Chapter 0: Prologue: The Couple Who Declared a Fake Marriage
What happens when a twenty-seven-year-old salaryman uses the public airwaves to declare that he is dating and marrying a fifteen-year-old middle school girl?
First, you get a demonic barrage of phone calls from your parents.
“Didn’t we tell you not to cause trouble for others!?” “Introduce us to this girl immediately!” “What is this about breaking the law!?” “You haven’t even greeted her parents yet!”
…I half-lost consciousness during the marathon lecture as my parents took turns yelling at me.
Then comes a mountain of messages from friends and acquaintances. In other words, they all just wanted to say, “For real? (lol).” There was one message mixed in that said, “I didn’t know you were a comrade…! Though I specialize in 2D!” but I ignored that one.
Also, though very rare, I sometimes get called out to on the street. The power of television is terrifying.
Fortunately, perhaps because they decided to turn a blind eye, there was no contact from the police or child consultation centers. I still don’t know if that was the correct choice for society.
But I—Kenichi Hinosaka—and she had no other choice.
Cornered by an enemy named James who abused the power of the massive corporation A&G, and set ablaze by an online firestorm, our only option for a turnaround was to create an even bigger firestorm.
A once-in-a-lifetime fake dating and marriage declaration by the two of us.
At first, I was just forcibly dragged into it. But after learning of her dreams and her feelings toward bookstores, I decided of my own free will to help her. Above all, I wanted to fulfill my own dream of creating a massive movement for books and bookstores together with her.
As the first step, we released the first photo & essay book of the charismatic JC model MARIA, titled The MARIA Declaration. In just two months since its release, it had surpassed 100,000 copies in print. For a book of this genre, it could be called a massive success.
The hot, burning season between her and me certainly stirred up the world. However, trends shift quickly, and we were gradually regaining our daily lives—
Click.
The lock turned, and the front door opened.
“I’m home, Dar-ling♡”
There was one visitor to my 2DK apartment, which I had taken the plunge and moved into.
“No, you say ‘I’m home,’ but this is my house…”
“So? It’s the house of your cohabitation partner, so it’s my house too, right? I’m hoooome!”
Without waiting for the landlord’s permission, the visitor barged right in. Since I gave her a spare key, I’ve technically acknowledged her freedom to come and go… but I’d appreciate a little modesty.
Hmm-hmm-hmm~.
Her cheerful humming became the background music, brightening up the entire room. With practiced hands, she took ingredients out of the shopping bag, putting some in the refrigerator and the rest on the table. Then, she swiftly donned the pink apron hanging next to the fridge.
“Okay, today we’re having pepper steak, steamed chicken with scallion sauce, bean sprout and pea sprout namul, and egg soup with wood ear mushrooms. You can look forward to it.”
Her soft chestnut hair, curled once at the tips, shone lustrously. Even though summer had passed, her skin remained a translucent white. Above all, she possessed compelling, powerful eyes and a perfected beauty that made it hard to believe she was only fifteen.
Arisa Kimisaka.
The granddaughter of Renji Kimisaka, President of KIMISAKAYA Bookstore—one of Japan’s largest bookstore chains with 300 stores nationwide. A third-year middle school student who loves bookstores, and my fake fiancé.
“…We don’t need to cohabit anymore, you know?”
Now that our goal had been achieved, the necessity of pretending to live together had vanished.
“I told youuu! If we don’t live together after declaring cohabitation and marriage, they’ll write articles about our ‘separation,’ right? If that happens, it’s a loss!”
“Who are you fighting against?”
Arisa, deploying her mysterious logic, was living at my house only on Saturdays and Sundays. Yes, she was what you’d call a “weekend wife.”
“Really, it should be every day. I’m compromising for you, you know?”
Making a fifteen-year-old JC play the role of a weekend wife, even if just for two days, probably makes me an outrageous scumbag… But having been bashed as a lolicon enough for ten lifetimes, I have nothing left to fear!
“Meeting up is fine. I want to see you too, actually.”
“Eh, what was that just now? A surprise attack of affection? Oh, Kenichi-san~, now I’m going to get all fired up!”
“I was just saying don’t push yourself.”
She is busy enough just playing the weekend wife on Saturdays and Sundays, but she has another face.
The charismatic JC model, MARIA.
She has gained overwhelming popularity among elementary, middle, and high school girls nationwide through her photo posts and video streams on the web. She is active as a model in numerous magazines. Her SNS followers, which surpassed one million at the youngest age in domestic history, are gaining even more momentum and expanding. Although “antis” appeared after the flaming turmoil, conversely, support from a different demographic than before seems to have increased.
“You don’t have to cook every time. We can order delivery pizza.”
“Pizza!? Pizza when I, your new wife, am here!? Won’t we be the laughingstock of the neighborhood!?”
“We’re not planning to show anyone anyway.”
“But that’s just you caring about my body, right?”
Arisa cooks happily, occasionally shaking her hips rhythmically. The combination of hot pants exposing her bare legs and an apron was somewhat immoral—
“By the way~”
“O-Oh.”
“Why are you surprised? Aha, you were captivated by the view from behind, weren’t you?”
“N-No way.”
“Huh… did I hit the mark?”
Perhaps embarrassed by saying it herself, Arisa fidgeted, touching her fingers together.
“Umm, today we eat first, take a bath, and then, next… there’s also the option of ‘me’…”
“That’s not happening.”
“Why!? Even though the mood is so good!?”
“Think about your age. And I swore to the public I wouldn’t lay a hand on you.”
Arisa puffed out her cheeks.
“Idiot! Serious! I love you! Coward!”
…For some reason, something other than insults was mixed in there.
Arisa Kimisaka and I are spending our days sharing a common destiny. Even if everything isn’t solved, we won’t get dragged into days that can be called an ‘incident’ again.
That… was how it was supposed to be.
