The afternoon sun bathed the familiar wooden walls of my home in a warm glow as I stepped through the door, a broad grin stretched across my face.

  “Mom, Dad, I’m home!”

  “Welcome back, Freed,” Mom greeted me with her usual gentle smile, her long blonde hair framing her delicate features.

  “Don’t run inside the house, Freed,” Dad added, his deep voice carrying a stern yet warm undertone. His muscular frame was seated comfortably in his usual chair, his calm ocean-blue eyes watching me with an amused glint.

  “Ah… Okay!” I slowed down, though the excitement bubbling within me remained.

  【You are acting like a child even though you have a 31-year-old mind.】

  <"Shut up, Aza. Isn’t it fine to enjoy my childhood here since I couldn’t enjoy it in my previous life?">

  Children often say they want to grow up quickly, while adults wish they could return to their carefree childhood.

  So, if I had the mind of a 31-year-old but the body of a child, wasn’t it fine to act my age this time?

  After cleaning myself up, we sat together in the living room, enjoying a homemade lunch

  The familiar taste of Mom’s cooking filled me with nostalgia—it was something I had missed all week.

  Once we finished eating, I excitedly shared my experiences from the guild.

  “So the staff there praised me! They said I’m a genius!” I puffed out my chest with pride.

  “Fufu… Of course, my child is a genius,” Mom chuckled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she gazed at me with warm affection.

  Dad leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Freed, you have the talent to be a merchant. Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

  I immediately shook my head. “You see, when I was training, even the adventurers and the guildmaster called me a genius too!”

  Mom’s eyes widened slightly. “Huh? Really? What happened?”

  “I was able to release my mana on my first try within fifteen minutes!”

  Mom’s hands, which had been resting on the table, twitched slightly.

  “Wow… That’s amazing, Freed. Even my first attempt took twenty minutes,” she admitted, blinking in surprise. “I heard Celes did it in twelve minutes, and Daisy in an hour and twenty minutes.”

  “Really!? Sis Celes is amazing!” I beamed. “I also heard from the guildmaster that most people did it for over 2 hours. So, Mom and Sissy are also amazing!”

  “Fufu… Thank you,” Mom said, her smile soft and genuine.

  “How about you, Dad?”

  “Ah… Well, I did it in two hours and forty minutes,” he muttered awkwardly as he scratched his head.

  Mom stifled a giggle, covering her mouth. “It was hard for him to handle mana.”

  Dad scowled slightly, scratching his head before clearing his throat and announced proudly. “B-But! I released my first aura in just twenty-five minutes!”

  Ah, he doesn’t want to lose, so he’s bragging now.

  【Both of you are the same.】

  …Ignoring Aza, I praised Dad instead.

  “Wow! That’s amazing, Dad!”

  “W-Well, of course.” He crossed his arms smugly.

  “How about Mom and my sisters?”

  “Mom did it in an hour. Celes in an hour and ten minutes. But Daisy…” Mom’s lips curled into an amused smile. “She did it in ten minutes.”

  “Ten minutes!? I didn’t know Sissy was that amazing…”

  I glanced at Dad, whose expression turned sour again.

  He was completely defeated.

  But still… They are all amazing…

  No wonder my sisters were so determined to continue our parents’ dreams, to be high-rank adventurers.

  They were truly talented.

  It was unfortunate that Mom and Dad had stopped training.

  Their past must have been a great shock to them.

  Still, I had a feeling that even if their dreams had been cut short, they had passed them down to us—to me, Sis Celes, and Sissy.

  “How about you, Freed?” Mom’s question brought me back.

  I grinned and declared, “I released my first aura in twenty minutes! The adventurer who taught me called me a genius! He said I have the talent to be a magic swordsman!”

  Mom gasped softly, her hands clasping together in delight. “Wow! Amazing, Freed!”

  She pulled me into a warm embrace, her fingers gently stroking my hair.

  Meanwhile, Dad’s expression...

  His lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze distant.

  A regretful expression.

  I think I know what is in his mind right now.

  After Mom released me, I turned to Dad, speaking in a serious tone.

  “Dad, what if I’m able to obtain an element?”

  Yes. He was regretting that despite my aptitude in both mana and aura controls, I don’t have any element affinity.

  His breath hitched. “Huh? That’s imp—” He stopped himself. “Wait, did you get one?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet. But just because others can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t either, right?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Dad stiffened as I continued,

  “I believe in myself. I know I can obtain an element. No, not just one—many.”

  For a moment, there was silence.

  Then—

  “Haha.. Hahahaha!”

  Dad suddenly laughed—a deep, almost cathartic laugh, his shoulders shaking as he covered his eyes with one hand. It was the first time I had ever seen him laugh like this.

  Then, he crouched down and ruffled my hair. His touch was firm, yet affectionate.

  “Yes, you’re right.” He exhaled, his voice filled with something that I couldn't quite name. “If it’s you, maybe it really is possible.”

  That’s right.

  I got the cheat skill and already know the requirement to obtain the elements, so I should be able to get them. Besides…

  His ocean-blue eyes softened.

  “No—I believe you can do it. Because…”

  That’s the meaning behind my name.

  “That’s the meaning behind your name.”

  Yes, my name is Freed.

  “You should be free from the norm of this world. You can live freely and happily.”

  Dad smiled at me, his expression lighter than before and I grinned back.

  Mom watched us with affectionate amusement. “Fufu… It seems you two have finally reconciled. Now you really look like father and son.”

  She pulled us both into her embrace.

  “I’m glad. You, your sisters, and Dad… are my happiness.”

  The moment I heard those words—

  My vision blurred.

  My breath hitched.

  A memory resurfaced.

  - “You, your sister, and dad are my happiness.”

  The same phrase.

  The same words.

  The same affection.

  My heart clenched painfully as the image of my previous mother filled my mind.

  Her soft, loving smile.

  The gentle warmth of her hands whenever she held me.

  The way she laughed whenever I acted shyly.

  I could hear her voice as if she were right beside me.

  And just like that—

  Tears spilled from my oceanic eye.

  “Huh? F-Freed? Why are you crying?”

  Mom’s voice was filled with concern, her hands immediately reaching out to cup my cheeks, wiping my tears away.

  I shook my head, gripping her hand with both of mine, as if I was afraid she would disappear if I let go.

  I can feel her warmth, the same warmth I felt from my previous mother.

  “I’m glad…” My voice trembled. “I’m glad to be born in this family. I’m so happy to have Mom, Dad, Sis Celes, and Sissy.”

  Ah…

  I can’t…

  I couldn’t stop my tears.

  I missed them.

  I missed my old family.

  Before I knew it, I lunged forward, burying my face into Mom’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

  “Hwaaaa… Hwaaaa….”

  Mom held me tightly, gently stroking my back, even though she didn’t understand why I was crying.

  But she didn’t ask.

  She just held me, offering me warmth, as if telling me—

  It’s okay.

  <"Mom, Dad… Are you watching from heaven? I'm happy now… So you don’t have to worry about me anymore.">

  I cried until my body felt light, as if a weight I hadn’t even realized I was carrying had finally been lifted.

  I don’t know how long I cried.

  Time felt meaningless as I clung to my mother, my small fingers grasping the fabric of her dress, unwilling to let go of the warmth that reminded me of something I had lost.

  Mom continued to stroke my back in slow, comforting motions, whispering soft reassurances.

  Dad placed a firm, grounding hand on my shoulder, his presence steady and strong.

  Neither of them rushed me or asked questions—they simply let me cry.

  Eventually, my sobs turned into sniffles.

  My breathing steadied, though the lingering ache in my chest remained.

  My heart felt lighter, but my mind still lingered on the past.

  As I sat quietly, letting the warmth of the moment settle within me, a familiar voice nudged at the back of my mind.

  【You’re finally done crying, Master?】

  I stiffened slightly, realizing Aza had been silent this whole time.

  <"… You didn’t read my thoughts just now, did you?">

  【Are you referring to your question about whether your previous mother and father are watching you from heaven?】

  Ugh!

  Damn it!

  <"Erase that from your memory!">

  Damn it! I just gave away one more resource for her to tease me again!

  Aza’s mechanical voice remained calm, but there was a rare softness in it.

  【You don’t have to worry about that, Master. It’s normal to miss them. I understand you.】

  I blinked. <"...Huh?">

  【What I mean is, you are a human who has emotions.】

  【You’re not some protagonist in a novel who conveniently forgets their past life.

  【It’s natural to remember and cherish what you’ve lost.

  【Even I, as an angel, sometimes miss Goddess Libertas.】

  I see...

  She is right. I think I never saw characters that got reincarnated and still linger about their past.

  They usually just let it go as if their past is just a useless background story.

  Probably because of that, I thought it’s not normal for me to remember my past.

  But…

  A small chuckle escaped me.

  Aza… really does have a kind side, huh?

  <”Uh… S-So… You aren’t going to use that to tease me later, right?”>

  【That’s that and this is this. It’s completely different matters.】

  Damnnn itttt!!

  As I frowned, Aza asked.

  【Do Master want to know about your mother and father's current life?】

  <”Huh? Can you search about their information? If so, please tell me!”>

  【No, since they are not related to this world.】

  I thought so too.

  So far Aza can only search for information that is related to this world.

  Other than that, she can only look into history, including mine.

  And that’s also the reason why she has so much information that could be used to tease me!

  【But, since it’s already been a few years since the accident, I believe they have already been reincarnated on Earth. Of course, their memory got erased.】

  Ah, I see… I had expected that.

  <”I hope they have a new happy life.”>

  【Yes. We angels and Goddess Libertas also hope they will have a happy life.】

  <”My sister probably missed us too. But, since she is married and even has 2 sons, she should be able to move forward. So I’m not too worried about her.”>

  【Yes.】

  I exhaled slowly, glancing toward my current parents, who were still watching me with gentle expressions.

  I was here. I was happy.

  Even if the past would always be a part of me,

  I wasn’t alone anymore.