Two years.
That's how long it had been since I was reborn.
And honestly? Being a toddler wasn't as bad as I thought. Sure, my balance was questionable, and my vocabulary was still in the "cute gibberish" stage, but I could walk, run (sort of), and demand snacks like a professional.
The Kuroyami mansion was huge. I still get lost sometimes. There were too many rooms — some I wasn't even allowed to enter yet. My favorite spot was the sunlit hallway on the second floor. It had these big glass windows overlooking the garden. The kind of view you could just sit and stare at.
The garden itself was ridiculous. Neatly trimmed hedges, a koi pond, cherry blossom trees… something straight out of a postcard. Mom loved having tea out there when the weather was nice. Dad… well, Dad mostly worked.
---
"Akihiro, slow down!"
That was Yumi, one of the maids. She was chasing after me down the hall because I was running with a cookie in one hand. In my defense, it was a delicious cookie.
"Mmhm!" I mumbled, which could mean anything from "Okay" to "Not a chance."
I turned the corner and almost collided with Father. He caught me by the shoulders before I could fall.
"Careful," he said, his tone calm as ever. "You'll break something."
I glanced at him, then at the antique vase beside us.
"…The vase?" I asked, tilting my head.
He smirked. "You."
---
Afternoons were usually quiet. Mom would read, Dad would work in his study, and I… well, I wandered.
Sometimes I'd sit in the library pretending to "look at books." In reality, I was scanning for anything about martial arts. Most of the books were way too advanced for a toddler to be caught reading without raising suspicion, so I just flipped through picture-heavy ones.
Other times I'd sit in the garden, poking at the koi fish with a little stick (gently, of course).
---
Having the mind of an adult in a toddler's body was… weird.
I understood everything people said around me. I could connect the dots they didn't expect me to. But I had to play the role — the curious little boy who asked too many "Why?" questions.
It wasn't hard.
Most adults underestimated kids anyway.
And if I ever forgot to act my age, I just remembered:
I was two a old.
If I suddenly started doing judo rolls in the hallway, people would panic.
---
One afternoon, Mom took me out shopping. We arrived in a sleek black car with a driver. People stared. Not at me, but at her — tall, elegant, dressed in white. She had that rich-person aura you could spot a mile away.
While she tried on dresses, I sat in the waiting area with a juice box. Two women nearby whispered about "Kuroyami's little heir" like I was some kind of rare animal.
I sipped my juice and pretended not to hear.
---
By the time we got home, the sun was setting. The staff were setting the dining table for dinner — silverware polished to a shine, candles lit, the smell of roasted meat filling the air.
Dinner was… formal. Always formal. Father at the head of the table, Mother on his right, and I beside her. Courses are served one by one.
I didn't mind. The food was amazing.
Better than instant noodles, that's for sure.
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A/N: I know word count is small, but I want to keep everything wholesome for now, so I'm very inexperienced in it. I'll increase it in the next chapters.