Prologue

“Kazuto-kun, what’s the meaning of this?”

It was Sunday afternoon, and I found myself kneeling seiza-style in the pristine apartment of a high school idol. The room, a perfect reflection of its owner’s cool and composed personality, was spotlessly organized, radiating an almost serene calm. Not a single speck of dust dared to linger.

“Hey, are you listening? This is about our future.”

“I-I’m listening…” I stammered, shrinking under the weight of her gaze.

Looming before me like an unyielding statue was Mizuki Rinka, her long hair cascading gracefully, her icy eyes piercing through me with quiet fury. The air around her seemed to hum with restrained anger.

“Kazuto-kun, I’ll ask again. Who are these people?”

Rinka thrust her smartphone toward me, the screen displaying the friend list of our favorite MMO. Five quirky, gamer-like names stared back at me.

“Those people… they’re just regular players,” I explained, my voice faltering. “We teamed up in a dungeon the other day and got along, that’s all.”

“I see. So you cheated on me while I was logged out.”

“No way! Those guys are dudes! Their avatars might be super pretty girls, but inside, they’re just regular old men—probably!”

I scrambled to clarify, but Rinka’s expression remained unyielding. She brushed her hair back with a deliberate motion and declared coldly, “No excuses.”

“Excuses? Do you really think I’d get weird with some old guys?”

“I do.”

“Why?! The fact you’re so confident about that is honestly shocking…!”

“Kazuto-kun, you might be into nekama ojisan.”

“I don’t have that kind of weird fetish!” I protested, my voice rising in desperation. Let me be clear: absolutely impossible! And one more thing—they’re not nekama! They’re just guys playing as pretty girl characters… probably!

“Are you sure?” Rinka’s tone was unrelenting. “I can’t rule out the possibility that you’ve grown tired of me and run off to some ojisan.”

“I’d deny that with every fiber of my being! Even if I got tired of you, I’d never run to an ojisan!”

“…I see. So you are tired of me.”

Rinka’s head dipped, her voice softening with a trace of sadness, as if tears might spill at any moment.

“That was just hypothetical!” I hurried to correct myself. “You and I have been friends since middle school, right? There’s no such thing as getting tired of you.”

“…Prove it.”

“Huh?”

“Prove that you’ve sworn eternal love to me, Kazuto-kun.”

“W-Wait, hold on…” Eternal love? The weight of those words pressed down on me like a collapsing dungeon trap. We’re…

“We’re married, aren’t we? In the online world,” Rinka said, her voice steady but expectant.

“Y-Yeah, that’s true. But in real life—”

“In real life… what?”

Her question carried a quiet intensity, like a dialogue choice in a game with no good outcome. One wrong move, and I’d trigger a bad ending—no save, no load, just brutal game-over consequences. Cold sweat trickled down my back as I carefully threaded my response.

“In real life… we’re close. Like, really close.”

“That’s right. We’ve built an unshakable bond, like an old married couple.”

“…” We’re not even dating, though. It hasn’t even been a month since we met in real life.

“Sure, I’m busy with idol activities,” Rinka continued, her tone softening slightly, “but I’ve never once forgotten about you, Kazuto-kun.”

“H-Huh…”

“So don’t you forget about me either.”

“O-Of course.”

“Thank you. That said, I’ll be deleting all your friends except me.”

“Got it—wait, why?! They’re actually pretty decent people…!”

“Fine, let’s do this,” Rinka conceded, her voice firm. “Next time, I’ll talk to them one-on-one. If I confirm they don’t have any impure intentions toward you, I’ll approve them as your friends.”

“That’s so embarrassing for me, though!”

“This is the bare minimum I’m willing to compromise on. If you can’t accept it, give up on having any friends besides me.”

“Seriously? Can we at least reconsider that minimum line…?”

“No chance.”

My plea was shot down without hesitation. Rinka’s resolve was unshakable, her seriousness as palpable as the spotless room around us. I let out a heavy sigh. How did it come to this? Just two weeks ago, my life took a sharp turn, didn’t it? The friend I married in an online game turned out to be the popular idol from my class—