"Agh... Mermaids really are fucking lustful..."

Gray groaned, rubbing his aching waist as he walked down the academy's quiet hallway.

He was going to relax a little for now, maybe do some training, and then meet up with the Headmistress.

He had already made an appointment with her... which was surprisingly easy.

"Gray."

"...."

He froze mid-step, his lips twitching into a tired, annoyed smile.

"What do you want, my dear sister?"

He turned around just to see Maelis, with her arms crossed, looking at him with a casual expression.

"Do you miss me that much?"

He tried to annoy her, but somehow, her face didn't change a single bit, causing his own smile to twitch.

"...Actually, yeah," she nodded after a while.

"So, come with me now!"

Without waiting for his response, she grabbed Gray's wrist and led him away, causing black lines to appear over his forehead.

He was fucking confused by her actions.

"Now wait a fucking second!" He pulled his hand free and glared at her. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"

"…I think so, yeah."

He blinked.

"What the actual fuck…"

Grip!

"Just come with me, I'll stop annoying you if you do..." she declared before grabbing his wrist once again.

He stared at her for a second, then sighed again and gave in, letting her pull him along.

But of course, he started marking objects on his way to make sure that he wasn't going to be led into a trap.

But then...

His eyes gradually widened as he realized that they had entered the female students' dormitory.

"Hey, hey! Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"You'll see in a minute," she said without looking back.

They walked for five more minutes before reaching a door that had a small plaque with Maelis's name on it.

It was her dormitory room.

"Ahh..."

Gray's lips curled up slighly.

"Are you planning to kill me in a place where no one could see us?" he asked with a teasing tone, but once again, the way she replied to him shocked him.

"Nope."

Click!

She pushed Gray further into the dormitory before locking the door behind them.

Gray's smile faded as his hand instinctively moved toward the small hatchet hanging from his waist. His eyes narrowed as he prepared to attack at any given moment.

"Haaah..."Maelis let out a small sigh, her body suddenly relaxing.

Then, without warning, she reached up and tugged loose the tie of her academy uniform. The dark ribbon slid free from her collar, falling carelessly to the floor.

She unfastened one of the buttons at the top of her shirt, and a faint glimpse of her cleavage appeared beneath the fabric.

Gray blinked, his expression twisting with confusion.

'What the hell… a thirst trap?' he thought.

Phew~

Mana flickered at his fingertips.

Thin, invisible threads spread out through the room, anchoring to the walls, windows, and ceiling, creating an invisible web all around them.

Maelis brushed her long black hair back over her shoulder, exposing the soft and pale collar of her neck.

"Hey… my little brother," she said softly.

Her voice had a surprisingly teasing tone that Gray didn't know she could make.

She slowly started walking toward him, her hips swaying naturally, as the faint sound of her heels tapping against the floor echoed through the room.

"Aren't you keeping a secret you should have told me?"

When she stopped just a foot away, she tilted her head and reached out.

Her fingers caught his chin, lifting it slightly until his gaze met her shimmery green eyes that held a faint trace of amusement in them.

Gray didn't flinch; instead, he just looked at her and sighed.

"Did you really think a thirst trap would work on me?"

Swish!

He raised the hatchet from his belt, flipped it once in the air, then caught it again by the handle.

But Maelis only smiled wider. She didn't step back — instead, she gave him a light push, guiding him back until the back of his knees touched the edge of her bed.

"This isn't a thirst trap, Gray," she said calmly.

"If it was… I'd have used something a lot more dangerous than my own charm. Maybe an aphrodisiac, after all, our family has a lot of money, doesn't it..."

That soft smile never left her face, but her eyes had darkened, a faint, dangerous glint flashing through the green.

"...Emryn?"

That single name turned the room a shade colder, causing Gray's grip on the hatchet to increase by a lot.

'...How the fuck did she figure that it was me?'

Maelis noticed his stunned look and let out a quiet laugh.

"Pfftt… to be honest, I didn't expect it at first," she said. "Not until you transformed your clothes into those of a clown during that fight with the demons."

She smiled faintly as she sat beside him on the bed, her tone turning oddly nostalgic.

"Even then, I wasn't sure. But then I remembered something… I once told you what kind of man was my ideal type when we were children. No one else knows that, except you."

Her head rested gently on his shoulder. He didn't move, didn't push her away, and continued staring ahead in silence.

"Your acting was almost perfect," she whispered, her voice brushing against his ear, "but you made one mistake."

"…And that is?"

She lifted her gaze, her lips curving into a knowing smile.

"The rapier your mother gave you. There's only one in existence... forged from countless precious metals, designed by Madam Vireux herself. You can change your face, your voice, your name…"

Her eyes gleamed with amusement and danger mixed together.

"…but not the weapon that only you carry."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips.

"You must have forgotten that, didn't you?"

"....."

Gray remained silent for a while.

Maelis sighed softly, then stood up. She stretched her arms a little, tilting her head until her neck made a faint crack.

When her eyes returned to him, her voice sounded tired.

"...Are you satisfied yet?"

She suddenly asked him.

Gray looked at her, and his eyes were stunned slighly as he saw, crystal clear tears dripping out from her eyes.

Real, trembling tears that made her green eyes shine in the dim light.

Never did he think that he would see this kind of expression on her face that early.

However... that same expression made him ecstatic.

His face even flushed red with excitement as a perverted expression appeared.

"Sniff... you... you've made me fall in love with a fake figure? D-does that satisfy you?" she asked once again, her voice cracking while looking at him.

But to her words, Gray shook his head with a big smile.

"Not yet... after all, my plan was to actually kill that fake figure right in front of you," he laughed lightly.

His usual devilish smirk got back.

"Mhm… I wonder what kind of sound you'll make, my dear sister?"

Maelis's fists trembled in anger and disappointment with herself to actually fall in love with none other than her "useless" brother.

She bit down hard on her lip until it drew blood, but before she could say anything, Gray suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and she shook slightly as her arms hesitated, then weakly wrapped around him.

However...

"Don't worry, Maelis…"

Gray wasn't satisfied yet.

"…I'll make sure you go through hell for everything you've done to me." He whispered near her ear, his tone frighteningly calm.

SPLURT!

"AAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

A brutal, wet sound tore through the room as blood splashed across the floor. Two limbs hit the ground with heavy thuds, rolling slightly before stopping.

Maelis collapsed, gasping and trembling violently, her breath turning into broken sobs.

"G-Graaay… s-stop… it hurts… it hurts…" Her voice shook with panic, her body jerking as she tried to move, but pain kept her pinned down.

Gray crouched beside her, his face calm again, almost gentle.

He brushed her hair away from her face with one hand.

"…Relax, my dear sister," he said softly. "I'll make sure that bastard father of ours, and your precious sister, suffer just as beautifully as you."

He smiled sincerely, as if comforting her.

But somehow... that sincere smile of his was much scarier than her devilish grin.

"H-haa..." Maelis's breath hitched.

Her eyes widened in horror, and tears kept pouring down her face. Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, the smell of blood thick in the air.

Gray gave a small wave.

"Bye-bye."

"[✧Swap✧]."

Swish!

Suddenly, the air inside the dormitory began to tremble.

From Maelis's fallen body, a faint emerald light started to leak out, soft at first, then growing brighter and brighter until a green, misty figure rose above her.

Its form shimmered like smoke, vaguely shaped like a woman draped in flowing robes.

The figure raised a hand, and at once, the blood that had splattered across the floor began to move.

It slithered back across the tiles, threading itself through the air before seeping back into Maelis's wounds.

Sickening cracks echoed as bone reformed, skin mended, and within moments, her limbs were once again whole.

The color slowly returned to her face.

"Your Majesty… is this really necessary?"

The green figure knelt beside her and spoke softly.

Maelis's eyelids fluttered open.

The tears were gone, and her breathing had calmed down.

But the most surprising thing was her expression... it had changed a lot.

Her gaze turned sharp, regal, almost divine. She slowly sat up on the bed, brushing her long hair aside as if nothing had happened.

"Not really," she said with a faint smile. "But I suppose it was a little funny to see his reaction. Still… this body of mine is so damn weak."

The green figure hesitated.

"You've only regained your memories two days ago, Your Majesty. Besides, your younger self, as you mentioned, was a little too—"

Maelis turned her head sharply, her green eyes narrowing as if daring the green figure to continue its words.

The figure stopped mid-sentence.

She let out a small sigh and waved a hand dismissively.

"Haiiizz… don't worry about it."

As she did, faint light began to form above her palm.

Runes appeared one by one, circling her hand before locking into place like a sigil of divine authority.

"After all," she murmured, staring at the runes, "I'll need to make sure my dear little brother gains enough strength before the Outer Gods descend upon this worthless world."

The rune pulsed once, then dissolved into her skin. Her whole body flickered faintly, faint patterns glowing under her flesh for a brief second before fading away.

The green figure bowed deeply.

"Then, I shall take my leave, Your Majesty. May your recovery be swift."

"Have a wishful cultivation session."

With that, the green figure dissolved into motes of light, scattering like dust into the air until nothing remained.

The room fell silent again

Rustle...

Maelis suddenly touched the spot Gray had sat down before slowly leaning down, and taking a deep breath as if trying to exhale its scent.

"My sweet little brother... how come I was so blind to see... that my true love was right next to me?"

Her face flushed red in excitement as she took the whole mattress and stored it in a dimensional storage.

Meanwhile...

Gray simply walked towards the Headmistress's office, but little did he know that both of his sisters had their own secrets, and it seemed that he was also a part of them.

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