Arthur's stomach let out a loud protest, grumbling in hunger. Clara glanced at him, amusement dancing in her eyes as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"Did you forget to eat before coming here?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.
Arthur rubbed his stomach, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him. "Liz wouldn't let me have breakfast! She dragged me out before I could even take a bite."
Clara hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Why don't we grab some lunch? It's almost noon!"
"That sounds great!" Arthur nodded eagerly, then turned to Liz and Snow, who were still splashing around in the pool.
"Liz! Snow! Time to get out of the water and eat!" he called out.
Liz and Snow turned their heads towards him, pouting with disappointment etched on their faces.
"Big brother," Liz whined, crossing her arms defiantly. "I haven't had enough fun yet! Why'd you stop us?"
Arthur shot her an exasperated glare while holding Snow in his arms. "If you'd let me eat breakfast earlier, you could've enjoyed yourself longer. You brought this upon yourself!"
With that, he playfully tickled Snow, eliciting giggles from her as droplets of water flew from her wet hair.
The four of them were already on their way to a restaurant when Liz continued to sulk about being pulled from the pool too soon. If only she had allowed Arthur his breakfast!
"Come on, Liz! Don't be sad," Clara chimed in cheerfully as she took Liz's hand. "After lunch, we'll hit the mall for clothes and toys, and I'll even buy you ice cream!"
"Really?!" Liz's eyes sparkled with excitement as her frown vanished.
"Yes! I promise," Clara affirmed with a warm smile.
"Yay! Big sister Clara is the best, not like someone!" Liz exclaimed proudly while casting a teasing glance at Arthur.
Arthur couldn't help but twitch his lips at her antics and shook his head in amusement.
Time flew by as they arrived at a nearby restaurant for lunch before heading to the mall.
Arthur found himself laden with bags filled with all sorts of items that seemed utterly useless to him, yet for Clara, Liz, and Snow, it was pure joy: toys galore and endless princess outfits adorned their shopping spree!
By the end of it all, Arthur felt like a walking cart stuffed with heavy bags hanging off every limb.
He was drenched in sweat after climbing up and down four floors of shopping madness; if not for the Gene Evolution Liquid enhancing his physique, he might have collapsed under the weight!
What truly left Arthur speechless was the boundless energy of Clara, Liz, and Snow. They roamed the shopping mall with an enthusiasm that suggested there was no tomorrow.
The two little girls, along with their big sister, really put Arthur through his paces.
By the end of their shopping spree, his legs were trembling from exhaustion!
Fortunately, it seemed these girls had a bit of compassion; they finally stopped when they noticed his miserable expression.
After all that effort, they managed to buy him just a scarf.
A simple scarf!Despite feeling a pang of disappointment in his heart, Arthur couldn't help but feel happy deep down for having taken his little sister out for some fun. Her melodious laughter filled him with joy.
Even Snow, who usually shied away from social interactions, let loose and giggled more than ever, her usual quiet demeanor replaced by smiles and laughter.
All things considered, it wasn't so bad after all; at least he had a beautiful girl by his side throughout the day.
After shopping, they made their way to the cinema to watch a melodramatic movie that had Arthur cringing in his seat.
He nearly choked on his popcorn as he watched Liz and Snow engrossed in the film with surprising gusto.
How could anyone enjoy such a cliché?
He shook his head in disbelief and soon found himself scrolling through his phone out of boredom.
"Why aren't you watching? It's really good!" Clara leaned closer to him, her sweet feminine scent wafting into his nostrils.
Arthur's nose twitched slightly as he turned to her. "Smells good!" he muttered absentmindedly.
"Huh?" Clara blinked in surprise before realizing what he meant; a blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I'm asking why you're not watching!" she insisted through gritted teeth while glaring at him.
"Oh! What can I say? This movie is simply trash!" Arthur replied disdainfully as he glanced back at the screen.
"What do you mean 'trash'? It's a romance movie! It's heartbreaking!" Clara exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Pfft! You call this romance? This is just bootlicking and simp nonsense! Where's the real romance?" Arthur almost laughed out loud at her incredulity.
"What do you mean bootlicking? And what even is 'simp'?" Clara asked, clearly confused.
"Let me ask you something: Who is chasing whom in this so-called romance?" Arthur smirked knowingly.
"The male lead, of course," Clara answered confidently.
"Then why does the female lead keep him hanging like that? She expects gifts and attention but always claims she needs time to think about it when he confesses. Instead of giving up like any rational person would after being treated like an ATM machine, he keeps chasing her around like a lost puppy! Isn't that bootlicking?"
Clara frowned as she glanced at the movie still playing on the screen. It dawned on her that Arthur was completely right: the female lead kept stringing along the male lead, rejecting his advances while simultaneously giving him false hope for a potential romance.
"But women have to be reserved; they can't just accept a guy's confession outright," Clara insisted.
Arthur shot her a speechless look. "Sure, you can be reserved, but this kind of one-sided love? That's not my cup of tea. Chasing after someone who treats you like their personal ATM? What does that make you if not a simp and a bootlicker?"
Clara glared at him defiantly. "If you think this movie is so bad, why don't you create a better romance film?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Oh! How did you know I'm working on a romance movie?"
"You're making a movie?" Clara's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yep! The Osborn Family's entertainment company is planning to release it in the next month or two. By then, you'll see what a truly good romance looks like!" Arthur said with an enthusiastic smile.
"I bet it won't even be good," Clara scoffed.
"Want to bet?" Arthur challenged, locking eyes with her.
"Oh? What are the stakes?" Clara asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"If you cry during my movie, I win; if you don't cry, I lose. Sound fair?" Arthur proposed, wearing a meaningful grin.
"That's easy!" Clara thought for a moment before nodding confidently. "And remember, I've never lost a bet before; I'm the queen of gambling!"
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle at her bravado as he studied her with an amused expression.
Clara felt heat rise to her cheeks under his gaze and quickly glared back at him to mask her embarrassment. "What? Can't women gamble too?"
"No, no! I didn't mean that women can't gamble," Arthur stammered defensively while scanning the theater for any disapproving female bystanders.
He didn't want to get into trouble with any feminists lurking around; after all, he only had one mouth and couldn't fight against machine-gun arguments!
Relieved when he noticed no one was paying attention to them, especially not any women, he turned back to Clara.
She looked puzzled for a moment but soon returned her focus to the movie with wide-eyed fascination.
Meanwhile, Arthur found himself unable to endure another minute of this film's nonsense and buried his head in his phone instead, scrolling through gossip news online.