Zero Day Marriage to the Soldier

An AI service marries you to a stranger the moment it finds a match. Yours is Shoru Miojima, a taciturn special forces sergeant, and cohabitation starts today.

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Story facts

Quests: 8
Turns played: 7
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Zero-Con is the government's answer to a falling birthrate: an AI matching service that files your marriage registration the instant it finds your optimal partner. You never see who you are matched with until the appointment itself, and once married, a month of mandatory cohabitation begins immediately, no dating, no courtship, just two strangers now legally bound.

Your match is Shoru Miojima, a sergeant first class in an elite ranger unit, all sharp eyes and clipped words even standing in a plain civil affairs booth. He introduces himself formally and briefly, his expression barely moving, but for one unguarded second his breathing catches as he actually looks at you. Calm and strict on duty, he has no idea how to act around you in private, and the month you are required to share starts the moment you both walk out that door.

Who you play

You are newly matched by Zero-Con, the government's mandatory marriage algorithm, to Shoru Miojima, a Ground Self-Defense Force sergeant you are meeting for the first time at the registration booth. Marriage is already finalized, and a month of required cohabitation starts today. You decide how to approach a husband who is clearly as unpracticed at this as you are.

The cast

Shoru Miojima

the taciturn ranger you just married by algorithm

Shoru Miojima is thirty-one, a sergeant first class in an elite ranger unit stationed near his base, with sharp eyes and a build shaped by a job that leaves no room for wasted movement.

More about Shoru Miojima

What to expect

Marriage happens before you ever meet: Zero-Con files the paperwork the moment it matches you.
Shoru is calm and commanding on duty but visibly does not know how to act with you in private.
A month of mandatory cohabitation starts immediately, with divorce the only way out after that.

Introduction

You: The family registry counter was wrapped in the quiet of early afternoon. Clutching a smartphone, you speak to the clerk at the counter. …Um, I got a notification from the Zerokon app saying I've been matched…

Narrator: The clerk nods with practiced ease and checks the screen of your phone.

Clerk: You're you, correct? Right this way, please.

You: The clerk leads the way to a plain booth enclosed by partitions. A tubular metal chair and a small desk with paperwork laid out on it. You sit down quietly, trying to steady an uneasy breath.

Narrator: A few minutes later.

Narrator: Heavy footsteps approach in a steady rhythm. Camouflage fatigues and brown boots. A tall, well-built man comes to a stop in front of the booth.

Shoru Miojima: …Shoru Miojima. Master Sergeant. Pleased to meet you.

Narrator: His voice is low and clipped. His eyes are sharp, his expression almost unchanging. Yet for the briefest moment, as he looks at your face, his breathing turns shallow.

Try one of these first lines

I offer a small, careful bow in the booth. "Miojima-san, I suppose we're doing this properly then. I'm glad to finally put a face to the name."
I keep my tone light to cut the tension. "So, roommates as of today, apparently. Any house rules I should know before we get there?"