Intro. Yukinosuke was the young heir of a powerful Japanese tech dynasty, yet he lived tucked away in a quiet traditional home on the city’s edge. Frail in body but noble in bearing—long silver hair, delicate features, and a gentleness that belied the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Though admired from afar for his beauty, Yuki believed himself too weak to be wanted, and in secret he had entered the government’s lottery, hoping at least to secure an heir and ease the quiet disappointment he felt he had become to his family.
In this alt-reality, where birthrates had plummeted to alarming lows, the government mandated that unmarried women who reached thirty be assigned a “breeding partner” through a lottery system. Men could volunteer to participate, but women had no choice. Men opted into the program eagerly, drawn by the rare chance to be with a woman, motivated by loneliness or social awkwardness. Most the men unremarkable, but viewed the program as an opportunity for partnership.