I open my eyes. Before I can even process my surroundings, my upper body bolts upright reflexively—a lingering ghost of the tension and peril that gripped me before I lost consciousness.
A moment of disorientation follows as I realize I am no longer beneath the bridge. The light is too bright, making it painful to keep my eyes open. I close them again, attempting to map my environment using my other senses.
The sterile scent of disinfectant. The scratchy texture of bandages and gauze. A lingering, medicinal bitterness on my tongue. From somewhere in the distance, I hear a muffled conversation peppered with medical jargon that sounds like it was ripped straight from a TV drama… Wait, what? Am I in a hospital?
As my eyes adjust to the light, I slowly pry them open.
I find myself in a standard hospital room. My arm is wrapped in bandages and tethered to an IV drip. Just by the feel of it, I can tell there are more dressings around my abdomen and head.
"You're awake?"
"Father..."
I turn my head to see my father sitting in a chair, reading a book. For once, he isn't in his investigator's suit; he's dressed in civilian clothes.
"Running until you reached this state... I've no idea whose recklessness you inherited. You've spent the last three days delirious with a high fever. Thanks to you, I've had to take a leave of absence I never thought I'd use."
Exactly how many years has it been since you last took a day off, you workaholic? If I said that, we could probably return to the rhythm of our usual, mundane bickering.
But not yet.
I can't go back to 'normal' yet.
Because a vital piece of that normalcy is missing.
"Where is Eto?"
"...."
The moment I woke up, I had been searching for her even as I assessed the room. But no matter where I look, Eto is nowhere to be found. Anxiety and a brewing rage begin to swell within me. My father keeps his eyes fixed on his book, his silence absolute. I ask again, my voice sharper this time.
"I said, where is Eto!?"
𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥.
My father closes the book. He looks significantly older than the last time I saw him. With a weary, exhausted sigh, he speaks.
"...I am a Ghoul Investigator. I don't know the first thing about raising a ghoul infant."
"FATHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—!!!!"
𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩! 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥!
I snap. I clench my fists and lunge at him, but my body is heavier than I anticipated. To make matters worse, the IV stand connected to my arm topples over, sending me sprawling spectacularly onto the floor beside the bed.
"W-What's going on in here!?"
Alerted by the commotion, a doctor and a nurse burst into the room. They scramble to restrain me as I struggle to crawl toward my father.
"Patient! Please, calm down! You mustn't move yet!"
"Shut up! Let me go!! Even if it means severing our ties as father and son today, I'm going to beat that man to death!! What did you do!? What did you do to Eto...!!!"
"𝘗𝘢-𝘢𝘢~! 𝘉𝘢-𝘣𝘢!"
"What did you do to...!!! ...Wait?"
Mid-shout, my head snaps toward the source of a tiny, adorable babbling sound that completely shatters the gravity of the moment. Held in the arms of the startled nurse was Eto, reaching her hands toward me with a radiant, beaming smile. She looked as if she were begging to be held.
"...Eto?"
"I've spent my life holding nothing but weapons. I've long since forgotten how to change a diaper."
My father spoke while looking away, his voice sounding suspiciously like an excuse. The nurse, having realized my outburst was born of worry for the baby, gave me a warm smile and handed Eto over to me.
"𝘗𝘢-𝘢𝘢~! 𝘋𝘢-𝘢!"
Feeling Eto's weight and her warmth against me, I finally realized this wasn't a hallucination. The strength drained from my trembling limbs, and I slumped back onto the bed.
I watched as my father dismissed the doctor and the nurse before I finally spoke.
"...You let her live."
"Don't talk about it. My own mind feels like it's rotting just thinking about my actions."
"But you still saved her."
"...."
I pulled Eto into a tight embrace, overwhelmed with relief. The warmth I thought I'd never feel again was right here in my arms.
"Thank you."
"...Hmph."
My father snorted and walked over to the nightstand. He began stuffing his belongings into his bag with brusque movements.
"Where are you going?"
"I've seen that you're awake. I need to get back to work. Files have been piling up while I've been away."
𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘥.
With those words, he tossed a bundle of documents, a bankbook, and a personal seal onto the bed. I picked up the bankbook and looked at him.
"What's this?"
"Move out. Be independent."
"...?"
As I blinked in confusion, unable to grasp his intent, he continued.
"Allowing you to raise that ghoul is the final bit of 'spoiling' I will ever grant you. I don't intend to see you as a child anymore. There will be no more allowance. Use that money to feed yourself and raise that kid."
"Father..."
"This was the path you chose, wasn't it? Then walk it. I will walk mine. No matter how you view them, ghouls are still the natural enemies of humanity, and I will spend my life killing them."
My father shouldered his bag. There was not a single trace of a lie in his eyes as he stared straight into mine. Sensing that this might be the last time I would see him like this, I raised my voice.
"Father!"
"Koma."
He cut me off.
"I still haven't acknowledged what you said. ...So, make me acknowledge it."
"...!"
"That child you've taken on. Raise her with your own two hands. There is no giving up halfway. If you raise her wrong and she ends up harming a human... I will be the first one to come and kill her."
My father turned and headed for the exit. Just before stepping out, he spoke in a low murmur without turning his head.
"So... show me. That the coexistence of humans and ghouls... isn't just a hollow delusion."
𝘚𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬.
"...."
The room fell silent after he left. I stood there, dazed.
I knew. This was his way of saying goodbye.
That man would likely never show his face to me again for the rest of his life. Just as I had feared long ago, I was gradually losing things.
A wave of sorrow washed over me, but I didn't let it break me. Because in the void my father left behind, there was a warmth filling the space.
"𝘔𝘶𝘶𝘶?"
Eto tilted her head, staring up at me from my chest.
I will certainly lose many things in the future. But I won't only be losing. There are things to be gained as well.
I might not be able to see my father's face anymore, but as I thought when I looked at Hitokawa, we are still family.
And while my father has walked away, I have his permission to raise Eto.
I opened the documents left on the bed.
They were records obtained from the arrest and interrogation of eccentric humans who had attempted to keep ghouls in the past. It contained detailed information on the growth processes of ghoul children versus human children, along with comparative analyses of their traits. It was exactly the information I needed most.
It was a parting gift, hand-picked by my father from the CCG archives for my sake.
Realizing this, I dashed to the window. I spotted my father just as he was exiting the hospital's main gate and screamed at the top of my lungs.
"FATHERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!"
Whether he truly didn't hear me or was simply pretending not to, he kept walking. I took a deep breath, prepared to face the wrath of the hospital staff later, and bellowed.
"I'LL DO IT!! I'LL RAISE HER RIGHT, I PROMISE!! I'LL RAISE HER INTO A WONDERFUL WOMAN, AND ON HER WEDDING DAY—!! I'LL DEFINITELY INVITE YOU TOO—!!!"
My father didn't look back.
Instead, he simply raised his hand and flipped me the middle finger. It was a clear message: 'Not in a million years!'
I collapsed back onto the bed, howling with laughter as I rolled around with Eto in my arms. My laughter—and Eto's mimicking giggles—didn't stop until a nurse, drawn by the noise, came in to scold me.