Chapter Text
In a room littered with scattered toys, Goka sat while keeping an eye on his youngest sibling, only eight months old. The little one was playing with a short, pale-blue stick, tapping it repeatedly against a stuffed teddy bear.
Goka had training scheduled at nine in the morning. He glanced at the wall clock, and it was already nearing eight. Still, his eldest sister had told him to watch over the baby for a moment while she prepared milk. Fifteen minutes had passed, and she still hadn’t returned.
Goka let out a quiet sigh.
Tap.
Something poked his thigh. He looked down to find his baby brother, Zanka, enthusiastically tapping his favorite stick against Goka’s leg.
Truthfully, Goka didn’t really know how to handle a baby. Being tasked with babysitting felt awkward in a way he couldn’t quite explain. Zanka let out cheerful little *“bah, bah, bah” sounds, grinning widely as he continued his assault on Goka’s leg.
“Trying to defeat me, are you?” Goka murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he allowed the baby to continue.
“I bet you still won’t beat me. Not even ten years from now,” he added, half serious, half teasing, his tone hard to pin down.
Goka studied Zanka’s face. Ever since Zanka was born, the family liked to say he resembled their mother and their older sister. Goka had to agree. Without realizing it, his smile grew wider as his thumb, far too large compared to Zanka’s tiny hand, gently pressed against the baby’s chubby cheek. Soft …This was starting to feel nice.
Sensing the touch, the baby tilted his head up. Round, innocent eyes stared straight at Goka. He froze.
Cute. Ridiculously cute.
But what caught Goka’s attention next was Zanka’s gums. Only now did he notice—two tiny teeth had already sprouted on the lower gum.
But wait.
There was something under the baby’s tongue—
“What did you eat, Zanka!?”
Panic surged through Goka when he spotted a foreign object in Zanka’s mouth. He quickly reached in with his index finger and pulled out what turned out to be a marble. Zanka immediately began to fuss, uncomfortable with the intrusion.
“Come on. I let you hit me with that lousy stick of yours, but swallowing a marble is crossing the line.”
Goka had no idea where the marble came from. All that mattered was getting it out. One large marble came free, and he let out a breath of relief. Still unsure, he tried to check again, but the now-irritated Zanka clenched his jaw and bit down on Goka’s finger.
“Ah!”
Goka jolted in surprise.
“Hey, Zanka, let go, okay? I’m just checking if you’ve got anything else in your mouth.” He tried to pull his finger back, but the grip of gums and tiny teeth was shockingly strong for a baby.
He didn’t know what to do. Forcing it might hurt Zanka’s gums. So all he could do was endure it.
“Ah! Ow! Nee-san! Onee-san!”
Goka shouted for his sister. He grimaced, baby jaws were no joke. Those newly grown teeth packed more bite than expected. His shout drew the servants’ attention. Two of them rushed into the room, panic evident in their voices.
The commotion disturbed the east wing of the Nijiku residence. Kyouka ran down the corridor with a bottle of milk in hand, flinging the door open.
“What happened!?”
She was out of breath. Hearing the servants call her name, Goka’s shouting, and Zanka’s cries had sent her into a panic. Inside, Goka sat clutching his finger, while a female servant held the crying baby, trying to soothe him.
“Nee-san… I’m sorry,” Goka muttered miserably.
Kyouka looked between Goka, the servants, and Zanka in confusion.
“No, explain first. What happened?”
Goka spoke up. “Zanka swallowed a marble. I tried to get it out, and he bit me.”
“Oh, Zanka…” Kyouka stepped closer and gently took the baby from the servant’s arms.
The servants assured her that Zanka was fine, no foreign objects left in his mouth. The marble and other dangerous small items had already been cleared away. Now, Zanka was simply a hungry baby. Kyouka offered the bottle. Zanka’s cries gradually faded, leaving only a small infant quietly drinking milk in his sister’s arms.
Goka could only let out a sigh. The whole incident felt absurd in hindsight. The servants excused themselves and left.
He watched as Kyouka cradled Zanka with quiet care. Naughty little brat, he thought, eyes narrowing slightly, but he said nothing. He stood and prepared to leave for training at the family dojo.
“Sit,” Kyouka said, stopping him.
Goka grimaced. This was it. He was going to get scolded for failing such a simple task.
“Let me see your finger,” she said, examining it. It wasn’t badly hurt, just faint teeth marks pressed into the skin.
“Hm. Zanka’s got quite the jaw for biting his brother.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because I’m terrible at taking care of a baby.”
Goka didn’t know why this feeling clung to him, one that had haunted him ever since their mother announced another pregnancy. Having a younger brother, another boy, had felt like hitting rock bottom. His thoughts were tangled, heavy, impossible to explain, so he kept them locked away.
But Kyouka, the eldest of three, understood.
She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she studied Goka’s downcast face. She hadn’t expected something like this to make him feel as though he’d failed a mission.
Goka, he’s just your little brother.
She wanted to say that, but stopped herself.
“I’ll call it karma,” she said instead.
Goka looked up, startled.
She continued, “When you were Zanka’s age, you bit my finger too. Back then, I didn’t know that a baby, even one without teeth, could bite that hard.”
A small smile crossed her lips, followed by a soft chuckle, something she rarely showed.
Goka froze. Heat crept up his face, his ears turning red. He really was a troublesome kid.
“Alright. Go train,” Kyouka said. “I’ll stay with Zanka until he falls asleep. And don’t let me catch you skipping your hundred sword swings.”
Goka jumped to his feet, bowed once more, and hurried out of the room. Kyouka smiled again when she heard his footsteps fading into a run.
She looked down at her youngest brother, now asleep, though his mouth still suckled reflexively at the bottle. She whispered softly, words he couldn’t yet understand.
“Zanka… your brother is stubborn and terrible at opening his heart. You’ll have a hard time, but I think you’ll get used to it once you grow up.”
A gentle lullaby flowed through the room, leaving only an older sister and her youngest brother behind. It was a warm scene, yet an unspoken chill lingered quietly around the sister’s heart.