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This side story was originally posted on the day of the Japanese Star Festival¹.

A long time ago, there was a god (played by Shuu) who lived close to the Milky Way.

God had a daughter. Her name was Orihime (Mika). She had the perfect specs: good results in her studies, excellent in sports, and peerless beauty, which made her popular with all the boys.

She had a childhood friend. A youngster named Hikoboshi (Ayumu). He was a boy who appeared like a beautiful girl, and it was no rare occasion for him to be mistaken for one, even if he neither wore female clothing nor used cosmetics. Ayumu was quite the fine youngster, who worked by himself to make clothes² and various other things for God and other people. He also went to hunt heavenly buffalos.

Because Orihime (Mika) had reached a certain age, God (Shuu) decided to have her take a groom.

“Say, Mika. Who would you like to take as your husband? You are popular, so you’ll be having the pick of the litter.”
“Geez, Dad… I… I get it, alright?”
“Ah, I guess you will choose Ayumu? I think I understand. You absolutely have to invite us to your wedding!”
“…Woof~. Dear, as her parents, we will be invited to her wedding…” a woman standing next to God told him. “That’s normal, isn’t it?”
“Ha-ha… you’re right!”

Orihime had apparently decided that she would take Hikoboshi as her groom. This convinced everyone, even those who had feelings for her.
Incidentally, the other woman who showed up was god’s wife.

“I… I love you, Ayumu! I have always loved you! Please go out with me with the prospect of getting married³!”
“Huh!?”
“(God said so, you’re not supposed to refuse here.)⁴”
“It… It was the same for me since a long time ago… If you are fine with me… Please treat me well.”
“R-Really? Eh-heh-heh… I’m so glad…!”

Orihime and Hikoboshi both were childhood friends, so after being in a relationship for a year, they made it to the finish line without incident.

Hikoboshi looked so much like a girl, it was hard for people to see them as a couple, even when they walked side by side… (Both Orihime and Hikoboshi were often hit on at the same time). At any rate, the married couple enjoyed their daily life quite a lot.

“Eh-heh-heh, I love you, Ayumu!”
“I love you too, Mika!”

Scenes like these happened on a daily basis. This occurred even after they had passed the point where they would be called “Newlyweds”.

However, some time after they got married, Hikoboshi started constantly playing RPGs, without ever doing any work. Mika was bothered by that. At those times, Hikoboshi never paid her any mind.

God, on the other hand, was also fed up.

“Oi, you damn slacker⁵. How will you provide for Mika, if all you do is play video games? Even so, aren’t you a man? Besides, you’re no longer making clothes and high-class food, so you’re causing trouble for everyone.”
“No, Shuu. That’s a weird way to put it. In that case, let me have my say, too. Please listen to me.”
“What is it?”

As if some fetters had been taken off him, Ayumu started to explain why he didn’t work, and why that was alright.

“First thing, I’m the guy making all of the clothing around here. You know that, don’t you?”
“Sure.”
“It isn’t just clothing, I’m also building houses, and making weapons and utensils for everyone. Furthermore, I’m both taking the hunting jobs and managing a restaurant. I even started a general store.”
“That’s true.”
“So? Since everyone’s relying on me, I’ve gotten ultra rich. Even if I never worked another day in my life, I’d have enough to provide for two people for 20 lifetimes without any issues. Besides, even supposing Mika and I had more than 10 kids, even if we sent all of them to med school to graduate and to become doctors, that wouldn’t even reduce our savings by one twentieth. Are you still with me?”
“S-Sure.”
“My conclusion is that you guys rely too much on me. At this point, I’ve been working myself half to death, so I won’t do any more. That’s my reason.”

“I see, my apologies.” All of that had been true, so the god was lost for words and hung his head dejectedly, though he came up with but one method to stop his son-in-law from playing video games. “I understand your reason for not doing any work. That was completely our fault. Still, Ayumu. Mika is lonely, you know? She came to consult with me, saying ‘Lately, Ayumu does nothing but play video games and pays no attention to me.'”
“She says that, even though we spend half of every day together, make out, and kiss and hug more than 50 times per day!?”
“Yes, that’s how it seems.”
“Gotcha, I’ll try talking to her for a bit.”

Hikoboshi sent his father-in-law home and discussed the future with Orihime.

“Hey, Mika. About me playing video games every day…”
“Yeah.”
“Do you hate it so much, when I do that?”
“Yeah… I don’t like it. I dislike the thought of my beloved being taken away by video games… Please spend more time with me, alright?”
“…Hm, understood. I’ll stop playing video games,” Hikoboshi replied, since Orihime was more important to him, after all.

But Orihime felt pity for Hikoboshi, when she saw his disappointed expression, so she made a proposal.

“Still, I’m fine with it, if you do so every day at 7:07 pm for seven hours and seven minutes⁶, you know?”
“Why such a half-baked time?”
“…I’m not sure.”

From that point on, Hikoboshi looked forward to the times when he could play video games each day and enjoyed his time together with Orihime like a normie. She also started playing video games together with him during that time slot.

_____
___
__

“Wha-!?”
“What’s wrong, Mika?”
“It’s nothing… I just had another weird dream.”
“Another? What kind of dream was it?”
“Well… it was a dream were you and I lived a fulfilled life in the milky way and made out every day.”
“The Milky Way…? Well, except for the place, that doesn’t sound much different from our status quo, does it…?”
“You’re right. Eh-heh-heh.”

TL notes:
Another weird side story, this time based on the story behind the Japanese Star Festival and loosely adapted for our protagonists. In the original, Orihime is the one weaving the clothes, while Hikoboshi is a cowherder. Both stop doing their jobs once they get married.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata
2. The original is 着物, which means “Kimono”, but can also mean “clothes”. Later in the story, 服 is used, so I opted for the generic “clothes”.
3. The original is 結婚前提でお付き合いしてください！. I assume that’s what it means. I remember reading a similar expression in one of the Sword Art Online Alternative – Gun Gale Online novels, when one of the antagonists tries to court the protagonist.
4. No clue who says that. Maybe Mika, or maybe it’s meant to be like in a play, when someone forgets their line.
5. The original is 馬鹿野郎 (“idiot ba̲stard”). I opted for “damn slacker” instead.
6. The Star Festival is 七夕 in Japanese, meaning “the evening of the seventh”. In the story, Orihime is allowed to see her husband again on the 7th day of the 7th month.