The cool air flooding the clubroom hits me after I loudly slide the door open. This feels like enough of a reason to come here in itself.

“So you have arrived, Rusian? It is about time for the regular maintenance to end. Our activity for today is to conquer the quests in the new update as quickly as possible, settle your preparations.”

Master, who was already waiting inside, is haughtily crossing her arms with the computer in front of her switched on.

“I’ll be late dealing with Ako, anyway, so it’s not like it’s going to end quick or anything.”

“Then you will simply have to settle her preparations as well. That is only part of the job scope as her husband.”

“…Got it.”

Without bothering to prod at how Master said it, I switch on Ako’s computer along with mine.

I decided to not get overly flustered with regards to Ako. Like how Ako’s too impatient, I may have been too particular about that too. Rather than squabbling from different viewpoints, we should be tending towards each other little by little and eventually share a single. One slow, gentle step after another.

The computers start up with a deep whirling noise.

Ako and I are the only ones who know her password.

By the way, the password’s “rusian ako love eternity”… ugh, I seriously don’t want to enter that in.

I hear the clubroom’s door opens as I key that in.

“Aah, it’s so cool! I’m only in this pointless club just for this, seriously.”

“Good afternooon~”

“Yo, good job.”

The ones entering are Segawa, her eyes partly closed as she basks in the cold air, and Ako, staggering along in exhaustion.

It’s still Monday, the first day of the week. It’s nowhere near that tiring normally, but that fact’s of no significance to Ako.

“Ugh, I wanna take a break from school… can’t I just come for the club…?”

“Give up on that, we did promise our advisor, Saitou-sensei.”

“Ughhh.”

The condition Saitou-sensei gave is, “Ensure all members of the Modern Communications-Electronics Recreation Club attend school as often as possible”.

“There are those who skip out on school from being too engrossed in online games, so…”

She was certainly the very image of Nekohime-san, considerate of others as always, when she gave those words and that condition.

And, as a result.

“No more school… I don’t want to do anything but play the rest of my life…”

“Why are you that exhausted simply by coming to school?”

“But you seee…”

Ako’s drained as you can see.

I can’t deny there’s a part of me that pities her, but I definitely don’t think this is bad for her.

We had, on a near daily basis, met up, fought, adventured, played, talked, and slowly bonded together in the game. If Ako were to come to school every day, she should be able to make more friends aside from us eventually.

“Ako, did you make any friends in your class?”

“There’s no way I’ll succeed in making an item at S-rank difficulty like a friend!”

“They’re items to you? Hey, now.”

S-She should. Definitely, probably.

“How about trying a little harder, you can deal with light conversation at least, can’t you?”

“I have no points in the Ordinary Conversation skill, I threw them all into Meme Conversation, so.”

“T-This girl’s just…”

Yeah, this may be impossible.

Sealing the slight resignation into my chest, I turn to the computers.

Ako totters to the desk by my side and sits down before her face lights up with a smile upon seeing the monitor that’s already turned on.

“Ah, it’s up! Thank you, Rusian!”

“I request a change in your password.”

“Fufufu, no way.”

“You’re pointlessly stubborn only on these things…”

Despite her usual meek nature, she’s only selfish on these trivial times. How can I not overlook that? Darn it.

While feeling somewhat henpecked, I start up LA’s client. I don’t know the details for the new quests yet, but if I’m bringing Ako along while she teeters about and gets lost, I better know them well.

“Ah, Rusian, mind if I ask you a little something?”

“What’s up?”

I randomly reply to Ako’s nonchalant words. Ako continues like she would in a casual conversation.

“Actually, my parents will surprisingly be returning home early today. So, I was, you know, thinking of introducing you to them, Rusian.”

“Yeah, that’s… that’s… erm, what?”

“Like I said, won’t you have dinner at my home tonight?”

…Why? What happened to lead things to this conclusion? Rather, why are you able to say that out so casually? That’s like passing down a death sentence to me, you know?

“I request a detailed explanation on how you arrived at that proposal.”

“I mean, see, we’re married, aren’t we? After considering that, greeting them now can be said to be too late by now.

“No way, I’m not going! I refuse! Games and real life are different!”

“Please comeee. My parents are part of those things you definitely wouldn’t have known from just in the game, too, aren’t they?”

That logic’s screwed up!

That’s definitely not what I was trying to tell you, Ako!

“Wait, wait, wait, why do I have to suffer through being introduced to your parents just from an in-game marriage?!”

“Ah, I’ll be making dinner with mother, so Rusian, if you could please talk things over with father in the meantime…”

“Who would be glad about such a situation?! This is on purpose, right?! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!”

I hug my head with a waaah as the pair listening in grin.

“Rusian’s misfortune is exquisite.”

“Such schadenfreude!”

“Hey, you loooott!”

The pair averts their eyes from me raging in anger.

And the last, remaining person smiles brightly as she grabs onto my arm.

“That’s it, how about we go ahead and marry in real life too? It would make things really easy, won’t it?”

“We won’t!”

“It’s a rare opportunity, so let’s settle the greeting-the-parents part today!”

“I’m good, there’s no need to let me have their daughter’s hand!”

“Please allow me to take your son’s hand in marriage!”

“You’re planning on invading my home?!”

She goes only at her own pace, won’t listen to me, says stupid things all the time, and yet apparently loves me from what she claims—this girl is undeniably, “my bride”.