Monopoly—a game with murky origins. Some say it was designed to critique capitalism, where victory requires bankrupting all opponents. Ironically, its cutthroat nature made it wildly popular.
Chika's "simplified" version had four life stages: Youth, Adulthood, Middle Age, and Retirement. Players competed for points instead of money.
Though knowing Chika, "simplified" probably means [get hit by a truck] or [have nine kids] as random events, Takakai mused.
Maki rolled first.
"6 points means... move six spaces?"
Chika nodded eagerly. "Yep! Ohhh, you drew a Misfortune Card: [Heartbroken by a Scumbag]. Now you [Distrust Men]!"
Maki slammed the table. "Why would that happen in the Youth stage?!"
Takakai shrugged. "Teen girls getting groomed by older guys is pretty realistic—"
"Are you describing yourself?" Maki glared.
"I'm honest about my desires! When have I ever—"
"Next player!" Maki covered his mouth, cheeks pink.
Kaguya's eye twitched at their intimacy.
After several rounds, Maki and Kaguya tied for first (thanks to [Inheritance] and [Lottery Wins]). Takakai, meanwhile, drew two [Scumbag Cards] by "manipulating girls' hearts."
"My luck is rigged," he groaned.
Maki smirked. "Or you're just perfectly suited for those cards."
Then she drew another Misfortune Card: [Betrayed by a Woman].
"Why is my character so unlucky?!"
Takakai patted her back. "At least I'm not the only one suffering."
Kaguya's turn. She drew—
"[Marriage]. You can wed the closest player."
Silence.
The closest player was Maki.
Both girls made identical disgusted faces.
Chika grinned. "Ah, but Maki-chan has [Distrust Women] now! So..."
She paused dramatically.
"...you marry the second-closest player. Takakai-kun~"
Kaguya's brain blue-screened as she locked eyes with Takakai.
"Marriage?"
Marriage... with Takakai-kun?
No, no, this is just a game. Don't take it too seriously. My plans haven't even begun yet—there's no need to feel triumphant over such a trivial victory.
Kaguya took a deep breath, struggling to keep the corners of her lips from curling too noticeably. Then she noticed Maki—seated beside Takakai—wide-eyed, her fists clenched unconsciously.
"After marriage, all other players must give the newlyweds 50,000 yen each as a congratulatory gift. Hehe, congratulations, you two~"
With Chika's next words, a film of moisture clouded Maki's eyes.
Instinctively, Maki pulled out her wallet and extracted five 10,000-yen bills.
Equally instinctively, Kaguya reached out to accept them.
"This isn't real money. Snap out of it—it's just a game," Takakai interjected with a dry cough, reminding the two not to get too immersed. He glanced at Chika and, unsurprisingly, caught the faint gleam of amusement she couldn't quite hide.
"R-Right. Just a game," Maki repeated, inhaling sharply. She glared at her character card on the table as if it were a sworn enemy.
Kaguya, meanwhile, lowered her head slightly, her cheeks tinged with an indistinct flush. What exactly was she thinking about?
The game continued.
Before long, the "married" couple of Takakai and Kaguya landed on the [Childbirth] space. After rolling the dice, they were blessed with twins. When it came time for the other players to offer congratulations, Maki nearly pulled out real money again.
Chika's character, however, seemed plagued by misfortune—car accidents, bankruptcy, and by the time she reached [Middle Age], she was over a billion yen in debt. Yet she remained cheerful, utterly unbothered, likely because the chaos unfolding between Kaguya and Maki was far too entertaining.
"Counting this, that makes seven kids now," Takakai remarked, too exhausted to comment on how his character, already in the [Retirement] stage, could still land on [Childbirth]. Was he secretly some kind of fertility god?
"Y-Yes, but... it's just a game. No need to overthink it," Kaguya murmured, her voice barely audible. Since the second [Childbirth] event, she had kept her head down, fixated on the game cards.
"..."
Maki stayed silent.
Her posture mirrored Kaguya's—hunched over, staring intently at the table.
By the time they cleared the [Adulthood] and [Middle Age] stages, Maki had shot to first place thanks to a string of lucky draws, leaving the others in the dust.
But it was a hollow victory.
For Maki, forced to watch Takakai and Kaguya repeatedly land on [Childbirth], the ranking meant nothing. There was no joy in it.
Then, a twist of fate.
Kaguya landed on the [Infidelity Divorce] space. After "discovering" Takakai's "affair," she "divorced" him, forcing him to pay astronomical alimony for their seven children. His character's wealth plummeted to rock bottom.
"Divorced... because of cheating..." Kaguya inhaled deeply, visibly shaken.
"Am I being targeted, or is this just absurdly bad luck?" Takakai shot Chika a suspicious glance but found no tells. Whether this was sheer coincidence or masterful trolling remained unclear.
Meanwhile, Maki's mood had brightened considerably. "Heh, serves you right~"
Well, at least someone's happy, Takakai thought, deciding not to rain on her parade.
But the chaos wasn't over.
Maki drew the [Marriage] card next.
Chika's lips curled into a smirk.
Kaguya sensed impending doom but couldn't predict its form.
Maki's cheeks flushed as she stole a glance at Takakai, whose character card was now closest to hers.
"Normally, you'd marry the nearest player. But with your [Distrust Men] status, you can't marry Takakai-kun," Chika explained, her notebook shielding her growing grin.
"Then... the second-nearest?" Maki ventured.
"Nope! You also have [Distrust Women], so you can't marry Kaguya-sama—or me, the third-nearest."
"Then what? Does the card just... fizzle?"
"Of course not!" Chika finally lowered her notebook, her glee unrestrained. "For this special scenario, I designed a reversal! A player with both [Distrust Men] and [Distrust Women]..."
She paused for effect.
"...gets to marry everyone and form one big, happy family~!"
Takakai blinked, then broke into applause. Brilliant.
Kaguya froze, her brain blue-screening mid-reboot.
Maki, meanwhile, flailed as Chika ruffled her hair. "WHAT KIND OF RULE IS THAT?!"
And then... she landed on [Childbirth].
According to Chika's rules, this didn't mean Maki was pregnant.
It meant everyone she "married" was now pregnant.
Regardless of gender.
"So... you're the isekai protagonist here?" Takakai asked after a long silence.
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS!" Maki wailed.
"Hehe, I rolled a 6! That means I just gave birth to twins for you, Maki-chan~" Chika chirped, fanning the flames.
"STOP TALKING—WAIT, WHY ARE YOU ROLLING THE DICE?!" Maki shrieked as Takakai reached for it.
"Curious if I can get twins too."
"DON'T YOU DARE—"
"Kaguya-sama hasn't responded in 10 minutes. Did she fall asleep sitting up?"
"Pretty sure she's just crashed."
"How can two women have a baby...?"
"That's the part you're stuck on? I haven't even processed men getting pregnant yet."
"Huh?"
"Stop 'huh'-ing. It's your turn to roll for childbirth."
"WHAAAA—?!"
By all accounts, Chika's bizarre game was a resounding success—at least in terms of sheer entertainment value.
Though neither Maki nor Kaguya would ever willingly play it again.
I really did find myself a boyfriend with insatiable desires... but somehow, that's not entirely unpleasant. There's something thrilling about being completely at his mercy, like a plaything in his hands.
But... he must be at his limit by now.
Though reluctant to leave the warmth of his embrace, Chika had already resolved to yield the next opportunity to Maki. She wouldn't go back on her word.
In fact, before venting her restlessness in the hallway, she had already knocked on Maki's door.
That girl... there's no way she could hold back after witnessing this.
Click—
"Y-You two! What indecent things are you planning?!"
A flustered Maki burst forth, teeth gritted, and lunged at Takakai and Chika near the staircase.
"Hmm?"
Too absorbed in Chika, Takakai failed to anticipate Maki's ambush. In that split second of hesitation—
Chika slid out of his arms, her eyes flashing crimson as she tapped into her blessing's power. With deft precision, she redirected Maki's momentum straight into Takakai's chest.
"Maki-chan~ He's all yours tonight. Do be careful—"
By the time the words left her lips, Chika had already slipped into her room and locked the door behind her.
"Eh?"
Takakai remained baffled.
"...Huh?"
Maki short-circuited.
A three-second silence engulfed the hallway.
Then, without a word, Takakai adjusted his grip on Maki and resumed his ascent upstairs.
Cradled against his chest, the yukata-clad girl processed the situation—
Wait. WAIT.
Her face erupted into a furious blush.
"P-Put me down! You—you can't seriously expect me to replace her in sating your urges, can you?!"
Maki kicked and squirmed, her struggles growing increasingly frantic. Yet Takakai's hold remained unyielding as he carried her straight to his second-floor room, locking the door behind them.
Thud.
Finally released, Maki clutched her chest, her heartbeat thunderous.
"Now we won't have to worry about eavesdropping," Takakai remarked, eyeing her disheveled state. "But you might want to clean up first."
He pointed to her damp sleeves and dirt-streaked calves.
Maki glanced down, recalling how she'd crawled across the floor—like a cat—to spy on them, her yukata soaking up spilled bathwater and dust.
"...Fine."
Though a dozen retorts burned in her throat, Maki ultimately nodded and marched toward the bathroom—
—only to whirl around and shove Takakai back when he tried to follow.
Slam!
The bathroom door rattled shut.
No dice, huh?
Takakai smirked, unfazed. He strode to the adjacent wall, rapped his knuckles against it, and whispered:
"Keep eavesdropping, and I'll drag you in here too."
A faint gasp echoed from the other side as Hayasaka retreated.
Then—splash.
The sound of running water filled the room.