His face felt itchy.
That was the first sensation Arthur felt as his consciousness slowly returned.
The scent of flowers, a gentle breeze, warm sunlight, the chirping of birds, and the sound of running water.
Taking in his surroundings, Arthur's eyes snapped open. He found Merly sitting on his chest, leaning over him with a pen in her hand, scribbling away on his face.
She was muttering under her breath: "That's for bullying me! And that! And that!"
Their eyes met. As the glint in Arthur's gaze turned predatory, the triumphant, mischievous grin on Merly's face vanished instantly.
"Um, I can actually explain..."
Arthur lunged, grabbing the hand she tried to hide behind her back. With a sudden surge of his core, he flipped her over. Merly let out a squeak as she fell backward, and Arthur sat up, pinning her shoulders to the ground and looming over her.
"Having fun, Teacher?"
Seeing Arthur's smile—which looked more like a death sentence—Merly's lower lip trembled, and she suddenly burst into a loud, dramatic wail.
"It's not fun! Arthur isn't fun at all anymore! The old Artorius was much better! Give me back the old Artorius! Waaaaah!"
"Crying? Fine. The clock is still ticking."
Arthur sat squarely on her stomach, his left hand pinning her slender, snowy throat while his right hand poised the pen over her face. Just as he was about to start his counter-masterpiece...
"B-Brother...?"
Artoria's trembling voice came from behind him. Arthur snapped his head around. Artoria was standing right there, her pupils quivering with disbelief as she stared at the scene.
"What... what are you doing to Teacher?"
Arthur went silent. He looked back down at Merly, who had stopped crying and was now grinning up at him with a smug, "Gotcha!" expression.
Arthur tossed the pen aside, hauled Merly up by the collar, and sat her across his lap.
"What are you doing?! Artoria is right there! You—"
SMACK!
Arthur's palm connected squarely with Merly's bottom. Her frantic squirming and panicked yelps cut off instantly, replaced by a genuine, tearful shriek of pain.
"AH! IT HURTS! Arthur, you jerk—"
SMACK!
"Stop! You're going to break it! If it's broken, you won't be able to use it later—"
Arthur ignored her entirely, his hand descending again.
Stroke after stroke followed until Merly's struggles subsided into soft whimpers and her defiance turned into "I'm sorry" and "I'll never do it again." Only then did Arthur release her.
He looked over at Artoria. Her face was crimson, her lips parted as if she were seeing a complete stranger instead of the brother she grew up with.
"People like her need to be taught a lesson," Arthur said plainly. "Otherwise, she never learns."
"A-Ah... I see."
Artoria snapped out of her daze. Looking at Merly, who was now kneeling on the ground clutching her backside and sobbing, Artoria instinctively took a step back, her own small hands covering her behind.
"Brother... don't hit me. I'll be a good girl."
Arthur opened his mouth to explain, but after a long pause, he simply said, "...You'd better be."
Artoria nodded frantically.
But... if I'm not a good girl, will Brother hold me in his arms and hit me like that too?
At the thought, Artoria's thighs pressed together. Merly looked like she was in pain, but the mental image... wasn't entirely unpleasant.
Arthur, unaware of the "adult" thoughts brewing in his sister's mind, glanced at the still-pouting Merly and gave her a light nudge with his boot.
"Enough faking. Why did you call me and Lily out here?"
"It really did hurt!"
Merly looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears, but she met only a cold, indifferent gaze. Pouting, she stood up, rubbing her sore bottom.
"Arthur isn't gentle at all. Artorius was way better!"
Actually, a rough Brother is quite handsome too! Artoria thought privately, stealing a glance at Arthur's stoic face. She pressed her legs even tighter.
"You're the one who picked this version of me. Now, out with it. What is this about?"
Arthur massaged his temples. He was stressed. Work was a mountain of trivial but mandatory tasks. He was spending twenty hours a day either working or thinking about work; he didn't want his precious rest time interrupted for nothing.
"Didn't you ask me for a spear earlier today?"
Merly's voice took on a hurt tone, her "little pearls" of tears threatening to fall again.
"I brought you and Lily here to get your spears. I was being so helpful, and yet you still hit me. I hate you!"
Arthur faltered, his hand pausing its massage of his forehead.
Hehe, plan successful! Merly cheered internally, seeing the guilt on Arthur's face. But a second later, the guilt turned into a predatory smirk. Arthur reached out and pinched her cheek.
"Spears aside... who was the one sitting on me and drawing on my face while I was asleep?"
He began to pull her cheek upward.
"Mmph... I only did it because you wouldn't wake up! Waaah, stop! My face is going to get big! If it gets big, I'll be ugly! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Arthur finally let go. Ignoring the pouting magus, he glanced at Artoria, who was standing there with a red face and tightly pressed legs. He wanted to explain the situation, but the words felt stuck in his throat.
Whatever. Let the world burn.
"Ooh, Lily has really grown into a big girl, hasn't she?"
Merly followed Arthur's gaze, her eyes traveling over Artoria's figure—which had indeed become taller and more curved than her previous "flat" self. She grinned mischievously. "She could definitely give Arthur a big, healthy son one day~"
"Eh?! I..."
Artoria's face turned beet-red. She waved her hands in denial, but her eyes instinctively darted toward Arthur.
Arthur remained expressionless. He reached out and grabbed Merly's cheek again.
"She is my sister."
"Stop pulling! Stop pulling! You aren't related by blood anyway!"
The light that had been fading from Artoria's eyes suddenly flared back to life.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Arthur pulled harder, lifting Merly nearly off her feet. Tears of actual pain pricked at the corners of her eyes.
"Lily and I aren't related? Then what am I to her? A stranger?"
He and Artoria both had blonde hair and azure eyes. They were clearly twins in appearance. They even shared the same bottomless appetite. While Artoria had been a bit shorter, her recent growth spurt suggested she would catch up soon.
"Ugh... listen to me! Lily isn't from this world! I stole her from a collapsing dimension! That's why you don't share any blood!"
"Is that true?" Artoria blurted out.
It wasn't a cry of loss, but one of pure, unadulterated joy.
Though the news that she wasn't related to him—and wasn't even from this world—was a bit of a shock, it meant the "biological sibling" barrier that had been stopping her brother from accepting her was gone!
Does that mean I can...
"What did you say?"
Arthur let go of Merly's face, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Ow... that hurt."
Merly's feet finally touched the ground. She rubbed her cheeks piteously, but seeing Arthur reach out again, she scrambled back two steps.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
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