I slept a lot; it's been a long time since I felt this good. When I woke up, the nurses brought me breakfast.
A few minutes after I finished, the doctor came and asked how I was feeling, speaking with the help of the phone translator.
Several good hours passed. During that time, I talked with the nurses and the doctor, did a few exams, and after lunch, Midnight came to visit me.
She seemed surprised by my clean appearance and the lack of bloodstains, and she got all flustered and said a bunch of things I didn't understand, only recognizing a "kawaii" in the middle of the mess of sentences.
When she calmed down and sat on the chair beside my bed, using the translator this time, she said that the detectives were almost here.
After that, she kept saying a bunch of nonsense about how cute I was and how I would break girls' hearts when I grew up, squeezing and pulling my cheeks.
She only stopped when the detectives finally arrived. They greeted Midnight and sat in front of my bed, and then, to my surprise, one of the detectives, a tall guy with short black hair, started speaking in Portuguese.
"Hello, kid. My name is Naomasa Tsukauchi, and this is Ryota Suzuki." He points to the other detective, a blond with messy hair.
"Yo," he replies, making a peace sign with his fingers.
"We're here to ask you a few questions, okay? Can you tell me your name?"
"I don't have one, sir…" Upon hearing my words, Midnight and Ryota glance at Naomasa, who nods in confirmation with a serious expression.
"Do you know where your parents are? Or any other guardian responsible for you?"
"They died." When I say that, everyone's expressions tighten. Midnight places her hand on my head and gives a few pats.
"I'm sorry, kid… can you tell me how everything happened?"
When Naomasa says this, Ryota, who is reading the conversation through the phone translator, gives Naomasa a light nudge with his shoulder and says something to him in Japanese with a worried tone.
Naomasa replies with seriousness and conviction, making Ryota sigh and agree.
I begin telling my story. I talk about how I begged on the streets of a coastal city in Brazil, about my abusive, drug-addicted parents.
I tell them about my time on the ship and the time I was tortured by the doctor. I notice Ryota exchanging glances with Naomasa from time to time, the latter always nodding in confirmation.
When I finish telling everything, I find myself being pulled and squeezed against Midnight's chest as she seems to say some supportive words in Japanese while crying and hugging me.
Feeling suffocated, I pat her back a few times, but she doesn't let go.
"Cough"
Ryota's cough makes Midnight release me, not before giving me a little kiss on the cheek, leaving me embarrassed, even though I can't show it.
Detective Naomasa finishes writing a few things in a notebook, then explains that my situation is a bit delicate since I don't have any identification.
He says he'll try to help me get one, even attempting to arrange dual nationality, after asking whether I want to stay in Japan or return to Brazil.
Since at the moment I know more people in Japan than in Brazil, I decide to stay.
"You're going to need a name, kid."
When he says that, I feel a shiver run down my spine, along with Midnight's excitement beside me as she reads the conversation with the help of the translator.
"Can I choose a name?" I say quickly, before Midnight tries to name me something strange. She pouts, but seems interested in hearing the name I chose.
"Of course, go ahead," Naomasa says, also curious.
"Ken Kaneki."
I say the same name as the protagonist of Tokyo Ghoul. I had thought a lot about how we shared similar pieces of history, being suddenly thrown into a completely new world, then being tortured by a psychopath, not to mention the white hair and the eyes, of course.
"Oh, that's a Japanese name. Where did you get that idea?"
"I saw it on TV yesterday and it came to mind." It's not exactly a lie, since I got the idea while watching TV, when the host mentioned the guest's name: Ken.
They laugh a bit, then Naomasa stands up and places a hand on my shoulder.
"Very well, Kaneki-kun. You're strong, kid… let's see what we can do for you."
The two say their goodbyes, and I'm left alone in the room with Midnight. She turns to me with a smile and talks to me through the translator.
"Ken Kaneki, huh?… I like it~ My real name is Nemuri Kayama." I'm touched by that, a heroine told me her real name. That must be a big deal, right?
We talk a bit more, until she says she has to go back to work and warns me that she won't be able to visit me often. She stands up and gives me a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"Thank you very much, Nemuri," I say to her before she leaves. When she turns to me, waving goodbye with her hands, I see her freeze with sparkling eyes.
And then— "Kyaaaa!" She runs back to my bed and gives me another tight hug, pressing my face against her chest. She lets go, excited, and grabs the phone with the translator again.
"You're smiling!" I touch my lips after hearing that, and it's true… I'm smiling.
Before I can properly process it, Nemuri grabs me once more, messing up my hair, and then she finally leaves the room happily, after leaving my hair looking like a bird's nest.