The Sunday morning after the amusement park incident dawned heavy and grey, mirroring the oppressive atmosphere that had settled over Ren Takakura. His body ached from the fight with the Stray Devils, a dull throb in his muscles and a sharp sting from the various cuts and bruises he'd acquired. More than the physical pain, however, it was the mental exhaustion that weighed him down. He had once again unleashed that strange, fiery power, and this time, Chitoge Kirisaki and Tsugumi Seishirou had been there to witness it. And they had witnessed Reborn, not as an ordinary infant, but as the composed, unnervingly articulate being who had calmly strolled out after a supernatural battle.
The silence in Ren's house was thick with unspoken questions. His parents had noted his battered appearance with concern, but Ren had mumbled something about a "very enthusiastic game of tag" at the amusement park, a lie so flimsy he was surprised they hadn't pressed further. Perhaps they were simply too used to his recent spate of clumsiness and minor injuries.
Reborn, naturally, was the picture of calm, sipping a miniature latte Leon had produced. "A commendable performance yesterday, Dame-Ren," he commented, his voice far too chipper for Ren's liking. "You managed to avoid getting yourself or your two lovely bodyguards killed. And you even landed a few decent attacks. There's hope for you yet. A sliver, perhaps, but hope nonetheless."
"They saw you," Ren said quietly, staring into his untouched bowl of cereal. "Chitoge and Tsugumi. They saw you… as you."
"Indeed," Reborn replied, unfazed. "A calculated risk. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the 'helpless infant' charade during moments of extreme crisis. Besides," a tiny, almost predatory smirk touched Reborn's lips, "a little mystery is good for keeping one's allies on their toes. Or, in your case, your fake girlfriend and her highly suspicious, heavily armed attendant."
The "allies" in question were due to arrive shortly. Claude, with his usual terrifying efficiency, had arranged a "debriefing" at a neutral, discreet location – a small, unassuming café in a quiet part of town. Ren dreaded it. Explaining the inexplicable to two girls who already viewed him with varying degrees of disdain and suspicion was not his idea of a relaxing Sunday.
Chitoge and Tsugumi were already at the café when Ren and Reborn (the latter now back in his convincing baby disguise, nestled in a carrier Ren was forced to wear) arrived. Chitoge sat ramrod straight, her arms crossed, her blue eyes fixed on Ren with an intensity that made him feel like he was about to be interrogated under a very bright, very hot lamp. Tsugumi stood a little behind her, her expression unreadable but her posture radiating a coiled alertness. The air between them was thick with unspoken questions and a new, wary tension.
"Takakura," Chitoge began, her voice carefully neutral, though Ren could detect the undercurrent of shock and confusion. "Yesterday. Those… things. And your… fire. And your… tutor." She gestured vaguely at the baby carrier where Reborn was currently pretending to be asleep, occasionally letting out a soft, gurgling snore that sounded utterly unconvincing to Ren.
Ren swallowed hard. "Right. That. It's… complicated."
"'Complicated' doesn't quite cover it, ape," Chitoge snapped, her composure cracking slightly. "Those things tried to kill us! And you… you set them on fire! And then a baby walked out and started talking like a miniature adult! What in the world is going on?"
Tsugumi, for her part, remained silent, but her gaze never left Ren, her eyes narrowed in a way that suggested she was mentally cataloging every twitch, every stammer, every bead of sweat on his forehead.
Reborn chose that moment to "wake up," yawning dramatically and blinking his big, innocent baby eyes. "Goo?" he cooed, looking up at Chitoge.
Chitoge stared at him, then back at Ren, then back at the cooing infant. "Is this some kind of elaborate prank?" she demanded, her voice rising. "Because if it is, it's not funny!"
"It's not a prank, Kirisaki-san," Ren said, sighing. He looked at Reborn, who gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shrug, as if to say, "Your mess, Dame-Ren. You clean it up." Thanks, Reborn. Super helpful.
And so, Ren tried to explain. He couldn't tell them everything, of course. He couldn't tell them about his past life, his reincarnation, the full extent of Reborn's identity as a hitman, or the Vongola Famiglia. Reborn had made it very clear that certain information was strictly need-to-know, and they, apparently, didn't need to know that much. So, Ren stuck to the heavily edited, Reborn-approved version: he had recently discovered he possessed a "unique inherited ability" that sometimes manifested as flames in moments of crisis. Reborn was a "specialist tutor" from a "very old, very discreet organization" that dealt with people with such abilities, sent to help him control it. The baby disguise was… a security measure. To appear unassuming.
It sounded ridiculous even to his own ears.
Chitoge listened, her expression shifting from outrage to skepticism to a sort of grudging, bewildered acceptance. Tsugumi remained impassive, though Ren thought he saw a flicker of something – understanding? Disbelief? – in her sharp eyes.
"So, you're basically a walking fire hazard with a baby bodyguard who talks," Chitoge summarized, her tone flat.
"That's… one way to put it, yes," Ren admitted.
"And those… things?" Tsugumi finally spoke, her voice low and steady. "What were they?"
"Stray Devils, Reborn called them," Ren said. "Creatures from… another place, I guess. Dangerous."
A heavy silence descended. Chitoge stared out the window, her brow furrowed in thought. Tsugumi continued her silent scrutiny of Ren.
"This fake relationship," Chitoge said at last, her voice quiet but firm. "It just got a lot more complicated, didn't it?"
Ren could only nod. The shared lie that bound them had now been interwoven with a shared, terrifying truth. They had faced death together, witnessed the impossible together. It didn't magically make them friends, not by a long shot. But it had undeniably changed something between them. The animosity was still there, the suspicion, the awkwardness. But now, there was something else too. A reluctant, unspoken understanding. A shared secret that was far heavier, far more dangerous, than just pretending to be Kuoh Academy's most improbable couple. The weight of it settled on Ren, a tangible pressure.