My father's name is Takaki Harima.
He's a Beta-class Ghoul Investigator with sixteen years on the force this year.
He hardly ever comes to see me. If he dropped by more than once a month, that would count as frequent visits.
He does faithfully send me living expenses, but he always makes some excuse about being busy with work to avoid seeing my face as much as possible.
I know it's not just because work keeps him busy that he won't meet me, but let's leave that aside…
Right now, though, thanks to his rare visit to my place, I'm trapped in the most suffocating tension of my life.
One thing I should tell you: my father absolutely despises Ghouls—extremely so.
If suddenly 300 cockroaches and one Ghoul appeared in the house, he'd totally ignore the mysterious swarm of roaches and go all-out to kill that one Ghoul.
And there's a Ghoul in my apartment that ranks even higher on his personal disgust scale than cockroaches.
Right now she's well hidden, and as long as she's contentedly sucking on her bloody bottle, he'll stay quiet… Eto, please behave yourself!
My back was damp with cold sweat as I brought him a cup of tea.
After my father sipped the tea to wet his mouth, he spoke.
"How's school going?"
"Um, it's okay…."
Judging by his reaction, he doesn't seem to know about that time I brought Eto to school.
Oh, Dad, I've never been more grateful for your reclusive silence than I am right now.
"Anyway, what brings you here all of a sudden without warning?"
"I heard there was a Ghoul sighting around here, so I thought I'd swing by while on assignment."
"Because of that case on TV! That ghoul brat—if I ever lay eyes on her, I'll smash her jaw in!"
As I vented my hatred at a Ghoul I'd never met, my father looked around with a puzzled expression.
"By the way, have you been cleaning the house more often lately? It's cleaner than before."
"Y-yeah, I guess…."
I'm not going to tell him it's because hygiene is crucial for raising a baby. I clean and disinfect every day so dust and bacteria don't pile up…
"Have you decided which university you'll go to?"
"I'm thinking of trying Kamii University since it's the closest…."
It's just a 'thought', though.
There's no way I can afford college when I can't even get a part-time job.
"What about marriage plans? Or at least a boyfriend or girlfriend?"
"I'm still a student—I can't exactly marry anyone. I don't have a girlfriend."
If I said I'd had a daughter instead of a girlfriend, he'd probably deck me.
"I worry that since you've never had any proper dating experience, you might stay single forever."
"That's a strange worry."
Don't worry. I might not be married, but I'm definitely doing childcare.
As I snarked back at him with that thought, something happened.
rustle…
"…!!"
My heart froze.
My father heard the sound and turned his head.
"Hm? What was that?"
"Must be a rat or something. This building's pretty old."
"A rat, huh…."
He muttered as he set down the teacup and stood up.
Looking up at him from where I sat, his athletic build belied his age—strong enough to keep working as an investigator for at least another decade.
Once he was on his feet, he held a metal briefcase in one hand… wait, no!
"Dad!? What are you about to do!?"
That case—it's the one he uses when hunting Ghouls!!
"I told you there'd been a Ghoul-related murder in this area. Desperate Ghouls have been known to hide in private homes."
Oh right!
This is why he showed up at my place so early this morning!
He's worried that a Ghoul on the run might have slipped into his own son's apartment!
Sure, there's a Ghoul in here, but it's not that Ghoul, Dad!
But I can't explain that to him. What do I do?
If he finds Eto or any of my hidden baby supplies, there's no avoiding his interrogation.
As feared, his first stop was the closet where I keep all the baby stuff.
This is a crisis from the very start. I have to somehow solve this.
Work, brain, work!
grab!
I grabbed his hand as he was about to open the closet.
"St-stop, Dad."
He turned and looked at me, his gaze questioning my behavior.
"If you open this door… I'll be terribly wounded…."
"Why's that?"
At my serious expression, he also grew serious.
I hesitated a thousand times inside. Should I tell him? The blowback won't be small.
But of course, I had to. It's the only way to protect Eto!
"B-beyond this door…"
I took a deep breath and uttered the shocking truth.
"There's my personal Real Doll hidden behind this door!!!!!!!!!"
Real Doll.
Simply put, it's a sex toy crafted to look like an actual woman.
"......."
My father stared at me in silence; his gaze felt so scorching I'd rather endure the stare of a Ghoul licking its lips.
After a long pause, he removed his hand from the closet handle.
"Don't overdo it. It's not good for your health."
Saying that, he turned his back.
thud!
I knelt, feeling like a boxer rocked by a screw‐uppercut. The damage—oh, the mental damage is too much!!
For a moment it seemed my dad stepped back at that confession, but I still couldn't relax.
He hadn't stopped searching the apartment yet.
If he discovered where I hid Eto, it'd be game over.
"…."
rustle rustle.
He checked every possible spot where an intruder might hide—sniffing the ceiling, peeking out the bathroom window.
I watched anxiously, not knowing when he might reach Eto's hiding spot.
If he finds her, what precious thing will I have to sacrifice next to guard her?
But fortunately, he found no sign of anyone sneaking in and stopped his search. I felt freed from hell.
"Luckily, there's nothing here. I have to get back to work, so I'll head out now. Sorry to disturb you this early."
"Yeah. It's fine—come by again anytime."
That's a lie. Please never come again.
At least until Eto can survive on her own… which is impossible, right? I need to come up with a plan to prepare for Dad's next surprise visit.
That was as I walked Dad to the door and he put on his shoes.
rustle…! rustle…!
"…!"
Just when I thought I was free, the ending tripped me up.
Suppressing the sinking feeling in my chest, Dad frowned at the faint noise again and said,
"Tell the landlord we might have rats. Even an old building needs to stay hygienic."
"I'll go tell him right away."
But I held on! I caught a lifeline just before falling back into hell!
My dad put on his shoes and stepped out the door.
I watched his footsteps fade down the hallway, then collapsed where I stood like a puppet with its strings cut.
rustle! rustle!
"Bwaa?"
The shoe cabinet door creaked open, and Eto peeked her head out.
She must have finished the bottle of blood. That was a thrillingly close call.
Eto crawled out of the narrow, foul-smelling cabinet—she must hate it in there—and came toward me.
I managed to move my exhausted head and offered her a weary smile.
"Eto… Daddy fought hard…."
"Baah~!"
slap! slap!
Eto pressed her tiny hand to my forehead, offering her usual encouragement.