Jirou Yakuin, a third-year high schooler, is forcefully paired with a gyaru named Akari Watanabe under a course called the Couple Practical, but he has feelings for someone else. In More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, who will Jirou finally end up with? Read on to find out!
Warning: There may be manga spoilers ahead!
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: A Romcom With a Unique Premise
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers revolves around the life of the protagonist named Jirou. He hoped to partner with his childhood friend Shiori Sakurazaka in a mandatory course that requires students to act and live as a married couple.
In this unusual course, high-school students are asked to demonstrate the skills needed to live with a partner. The pairs are continuously monitored and the students are graded based on the captured video.
Unfortunately, Jirou is paired with someone who is the polar opposite of him. Akari, who is stuck with Jirou, wanted to be paired with Minami Tenjin.
Jirou and Akari are shocked when they learn that Minami and Shiori are paired together for the Couple Practical course.
Their hopes come crashing down but Jirou and Akari decide to work together to reach the top 10, which will give them a chance to swap their partners.
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Do Jirou and Shiori End up Together in More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers?
Unfortunately, the manga is not yet finished, so it's tough to determine if Jirou ends up with his childhood crush or not.
However, based on what the manga has released to date, Shiori has friend-zoned Jirou.
The chemistry between the two is not super intense but Jirou sees Shiori as someone who is mesmerizing and wants to be with her.
But due to the presence of Akari, he sometimes feels conflicted about his feelings for Shiori.
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Do Jirou and Akari End up Together in More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers?
Due to the nature of the Couple Practical course, Akari and Jirou spend a lot of time together under one roof, and there is a constant push and pull between them.
Moreover, Jirou and Akari’s chemistry is nothing short of intense. It was in Chapter 33 that Jirou, Akari, Minami, and Shiori all got into the top 10.
It was their chance to swap partners, and Jirou noted that he has pictured the moment in his head countless times.
He imagined Akari would excitedly shout Minami’s name and then to match her excitement, Jirou would hype her up. But for some reason, Akari was unusually quiet after learning about the rankings.
Toward the end of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Chapter 33, Akari realized that she doesn’t want to be separated and that she liked being with Jirou.
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She teared up and thought about how there were tons of places she wanted to go to on dates. She also wanted to sit next to Jirou and laze around all day.
Akari realized that she was falling in love with Jirou.
Based on the last chapter (Chapter 53) of the manga, Akari was feeling helpless as she observed that Jirou was becoming his own person, and their feelings were getting farther and farther apart.
Akari was finally feeling what it meant to not be trusted by the one she loves.
It will be interesting to see where Akari and Jirou’s relationship head in the upcoming chapters.
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