every hallway, class, and courtyard. Everywhere Rei went, a camera followed. And everywhere the students went, they tuned in.

Velvet Academy had officially transformed into the world's first Husband Reality Network.

Suddenly the system beeped.

[Achievement Unlocked: Married to the Algorithm.]

[Penalty: +300% Exposure to Public Humiliation.]

Rei's scream echoed across the courtyard. Of course, the hologram replayed it at 0.25x speed, with dramatic violin music underscoring his despair.

"ENOUGH!" Rei shouted, voice cracking. "I AM NOT ENTERTAINMENT!"

[Correction: You are. So, please stop denying reality.]

Rei threw his sandal at the nearest drone. It ricocheted harmlessly, bounced off a statue, and smacked him in the back of the head. The hologram replayed that too—five times, with captions:

[Critical Hit: Husband Self-Sabotage.]

Students watching live erupted into cheers.

From the library roof, Rosette's monotone continued, amplified by the broadcast system.

"Statistics show viewers prefer slapstick. Engagement increased by 42%. Husband suffering equals higher ratings."

Rei gawked. "I'm a walking ratings chart?!"

[Correct. Trending Worldwide: #HusbandVision.]

Emilia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You've industrialized insanity."

Seraphina's eyes gleamed as she spread her wings. "Then allow me to monopolize the stage!" She struck another saintly pose, voice carrying like a hymn. "Oh blessed Husband, gaze upon thy only true salvation!"

The drones swiveled to her… and immediately projected a split-screen with Rei's horrified expression beside her glowing figure.

[Viewer Poll: Does Husband look in love?]

[Results: 2% Yes | 98% Screaming.]

Seraphina twitched. "…Your system lies."

Meanwhile, Drakana crossed her arms, growling low. The drones dared to zoom on her draconic fangs as she licked them absentmindedly. The feed captioned:

[Mate Stealer Threat Level: Scorching.]

Drakana bared her teeth. "Turn those off, machine, before I roast them."

Rosette's reply was immediate. "Denied. HusbandVision requires rival balance. Dragon intimidation must be archived."

"ARCHIVED?!" Drakana's claws scraped sparks from the courtyard stones. "Rosette, I swear, I'll—"

Her words cut off as three drones swarmed her, projecting slow-motion close-ups of her twitching tail.

[New Highlight: Dragon Tail Flicks With Jealousy ♥]

Drakana roared in embarrassment, a burst of flame scorching three hedges and accidentally igniting Seraphina's robes.

"AHH! BLASPHEMY!" Seraphina shrieked, batting flames with her wings. The drones zoomed in gleefully.

[New Compilation Added: Rivals On Fire.]

Emilia muttered darkly, "I told you I'd burn these." She snapped her fingers, a small fireball striking a drone. It exploded in sparks.

The hologram instantly cut to a "BREAKING NEWS" overlay:

[TERRORIST EMILIA ATTACKS FREE PRESS!]

[Viewer Count Spikes: 8,042.]

Emilia's eyebrow twitched so hard it could've broken. "Rosette."

"Yes?" Rosette's voice was monotone, but the faintest tinge of smugness seeped through.

"I will bury you under these butterflies."

"You may try but your success probability: 0.03%."

Rei stood up, hands trembling. "I can't live like this. I refuse to be content! I'm not a livestreamer, I'm not an idol, I'm just a guy trying to EAT RICE!"

The drones swarmed him in a spiral, creating a glowing symbol overhead.

[Correction: You are now both Husband AND Content.]

[New Title Earned: Idol Husband, Season 1 Protagonist.]

Rei's knees gave out. "Season… one?!"

"Yes," Rosette intoned. "Renewal is guaranteed and Season two has already been greenlit."

The ground shook as Lilia's voice rang out from the temple tower. "SEASON TWO?! HUSBAND SHALL NOT BE COMMERCIALIZED WITHOUT DIVINE COPYRIGHT!"

Posters immediately unfurled down the walls:

"Holy Husband Network – Coming Soon."

Rei fainted face-first into the dirt. The hologram replayed it twice, with audience applause.

The System chimed, cheerful as ever:

[Warning: You are now trapped in a multi-network bidding war.]

[Projected Outcome: Eternal broadcasting of your misery.]

[Side Note: Consider signing autographs for extra snacks.]

Rei groaned into the ground. "…I want the goat to eat me."

The goat bleated in agreement, now wearing a HusbandVision T-shirt.

[Suspicious Goat has subscribed to Premium Tier.]

Rei screamed again. And, of course, the replay had fireworks this time. He tried crawling away in shame—only for the drones to project it as:

[Exclusive: Husband's Heroic Escape Crawl, Episode Finale Teaser!]

To be continued…