A violent impact.
――Dead.
That was Osamu's first thought as he closed his eyes.
(Huh? What's happening? ...Why can't I open my eyes?)
The expected aftermath of the collision never came.
Curious, he tried to check, but his eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
Slap!
Before he could understand why, a sharp pain ran across his back.
Slap, slap!
"Uwaa~~~! Aaah~~~!"
Someone was slapping his back.
He tried to cry out to stop it, but only a groaning sound escaped.
"Your child has revived from a near-death state."
"Really? Thank goodness..."
Voices of a young woman and a slightly older woman reached him.
*(If it's near-death revival, this must be a hospital... What about Masami!?) *
If he'd been in an accident, his sister in the passenger seat would surely be hurt as well.
Worried for her, Osamu's thoughts were interrupted by unexpected words.
"Shall we hold him then?"
"Yes, of course."
(Hold him!? Wait a second. I'm injured, and I'm not ready... Is she even beautiful? No, no, this is too sudden...)
Concern for the situation, his sister, and most importantly his current body should have been his focus—but the word hold erased all that.
A man with no experience with women freezes at such words.
But the pause was brief.
The sensation of floating in the air made him think again.
"Hold him carefully so you don't drop him. Yes, support the neck with your elbow..."
Following the instructions of the older woman, a warm something slowly and cautiously enveloped his body.
The soft touch on his cheek left a lasting impression.
"Even when holding gently, it feels like I could hurt him. ...I thought babies would be more energetic, but he's far calmer than I imagined."
(Baby?)
"Yes. Though there is individual variation, he should be crying and moving more."
Osamu, thinking he had merely been hospitalized from the accident, could not comprehend that he had actually been reborn.
Of course, no one could make such a leap immediately.
It was natural for him to remain passive, which explained why he neither cried nor moved.
"A child has been born!"
A man burst into the room, shouting, startling everyone.
Even the mother tensed, pressing Osamu tightly against her chest with a soft groan.
"Randolph, don't barge in! You'll scare the baby."
"Sorry, but I couldn't wait after hearing he was born."
"This isn't your first child, is it?"
"Lucia, this is my first with you. Thank you, I'm really happy."
The rustle of clothing and what sounded like kisses came from above Osamu's head.
(Randolph? First child? And why are they making out over my head!)
"Ahhh~~~"
He tried to protest, but it came out as a groan.
This was enough.
Those two, lost in their world, now knew he existed.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't forget you. ...Is it a boy or girl?"
"A boy. Have you thought of a name?"
"A boy? Isaac. I had that in mind."
"Papa~" Randolph said, poking Osamu's cheek.
Isaac squirmed, shaking his head in refusal, and Randolph poked again.
It was clear from his expression how much he loved his child.
Yet, in his joy, he couldn't help being overbearing.
"Ahhh~~~"
"Randolph! Isaac doesn't like that."
"Can't help it, he's so cute."
"Children aren't toys, you know!"
It was a heartwarming scene—but not for all present.
Osamu—now Isaac—realized from the cheek-poking that he was a baby.
(I'm Isaac... reborn? Why are we speaking Japanese with an English-style name?)
He thought he was in an emergency hospital, yet he had been reborn.
The unexpected reality left his mind reeling.
After birth, Isaac focused on gathering information.
All he could do was eavesdrop on conversations between his parents, the nanny, and the maid.
Although he worried about his previous-life family, there was no way to know their current state, so he gave up.
Instead, he focused on leveraging the advantage of being reborn with memories from his previous life.
Unlike other children his age, he intended to use this advantage to aim for success.
The family information he gathered:
Father: Randolph Wellrod, heir to the Marquis Wellrod family.
A kind-hearted man, learning to be a future lord under his grandfather.
Mother: Lucia Wellrod, Randolph's first wife, from the Viscount Halifax family.
A love marriage, but her position caused a terrible relationship with the second wife.
Second wife: Melinda Wellrod, from the Marquis Wilmente family.
Originally engaged to marry elsewhere, she was compelled into the role due to Randolph's insistence.
Second wife's son: Nathan Wellrod, Isaac's older brother by one year.
(I'm now second in line for inheritance, Nathan pushed to third... This is dangerous.)
A first wife from a Viscount family, second wife from a Marquis family—already volatile.
Now, the eldest son Nathan was lower in succession than Isaac.
Melinda would never tolerate this.
Inheritance priority had been promised to Lucia's child, but family power dynamics could override it.
(Did Randolph miss this out of love for Lucia, or just never consider it...?)
Isaac didn't desire the inheritance itself yet.
Whether he held it or not, he could remove Nathan when the time came.
The real danger was assassination.
Names flickered through his mind: Oda Nobuyuki and Date Kojiro—brothers killed over succession.
Now, his own body was at risk.
Isaac would inherit, but others, like Nobuyuki or Kojiro, had been killed despite similar expectations.
――How Nathan would grow.
Isaac didn't intend to wait to find out.
No matter his potential, he could use power and wealth to override ability differences.
Thus, he needed to eliminate Nathan as early as possible.
Being born into the Marquis family, he would not give up his claim.
From now on, the priority: either hide his ability to avoid assassination, or show it from childhood and secure allies to build an unshakable position.
A dilemma.
Even with average university-level knowledge, a gifted child would be treated as a prodigy.
"Genius at ten, talented at fifteen, ordinary after twenty."
Top status cannot last forever.
Still, Isaac had a twenty-four-year head start.
With continued effort, he could remain at the top among his peers.
But that required endless effort.
(...Still, it's much better than working at that brutal izakaya. If I had studied more, gone to a better university, I could have joined a decent company and lived well. Youth is for effort. Maybe enduring that life wasn't wasted. Then, in this world, I can aim higher.)
Fifteen or more hours of confinement each day.
Rather than struggling under that lifestyle, it was far better to endure effort that actually improved him, like study.
Being able to only eat and sleep gave Isaac—formerly just ordinary Osamu—time to think about his future, leaving a lasting impact.
(Becoming heir at best, losing life at worst. Either way, a family dispute will happen... Whether I start it or they do is the only difference. Better to act first, create an advantage, and remove Nathan and Melinda in a way the Wilmente Marquis family can't object.)
A new life.
He decided to live differently than in his previous life.
――A safe, quiet, ordinary life.
Still, such a life could be fulfilling and appealing.
But that was in a modern society with fixed rules.
Reading about Japan, Europe, and China during their respective Warring States periods, he realized that in such an era, skillful maneuvering might even make him a king or emperor.
If the regime was strict, chances would be slim, but otherwise, there could be one opportunity.
Yet, one cannot suddenly choose a new path and succeed.
――Could an ordinary person suddenly become a politician and manage alone?
Impossible.
No way.
In his previous life, he had studied seriously and graduated from university, giving him basic knowledge.
So first, he needed to acquire knowledge of this world.
Without a basis for judgment, there was nothing he could do.
Especially in this life.
――Could the son of a local official live as a noble heir in the prestigious Marquis family?
Extremely difficult.
Even if he learned proper behavior for his status, the memories of his previous life could influence him.
He needed to reconcile what he learned in this world with knowledge from his previous life.
(Managing people is key. As a noble heir, I shouldn't do everything myself. I need to delegate properly. I also want to note down previous-life knowledge, and besides—)
Puripuri puri.
A baby's body repeats drink, eat, excrete, and sleep.
Weak sphincter control means excretion happens naturally, regardless of will.
"Ahhh~~~"
But Isaac had learned to express intent through sound.
Whenever he cried, Nanny Adela would approach.
"Oh my, are you hungry? Or a diaper issue?"
"Ahhh~~~"
Isaac stretched out.
This was his usual gesture when he had an accident.
"A diaper, then. Let's change it."
Removing the diaper brought the scent of excrement to Adela's nose.
Yet, the grimace she made—like a horse's flehmen response—was unclear: was it the smell, or realizing Isaac understood speech?
Isaac, cheeks flushed in embarrassment and eyes closed, couldn't know why Adela reacted that way.
For now, he understood only one thing.
The diaper play his friends had passionately talked about.
And that he couldn't understand the appeal at all.
Notes:
• Ran - She is a gentle orphan, appeared as Mobu's close friend, surviving the demon attack in their secret hideout.