Crunch Time with the Princess Manga artist Ichiro struggles to support himself and his siblings Machi and Fumio on the rent from a small apartment building he inherited following their father's death and their mother running away with another man. His workload increases when both his assistants quit but his editor Masahiro finds him a new assistant named Shiori. Despite being self-taught and only 19 Shiori does the best work Ichiro has ever seen and is instantly liked by Machi and Fumio. Shiori reveals she only started reading her grandmothers manga collection when she was 18, one of which was Ichiro’s main series Alice and the Knight of Thorns. After an all-nighter to meet a deadline they both fall asleep at their desks. Upon awaking Ichiro sees a craft pen stuck in Shiori’s back. Fearing she is hurt he grabs the pen and is transported into an infinite void. Shiori pulls him out and is angry he touched her while asleep but accepts he thought she was hurt. She explains she is Princess of a species called Star-People and what Ichiro mistook for a pen was her stinger. By touching it Ichiro is now her fated husband but as she desires a real marriage she insists they must fall in love first.