"Oh my? You're here again?"
"..."
How was I supposed to react to hearing that from a hospital nurse? It wasn't like this was my regular coffee shop.
Once when I was a kid and almost got killed by a Ghoul, once when I got beaten up by my father while trying to raise Eto, once when I almost got killed by a Ghoul Investigator, once when I had a major incident where I fell asleep half-naked because Eto wasn't home and my pet cat Toto crawled into my underwear and clawed my vital parts, and now today.
This makes five hospital admissions at the same place.
By now, when I get brought in, the doctors don't look surprised anymore. They just wear that familiar expression of, "Ah, it's him again."
I can understand it when someone who does dangerous work with Ghoul Investigators gets hauled in often, but when it's someone who looks like they don't have anything special going on, I guess rumors spread after all.
Apparently, the hospital staff have even started whispering that I might be possessed by something.
Did raising a Ghoul girl count as being possessed too?
"Well, at least you're still alive somehow. That's a relief."
"Yeah."
Hitokawa, lying in the bed next to mine, chimed in.
Honestly, he was so wrapped in bandages that if it weren't for his voice, I might not have realized he was right beside me.
I was badly injured too, but Hitokawa had really gone back and forth between life and death. I heard his heart even stopped once during surgery because of hypovolemic shock.
Being able to talk like this at all was practically a miracle.
"Tough job, being a Ghoul Investigator."
"Not as bad as being a Ghoul dad."
We traded jokes and managed to grin despite the pain. Even so, I felt relieved inside.
When Hitokawa found out about Eto's identity, I had even prepared myself for the possibility that we'd never go back to this kind of relationship. But here we were again. I really couldn't ask for more.
While we were exchanging jokes, the door suddenly flew open and someone came in.
"Hitokawa-kun! I heard you woke up!"
We both flinched at the same time. The person who came in was Hajimoto Shinichi.
He was Hitokawa's superior at work, and a Ghoul Investigator.
I thought, "There's no way he heard that Ghoul dad joke just now, right?"
Given the timing, he definitely shouldn't have heard it, but I still felt uneasy for no reason.
At this rate, would I end up arguing with this man about Eto next?
"Hitokawa-san! This operation was truly outstanding! You wiped out a small Ghoul group, rescued Takaki Koma-kun, and even took down the S-rated Ghoul known as the Artist! That kind of achievement is rare even in the youthful anecdotes of Special Class Investigators! Your promotion next year is practically guaranteed!"
"N-no, it was only because Koma helped from the side..."
"Ohhh! Takaki-kun! As expected of Takaki Senior's son! Even as a civilian and not an investigator, you contributed to taking down a Ghoul! You have the makings of an investigator. Why not try working as a Ghoul Investigator from here on out? I can prepare a recommendation letter for you!"
"Ah, haha... Thank you, but I'll have to decline."
Faced with Hajimoto-san's intense goodwill, we couldn't meet each other's eyes and just looked away.
He would never dream that a Ghoul's existence had played such a huge role in this success.
After Hitokawa collapsed, I asked for help from the nearest police box and sent Eto home.
If people found out a child had been with us at the scene, she might get dragged into unnecessary questioning.
In terms of actual contribution, Eto deserved the most credit for incapacitating two Ghouls and creating the opening that brought down the Artist, but since we couldn't reveal her existence, it ended up looking like the credit belonged to us.
I sent Hitokawa a look.
"Treat Eto to something later."
He answered with a look of his own.
"With what? Should I go dig up a corpse or something?"
"Hmm. How about a vacation paid for with your salary?"
"You know investigator pay is lousy once you take out the pension, right?"
While we were exchanging looks like that, Hajimoto-san continued speaking.
"Ah, that reminds me—about Shinaoto Minami, the one I mentioned before."
At that, both Hitokawa and I turned our attention to him. With a slightly grim expression, he went on.
"As you said, I checked the second basement floor, but there was no one there. Only torn bandages and broken glass bottles were rolling around. Her whereabouts are currently unknown."
"So she really ran, that woman..."
Hitokawa let out a sigh, as if he'd expected as much.
Same for me. While the Artist was fighting, I had sensed that she'd escaped.
What was strange was that she had helped us by providing human flesh for Eto and by dropping hydrochloric acid on the Artist.
"Why would she help us?"
"Who knows. Maybe she was moved by what you said and decided to start over with a fresh mind and a fresh spirit?"
At that, I thought it over for a moment before speaking.
"...I can't picture it."
"...Yeah. Neither can I. The impression she left was way too strong—like a crazy woman."
In the middle of that conversation, Hajimoto-san checked his watch. It looked like he had somewhere else to be.
"Well then, Hitokawa-kun, Takaki-kun. Rest well and recover quickly."
"Yes. Thank you for coming to visit."
I watched his back as he left the room after exchanging farewells.
Just then, he nearly collided with a small figure who was about to open the hospital room door.
"Ah."
"Oh dear. Sorry for startling you. Did you bump into the door?"
"No. I'm fine."
It was Eto's voice. She must have come to visit.
But the moment Hitokawa heard Eto's voice, he sucked in a sharp breath, looking tense. I glanced back and forth between the door and Hitokawa, and then I understood why.
He knew Eto's identity now. So even a perfectly ordinary conversation between an adult and a child sounded dangerously suspicious to him.
Which made sense, really. A Ghoul Investigator and a Ghoul.
"Did you come to visit?"
"Yes."
"Then have a good time."
"Yes, goodbye."
Only after Eto politely saw Hajimoto-san off and he left did Hitokawa finally exhale in relief. Then he looked at me.
"Were you feeling like this whenever I talked with Eto too?"
"Yeah. Well, you'll get used to it soon enough."
"Getting used to it would mean my identity as an investigator is starting to crack..."
That might be true.
Eto sent Hajimoto-san off, then opened the door and came into the room.
The first thing she did was check on me, and a bright, sunlit smile spread across her face.
"Dad!"
"Yeah, Eto. You're eating properly even when Dad isn't home, right?"
"Yes! And I've been feeding Toto properly too!"
"Good girl! That's my girl!"
I reached out and patted Eto's head as she came closer.
Hitokawa watched the scene like he was witnessing something bizarre.
"What's wrong?"
"On the surface, it looks like a perfectly normal, close father-daughter scene... but the conversation hits different now."
"Ah, don't worry. Eto's food is just a little bit of flesh taken from people who committed suicide."
"Don't just casually come out with that!! I've accepted you two, but at least give me time to adjust!!"
"I told you, you'll get used to it soon."
"I don't want to get used to it that soon...!! Cough, cough!"
Getting worked up while still recovering must have been too much for him. After coughing for a while, Hitokawa collapsed back onto the bed, drained.
"Uncle Hitokawa. You should really fix that habit of getting excited so easily. It's bad for your health."
"Shut up. This is because of who, exactly..."
"Oh, right. I brought apples as a gift. Want me to peel one for you?"
Ignoring Hitokawa's complaint, Eto pulled an apple and a paring knife out of a paper bag.
"Can you peel it?"
"Yes! I practiced at home."
Speaking with confidence, Eto dragged over a chair and sat down to start peeling the apple.
The steady sound of the apple being peeled. Eto's humming, soft and light, keeping time with it.
It filled the hospital room, thick with the smell of alcohol and bandages, with warmth. I closed my eyes as if drunk on it, then looked over at Hitokawa.
"It's good to go fight for people and all, but sometimes this kind of thing isn't bad either, right?"
"Yeah. ...I should get married soon and have a kid of my own too. I'm so jealous I can't stand it."
Hitokawa seemed to feel the same warmth and answered me calmly.
It felt like we had reclaimed a scene I'd thought I'd never get back.
For the record, the apple Eto peeled was delicious.