It was supposed to be a normal day—well, as normal as life could get when you're a reincarnated baby with a system. Mom had errands to run in the village, and Dad was busy fixing some broken tool in the shed. That's when she arrived: Lena, my new babysitter.
Lena was a teenager, maybe sixteen, with long dark hair tied up in a messy ponytail and a pair of earbuds perpetually hanging from her neck. She walked in with the casual confidence of someone who thought babysitting was beneath her but was doing it for the cash.
"Hey, Andreas!" she said in a sing-song voice, crouching in front of me. "You ready to hang out with the coolest babysitter in town?"
I blinked up at her, unimpressed. Cool? I was the one leveling up through bowel movements. Let's see her top that.
Mom, ever the optimist, gave Lena a rundown of the "basics" before leaving. "He's been really active lately," she said, pulling Lena aside. "So keep an eye on him. Oh, and he's incredibly curious, so don't leave anything important lying around."
"Got it," Lena said with a grin. "We're gonna have so much fun, aren't we, little dude?"
"Sure," I thought, glancing at the system screen hovering in the corner of my vision. "Let's see how long you can keep up."
As soon as Mom left, the system chimed.
[SYSTEM ALERT: NEW QUEST AVAILABLE!]
Objective: Impress Lena.
Reward: +2 Charisma, +1 Mischief.
I smirked internally. The system really knew how to play to my strengths.
Lena plopped me onto the floor of the living room, surrounded by a sea of toys. "Alright, kiddo, let's see what you've got," she said, leaning back against the couch with her phone in hand.
Challenge accepted.
I grabbed a set of blocks and started stacking them with the precision of an architect designing a skyscraper. Lena glanced up from her phone, mildly intrigued.
"Whoa, look at you, little genius!" she said, clapping.
I grinned, adding another block to the top. The tower wobbled precariously but held firm.
"That's gotta be, like, a world record or something," Lena joked.
"Oh, you have no idea," I thought smugly.
The system chimed again, offering a new twist.
[SYSTEM ALERT: BONUS QUEST AVAILABLE!]
Objective: Cause mischief without getting caught.
Reward: +1 Agility, +1 Mischief.
"Mischief, huh?" I thought, eyeing the blocks. With a carefully calculated flick of my chubby hand, I sent the entire tower toppling over. Blocks scattered across the floor like a mini explosion.
Lena jumped. "Whoa! Did you just—"
I looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes, babbling softly.
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're a little troublemaker, aren't you?"
"Guilty as charged," I thought, already planning my next move.
The chaos escalated when Lena decided to take me to the kitchen for a snack. She set me in my high chair and rummaged through the cabinets, muttering something about finding baby-friendly food.
I spotted an opportunity. Within arm's reach was a spoon—a shiny, glorious spoon. My weapon of choice.
Grabbing it, I banged it against the tray of my high chair like a tiny warrior declaring battle. Lena turned around, startled.
"Alright, alright, I get it! You're hungry," she said, grabbing a jar of applesauce.
While she fumbled with the jar, I reached for her earbuds dangling from her pocket. With a swift tug, I yanked them free and dropped them into my applesauce.
Lena stared at the earbuds, then at me, then back at the earbuds.
"Seriously?" she said, groaning.
I babbled innocently, spooning some applesauce into my mouth like nothing had happened.
After cleaning up the earbud disaster, Lena decided to try keeping me occupied with more toys. She brought out a plastic drum, handing me the mallets.
"Here you go, little dude. Rock out for a bit while I clean this mess."
I obliged, banging the drum with enough enthusiasm to rival a rock concert. But when Lena turned her back, I launched one of the mallets across the room. It hit the edge of a shelf, knocking over a vase.
The vase teetered dangerously before falling into a strategically placed pillow on the floor.
Lena spun around, her eyes wide. "What was that?"
I pointed at the drum, smacking it innocently with the remaining mallet.
She sighed. "Man, you're like a ninja. I didn't even hear you throw that."
"Oh, Lena," I thought, suppressing a grin. "You have no idea."
Things came to a head when Lena decided to bake cookies to "keep herself busy." She brought out the ingredients, humming along to a song playing from her phone.
I watched intently as she sifted flour into a bowl, her back turned toward me. The system chimed again.
[SYSTEM ALERT: NEW BONUS OBJECTIVE!]
Objective: Cause a flour explosion.
Reward: +2 Mischief.
"Challenge accepted," I thought.
Using my newly leveled-up agility, I crawled to the edge of the counter where the bowl sat. With a carefully timed yank, I pulled on the tablecloth just enough to tip the bowl.
Flour cascaded through the air like a snowy avalanche, covering Lena, the counter, and, of course, me.
She froze, her mouth hanging open. "What… just happened?"
I sat there covered in flour, grinning like a mischievous little ghost.
Lena stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Oh my god, you're a menace!"
I clapped my flour-covered hands together, enjoying the chaos I'd created.
By the time Mom returned, the house was a disaster zone. Flour coated the kitchen, toys were scattered across the living room, and Lena looked like she'd been through a war.
"How'd it go?" Mom asked, stepping inside with a curious smile.
Lena gave a weak laugh. "He's, uh… a handful. But he's hilarious."
Mom scooped me up, brushing some flour off my face. "Looks like you had fun, huh, Andreas?"
I babbled innocently, giving Lena a toothless smile.
"Yeah, fun," Lena said, shaking her head. "Let's go with that."
The system chimed as I sat in Mom's arms, basking in the glow of a well-executed day of chaos.
[SYSTEM ALERT: QUEST COMPLETE!]
Reward: +2 Charisma, +1 Mischief.
As Lena waved goodbye and Mom started cleaning up the mess, I leaned back in her arms, already planning my next adventure.
"Let's see if you can keep up next time, Lena," I thought, smirking to myself.