Just like that? I died?
So suddenly?
Everything around me was dark.
As Kazuya pondered whether he'd remembered to delete his study materials before dying, he felt a sudden pull at his feet. His body flipped upside down, and someone began slapping his backside.
What are you doing? Is this how you save someone? You call this first aid?
Watch it—I'll sue.
Then a sensation of drowning surged through his chest. His lungs filled with liquid, and it became harder to breathe. So this is what death feels like?
He gagged and vomited something up. His breathing eased.
Miracle doctor?
He was hoisted up again. Someone pried open his mouth. Voices surrounded him—some male, some female—but they spoke in a language he didn't understand.
Japanese?
He couldn't see anything clearly, just hazy outlines. But his hearing was intact.
Maybe this was all just a hallucination right before death.
———
About nine months passed.
Kazuya never imagined that he'd be reborn—this time as an infant, his memories intact.
Now he was living in Japan, in a new body, under a new name: Kazuya Miyamura.
The "system," if it had ever existed, hadn't returned. After nine months of silence, Kazuya gave up on it with a quiet sigh.
He crawled over to a floor-length mirror. A plump baby stared back at him.
He looked for a long time...
Haha... you're actually kind of cute.
Just then, a beautiful woman walked in from the wooden hallway. Without hesitation, she scooped him up before he could fall and gave his cheek a big, playful bite.
Carrying him into the corridor, she called out to someone down the hall. "Honey! Kazu's looking in the mirror again. So vain, isn't he?"
This woman was his adoptive mother in this life—Shizuka Miyamura.
The person she called to was Daisuke Miyamura, his father.
Daisuke soon returned from the far end of the hallway, took Kazuya from Shizuka's arms, and kissed his other cheek.
"Oh right," Daisuke said, looking up. "We've got new neighbors. Moved in next door. Their name is Nishimiya, I think."
Shizuka looked surprised. "Then I'll go say hello later."
"Why not now? Maybe they could use a hand." Daisuke gestured to the entrance, and together they put on their shoes and stepped outside.
They walked a short distance and arrived at a modest two-story house. The home had a red-tiled roof and white plastered walls—quaint, warm, traditional.
A silver nameplate hung beside the gate, engraved with the name "Nishimiya."
Shizuka noticed that some debris near the entrance had been swept aside. Probably the movers.
A man standing near the door turned and noticed them. He quickly put down what he was carrying and approached.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Hello," Daisuke said. "I'm Daisuke Miyamura. We live next door. Thought we'd come introduce ourselves."
He gently lifted Kazuya's small hand and waved it in greeting. "This is my son, Kazuya. He's just over nine months old. Cute, right?" Daisuke's tone brimmed with pride.
Shizuka nudged her husband with a glance, urging him to calm down. She stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I'm Shizuka Miyamura, Daisuke's wife. Pleased to meet you."
The man returned the gesture. "I'm Hisashi Nishimiya. Nice to meet you. Please take care of us."
Inside the house, a woman sat kneeling on the tatami, glancing toward the door with concern. Seeing that Hisashi had been gone a while, she stepped out—cradling a baby in her arms.
The baby's eyes sparkled as Hisashi gently touched her hand and cooed. Her toothy grin was irresistible.
"This is my daughter, Shoko Nishimiya. Isn't she sweet?" Hisashi said, glancing meaningfully at Daisuke.
The woman holding Shoko ignored the edge in Hisashi's voice. "I'm Yaeko Nishimiya," she said simply, omitting the formal bow.
Shizuka and Yaeko struck up a conversation—talking about the neighborhood and nearby shops.
The men stayed quiet, listening nearby.
Kazuya, not yet able to follow complex Japanese, fixated on the baby in Yaeko's arms—Shoko.
This little rascal...
Shoko stared back at the boy in Daisuke's arms, stretching out her hands, trying to reach him.
Yaeko noticed and smiled. "Let's not stand out here. Come in and have some snacks we brought from the countryside."
She turned to re-enter the house, but Shoko suddenly began to cry.
It was only then that Daisuke realized she had been reaching for Kazuya.
He stepped closer.
As soon as Kazuya was within reach, Shoko stopped crying. She grabbed his cheeks with both hands and pulled him closer.
Kazuya let out a breath. Alright, I'll play along.
He leaned forward, his lower body still held securely by Daisuke.
Everyone watched, curious to see what the children would do. Then, unexpectedly, Shoko darted forward and bit him square on the lips.
"Ah!!" Kazuya's scream startled everyone.
Hisashi rushed forward to separate them. When they were pulled apart, faint bite marks were visible on Kazuya's lips.
Yaeko lightly tapped Shoko's hand in scolding. But Shoko only clapped and laughed.
"Sorry, sorry," Hisashi said quickly. "She's teething. Biting everything lately."
He turned and dashed into the house. Moments later, he returned with a box of fancy chocolates.
Daisuke passed Kazuya to Shizuka and politely refused the gift.
"Don't worry. Kazu's fine," he said, laughing. "Just covered in Shoko's drool."
Hisashi bent down to check Kazuya's face and was surprised. Other than the initial scream, the boy hadn't cried. He just kept staring at Shoko, who clapped her hands and giggled.
Kazuya looked at her in disbelief. My first kiss in this life… gone just like that? This brat... already aiming for my face?
Seeing he remained quiet, Shizuka called out, "Kazu?"
"Ah?" Kazuya blinked, realizing she was speaking to him. He turned and looked up.
"Kazu is really amazing," Hisashi said, impressed. "Not even crying."
Daisuke lit up at the praise and immediately launched into stories of Kazuya's baby milestones.
Kazuya watched his father talk. Shouldn't you be checking if your kid's alright?
Shizuka, watching her husband ramble, sighed internally. He's been triggered—now he won't stop.
She grabbed his arm. "Honey, let's check Kazu's mouth. We can talk more later."
Daisuke nodded. "Right. Let's head back."
They said their goodbyes and started walking home.
Shoko, still in Yaeko's arms, reached out for Kazuya as they left.
———
Back home, they opened the front door, slipped off their shoes, and stepped onto the hallway floor in white socks. They turned into the sitting room.
On the tatami, the marks on Kazuya's lips had faded.
They set him in the crib. The couple knelt beside him and resumed chatting.
Kazuya watched, then yawned. He grabbed the blanket beside him and covered himself.
Healthy in every way… just always sleepy.
Chapter 4: Three Years Old
Time passed quickly. Two years had gone by in the blink of an eye since Kazuya had first met the Nishimiya family.
Now, he was approaching his third birthday.
During this time, he had tried everything he could think of to summon the "system"—but nothing had worked.
A lot had happened over these two years, but one thing had remained unchanged: the composition of Kazuya's own family. An unreliable father, a doting but absent-minded mother, and a quiet boy who rarely spoke his mind.
In the neighborhood, he was known as "the little kid" who never cried or made trouble. His well-behaved demeanor and cute looks had won over many hearts. No one could have guessed that the soul of a college student was quietly hiding in that tiny body.
Shizuka Miyamura and Daisuke Miyamura were first-time parents. To them, Kazuya was nothing short of a miracle—how could they suspect anything strange about the son they had brought into the world with their own blood, sweat, and tears?
Kazuya walked over to the floor-length mirror and stared at the image reflected back at him. He was almost three years old.
He gazed at himself for a while...
Haha... I've gotten even cuter.
From the tatami mat nearby, Shizuka glanced up from the magazine she was reading.
"Kazuya, you're getting more conceited every day."
Without turning around, Kazuya raised a chubby index finger and replied, "You talk too much."
Shizuka's forehead twitched, a vein visibly pulsing.
She got up quietly and walked behind him. Kazuya saw her approach in the mirror, but didn't move.
Then, she scooped him up, pinned him with her legs to keep him from escaping, and began rubbing his cheeks with exaggerated force, trying to teach him a lesson.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, Mother," Kazuya cried out in a soft, dramatic voice. "If you keep rubbing like that, my skin will fall off!"
She stopped at just the right moment, rubbing his now-reddened cheeks gently. Then, seeing that it was enough, she planted a big kiss on his cheek.
Kazuya sat in silence as she returned to her spot and resumed flipping through her magazine like nothing had happened.
He could only wipe the saliva from his face helplessly.
———
A few peaceful days went by, until one evening a ripple of tension entered the household—brought in by a bit of news from the Nishimiya family.
The three of them were gathered in the living room, watching a comedy show on TV. Daisuke picked an orange from the basket on the table and started peeling it.
Suddenly, Shizuka looked over, as if remembering something. Her voice was low and uncertain as she asked, "Dear... did you know?"
Hearing this, Daisuke froze mid-peel. He looked up nervously. "You know?"
Shizuka didn't seem to notice his reaction. She calmly took over the orange in his hand and began peeling it herself.
"Yes. I heard from Yaeko that Shoko was diagnosed with hearing loss."
"Ah? Ah..."
She peeled the fruit halfway and shoved a segment into Daisuke's mouth. But seeing how confused and surprised he acted, she frowned.
"What kind of reaction is that? Don't tell me you didn't know?"
"Did the doctor say if there's any treatment?" he asked, swallowing the orange and feigning a calm expression. He was clearly trying to change the subject.
Shizuka didn't press further. She gently handed a slice to Kazuya, who was sitting quietly and watching TV.
Then, she looked back at her husband and began recounting what Yaeko had told her that day...