It''s been about five months since I woke up in this body.
He was finally able to sit up and crawl.
After living for more than 20 years, it was a bit hard for me to be stuck in bed for five months.
I got out of bed and practiced crawling in this room only.
Crawling is something you can''t do without the muscles in your arms and legs and feet, so if you keep doing it, those muscles get sore and painful.
But my young body won''t have any muscle pain until tomorrow, so it doesn''t matter how much I do it, because it will only end up being painful today, no matter how much I do it.
And right in front of me is someone clapping their hands in praise and support as I am crawling.
''Eric! Yes! That''s the spirit! You can go further! Get hotter!
...annoying, annoying, and annoying.
This triple threat is my father from a previous life and the one I''m currently living in - Dian.
His black hair is trimmed short and he has a stubble, which he seems to think is cool.......and he leaves it growing carelessly so that people who see it will think it''s filthy.
He has a deep and clear face, with a stern body that seems to embody the word ''man''.
I used to call him "father" when I was little, but now that I''m looking at him, I think it''s more appropriate to call him "dad".
My father uses his tough body to hunt all sorts of monsters and animals in the forest just outside the village.
There are several hunters in the village, but my father seems to be the strongest of them all, and he is trusted by everyone in the village.
He also seems to have defeated some pretty strong demons, and when I was little he would often brag about it to me.
However, in a previous life, that strong father also went ahead and fought and died when the village was destroyed.
So when my father came to this room alone before and looked into my face, I almost cried out of emotion just like my mother did....
''My son Eric! You''re gonna surpass me! Don''t be like the village softlings (what the hell is that?)!
And the tears retracted to the back as he said something unintelligible to me, who was still a baby.
I mean, if I was a normal baby, I''d be crying in that loud, annoying voice.
''You''re going to be a ''hun'' like me! And we''re going to be a father and son as hunters!
.........but I have no intention of doing so.
When I get rid of the cause of the village''s destruction, I will leave the village.
Even in my past life, I had no intention of following in his footsteps.
I didn''t think it was cool to be a hunter, and I thought it was a hassle.
I mean, I''d seen my dad hunting a few times, but the main reason was that I didn''t think it was right for me.
Well, now that my dad is cheering me on, I think I''ll do my best to crawl.
A normal baby wouldn''t be able to crawl for such a long time, so a normal parent would be suspicious... but unfortunately, or is it a blessing? My dad is not normal, so it''s okay.
As I was crawling around with my dad watching over me, the door opens.
I look back at it with my dad and see my mom standing there.
''Oh God! You! After all, let little Eric crawl for a long time again!
''Serena, Serena no! Eric was already crawling by the time I got here...
You''re the parent who has to make it stop!
Mom is a normal parent and if I''m crawling for a long time, she''ll put me back in bed and sing me a lullaby or something to help me rest.
It''s nice that she''s doing this out of concern for me, but it''s a bit frustrating for me because I''m trying to get up quickly.
My father, who is trusted and respected by everyone in the village, is a man who can''t seem to keep his head above water, and he is angry with my mother, his back hunched so far back that I don''t know where his earlier bravado has gone.
''Oh, yes. This is not the time to be bothering you. We have an important visitor here right now.
Serena? Isn''t that a terrible way to put it?
Ignoring my dad''s argument, my mom walks out of the room and turns to the right. The fact that she went right means she''s in the living room.
In a little while, my mom comes back to this room, but she had brought someone with her. Maybe it''s the guest I was talking about earlier.
''I''m sorry to bother you, Diane. I was moved next door today, so I thought I''d say hello...''''
''Oh! Yeah, right! Let''s start getting along with our neighbors from now on!
A man walks in and holds out his hand to my dad to greet him. My dad took his hand and shook it and talked to him, but it was time to let him go. I think I''m hearing some weird noises coming from that neighbor''s right hand.
Finally, my dad lets go of the man''s hand and the man is trying to cure the numbness by rubbing it with his left hand while hiding his right hand.
''Wow, I''m bringing my only daughter with me too. Tina, come on, come on out, don''t hide.
The man let the little one, who had been hiding behind him, come forward to push him back and greet him.
''.........Tina....
The girl was scared out of her wits at the sight of her hard-faced father''s face and her voice was quiet, but she said a firm hello.
''Nice to meet you, sweetheart!
Dad reached out to pat the child''s head, but the child hid behind his dad.
''S-Sorry...''
''You''re trying to pat me on the head with such a scary face.
I smiled at him, but...
''Your smiling face is a monster in the eyes of a child. It''s on a traumatic level.
''Is my smile that egregious?
Leaving my dad alone, shocked by Mom''s words and unable to move, Mom crouches down to talk to the girl to make eye contact with her.
''Nice to meet you, Tina. Will you get along with your auntie?
Yes.
Thanks.
Mom speaks softly to the child and strokes his head. The child seems to accept it as pleasant.
I mean, Mom doesn''t look like an auntie at all, nor is she old enough to be an auntie at all.
''Tina-chan, Auntie has a son too.......will you get along with him?''
''Yeah...''
Oh, good. You, get out of the way. I have to introduce you to Eric.
''Oh, yeah...''
My dad, who''d been frozen in place, still seemed to be coming out of his shock, but he was gone from my sight and the girl was now visible to me.
''Her name''s Eric,''
Erik..........
Yeah, you''re a good learner.
''That''s right! Tina''s only two years old, but she''s so smart!
The father over there overreacted to Mom''s words. He seems like an idiot of a parent and is proud of his lovely daughter. Mom is smiling and ministering to him.
Ignoring those parents, that girl - Tina - comes up to me.
She has a young face, but her well-formed facial features convince me that she''ll be pretty in the future, even though she''s two years old. She has red eyes and reddish brown hair.
Tina has big, two big, two-piece eyes pointed at me.
Yes, this was my childhood friend - the one I couldn''t save in my previous life, the one who was like an older sister to me.
With me sitting with my butt on the ground, Tina comes up to me and sits next to me.
Tina stares at me as if my face is going to have a hole in it, and I stare back into her red eyes with a nervousness.
''''........cute.......''''
Tina mumbles a little and hugs me.
Yeah, right? I''m just like my mom, you know?
I''ve got sky blue eyes and a face just like hers! The only thing I''ve inherited from my dad is black hair and very little else! I know my dad cares about that, but well, let''s leave it at that.
No, I''m really glad I don''t look like my dad, though. I''m sure my dad isn''t ugly but he has a bit too masculine a look to him.... I hear that''s a good thing for Mom, though.
I was thinking about that, but from earlier, Tina''s hug is a little strong........
No, it''s a strength that would normally be bearable, but it''s a little tight in the neck.......
When I used the muscles I had been working on to somehow get out of that strong embrace, Tina looked insanely sad and looked like she was going to start crying at any moment.
I felt a tremendous sense of guilt, and now I hugged Tina as if clinging to her.
Ah....................
Tina smiles happily and hugs me more forcefully than before.
Ugh.........no, my neck isn''t tight this time, so I can bear it......
That''s how I was being held by Tina with strong force until my parents noticed.