Chapter 3: I Don’t Want to Transmigrate into a Different World! (3)

It was a rare occurrence for Tanaka to wake up without the help of his family or friends. Or to wake up willingly in general.

Though Tanaka understood the importance of food and exercise... Even though logically, scientifically, health-wise, sleeping all hours of the day was not healthy or good for his body, and not eating or moving around would only make his lethargy worse.....

...

.....

..... What was his point again? Ah, he almost fell right back to sleep. The gentle rocking motion was making him drowsy...

Tanaka realized rather belatedly that someone was holding him. In his sleep-idled mind, he concluded that the person was probably his older brother, Daichi. It could also be his dad, but Daichi was noticeably more muscular while their father had a layer of fat to lay on.

Daichi had always been the fittest among the three Maki siblings, probably because ever since Tanaka was a baby, his older brother had always carried him around in his arms. Part of his laziness was probably Daichi's fault because the other would not put him down even after he turned... Well, even as an adult, Tanaka had the habit of going to Daichi whenever he didn't want to walk or move anymore. And his nii-san would indulge him no matter how many times Nanami had yelled at him for spoiling their youngest.

("It's your fault that it took him another year and a half to learn how to walk!" Nanami had once accused Daichi, which no one could really disagree with. The oldest son of the Maki's really did carry Tanaka around so much that the youngest of the Maki siblings had almost forgotten how to crawl.)

Completely safe and relaxed in the grip of his older brother, Tanaka dozed off once again, a little bit more aware that he was being carried to his room, only...

Though Tanaka didn't mind sleeping in Daichi's arms, it was taking the other quite some time to head into his room and place him on the bed. Was Daichi... just not planning on letting him go? When they were young, Daichi would carry him all the time, but now Tanaka is a fully grown man. Even if he's shorter and smaller than the average Japanese male, there was no way Daichi could hold him for that long.

Either way, since it was really not Tanaka's problem and since he was not the one doing all the work, Tanaka continued to lay in his arm and shifted his head to bury his face into the other's shoulder. He took a deep breath--

...It's not Daichi's scent. There's no scent of lavender and warm milk and honey and cinnamon mixed in with his natural musk. It's not even his tou-san's scent, who smelled like oak wood and green tea and lavender as well. This scent is more... spice-- like paprika and turmeric and cumin. Very strong spices. Not gentle like his nii-san's and his tou-san's. It's definitely male, judging by the musky smell, but the earthy scent on the other's skin is very distinctive...

Hesitantly, Tanaka opened his bleary eyes, not recognizing the neck in front of his vision.

.... Is he being kidnapped? But who would kidnap him??

The neck was very dark-- well, the skin was dark. His family, for the most part, was perpetually pale-skinned, which was a common trait for eastern Asians, so anyone with dark skin was either from further south of the Asian continent or maybe...

"...Basim?" Tanaka called out sleepily, wondering when his friend had come to town, and without the government's (aka his sister's) permission to come into the country in the first place. He somehow also needed permission from his sister to even enter their house as well.

It only occurred to Tanaka now that his friend had to go through a lot of red tapes (i.e. Nanami) to see them.

But once he got past them, the first thing he would like to do was pick Tanaka up like Daichi-nii as if he was a little kid that the older male could carry around easily, and... just walk around with Tanaka firmly in his arms?

It... wasn't unlike how his older brother would treat him whenever his nii-san happened to be home. And like with nii-san, Nanami would bristle at the fact that another person was indulging his laziness.

But then the man holding him suddenly stiffened as soon as he heard him call out and Tanaka knew that something was wrong.

Lifting his head slightly, his eyes now wide open, Tanaka didn't see the rugged and stubbled handsome face of his long-time friend from Saudi Arabia, but the smooth and lean face of Amir Al-Amin, the butler who worked for the Rosetta family...

Oh right. He died. And then he came back to life into the body of the younger brother of Edward Rosetta in the Otome game, The Noblest of Love. His so-called new family didn't care much about him and probably didn't like him and... he's all alone.

Wow, what a depressing turn of his life.

Suddenly aware of the gaping hole in his chest, Tanaka leaned back down against Amir, not even bothering to be subtle about his current mood. Luckily, no tears had sprung forward, because they probably wouldn't have stopped until he was completely dehydrated.

"...Are we going back to my room?" Tanaka hoped, snuggling closer to leech some heat from the older male. His body temperature had always been lower than normal so he was usually buried in blankets or jackets in his last life. It seemed that Thomas also had the same problem.

Amir stayed silent for a few seconds, his body still stiff and tense, but he answered soon afterward with an exasperated tone, one that Tanaka was familiar with through his friends and family, "It's midday, Young Master Thomas."

"A good time for a nap," Tanaka easily countered with a small yawn.

Amir: "......" Amir really did not know how to handle this change in the Young Master.

Thomas Rosetta was known to be an opportunist and as far as Amir knew, the youngest Rosetta usually would've taken his free time to either approach or bootlick his so-called 'benefactors', but it seemed that this child didn't want to do anything today other than sleep.

It took nearly an hour of searching around the large gardens of Rosetta Manor to find the defenseless Young Master sleeping on the bench near one of the fountains and the little one already wanted to go back to sleep again?

"... Would you like a bath, Young Master Thomas?" Amir suggested instead. Surely, he couldn't just leave this child to sleep all day, could he?

Fortunately, Tanaka was interested in taking a bath. Probably due to the accumulation of stress and depression, he had been feeling greasy and dirt-ridden all day.

Nodding his small head on Amir's shoulder, his curly hair swaying slightly, Tanaka prompted Amir to take him to the nearest bathroom. The butler did without further commentary and it wasn't long until they both found themselves near his bedroom and through a door that was...

That's a big bathtub.

No, it really couldn't be considered a bathtub. Maybe a pool, large enough to fit several fully-grown men and still had some space in between to stretch out without touching. The pool seemed to be made out of white marble, with Greek-like accent designs on the rims and on the bathroom walls. The small pool was already filled with steaming water, hazy because of the hot temperature, and... wasn't this practically an indoor hot spring?? Rather than a bathroom, this place was more like a northern European hot spring.

While it wasn't anything that he had expected to see, it reminded him a little bit of the onsen ryokans back at home and the homesickness painfully clinging onto his chest alleviated slightly.

He wiggled a little in Amir's arms so that the other could put him down and once the older man did, Tanaka started stripping.

The butler seemed to have stiffened from behind, but Tanaka was unaware of the other's discomposure at his lack of awkwardness or shame. Of course, most attendants were taught to help undress or to help wash their masters, but the way the youngest Rosetta had just wildly whipped off his clothes... it was not unlike how one would strip as if they were going out skinny dipping in a lake rather than taking a bath in their own home.

Without a pause, after his underwear slipped down to his feet, he dropped into the water. Luckily, there were marble seats on the pool walls so Tanaka was not in danger of drowning, but his little body was completely submerged from the top of his neck to the bottom of his feet. If he bothered straightening his back or standing up in the pool, the water would probably reach up to his chest instead.

He probably should've scrubbed himself clean before jumping in but what tiny filth he had on his body shouldn't matter in such a large body of water and the effort he would have to put in was discouraging.

Tanaka let out a long sigh of relief as if he was an office worker that worked a 12-hour shift hunched over his computer screen while being yelled at by his supervisor across the room. This was what he needed after a long day (never mind that the day barely started). Still...

Even though Tanaka would like to relax completely in this luxurious bath, the butler that had taken him here hadn't moved from where he stood, neither leaving nor approaching the young master.

Tanaka: "...." Please leave so I can take my bath in peace.

Seeing the young master staring at him rather viciously, obviously trying to prompt him to leave without having to say anything, Amir couldn't help but feel some sort of... amusement by this new version of the young master.

He certainly had never acted so restrained. Previously, if Young Master Thomas was ever displeased by his actions or attitude, he would've done more than just stare. In fact, some choice wording about his insolence and incompetence would be within the norms of interacting with the youngest Rosetta. Not to say that he preferred the child acting as if he was the Goddess' chosen one, and it would certainly be better for him in the long run if Young Master Thomas continued his strange character... Though whether he would continue to act this way could only be told through time. After all, it had only been a day and a half. The young master would probably be back to his normal personality by tomorrow.

"Let me wash you, Young Master Thomas," Amir said smilingly, causing goosebumps to rise up on Tanaka's skin.

...Why did something nice-sounding feel like a threat instead?

Tanaka considered turning down the 'offer', because... well, he's a grown man. Wouldn't it be rather embarrassing to let someone younger than him wash him? At least, he thought Amir was younger than him-- he honestly couldn't tell between the other's youthful and handsome face in contrast to his mature but cautious personality. Then again... considering his current age, wouldn't it be normal for someone to help him wash? ... What was his current age... judging by his size, he should be around 7-9 years of age?

Either way, he did remember a time when his family would help him take baths... Well, to be honest, that time wasn't too long ago. There were some days when he would forget to clean himself. Granted, he rarely left his room, much less went outside, so there wasn't much dirt for him to clean off in the first place, but more often than not, even as an adult, he would find himself being carried by one of his family members over to the bathtub to be washed...

Huh. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let the guy wash him.

Lifting his head slightly more out of the water, part of his chin still dipped in the water, Tanaka nodded rather obediently, unintentionally causing Amir's handsome lips to perk up slightly.

"Young Master, come closer to the edge so that I can reach you. I'll start washing your hair first," Amir instructed as he watched the young child floating closer near the walls of the pool. Amusement flashed past his eyes as the young master tilted his head toward Amir's direction. Really obedient. If only the brat was this easy most of the time.

Amir went to a nearby cabinet and took a few flasks of scented oils and soap from the shelves. With a towel on one arm, he took the items to the child, and after placing the large towel on a towel rack next to the bath, he opened one of the flasks--

Instantly, the young master dived underwater, causing Amir to blink in surprise. It wasn't long until the child popped up on the other side of the bath, and considering the size of the area, the distance was not little. He could see the young master looking at him warily-- well, more likely, the child was looking at the flask in his hands warily.

Raising an eyebrow, Amir suddenly decided to try an experiment. He closed the bottle and waited. A few seconds later, the young master finally floated towards him once again, but when he opened the flask of scented oil a second time, the young child immediately ducked into the water and popped right back out at the same spot on the other side of the room.

Amir tried not to let his amusement show, recalling the face the young master had made when they had walked together towards the Madam during breakfast. At first, he had thought that the child was non-subtly displaying his distaste for the Duchess, considering their bad relationship, but when the little one sniffed him as he was carrying the child through the west wing, he made a guess that the young master had a strong sensitivity to smells.

With a graceful smile, Amir closed the bottle and put it aside. "Does Young Master Thomas not like the scented oils?" Though he half expected the youngest Rosetta's pride to deny his question, it was still a little baffling to see the child nodding his small head in agreement. Either way, seeing that the evil bottle is gone, the young one swam back to his original spot, looking at Amir with large, lucid eyes. Other than the curve of his eyes deepening, Amir's expression barely changed. "I won't use the scented oils, but Young Master Thomas still needs his hair to be washed."

Now less hesitant to come over due to Amir's statement, Tanaka floated closer to the butler and tilted his head forward for the older male to reach. Once again, the dark-skinned male looked amused by the obedience and took off his white gloves. Lathering up his hands with soap, he started to massage the soap into the little one's dark hair.

Amir was very efficient with his cleaning, not giving Tanaka enough time to even be conscious about their closeness despite being touched thoroughly by a practical stranger. Amir's hands were a little bit rough but warm, and he knew how to apply the right pressure to make Tanaka relax.

Soon afterward, Tanaka found himself in a daze as he soaked in the water, allowing the suds to slide off as Amir used a large jug to pour some water over his head, making the lazy transmigrator completely soap-free. The whole process only took less than 15 minutes.

"Time to get out, Young Master Thomas," Amir instructed as he started to put up all the flasks back in the cabinet and the washing towel in the laundry basket near the door.

"Don't wanna," was Tanaka's answer as he sank deeper into the water. Many Japanese people were fond of soaking for long periods of time and Tanaka was no different. He saw no reason why he had to leave the water so early.

Amir: "....."

Unfortunately, Tanaka did not think to keep himself out of Amir's reach. Before he could escape, or even think to escape, he found himself scooped up from the bath and into someone's arms.

His brain stalled momentarily due to being forced out of his nice bath-zone and he didn't even think to cover his private parts before Amir placed him on the floor and covered the small boy with a large, fluffy towel.

Tanaka: "....." Now Tanaka is the one speechless.

Without so much as waiting for the child to react, Amir starts drying Tanaka with the same efficiency as he did washing him. The butler first started rubbing his hair dry with the towel, and as his head was being shaken side to side, Tanaka couldn't help but giggle at the familiar motion.

Whenever his dad or Nanami dried his hair, they would always exaggeratedly move his head. Nanami would jokingly say, "Why do you have a big brain but always a sleepy head?" while rubbing his hair with the towel vigorously and his dad would sway his head from the left to the right, then front and back while humming an upbeat song.

Amir paused momentarily. Considering the personalities of all three Rosetta children, it could be considered out of character for anything of them to giggle, even more so for the youngest, who tended to cackle like a typical villain of an epic novel. It was not even the graceful and lofty type of 'giggle' you would hear from aristocratic women and the occasional man. The sound was snorted out from the nose, nasally and unrefined. Like an innocent child's.

Noticing how Amir had suddenly stopped, Tanaka looked up towards the butler with open, curious eyes, the generally plain, brown irises suddenly deep and complex. If anyone saw how the fluffy towel framed the child's face with his pink cheeks, small mouth, and large eyes, their heart would squeeze at the adorableness. Especially with his dark-brown, curly hair framing the side of his head.

Originally, Thomas Rosetta hated his curly hair. He wanted it to be blond and straight like his father and would excessively gel his hair back every day to match His Grace's hairstyle.

Amir didn't really know how to do such a thing for the boy since he originally wasn't in charge of the child's wellbeing, so when the little one didn't mention fixing his hair this morning, the young butler let it be. But now, looking down at the youngest, he felt that it was a waste for the child to pull back his hair like that.

Staring at the butler's face, the smaller of the two tilted his head to the side at the other's blank expression, missing the strange light in the dark-skinned servant's eyes completely.

Before Tanaka could start questioning the other's stillness, the other picked him up without warning, startling Tanaka terribly.

Tanaka: ".....!" The feeling of being launched into the air almost gave him a heart attack. He weighed a lot less now as a child so the feeling of being lifted was different from when he was a much heavier and taller adult. His heart ended up beating really fast.

It was awkward being naked and being held in someone's arms, but Amir only carried him for only less than half a minute. It seemed that he was only trying to move Tanaka to a drier spot in the room. Still... it wasn't as if Tanaka couldn't move. No matter how lazy he was, he only needed to take a few steps out of the puddle he had made...

Nonetheless, Tanaka didn't voice out his grievances, mostly because he got distracted since Amir started dressing him immediately in... what looked to be day clothes...

"...Amir... Can I go back to my bedroom?" And sleep? It seemed that the other can see through his intention though, considering the raised eyebrow that the older male had given him.

"Young Master Thomas, it's about lunchtime. The chefs should have already prepared your plates."

...In other words, 'no'.

Tanaka was sullen about having his usual mid-day nap delayed, but he was also not the type to turn down (free) food either. He suddenly felt conflicted between laziness and hunger. Most of the time, his laziness would usually win out, but his mom was not here to feed him anymore and the Rosettas probably wouldn't care if he starved himself to death. He would have to learn to eat by himself without his family to share his meals with...

When Amir turned around to look at the child, who was quiet once again, he saw the depressed expression on the little one's face. It was a rather humorous look, considering how 'puffy' the young master looked with his curly hair and poofy cheeks...

With a sigh, Amir picked up the child once again, causing the young boy to blink widely at the handsome butler.

... Isn't this guy picking him up too much? Not that Tanaka was particularly bothered or unwilling to be carried, but Amir didn't seem like the type that would be willing to do extra work beyond his job requirements unless asked. And even then, it would be performed with a cynical, closed-eye smile.

"After lunch, you can take a nap. But only for a little while," Amir negotiated as he walked out of the bathroom and into the hall. Though carrying the child might have been excessive, the little one was just too slow.

Yesterday as he was escorting the young master back to his room, they were delayed due to the child's short strides and curiosity. The young master kept pausing on their journey to stare at the scenery outside of the window or to look at a painting in the hall, and Amir decidedly found it more efficient to carry the young boy in his arms.

Normally, the young master wouldn't have allowed this and would have screeched like a banshee at the treatment, but the current temperament of Thomas Rosetta was now lethargic and soft. The child didn't fuss having his movements restrained and had, in fact, leaned on him instead.

Knowing that he would both be getting his food and his sleep right after left Tanaka very obedient and willing. As a person who had always been pampered and coddled by his family, he didn't mind being carried. He was small and compact in his last life (for a 26-year-old man), which also caused many of his friends (the few that he had) to carry him as well as if he was naturally a person that anyone could hold. Of course, Nanami always felt conflicted by this since she had always been trying to make Tanaka more independent but her well-meaning endeavors had failed repeatedly. Especially since she was one of the very culprits that often pampered him whenever she found him unwilling (i.e. too lazy) to take care of his health.

Either way, while on the way to the dining room, the passing maids and butlers all stood frozen in astonishment as they watch the usually ill-tempered young boy being carried off by the butler well known for his distant and uncompromising personality. Their wide eyes and gaping mouth made a rather funny picture to anyone that bothered to take a glance, but the pair didn't really care about the blatant gawking. Especially Tanaka, who now occupied the body of a supposedly very prideful young lord. But the transmigrator was basically unaware (or uncaring) of the role he was supposed to play.

In a completely non-Thomas-like manner, he casually laid his head on his human-transporter's shoulder and habitually sniffed up Amir's spice-like scent, not paying attention to the choking sounds being made by the passing servants. Though he was a little bit dissatisfied by the lack of lavender, Tanaka nonetheless yawned and let Amir's warmth seep through his clothes. He really couldn't wait to take his nap...