The Heroines Want to Confess

Monopoly.

A classic board game where the goal is to either accumulate a set amount of money or drive all other players into bankruptcy!

Deception, alliances, diplomacy— within this tiny board, countless strategies unfold.

And when it came to these kinds of games, Sakurai Saku and Ishigami Yuu were undeniably top-tier players.

If you wanted to secure victory, there was only one way!

Alliances!

That's right!

Individual strength has its limits!

To win, aside from outright cheating, you must unite others to your cause!

Sakurai placed his game piece at Start and exchanged a glance with Ishigami.

'If I win, I'll buy you soda.'

Ishigami raised his brow and tapped out a Morse code response.

'No problem, Sakurai-senpai!'

Fujiwara Chika noticed their silent exchange.

Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Sakurai-kun, are you passing secret messages?! Tell me~!"

"…No."

Chika pressed her index finger against her forehead, thinking for a moment.

Then—

She reached into her bag and pulled out a detective hat, placing it on her head.

She pulled out a magnifying glass.

Detective Chika—on the case!

"Fufufu! You two are definitely trying to cheat!" Chika dramatically pointed at Ishigami.

"…Fujiwara-senpai, what are you even saying? We have no reason to cheat."

Ishigami spread his hands, completely unbothered.

"My black history is so deep, nothing could embarrass me anymore."

Ishigami Yuu.

A terrifying man.

He was undoubtedly the biggest wildcard in this match!

Meanwhile, Shinomiya Kaguya eagerly counted her starting money.

"Can we start?! Can we start?!"

She was so excited she repeated herself.

Fujiwara Chika narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Suspicious!

"Chika, stop it. We're not cheating."

Everything is within the rules.

How could that be called cheating?

Hearing Sakurai's words, Chika pouted but reluctantly sat down.

"W-Well… if Saku-kun says so, then… I guess I'll let it slide…"

…Wait.

D-Did he just call me Chika by name?!

EH?!?!

He never did that even once last year!

Isn't this basically a confession?!

"…Fujiwara-senpai, who's 'Saku-kun'?" Sakurai tilted his head.

"You just called me Chika!!" she shrieked, turning bright red.

Her gaze darted to the side.

"…It sounded kinda close… like we were, um… l-like…"

"What are you still talking about?! Does this have anything to do with the game?!"

Kaguya was growing impatient.

"!!!"

Chika puffed up her cheeks in frustration like a hamster.

Kaguya!

I thought you were my friend!

Why are you ruining my love life?!

"Can we start already? Why is the setup taking longer than the actual game?"

Kaguya didn't understand romance at all.

Love?

What's that?

Can you eat it?

Boys were just tools, puppets of the Shinomiya family.

Besides, there was one absolute family rule:

"You must never fall in love. No exceptions."

"If Shinomiya-san is so eager, then let's begin."

Sakurai smiled warmly.

Chika stared at him.

…Bullied again!!!

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

(x3)

Even Kaguya played along with surprising ease.

She looked like she wasn't new to board games at all.

Though Chika had invited her before, Kaguya always refused.

Eventually, Chika gave up asking.

But after seeing Kaguya's interest in last week's flight chess match, Chika realized—

She was actually interested in playing!

That's why she invited her this time!

"Alright. First turn: Shinomiya-senpai. Second: Sakurai-senpai. Third: Fujiwara-senpai. Fourth: Me."

Ishigami read off the results.

"This board has item cards and trap spaces, so having the first turn isn't necessarily an advantage. It's like yesterday's flight chess."

Sakurai nodded.

"On the other hand, if no one upgrades their properties quickly, this will turn into a war of attrition."

"Shinomiya-san, go ahead and roll first."

They knew Kaguya was new, so they explained the rules patiently.

The die rolled across the board.

Three.

Landing on—Fate Space.

"Fate: The player draws a card from the Fate deck."

Kaguya picked up a card and read it.

Her result: A high-tier Item Card.

Cost: 1,000 Monopoly dollars.

But with a starting balance of 30,000, it was a great deal.

The card's effect:

"Plunder Card – Take one opponent's property. (Houses are excluded. Player must pay to rebuild.)"

"Newbie luck?" Ishigami muttered.

In gaming circles, there was a concept called "Newbie Luck."

New players were more likely to pull rare items.

A popular conspiracy theory claimed that game developers boosted loot rates for beginners—

To keep them hooked, while veterans were treated like cash cows.

Shinomiya-senpai… you're really lucky.

There were only two Plunder Cards in the deck.

Sakurai said nothing.

Instead, he glanced at Fujiwara Chika.

…And saw her eyes dart away.

Suspicious.

She pretended to chat casually with Kaguya.

"Wow, Kaguya-san! Your luck is amazing!"

Luck? Really?

Sakurai rolled his die.

Three.

Another Fate Space.

… Strange.

Sakurai didn't draw immediately.

Instead, he looked at Fujiwara Chika.

…Why are you making that guilty face, Fujiwara-senpai?

He flipped the first card.

A Free Item Card.

Then—he flipped the second.

Another Plunder Card.

"…Wow. My luck is really good, Fujiwara-senpai."

"…Ah~ y-yeah… totally…"

Chika awkwardly whistled.

But no sound came out.

…Because she didn't know how to whistle.

Instead, it just looked like she was trying to act cute.

"Your turn."

Sakurai handed her the dice.

With two game-breaking Plunder Cards in play—

The scales of victory had already tilted in their favor.

2v1.

Advantage: Us.

"Ehh? Four!"

Chika moved her piece onto South Korea.

"1,400! I'm buying it!"

"…A bad deal."

Kaguya glanced at the property price and shook her head.

A terrible investment.

Rent: 90

Break-even point: 15 rent cycles.

"Kaguya-senpai, board games are about fun!" Chika grinned, clutching her deed card.

…I think you're the only one who thinks that.

Kaguya glanced at the two across from her.

Sakurai. Ishigami.

You two… are worthy opponents.

Now, witness the true business acumen of the Shinomiya family!