When Atem discovers the concept of "life hacks," he decides to share his wisdom with both the living world and the afterlife.
Unfortunately, his advice mostly consists of things like borrowing Kaiba's shirts, accepting coffee made by someone you love, and solving arguments with hugs.
The resulting social media phenomenon becomes an international sensation.
What begins as a series of harmless domestic observations quickly evolves into a global marketing campaign, a bestselling lifestyle brand, and eventually a keynote speech at the United Nations on the economic value of love.
Atem insists he is simply sharing useful knowledge.
Kaiba insists he is exposing their private life for public entertainment.
The world, meanwhile, concludes that the greatest innovation of the modern age might be the strange intersection where romance, economics, household chores, and corporate strategy somehow become the same thing.
Or: Atem accidentally becomes a lifestyle influencer, Kaiba monetizes it, and together they convince two worlds that love may be humanity's most profitable investment.
This is a translation of an original work on Pixiv.
Original Title: 愛と理論 07 王、生活の知恵を広める
Original Author: 葉人(@Hathor₋yuki)
Personal site: https://prideshipping.sakura.ne.jp
"'Mastering Household Skills on a Home Date with the King.' Apparently the most-read article in the afterlife."
Morning. The living room.
Atem held that pink-covered magazine and smiled with unmistakable pride.
"…I have nothing but bad feelings about that title."
Seto said it calmly, coffee in hand.
His eyes already carried the look of a man who had given up.
"'The King Learns Laundry,' 'Mastering the Art of Cleaning,' 'The Ideal Division of Labor, Learned from a Husband' — excellent articles, all of them."
"Which king is this about."
"Me."
Atem said it with complete confidence.
Seto exhaled, quietly.
"And what did you actually learn?"
"How to operate the washing machine. And how to tell fabric softeners apart."
"…Impressively specific."
Atem nodded with evident satisfaction and turned to the magazine. There, a preview headline.
[NEXT ISSUE SPECIAL]
From the Afterlife — Learning from the Living World!
"What Skills Does Married Life Require?"
Featured Interview: King Atem & Kaiba Seto
"…What is this."
"Apparently there's an interview."
"Atem… you agreed to this."
"I did. It sounded fun."
Seto pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. But it was already too late.
If Atem went to an interview alone, there was no telling what would happen. Seto had no choice but to get dragged in.
Even knowing it would probably be a waste of time.
Several days later. The shoot location.
"Today's theme is 'the ideal couple' — we'd like to start with some household scenes featuring Atem—"
"Leave it to me. Laundry, cooking — I'll handle both flawlessly."
"…Don't. Are you trying to cause another scientific disaster."
Seto offered a surface-level objection. He said it, but expected nothing from it.
Atem tied on an apron and picked up a knife, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
The angle of the knife was already concerning.
Seto moved on instinct, stepped close, and placed his hand over Atem's.
"The blade goes like this. Keep the angle steady."
"Like this?"
"…Yes."
Camera flashes fired in rapid succession.
The staff's eyes were sparkling.
"Oh — that was perfect! 'A couple's close-up shot where the love comes through!'"
"Don't."
"Feel free to take more."
After the shoot. Interview time.
"In your day-to-day life, who handles the household duties?"
"Seto."
"…Wait. What does the housekeeping staff do, then."
"He's talented — dishes, laundry, all of it, flawlessly. I'm still learning."
"So the King takes a stance of always being willing to learn!"
"No. It's the result of calculating efficiency."
"The efficiency of love."
"Quiet."
"T-that's wonderful… your dynamic as a couple is so ideal…"
"When Seto is in a bad mood, I fold the laundry."
"Don't embellish."
"But it's true, isn't it?"
"…When have I ever been in a bad mood…"
The reporter looked close to tears from sheer emotion. Beside them, Seto arrived — quietly, inwardly — at the conclusion that on this particular front, there was simply nothing left to do but accept it.
That night.
Home after the shoot.
Atem sat on the sofa, leafing through the magazine's draft pages with visible satisfaction.
"Seto. Your hands came out beautifully in these shots."
"The fact that my hands are being used in advertising should tell you something has already gone wrong."
"The next issue is apparently a 'ideal life together' special. Theme: 'a couple that supports each other.'"
"…Supports each other."
Seto pulled off his coat and smiled — just slightly, just briefly.
Catching that smile, Atem drew close.
"Then right now, it's my turn to support you."
"The only reason I'd need your support is shoot fatigue."
"That's enough."
Saying so, Atem set a hand lightly on Seto's shoulder.
Just fingertips. A wordless trust moved through the contact.
The pink-covered magazine would sell out again — one more legendary issue.
But its subjects, for their part, were simply laughing, quietly, together.
"…I've learned a phrase. 'The wisdom of daily life.'"
Morning. The living room.
Atem took a bite of toast, that pink-covered magazine in one hand, and announced it with complete composure.
Seto closed the news feed and looked up.
"I have nothing but bad feelings about this, but I'll ask anyway. What is 'the wisdom of daily life'?"
"Practical knowledge that makes life better."
"I see… you do appear to understand it."
"I'm currently sharing it."
"…What did you say?"
Before Seto could finish the question, Atem held up his afterlife-model tablet.
On the screen: the timeline of the afterlife social network, Nefer-Link.
Posts glowed across it, one after another.
The King's Wisdom of Daily Life ①: When you don't want to add to the laundry pile, borrowing Seto's shirt works well.
The King's Wisdom of Daily Life ②: Coffee tastes best when brewed by the hands of someone you love. Theoretically superior as well.
The King's Wisdom of Daily Life ③: When your housemate gets too logical, embrace them until they stop.
"………"
"It's been well received in the afterlife."
"That isn't wisdom of daily life. That's a confession of daily life."
"But it's useful, isn't it?"
"To whom."
Atem smiled with satisfaction and pressed further.
"I shared it with the living world too."
"Stop."
But as usual, it was already too late.
That afternoon.
Kaiba Corporation's PR department was in an uproar.
"Sir—! The worldwide trend is '#TheKingsWisdom'!"
"The King — that's Atem! 'Borrowing the President's shirt' has been reposted two hundred million times!"
Seto closed the display without a word.
Beside him, Atem drank his herbal tea with perfect serenity.
"Remarkable. It seems the people of the living world and the afterlife alike are hungry for wisdom."
"What you're spreading isn't wisdom. It's my private life."
"No. Our wisdom."
"Don't correct me."
Night.
"Any remorse?"
Atem shook his head immediately.
"I'm editing Wisdom Number Four right now."
"Stop."
"Should I recategorize it under 'wisdom of love'?"
"That's worse."
Seto held his head in his hands. But Atem continued, his expression entirely sincere.
"But Seto — wisdom only becomes wisdom when it's shared, doesn't it?"
"As logic goes, that's not wrong."
"Then my actions are justified."
"…You're using logic incorrectly."
Atem set down his herbal tea and turned a gentle look toward him.
"I want to share something with the afterlife and the living world alike — that living each day together is its own kind of wisdom. All we have to do is show them. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
Seto was quiet for a moment. Then a slow exhale.
"…For you, that's a surprisingly solid defense."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"But if you ever post anything about my sleepwear — I'm acquiring the afterlife's communication network."
Atem laughed out loud.
The sound of it carried softly through the quiet of the night.
Several hours later.
The King's Wisdom of Daily Life ⑤: When there's no time to choose sleepwear, have the genius beside you pick. The taste is impeccable.
Nefer-Link's afterlife feed erupted once more. Living-world trending: number one, again.
Seto no longer opens the comments section.
"……So?"
Seto crossed his arms and looked down at the report.
The head of PR answered in a trembling voice.
"'#TheKingsWisdom' has… hit number one worldwide overnight. Purchase intent index is up three hundred and twenty percent from baseline…!"
"Absurd."
"I-it is, but… if we turn this into a campaign, the revenue potential is guaranteed!"
Silence.
The PR staff held their breath. Seto flicked through the data with one finger.
"…Interesting. Then we do it properly."
"S-sir?!"
"This kind of frenzy is temporary. But handled theoretically, permanent brand establishment is achievable."
He turned. Atem was standing there, herbal tea in hand.
"You're going to use my wisdom of daily life for business?"
"It started as your oversharing. Take responsibility and work."
"Responsibility…?"
"Exactly. 'The King's Wisdom of Daily Life' becomes an official campaign. You're the image character."
Atem blinked — and then slowly smiled.
"I see. So this is co-management."
"No. At this point it's co-conspiracy."
Campaign Planning Meeting
"The theme is 'a life with love and logic.'"
"Don't use abstractions like that. Consumers want practical value."
"But people are moved by emotion."
"Then we build a structure that moves emotion through logic."
"…You apply marketing theory to romance as well?"
"I'm always conscious of ROI."
"Is that how you courted me?"
"…Don't worry. You exceeded the theory."
The conference room fell silent for a few seconds. The PR staff wept discreetly. (Note: the record of this meeting contains a moment incorrectly interpreted as "the President blushing.")
Campaign Launch
Ad title: 《The King's Wisdom of Daily Life by Kaiba Corporation》
Tagline: "Even love that defies explanation can be structured."
Scene ①:
Atem in an apron, brewing tea.
Narration: "Proper thinking requires adequate sugar — and love."
Scene ②:
Seto receives the tea, eyes still on his terminal, and says one thing.
"This data is too sweet."
Atem laughs and answers. "But you drink it."
It aired simultaneously in the afterlife and the living world, and the response was explosive.
Among high-ranking officials in the afterlife and executive-class couples in the living world alike, intellectual romance became a trend.
Several days later.
"Sir — sales have jumped!"
"Ha. It seems my wisdom proved useful."
"It's my brand that generated the profit."
"Which means it's our achievement."
"Stop setting linguistic traps."
Atem smiled and looked over the figures in his hand.
"Seto — next, let's release 'Wisdom of Daily Life: The Extension of Love.'"
"Dangerous title. But… the probability of it selling is high."
"So we're doing it?"
"Theoretically, I can't argue against it."
That night.
Breaking news.
【BREAKING】Kaiba Corporation's "King's Wisdom of Daily Life" campaign becomes global hit — presentation on "men who sell through logic and love" confirmed for UN Economic Conference.
"…Seto, this has gone beyond the scope of business."
"Yes. But with you, I can exceed the limits of statistics."
"Proof that love and theory can hold at the same time."
"We are the evidence."
Their fingers touched, quietly.
An intellectual romance spanning the afterlife and the living world.
The world celebrated. The two of them drank herbal tea, entirely unruffled.
UN Economic Conference — Special Lecture
"Beyond the Boundary of Love and Logic."
New York. United Nations Headquarters, special hall.
As delegations from around the world murmured among themselves, the title projected on the screen made the murmuring louder still.
"Love & Logic in the Postmodern Economy"
— Presented by KAIBA Corp. × Pharaoh Atem.
"…This isn't a joke, is it."
The chairperson muttered.
"The King and the CEO of the world's largest corporation are going to speak about love as an economic theme?"
"It seems so. To think the day would come when love became an economic indicator."
"…The afterlife is…?"
The lights went down.
In a spotlight of red and gold, Atem stepped quietly onto the stage.
His voice carried to every corner of the hall without a microphone.
"In my kingdom, the circulation of wealth and power once sustained order. But no system functions without love."
The interpreter paused for a moment.
Apparently uncertain how to render the word love.
Atem smiled.
"Love is logic that presupposes the existence of another. Economics is the logic of exchange. Therefore, an economy without love flies on one wing."
The hall went still.
Atem continued.
"Kaiba Seto tells me that efficiency is justice. But behind every efficiency, there is always someone's time. To honor that time — that is the essence of the wisdom of daily life."
Applause.
A beat later, the translation caught up.
And headlines updated across news sites around the world.
"The Pharaoh Defines Love as Logic of Coexistence."
Seto took the stage next.
Black suit. In the cold light, he began without preamble.
"My first instinct was that discussing love was unscientific. But this man is a rare specimen — one who attempts to explain the unscientific through logic."
"Hm? So you're saying you understood."
"No. I judged it worth understanding."
Laughter swept through the hall.
Seto advanced to the next slide.
On it: a graph, calculated by Kaiba Corporation's AI, showing the economic impact of love.
Decision-making anchored in love → Team efficiency up 147%
Competitive environment without love → Turnover rate up 380%
"In other words, love is a cost-reduction factor."
The hall erupted.
Atem exhaled and smiled.
"You really do prefer numbers to romance."
"Your romance is simply what lives behind the numbers."
This exchange immediately began trending as "the Kaiba Seto × Atem Lecture Series."
A Q&A session followed.
"A question. Would you classify your relationship as an economic partnership?"
"It isn't something that can be classified."
"And there's no point in classifying it."
"But it is a mutually optimized relationship."
"As a contract, it's also flawless."
For reasons no one could quite explain, the hall rose to a standing ovation.
Outside the venue, it was equally chaotic.
The press surged forward.
"Mr. Kaiba — Your Majesty! One word to describe your ideal relationship!"
"An extension of joint research."
That was Atem.
"An experiment with no end."
That was Seto.
"And love?"
"The destination of theory."
Both answered at the same moment.
Night. On the flight home.
Atem smiled, calm and easy.
"Seto — your talk will become legendary in the afterlife too, I imagine."
"Don't go spreading it."
"But 'love is a cost-reduction factor' — that's a classic line."
"…Correct it. 'Love is a factor that maximizes ROI.'"
"Utterly devoid of romance."
"You can supply the romance."
Their eyes met.
Below the night sky, their reflections in the window —
two figures that were, in every way, the twin wheels of reason and passion.
