152 My Seventh Birthday Party I Didn'st Even Want to Live, But God Forced Me to Reincarnate!

Elegant white dress with jewels adorned, the same gold-colored earrings with cherry decoration, and braided front hair... Oh, her hair seemed to have grown longer that she tied it behind her. She looked fresh and gentle... at least gentler than the image I had of her when she was younger.

What made my eyes sour was how her arm encircled Clyde's arm, just like a lovey dovey couple—ah, they were married couple, indeed. As for Clyde... I just noticed it, but compared to when he was young, he seemed to be more... relaxed? Happy? I didn't really spend much time with him so I didn't know, but the atmosphere around him seemed different.

"We meet again, little girl! How's school?!"

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Nicole's gentle image was quickly broken by her words and how she patted my head quite hard—be gentler, Nicole! You're ruining my hair!!!!

"S-school is fun, and how do you do, Aunti—"

"Ni-co-le-san!!"

Before I could finish my words, Nicole quickly corrected me. Uuh, to think that I just realized yesterday that I could probably address Nicole with Auntie and Clyde with Uncle as they were already parents... Okay, no need to change how I address them, then!

"Nicole-san... Thanks for coming to seventh birthday party!"

"It's a matter of course! There's no way I'm not coming after I met you last year! I still remember..."

...Nicole's 'I still remember' is terrifying...

Nicole moved closer as she seemed to be probing on my... face?!

Eeh—she's trying to read my expression?!

"Haha, Nicole, you're going to scare her," Clyde said as he tugged Nicole closer.

Phew!

"We meet again, Lyra! You're still as cute as ever. I'm not sure how to describe it... though there are some parts of you that I think are similar to my late sister, your overall characteristic is different from her...," Clyde said.

...Hii!! C-Clyde, there's no need for you to say it out loud, just keep it in your mind... Please?

"Well, she sure looks so different from Reinst, but I also feel that she resembles her in some ways. Yup, hard to describe," Nicole added.

...S-stop comparing me with ...myself in the past, pleasssseee? I'm sweating bullets here... Must try to not look nervous!!

Right, I have to change the topic!!

"U-uhm, Nicole-san, Clyde-san, how is your son?"

"Ah, Eine has grown up to be a bright child. He's my pride and joy," Nicole smiled proudly.

Eine...? Their son's name, I guess?

"He is five years old now. Next year, he will turn six... Will you come to his sixth birthday party, Lyra? I'm sure he's going to like you," Clyde said.

Uhm, yes, I know you and Nicole like me because I was Reinst who reincarnated, but don't assume your son is going to like me right away...?

"Of course I will come!"

Despite my thought, I still managed to smile it off.

"Promise it, Lyra?" Nicole unexpectedly asked me to make a promise to this thing that didn't even need promise...?

She even gave me her pinky.

Uhhh, does she still have her childish habit or is it because of her son that she still has this habit?

...But.

Back then.

As Reinst, I didn't take her pinky.

She was the one who forcefully hooked my pinky to hers.

I didn't take the pinky promise nicely.

So...

"Promise!" I gently hooked my pinky to Nicole's pinky.

Back then, my pinky was bigger than Nicole's. But right now, my pinky was evidently way smaller than hers.

Though our forms were different, at least I could make it off for Nicole and made a nice pinky promise with her.

As I looked at Nicole's current smiling face, the image overlapped with Nicole's younger self that I still remembered. Her smile remained the same.

...Sorry, Nicole. For not being a good friend. And thank you. Thanks for always keeping me alive in your mind. Thanks for remembering me.

"Speaking of which... Clyde-san... I don't see your mother...?"

After hooking my pinky with Nicole's, I asked Clyde the question that had been on my mind since earlier.

"Oh... Mother's at home, taking care of Ein," Clyde answered, "I apologize that she can't attend..."

"Eeh, no problem! It's good that your son is not lonely with his grandmother there!" I quickly interrupted Clyde's words, not wanting him to feel guilty.

"Heee... Lyra is so considerate, how nice!" Nicole praised me.

...The feeling of being praised like a child by your former best friend is not good...

"I hope Eine and you can get along! Who knows that in the future, you can be my daughter, ehehe!" Nicole stuck her tongue a bit as she winked.

"That will be nice," Clyde added.

"Ahem!!"

Suddenly, Dad coughed out loud, interrupting our conversation...

Well, Dad and Mom weren't standing far away from me, so it was natural they could still see what was going on here...

Aaah, Dad's overprotectiveness never changed.

"Hahaha, guess we can only see what's stored in the future for us," Clyde concluded, as if catching what Dad's cough implied.

"Hahaha... y-yeah...," I awkwardly smiled.

Thankfully, our "reunion" was concluded there~! I didn't blurt out anything that could raise their suspicion, hoorraaaay~!!

And during my seventh birthday, I met with Yuzuru once again!

"Yuzuru-neesan, thank you for last year! T-that was really amazing!! And your swords were extraordinary, too!"

"Hmhm~, but of course!"

After a year, Yuzuru had grown up to be more beautiful... Eh, right!

"You're having your coming-of-age ceremony this year?" I asked after I recalled that Yuzuru should be 13 this year.

"Yeah, make sure to come and visit the South area, you're going to like it!" Yuzuru smiled, "Just wait for the invitation."

"Un, I will!"

And again, I made another (unspoken) promise. Yuzuru was kind enough to show me her swordsmanship last year, so obviously I would come to her coming-of-age ceremony, at the very least, if I can't come every year~!

After there were no more incoming nobles who arrived to give their greetings to me, I moved to find where my friends were flocking to eat and chat together with them.

When I saw Iris, I was reminded of the Sorreil family.

"Come to think of it, Iris, why am I not seeing your family? They aren't coming?"

"Eh... ah... I guess so? I also don't see them here... Sorry Lyra, I don't talk too much with them, so I don't know whether they're coming or not..."

...Right, sorry, Iris!

Well then, it seemed like they didn't come, indeed.

Though it was a pity that I couldn't see how Iris' family looked like, as long as Iris was here, I couldn't care less.

At the end of the day, I managed to go through my seventh birthday without raising any flag! Horray~! Finally~!

Furthermore, the surge of (negative) emotions I felt this time was less intense than before... so... Things are starting to look good, and I think I will be more used to it soon!

Thus, the road to the peaceful life I wished seemed to be opening up.

==

Peaceful and calm days continued from thereafter, in comparison to the chaotic days full of flags I experienced in the past.

...Yes, things seemed to go on without anything out of ordinary, until one day...

It happened one day at the latter half of the same year I turned 7.

It seemed that Alt-nii had just got some lessons on [Familiars] and [Summoned Beasts]. Normally, he would just neglect or let Eggie—the mysterious egg-like object that he obtained—be on its own. He still slept with Eggie, but to me, it felt like he was sleeping with his favorite toy or doll.

But today, Alt-nii's treatment on Eggie was different. He suddenly brought Eggie out from his room to the table, as he sat on the chair to examine Eggie closer.

And he pouted.

"Aaaah really! Just when are you going to hatch, you stupid Eggie?!"

Alt-nii lightly clapped on the egg's surface.

"W-what's the matter, Alt-nii?" I asked, as this sudden change of behavior confused me.

"My friends are getting their [Familiars] one by one, or some of the eggs they got had finally hatched. And I received Eggie even earlier than them, this is so unfair!!"

...Oh, no wonder he became this impatient.

"Could it be that Eggie isn't actually a beast egg as we thought it was?! That explains why nothing happened at all for all these years!" Alt-nii spun Eggie around.

"W-well...," I didn't continue my words.

There is that possibility, too... but if I were to say it out loud, that'd upset Alt-nii more.

"Stupid Eggie, give me any sign that you're alive!" Alt-nii lightly hit the surface of the object as it stopped spinning.

...Alt-nii's tap then triggered the egg to spin again as it... slipped... to the... GROUND?!

"Eeeeeekh!!!" I ran forward in order to catch the egg before it fell on the ground. After all, it would be such a waste if this turned out to be a real beast's egg and if it was wasted like this... At the same time, Alt-nii also ran forward to catch the egg.

As we fell to the floor and extended our arms to catch the egg at the same time, I tried to stop my body's movement as if this continued with the current speed... my head would hit Alt-nii's head first before the egg landed on our arms!!

Thankfully, we managed to stop before bumping into each other. As for the egg...

It successfully landed on our arms!

"Phew..."

"Thank goodness..."

We sighed out of relief, but then—

*CRACK!*

The horrible sound resounded within the room as we saw... cracks were forming on the egg!!

"...Ah?" Both of us were dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events and could only stare at the cracks that formed on the egg.