Chapter Text
Scenario 1: The Beginning
As a vocal online fan of Hamefura, Keith knows this face well. Extremely well, in fact. Perhaps too well. But why is this face his? What is he doing in the apparent body of Keith Claes! It just had to be the weird pseudo-incest guy? Really?
No mistake, he liked Keith in some ways…but you can’t just get over such a vast hurdle as siblings. If the isekai gods had to smite him, it should have been as Alan. But all this is secondary to the fact that now he’s Keith goddamn Claes. And by the looks of it, he’s not nearly young enough to escape the plot by running away before the Claes family finds him, because the nice quality of the carpet and the very ostentatious room are not a good sign. The casual display of fabulous wealth is starting to make him a little baffled. Like, this is way too much, right?
Keith (because that is his name now, like it or not), sighs. There’s no point in avoiding the main plot. Katarina herself proved that in the og Hamefura! Maybe instead, he can just make sure that Katarina ends up with Maria. Then hopefully the rest of her harem will give up in the face of how shining and amazing Maria is. You can’t go wrong with a lesbian happy ending! Hopefully…
In the meantime, he can enjoy having Katarina as a silly, loving older sister. He’s never had siblings before, so it would be nice to be doted on like a little brother. A plus side in the face of a life that may turn out insane.
At that exact moment, his maid (?) enters the room.
“Lord Keith, you’re awake? It’s nearly time for breakfast. Let me assist you in getting dressed.”
“Uhm. Thank you.” Smooth. Very smooth.
She helps him button up his vest before remarking, “Also, the new magic tutor the lord and lady hired for you arrived late last night. Lady Millidiana requested I inform you that your lessons will begin an hour after breakfast today.”
Alright, that places the timeline either directly after the Katarina axe incident, or maybe a little later if the original tutor somehow got fired for incompetence. Not bad; it would be way harder to live a normal life if Keith had already gotten up to rival shenanigans with the rest of the reverse harem. He can't imagine trying to somehow salvage those relationships. Ah yes, it's me! Normal Keith, except I now don't hate you for some reason. They would almost definitely send him to the infirmary. Except, Keith feels like he’s forgetting something important. He can't for the life of him put a finger on exactly what it is. Oh well. It happens.
In the study room, three hours later and facing the expectant face of his new magic tutor, he remembers. Oh my fucking god, wait. Keith thinks. I’m supposed to have magic now. I do not know how to do magic. There had better be an isekai solution to this, or he's leveling the wall and burying himself 20 feet below ground.
Scenario 2: Characters? Plot? In This Economy?
He exits the lesson feeling like his brain just got chewed up by a very naughty dog and spat out. Oof. The author never said that magic study felt similar to getting put in advanced calculus class, but then again the author wrote the character of Keith to be hypercompetent in magic. He squeaked by through muscle memory and a weird sixth sense, which he just interprets as something programmed into his transmigration brain. Keith is not looking forward to years more of this. He already did his time in college.
He’s so focused on his inner thoughts that he doesn’t notice when he walks smack into Katarina and Geordo. Katarina just dropped? Threw? what looks to be a toy snake, which is what jolts him out of his stupor. It’s a plot point. In real life! Keith would be freaking out way more if he wasn’t also suddenly focused on how absolutely sad and pathetic Geordo looks while terrified of the snake.
Keith feels a bit bad. Geordo is black-hearted, but right now he’s also like, a kid. He hasn’t had a chance to grow into his dastardly ways. Also, phobias are no joke. Keith remembers being violently ill once over a tomato when he was a kid (Well he is a kid now. But that’s not the point.) and never eating one ever again.
Okay, it’s not the same thing. But hasn’t Geordo been punished enough? Keith decides that, fuck it, he might as well intervene. Maybe he can also steer Geordo away from Katarina somehow if the stars align. He makes up his mind and marches forward.
“Sister? What are you doing?” He calls out.
Katarina yelps. “What, Keith? What are you doing here?!!”
Keith tsks. He sweeps forward and closes his hand around the snake, pulling it away from Geordo. He then turns around to face Katarina and pockets the toy. Great. Now time to pull the patent-pending Keith is a cutie-pie move. Keith scrunches up his face a little and pouts.
“Sister…what were you doing with this toy?”
Katarina panics, naturally. “Nothing much! Of course! We were simply. Um. Studying it! Looking at nature, it’s important to know what snakes look like!”
Keith narrows his eyes a little. “You weren’t…being mean to this pretty guy over here?”
(The author would like to note that while Keith may be aware of the canon, he is still a little stupid. It’s the Claes in him. He is Not thinking about how strange it is for baby Keith, who has never met Geordo at this point, to call him pretty. Geordo and Katarina, on the other hand, are very aware.)
Katarina vigorously shakes her head, before pausing. She takes ten full seconds to process Keith’s statement and latches onto the last bit.
“No, of course not – pretty? Wait, Keith, what did you just say?”
In the background, Geordo, who is trying to regain his composure after an undignified fall, chokes.
Keith does not recognize his faux pas, so he just repeats, “You weren’t being mean, right?” He unconsciously pouts more at the two of them. Now you see, Keith is operating under the idea that he is still in a relatively normal body. He knows his face is sweet and cute, but he doesn’t know the extent.
Keith is under the impression that this is happening:
Katarina: Oh my goodness, I can’t get mad at him for interrupting as he’s my adorable brother.
Geordo: Wow, I avoided a terrible fate. This guy is awesome for helping me, even if it is embarrassing.
In actuality, it's more like this.
Katarina: Unexpectedly Keith enters the arena? OMG! Don’t tell me Keith’s heart is being stolen by the black-hearted prince! No, nooo! My sweet little brother! You can’t be taken in by Geordo’s charms!
Geordo: An unexpectedly fluffy puppy-like boy called me pretty? And is defending me? What is going on?!
“Not all! No being mean here!” Katarina opts to violently hug Keith out of confusion. Keith just goes with it. He knows she’s not actually bullying Geordo. And he does love a good semi-strangling hug.
Geordo dusts himself off and coughs conspicuously into his hand. “Why, Katarina, I don’t believe I’ve been introduced to your…friend here.”
Katarina pauses once more. “Oh, right! This is my new little brother, Keith. Isn’t he so cute?” She pinches Keith’s cheeks. “Keith, this is Prince Geordo. Now you guys have met!”
Geordo privately looks a little bummed that Katarina is not introducing him as her fiance, Keith thinks. But that isn’t really his business. Now, he needs to make a good impression on the prince so they don’t somehow end up as bitter rivals fighting over his sister’s love. Also, he just realized he’s not supposed to know who Geordo is until this exact moment. Close call.
He finagles his way out of Katarina’s grip and bows 90 degrees. That’s how it works, right?
“Hello, Prince Geordo? It’s a pleasure to meet you. Uhm. Why are you visiting my sister?”
Geordo looks a little pleased. “Well, you see, Katarina is my fiance. So of course, I am paying her a visit. As fiances do. I suppose that would make you my future brother-in law.” He does a weird little smirk thing.
Jesus Christ. No wonder Katarina thinks this guy is out to get her. If Keith didn’t actually know a little better, he would think Geordo is talking down to him. Which, well. He is. However, there is a distinct feeling that Geordo also has no fucking clue how to talk to people in a friendly and non-hostile manner. So Keith sighs again, internally. Alright, let's salvage this.
“Wow…really? Hm, I think I understand.”
“That’s wonderful, Lord Keith.”
“So we can be friends forever then! I’ll protect you from snakes, and you can give me nice hugs. I’m sure as my sister’s fiance you must be great at hugs! And you have really pretty hair, too. I’ve never seen such a shade of gold before.”
Geordo: !!!!
“Ah… lord Keith, that’s not what I meant…”
“No?” Keith looks up at Geordo with slightly teary eyes. “You don’t want to be friends?”
“It’s not that! I–”
“I only have my sister as a friend, I can’t have another?”
Katarina glares at Geordo as she hugs Keith again.
Geordo: Panicked!!!!
“No, no! Lord Keith! We can absolutely be. Friends. Yes.”
“Really?!” Keith smiles like the sun. Katarina and Geordo are immediately blinded by its brilliance and left disoriented.
“Yes…woah…”
“So you should call me Keith then. If we’re friends. Right, sister?”
“Yes, of course! Friends should call each other by their name! No need for titles!”
Currently, Geordo is possibly disintegrating under the energy of two Claes kids. As the possible crown prince-to-be, he likes to think of himself as stoic and able to handle any scenario. It turns out that when faced with the very, very cute faces of Katarina and Keith, he in fact loses the ability to function. I get it, man. It’s like, the Claes thing or something.
Keith, meanwhile, is overcome by the joy of actually getting Geordo (Geordo! Of all people) to declare they are friends, even if he had to do some manipulation to get there. He would celebrate way more, but he suddenly hears the voice of doom.
It’s his tutor. He forgot he was only on break. He has to go back to that hell of a study.
“Lord Keith! Lord Keith! It is high time for you to return to our lesson!”
“Oughf.” Keith visibly sags. Katarina obviously notices, and bless her heart, tries to help. “Do you need me to smuggle you out of here?” She whispers, sympathetically. He absolutely wants to take her up on the offer. But Keith knows he has to figure out this magic stuff somehow, even if it takes the worst lessons imaginable. He can’t end up hurting the people he loves on accident because he slacked off in controlling his magic. As weird as his new family is, he does like them. And he has to have something going for him in this world! He slowly shakes his head.
“No. But thank you for that, sister. I do have go back.”
“Alright, my studious little bro,” Katarina says. “So hard-working and smart!”
Keith walks back inside, slightly dejected. On the bright side, once he finally gets older and gets to go to school he can just sleep in class. Probably.
Omake: You Can Have an Early Sexuality Crisis, As a Treat
Geordo stares after Keith’s retreating form. He turns to Katarina. “Is he normally like all that?”
“Like what?” Katarina tilts her head curiously.
“Like…that.” He pantomimes sparkles exploding around his face.
“Oh, that. Yeah, isn’t he such a sweetie ? He’s always trailing after me and asking such cute questions, Keith’s so bright and innocent!”
Bright and innocent, huh. And he called Geordo pretty. Twice. Geordo’s not sure why his face starts to heat up a little at that thought. Keith’s smile lingers in his mind a little. He touches a hand to his hair unconsciously. Gold, unlike Keith’s fetching ash brown. Maybe he and Keith can be friends? It wouldn’t hurt, especially if he marries Katarina, to be on good terms with her family. That’s clearly the smartest course of action.
He pats himself on the back internally. Yeah, that’s right. It’ll make his life easier if he’s friends with Keith.
(Keep telling yourself that, buddy. The author would, however, like to point out how horribly bisexual this kid is going to realize he is in a couple years. Oof. Good luck.)
Omake 2: Electric Boogaloo
Katarina: Is this a future BL? Why are Keith and Geordo suddenly staring at each other?
Is this the solution? To let the capture targets capture each other? We’ve never considered such a thing before! It could work!
Katarina, two seconds later: No! I refuse to let my little brother Keith be influenced by black-hearted Geordo! I can’t let such a thing happen! Anyone but Geordo! Even Nicol Ascart would be better, why, at least he’s a good older brother so he’d take care of Keith. Are we actually considering this?!
Katarina’s conclusion: I have to work hard to protect Keith’s innocence. We’ll avoid the death flags and get Keith a happy ending at the same time!