I opened my eyes. Before I could even register my surroundings, I reflexively bolted upright.
It was an instinctive reaction, born from the tension and sense of crisis that had clung to me right up until I lost consciousness.
After a moment, a wave of confusion hit me when I realized I wasn’t under the bridge anymore. The light was so blinding that it was hard to keep my eyes open. I tried to piece together my surroundings using only my other senses.
The sharp scent of disinfectant, the coarse feel of bandages and gauze, the lingering bitter taste of medicine in my mouth, and the distant sound of voices trading medical jargon like a scene from a TV drama... Huh? Wait, am I in a hospital?
I slowly blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the light.
The familiar scenery of a hospital room finally came into focus.
I could see bandages wrapped around my arm and an IV line inserted. From the sensation alone, I could tell my abdomen and head were bandaged as well.
“You’re awake?”
“Father...”
I turned my head to see Father sitting in a chair, reading a book.
Strangely, he wasn't wearing his usual Ghoul Investigator uniform, but plain clothes.
“To think you ran yourself into such a state... I don’t know who you inherited that recklessness from. You spent three full days suffering through a high fever. Thanks to you, I’ve taken leave—something I thought I’d never have a use for in my entire life.”
If I responded with, “Just how long has it been since you last took a break, you workaholic...?” then we could probably slide back into our usual banter.
But not yet.
We couldn’t go back to normal yet.
Because one vital piece of my world was missing.
“Where’s Eto?”
“...”
The moment I woke up, I had scanned the room for Eto. But no matter where I looked, she was nowhere to be seen, and my anxiety and anger began to mount.
Father kept his eyes fixed on his book, remaining silent. My voice grew sharper as I demanded an answer.
“I asked you, where is Eto!?”
Thump.
Father closed the book.
He looked significantly older than the last time I'd seen him. With a weary sigh, he spoke.
“...I am a Ghoul Investigator. I have no idea how to raise a Ghoul baby.”
“Fatheeeeer――!!!!”
Crash!
I snapped. I clenched my fists and lunged at him, but my body felt far heavier than I expected. To make matters worse, I knocked over the IV stand and went rolling spectacularly under the bed.
“W-what’s going on in here!?”
Hearing the commotion, a doctor and a nurse rushed in from the hallway. Seeing me trying to attack Father, they quickly grabbed me to hold me back.
“P-patient! Please calm down! You aren't supposed to be moving yet!”
“Shut up! Let go!! Even if it means severing our ties as father and son today, I’m going to beat that man to death!! What the hell did you do to Eto!? What did you do to her――!!!”
“Paa~! Ba~!”
“What did you do to...!!! ...……………Huh?”
Mid-shout, I froze. My head whipped around at the sound of cute babbling that was completely out of place in such a heated atmosphere.
In the startled nurse’s arms, Eto was smiling brightly, reaching out toward me. She looked as if she were coaxing me to hold her.
“...Eto?”
“Since I’ve spent my life only gripping weapons, I’d completely forgotten how to change a diaper,” Father muttered, averting his gaze as if making an excuse.
The nurse, realizing my outburst had been fueled by worry for the baby, gave a warm smile and handed Eto over to me.
“Paa~! Da~!”
Feeling Eto’s weight and the warmth of her small body against mine, it finally sank in—this wasn't a hallucination.
The adrenaline drained from my system, and I sank back onto the bed.
As Father dismissed the doctor and nurse, I spoke softly.
“...You saved her.”
“Don’t say that. I’m already losing my mind just thinking about what I’ve done.”
“Still, you saved her.”
“...”
I hugged Eto tightly, a profound sense of relief washing over me.
The warmth I thought I’d never feel again was right here in my arms.
“Thank you.”
“...Hmph.”
Father snorted and walked over to a shelf, beginning to pack up his belongings in a hurried fashion.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve seen that you’re awake, so it’s time for me to return to my post. Work has piled up while I was gone.”
Thump.
With that, he tossed a stack of documents, a bankbook, and a personal seal onto the bed.
I picked up the bankbook and asked, “What is this?”
“Become independent.”
“...?”
As I blinked in confusion, Father continued.
“Allowing you to raise that Ghoul is the final indulgence I will grant you. I no longer intend to treat you as a child. I won’t be providing any more living expenses, so use that money to support yourself and the baby.”
“Father...”
“This was the path you chose, was it not? Then walk it. I will walk mine. Regardless of how you feel about them, Ghouls remain the natural enemy of mankind, and I will continue to live my life hunting them.”
Father shouldered his bag. As he looked me straight in the eye, there wasn't a single trace of hesitation or falsehood in his voice.
Sensing that this might be the last time I'd see him like this, I raised my voice.
“Father!”
“Koma.”
He cut me off.
“I still cannot accept your convictions. ...So, make me accept them.”
“...!”
“That child you’ve taken on—take full responsibility for her. There is no turning back. If you fail her, or if she grows up to harm humans... I will be the first one to come for her. I will kill her myself.”
Father turned and walked out of the room.
Just before he crossed the threshold, he tilted his head slightly and murmured,
“So, show me. Show me that the coexistence of humans and Ghouls... is not merely a foolish fantasy.”
Rattle. Click.
“...”
I stood frozen in the silence of the hospital room.
I knew this was his way of saying goodbye.
That man likely wouldn't show his face to me again until the day he died. Just as I had feared long ago, I was gradually losing things.
Sadness surged within me, but it didn't break me.
Because in the void Father left behind, there was a new, radiating warmth.
“Muu?”
Eto tilted her head, looking up at me from my chest.
I would certainly lose many things. But I wasn't only losing. I was gaining, too.
I might not see Father's face for a long time, but as I had realized when thinking of Hitokawa, we were still family.
And though he had walked away, he had given me his permission to raise Eto.
I unfolded the documents left on the bed.
They were files gathered from the arrest and interrogation of eccentric humans who had kept Ghouls... no, "kept" wasn't the right word. "Bred" was more accurate.
The papers contained detailed comparative analyses of the growth processes and characteristics of Ghoul children versus human children. It was exactly the information I needed most.
It was a farewell gift, personally extracted from the CCG by Father, just so I could raise Eto.
Realizing this, I rushed to the window, spotted Father just as he was exiting the hospital gates, and screamed,
“Father―――!!”
Whether he didn't hear me or was simply pretending not to, he kept walking.
Prepared to take a scolding from the hospital staff, I took a deep breath and yelled at the top of my lungs,
“I’ll do it――!! I’ll definitely raise her well――!! I’ll raise her to be a wonderful woman, and on the day she gets married, I’ll――!! I’ll make sure to invite you to the wedding――!!!”
Father didn't look back.
Instead, he simply raised his middle finger in the air. The message was clear: *I'd rather die!*
I lost it, laughing as I rolled around the room with Eto in my arms.
My laughter, and Eto’s confused but matching giggles, didn't stop until a nurse came rushing in to scold us for the noise.
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