I didn't know how long I'd been asleep when I finally woke up.
(Am I still alive? After getting hit three times in a row, I guess my life is pretty tough.)
When I opened my eyes, I saw a wooden ceiling above me.
A wooden house? Where am I now?
I tried to get up and look around, but I couldn't move. I tried putting some strength into it, yet nothing changed.
So I looked down at my body.
(Why is my body the same size as in my dream? But this place looks different from the one I saw before.)
Then I looked at my hand — small, tiny even. Much smaller than I remembered.
About the size of… a baby's.
Never mind. I looked around and noticed wooden bars standing around me, enclosing me in.
They didn't reach the ceiling, but were connected horizontally — just like a baby's crib.
Through the space between the bars, I could see the window. The weather outside looked gloomy, though it wasn't night yet.
Suddenly, a flash of light filled the sky. Thunder followed instantly, booming loudly over and over again.
Then came the rain — heavy and fast, turning into a storm.
I felt drops of water hitting my body and saw the rain pouring in through the window. I stared blankly at it.
(Wait, no glass on the window?)
That was my first thought as the raindrops came in freely.
(What kind of place is this? How could they not install glass? Isn't that dangerous? A thief could just crawl in and out easily.)
I thought about it seriously, deciding I'd suggest to the owner to install glass someday.
First, I should check if anyone was around. So I tried calling out loudly.
＂Waa waa waa? (Is anyone there?)＂
(Hmm? Was that my voice? That can't be right.)
Maybe the rain was too loud. I tried again.
＂Waa waa waa waa! (Can anyone hear me?)＂
Still, the only sound I heard was a baby's cry.
Suddenly, the door burst open. A beautiful woman with reddish-brown hair rushed in, running straight toward the window. She leaned out, grabbed a wooden plank, and pulled it shut.
(I feel like I've seen her somewhere before… Where was it?)
So many things were happening before I could even figure anything out.
The beautiful woman's upper body was soaked with rain. She squeezed the water from her hair and clothes before walking toward me. She slid her hands gently under my arms and lifted me up.
『Karen, are you scared?』
(Karen?)
That was the only word I understood. Everything else was gibberish to me.
She looked into my face, and I looked into hers. Then it hit me — I finally remembered who she was.
(That face… it's the same as the mother from my dream. Which means…)
『Karen, don't be afraid. Mommy's here…』
She supported my bottom with one hand, letting me rest against her shoulder, while gently patting my back with the other.
(Well, I guess I should finally admit it — what's happening to me is real.)
I said to myself.
(I really got reincarnated, huh? So it wasn't a dream after all.)
I decided to face reality. I had been reborn… as a baby.
Mom kept patting my back softly, saying things I couldn't understand.
(Does she think I was scared of the thunder? Hmph, I won't be scared of that. I used to hear this kind of thunder all the time in my past life.)
Honestly, it wasn't even that loud. Probably far away, I thought to myself.
When Mom noticed I'd quieted down, she must've assumed I wasn't scared anymore. She carried me out of the room.
I turned my head to look around as she walked. The next room was a living area — a rectangular table, four chairs, a baby chair, a kitchen, and a few doors.
Beside one of the doors were two windows. Unlike the one in my room, this window opened outward, propped open by a wooden stick. A blurry piece of glass was fitted at the top.
Through it, I could still see the rain falling. That must be the front door nearby.
Mom sat down on a chair, smiling warmly at me.
Suddenly, the door burst open. A man, completely drenched, rushed inside and shut it behind him.
(Ah, that's Dad.)
I recognized his face immediately.
『I'm home! The weather was fine and suddenly it poured. I had to stop work halfway and run back!』
He seemed a bit annoyed. Mom stood up and responded.
『Welcome home. You're soaked.』
『Yeah, the rain's really heavy. It probably won't stop soon.』
『Then dry yourself off and change clothes first.』
『Got it～』
Dad wrung water from his clothes while talking to Mom. Once most of it was out, he looked up and saw us.
His eyes lit up. He ran toward us excitedly.
『Karen's awake! Were you scared? Come here, let Daddy hold you!』
『No.』
Dad raised his arms to take me, but Mom dodged to the side.
He tried again — she dodged again.
He kept chasing, Mom kept avoiding, and I was swaying helplessly in her arms.
I looked at the two of them, utterly speechless.
Finally, they stopped. Dad was panting heavily, while Mom didn't even seem tired.
『Let me hold Karen!』
『No! You're filthy! Look, he doesn't want you to hold him either!』
Dad looked heartbroken, desperate to hold me. But I really didn't want to be touched by a soggy man.
So I raised my left hand and waved dismissively.
Dad's face fell even more.
『Karen, why…?』
『You're soaking wet. He doesn't want to be held by you. Go change into clean clothes first — maybe then he'll let you.』
At that, Dad dashed off like lightning.
Seconds later, he was back, standing proudly before Mom.
He'd changed into fresh clothes, hair dry, body clean. Mom looked him over.
『Mm, nice and clean.』
『Of course!』
『Karen, do you want Daddy to hold you now?』
Dad held out his arms confidently. I understood her tone — she was asking me if it was okay.
I looked Dad up and down. He had short, neat light-ash hair and a well-built body. Most importantly — he was clean.
(Mm-hmm. Very clean.)
I reached out my hands, signaling my approval.
Dad's face lit up like the sun as he gently lifted me from Mom's arms. Mom smiled and sat nearby, watching us.
Dad didn't support me like Mom did. Instead, he held me up directly, staring straight into my face — then suddenly said,
『Karen's such a good boy! Up we go! Fly high, fly high!』
He laughed joyfully while lifting me high into the air, again and again.
(That scared the hell out of me! He suddenly stared at me so seriously — I thought he was mad because I waved him away earlier! Then he just smiles like an idiot!)
Then a deafening clap of thunder struck again. Since my back was to the window, I didn't see the flash.
＂Waaah!＂
『Honey! Karen's crying! What do I do!?』
The sound startled me so much I yelped — and tears began flowing from my eyes.
Dad panicked, shouting toward Mom. She rushed over and took me from him, patting my back gently.
(I'm… crying? It's been so long since I last cried.)
I realized, surprised. I hadn't cried since I was little.
But I knew it wasn't fear.
(Maybe my tear glands are weak? Makes sense, I'm a baby now.)
That must be it, I concluded — but the tears didn't stop.
Seeing this, Dad crouched and called out to me.
『Karen! Look here, waaa～!』
He covered his face with both hands, then suddenly opened them — making a ridiculous funny face.
＂Ha ha ha!＂
I burst into laughter, and so did Mom. Dad followed, laughing loudly as he kept making more faces.
The whole family laughed together, bright and warm.
Then, a new kind of light filled the room — not the flash of thunder, but a soft, steady glow.
We all turned toward the window.
Sunlight. The rain had stopped.
I wanted to see outside, so I pointed toward the window.
Mom seemed to understand, carrying me closer. Dad followed beside her.
Through the window, I saw other houses — and when I looked up at the sky, it was painted orange and red.
It was evening already. The sun was setting.
And then, I saw something beautiful.
(A rainbow.)
A magnificent rainbow stretched across the sky. I pointed and called out for them to look.
＂Waa! Waa!＂
I couldn't speak, so I just shouted and gestured.
Mom and Dad looked where I pointed, smiling softly at the sight.
Dad placed his right hand on Mom's shoulder and pulled both of us close.
Then, a loud stomach growl ruined the moment. Dad blushed, while Mom sighed.
『It's getting late. Let's make dinner.』
Mom set me down in the baby chair and went to the kitchen to cook.
Dad stayed beside me, playing as the warm orange light filled the cozy wooden home.