I was born

Darkness.

Rei felt as if he were in space, a space completely dark, devoid of sound, and a place where he felt no pain.

'...Is this death?'

He waited for a long time, but nothing happened.

He tried to move but couldn't; he felt his arms, legs, his chest, he could feel his entire body, but he had no strength to move at all.

He felt like he was enveloped in an indescribable warmth, like being in a pool and floating on the surface.

'I hope Rafael is okay.'

It was only Rafael and his thoughts, as it had always been, as he wished it wouldn't be from now on.

He felt lonely.

'...I don't want to be here... please, not again.'

No matter how much he waited, how much he thought, or how hard he tried, there was no response.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

'It's not possible.'

It had been a long time since Rei had such a clear thought.

At first, he started counting seconds in an attempt to measure something or notice anything during that period, and surprisingly, it worked.

After a week of counting, he felt something pressing against his body, akin to the sensation a dog might feel when being petted.

Eventually, he gained some strength and managed to move his feet, kicking them out. It wasn't full control over his legs, but rather a brief flash of strength that appeared momentarily.

All of this led him to a thought he didn't believe possible.

'I definitely died... But I feel alive, trapped, but alive. As time passes, it's like I'm growing... Did I reincarnate like in the anime Rafael used to watch? Uh... Mushoku Tensei?'

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

'That felt weird... but I was born.'

This was Rei's first thought as he felt the air touching his body, the warmth of a hand on his back, and the ability to freely move his limbs.

He tried to open his eyes but couldn't; it might have been because he had just been born or the light from a huge lamp shining directly on him, but what mattered most was the fact that he had finally come out of there.

'I can't believe it... Is this really happening?'

He felt as if his body were covered in a strange substance, and when his eyes finally adjusted to the light, an old doctor dressed in scrubs was the first sight he had in this new life.

Without warning, the doctor raised an eyebrow and grabbed two scissors, cutting the umbilical cord that protruded from his belly and giving him a firm slap on the bottom to make him cry.

'What-'

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

His baby body began to shed tears involuntarily, accompanied by a loud wail, but the only thought at that moment was to remember the doctor's face.

'Ugh... Bastard.'

Rei was introverted, not polite.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

After a few additional minutes of crying and wailing due to Rei's umbilical cord being sutured by the doctor, two assistants, dressed in blue scrubs, approached from the sides, each holding a white towel in their arms. The doctor placed little Rei in their hands, and they began to clean all the blood and placenta off his body.

'They're looking at me weird, and besides...'

Rei could see both doctors exchanging glances as they looked at him and moved their mouths behind their sanitary masks. But there was a problem—he couldn't hear anything.

'I can't hear anything.'

He tried closing his eyes to concentrate on his ears, but he still couldn't hear anything—just a slight vibration resonating in the surroundings. He assumed it was because he was a newborn.

After a few seconds of cleaning, both doctors gave what seemed like a smile behind their masks as they wrapped him in a warm white cotton blanket and handed him over to someone else.

Rei's thoughts paused for a moment as he looked at the person, but when he regained his senses, only one thought came to mind.

'She's beautiful.'

A woman with an affable face, purple hair cascading down to her neck, and eyes like amethysts held Rei in her arms, giving him a warm smile full of love.

As he looked at her, a memory from the past crossed his mind, and unconsciously, he reached out his hands towards her.

'...Please don't die too. I don't want to have to live through that again.'

She seemed tired and was breathing heavily, but her face lit up with a smile from ear to ear, and all her friendly appearance turned playful as she began to make funny faces.

'Huh?'

Rei's tears stopped, and he looked confusedly at the woman, causing her to burst into uncontrollable laughter, but unfortunately for Rei, he couldn't hear anything.

A smiling man approached the mother and child, and Rei's gaze shifted from the woman to the new person—a young, attractive man with striking green hair that matched his emerald eyes.

'Is the rule of this isekai to be attractive and have flashy hair by nature?'

The green-haired man locked eyes with Rei, tears appearing on his face, but his smile didn't fade. He seemed like the embodiment of happiness as he approached to embrace his wife and son.

After a minute of hugs, the green-haired man stepped aside, making way for the doctor from before, and seemed to say something to the couple, again, something Rei couldn't hear. Although his gaze was fixed on the doctor, as he had been the one who slapped him earlier, he caught sight of the woman bringing one of her hands to her face, shaping it into a flat palm and bringing it close to her chin before pulling it away.

'Isn't that...?'

Rei unconsciously imitated her, earning smiles from all three adults, but the mother's smile gradually turned into a look of panic that alternated between the father and the doctor.

'Oh.'

The mother suddenly brought Rei's ear close to her mouth and let out a loud scream.

Silence filled the room.

Rei showed no reaction and simply looked at the mother, causing the atmosphere to become tense. The doctor lowered his gaze, and the mother's face turned into one of agony, mixed with tears, as she glanced at the green-haired man approaching her with outstretched arms.

'I've seen that before, it was 'thank you' in sign language... She's deaf—oh... I'm deaf.'

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

After a few minutes, the couple along with their son were transferred to a large hospital room.

The room only had one spacious bed, indicating it was a private room. Near the bed was a smaller plastic crib with wheels, along with a nearby armchair and a large television on the wall in front. But what stood out most in the room was the enormous window that offered a view of the city's beauty.

Along the way, Rei tried to observe his surroundings carefully in an attempt to gather clues about where he was. Initially, all he wanted was to avoid being in a dangerous world and live peacefully in this new life.

However, being born without the gift of hearing meant losing the most valuable thing to him: music.

Before the mother was placed on the bed in the room, Rei noticed a simple sign with large letters at one end.

'Japanese... Isekai on Earth? Haven't I simply been reincarnated? No, I have my memories, and the appearances of the people I've seen are far from the normality I know... it must be a world set in Japan... and this is uncomfortable.'

Throughout this time, the mother had been crying while holding Rei, and the green-haired father sat on one side of the bed, placing a hand on the woman's arm while staring intently at Rei.

Rei's gaze shifted to the woman. He couldn't hear her, nor could she hear him, but her pain was something he could feel through the trembling of her body.

Unconsciously, his hands rose to wipe away the tears streaming down her face.

The woman opened her eyes and looked at the small hands cleaning her cheeks.

'Don't cry.'

There was no communication, just a strange feeling. The mother looked down, finding her son giving her a small smile, which made her want to cry even more. But she was stunned when she saw her little one mimic the gesture she had made earlier.

"Thank you."

'Thank you for giving me a new chance.'

The father's eyes widened as he alternated his gaze rapidly between his son and his wife, appearing as though he was about to snap the woman's neck. This made her snap out of her surprise, and she playfully tapped him on the neck.

A smile appeared on the father's face as he brought a hand to his neck, watching his partner recover from her sad mood. He then placed his other hand on her face to wipe away her tears, slowly leaning in.

Rei turned his head to the other side, feeling a bit annoyed and embarrassed, while contemplating the situation of being a baby.

'I can speak Portuguese, English and some Spanish, but I don't know more Japanese than the common phrases heard in anime and a few random words... Learning a language while being deaf will be difficult. If I struggled to make friends before, now it will be difficult to communicate at all. Will I become the same person again?'

His gaze turned to the television in front of the bed, and in the darkness of the turned-off screen, he could see his small reflection, as well as the two parents kissing. But what mattered most was the feeling in his chest.

'No... My regrets won't make me act the same as self-imposed punishment. I will move forward and become who I was when I was little, someone happy.'

A resolution was set like a nail in Rei's ideals, and he clenched his little fists with a feeling of liberation coursing through his mind.

'Even if I can't hear, I will see the beauty of this life. Even if I can't hear, I will feel this happiness to the fullest. Even if I can't hear, I will live this life the way I want.'

When Rei reached the highest point of personal overcoming, two hands grabbed him, lifting him up, and his small eyes blinked in surprise.

The mother, no, his mother was looking at him with a smile so wide it showed even her teeth, just like his father beside her.

His father raised both hands straight up, placing one on his own chin and the other on the mother's, directing them forward as they both said something.

Rei didn't hear it, he didn't understand their words, but tears streamed down his face. He understood the message, he understood the gesture.

"Thank you for being born."

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

It had been a few days, and Rei's parents were already packing their things with the intention of leaving the hospital room, as the mother was feeling better, and both of them were longing to be back home.

With the purple-haired mother carrying Rei and the green-haired father pushing her in a wheelchair, the family left the hospital.

Rei had managed to get some candies for children from the doctors, which dissolved in his tongue, leaving a sweet taste. He didn't know if it was healthy for a newborn, nor did he care. He had been feeling embarrassed for days about having to drink breast milk and needed a different taste. Moreover, if the doctors gave them to him, it must be for a reason.

One thing he noticed when receiving the candies was that the appearance of both doctors without masks changed significantly.

Rei couldn't tell if it was because he had just been born or if something else was at play. However, it was quite strange not to notice the long ears similar to those of an elf on one of the doctors or the strange pupils with various circles on the other.

He didn't pay much attention to it since his focus was completely captured by the sweet taste of the candies. The only downside was that the portions were small, but Rei accepted them gladly.

Once outside the hospital, Rei began to look around, but as he was lying down, his vision was limited. He tugged at his mother's clothes in an attempt to make her understand and straighten him out.

His mother tilted her head, showing slight confusion, giving Rei a glimmer of hope. But quickly, her expression changed to a mischievous smile, and she bombarded him with kisses all over his face, leaving him dazed. It's not that he didn't like it; on the contrary, it was warm, but...

'It's not the time for kisses, mother. I have a new world to see.'

Shaking his little body, he began to squirm in his mother's lap like a worm. With a swing at the right moment, he managed to lift himself a bit and hold on with his hand to avoid falling.

'Soft.'

Rei slowly turned his head towards his hand, and upon seeing what he had grabbed onto, he turned his head slowly towards his mother, who was giving him a curious look and a playful smile that annoyed Rei.

'Tsk.'

Memories of drinking breast milk flooded his mind, and making a grimace, he let go of his hand, allowing himself to fall defeated again into his mother's lap, intending to uncomfortably view his surroundings.

Upon turning around, he was amazed by the sight before him. A huge green campus spread out from the hospital, surrounding enormous buildings with posters on the sides displaying advertisements, Japanese characters, and images of people wearing strange clothes.

'The people look so different...'

Lowering his gaze, he glanced at the people walking along the paths of the campus. He had barely seen people since he hadn't left the room and hadn't been taken to the window of the room at any time, but the appearance of the people differed greatly from the common sense he brought from his previous life.

From people with hair of different colors to some with animal-like features such as tails, wings, or horns, there were also people of different sizes—short, extremely short, tall, and even one with an incredibly long neck and the head of a giraffe dressed in a suit.

'Am I in Beastars? No, there are humans, so wh-what!'

Rei's eyes widened when he saw the largest sign on one of the buildings in the area. Besides its size, it was the person on it that caught his attention. With a superhero pose and suit, two blue eyes shone in the mysterious darkness that enveloped his face, and his golden hair highlighted his face, overshadowing his flashy and muscular body. Two large words stood out above his head, they were not Japanese, and Rei could read them perfectly.

All Might.

'Oh, Boku no Hero... that explains a lot.'

His gaze returned to his mother, and he squinted, alternating his gaze between his parents, wondering what their quirks would be and, more importantly... what would be his?

His thoughts were interrupted when a car stopped beside them. From the sign on the top and the colors, he assumed it was a taxi.

The father lifted the mother in his arms like a princess and placed them both inside the car, while the driver helped by storing the folding chair in the trunk.

Upon seeing his father speak with the driver, Rei concluded that the assumption he had been thinking about for a few days—that his father was hearing—was true. But a sudden drowsiness invaded him.

'Again... kids sleep a lot.'

Letting out a yawn, his body began to feel heavier, and his eyes started to close on their own.

︿︿︿︿︿︿︿

Eight months had passed, and it was a sunny Saturday morning. In a beautifully designed brown wooden crib with white accents and cotton-filled fabric covering the sides, a baby lay staring at the ceiling, contemplating life.

The only thing Rei had been able to do for himself during this time was wake up; he was certain that any accidents would result in a visit to a specialist to erase memories.

'But not anymore... Today is the day!'

Rei had been preparing for this moment for months, but it wasn't quite time yet.

Rolling over in bed, he propped himself up on one knee, gripping the crib bars tightly, and began to rise like a titan. With great effort, he managed to hoist himself up onto the top of the crib and pointed towards the room's only door with his hand, forming his fingers into the shape of a gun with his thumb and index finger.

'Three, two, one...'

The door suddenly swung open, and a woman with purple hair, Rei's mother Liria, entered the room, standing still and pointing at Rei in the same manner he had. They locked eyes, neither moving a muscle until... "BANG!"

Rei let out a shout accompanied by a shooting motion, and Liria stared at him for a few seconds, tension palpable in the air. But Rei didn't falter; he brought his hand close to his mouth, blew on his index finger, and gave a cheeky grin to his mother.

Liria raised both hands in a gesture of surrender and approached Rei, pouting

"Good morning, my little trickster."

Her hands moved in sign language gestures towards Rei, who looked surprised, pointing at himself and gesturing back in response.

"Good-Trickster? Me?"

"Who else?"

Rei placed a hand over his heart and lowered his gaze, showing a wounded expression.

"My mama calling me a trickster... My heart."

Liria raised an eyebrow at his antics, sighing as she approached him, using one hand to make gestures while looking at him intently.

Rei had easily adapted to sign language after being exposed to it for so long; he could speak Portuguese or English out loud, but that would raise questions about how he learned those languages or risk his parents not understanding him, so he decided to keep it to himself.

"Today we're going to the park with dad, excited?"

"Yeah!"

This time, Rei spoke aloud to prevent his voice from getting too rusty. Since his mother could read lips easily, he began to communicate more with her to learn how to do it himself.

Liria showered Rei with her usual morning kisses before leaving the room, heading down the hall to the living room where her green-haired father, Ren, was wearing a white apron and finishing up breakfast.

The couple moved in for a kiss, but unlike a few months ago, Rei didn't look away; he had gotten used to it happening so often, and it would continue to happen in the future.

A mischievous grin spread across his face as he pointed at both of them and then joined all his fingers separately before bringing them together slowly, teasing them once again.

Liria made a face at the sight of a baby teasing them, and Ren turned embarrassed back to the kitchen, setting the table to start breakfast while Liria put Rei in a special baby seat.

After a few minutes, the family was finally seated around the table with Rei in the center and his parents on either side.

His gaze lowered to the cereal porridge in front of him, and he looked longingly at the plate of bacon and eggs that Liria and Ren had in front of them.

'I want some too-'

His thoughts were interrupted by Liria, who had placed her arm in front of his food plate, showing him a mocking smile in sign language in retaliation for earlier.

"Eyes on your plate, mister Reiki."

Rei made a face at his mother's words in sign language and looked away from her, directing his gaze to his father.

Over these eight months, Rei had learned a lot about his parents, like their names and his own name, Reiki, which surprised him due to its similarity to his past life. But there were more important details.

His father Ren was an office worker who had weekends off and had a weakness for Rei's pouting, and his mother Liria was a retired heroine from the United States who learned Japanese upon marrying Ren. Though she was deaf, she exuded overwhelming confidence and a playful personality.

More than feeling affection for Rei, he felt that his mother saw him as something amusing, constantly surprising her.

The problem? Rei couldn't manipulate her. It sounds bad to say it, but sadly for him, his only weapon for now was acting cute, and Liria seemed immune to it, leaving him with only one option.

Puffing out his cheeks and putting on a sad face, he exchanged glances with his father and his food plate.

His eyes clearly conveyed his desire to taste the bacon, and Ren's heart melted, involuntarily bringing his hand to the fork, skewering a piece of bacon, and slowly bringing it towards Rei.

"A~NA~TA~" (A affectionate term for husband/dear in Japanese, I think)

Liria rarely used Japanese words since she communicated using sign language at all times, and if she did, it was a clear warning sign. Ren's hand paused, and he slowly turned his head towards Liria with a smile as he began to move the fork away from Rei.

"Weren't you really planning on giving him bacon, were you?"

"...Of course not, dear, I was just stretching my arm."

Liria finished reading his lips and instantly showed a big smile while gesturing for Rei to eat the bacon on the fork.

Ren nodded and began to eat, glancing sideways at his son with some sadness, but he found Rei looking back at him normally, making a face.

Rei raised a hand as if grabbing something and threw it forward while mimicking the sound of a whip.

"*HAPUSSHHH!*"

Ren's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his son start eating the porridge as if nothing had happened and turned to Liria, only to find that she had lowered her head while covering her mouth with her hand, trembling with suppressed laughter.

"HAHA-COUGH-HAHAHA."

Ren lowered his head in embarrassment and continued eating in silence, having to endure his wife's amusement in front of him.

'I'm sorry, Rei. When you're older, you'll realize that I had no other choice, and neither will you... Contradicting Liria-Ugh.'

A shiver ran down Ren's spine at the mere thought of it, and he continued eating in silence.