"Well then, we'll leave the rest of the luggage here."
𝘝𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘰𝘮~!
The mover gave us a polite bow before hopping into his truck and driving away. Daddy and I stood there for a long moment, staring blankly at the mountain of boxes piled beside us, then up at the house that looked as if it had only just been built.
"Whoa…" Daddy muttered. "When Hitokawa told me that victims of Ghoul attacks could apply for compensation through the CCG—and that they'd provide a new home to replace the one that was destroyed—I jumped at the chance, but still…"
"…I expected the payout in the bank account, but I never imagined we'd get a brand-new house like this," I added, finishing his thought. We both shared a look of utter bewilderment.
According to the conversations between Daddy and Mr. Hitokawa, an executive in charge of victim compensation had once received a great favor from my grandfather, Harima Takaki. Apparently, they had gone out of their way to look after his son.
When I told Daddy, "I guess worldly connections really are the most important thing!" he looked at me with a tragic expression and said, "Eto, you can stay a little more innocent for a while longer, you know."
I wonder what made him so sad?
Our new home wasn't a crumbly old villa; it was a proper house nestled in a quiet residential area. It was small, but it even had a garden. While Daddy felt a bit burdened by how much care they had put into this, he looked genuinely moved, murmuring that he never thought he'd live in a private house in his lifetime. Watching him, my own heart felt warm.
"Well, enough daydreaming. Shall we start unpacking?"
"Yes~!"
And so, the great unpacking began. Daddy carried the large, heavy items, while I organized the smaller, lighter boxes. When I asked him why he was moving the heavy things when I was clearly stronger, he simply answered, "Because I'm the Dad."
I didn't quite understand the logic, but since it was Daddy saying it, I decided to accept it. Still, I knew it would be hard for him to do it all alone, so I moved some heavy boxes while pretending they were light.
The contents were mostly books we'd read at the old house. They were all stories I'd already finished, but seeing them again felt like meeting old friends. As I was slotting them into the bookshelf one by one, I found something strange.
"Huh? What's this?"
A thin magazine was tucked between the pages of a thick tome. It looked incredibly old—as if it had been hidden there, out of sight, for a very long time.
The cover featured a woman in a swimsuit posing in a very peculiar way. I couldn't tell what it was about just by looking at the front, so I opened it.
…? Why are this lady and gentleman hugging each other so tightly? If they're cold, they should just put some clothes on.
"Eto~, once you're done with that pile, we should…"
Daddy, who had brought some ice water to combat the sweltering summer heat, froze in the doorway. The weather was so hot, yet for some reason, Daddy looked like he had been turned to ice.
Then, spilling the water everywhere, he lunged forward with a speed that deserved a standing ovation. He snatched the magazine from my hands and threw the window open in one fluid motion.
"WHY IS THIS STILL HEEEEEEERRRRRRE?! I THOUGHT I THREW THIS AWAY YEARS AGOOOOOO―――――!!!!!!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs and hurled the magazine into the sky with all his might. I watched as the flying projectile actually knocked a bird out of the air.
I looked at him, completely shocked. "Daddy! You shouldn't treat books so roughly!"
"Eto. There are things in this world that must be protected, even at the cost of discarding a precious book."
Looking strangely solemn, Daddy closed the window. He often says things I don't understand. I plan to write them down and remember them so I can think about what they mean when I'm an adult. For now, I had a more immediate question to resolve.
"But Daddy. In that magazine, the lady and the gentleman were hugging while naked. What were they doing?"
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩.
Daddy's shoulders shook violently. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his eyes darted around frantically, like a cornered mouse searching for a hole to crawl into. Once he'd finished organizing his thoughts, he turned back to me with a forced air of calm.
"That… was pro-wrestling."
"Do people usually do pro-wrestling naked?"
"It's performance art. It's a concept piece where the original Adam and Eve engage in a fated duel in the Garden of Eden to determine dominance using powerbombs and body presses."
"..."
It seemed Daddy had no intention of telling me the truth. I added one more thing to the list of "Things to find out when I'm an adult."
"Phew~!"
"I'm exhausted~!"
Once the cleaning was finished, Daddy and I flopped down onto the wooden floor. Moving into a new house was exciting, but it was incredibly draining work. Daddy, fanning himself to cool down from the labor, looked around the room and muttered.
"Is it because it's so much bigger than the last place? Even with all our stuff moved in, it feels a bit… empty."
He was right. This house was quite large and had many spare rooms. I'd overheard that it was originally built for a family of four. Perhaps because the extra space felt like a waste, Daddy spoke up.
"What would you think about getting a pet?"
"Huh? A pet?"
My ears perked up, and my eyes, which had been half-closed with lethargy, snapped wide open.
"Yeah. A dog, or maybe a cat. A bird might be nice, too. Oh, and since we have a garden now, maybe we should grow some flowers?"
"I-Is that really okay? Feed is expensive, and they need regular checkups at the vet… it's a lot of work!"
"Eto. Our family finances aren't so dire that a five-year-old needs to worry about them. Besides, we just got that compensation money."
Daddy chuckled and rested his chin on his hand, looking at me.
"You've always been lonely watching the house while I'm out working. I've been thinking a pet might be good for you. Now that we've moved into a private house, we can keep whatever we want. This place is big; it wouldn't hurt to have a new family member."
"Family… A new family! We're getting a new family member~!!"
The thought made me feel like I was walking on air. I couldn't contain my excitement and started hopping around the house. I jumped a bit too high and hit my head on the ceiling, but it didn't even hurt.
"Do you like the idea that much?"
"Yes! It feels like I'm getting a new younger sibling~!"
Daddy laughed, seemingly pleased with the comparison. "A sibling. That's a good way to put it. Well, while I'm at it, should I go out and charm a pretty, kind lady to bring home as a mother for you?"
"No. I don't need that crap, not even if I die."
𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬!
The temperature in the room seemed to drop by about three or four degrees in an instant. I think it was because Daddy made such a chillingly bad joke.
Honestly. A mother? That was the least funny joke I'd ever heard him tell. It was actually a little annoying.
Daddy, seemingly shocked that my voice was colder than the room temperature, looked at me with visible panic.
"E-Eto?"
"Daddy, you shouldn't say things like 'charming a random woman,' even as a joke. Do you understand? Every woman besides me is a sly serpent. Every single one of them is nursing a snake in her heart. They use those predatory instincts to hunt for a sucker whose bones they can pick clean. You're too kind, Daddy, so you're an easy target. That's why you have to be careful of women. Got it?"
"I-I see… Wait, why am I getting this lecture from my daughter? Usually, it's the father telling the daughter to watch out for men! The standard line is 'Eto, every man except your Dad is a wolf!' What kind of heretical rearrangement of familial love is this?"
Daddy started rambling again, but I didn't listen. I was already lost in a happy daydream about what kind of pet we should get.
"Hmm… Man, if she hates the idea of a mother that much… am I just going to be a bachelor for the rest of my life?"
Was it my imagination, or did Daddy's voice sound like he was on the verge of tears?