Marriage Practical

*For the story arc, see Marriage Practical Arc.*

A demonstration of the marriage practical as presented by Jirō Yakuin.

The **Marriage Practical** (夫婦実習, *Fūfu jisshū*?), also known as **couples training**, is a course that was implemented by Seishun Academy. In this exercise, which lasts throughout the entire school year, students are randomly paired together with their main goal being to earn as many points as possible while living together as mock newlyweds. It is the main plot device used in the More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers series.

## History/Conception

The history of the Marriage Practical is mostly unknown, however it appears that it was implemented in Seishun Academy's curriculum for at least a few years prior to the start of the series and holds approval from Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs.

The purpose for this practical; whether it is a field experiment for scientific research, an attempt to encourage the younger population to find suitable romantic partners for the benefit of the economy, or for some other purpose is entirely unknown.

For some students, such as Jirō, they must obtain a passing grade in the practical in order to graduate. As noted by school staff, academic performance tends to drop during the practical due to a decrease in concentration from participating students.

## Rules/Regulations

### Eligibility

1. The practical is delegated towards senior (third-year) students of Seishun Academy.
2. It is mandatory that all senior students participate in the course.

### Selection of Pairs

1. Each couple consists of 2 students; 1 boy and 1 girl.
2. The initial pairings at the start of the practical are selected at random.

### Living Accommodations

1. Upon the start of the course, each pair will be living together in a training dorm provided by the school. Every student participating in the practical will be living in these dorms until the end of the school year.
2. Each dorm is equipped with:
	1. A fully furnished living room complete with a television set, folding couch, coffee table and dinner table.
	2. A kitchen complete with a fridge and stove.
	3. A bathroom.
	4. A laundry room.
	5. A bedroom for each partner that uses a fingerprint scanner on the door handle to unlock.
	6. A balcony that connects the two bedrooms.
	7. A camera located on the ceiling corner of the living room. These cameras are automated, therefore they are not being monitored by a person.
	8. Sensors situated throughout the living room that will monitor the participants' heart rates.
3. Students are not prohibited from leaving their dorms during the practical. They are allowed to leave and live somewhere else temporarily, especially during extended breaks.

### Scoring/Ranking System

1. Each couple's score is displayed on a monitor located on the wall, just above the living room's television set.
2. At the very start of the practical, each couple starts with a score of 0.
3. The main goal of the practical is for the pair to earn as many points as possible by acting as a functioning, married couple.
4. **Positive Interactions** will **increase** the pair's score. Some examples include:
	* Holding heartfelt conversations with each other;
	* Sharing housework/cooking duties;
	* Comforting/Helping each other at times of need;
	* Flirting (Can be either one-sided or mutual);
	* Friendly/Romantic gestures;
	* Anything done by one partner that will cause the other's heart rate to increase.
5. On the other hand, **Negative Interactions** will instead **decrease** the pair's score. Some examples include:
	* Arguing/Bickering;
	* Fighting;
	* Causing physical pain or discomfort;
	* Hurling insults at each other;
	* Ignoring/Not Interacting with each other over a period of time.
6. Points can only be earned if both partners are in their dorm.
7. It is possible that a couple's scores can go negative.
8. In the middle and at the end of each month, the scores of each couple will be publicly posted by the school. Each couple will be ranked competitively based on how many points they earned in comparison with each other.
9. Each rank has a specific letter grade with A-Rank being the highest and E-Rank being the lowest.
10. At the end of each month, each couple's score is reset to 0 (with the exception of pairs who decided to switch partners) and the process of earning a high score repeats for another month.

### Switching Partners

1. If a couple is ranked in the Top 10 (A-Rank), they have the right but not the obligation to switch partners.
2. Couples can only switch partners with other couples who are also ranked in the Top 10. They cannot switch partners with any couples who are ranked lower.
3. Written consent must be given by both partners to be allowed to switch partners. This is done via a written form similar to a divorce certificate that must be signed by both partners and then be deposited in a drop box located in the school.
4. There is a limited amount of time until the couples can no longer switch partners. They must submit their forms by then or they will no longer be allowed to switch partners until the following month; assuming they are able to reach the Top 10 again.
5. Couples who have switched partners are exempt from having their points reset to 0 at the end of each month. To compensate for the fact that new pairs will need to build their relationship from scratch, they are allowed to carry over their points from the month prior.
	* For Example: If 2 A-Ranked couples decided to switch partners amongst each other and both couples have earned 50 points, switching partners will allow them to add points with each other, allowing both new couples to start the month with a combined score of 100 (50 points from male partner + 50 from female partner).

### Miscellaneous

1. Each couple is given a guidebook that provides them with all the necessary information regarding the practical.
2. During the practical, the school may announce surprise tests that will evaluate the academic performance of each pair. These tests grade each pair by combining both partners' scores. If one partner fails their test, both partners will have to attend mandatory extra classes.

## Known Couple Rankings

### Jirō Yakuin/Akari Watanabe

1. **Rank E -** 72nd Place (1 Week After Practical Began)
2. **Rank B -** 12th Place (1st Evaluation)
3. **Rank E -** 75th Place (2nd Evaluation)
4. **Rank A** **-** 8th Place (3rd Evaluation)
5. **Rank B** **-** 13th Place (4th Evaluation)
6. **Rank A** **-** 6th Place [Manga] / **Rank A** **-** 4th Place [Anime] (5th Evaluation)

### Minami Tenjin/Shiori Sakarazaka

1. **Rank E** **-** 60th Place [Manga] / **Rank E** **-** 71st Place [Anime] (1st Evaluation)
2. **Rank A -** 8th Place (2nd Evaluation)
3. **Rank ? -** ?? Place [Manga] / **Rank A -** 6th Place [Anime] (4th Evaluation)
4. **Rank A** **-** 5th Place [Manga] / Rank A **-** 3rd Place [Anime] (5th Evaluation)

### Sadaharu Kamo/Satsuki Kaneyama

1. **Rank B** **-** ?? Place [Manga] / **Rank C** **-** ?? Place [Anime] (1st Evaluation)

### Sachi Takamiya/Her Partner

1. **Rank B** - ?? Place (2nd Evaluation)

## Trivia

* Jirō stated that there are supposed to be 75 couples participating in the practical. However, in the anime, there are multiple instances where the leaderboards show that there are more than 75 couples. In the Episode 12 post-credits scene, the leaderboards apparently show that there are 104 couples participating. This either indicates that Jirō may have misjudged how many students there were in the school or that this is a possible oversight by the animators.