“〇〇〇〇~~♪ 〇〇〇~〇〇〇〇~~♪”
We drove to my relative’s house, but the entire trip was basically Old Man’s personal karaoke concert.
I’ve censored the lyrics to avoid copyright issues.
You know the one—something about a robot that can’t cry tears, doing some kind of scramble dash. If you know what I’m talking about, feel free to leave a comment in the reviews.
“〇〇~〇〇〇〇〇〇〇〇〇〇♪ 〇〇~〇〇〇〇〇〇♪ 〇〇〇〇〇~♪”
He sang all sorts of other songs, too, but every single one was either from a robot anime or a tokusatsu superhero show. I’m pretty knowledgeable about that stuff myself, but I had absolutely no intention of singing along.
If anything—
“〇〇〇~〇〇~〇~♪ 〇・〇・〇・〇—”
“Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Right when he was really getting into it, I’d scream my lungs out and completely ruin the part where he was supposed to get fired up.
“…Yoshito, do you hate me?”
“Giggle giggle♪ Giggle giggle♪”
Pretend to be a baby. Pretend to be a baby.
I’m an innocent little baby, Old Man! I wasn’t trying to mess up your singing or anything!
I kept up my little acts of harassment as we got onto the expressway, eventually got off, and drove for another two hours.
The car finally entered a provincial city along the coast. We stopped in front of a beautiful detached house in a quiet residential neighborhood. A two-story home with its own garden. It had a pretty middle-class vibe to it.
“…It’s been a long time, Naoki.”
The man who came out to greet us was tall and well-built, with a lean, disciplined physique.
Judging by his build, he probably practiced some kind of martial art. He’s a man of few words, with a stoic air about him.
“Hey, Shuji. Well then, I’ll leave this kid in your care.”
Old Man handed me over to the other party and promptly left without so much as a proper thank-you.
Even if he’s only asking them to raise his own son, wasn’t that attitude a little much? It was downright inconsiderate. Or maybe just plain lacking in common sense.
Sorry about my Old Man.
When I’m old enough, I’ll repay this family for their kindness—not him.
“Come on.”
The man called Shuji didn’t seem offended in the slightest. He simply carried me inside.
The entrance was spotlessly tidy. There was probably some kind of air freshener around, because the place was filled with a pleasant, citrusy floral scent.
“Oh, Shuji, what happened to the boy’s father?”
In the living room, a kind-looking woman is gently soothing a baby. Probably their child.
“Naoki said he was busy. Well, nothing new there.”
“Oh, what a shame. I made extra food for lunch, too.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll eat all of it myself.”
“Hehe. Just don’t eat so much that you upset your stomach.”
The two of them exchanged warm smiles.
They seemed to be a very happy couple.
“Yuu! Yuu!”
The voice didn’t come from me. It belonged to the other baby in the room.
“Oh, my. It looks like Mia’s interested in Yoshito-kun.”
Mia. Judging by the name, I guessed the baby’s a girl.
“Good for you, Mia. You’re getting a big brother. …Or would he be your little brother?”
“Shuji, didn’t you ask Yoshito-kun when his birthday is?”
“I believe it’s in October.”
“Mia’s birthday is in October, too.”
“Hmm…”
Shuji frowned, looking troubled.
“Give me a moment. I’ll call Naoki and ask.”
He sat me down on the living room sofa, then took out his smartphone and stepped into the hallway.
“My goodness, Shuji can be so clueless about the important details.”
The woman giggled softly. Then she bent down a little until we were at eye level.
“Nice to meet you, Yoshito-kun. I’m Yuko Kirasawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She smiled warmly and introduced herself.
“And this is Mia, Kirasawa Mia. Be nice to her, okay?”
“Yuu! Yuu!”
It happened in an instant.
Mia squirmed free from her mother’s grasp and—
“Yuuu!”
—suddenly launched herself straight at me.
Could this be some kind of rite of passage for newcomers in the baby world?
Or so I thought.
Nope. That wasn’t it at all.
『Hey, are you the Hero? You’re the Hero, right?!』
A telepathic connection suddenly opened between us.
I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
How could a baby who’d only been alive for a few months use magic?
『I never thought I’d meet you in a place like this! Ehehe… Hero, Hero, Hero…』
Mia hugged me tightly, a radiant smile blooming across her face.
Apparently, she knew me from my previous life.
Could it be that one of my former party members had been reincarnated as well?
『Hey, do you remember me? I look so different now that you probably can’t recognize me.
It’s me, Mia. Mia Granzfield. The Demon Lord’s daughter, and, um… well… the Hero’s—』
Huh? W-what?
Your voice was too small. I couldn’t quite hear you. Could you say it again?
…Just kidding. At least with telepathy, there was no such thing as being hard of hearing.
What Mia had said was—the Hero’s lover.
What was that supposed to mean?
Even after searching through my memories of my previous life, I couldn’t think of a single thing that would explain it. As far as I remembered, the most I’d ever done was hold Mia’s hand at the very end.
Could it be that I was missing some memories, and I’d actually said something ridiculously romantic to her?
『Hero?』
Noticing my confusion, Mia peered into my eyes with her big, round eyes.
『Maybe… you don’t remember me?』
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. If I told her the truth, I would hurt her.
And that frightened me.
For a while, neither of us said anything. Eventually, Mia slowly pulled away.
『Uhm… I-I’m sorry, okay? You don’t have to worry about it, Hero. I just got carried away on my own. That’s all. Yeah. 』
She hurriedly tried to cover up her embarrassment.
『I’m not going to pretend to be your girlfriend when you don’t even remember me. And, well… we’re siblings, anyway. So, uhm… I’d be happy if you could just get along with me as family. Hehe… 』
＊ ＊ ＊
I was born at 5:00 a.m. on October 18th. Mia was born at 1:00 p.m. on October 18th.
By the narrowest of margins, that made me the older brother.
Apparently, Old Man hadn’t even remembered the exact time of my birth, so Shuji-san had called the hospital to find out.
Talk about being meticulous.
Anyway, that’s not important.
I need some advice.
HELP WANTED. My lover (presumably) from my previous life has become my little sister. How the hell am I supposed to act around her?
The fact that she’s being way too considerate and keeping her distance only makes it hurt even more.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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