"What brings you here in the dead of night, Mr. Kuzen?"
"Forgive me. Circumstances have forced my hand."
Just as I was about to turn the page of the novel I'd been engrossed in lately, an unexpected visitor arrived. He didn't come through the front door, but the window. My apartment is on the fifth floor. Anyone else would have been startled to see someone casually stepping through a window that high up, but I wasn't particularly surprised. Had the intruder been entirely human, I might have jumped. But for a 'Ghoul', a five-story climb was trivial.
Ghouls.
Monsters that wear human skin, hiding within our society while feasting on our flesh. By their very nature, they are natural predators, doomed to conflict with humanity. And yet, I had somehow managed to strike up a friendship with one of these predators. Despite the rather noticeable age gap, of course...
"Aboo~"
"Huh?"
Eager to find out what happened next in my book, I had barely acknowledged Mr. Kuzen's entrance, keeping my eyes glued to the text. That was, until a soft babbling sound—utterly discordant with the heavy atmosphere—drifted into the room. I looked up.
Mr. Kuzen had stepped inside and was quietly shutting the window behind him. His lips were pressed into a tight, grim line. His piercing eyes possessed the quiet, suppressed intensity of an apex predator, while the faint wrinkles etched into his face spoke of the heavy years he'd endured. A black fedora was pulled low over his brow, and his dark overcoat fluttered in the night wind like the wings of a raven.
It was undeniably the Kuzen I knew. He had mellowed out considerably since we first crossed paths; back then, he carried an aura that made him practically unapproachable.
Now, having secured the window, he peered through the glass, scanning the darkness outside as if searching for something. A profound sense of crisis—one I had never seen in him before—clung to his every movement. Seemingly satisfied that the coast was clear, he let out a shallow exhale and turned to face me. That was when I finally saw what he was cradling against his chest.
"A baby?"
There was no mistaking it. Pale skin, rosy cheeks, and an angelic little face with its eyes peacefully shut—it was an infant.
"She is my child. Mine, and Ukina's."
"Oh! Really? Congratulations! You and Ukina moved fast... Wait, with Ukina!?!!"
I had started to offer my genuine congratulations before the sheer absurdity of the statement hit me, making my voice pitch up in shock.
"H-Hold on a second! Ukina is human, isn't she!? Is it even possible for a human and a Ghoul to have a kid!?"
"It is a miracle she brought into this world."
Mr. Kuzen looked down at the baby. He was smiling, yes, but his eyes were drowning in an ocean of sorrow. Seeing that look, a dark, ominous premonition twisted in my gut. Praying I was wrong, I forced myself to ask.
"Mr. Kuzen... Where is Ukina right now?"
"..."
"Mr. Kuzen?"
"..."
He bowed his head, letting the shadow of his hat conceal his expression. But the sight of his fists—trembling violently and clenched so tight they looked ready to draw blood—spoke volumes. It was all the answer I needed.
I slowly closed the novel in my hands and let out a long, heavy breath. This was no time for reading.
"What do you need me to do?"
"..."
"You came here because you need my help. I can't even begin to fathom how dangerous the world you live in is... but if it's something within my power, I'll do it."
"Haaa..."
Mr. Kuzen let out a ragged breath, wrestling his emotions into submission before raising his head.
"Koma. Other than Ukina, you are the only person who approached me even after learning I was a Ghoul. That is why I must ask this of you."
He extended his arms, offering the swaddled infant to me.
"Please, take care of this child."
"Yeah, no. That's impossible."
"..."
I waved my hands dismissively, rejecting the plea flat out. Mr. Kuzen stared at me, his face utterly paralyzed with shock. Clearly, he hadn't expected to be shot down so instantly.
"Why?! Did you not just say you would help me!?"
"I distinctly added the caveat 'if it's within my power' to that sentence! I'm a high schooler living alone in a rented room! Dropping a baby on me isn't asking for a favor, it's handing me a hardcore survival quest!!"
"You are my only option! The rendezvous point with my former comrade, Noroi, was compromised by the Organization! I cannot entrust her to him anymore! If I want to guarantee this child's safety, you are the only one left!!"
"Don't give up so easily! There has to be someone out there more reliable than a deadbeat teenager who spends his days off locked in his room reading or playing video games!!"
"If such a person existed, I would not be standing here arguing with you!!"
"Dammit!! Having no friends isn't something to brag about!!"
I was just a powerless human, not even a CCG Investigator. I was pretty sure I was the only normal person in the entire world currently engaged in a shouting match with a Ghoul.
Our bickering must have been too loud, because the baby suddenly started to fuss.
"Waaahh..."
"Ugh..."
"..."
Mr. Kuzen and I snapped our mouths shut. Comforted by the sudden quiet, the baby drifted back to sleep, her breathing evening out into a soft, rhythmic lull. Once I was sure she was out, I kept my voice down to a whisper.
"...You're an incredibly strong Ghoul. Is there really no way you can take her with you?"
"It is impossible..." he replied softly. "The Organization's power is not something to be taken lightly. As things stand, I cannot even guarantee my own survival."
"Ugh, what a messed-up world..."
Spitting a curse to vent my frustration, I gently took the infant from his arms. A normal human baby would have smelled of milk and powder. But the faint, metallic tang of blood that tickled my nose was undeniable proof that this child was, in part, a Ghoul.
"Are you absolutely sure it's safe for me to take her?"
"Yes. From the Organization's perspective, there is no connection between you and me. As long as I keep moving and hide well, the danger will never reach you."
"No, that's not what I meant..." I sighed, looking down at the bundle. "I mean... this child will have to grow up without her parents."
Her mother was dead. Her father was being hunted down, his life hanging by a thread. Even if Mr. Kuzen managed to return safely, who knew how many years that would take? Worst-case scenario, he might never return at all.
"...I am asking you to be her parent."
"I'm a human, you know."
"Do ordinary humans make friends with Ghouls? Besides, she is half-human."
"Even so, going by the smell of blood on her, she's still going to need nutrients, isn't she?"
"...I am sorry."
"Whatever. I guess starting tomorrow, I'll be searching the internet for popular suicide hotspots."
And that was just the start. Early childhood education, what to do with a baby while I was at school, how to hide her from my own parents... A mountain of impossible problems loomed over me, and I already felt my spirit breaking.
"What's her name?"
"Eto. It means 'to be supported by vast love'."
"I'll try my best on that front, too."
Swoosh.
Visibly relieved by my answer, Mr. Kuzen turned, his dark overcoat billowing as he moved to step back out onto the windowsill.
"Hey, old man. At least say goodbye to your kid."
"...What right do I have to call myself a parent when I cannot even stay by her side?"
"Do you seriously need qualifications to act like a dad?"
"..."
Mr. Kuzen hesitated. He slowly turned back, his gaze softening as he looked at the child.
"I will return alive... Eto."
Swish!!
And with that, he threw himself out the window, vanishing into the city's abyss. Giving a half-hearted wave to the empty night sky, I looked down at the baby in my arms. At some point, she had woken up. Bright, curious eyes were staring right back at me.
I gently stroked her cheek with my index finger.
"I'm Takaki Koma. Nice to meet you, Eto."
"Baaa~!" Eto let out a bright, giggling response.
Chomp!
...And bit down hard on my finger.
Then, she began to greedily suckle the blood welling from the wound, nursing on it as if it were mother's milk.
Yeah. The first thing I need to teach her is how to control her craving for human flesh. Otherwise, I have a feeling I'll be the one getting eaten first...