The Monday morning of Marika Tachibana's arrival dawned with an almost palpable sense of anticipation hanging over Kuoh Academy. Rumors about the new transfer student had reached a fever pitch, fueled by a potent combination of teenage curiosity and a distinct lack of actual information. Ren Takakura, however, felt less anticipation and more a weary sort of dread. His life had a distinct pattern: new, important-seeming girl arrives, chaos ensues, Ren gets dragged into it. He was starting to see the formula.
Marika Tachibana was introduced to their class during morning homeroom. She was, to put it mildly, striking. With vibrant, fiery orange hair styled in a way that seemed to defy gravity, and eyes that sparkled with an almost manic energy, she radiated an aura of boundless confidence and unshakeable determination. She was also, Ren noted with a sinking feeling, incredibly beautiful, in a fierce, almost predatory way. She scanned the classroom, her gaze sharp and focused, as if searching for someone.
When her eyes landed on Ren, they widened almost imperceptibly, and then, a slow, deliberate, and utterly terrifying smile spread across her face. Ren felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He did not like that smile. Not one bit.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all!" Marika declared, her voice clear and carrying an almost theatrical projection. "My name is Marika Tachibana! And I have transferred to this esteemed academy for one very specific, very important reason!" She paused for dramatic effect, her gaze still locked on Ren. The entire class was silent, hanging on her every word.
Then, she pointed directly at Ren Takakura.
"You!" she exclaimed, her voice ringing with joyous, unwavering conviction. "Ren Takakura! I've finally found you! My darling Ren-sama!"
Ren froze, his mind blanking completely. Ren-sama? Darling? What in the actual—?
Before he could even process the initial shock, Marika Tachibana was moving. With a speed and grace that was surprising for someone in a school uniform, she strode across the classroom, directly towards his desk, her eyes sparkling with an almost terrifying intensity. She stopped right in front of him, beamed down at him with that same unnerving smile, and then, in front of the entire, now utterly gobsmacked class, she declared, in a voice loud enough for the entire school building to hear:
"Ren Takakura! As per the promise we made ten years ago, I, Marika Tachibana, have come all this way to be your bride! Prepare yourself, my dearest Ren-sama, for our wonderful, love-filled life together!"
Silence. Utter, complete, pin-drop silence. Ren could feel every eye in the classroom fixed on him. He could feel his face burning a shade of red that probably rivaled Rias Gremory's hair. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He wanted to spontaneously combust. He wanted Reborn to shoot him with a Dying Will Bullet, just so he could escape this waking nightmare.
Then, the chaos erupted.
"WHAAAAAT?!" the entire class seemed to shriek in unison. "Bride?!" "Ren Takakura?!" "Ten years ago?!" "No way!"
Chitoge Kirisaki, who had been watching the proceedings with a mixture of disdain and detached amusement, suddenly shot bolt upright in her seat, her jaw dropping, her blue eyes wide with disbelief and a dawning, furious indignation. "Boyfriend is one thing, Takakura," she hissed, her voice dangerously low, though it was lost in the general uproar, "but fiancé? Since when were you capable of making promises to anyone, let alone keeping them for ten years? And who is this orange-haired… hussy?!"
Kosaki Onodera looked like she was about to faint, her face pale, her eyes wide with shock and a dawning, heartbreaking confusion. Haru Onodera, sitting beside her sister, looked ready to commit actual bodily harm, her fists clenched, her glare fixed on Marika with murderous intent. "Nee-chan! Don't listen to her! This is… this is clearly some kind of mistake! Takakura-senpai wouldn't… he couldn't…"
Tsugumi Seishirou, for the first time since Ren had met her, looked genuinely, utterly bewildered, her professional composure completely shattered. Her mouth was slightly agape, her eyes darting between Ren, Marika, and Chitoge, as if trying to process a data stream that had become hopelessly corrupted.
Ren himself could only stare at Marika Tachibana, his mind a complete blank. A promise? Ten years ago? His bride? He had absolutely no memory of this. None whatsoever. Was this another side effect of his reincarnation? Had his past life involved making childhood marriage pacts with terrifyingly determined orange-haired girls?
Marika, oblivious to the shockwaves her declaration had sent through the classroom (or perhaps reveling in them), simply beamed at Ren, her eyes sparkling with adoration. "Oh, Ren-sama, don't look so surprised! I knew you wouldn't have forgotten our precious promise! I've been waiting for this day for so long!" She then, to Ren's utter horror, leaned forward as if to embrace him.
Ren scrambled backwards, his chair screeching loudly as it scraped against the floor, nearly toppling over in his haste to escape. "Wait! Hold on! Tachibana-san! I think there's been a huge misunderstanding! I don't remember any promise! I don't even know who you are!"
Marika just giggled, a bright, tinkling sound that somehow managed to be both charming and deeply unsettling. "Oh, Ren-sama, you always were such a tease! But don't worry, I'll remind you of everything! We have our whole lives ahead of us, after all!"
Reborn, who Ren was fairly certain was currently disguised as a particularly smug-looking eraser on his desk, was practically vibrating with suppressed laughter. "Magnificent, Dame-Ren!" his mental voice crowed. "Your harem protagonist aura is reaching critical mass! First a fake yakuza girlfriend, now a self-proclaimed childhood fiancée! What's next? A long-lost alien princess? The Vongola would be proud of your… unintentional romantic entanglements. This is excellent training in managing complex interpersonal dynamics under extreme public scrutiny!"
Ren wanted to scream. His life, already a chaotic mess of mafia tutors, supernatural powers, actual Devils, and a fake relationship with a tsundere gorilla girl (as Reborn so charmingly put it), had just been hit by a Category Five hurricane named Marika Tachibana. The complications were deepening, the stakes were rising, and Ren Takakura was caught squarely in the eye of a rapidly escalating storm of romantic, supernatural, and now, apparently, contractual absurdity. His chances of ever experiencing a "normal" day again had just plummeted from "slim" to "non-existent."