Levi stood there, feeling mightily confused. Um… can someone tell him whether his ex-fiancé was for or against him marrying his baby??
But who could answer him when even the person in question had yet to decide her stance. Maery, after another heavy sigh, clicked her tongue, “And your courting method is all wrong! Aren’t you supposed to be smart? How come you’ve learned nothing from Case, Fynn, and Shaw! If you don’t confess, that silly brother of mine will never realize you have the hots of him!”
Maery recalled her brother’s earlier pure and sweet smile.
And then another image couldn’t help but pop into her mind.
An image of her kind and gentle little brother, all flustered and helpless, trying to escape from the naughty paws of the wild and imposing scoundrel, Astar Levi!
Such a contrast in personality and appearance!
And two men at that!
It was simply, simply…!
Simply a perfect pairing, ah!!!
(⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)❤❤❤
Why didn’t she come up with the idea to matchmake them up before this?!? How could she make such a huge oversight!?!
Oh, right. It was because she wasn’t even cruel enough to wish Astar Levi, this scourge, upon her enemies, let alone her precious little brother. (눈_눈)
Cordia Maery kept sighing several times in a row, each sigh heavier than the last. While Levi still stood there at a complete loss, as motionless as an ice statue, watching his ex-fiancée’s facial expressions shift from happiness to fury to bliss to depression and back.
However, if his brain was running properly, his reaction would have probably been the same as Blackie’s:
Blackie, OAO ‘Hey, woman, are you in a good mood or in a bad mood?? Could you please decide on just one of the two, thanks! I don’t know whether to expect a dog-blood drama or a sitcom!’
But how could the two possibly understand the complex feelings running through Cordia Maery at this moment?
On the one hand, the idea of getting rid of this hot potato, Astar Levi, was enough to make her happy any time of the day! But on the other, how would she be happy if that said hot potato ended up getting tossed to her precious baby brother instead?!
On the one hand, she should be excited and delighted that two of her boys would potentially end up happy together, more so considering how sweet the nibbles of this CP would be. On the other hand, how would she not feel furious when she deeply believed that her precious little brother deserved so much better than this EQ deficient workaholic who refused to go see a psychiatrist!
Undecided about what to feel, the woman turned her gaze towards the still petrified Levi-statue. Wow, look at him being stunned silly! She had never seen that facial expression on Levi before. Ai, it was kinda cute!
It was in this moment that it finally hit her – her emotionally stunted man-child was actually truly really smitten, ah! He finally had his first awakening of love! He finally found something he deeply cared about and learned how to cherish it! Tears welled up in Maery’s already red eyes. The child she had raised for 6 years had finally been enlightened in the matters between men and wo…uh, matters of true love between men!
‘Baby Levi, mommy is so proud of you!’
And just like that, Maery’s undecided heart went with its most instinctive choice.
She grabbed the hands of her big man-child, waking him up from his daze. The two locked eyes. One was still in disbelief, and the other had flames of passion flickering within, declaring with great conviction, “You might be a moron, but don’t worry, brother-in-law! You can count on me! This experienced big sis will help you out! Listen to me, and your chances of capturing the heart of your little darling will double– no, triple– no quadruple!”
Blackie spewed out his virtual drink, ‘Woah! That speed of changing address! Yo, brother-in-law, if I remember correctly, a minute ago, you were still a slag ex-fiancé, ah?!’
Levi, “…” ‘Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?’
Wait, wait, wait! So Cordia Maery’s most instinctive reaction was to help the two boys hook up?? How?! What?! Why?!
One-third of the answer to that question laid in the nature of Levi’s and Maery’s relationship, which was far from what outsiders believed it to be.
The second-third of the answer laid in the fact that this big sis was a huge bro-con and would naturally want to go with whatever made her little brother happy. And judging by everything she’d seen and heard so far from her little bro, it would seem that her little brother rather liked Levi.
Ergo, if her little brother liked this scourge Astar Levi, then she’d… beat the said scourge up until he turned a new leaf in life and stopped being such a scoundrel!!! ╰(*°▽°*)╯
Unless her brother liked his scoundrel self? 🤔 In which case, she’d… ai, she’d still beat him up!! She regretted nothing!!!
And the final (but most definitely the largest) third of the answer laid in the study of wildlife in all of its different forms.
Cordia Maery. A perfect specimen of a wonderous species collectively known as fujoshi or “rotten women”.
In the wild, fujoshi can often be seen mingling with groups of normal human females, trying to pass as one of them. Though some fujoshi have evolved exceptional camouflage skills, you can always identify them through a simple test. You see, when a fujoshi detects a group of two or more attractive human males interacting with one another, the fujoshi will, without fail, display some form of an “aunty smile”. (not to be confused with a “pedo-smile”!)
These uniquely identifiable smiles are also often accompanied by a high-pitched cry to alert the rest of their group to the presence of “food”.
If you are an attractive man and notice a fujoshi exhibiting such behavior in your vicinity, do not be alarmed. The fujoshi is merely internally pairing you up with the attractive man next to you as a form of mental sustenance.
Rest at ease! A fujoshi displaying an aunty smile is in her most harmless and friendly state. You can just ignore her and go on your merry way. Preferably hand-in-hand with the man next to you. That will certainly make the spectating fujoshi very excited. Though if you choose to do so, beware! A fujoshi might take out her camera for a picture that will then most likely be shared online amongst their brethren.
And sure enough! Right now, Maery’s soul of a fujoshi was burning with fervor, her face blooming in an amiable and harmless aunty smile her kind were known for! She patted the stool next to her, luring inviting her next victim the attractive human male next to her, into a trap–ahem, to take a seat.
“Right, right, big sis will help you out! But first, sit, and let’s get most important things out of the way.”
Levi, unfamiliar with the fujoshi species, dazedly slumped onto the stool, not comprehending what just happened.
“Ah, Lev! That…” Maery looked at Levi, as if she had something important to say but didn’t know how. She sighed a few times melancholically and then finally asked, “What about the house our parents bought for us?”
Expression finally returned to Levi’s blank face – his right eyelid started to violently twitch, “…you can keep it. It’s you who did the interior design anyway.”
Maery looked very regretful as she nodded with a “can’t be helped” expression. Then, added, “…what about that hovercraft your parents gave me?”
Levi’s left eyebrow also started to violently twitch, “…you can keep that too.”
The graveness of Maery’s expression didn’t change in the slightest as she nodded again, only, now what was written on her face was, “Indeed, it isn’t right to return what has already been given.”
Finally, she sighed mournfully and spoke up again, “What about–“
“You can keep all of it!” Levi interrupted through gritted teeth. ‘How is splitting property considered “the most important thing”?!?’
As if hearing Levi’s unspoken reprimand, Maery shot him a displeased glare, “What I was gonna say was,” she huffed, “What about the issue of the heir? How do you intend to solve it?”
Levi fell silent.
Levi eyed the annoying woman from the corner of his eyes and decided, ‘Nope! If I had not interrupted her, she would have definitely continued splitting property!’ But, forget it, he’d be magnanimous this one time and let her keep her face. As for the issue of an heir, that was indeed the most important matter that needed solving; otherwise, their parents wouldn’t agree to the change in brides even if all three people involved agreed to it. At least in this, he, Astar Levi, had been fully prepared! And thus, Levi lifted his chin up high with an air of a peacock spreading his feathers and proudly presented the results of his long and arduous research. “Men can’t get pregnant, but it doesn’t mean that two guys can’t have a baby together. Science is very advanced nowadays. Since men also have an X chromosome, it’s possible to make an egg cell using their DNA.” Maery gave him an odd look, “Advanced? That tech has existed for decades...” L
As the two involved came to terms with everything, the spectating Blackie could hold in his agitation no longer. This was not how this drama was supposed to play out, ah!! ‘I waited so long for this final showdown, looking forward to a dramatic boss fight of life and death!’ ‘Ah, ah! I already pulled my content filter down, and you show me this?!?’ щ(゚Д゚щ) They really had him duped! Made him all excited, imagining a big catfight between the new and the old lovers! And in the end, these two weren’t even an actual couple but a pair of… a pair of… frenemies? Blackie got so agitated that he even contacted his immediate supervisor to vent his anger, lodging a complaint that he hadn’t been sufficiently briefed about his mission! Ah, ah! ‘How could you keep this important info from me?!’ After so many millennia supporting Blackie and his previous host from behind the scenes, the system from the MIM
“I just want to shut up some people’s dirty mouths and stop my family from worrying,” Maery explained. Many socialites were sneering and mocking her behind her back, saying that her fiancé abhorred her and that this marriage was a sham. The more shameless ones even said that she was a slut, trying to seduce Astar Levi, only to be disdained. If she could slap all those disgusting faces until they were swollen, she’d gladly do it! She already had to endure two decades married to someone she didn’t like; why would she endure even more of the abuse if she didn’t have to? Besides, it wasn’t just her that was suffering due to this but also her loved ones. Maery’s gaze turned helpless, yet doting, “After seeing your scary face and stand-offish demeanor at today’s party, my brother is looking at me with tears in his big eyes like I am a martyr about to be sent on a suicide mission!” She hid her mouth behind her hand and giggled, “He even begged me, fo
Levi’s eyebrows furrowed more and more until he could remain silent no longer, “Can you eat more… quietly?” (≖ ‸ ≖) Maery crunched on her shrimp chips, “Lev, I keep telling you. There is a very simple solution to your problem, and its name is ‘noise-canceling earbuds’.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Levi, (눈_눈) “And I keep telling you, not being able to hear what’s happening around me is dangerous.” Maery, “And as I already mentioned once or twice, it wouldn’t be dangerous if you just used a Shielder bodyguard like normal people!” (︶^︶)ノ Levi, (°ㅂ°╬) “And as I already mentioned, once or twice, assassination attempts are the highlight of my day!” Maery finally looked up from her light screen to shoot Levi a look one would use to look at a pitiful retarded child, “That reminds me, what happened to what we talked about last time? Have you gone to seek psychiatric treatment yet?” 。◕ ‿ ◕。 Levi, “Scram!” (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ Blackie, (っ °Д °;)っ ‘Don’t dismis
Blackie came out of the memory lane, feeling like he had aged 10,000 years! Unfortunately, in his absence, the present versions of Levi and Maery, had not even matured a bloody second! They were still bickering exactly the same as before he had left! "Would you stop making me sound like the plague?!" Levi snapped. Maery giggled and easily dismissed his complaint, "Don't be silly. I wouldn't let my brother contract the plague!" Levi, "…" (눈_눈) How can this person and his baby have the same parents? And how can that very similar appearance between the two siblings evoke a totally different feeling in his heart? “I can’t wait to see which unlucky bloke will end up with you!” Levi snorted, “You better make mental preparations. You won’t be able to find a better husband than me!” “Nonsense! Nearly anyone is better than you!” Maery immediately refuted. “Oh? Name one man that is or would be a better husband than me!” Levi chal
“Just let the kids solve it amongst themselves. As long as the three come to an agreement, I have nothing to say. Speaking of which…” Cordia mommy turned to tap something on her communicator. She seemed to be calling Maery, for a short moment later, Maery’s face appeared on her light screen. Cordia mommy scanned her ruddy-cheeked daughter and then tentatively asked, “Honey… did… did you beat up–ahem, have a talk with Levi?” Maery snickered with her pearly white teeth on full display, “Yeah. Who would’ve thought that Levi, that block of wood would actually be set on fire by our family’s cute little dumpling!" Astar Levi, who had been cursed out as a block of wood right in his face, “…” (눈_눈) Astar mommy, who was still on the line and had just had her son cursed outright to her face, (*◕‿◕*) Curse? What curse? Little Maery was just stating the truth, ah! The two mothers let out a collective breath of relief. Phew! So the ex-bride w
In the end, Noah, this good baby, could read the mood and decided to stay silent. Since the two, for some reason, didn’t wish to go to dinner yet, then he’d go along with their plans. And that’s how the trio, with the accompaniment of several bodyguards, ended up going to the west skyscraper where there was a huge cinema. On the way there, every once in a while, there would be a camera flashing their way from the iron-blooded reporters who wouldn’t let one terrorist attack get in the way of their bonus. Naturally, the trio just ignored them. Firstly, they were used to media attention. Secondly, they had nothing to hide. And thirdly, in the case of Levi and Maery, they hoped that the footage of today would go out because it could give more weight to their future explanation of the truth behind the change of marriage partners. In that spirit, to give the media some more juicy shots, as soon as the trio entered the establishment, Maery giddily floated aw
Before Noah could respond, what Levi had been waiting for since the beginning of the movie finally happened! On the screen, a zombie jumped from out of nowhere! Without further ado, Levi’s arm that had been resting on the backrest behind Noah swooped in like an eagle catching a small fluffy bunny. The bunny, caught completely unprepared, ended up encircled and snatched up right into the belly–uh, the lap of the predator. A high-pitched squeal reverberated through the empty cinema, yet the source of it wasn’t the dumbfounded bunny who found himself in the arms of the wolf with his face pressed into the other’s sturdy chest but the spectating fujoshi some seats away. Levi ground his teeth at the ear-piercing interruption. Enlisting the help of this pig teammate was the worst mistake of his life!! Since he had no way to vent the stifling fire burning in his chest on its source at the moment, Levi concentrated back on his precious darling. He held Noah’s