Whoosh...
Creak.
I finished the dishes and turned off the tap.
Wiping my hands on the towel hanging beside the sink, I checked the clock.
Current time: 8:02.
About thirty minutes had passed since Eto left.
If I spent the next hour tidying the house and headed out to the shop at nine...
"...Right. I forgot the shop is closed starting today."
The shop I'd been borrowing from Kazama Tokie was scheduled to move to Ward 11. That meant the location near our house would be closed from today onward.
In other words, there was no longer any need to get ready to go out at nine.
Realizing there was a sudden gap in my daily schedule made my mind go blank.
My body had been attuned to this routine for so long that the change felt genuinely awkward.
"What do I do now?"
I fell into deep thought.
Since I'd already landed a temporary job at Mister Kuzen's cafe, there was no need to frantically dig through newspaper ads for work.
Should I just do my usual physical training?
No. If I started that this early, I'd be exhausted by evening. I couldn't let Eto see me in such a pathetic state.
Maybe I'll just watch TV?
Yeah. Sometimes you have to know how to enjoy a bit of leisure instead of always being chased by the clock.
I sat down in the quiet living room, turned on the TV, and started flipping through channels, looking for something interesting.
"...!"
I stopped on one particular channel.
It wasn't some variety show perfect for killing time, nor was it a performance by some sexy idol designed to catch a man's eye.
It was just the morning news.
A small window of communication that delivered events from across the city, and the world, into every household.
Getting information from the comfort of home was convenient, but paying attention to every single detail could be mentally draining.
Because of that, I tended to filter what I listened to.
Stories about children starving in some impoverished foreign country... I felt sorry for them, but all I could do was pray they found the strength to survive.
Or perhaps just hope that the small donations I sent to UNICEF actually reached them instead of being siphoned off by someone along the way.
The report currently airing wasn't about a far-off land.
It was a domestic case, though it took place in a province far from Tokyo.
Still, the nature of the crime was so heinous that the news had reached all the way here.
It detailed the rescue of a child who had suffered severe abuse in a city in the Kyushu region.
"[The suspect is the director of an orphanage. He is reported to have continuously abused the victim for ten years. His actions were particularly grotesque, including cutting and eating the victim's skin, which led to initial suspicions that he was a Ghoul. However, police investigations have revealed that this was actually a sexual fetish.]"
The announcer spoke in a calm, professional voice, but she couldn't entirely hide the disgust etched onto her face.
I couldn't blame her. If there was some lunatic who carved up a child's flesh and ate it just to satisfy a fetish, I would be just as repulsed.
The reason I'd stopped the remote wasn't just because the story was shocking; it was because it reminded me of something.
That priest... and that child...
I thought of the two people I'd encountered at the church yesterday.
The priest, Donato, was a Ghoul, and the boy I'd spotted as I left the church had left a lasting impression on me.
For some reason, I couldn't just leave him be, and since Donato radiated a dangerous aura, I had already taken action.
At first, I considered leaving it to Mister Kuzen's group, but the boy was the complication. No matter how many times I recalled the scene, he looked like a human, not a Ghoul.
Therefore, I decided to entrust him to the CCG, as they were better equipped to protect children who were victims of Ghouls.
I had contacted Hitokawa immediately, but the timing must have been poor; he seemed to be in the middle of something urgent.
"Sorry! I've got a critical mission tomorrow! I'll hand this case over to another capable investigator!"
If he was that busy, it couldn't be helped.
He had promised to delegate the matter before hanging up, but I hadn't received any updates since.
Was it being handled properly?
Or had I just stirred up a hornets' nest for no reason?
"Ugh! Stop thinking about it!"
I turned off the TV and flopped onto the floor.
Regardless of how it was progressing, the arrow had already left the bow.
Fretting in solitude wouldn't change the outcome, so for now, I would just have to wait and see.
But perhaps because of the news report, the thought of them wouldn't leave my mind.
Maybe I should read a book.
Focusing on something else might clear my head.
"I've read everything in my room... maybe I'll borrow one of Eto's books..."
As I glanced toward Eto's door, a sudden flash of inspiration struck, and I bolted upright.
"Wait. Come to think of it, where is Eto keeping Miss Ukina's notebook?"
I doubted she carried it with her at all times.
A notebook that old would be too conspicuous, take up too much room in her bag, and run a high risk of being lost.
What if she kept it in her room?
Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to check the notebook she's been so determined to hide from me?
I almost lunged for the door before I caught myself.
"No, no. Hold on. Even so, secretly rummaging through a teenage girl's room is a bit..."
Just as I was about to give in to temptation, I clutched my head and groaned.
If I were caught, this wouldn't just be a cold war; it would escalate into a full-scale father-daughter conflict.
"But we can't keep fighting every time the notebook is mentioned... Maybe the most peaceful solution is for me to check it secretly and then keep my mouth shut."
I was practically inventing excuses, seduced by my own logic.
I stared at Eto's door with wavering eyes.
Invading a girl's private sanctuary?
I asked my conscience if this was acceptable, even for a parent.
My conscience replied...
"In a world where parents and children have epic battles over stolen diaries, sneaking in to find one notebook should be perfectly safe."
Muttering that flimsy justification, I decided to throw myself into the line of fire.
Current time: 8:26.
Feeling like the protagonist of Mission Impossible, I tiptoed toward Eto's door.
I knew it was ridiculous to be acting like this in my own empty house, but I couldn't afford to underestimate Eto.
With her heightened senses, she could detect my presence from the smallest trace. I had to ensure not a single hair or thread from my clothes was left on the floor.
I even sprayed myself thoroughly with an odorless deodorizer to mask my scent.
Preparations were complete.
I placed my hand on the doorknob.
Click... clack.
The knob turned smoothly without any resistance. It wasn't locked.
Holding one hand over my heart as if in prayer, I whispered, "Sorry, Eto. I'm just going to check if the notebook is here and then I'll leave."
Naturally, I omitted the part where I might accidentally flip the notebook open.
This really feels like I've gone back to my middle school days, when I used to pull all those absurd pranks.
With that idle thought, I stepped into Eto's room.
I had visited a few times recently while she was present, and it always seemed like a perfectly ordinary room.
Usually, a personal space reflects the owner's individuality, but Eto's room was austere, containing only the essentials—a bed and a desk—with no decorations to speak of.
The only place where her personality manifested was the bookshelf.
The five-tier shelf was filled with books arranged in a neat, aesthetically pleasing order.
Osamu Dazai's Setting Sun, R.S. Garnett's Elma and the Sixteen Dragons, Hermann Hesse's Demian, Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis...
She read a diverse range of literature. Some of the books looked like they had been kept since she was very young.
I almost drifted into nostalgia, but realizing this was no time for sentiment, I gave my cheeks a light slap to wake myself up.
At first glance, nothing on the shelf looked like Miss Ukina's notebook.
Time to check the desk.
The surface was spotless, without a single speck of dust. She clearly kept it meticulously clean.
In one corner sat a pencil case and a few study notebooks.
Below the surface was a three-tier set of drawers.
"Let's start with the top drawer, the most logical place..."
If it were something she used frequently, she would keep it in the top drawer for easy access.
Given that she had only recently acquired the notebook, there was a high probability she was checking it often, making the top drawer the prime suspect.
With a tense expression, I gripped the handle and pulled.
The drawer slid open, revealing its contents.
"...?!?!!"
The moment I saw what was inside, I was struck with horror.
Lying in the drawer was a single piece of stiff paper with a neatly written message.
『I'll forgive you if you stop here, so please give up and leave immediately.』
『- From Eto, to Dad』
"You little... Eto!! You predicted this!!"
Unbelievable.
I had been dancing in the palm of her hand the entire time.
The drawer contained nothing but that single sheet of paper.
I noticed there was no dust inside, meaning she had likely cleared the drawer out recently.
If she had prepared this, the notebook was almost certainly hidden elsewhere.
But she might have anticipated that I'd think that, and hidden it in the room anyway.
Considering the possibility that the note was a feint, I closed the first drawer and opened the second.
『I'm actually getting angry now.』
『- From a slightly angry Eto』
The second message was noticeably sharper than the first.
At this point, it seemed hopeless, yet I couldn't bring myself to leave.
It wasn't lingering hope that kept me there.
It was curiosity.
If she could predict my movements and leave these messages, what on earth would be in the third drawer?
I had heard the saying that curiosity killed the cat.
But a dangerous curiosity had taken hold of me—I needed to know what kind of trap Eto had prepared, regardless of the risk.
Men are creatures who will risk their lives for that kind of curiosity.
Swallowing hard, I opened the third drawer.
『Look behind you right now.』
Thump!!
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest.
I thought Eto had already gone to school! Had she actually predicted this and come back!?
Sensing that this was entirely possible, I spun around and shouted, "E-Eto! This is...! ...Huh?"
I stared blankly.
There was no one at the door—not even a shadow of her.
In fact, there was no sign of her anywhere in the house.
Confused, I looked back at the paper.
I hadn't noticed it at first, but there were actually two sheets of paper.
I lifted the top sheet to reveal the one beneath it.
『Surprised? This is your punishment.』
『- From Eto, who is preparing an even bigger punishment』
This child really knows how to toy with people.
And there's an even bigger punishment?
Having experienced this three-stage buildup, I was starting to feel genuinely terrified.
No! It's okay! I didn't leave a single trace in this room! If I just leave now and pretend I know nothing, I can get away with it!
Reassuring myself, I attempted to slide the drawer back into place.
Suddenly, I froze.
As I pushed the drawer shut, I spotted something unusual.
It was a piece of tape stuck to the inner corner of the drawer frame.
I didn't know why tape would be there, but more strangely, a broken piece of pencil lead was lodged in the center of it.
"Huhhh???"
Instinctively sensing danger, I pulled the drawer back out.
Sure enough, there it was.
On the inner side of the drawer panel, at the exact same height as the taped corner.
There was another piece of tape with a broken piece of pencil lead.
I watched closely as I tried to close the drawer again.
As the two pieces of tape drew closer, the two broken halves of the pencil lead almost met.
"I've been haddddd!!!!"
Realizing the trick, I could only clutch my head and howl in despair.
She had actually installed a security system in her drawers!
The trick was simple.
She had placed tape on the frame and the drawer panel in an Ω shape, then threaded a piece of pencil lead through them.
Pencil lead breaks easily. Since I had used force to pull the drawer open, I hadn't felt a thing.
Consequently, the broken lead now served as undeniable evidence of the crime committed by a pathetic sinner trying to spy on a girl's secrets.
I couldn't even fake it or pretend I didn't know.
If I tried to peel the tape off and re-stick it, adhesive residue would remain. The more I tried to forge the evidence, the more obvious the tampering would become.
"...Maybe if I beg for forgiveness the moment Eto gets home, she'll be merciful."
In the end, I had to admit total defeat.
Just as I was about to leave the room, lamenting the fact that I'd have to wait in terror for Eto to return from school...
"Huh?"
My eyes caught a trash can in the corner.
I didn't want to descend into the madness of rummaging through my daughter's trash, but something sticking out of the bin was too conspicuous to ignore.
I picked up the crumpled piece of paper and unfolded it.
"This is... the novel Eto's been writing?"