Chapter 132 — Brother and Annoyance
Merin looked at Kakashi for a moment and sighed lightly.
"I guess you're having problems digesting your memories, Annoyance Number One." He tilted his head slightly. "I think I'll help you."
Merin slowly raised his hand. The moment he did—Kakashi's body froze. His grip loosened. The blue soul sword disappeared instantly. Kakashi collapsed to the ground, the white blood at the corner of his mouth slowly bleeding back into a natural, crimson red.
Akira, finally breaking through his shock, rushed forward. "What did you do to him?!"
Merin looked at Akira calmly, then arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Solaris… what exactly is it that you think I would do to him?"
Akira frowned. "I don't know you."
For a moment, Merin looked genuinely wounded. He pressed a hand to his chest, his expression a mask of Shakespearean agony.
"To think!" he cried, his voice dripping with exaggerated melodrama. "I endured the eternal burden of being your brother. Then, once you ascended to become a Hero, I suffered the divine misfortune of becoming your master!"
He shook his head, a heavy, theatrical sigh escaping his lips. "And yet, even now, the heavens demand I continue to suffer the insolence of my own disciple. How cruel the fates truly are!"
Akira stared at him, deadpan. "…At least your dramatic personality is still intact."
Merin grinned. Then, his body suddenly began to shrink. In a flash of light, he shed his adult form, shifting into the nine-year-old boy Akira remembered from the grave memory.
Merin crossed his arms casually. "He'll be fine," he said, gesturing toward Kakashi. "I think his core soul recognized Alan, which is why he attacked me. If he had his full memories from before, he definitely wouldn't be acting like a cornered animal."
Merin's smile slowly turned mischievous, his red eyes sparkling with a predatory sort of amusement. "I'm actually looking forward to the moment he wakes up. I want to see his face once he remembers everything… and realizes he just tried to execute me."
Merin chuckled. "The sheer embarrassment will be delicious."
Akira blinked in confusion. "Wait… do you know Kakashi from before?"
Merin looked at him as if he had just asked if the sun was hot. "Yeah." He pointed casually at Kakashi's unconscious body. "Annoyance Number One here…" He smirked. "…is my soul brother."
Akira's eyes widened.
"Anyway, you should keep one thing in mind," Merin added, leaning in closer. "The nickname 'Annoyance' is a title I reserve exclusively for my siblings." He paused, his smile widening. "So… you understand what that implies, right?"
A strange, heavy realization settled in Akira's chest. Merin wasn't just a ghost from a past life or a distant mentor.
He was family.