Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

Monopoly is a game centered around virtual wealth management. Players move along a board based on dice rolls, buying or selling property, earning money, or causing opponents to go bankrupt. The winner is the one with the most money when someone completes three laps.

The rules are simple, but its randomness and flexibility have made it a worldwide favorite, spawning countless versions across board games, online games, and other adaptations.

Today, Fujiwara Chika brought one of those versions: Monopoly: Life Simulator 3.21 Final Edition.

The basic rules:

The game ends when someone completes three laps.The player with the most funds wins.Starting funds are 1,000,000 yen.Actions are determined by dice rolls. The board contains event tiles and chance tiles that trigger specific scenarios, as described on cards drawn by the players.

This version was supposedly the pride and joy of Shuchiin Academy's tabletop club. The creators had spent all their energy perfecting it, so they entrusted Fujiwara to beta-test it with the student council before public release.

Naturally, everyone wanted to refuse. But Fujiwara's persistence was relentless, and with Natsukawa Kanade showing mild interest, the game finally began.

"I'll go first."

Ishigami Yuu volunteered as the guinea pig, throwing the dice.

"Three… Let's see, it's an event tile?"

"Wow, starting off with an event! Ishigami, please draw an event card!" Fujiwara handed over a deck.

Ishigami picked a card and read aloud:

"'Hero saves a damsel but gets misunderstood—withdraw for three turns.'"

Ishigami blinked. "That's… weirdly specific."

"Seems like you'll miss three turns," Shirogane Miyuki noted dryly.

"My turn, then." Shirogane rolled and also landed on an event tile.

He picked a card and read:

"'Meet your soulmate. Support them financially—pay half your funds each turn.'"

"Wow, lucky break, Shirogane-senpai!" Ishigami clapped.

"Hold your applause. Read the fine print!" Fujiwara pointed.

Shirogane frowned, reading aloud: "'This is a permanent effect. It can only be removed by a Break-Up card or character death.'"

Shirogane & Ishigami: "..."

"No problem! If it's for my soulmate, it's a small price to pay!"

"Cool, Shirogane-senpai! Such dedication!"

Natsukawa Kanade sighed inwardly. Why were these two idiots so happy about a massive disadvantage? He wanted to smack some sense into them, especially Ishigami.

By the time it was Natsukawa Kanade's turn, he rolled a five and also landed on an event tile.

"What's with all these event tiles?" he muttered, suspicious of Fujiwara. But he checked the dice, finding no tampering. "Just a coincidence, I guess."

Drawing his card, he read aloud:

"'Confessed your feelings but got rejected—skip one turn.'"

He glanced at Fujiwara, who blinked innocently.

"What's wrong, Kanade?"

"...Nothing. Your turn." He passed the dice to Fujiwara.

"Ladies first!" Fujiwara smiled, passing the dice to Shinomiya Kaguya instead.

Kaguya rolled a four, landing on a chance tile. Her card read:

"'Found someone you like. Motivated to work harder—gain 1,000,000 yen.'"

Her face turned slightly pink. Kaguya glanced at Natsukawa Kanade but quickly averted her eyes.

Meanwhile, Shirogane exploded:

"Why does she get rewarded for finding love while I'm paying for mine?!"

"It's a chance card," Fujiwara explained calmly. "Totally different from event cards."

"I have a feeling…" Ishigami began. "...Did Fujiwara-senpai write these cards?"

"Bingo!" Fujiwara beamed. "But no prizes for guessing right!"

"Forget testing—this game's broken." Ishigami groaned.

Despite its absurdity, the game continued.

Fujiwara rolled next, landing on another event tile.

"'Get married to the nearest player!' That's Kanade!"

"Yay! We're partners now! Shared assets, double profits!" Fujiwara cheered.

"That's only 2 million yen combined," Natsukawa Kanade muttered.

Being married meant shared finances and event effects, which slightly boosted their odds. However, it also made them an easy target for sabotage.

Scanning the room, Natsukawa Kanade noticed Kaguya staring intently at him and Fujiwara.

He silently concluded: the real opponent here was Shinomiya Kaguya.

As the game progressed, Shirogane gained debuff after debuff, including:

"Learned the truth about your partner's wealthy family—expenses double.""Eloped—expenses double again."

Despite this, he remained spirited, declaring, "True love conquers all!"

"You got this, Shirogane-senpai!" Ishigami encouraged him.

Watching this nonsense, Natsukawa Kanade rubbed his temples.

"Focus on the game, not your delusions," he muttered.

When it was his turn, he drew another event card:

"'Confessed again, rejected again—skip one turn.'"

"Wow! Kanade's so unfaithful! Cheating during marriage is unforgivable!" Fujiwara declared dramatically.

"Again, it's just a game…" Natsukawa Kanade sighed.

Ultimately, Kaguya emerged as the winner, accumulating 2.5 million yen. Yet she looked exhausted instead of triumphant.

Shirogane maintained high morale despite being dead last. Ishigami ended his run with a heartwarming romance subplot.

Meanwhile, Natsukawa Kanade finished with zero funds and a string of rejections. Next to him, Fujiwara gleefully claimed her fictional five children but contributed nothing useful to their "marriage."

"Truly… no one outdoes you, Fujiwara Chika."