These days, I’ve picked up a strange habit.
Whenever a shadow brushes past my feet, I look up.
I don’t know when it started, but the habit has become ingrained. I don’t particularly feel the need to fix it.
The owners of the shadows skimming past my feet were a flock of crows.
As the evening glow deepened, they seemed to be heading home as well, moving in noisy clusters through the sky.
While I was watching them, the fishmonger auntie packing up tonight’s mackerel side dish handed me a black plastic bag.
“Here you go, young man. I picked out some especially fresh ones for you.”
“Ah, thank you, ma’am.”
“Wasn’t that bright little girl with you today?”
“Her first semester classes started today.”
“Oh my! What a shame. I won’t get to see her as often then.”
The auntie spoke without hiding her disappointment.
Whenever I came shopping with Eto, the woman seemed to fall head over heels for the girl’s cute appearance and friendly demeanor. It was probably best to keep quiet about the fact that it was all a calculated effort to get a discount.
Anyway, now that I had all the ingredients I needed, I figured I should head home and get dinner ready before Eto returned.
Even if we ate different things, meals should still be shared at the same table.
Just as I was thinking that and about to turn around—
“Kyaaah!!”
A piercing shriek tore through the air, mixed with an irritating mechanical noise.
Was that... an engine?
Vrrrrrrr!
Turning my head, I saw a motorcycle tearing down the market street at full speed. Behind it, a woman lay sprawled on the ground, having been knocked over by the impact.
And in the rider’s hand was a woman’s handbag—a completely mismatched accessory for the man.
I understood immediately. A snatch-and-grab.
I guess some people really have nothing better to do on a weekday.
The street wasn’t very wide, and people were scrambling out of the way, unable to react in time to the charging motorcycle.
Left with no choice, I handed my shopping basket to the fishmonger and grabbed the metal chair she used as a seat.
“Ma’am, I’m borrowing this for a second!”
“W-what? What are you going to do with that?”
I didn't have time to answer. The motorcycle was already upon us.
If I let it pass, it would shoot straight out of the market and vanish onto the main road, so I hurled the metal chair with all my might.
Like a heel wrestler taunting an opponent—except unlike a choreographed match, this was a genuine throw.
“……!?!”
The thug panicked as the metal chair suddenly eclipsed his vision, causing him to jerk the handlebars hard.
It was a dangerously sharp turn, but he lacked the distance to avoid the chair entirely.
The chair slammed right into the thug’s head.
Thanks to the helmet, he avoided a critical injury, but the impact was enough to send the motorcycle crashing down.
Crash!!
The thug and his bike tumbled across the pavement, skidding right past me.
The riderless motorcycle rolled like a wild horse, plowing into the display racks of a shop across the street before coming to a halt with a dramatic strike.
After confirming that no bystanders were hurt, I turned my attention to the thug on the ground.
He had been badly scraped in the fall; as he struggled to his feet, his torn clothes revealed flushed, raw skin.
I couldn’t see his face through the helmet, but the atmosphere alone told me he was glaring at me with murderous intent.
Normally, this would be the time to run, but perhaps the shock of the fall had sent too much blood to his head. He was worked up enough to pull a knife from his coat.
A long fish knife, about thirty centimeters.
The thug pointed the blade at me, his killing intent palpable, and I simply gave him a look that said, So what?
My utter indifference seemed to fluster the thug more than anything else.
But honestly, try being in my shoes. I’ve dealt with tentacles the size of giant pillars that could kill me with a single graze. Did he really think a measly thirty-centimeter fish knife would intimidate me?
It looked so flimsy I almost felt sorry for him.
“You bastard!!”
Interpreting my deadpan stare as a sign of contempt, the thug cursed and charged.
I shifted my weight, preparing to respond.
No matter how much my courage had grown, my body was still that of an ordinary human. A single wrong move and I’d be dead, so I kept my muscles tense.
I didn’t have the skill to snatch his wrist and subdue him like they do in the movies, so I decided to kick the blade away. I was glad I’d worn shoes with thick soles today.
Just as the blade lunged toward me and I lifted my right foot to intercept its path—
Whoosh! Smack!!
A shoe flew in out of nowhere.
A fairly small shoe—the kind that belonged to a young owner. It slammed squarely into the side of the thug’s helmet.
It was just a shoe, but the result was far from ordinary.
The thug’s head snapped violently to the side.
The helmet, which had already been loosened by the metal chair, was knocked completely off and flew away. The shock froze the man in his tracks as if he’d been electrocuted.
“……!”
Though surprised by the sudden intervention, I didn’t waste the opening.
My foot slipped past the frozen blade and drove deeper into the target.
Specifically, right between the thug’s legs.
Thud!!!
“……!?!!”
With the helmet gone, the thug’s face twisted into a truly grotesque expression.
Sorry. As a fellow man, I didn’t really want to do that. But you brought a knife, didn’t you? If I don’t respond with everything I’ve got, I’m the one in danger.
I watched the thug collapse, frothing at the mouth, and then noticed a shadow skimming across the ground. By habit, I looked up.
A small owl was gliding between the buildings.
It was a young one, looking as if it had only recently learned to flap its wings.
***
I barely managed to extricate myself from the market residents, who had begun praising me as if I were some kind of local hero, and started the walk home.
Since staying to deal with the police would make me late for dinner, I asked some bystanders to handle the explanation and the handover of the criminal.
Once I had confirmed the coast was clear on my way back, I spoke aloud.
“Come down already.”
A single command thrown into the empty air.
In the next instant, a shadow dropped from above me as if by magic.
Hair and skirt fluttering like wings.
A reddish-brown school uniform, still possessing that characteristic stiffness of new clothes.
A girl who looked just old enough to have entered middle school descended from the sky, spun around toward me, and beamed a smile.
“You became the neighborhood hero in no time, Dad! Maybe we can get some freebies the next time we go shopping.”
Eto, who had started middle school this year, trotted up to me with puppy-like steps, as if waiting for a reward.
I looked down. One of Eto’s shoes was missing.
Naturally, the missing shoe was already in my hand, having been recovered from the scene.
The primary contributor to the mugger's capture was standing right in front of me.
Looking up at me with bright, expectant eyes, Eto was clearly demanding her payment.
I did great, right? Praise me!
That was the unspoken request.
Smirking at the cute demand, I reached out with both hands.
I grabbed both of her cheeks and stretched them hard to the sides.
“Auuuuugh!?!”
Eto shrieked at the unexpected pain.
Sure, payment is important, but first comes discipline, doesn't it, my daughter?
Eto thrashed in surprise, but my grip remained firm.
“Did I tell you not to run around on the rooftops, or did I not? Huh? You scared the people!”
“I-I tried my best to stay hidden!”
“People still see what they see! Try being in my position, having to make excuses that my middle-school daughter’s hobby is parkour!”
“B-but I was definitely wearing safety shorts, so it’s okay!”
“That’s not the point, you brat! Though, I will give you credit for being properly covered!”
After kneading Eto’s cheeks like pieces of mochi for a while, I finally let her go.
Eto rubbed her reddened cheeks, her eyes slightly watery.
“Uuugh... If I practice a little more, I think I’ll be able to erase my presence completely...”
“You’re still not reflecting on this, are you?”
I reached out again toward Eto, who was already showing signs of a repeat offense.
Expecting another punishment, she squeezed her eyes shut. Instead, I placed my hand on her head and ruffled her hair vigorously.
“Well, thanks for the help back there. You saved my skin.”
“!”
Eto, who had braced for more discipline, opened her eyes wide and looked at me before breaking into a grin. It seemed the payment was satisfactory.
“Still, be careful next time. It’s better not to attract unnecessary attention.”
“Yes~!”
“You actually understood, right?”
Maybe it was just puberty, but lately, Eto seemed more interested in asserting herself than listening to me. I sighed as I looked at her.
While blind obedience isn't a good thing, her lack of it was worrying in its own way. It was a complicated feeling.
Whether she noticed my inner turmoil or not, Eto continued to skip ahead in high spirits. I followed behind her with a wry smile.
So what if she was going through puberty? That was just part of growing up.
Still, if the day ever came when she’d be disgusted by washing her clothes with her father’s underwear... well, that would be truly heartbreaking. Just imagining it made me want to collapse on the spot.
As I was pondering this distant future, we arrived near our home. With only a few steps left, Eto suddenly stopped.
Not only that—she held out an arm to block my path, forcing me to stop as well.
“Eto?”
“......”
Eto didn’t answer. Her entire aura had shifted.
The back of Eto, which had just been as warm as sunlight, was now enveloped in a chill that felt like frost was about to form.
A slightly lowered stance. The tension rippling through her muscles. It didn’t take long to realize she was in a state of high alert.
I followed her gaze.
In front of our front gate.
Someone was there.
A person wearing a white jumper coat that covered them from head to just above the knees. Judging by the jawline visible beneath the hood, it was a man.
Who was he?
It wasn’t my friend Hitokawa. There was no one else who would be waiting for us in front of our house.
But based on Eto’s reaction, one thing was certain.
Eto would never react this way to an ordinary human. The same applied to a Ghoul Investigator; in that case, she would hide her presence and emphasize her humanity.
There was only one kind of target that would make Eto openly show this level of caution.
A Ghoul.
The man in the white coat seemed to notice us and turned his head. He then began walking toward Eto and me.
“Stop.”
Before his foot could even touch the ground, Eto’s emotionless voice halted him.
“If you come any closer, I won’t let you off.”
“...Heh.”
The man let out a dry laugh. It was a laugh filled with disbelief that someone would dare speak to him that way.
For a moment, a flash of irritation leaked from beneath the hood, but he seemed to dismiss it as a child’s bravado, letting the emotion go with a sigh.
Respecting the boundary Eto had set, he stopped and directed his gaze solely at me.
“Are you Takaki Koma?”
I hadn’t expected him to know my name so precisely.
I considered playing dumb, but judging by his demeanor, he had clearly done his homework on me.
I decided to be honest and see how he would react.
“...That’s right. And who are you?”
Upon confirming my identity, the man pulled back his hood.
He had a thick nose and a round face.
At first glance, he looked fairly mild, but his sharply honed eyes and the deep crease between his brows gave him the appearance of a vicious beast.
With a look of reluctance, he spoke and revealed his name.
“My name is Koma Enji. I was sent by Mr. Kuzen.”
“Mr. Kuzen?”
My eyes widened at the unexpected name.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register