Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

The morning air in the Greyrat household was more tense than usual.

Luciel sat in the living room, tucked away in a corner with a relaxed expression. However, his green eyes occasionally flickered toward Paul, who was pacing back and forth in front of the bedroom door. His footsteps were restless, like a man who had no idea what to do with himself.

Beside Luciel, Sylphiette sat anxiously, clutching her hands together tightly. Her pointed ears twitched slightly every time Zenith's voice echoed from inside the room.

"U-Umm… Will everything be okay?" Sylphiette asked softly, her voice trembling a little.

Luciel glanced at the small girl beside him. "Mother and Lilia are in the hands of professional midwives. There's nothing to worry about."

"B-But…" Sylphiette bit her lip. "It sounds… really painful."

Luciel couldn't argue with that. Even though this wasn't the first time he had witnessed childbirth (thanks to his reincarnation), hearing Zenith's cries from inside the room was still enough to make his skin crawl.

Meanwhile, Paul continued pacing like a lost chicken.

"I should be doing something! I should be in there! No, wait, if I go in, Zenith will definitely hit me—ARGH! I can't just sit here!"

Luciel rolled his eyes. Father really never learns, huh?

"If you really can't stay still, why don't you go for a run around the village?" Luciel suggested, half-joking. "Maybe after that, you'll be too exhausted to talk so much."

Paul stopped pacing and looked at his son.

"Hey, Luci, that's actually—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a baby's cry broke through the silence.

Paul froze. Sylphiette held her breath. Luciel remained still, waiting.

And just a few seconds later…

A second cry followed.

Paul stood in place for a moment before suddenly jumping up in excitement. "THEY'RE HERE!!"

Not long after, as the cries softened, the bedroom door opened, and a midwife stepped out with a relieved smile.

"Congratulations, everything went smoothly. Zenith and Lilia are both doing well, and the babies are healthy."

Paul nearly charged into the room but was immediately stopped by the midwife.

"Lord Paul, calm down. Zenith needs rest, so don't cause a commotion."

Paul, who normally disregarded such things, actually nodded obediently this time. "R-Right! I understand!"

Luciel stood up, while Sylphiette peeked into the room, her curiosity evident.

Slowly, they stepped inside.

On the bed, Zenith lay with a tired but warm smile. Beside her, Lilia sat with a small infant cradled in her arms.

Between them, two tiny babies were wrapped in soft blankets, sleeping peacefully.

Paul rushed over to Zenith and kissed her forehead. "You're incredible, love…"

Zenith chuckled weakly. "Of course."

Luciel approached, looking at the two babies with an unreadable expression. Behind him, Sylphiette's eyes sparkled in wonder.

They're so small… much smaller than Luciel had imagined.

Paul cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright! It's time to give them names!"

Zenith smiled before gazing at the baby in her arms. "Our daughter… her name will be Norn Greyrat."

Paul nodded in approval. "That's a wonderful name!"

Then, they all turned to Lilia, who remained silent, gently rocking the baby in her arms.

After a few moments, Lilia finally spoke.

"If I may… I'd like to name her Aisha Greyrat."

Paul's face lit up. "Aisha! That's a beautiful name!"

Luciel remained quiet, staring at the two newborns with mixed feelings.

Norn and Aisha… two new lives in this house.

Their presence would surely bring many changes. But for now, the Greyrat home was filled with a warmth unlike before.

For the first time in months, Luciel felt like this house was truly a home.

The seasons changed swiftly in Buena Village. The winter snow had long melted, replaced by the warmth of the sun touching the fertile land of the small town. The Greyrat home stood strong, now livelier than ever with the addition of two new family members.

Since the birth of Norn and Aisha, the household had become much busier. Naturally, this also meant more responsibilities—for Paul, Zenith, Lilia, and even Luciel himself.

Paul, though still reckless in many ways, was trying harder to be a responsible father to four children. Zenith continued to be the loving and devoted mother, while Lilia, ever calm and composed, helped care for the babies without complaint.

And Luciel?

Luciel had now become the older brother who was constantly being dragged into taking care of two babies that never seemed to stop crying unless he held them.

Every morning, the Greyrat house was filled with laughter—or the wailing of babies.

Today was no different.

"Uwaaaa!"

Aisha's cries echoed through the room, followed by the soft whimpering of Norn, who was still half-asleep.

Luciel, who had just finished rolling up his blanket, let out a deep sigh before heading toward the crib.

"Alright, alright… I'm here," he muttered, lifting Aisha first. The tiny girl immediately stopped crying the moment she was in his arms, her puffy eyes staring up at him with an innocent expression.

In the crib, Norn blinked drowsily, yawning as she tried to wake up.

Behind him, Zenith entered the room, looking visibly exhausted. "Ah, Luci… thank you for calming them down first," she said with a grateful smile.

Luciel simply nodded. "It's nothing. But it seems like Aisha cries more than Norn, doesn't she?"

Zenith chuckled as she lifted Norn into her arms. "Aisha is a bit spoiled. Maybe because Lilia is too gentle with her. But I think she just needs a little more attention."

Luciel glanced at the baby in his arms, who was now smiling softly while waving her tiny hands in the air.

He sighed. "At this rate, I'm going to end up as their babysitter in the future."

Zenith's smile widened. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"

Luciel could only accept his fate.

Aside from looking after his younger sisters, Luciel's life had also changed in another way.

And that change came in the form of a certain green-haired elf girl who was always by his side.

Sylphiette.

She was once the timid girl who clung to Rudeus for support. But after Rudeus left for Roa, Sylphiette naturally started spending more time with Luciel.

At first, Luciel thought it was simply because they had something in common—they were both close to Rudeus. But as time passed, he began to realize that Sylphiette was now more comfortable around him than before.

They often spent time together in the village, whether it was sitting under a tree or playing with the other children.

And while Sylphiette was still a bit shy, she was no longer as fearful as she used to be.

At the moment, the two of them were sitting by the river, washing their hands after playing in the mud with the other children.

"You don't mind spending time with me, do you?" Sylphiette suddenly asked.

Luciel turned to her, slightly puzzled by the question.

"Of course not. Why would you ask that?"

Sylphiette lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes. "I just thought… I used to always be with Rudeus, and then he left… and now I'm always with you. Isn't that strange?"

Luciel remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "There's nothing strange about it. Besides, you can't just keep waiting for Rudeus to come back, right?"

Sylphiette slowly nodded.

Luciel glanced at her. Rudeus may have been the first person to help her, but now, Sylphiette was no longer the helpless child who depended on just one person.

And for some reason, seeing that change made Luciel feel… happy.

Evenings at the Greyrat household were always filled with warmth and laughter.

After dinner, Paul, Zenith, Lilia, Luciel, and Sylphiette gathered in the living room while Norn and Aisha slept peacefully.

As always, Paul spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Luciel, you know? You're starting to remind me of my younger self!" he said, slapping his son's back.

Luciel rolled his eyes. "That's not a compliment."

Zenith giggled. "If you're like Paul, I'll have to start keeping an eye on the girls around you."

Sylphiette, who was sitting nearby, choked a little at the comment.

Paul laughed heartily. "Well, if there's a girl interested in you, Luciel, you need to start learning how to charm her! Otherwise, you'll fall behind Rudeus!"

Luciel scoffed. "Don't compare me to Rudeus when it comes to that."

Lilia, who had been quietly listening, gave a small smile. "Even so, Young Master Luciel is much more sociable than Young Master Rudeus."

Zenith nodded in agreement. "That's true. Rudeus prefers to keep to himself with his books, while Luciel makes friends easily."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, then who's more popular? Luciel or Rudeus?"

Luciel immediately sensed where this conversation was headed and quickly spoke up. "Don't start."

But it was already too late.

"Luciel is obviously more popular!" Paul declared loudly. "He has lots of friends in the village, the kids like him, and even Sylphiette spends more time with him now!"

Sylphiette shrank into her seat, her face turning bright red.

Zenith sighed. "Paul… you really haven't learned, have you?"

Paul blinked. "Eh? What?"

Blep!

A light smack landed on Paul's head.

"You shouldn't compare your own children like that," Zenith said, her voice gentle but firm.

Paul rubbed his head and chuckled nervously. "Alright, alright… I get it."

Luciel let out a long sigh.

This house is always so noisy, huh?

But even though it sometimes exhausted him…

He couldn't deny one thing:

He liked this life.