It had been well over a week since I’d taken charge of Eto.
Living alone had changed drastically once Eto became part of the picture.
For starters, the books I usually kept open had shifted from novels to beginner parenting guides.
A Ghoul baby was just like a human baby, except for the part where it ate human flesh.
There was so much to learn: music and games that were good for infants, how to check their health by analyzing their waste, the stages of physical development and the corresponding changes in childcare... Books alone weren’t enough, so I even turned to TV programs and online parenting forums.
I didn’t know Eto’s exact birth date, but judging by her development, she seemed to be over three months old.
“Let’s see... ‘Babies older than three months generally start to develop a sharper sense of smell, and their legs get stronger, making their kicks more powerful’... Is that really true? Eto, give me a kick.”
I leaned toward Eto while checking tips from a parenting journal I'd found online.
Whether she understood me or it was just a coincidence, Eto let out a bright little laugh and swung her foot.
Thwack!!!
...There was something I had overlooked.
Ghouls possessed physical abilities several times greater than those of a human.
Apparently, that applied to Ghoul babies as well.
Thump!!
After Eto’s kick sent my jaw spinning, I spent a good while crawling across the floor. That was a viciously powerful strike.
Along with my daily routine, the scenery of my room had also changed.
A crib, rattles and other toys, a baby carrier for outings, diapers, baby powder, and so on...
The room of a high school boy who loved games and novels was being swallowed whole; the domain of a baby was steadily expanding its territory.
Well, the odds were slim, but if I ever managed to get a girlfriend, there was no way I’d be bringing her here.
While the amount of baby gear had increased, it wasn't all good news.
“...I really need to start a household ledger.”
How much money could a high school student living alone possibly have?
My father sent living expenses every month without fail, but it wasn’t exactly a fortune.
Up until now, I’d been dipping into the savings I'd set aside for new games to buy baby supplies, but even that wasn't enough. I was reaching a point where the bare minimum needed for survival was under threat.
Should I ask Father to send more? ...No. I might get more money for now, but if he catches even the slightest whiff of something suspicious, he’ll come visit. That absolutely cannot happen.
But I couldn’t leave Eto alone, and since I had nowhere to leave her, finding a part-time job was out of the question.
Wasn’t there some convenient job where I could work while bringing Eto along?
“My head hurts~!”
After agonizing over it for a while without finding an answer, I flopped backward and declared my defeat.
Apparently, my weird noises and dramatic collapse were entertaining, because Eto crawled over and started patting my forehead with her little palm.
“Baa~!”
“...Yes, yes. Thank you for the enthusiastic encouragement, Princess.”
The way those tiny, fern-like hands tapped my forehead was strangely healing.
Feeling a bit more energized, I sat up and decided to look for a new way forward.
I turned on the TV news, hoping I might stumble upon some useful information.
As usual, the announcer on the screen was reciting the day’s news in a mechanical voice.
“At around 8:00 this morning, a corpse believed to be the result of a Ghoul attack was discovered on ☆★ Street in the 7th Ward. The victim has been identified as Nakajima Shioto, 55, who operated a bakery in the area; it is confirmed that he was attacked while returning home after work last night. In response, the CCG has dispatched Ghoul Investigators to the scene...”
“Tch. That’s right around here.”
The fact that a Ghoul was openly committing cannibalism nearby was a problem, but the news that Ghoul Investigators were being dispatched was just one more headache added to my already overflowing list.
On the screen, a middle-aged man—an active Ghoul Investigator—was being interviewed.
A white suit coat and a metal briefcase in one hand. He was the textbook image of a Ghoul Investigator.
Ghoul Investigators.
They were specialists trained to find and eliminate Ghouls hiding among humans, known for being able to fight toe-to-toe with creatures whose physical abilities far surpassed those of a human.
While their basic policy was to capture Ghouls alive, they operated under guidelines to eliminate them on the spot if they were judged to be even slightly dangerous.
I didn’t know how they would treat a Ghoul baby, but I definitely didn’t want them finding out about Eto.
I let out a small, dry laugh at the irony—I was more wary of the human-aligned Ghoul Investigators than the dangerous Ghoul prowling my neighborhood.
I sat Eto on my lap and pointed to the TV. “Eto. You must never go near people who look like that, okay? They’re very scary people.”
“Buu?”
Eto just sucked on her finger and stared blankly at the investigator on the screen.
This child had no concept of danger yet.
She had no way of knowing that the man on TV, who looked like any ordinary neighborhood uncle, carried a “weapon” capable of splitting a vicious Ghoul’s stomach open and ripping out its innards in an instant.
That was why I had to sense the danger for her and keep her far away from it.
I doubted a Ghoul Investigator could tell Eto was a Ghoul just by looking at her, but I decided it was best to avoid going out for the time being.
Ding-dong~
“Huh? Who is it?”
I wasn't expecting any guests, nor had I ordered any deliveries.
Even if I had, it was extremely rare for anyone to visit this early.
Puzzled, I peered through the small peephole in the door to check the visitor.
“..................!?!?!?!!!!”
I’d heard that when people are truly shocked, they become speechless, but I never expected to experience it firsthand.
My mouth opened and closed, trying to form a sound, but my brain screamed that I must remain silent, desperately blocking any noise from escaping.
In the next instant, I pushed my muscles to their absolute limit and tore through the room.
I swept up every single baby item in sight and shoved them violently into the closet. When I ran out of space, I began hiding the rest deep inside the trash can.
Applying the logic that the best place to hide a tree is in a forest, I wedged the parenting books between the adult magazines I used to enjoy.
Then, with tears of blood in my eyes, I hurled the clothes I’d bought for Eto out the window and into the garden.
The thought of having to retrieve and wash everything later made me want to collapse, but I gritted my teeth and kept moving.
Finally, I scooped up Eto and looked around frantically.
Where? Now I just have to hide Eto!
After a moment of desperation, I decided there was only one place left—a rather awkward spot—and tucked Eto away there.
Before leaving her, I whispered urgently, “Listen, Eto? You have to stay absolutely quiet! Your dad... your dad is about to go into the fight of his life!”
“Baa?”
Eto tilted her head, completely lost.
Of course. There was no way she’d understand me being this serious.
Recalling when Eto was usually the quietest, I grabbed a blood pack and a baby bottle.
“Paa~!”
Eto’s eyes sparkled as she clamped onto the bottle, happily sucking down my blood.
Okay. That should keep her quiet for a while.
I hurriedly hid Eto and opened the front door.
The man waiting outside looked at me suspiciously—I was drenched in cold sweat and breathing heavily from my frantic one-man war.
“...What were you doing?”
“I was having some... private self-care time. You know, the kind single men living alone often have.”
“...Fine, whatever.”
As if understanding the "struggles" of men, he gave a small nod.
Fine lines marked his face like the rings of a tree, indicating he was well into his forties.
A pure white suit coat covered him, and he held a metal briefcase in one hand.
The visitor to my apartment was a Ghoul Investigator, just like the one on TV.
And...
“So, what brings you here? ...Father.”
And... he was my father.
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