A/N: To support me, pls donate and subscribe
Paypal: bit.ly/kaioshinpaypal
Patreon: patreon.com/KAIOSHIN
YouTube channel: Kaioshin Theorizer
youtube.com/@kaioshintheoriesandanalysi7427
______________________________________________
[Rito's Room, next morning]
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The alarm clock screamed like a wounded animal, but Rito could only lazily stretch his arm and fumble around the bedside table until he found the button.
CLICK!
Silence, finally. He sighed in relief, eyes still closed, holding onto those precious seconds between sleep and consciousness. A silly smile appeared on his lips as he stretched like a satisfied cat.
"What a crazy dream..." he murmured to himself, vaguely recalling images of a pink-haired girl, aliens in suits, and an absurd marriage proposal. "Like an alien princess would want to marry me..."
ZZZZZZZ...
A soft snore came from somewhere beside him. It wasn't his. Rito froze. His eyes snapped open so quickly it almost hurt.
Pink hair sprawled over the pillow like a watercolor brushstroke. Long, delicate eyelashes resting on flushed cheeks. A serene smile on her lips. And skin — lots of exposed skin.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Rito jumped out of bed as if he had been electrocuted, his back hitting the wall with a dull THUD. His heart pounded like a frantic drum.
"Hmm?" Lala stretched languidly, the sheet sliding down even more, revealing curves that Rito desperately tried not to look at. "Good morning, fiancé~"
"W-w-what are you doing in my bed?!" he stammered, covering his eyes with his hands but shamefully peeking through his fingers. "And why are you NAKED?!"
Lala yawned, sitting up without any shame or awareness of the situation:
"Oh, I always sleep like this on Deviluke. It's more comfortable!" she explained with the utmost naturalness, as if commenting on the weather. "And Peke was tired of being clothes all day, so I let him rest."
The small robot floated beside the bed, blinking lights as if in standby mode.
"But... but... this isn't Deviluke!" Rito protested, his voice shifting between low and high pitches like a teenager going through puberty. "And we are not a real couple!"
"Hmmm?" Lala tilted her head in confusion, her green eyes shining with genuine innocence. "But you said you were my fiancé. That was your choice, remember?"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Rito! You're late for school! What's going on in there?" Mikan's voice echoed from the other side of the door.
Rito panicked, looking from the door to Lala and back to the door:
"Nothing! Everything's fine! I'm coming!" he shouted, his voice higher than usual.
"You're acting weird..." Mikan's voice sounded suspicious. "I'm coming in to see if—"
"NO!" Rito leaped towards the door, but his feet got tangled in the sheet lying on the floor.
CRASH! BAM! THUD!
Rito hit the floor face first, groaning in pain. The doorknob started to turn slowly.
"Peke!" Lala called urgently. "Clothing form, quick!"
"Yes, Lala-sama!" The little robot lit up and WHOOSH, in the blink of an eye, transformed into the strange white dress covering Lala's body.
The door opened just as Rito managed to stand up, rubbing his sore nose.
"Rito, what..." Mikan stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lala sitting on her brother's bed. "Ah."
Tense silence. Rito could almost hear the gears turning in his sister's head.
"It's not what it looks like!" he tried to explain, words tripping over each other.
"Good morning, sister-in-law!" Lala waved cheerfully. "I was just waking Rito up. He sleeps like a rock, did you know?"
The mischievous smile that appeared on Mikan's lips made Rito want to dig a hole and bury himself.
"Sure..." she replied, crossing her arms. "Well, you two have ten minutes before you're late for school. Asia's already waiting downstairs."
With that, she closed the door, but not before casting a glance that clearly said: "I'll want details later."
Rito collapsed into the desk chair, defeated.
"Are you really coming to school with me?" he asked, already dreading the answer.
"Of course!" Lala jumped out of bed, twirling excitedly. "I want to learn everything about Earth life! And I want everyone to know I'm your fiancée!"
"About that..." Rito scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the right words. "Look, I know I agreed to help you yesterday, but this is just temporary, right? Until we sort things out with your dad."
Lala stopped spinning, looking at him with an expression that mixed confusion with something Rito couldn't identify. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a hint of sadness in those green eyes.
"Temporary?" she repeated, her voice suddenly softer.
Rito felt a pang of guilt.
"It's just... we barely know each other, right?" he said, trying to sound reasonable. "It doesn't make sense to commit to something so serious."
Lala was silent for a few seconds before flashing a radiant smile — but Rito could swear there was something different about it.
"You're right!" she agreed cheerfully. "First, I need to truly win your heart, right? Make you fall in love with me!"
"Wait, what?" Rito's eyes widened.
"Let's go, fiancé!" Lala grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room. "We can't be late for my first day of Earth school!"
[Classroom, Sainan High School]
The room buzzed with animated conversations before class began. Rito entered with his head down, as if walking to his own execution, with Asia following behind, her face a mix of concern and confusion.
"Rito-kun, will everything be okay?" she asked gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I doubt it," he muttered, scanning the room. "At least Lala isn't here..."
As if summoned by his words, the door burst open with a dramatic SLAM.
"Good morning, everyone!" Lala's melodious voice filled the room, silencing all conversations instantly.
Rito sank into his seat, wishing to disappear.
"Who is she?" "Wow, that pink hair is gorgeous!" "Where did she come from?" The whispers spread through the room like wildfire.
The teacher, just entering, adjusted his glasses with a confused expression:
"Er... can I help you, miss?"
Lala beamed, her presence filling the room like sunlight:
"Hello! I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke, princess of the planet Deviluke and Yuuki Rito's fiancée!" she announced, pointing enthusiastically at a mortified Rito trying to hide behind his math book. "I'm here to study so I can be closer to my future husband!"
CRASH!
Someone dropped a book. Another choked on water. A girl screamed "WHAT?!" loud enough to be heard on the sports field.
Rito's Presence power, which he had separated and granted self-awareness to help him when needed, vibrated softly, as if laughing at the absurd situation. Rito suddenly knew his life would never be the same — and maybe, just maybe, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
The bell rang, but no one seemed to notice, too busy crowding around Lala with questions about marriage, aliens, and how she chose Rito as her fiancé.
"What a day..." Rito muttered to himself, sinking deeper into his chair, "...and it's not even lunchtime yet."
(A/N: Now we see the MC finally starting to accept marrying Lala, or at least taking this relationship seriously. Well, now let's move on to Lala's suitors invading Earth to attack Rito. I wonder what would happen if an elephant got angry at an ant.)