"Hitori?"
Tsukikawa Shuu gently shook Hitori Gotou's shoulders.
It took her a while to snap out of her mental crash.
"S-sorry, sorry! It was all just so sudden—I couldn't take it in right away..." Hitori rushed to explain.
"Even if tying the knot right off the bat seems too fast, I really do like you—and I have my reasons."
Shuu spoke sincerely. "My abilities can only be used through forming a marriage contract."
He then patiently explained the rules of his system to Hitori, even showing her the system panel.
Although it was usually best to keep one's "golden finger" ability a secret, Shuu had principles. He didn't want to lie to Hitori.
"In this inner world, it's hard to survive without making full use of this golden finger," Shuu said.
Totally reasonable—no holes in that logic.
As for romance, feelings could develop over time.
"I see."
Hitori twisted the ahoge strand at her temple, finally exhaling a sigh of relief.
She had been worried at first—afraid this might be a scam marriage.
But now, it seemed like there was a valid reason behind it all.
Plus... Tsukikawa Shuu really was her type...
Things did move a little fast, but getting married to someone she liked this much was more than enough for her.
The only problem was—she wasn't sure how to be a proper wife yet.
Thinking about it... she was still a third-year in high school, just barely an adult and only just reaching Japan's legal marriage age.
She sat beside Shuu, repeatedly fidgeting with her ahoge, her cheeks flushed, not knowing what to do.
As someone with social anxiety, she was always quiet and inexpressive—and now she had retreated into even deeper silence.
Shuu looked at Hitori's shy, flustered appearance and couldn't help but smile.
If you got close to this socially anxious Bocchi-chan, you'd discover she was actually really cute.
He leaned in a bit, then gently pulled Hitori close, letting her rest against his shoulder.
The sudden embrace startled Hitori, and her body instinctively tried to wriggle away.
Wait... I'm his wife now. This kind of thing isn't over the line...
She forcibly calmed her nerves, shifted slightly, but in the end didn't pull away.
Her face was now red enough to drip blood.
"If getting married too quickly is too overwhelming, we could start off just as a couple."
Holding her close, Shuu suggested, "In the real world, let's just date for now—get to know each other better."
"Mhm... Let's start with dating."
Hitori murmured, her face pressed against Shuu's chest.
Even though they were married in the inner world, no one outside knew. Starting off as boyfriend and girlfriend didn't seem bad.
Being a couple would help others get used to it—and marriage could come later.
At the very least, after graduating high school!
How should she explain this to everyone?
First, Mom and Dad. Then Futari. Then the dog... Oh, and the rest of her band.
Hehehe, they'd never guess she had a boyfriend now.
She could already picture the look on their faces—definitely shocked.
Besides, Nijika Ijichi, Ryou Yamada, and Ikuyo Kita—none of them had ever dated before!
She, the perpetual background character, had leapfrogged them all!
Without even realizing, Hitori's vivid imagination turned "letting everyone know I have a boyfriend" into "flexing that I have a boyfriend."
Curled up in Shuu's arms, she giggled like a fool, almost drooling.
"Hehehehehe..."
Hearing the giggle, Shuu glanced down—only to see Hitori's dreamy, goofy expression.
Yup, this girl was definitely daydreaming about showing off again.
Shuu knew this anxious Bocchi inside and out.
"Oh right—did you awaken a class yet?" Shuu asked.
"A class?" Hitori looked confused.
"Yeah. I just awakened as an Empowerer," Shuu explained.
The two of them discussed it and checked the system. Turns out, awakening a class wasn't that simple.
Leveling up sometimes dropped class cards—but it wasn't guaranteed.
Besides random drops, the only other way was to find one within the inner world.
Some were hidden in powerful monsters; others might be found randomly in treasure chests.
If you didn't have a class, you were basically a wanderer—unable to use skills. Leveling up would only improve physical stats and strength.
And once a class was bound, changing it would come at a steep price.
To switch classes, you'd have to reset your level and use a new card—totally not worth it.
But for Shuu, it wasn't an issue.
As an Empowerer, he could steal others' skills and class cards.
"I actually have a spare class card. Want to try it?" Shuu offered, opening the system panel for Hitori to see.
[Unused Class Card: Zone Master]
[Upon equipping, the class will adapt to the user's attributes]
"Are you sure I can really accept something like this?" Hitori looked at Shuu.
She hadn't done anything to help, and accepting something so valuable... She didn't even know how to repay him.
"What are you talking about?" Shuu chuckled, patting her head. "You're my wife now, remember?"
"W-wife..."
Hitori still hadn't gotten used to that title.
Blushing once more, she said,
"Okay. I'll give it a try."
"If I don't get a good class... don't blame me, okay?"
Shuu just held her tighter, smiling. "Of course not. Just go ahead."
"Alright!"
Hitori gathered her courage.
Shuu handed over the card, and she tapped to use it.
[Zone Master Class Card successfully used]
[Adapting to user attributes—Zone Master awakened]
[Class: Cursed Zone Master]
[Skill Acquired: Area-wide Negative Emotion Curse]
[Skill Effect: Upon activation, Hitori Gotou recalls deep, cringe-inducing memories. She releases an overwhelming wave of negative emotions, infecting all beings in the area. Battle willpower -50, Sanity -50.]
[All affected entities fall into depression, with thoughts like "Life is exhausting," "What's the point of anything," "Why are we even fighting," "Might as well give up," and "Let the world burn."]
Tsukikawa Shuu: "..."
Hitori Gotou: "..."
Well... that skill was way too on-brand for Hitori Gotou.