I wonder how many days had passed. One morning, while I was rolling idly on my futon, my father entered the room accompanied by a young woman. She stepped inside hesitantly, her eyes scanning the room until they locked onto mine. Suddenly, those large, expressive eyes began to brim with tears. Though I had never seen her face before, I knew instinctively. This was my mother.
"Ah... My baby..."
"Our child," my father said. "He is remarkably healthy, and quite the handsome one at that."
Supported by my father, she approached slowly and reached out. Her touch was gentle as she caressed my cheek. Even though this was our first meeting, a profound sense of fulfillment and love swelled within me, and I couldn't help but beam at her.
"Oh my... How can his smile be so beautiful? He's the spitting image of you."
"Hmph. You must be blinded by affection, Saya. The boy takes after you. If he looked like me, his fierce eyes would make him quite unpopular. Consider yourself lucky, Touya."
With a hearty laugh, the Clan Head lifted me and handed me to my mother. She received me with the utmost care, as if she were cradling a priceless treasure.
"Touya, it's your mother. She was practically begging to see you every day. I was worried she'd overexert herself before fully recovering, but she's better now, so I finally brought her to you."
"Oh... he's so precious. Our Touya... Mommy is so sorry she only came to see you now. I wanted to cherish you and hold you so much sooner..."
As she spoke, she pressed her forehead against mine in an act of pure, unfiltered maternal love. My heart felt heavy with emotion. I couldn't even remember the last time I had received such unconditional love. For the first time since my reincarnation, I truly felt glad to have been born into this world.
Ultimately, my infant body couldn't handle the rush of emotion, and I burst into tears. My mother panicked at the sound of my wailing, but my father simply smiled.
"It seems Touya missed his mother quite a bit. It's alright now. Your mother is recovered, and she'll be staying by your side from now on."
"Of course... I want to be by Touya's side—and yours—forever. Even if you told me to leave, I never would. So don't cry, my little one. I love you."
Gazing at my mother as she tearfully soothed me, I eventually grew tired from crying and drifted into a peaceful sleep in her arms.
***
Naobito Zenin watched his wife, Zenin Saya, as she held the sleeping Touya close.
"I don't know who he takes after, but Touya rarely cries. He's incredibly docile. And he's sharp, too. Sometimes, watching his eyes follow the room, it's as if an adult is analyzing the situation."
"Oh? Then I wonder where that comes from? I'm nothing but clumsy... Though, the attendants did mention something similar. They said out of all the children they've looked after, he's the easiest to raise. Our Touya is such a good boy."
Saya gazed warmly at the child in her arms before looking up at Naobito.
"Touya has talent, doesn't he? That means he'll eventually have to live in the world of jujutsu... Honestly, I'm worried. I know he'll do well, but no matter how talented or strong someone is, that world is one where a single mistake means you never come home. To think we have to release him into that..."
Naobito let a soft smile—one that didn't quite suit a man of his standing—touch his face as he addressed his wife's concerns.
"Don't worry too much, Saya. Our child is strong. He carries my blood, and he is your son. Rather than worrying, trust in his talent. Entrust the future of the Zenin to him. I believe Touya will be the one to lead the Zenin Clan to a higher stage. So, don't wear such a sad expression."
Naobito gently stroked Saya's cheek.
"Now, let's leave Touya to his rest and head back. The attendants are looking after him well. You can visit whenever you feel anxious now that you've recovered."
"Yes, dear. I can't help the worry, but I'll believe in him. I'll believe in our son."
Saya laid Touya gently back onto his bed and slowly rose with Naobito's support. The two left the room together, their figures appearing more devoted than ever.
***
The routine of attendants, my father, and Toji visiting me now had a very special addition: my mother.
She almost always came with my father, the two of them acting like inseparable lovebirds. While she nursed me or looked at me lovingly, she would often glance at my father and blush, looking like a woman who had fallen in love all over again.
'Come to think of it, mother's stomach hasn't quite gone down yet. I suppose it takes a long time to lose the pregnancy weight. I wouldn't really know.'
I was wrong.
A few weeks later, when mother visited with father, she whispered to me with a shy smile.
"Touya, you're going to have a younger sibling soon. Isn't that wonderful? We don't know the gender yet, but I'm sure it'll be a beautiful baby just like you. Right, dear?"
"Hm? Ah, yes. Certainly. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful child who takes after you. Yes, of course."
At first, I thought my father just couldn't help himself, but seeing his stunned, somewhat spaced-out reaction... it seemed my mother's gaze was the driving force behind this development. Regardless, if a child is being born now, it's almost certainly Naoya. I'll have to ensure he receives a proper education. He wasn't exactly a character I liked, but if he's born as my brother, he's family. I'll have to put my heart and soul into his 'rehabilitation.'
***
By the time a year had passed since my birth, I had progressed enough to walk short distances and utter simple words. My parents were touching mother's protruding belly and talking when I decided to speak up.
"Pa-pa. Ma-ma."
As I reached out toward my mother, she let out a gasp of shock before rushing to scoop me up. My father froze, his mouth agape, completely forgetting his dignified persona as Clan Head.
"Oh my! Touya... did you just call for Mama and Papa? Dear! Did you hear that? Hurry, come here!"
Snapping out of his stupor, father brought his face close to mine and let out a booming laugh.
"Say it again! Quickly! I want to hear it once more!"
Well, if he insisted. I beamed and repeated myself.
"Pa-pa. Ma-ma."
"Yes! I'm your father, you little rascal! Hahaha! It feels like only yesterday you were crawling, and now you're walking and calling for your parents!"
"Truly. I almost wish he'd grow up a little slower. I want to cherish this small, cute version of him for as long as possible."
Mother placed a brief kiss on my cheek. Seeing my parents so overjoyed by such a trivial thing made my chest tighten. I realized once again that being loved is truly a blessing. But then I thought of Toji... he probably never felt this kind of love. I wished Toji could have grown up loved, too.
"To-ji. To-ji..."
When I said that while looking at my father, his laughter instantly died, and he froze once more.
"Are you... talking about Toji? You little brat... is the third word out of your mouth, after Mama and Papa, 'Toji'? Hmph... Toji must have been treating my son better than I thought."
"It seems so. Since things have turned out this way, why don't we call Toji over? Touya seems to be fond of him."
That was fine by me. I wanted to share this family warmth with Toji. It was pitiful to think of him being shunned and lonely all by himself.
***
Toji was resting in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling, when a knock at the door caught his attention. He turned his head instinctively and was surprised by the voice he heard.
"Toji-kun, may I come in for a moment?"
It was the Clan Head's wife. Damn it... she was the one person he found difficult to handle.
"Come in."
The woman opened the door and entered, speaking to him gently.
"If you have a moment, would you like to go see Touya? He was asking for you."
'How could that brat ask for me? He can't even speak... wait, did he start talking and the first thing he did was call me?'
It was absurd. The kid shouldn't even have heard Toji's name often enough to remember it, nor had Toji done anything worthy of the kid calling for him.
"What did I ever do for that brat to look for me? There's no point in me going there anyway."
Toji tried to cut her off and return to his bed, but the woman spoke again.
"It's because to Touya, Toji-kun is the most comfortable person after his parents. He's seen your face more often than the attendants. And... you're family. To us, and to Touya."
This was it. This was why she was so hard to deal with. It wasn't because she was the Lady of the house or because of her age. It was simply the gentle, considerate atmosphere she exuded with every word. It made his chest feel... itchy. It was a sensation so foreign he could hardly stand it.
'Family... as if such a thing existed for me here. I thought there were only pieces of trash sharing the same blood. Do these people... does that brat really think of me as family?'
Driven by a need to confirm it for himself, Toji found his feet moving to follow her. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the nursery. As he hesitated, her voice came from behind him.
"If you can't believe it, see for yourself—how Touya feels about you."
Toji swallowed hard and slid the door open. Inside, he saw the brat sitting quietly in the Clan Head's arms. Reacting to the sound, the child turned his head and broke into a bright grin.
"Ma-ma. To-ji!"
Toji didn't think much of it when the kid opened his mouth—until his name came out. The moment he heard his name from those tiny lips, his heart started to itch again. That same ticklish feeling from before. It was disorienting. He didn't feel like himself.
As he stood there frozen, the brat wiggled to be let down. Once the Clan Head placed him on the floor, he toddled over to Toji. Toji watched blankly as the kid reached out and hugged his leg. A soft, snug warmth radiated from his leg. Toji's heart began to thrum.
"See? Children don't lie."
The itch in his heart was becoming unbearable, as if it were about to burst. Fearing he might actually cry, Toji looked down and locked eyes with the child. Unaware of Toji's internal turmoil, the boy just clung to his leg, looked up with a smiling face, and spoke.
"To-ji. Cwy?"
"I'm not crying, brat. It's hot, so get off me."
It was just sweat, obviously. There was no way he'd be pathetic enough to cry because of a little kid.