“Mom…!! Mom…!!”

  I heard the overlapping voices of two lively girls, accompanied by hurried footsteps. A moment later, the door swung open with a loud bang.

  I reluctantly opened my eyes, blinking at the commotion.

  “Celes, Daisy, don’t run in the house!” My father's voice rang out in warning.

  “Geez… You three, be quiet. He’s sleeping—Ah, see? You startled him awake,” my mother, perched beside me on the bed, scolded them, though her fond smile betrayed any real annoyance.

  ““Ah… sorry…”” The three of them apologized in unison.

  “Come here, say hi to your brother.”

  They eagerly approached, their curious gazes locked onto me.

  ““So cute…”” they murmured together.

  Are these my older sisters?

  One of them hesitantly stepped forward. She had the same navy-blue hair and calm blue eyes as our father.

  “Umm… Hello…” she greeted me carefully. “My name is Celestia. I’m your oldest sister.”

  She carried herself with a composed demeanor, her tone polite but slightly stiff—just like Dad. She wore a blue t-shirt and a knee-length skirt, giving her a refined but simple appearance.

  Right, got it. She's the firstborn, my eldest sister. If I recall what Mother told me correctly, she turned eight years old a few months ago.

  Before I could react, the other one bounced forward energetically.

  “Hi! Hi! I’m Daisy! Your second sister!”

  Daisy was a ball of energy, her bright blonde hair and crimson eyes identical to Mother’s. Dressed in a red t-shirt and short white pants, she had a lively aura that starkly contrasted Celestia’s composed one. She is six, but Mother said she will be turning seven soon.

  As I gazed at them, enchanted by their cuteness, something unexpected happened.

  A small laugh escaped me.

  “Sister! Look! He looks so happy after I introduce myself!”

  “What are you talking about, Daisy? He’s looking at me, so obviously, he’s happy because of me.”

  My mother chuckled. “Fufu… Both of you are right. He must be happy to see his older sisters for the first time. He always looks excited whenever I talk about you two to him.”

  ““Really?”” They blinked in surprise, their expressions brightening.

  Yes, Mom. They are indeed adorable.

  I wonder… should I treat them as my older sisters, or given my mentally older self, should I see them as younger sisters instead?

  “How are you feeling, Mom?” My father, dressed in a white t-shirt, finally spoke up.

  My mother, still in her white sleepwear, turned to him,

  “It’s been a week since our son was born, so my condition has improved. Isn’t that right, son?”

  She smiled down at me, as if urging me to agree.

  I see. So they call each other “Mom” and “Dad” in front of their daughters but privately use “dear” when alone. They also call each other “dear” around me, probably assuming I don’t understand them yet.

  Yeah, they are cute too.

  Watching them, I felt a warmth bloom in my chest.

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  A happy, loving family.

  I’m truly glad to have been born here.

  As Mother said, it’s been almost a week since I was born. Well, technically, today is my sixth day.

  For the past week, my routine has been simple: eating, sleeping, and listening to Mom talk about our family. Occasionally, Dad would come in and play with me for a bit. I’ve been so busy being a baby that I haven’t had the chance to talk to Azadia again.

  From what Mother told me, this world follows classic fantasy tropes—one of swords and magic, adventurers, and mythical creatures. There’s an Adventurer’s Guild in a nearby town, about five hours away by horse-drawn carriage. Adventurers take on various requests from the guild, the townspeople, nobles, and even royals. Adventurers are ranked from G-Rank (beginners) to S-Rank (legends). But even the strongest can fall if they let their guard down.

  And my father used to be one.

  He was a B-Rank adventurer, leading a C-Rank party with four members: himself (a swordsman), mother (a mage, C-Rank), a vanguard (front-line fighter), and a healer. Yeah, my mother was an adventurer too. My parents met at the guild, took a request together, and later formed a permanent party. A few years later, they rescued two rookie adventurers and invited them to join their party. Eventually, Father ranked up to B-Rank, while Mother and the other two ranked up to C-Rank, and that's when they hit the C-Rank party.

  Everything was going well—until one incident.

  One day, they took a request to investigate a remote area. There, they encountered a B-Rank wyvern.

  They killed it—but at a terrible price.

  Just before dying, the wyvern unleashed a final fire breath attack. The vanguard could have saved himself. But instead, he pushed Father out of harm’s way—only to be engulfed by the wyvern’s flames. He died instantly. Mother and the healer, standing behind him, were both critically wounded. The healer, instead of healing herself, used her last strength to save Mother. Father, stricken with grief, landed the finishing blow on the wyvern.

  That day, they lost two friends.

  Riddled with guilt and grief, my parents retired and moved to this village.

  That was ten years ago.

  Mother was 20 at the time, and Father was 22.

  Now, Father works the fields, and Mother has become a seamstress.

  Life is unpredictable, huh?

  As for my sisters, things took a turn when they hit six.

  During weekdays, they work at the adventurer’s guild bar in town, serving as waitresses for experience. And training to be adventurers during leisure hours. They roll back home on a two-day weekend.

  Celestia has been working for two years, while Daisy started a year ago.

  Their real goal? To follow in our parents’ footsteps.

  At first, Mom and Dad resisted, but seeing their daughters’ determination, they eventually agreed.

  Guild adventurers train them in combat. Mom and Dad personally train them at home. Endurance training involves running around the village and guild’s training hall. One can officially register as an adventurer at the age 12 years old. Until then, they need to train and prepare.

  Sister Celestia, rocking the same features as dad, has got a knack for the magical arts instead of the sword swinging. She's soaking up magical knowledge from mother. Mother has the aptitude for the Fire element, while Celestia's vibing with the Water element. Fortunately, the basics are pretty universal, so mother could teach her the foundations.

  On the flip side, Sister Daisy, who is taking after her energetic mother, is all about that warrior life. She is honing her skills with swords and martial arts under father's watchful eye.

  Stamina training is part of their routine too. They run laps around the village and train at the guild’s training hall to build endurance.

  “Mom, what’s his name?” Sister Celestia suddenly asked.

  “Ah! I want to know too!” Sister Daisy eagerly chimed in.

  Mother smiled. “Well… I haven’t decided yet. But Dad already has an idea. He was waiting for you two to return before revealing it.”

  Our eyes turned toward Father.

  I was curious too.

  My name… What will it be?

  Father’s expression grew serious.

  “Well… there’s something important I need to tell you about your brother. So, you two should sit down first.”

  He pulled a nearby chair to the bed and sat down.

  My sisters, confused, tilted their heads but obediently sat near my feet on the bed.

  Mother’s eyes sharpened, “Is this about what you kept from me last week?”

  Father sighed, “Yes. Since your condition has improved, I think it’s time to talk about it.”

  Wait… last week?

  Was this about when he cried before entering the room?

  So… It was related to me?

  What happened to me?