"Hmm~ So this really is a [Q Bullet]... Why the hell is this being delivered by courier!? This is a prohibited item that the CCG and the police absolutely cannot let out of their hands!"
"I didn't come here to report it if I didn't know that."
The inside of the CCG building. The civilian reporting office, where civilians could file Ghoul-related reports or seek consultations.
There, I was facing Hitokawa across a single table. Today, I hadn't come to see him as a friend, but as a Ghoul Investigator with business to do.
A courier package delivered under my dead father's name. Inside were a revolver and loaded red rounds.
The embossed "Q" mark on the side of the rounds was unmistakably the sign of a [Q Bullet].
As Hitokawa had said, this was an item that could never be taken out except by the police and the CCG. Not only had it been taken outside, it had been delivered to a civilian's home.
Hitokawa's expression turned grave.
"...It wasn't misdelivered, was it?"
"It was sent directly to me, and they even used my dead father's name from four years ago without permission. It was clearly sent with me in mind. A pretty provocative gift."
Using my father's name, and on top of that sending a [Q Bullet].
It almost felt like someone was trying to remind me of Eto, the Ghoul.
The thought that someone might be watching my life made me feel sick. The worst part would be if it didn't turn out to be just my imagination.
But over the past few days, I hadn't found any suspicious shadows lurking around our house.
I could trust that, because Eto herself had checked with her sharp senses.
There had been no suspicious person, but there had definitely been a suspicious entity that sent the package.
I wanted to find out who sent it, but I had no ability to trace the item myself. So I had no choice but to come to Hitokawa, the expert in this kind of thing.
When I asked whether it could be traced, Hitokawa said it probably could.
"See the bottom of the round here? There's a small serial number. With this, I can trace which district and which branch uses it. Since the front starts with the letters N6, it's definitely a round used by the police."
"How long will it take to find out?"
"About a day or two? We've been busy lately trying to catch some Ghoul, but I'll let you know the result by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"...?"
For a moment, was it just my imagination that I felt a slight sense of wrongness in Hitokawa's words?
The only Ghoul the CCG had been desperate to catch lately was the one called the [Artist]. The CCG had tried its best to suppress the media, but the [Artist]'s continuing grotesque actions had eventually leaked out, and the name had become a huge social issue.
Because of that, it was common knowledge that the CCG was moving investigators on a large scale to catch the [Artist], and Hitokawa had also complained recently about being worn out because of that Ghoul.
And yet, in what he had just said, I could sense that he was deliberately hiding the name of the Ghoul I already knew about, the [Artist]. As if he didn't want the conversation to go in that direction.
It bothered me a little, but Hitokawa was the kind of man who couldn't say everything because of his job, so I decided not to dig too deeply.
I stood up, grateful that he had readily offered his help despite being busy.
"Anyway, thanks."
"It's nothing. Ah, but for the time being, make sure your doors are locked. I don't know who sent that revolver, but at the very least, it wasn't some classmate who wanted to see our faces. Until we know what kind of lunatic it was, I'd recommend avoiding going out if you can."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I gave Hitokawa a light wave and left the room first.
Since I had stopped by on the way to work at the shop, if I didn't hurry, the manager's hot palm would definitely be branded onto my back.
"It can't be, right..."
Hitokawa's uneasy murmur was cut off by the closing wooden door before it could reach my ears.
"Today we've got a group reservation! You're working overtime!"
"What kind of absurdity is that the moment I clock in, Manager?"
"I'll make sure the extra pay is generous."
"I'll call Eto and tell her I'm getting home late today."
As the manager's skills improved day by day, it seemed this place had become popular among people as a hidden gem.
The old image of a small tavern was gone; my workplace was now a proper restaurant.
"Anyway, that's how it is, so I'll probably be late today. Don't wait up—can you eat dinner first and go to sleep?"
"[No problem! I'll make sure Toto's food is taken care of too!]"
Toto was the name of the pet cat I bought when Eto and I moved into our new house.
He was a brown tabby, three years old this year, and Eto was the kind of brat who would act all friendly and cute, but whenever she saw me, she'd bare her claws first for some reason. And he wasn't even male, so why was he like that?
At first, when we'd only had him for a short while, he had followed me around just fine, but at some point he started keeping his distance.
Not knowing why, I'd once asked Hitokawa, who had experience raising cats in the past, for the reason.
According to Hitokawa:
"Looks to me like he's in the exact posture of a creature sensing mortal danger and staying on guard. When was the last time you threatened a cat?"
As if I would ever do that. I had often tried to show him affection, but I swear I had never once threatened him.
In fact, I'd been so busy worrying about the cat that my attention to Eto had become a little neglected for a while.
Maybe because of that, while I was taking care of the cat, Eto had looked at him like a younger sibling who had stolen her parents' love.
"He's my dad... Eto's dad... that thief cat..."
Huh? I feel like something I absolutely shouldn't be remembering just peeked out from the back of my mind.
Anyway, I had no idea what caused the cat to become wary of me. I could only hope that one day he'd open his heart to me again.
"Hey, Koma! Take this customer!"
"Ah, yes!"
Enough idle thoughts. I believed the sharp-witted Eto would keep the house in order, so I decided to focus on the restaurant work.
I was worried about the suspicious someone who had sent the [Q Bullet] by courier yesterday... but there was almost no chance that Eto, left alone, would be in danger.
Because ever since two years ago, when I had nearly died at the hands of some Ghoul dressed up like a cop, I knew she had been secretly training on her own.
Even if some thug broke into the house, the dangerous one would be them.
"As long as she doesn't get eaten, I guess that's enough..."
Muttering that, I grabbed the food the manager had made and hurried through the crowd, running back and forth.
And so time passed.
The packed crowd of customers had all left, and it was about time to close the shop, but...
This place used to be a tavern, right? They sold quite a lot of alcohol.
Which meant this happened from time to time.
A drunk nuisance who was desperate to go home from work, but had no intention of leaving until the very end.
"Ghhhhh~... One more bottle~!"
"Customer, it's about time we closed."
"Like I care! I feel like I'm going to die from loneliness right now~! My loneliness is worse than a rabbit's, you know~! Are you all trying to throw me away too~?"
This was bad. This customer was thoroughly drunk.
She was a woman, but her long hair spilled forward like seaweed drying in the sun, hiding her face so I couldn't guess her age. Still, her voice was a lovely, clear soprano, like rolling glass beads.
It was a shame that such a voice, which probably had all kinds of uses as a voice actress or singer, was being wasted on the whining of a drunk.
"Honestly, Manager, do something about this."
I wanted to get rid of just this one person and clean up the shop quickly, but she showed no sign of getting up.
It felt wrong to rough up a drunk woman, so I asked the shop's all-purpose fixer, the manager, for help.
Don't underestimate an old lady.
Her backhand was so exhilarating it could practically snap the spine of a dying old man straight again! ...With that expectation in mind, I turned to the manager, but—
"Tsk tsk... Did a man dump you or something? Have a drink of this."
She was joining in the drinking instead!?
Hey, Manager! I want to go home! Eto's probably already asleep by now!
But the manager, already blowing on the bottle like a horn, didn't seem to notice my pitiful stare. Instead, she dragged me in with "You have to drink with a group!" and forced me into the role of comforting the loneliness of the woman who seemed to have been dumped today.
"Hee~ You're actually pretty good-looking, big brother~? Got a girlfriend~?"
"I don't have a girlfriend, but I do have a daughter."
Since she seemed interested in me, I tried to draw a clear line by emphasizing that I had a daughter.
"So you're married! That's exciting~!"
"Why!?"
But somehow she was showing even stronger interest. Was it because she was drunk, or was she really into that sort of thing...?
Seeing the predator's gaze lurking between the messy woman's bangs, I started thinking about how to run.
Then the manager, sitting beside her, raised the bottle high and shouted, "What's so special about a man? Forget him! Men are everywhere anyway! It's easy to meet someone new!"
"Manager, saying that when you've gone this long without ever getting married is a little..."
"You want to die!? Eat this!!"
"Puhk!!"
The excited manager shoved the bottle she was holding straight into my mouth.
The liquor poured down my throat in a rush, and my throat and entire mouth burned as if they were on fire. What the hell is this booze!? Why is it so strong!?
With my body already heavily drunk, the sudden flood of alcohol invaded my stomach, and my head rang as dizziness washed over me.
"Tonight, we drink until we die!"
"Wow~! The auntie's really fired up~?"
The two boozehounds clinked glasses like they were truly determined to drink themselves to death, and with that scene as the last thing I saw, my film cut out.
Throb! Throb!
"Ugh... my head hurts..."
When I opened my eyes again, I was on the bed in my room. Somehow, I must have been freed from the boozehounds and made it home.
At least I hadn't woken up lying on the roadside, but the hangover ruining my fresh morning was not welcome at all. Like hell I'd ever drink with the manager again...
By the way, what time was it?
Judging by the sun hanging on the eastern window, it was definitely morning.
The moment I sat up in bed to look for the clock, I realized there was an "extraneous object" mixed into my room.
"..."
Rub rub. Rub rub.
I quietly rubbed my eyes.
That's strange. Nothing's in my eyes, so why do I keep seeing things?
Something's wrong. This is definitely wrong. What did I do after drinking yesterday? I need to remember! Work, my brain!
But my brain, half knocked out by alcohol, only pleaded that it knew nothing. Damn it.
Anyway, I had to do something fast. If Eto saw this, she'd definitely misunderstand...
Click!
"Dad~! It's morning! Wake up..."
And just as if she had timed her entrance for a stage play, Eto suddenly appeared and came to wake me with a bright smile.
Is this play a tragedy by any chance? Huh? A tragedy, you say?
Crack.
As expected, the moment Eto opened my bedroom door, her bright, morning-sun smile froze in place in less than a second.
Her expression was still smiling without changing even 1 millimeter, but the warmth from a moment ago was gone completely as Eto opened her mouth.
"Dad."
"Y-yeah?"
"Is the woman over there your friend, Dad~?"
Eto's gaze pointed toward the "extraneous object" in my room.
A woman in her early twenties, curled up like a baby and sleeping softly. So that was who it was—the woman I had been drinking with last night.
Why am I sleeping in the same bed as this woman? No matter how hard I tried to remember, nothing came back.
First, Eto, could you put away that [Kakugan] before we talk? And before that, wasn't the [Kakugan] supposed to appear when you were hungry or emotionally agitated?
Are you hungry? You're hungry, right?