508 - Second Son's Perspective: Some Future, Somewhere
This is an IF short story posted to the activity report in August 2017.
...Huh?
That thought lasted only a moment. I was born with a cry and thrust into the light. I could hear various voices around me, which I assumed were my parents and the midwife, but I couldn't see anything.
...I've heard that babies can't see well, but well, cats don't open their eyes immediately after birth either, right?
Thinking it was something like that, I listened closely to the voices around me. I could tell from the atmosphere that it was peaceful and they were likely rejoicing at the birth of a baby, but other than that, I couldn't understand a word. Rather than just not being able to hear them, it felt like the language itself was different.
...Eh? Don't tell me it's that "reincarnation into another world" thing that's popular right now!?
Even so, it's troubling that I can't understand the language at all. I was at a loss, but it seemed that was a needless worry. As my vision became a bit clearer, I saw that my mother's hair was black, and the hair of the boy who seemed to be my older brother was also black. And above all, my mother only used Japanese when speaking with my brother.
...It's not reincarnation into another world, but rather a Japanese mother in a foreign country, or my father is a foreigner.
Once I understood that I only understood the words of my mother and brother, I felt a bit more at ease. If the language around me is a foreign tongue, I can just learn it from now on. After all, I'm a baby right now, so I'll probably absorb the surrounding information rapidly with this soft head of mine.
...Ah, our eyes met.
My eyes locked perfectly with my brother's blue eyes, and as a Japanese trait, I instinctively put on a polite smile. Whether a baby's polite smile actually looks like a smile is a mystery in itself, but for my part, I intended to smile.
"Mother, Jiro is a reincarnated person."
"Eh!?"
...Eh!?
My inner thoughts overlapped with my mother's voice at the slightly lisped words uttered by my brother. By this time, my vision was already quite clear, and seeing my brother, whose features promised he would grow into a handsome man, and my mother, who looked like a lovely beauty, I felt some hope for my own face. Since my previous life's appearance, even with a generous evaluation, was only that of a clean-cut mob character, I had never experienced being born handsome.
...No, the experience of having memories of a previous life is also a first.
My name in this life is a bit long. Perhaps because of that, my family calls me "Jiro." I thought it was just a nickname, but since the concept of a "reincarnated person" exists and my mother uses Japanese, I must be "Jiro" because I'm the second son. Despite that, I don't get the feeling that my brother is called "Taro."
"Big Brother, why do you think Jiro is a reincarnated person?"
"The spirits are saying so."
...Eh? Are there spirits in this world?
The moment I thought "I want to see them!", the world changed. Should I say my field of vision suddenly opened up? I felt the world become one step brighter. And in that opened vision, things that seemed to be what my brother called "spirits" were lurking here and there.
...Amazing! They're real spirits! So it really is reincarnation into a fantasy world!!
Looking around the world as far as my neck could move, there really were spirits everywhere. On my mother's shoulder was a girl in a red dress who looked exactly like a "fairy," and on my brother's shoulder was a white owl, with two cats, one white and one black, at his feet. Compared to the spirit on my mother's shoulder, they looked like ordinary animals, but since I couldn't see them until a moment ago, they must be spirits too. When my brother picked up the white cat at his feet and placed it by my pillow, my eyes met the golden eyes of the cat as it lifted its head.
...Huh?
Suddenly, I could understand words other than those of my brother and mother. Until now, they had sounded like a foreign language with no meaning, but now I could understand the words of the maid calling to my mother and the words of the gardener speaking to me.
...Is this that "automatic translation" thing? Amazing! The spirits are automatically translating for me!
Since I started understanding the meaning the moment my brother placed the spirit by my pillow, that must be it. My mother peered in with a puzzled look and picked up my body.
"Hello, Jiro. I am your mother. Is it true that you're a reincarnated person?"
"It's true!"
For some reason, my brother answered the mother who was asking me if I was a reincarnated person. He insisted that I was absolutely a reincarnated person, and the spirit sitting on my mother's shoulder agreed.
...I wonder if Mother can't see the spirits?
Even if the spirit on her shoulder was nodding, from my mother's perspective, my brother was the only one saying I was a reincarnated person. After tilting her head with an expression of half-belief, she began to say this in Japanese.
"Do you know right and left?"
...I can at least understand that much.
That's what I thought, but since I can't speak yet, there was no way to answer. While I was worrying about what to do, my mother seemed to realize there was no way for me to answer and changed the question.
"Which one is your right hand?"
I know that, and I waved my right hand.
"Which one is your left hand?"
This time I waved my left hand. With this, my mother's expression became a bit more serious. She must have started believing my brother's words.
"Raise your right hand."
I raised my right hand.
"Raise your left hand."
I raised my left hand.
"Don't lower your right hand, lower your left hand."
I almost lowered my right hand but stopped myself, and lowered my left hand. After repeating this kind of game for a while, my mother finally seemed ready to believe my brother's words. She turned pale as if the blood had drained from her face and began to spin around on the spot while holding me.
"What should I do! To think Jiro is a reincarnated person! And, this is late, but he understands Japanese. Does that mean he's a Japanese reincarnated person? Why are they being born so frequently? I wonder if Mey Village is emitting some kind of radio wave that makes it easy for Japanese people to be born!?"
"Mother, calm down. Jiro's eyes are spinning."
"Ah!"
My brother's voice saved me, who was undergoing semicircular canal training in my mother's arms only a few months after birth. Coming back to her senses at my brother's voice, my mother gently lowered me into the baby bed, left me in my brother's care, and left the room.
...I'm saved. I'm glad my brother in this life is a clever child.
"Clever?"
...Huh?
I can't speak words yet, but it seems my brother can understand my inner voice. He is tilting his head, wondering what "clever" means.
...Big Brother, can you understand what I'm thinking?
"The spirits tell me."
...Amazing! As expected of another world!
Even if I couldn't speak, communication became possible because my brother could read my thoughts through the spirits. Now that this was the case, I could spend my time a bit more comfortably, even as a baby. My brother taught me various things, telling me that my mother's name was Christina and my nursemaid's name was Salisa. In exchange, my brother wanted to hear about my previous life. It's probably because children's curiosity is strong, but since he's still a child, he can't leave the house much. I think he wants to hear stories about a different world instead of being able to go outside.
"Jiro, what was your previous name?"
...I am Hiraga Yuuta. Ah, Yuuta is the name, and Hiraga is the surname... the family name.
"Hiraga Yuuta...?"
At my brother's slightly hesitant voice, I tilted my head, which had finally started to stay up recently—or tried to, but lost my balance and tumbled onto the cushion. When I waved my arms, thinking I would suffocate like this, something large grabbed my collar and lifted my body up.
...Ah, Kokumaro.
The black Shiba Inu, who my mother apparently named, is likely a nurse for me and my brother. With a brother who is mature for his age, a nursemaid, and the existence of this black Shiba, it seemed unlikely that my mother would get postpartum depression.
After having my posture corrected by the black Shiba and sitting on the cushion, the room door opened this time. The person who came through the door was a sparkling blonde beautiful youth who looked exactly like a prince!
"Jiro! You're awake today, aren't you? It's Papa!"
Hmm? I froze at the blonde prince who picked me up with a look of great satisfaction and rubbed his cheek against mine. I had been wondering what kind of person the father who had a lovely beauty as a wife would be, but I didn't expect a sparkling blonde prince to come.
...Huh? Does that mean there's a possibility that I'm blonde?
I haven't seen my own face in a mirror yet. Since my mother and brother have black hair, I was relieved thinking that I naturally had black hair too, but if my father is blonde, there's a possibility that I'm blonde.
...I'm kind of shocked. I didn't even bleach my hair in my previous life...
"Jiro's hair is the same as ours. Black."
...Ah, I see. I'm a little relieved.
Since I was relieved, I stared intently at the blonde prince's face. Considering the appearances of my mother and father, since my brother turned out like this, I can have even more hope for my own face.
"Jiro, it's about time to go to Father's detached palace—"
"Alfred-sama, please don't blow things out of proportion."
Before I knew it, my mother appeared from the door the blonde prince had entered. Behind her stood a blonde prince with the same face as the blonde prince.
"According to what Big Brother says, Jiro is apparently a reincarnated person. Please don't tell random lies like calling yourself Papa."
Since she seemed to understand everything, my mother told him not to say random things. It seems this blonde prince was not my father.
"Mother, Jiro's previous name was Hiraga Yuuta."
"Yes, Hiraga Yuuta... Hiraga Yuuta!?"
"If I recall... Japanese names are supposed to have the family name and given name swapped...?"
Just as the voices of the two blonde princes overlapped saying "Yuuta Hiraga," the hand of blonde prince number one holding me tightened. At that moment, a tremendous amount of bloodlust was emitted from the nursemaid who was waiting slightly behind my mother.
"Alfred-sama, Jiro is my child. I won't give him to you."
"But if he is the reincarnation of Saint Yuuta Hiraga..."
"I won't give him."
My mother didn't move from the spot, but the nursemaid named Salisa marched up to the blonde prince and took me away. After returning me to my mother's arms, the bloodlust disappeared as if it had been a lie.
...Still, is there something about my name? A saint or something?
"Saint Yuuta Hiraga was an amazing person."
...Yeah, thanks Big Brother. I don't really get it.
My brother explained various things, but there were many vague words, making it hard to understand. However, I understood only that a reincarnated person with the same name had achieved great things and left a name behind. This certainly means it's better not to give my previous name.
"Jiro, it's Father. Shall we go home together?"
Huh? Is this blonde prince number two the father? I looked up at blonde prince number two, who was soothing me while I was held by my mother. He had the same face as blonde prince number one, but the color of his eyes was slightly different. And while the other blonde prince had an aura that suggested you'd be jerked around if you got close, this blonde prince had an atmosphere of purity and integrity, the type that would almost certainly be portrayed as scheming in a thin book.
"Even for you, Alf-san, I won't give him. Jiro is our child."
"Come with Tina as well."
...Eh? What? Is my mother a widow or something!?
I thought both parents were present when I was born, but blonde prince number one tried to take me, and blonde prince number two tried to take me along with my mother. If that's the case, my father might have died without me knowing, and our family might be in a situation where we need a breadwinner immediately.
...I once thought such things.
I did, but it seemed there were simply many self-proclaimed father-aspirants. A man called Remihio, who brought a birth gift, claimed to be the father, and seeing that, a guard called Jean-Jacques claimed to be the father just for the sake of it, and then another guard, Aaron, claimed to be the father. The most mysterious existence was probably the man wearing a cat headgear. I couldn't see his face at all, but on the day he told me in a breathless voice, "I... am... your father," I cried my eyes out because he was too much of a suspicious person. Since the nursemaid and the black Shiba came quickly, it didn't become a big deal, but what on earth was that?
Just as I began to wish for the real father to appear, a large man with black hair and black eyes showed himself.
...Is this person my father?
Feeling the unmistakable affection directed at me from the depths of his eyes, I became convinced that he was the father. I approached him by crawling to greet him first, and the man immediately picked me up.
...Hello, Fathe—
"Ah, Leonardo-oniisama. Welcome back."
At the voice of my mother, who entered through a different door than the man, I learned that the man holding me was not my father. I had thought for sure he was the father, but "oniisama" means he is my mother's older brother, not her husband. In fact, my mother introduced the man to me as "Uncle Leonardo."
"Christina, isn't it cruel to call me Uncle?"
"My, since he is my sister's child, the older brother is an uncle."
Am I not correct? she pressed, and the uncle admitted it. That the older brother (himself) seen from the sister's child is an uncle.
In the end, I didn't find out who my father was, but my mother seems to trust my uncle. Unlike the other men, he didn't try to take me away even if he held me for a bit longer, and the nursemaid left me entirely to the uncle. My brother, who is a low-maintenance child for my mother, seemed to be very clingy with my uncle, and as soon as the uncle sat on the long sofa, he immediately climbed onto his lap.
...Ah, I feel like I was born into a good house in this life too.
My family in my previous life wasn't bad, but my family in this life also seems good. I feel like the number of father candidates is a bit too high, but I found that I am loved and welcomed by everyone. I want to grow up healthily in this house. With my father, mother, brother, and if possible, a younger brother or sister.
I want a younger sibling—thinking that, I return to my first question.
...In the end, who is my father in this life!?
I made a thick-and-thin book for myself. If you're interested, please take a look at the activity report or the production blog.
