Serena pointed at me with a trembling finger. Her entire face was bright red, almost like steam was about to burst from her ears.
"W-W-W-Wait… you're t-t-the boy who'll be my h-h-husband?!"
Her voice cracked halfway through the sentence.
I stared back, equally frozen. My brain had completely stopped functioning somewhere between husband and her.
"And… y-you're the girl w-w-who'll be my wife…" I stammered, my own face burning.
Standing proudly between us, like a general overseeing his troops, was Mr. Reige.
"Well then! Since you two now know each other, it's settled!" he said cheerfully, clapping his hands like he'd just finalized a dinner reservation.
"Yuma, I'm leaving Serena in your care," he added, smiling warmly. "Please take good care of her."
My brain finally rebooted.
"WAIT!!! I NEVER EVEN AGREED TO THIS!!"
Serena and I shouted in perfect unison, our faces still embarrassingly red.
We turned to glare at each other.
"I don't want a pervy deviant as my husband!!" she yelled, finger shaking in accusation.
I immediately pointed back. "And I don't want a dagger psychopath as my wife!!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DAGGER PSYCHOPATH?!" she screamed.
"AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PERVY DEVIANT?!" I shot back.
"Pervy deviant!"
"Psychopath!"
"Pervy deviant!"
"Psychopath!"
"ENOUGH, YOU TWO!!"
Two terrifyingly authoritative female voices exploded through the room.
Serena and I froze instantly.
Standing behind us were Mrs. Erika… and Aunt Melda. Both smiling—but it was the kind of smile that could make your soul leave your body.
We immediately shut our mouths.
Even Mr. Reige and Uncle Alumna sighed.
Serena turned back toward her father, refusing to surrender.
"I'm sorry, Dad! But this marriage won't work! I'm not marrying a pervert like him!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PERVERT, YOU PSYCHOPATH?!" I yelled again.
"ENOUGH!"
The two elder women's voices cut through the room like a whip. Silence followed. Dead silence.
Mr. Reige cleared his throat.
"Serena… you should already know by now," he said calmly, "it's our family tradition. We cannot break it."
I blinked.
"Family tradition?"
I raised a hand. "Wait… what do you mean?"
Mr. Reige nodded, his expression serious.
"I suppose you should know as well… since you are her future husband."
That sentence nearly killed me.
"You see," he continued, "in the Yuuki family, when a Geist reaches the age of eighteen… they must marry."
He folded his arms.
"This tradition exists to preserve our bloodline."
I blinked again.
"…What's a Geist?"
The room burst into quiet giggles. Except Serena. She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might pop out.
Mr. Reige explained patiently.
"Japan is plagued by spiritual monsters known as Poltergeists. They terrorize civilians from the shadows. The people who hunt and destroy them are called Geists."
Oh. That actually sounded… kind of cool.
Uncle Alumna leaned toward me with a mischievous grin.
"Your future wife here is one of them," he said, pointing at Serena. "I'm sure you noticed when she tried to stab you with a dagger earlier."
Serena crossed her arms furiously.
"I'M NOT HIS WIFE!" she shouted, pointing at me. "And I'll never be his wife!"
Then she turned to her father again. "But Dad… aren't I supposed to marry a child of a Geist?"
Mr. Reige smiled slightly. "Oh, you are." He looked directly at me. "I'm sure you've heard of the codename… Recode Alpha."
My brain froze again.
Serena's eyes widened. "Of course I know him!" Her voice trembled with excitement. "He's one of the greatest Geists that ever existed!"
Mr. Reige nodded solemnly. "He was the greatest. But unfortunately… he disappeared several years ago."
Serena frowned. "…He had a son?"
She leaned forward. "Then that son must be a famous Geist too, right?"
Uncle Alumna scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well… not exactly."
Serena blinked. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Reige placed a hand on my shoulder. "The son of Recode Alpha… is standing right here."
The room fell silent.
Serena slowly turned toward me. Her eyes widened, jaw dropping.
"WAIT… WHAT?!"
She pointed at me again. "THIS pervy deviant is the son of Recode Alpha?!"
"For the last time, I'M NOT A PERVY DEVIANT!!"
Mr. Reige clapped his hands again happily. "Now then! Since everything is settled, the two of you will marry in two years—"
"But Dad!" Serena stomped her foot. "This whole marriage thing won't work!"
Mr. Reige nodded thoughtfully. "I see. In that case… you two should start living together."
Serena and I froze.
"W-W-W-WHAT?!"
"Why do we have to live together?!" I asked, face red.
"Well," Mr. Reige said casually, "you will be husband and wife eventually. It's only natural."
Serena's face turned bright red again.
"B-B-But what if you leave and then this pervy deviant starts touching me every night and I get pregnant and—"
Mrs. Erika giggled. "Aren't you exaggerating a little, sweetie?"
Uncle Alumna approached with a mischievous grin. "Besides, if you do get pregnant… the marriage will be guaranteed."
Both Serena and I turned scarlet.
"A-ALUMNA!!" Aunt Melda smacked him on the shoulder. "How many times do I have to tell you?! They're too young!"
Serena jabbed a finger at me again. "If you even THINK about touching me while I'm sleeping… I'll cut off your head!"
I pointed back. "Like hell I would touch you! You're not even my type!"
Serena groaned. "This is seriously not going to work."
Mr. Reige stood up cheerfully. "Well then! Since Serena has technically accepted the arrangement, we'll be leaving!"
"WAIT—I NEVER—"
But it was too late. The adults were gone. The door clicked shut.
Suddenly… the house became extremely quiet.
Serena and I stood in the middle of the living room. Alone. Awkward.
My life had completely changed in less than one hour.
Now I was living with a dagger-wielding psychopath.
We avoided looking at each other and quietly went to unpack our things. Hours later, I went downstairs and turned on the TV. Peace. Finally.
Then she walked in.
"Hey… since we're living together… maybe we should make some house rules," she said, eyes narrowing.
I sighed. "Sure. You go first."
She immediately pointed at me.
"Rule number one. My clothing drawer is off-limits. I don't want to see you touching or sniffing my underwear."
I almost choked.
"What kind of person do you think I am?!"
"A pervy deviant," she said, voice dripping with venom.
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Honestly… this girl was unbelievable.