Starting Out with an Infinite Skill Tree!

Ch. 2



Chapter 2. Become my… cough cough! Become my son!

…Back when the Clovis couple had just married, they had thought about having a pair of “siblings.”

Their financial situation wasn’t bad at all, more than enough to raise two children. Unfortunately, due to poor health, they only ended up with a single daughter.

Just like many only children who grow up wishing for a sibling, Giselle always longed for a “big brother” to play with.

The day Yan was rescued, Giselle immediately noticed the handsome boy with the strange black hair.

Her eyes lit up on the spot. In a timid, childlike voice, she asked her parents whether this was the “big bro-ther” they had given her.

Faced with Giselle’s pure, hopeful gaze, the couple found it both amusing and a little hard to shatter her fantasy.

So in the end, they casually told a kind lie. They said that he was indeed the “big brother” she had always wanted.

Once her brother woke up, he would be able to play with her.

—The innocent little girl believed it completely, and from then on, she stayed by Yan’s side every day, waiting for him to wake up.

…Because the couple was usually busy and couldn’t always look after Yan, during the time he remained unconscious, it was Giselle who carefully stayed by his side, looking after him.

Whenever Yan lay unconscious, Giselle would sit nearby, staring at him with eager eyes, hoping this good-looking “big brother” would wake soon and play with her.

Even though Giselle was only five, she was already capable of simple tasks like rinsing towels and wiping Yan’s body.

Sometimes, she would even help bathe him.

…As for Yan, he wasn’t completely unconscious those days.

He was in a half-asleep state, sometimes opening his eyes briefly to glance at his surroundings.

Naturally, he noticed the careful care Giselle gave him.

And toward such a well-behaved, adorable little girl, of course, Yan couldn’t help but feel fondness.

“Do you want a hug?”

Hearing this small, innocent request, Yan smiled, reached out, and gently pulled her into his arms.

“Giselle, let big brother feed you.” He picked up the small bowl originally placed in front of her seat and whispered softly into her ear.

“Mhm!” Giselle nodded her little head eagerly, her innocent eyes shining as she looked at Yan, overjoyed.

The little girl was thoroughly delighted by the affection of her handsome new “big brother.”

“Come on, Giselle, open your mouth—ah~” Yan scooped up a spoonful of food and gently brought it to her lips.

“Ah~” Giselle obediently opened her small mouth, looking up at Yan like a kitten waiting to be praised.

If she had a fluffy little tail wagging behind her, the image would’ve been perfect.

He fed her a spoonful of rice mixed with vegetables and minced meat. Giselle’s cheeks puffed out as she chewed slowly, then swallowed.

Watching her adorable expression, Yan’s heart lightened with warmth.

“Seems like coming to another world… isn’t so bad after all.”

After all, back on Earth, he was nothing more than a loner. Aside from a few friends, he had no family left around him. But now, he even had a cute little sister who loved clinging to him, calling him “Big Bwother.”

While Giselle was still chewing, Yan scooped up a bite of food for himself.

And once she swallowed, he continued feeding her again.

“Ah~!”

“Ah~!” One voice soft and gentle, the other young and innocent—their voices stretched in harmony.

The boy and the little girl formed a heartwarming picture together.

Even more astonishing was that Giselle, who normally refused to eat vegetables, was now happily finishing every last spoonful of rice mixed with greens under Yan’s hand.

“Uh…” Baird, who had been smiling just a moment ago, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

The image of all his past struggles flashed through his mind—no matter how he coaxed, his precious little princess would never eat her vegetables. The old father’s heart suddenly felt heavy.

“Ah! Daddy’s gentle, too! Daddy can feed Giselle, too!”

‘Damn it, why is it that only in front of Yan does my daughter suddenly become so obedient…?’

The silver-haired man, feeling utterly wounded, turned helplessly toward his wife for comfort.

“Huh? Husband, do you want to be fed too? Um, then… ah~” Helen’s cheeks turned faintly red as she seemed to “read” the words in her husband’s eyes.

Imitating Yan, she held up the spoon with trembling hands, face flushed bright red, and slowly stretched it toward Baird.

“H-Helen…!?” Baird froze for a second, then lit up with excitement.

Meanwhile, Yan and Giselle: “……”

And so, for the rest of breakfast, Yan and Giselle mostly sat there watching the couple feed each other, shamelessly showering the room in sugary affection.

Breakfast ended quickly…

As Yan was about to rise, Baird finally pulled himself back to normal, setting aside his lovey-dovey time with Helen.

“Wait a moment, Yan! There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“!?” Yan paused, puzzled, and looked toward Baird.

“What is it, Uncle?”

“Yan, you mentioned before that you’ve lost your memories, right?” Baird’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“…Yes, that’s right.” Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, keeping his face composed, though inside his thoughts were spinning wildly.

‘Don’t tell me… this world has some kind of magic that can restore memories!? If so, my hastily made-up excuse, full of holes, might get exposed right away!’

After all, this was a world where everyone knew at least some magic.

At least from what Yan had gathered so far, even the villagers here could use magic.

For example, the day Baird saved him, he had cast wind magic.

And later, he had even used healing magic. Every day since, Baird had applied healing magic to his body to speed his recovery.

Thus Yan concluded: ‘There’s only one truth…!’

Yes—magic in this world must be incredibly widespread. Perhaps so simple that anyone could learn it.

And if that were the case, then a spell like “memory restoration” probably existed too…

‘This is bad…! I only used that excuse because it was convenient to explain things. There’s no way I can tell them the truth—that I crossed over from another world! Even if I said it straight, they’d just think I was insane!’

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Yan’s forehead as he frantically considered how to keep his lie stitched together.

“You’ve lost your memories, and on top of that, you’re still so young, without the ability to live independently. So—Helen and I discussed this seriously, for a long time…”

Unaware of Yan’s emotional rollercoaster, Baird continued speaking at his own pace.

His expression shifted, then he exhaled deeply, as though reaching a final decision. Since he had made the decision, he wouldn't hesitate any longer—

Clenching his fist, Baird’s face hardened with determination:

“Yan—become my son!”

“!?” The air instantly froze.

So he’d been found ou—

Wait, no!!

Xixiang Yan jerked his head up, his dark eyes wide in shock as he stared at the man before him.

“Huh?!!!” His startled voice burst out as his brain turned into a chaotic mess.

Become… his… son!?!


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