* * *
“Here you go.”
Completely unaware of my inner turmoil, Raizen handed me the handle of the cake-cutting knife.
‘What is this? Does he want us to cut it together?’
It seemed he was trying to project the image of a kind older brother taking good care of his younger sibling.
A magnanimous heir to the duchy who even embraces his adopted commoner brother—something like that.
Stealing a glance at the vassal families’ representatives, I saw them wearing the exact expressions I’d expected.
‘This feels like a staged play.’
If I tried to back out now, it would only arouse Raizen’s suspicion and ruin my own image.
Resigned, I simply smiled innocently and grasped the handle of the knife.
When Raizen placed his hand on top of mine, our hands briefly overlapped.
“Raizen, thank you for being born as our son.”
“Ray, thank you for coming into our lives. You’ve made us so happy.”
Just before we cut the cake, the duke and duchess spoke.
‘Do people usually hear things like that on their birthdays?’
I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had that kind of experience.
‘I really need to stop reacting to every little thing.’
I’m old enough now to not be affected by such things—or so I thought.
Clearly, I was wrong.
Back when I lived on my own, scraping by in the provinces, everyone I met had been like me.
No wonder I thought my pain was normal.
But standing in the midst of this perfect family, my stomach churned.
Just like now.
I don’t belong in this world.
I was reincarnated here, and whether I return to Earth or not, I’ll never truly be part of their family.
I thought I’d come to terms with that, but apparently not.
The moment I heard those words, I was reminded that I’m an outsider.
No matter how hard I try, I’ll never fit into their perfect family.
‘…It doesn’t matter.’
I never wanted it in the first place. I gave up on familial love long ago.
For a while, I searched for a reason—maybe I wasn’t lovable, not smart enough, not capable enough, a burden to my mother.
But there was no reason.
It was just the way it was.
Some parents don’t love their own children, and I was just unlucky to be born to such parents.
‘I’ll focus on surviving, inheriting, and escaping. That’s it.’
Everything else is a luxury.
Having settled on that conclusion, I smiled brightly at Raizen.
“Happy birthday, Hyung! Thank you for being my brother!”
Raizen smiled faintly and moved the knife.
The cake was sliced cleanly, and applause erupted from all around us.
After the cake-cutting, the event became a true party.
If the earlier moments had been a prelude, the guests now surrounded Raizen, eager to engage him in conversation.
Despite most of the attendees being adults, Raizen handled them all with practiced ease.
Meanwhile, I…
“Sei, don’t eat too many snacks—you’ll need room for dinner.”
“Here, drink this. Most of the drinks here are wine, so be careful.”
…spent the entire time with the duke and duchess.
Even when people approached the duke and duchess to speak with them, they left quietly after spotting me by their side.
‘Is this normal?’
Shouldn’t the duke and duchess also be socializing?
Had they wrapped everything up before the party even started?
I had no idea what they were thinking, but they stayed by my side until the end of the party.
Afterward, only those with the Pantheon family name gathered for an intimate dinner.
As a member of the family by name, I attended as well.
After the meal, the duke spoke solemnly.
“Now, let’s begin the gift presentation.”
Amused by her husband’s overly serious tone, the duchess covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
‘I’ll probably go first.’
As the youngest, it was only natural.
Mila, seemingly thinking the same, handed me the gift box she’d received from a maid.
The box looked fine on the outside.
‘It’ll all be the same once it’s unwrapped.’
With that thought, I handed the box to Raizen.
“This is my gift, Hyung.”
“Thank you, Sei.”
Raizen smiled warmly and placed the box on his lap, leaving the waiting attendant awkwardly empty-handed.
‘What’s with him?’
Why is he acting like he treasures it so much…?
“Oh my, are you planning to carry that yourself, Ray?”
“Yes. Father’s gift is land deeds, and Mother’s is still being made. I don’t want to go up empty-handed. And more importantly…”
Raizen’s gaze landed on me.
“…because it’s from Sei.”
Hmm… Isn’t this charade a little over the top, Raizen?
His exaggerated act nearly made me scowl, but judging by the pleased expressions on the duke and duchess, it was clearly a successful performance.
“What kind of gift did Sei prepare?”
“It’s nothing special!”
At that moment, Raizen said something completely unexpected.
“Should we open it now?”
He reached toward the ribbon as if he genuinely intended to unwrap it.
‘No way, is he really going to open it?’
Not that it really mattered if he did… But I could confidently say it would be the most insignificant gift he’d received all day.
He’d definitely put on a forced happy expression, and I wasn’t eager to witness that.
‘Take it upstairs, please…!’
As if he’d heard my silent plea, Raizen’s hand retreated instead of untying the ribbon.
“I should open it when it’s just the two of us.”
‘With me? Specifically?’
“Sure, go ahead.”
As soon as I gave permission, Raizen immediately asked, “Then, can I head up with Sei now?”
‘Wait… why me?’
Why am I being dragged into this?!
∗ ∗ ∗
The duke and duchess readily agreed, and I was inevitably pulled along to Raizen’s room.
The moment we arrived, he pushed me into a chair and quickly sat down himself, wasting no time in opening the gift.
Thanks to him, the mess of wrapping paper that Mila had tried so hard to cover for me was unceremoniously ripped apart.
“This is….”
Raizen opened the box and murmured softly as he examined the contents.
For some reason, the atmosphere made me tense, and I clenched and unclenched my fists under the table several times.
“A pocket watch.”
That’s right, a pocket watch.
Instead of studying his expression, I averted my gaze downward.
‘I’m still not sure if I made the right decision by giving him this…’
This watch was both a testament to my usefulness and a means to block Raizen’s persistent requests to share a bed.
“Do you want to touch it, Hyung?”
Normally, Raizen would’ve asked why, but perhaps he had an inkling, as he wordlessly reached into the box. His crimson eyes widened slightly.
‘Of course, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice.’
Even if he wasn’t entirely certain, he must’ve had some suspicion.
I feigned ignorance and asked, “Do you… feel anything? Like when you hold my hand…?”
I’d scoured the duke’s library but couldn’t find any books on the divine power techniques I’d wanted.
So instead, I’d chosen to adapt mana manipulation methods.
Even if the specifics were different, the principles were similar enough.
I’d practiced channeling my power into objects, trying it out here and there.
The reason I’d recently forced bookmarks as gifts on Raizen was to experiment with this.
But the pocket watch contained several times the power I’d infused into those bookmarks.
‘Honestly, I’m not even sure if the power actually took…’
I’d been so determined to push my limits that I broke a few pocket watches during practice.
Surely, some of my energy must’ve gone into this one.
‘But why isn’t he saying anything?’
“Hyung?”
Raizen, who had been staring at the watch without blinking, finally spoke when I called out softly.
“Yeah.”
“….”
“I feel it.”
“That’s a relief… I’ve been practicing, you know. Even the bookmarks I gave you had a bit of power in them…”
I braced myself for his next response, which would likely be some snarky remark like, ‘I guess you’re not as dumb as you seem.’
Whether it was mockery or a backhanded compliment, at least it would mean he wouldn’t pester me about sleeping together again.
Hopefully, he’d also stop insisting on holding hands every day…
‘Though seeing each other frequently might still help develop some semblance of Affinity or… something.’
Not that someone like Raizen, who was immune to sentiment, would ever be swayed by mere feelings.
“…?”
But contrary to my expectations, Raizen remained silent.
He simply kept staring at the pocket watch.
I rolled my eyes toward the clock. 10:30 PM.
‘Do I have to stay with him until midnight?’
Would my presence even make a difference?
‘I should ask if he’s seen any black masses lately…’
But the thought of triggering his wrath made me hesitate.
I’d given him a pretty remarkable gift—he might overlook some things.
Then again, maybe not…
‘Ugh, this is driving me insane.’
Stupid ancient gods.
If they’re so powerful, they should handle this mess themselves.
Why am I, an innocent transmigrant, being dragged into their nonsense?
“Hyung….”
I finally opened my mouth to speak.
“Sei.”
The weight in Raizen’s voice sent a chill through my stomach.
“Y-yeah?”
‘What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?’
“Does anyone else know that you’ve learned to imbue your power into objects?”
His tone was gentle, but his voice lacked warmth.
‘Crap, this is terrifying.’
How is a middle schooler exuding this kind of oppressive aura?
It’s terrifying!
“N-no….”
What kind of idiot would I be to share that information?
“Not even Mila?”
“No. This is just between you and me, right? Unless… it’s not?”
Phew. Even I thought my answer was perfect.
‘That must’ve caught him off guard.’
Raizen had never explicitly told me to keep my divine power a secret.
He hadn’t even warned me to stay quiet about the curse.
There were likely many reasons for this.
Raizen was probably preoccupied with the solution he’d found in me.
His obsessive focus on our experiments could be another factor. But above all…
‘He’s still just a kid.’
For all his brilliance and the future villainy he’s destined for, Raizen is still just thirteen—no, fourteen.
* * *
