Chick 223

223

“I’ll grant any wish. Go ahead and tell me.”

“Then, to Groo… Oh, but first!”

Groo cleared her throat, then asked in a solemn tone, each word deliberate.

“Do you love Sabu?”

“Excuse me?”

Reiji’s face betrayed unfiltered confusion.

“You have to answer this before I can ask my request. Do you love Sabu?”

It sounded like the question asked by an officiant at a wedding ceremony, so earnest that Reiji was momentarily at a loss for words.

At that moment, a baby’s scent drifted by, rekindling memories of holding Kazuki for the first time.

The tiny hand that used to clutch his forefinger.

The wrinkled face he longed to see, back when he’d slogged through work like a madman, just a regular civilian in those days…

“Of course. I love him. Very much so.”

There was no need to lie to a child.

He thought, if he loved Sabu, the request might be something endearing—perhaps to meet Kazuki.

That wouldn’t be difficult.

Whether the son who had once threatened to kill his own father would appreciate such a meeting, Reiji couldn’t say.

The truth was, there was no profound reason for their separation. Reiji was, by nature, that kind of man.

A courteous, elegant figure hiding a fundamentally impulsive and destructive nature.

Entirely different from Kazuki, who could even cry for the relatives who abused him.

And so, not wanting to turn Kazuki into someone like his wife—who had grown sorrowful seeing him in the shadows—Reiji kept his distance. That was all.

That’s why he expected he could easily grant a child’s request.

Yet Groo’s actual request was both simpler and far more striking.

“Then… please let Groo arrest you.”

“…?”

“What?”

“…?”

This time, not only Reiji but also Bailach—and even Joorim, who’d been standing behind them with his arms crossed and head lowered—could only stare at Groo in amazement.

“And apologize for all the bad things you’ve done. Become a good father and meet Sabu…”

“Become a good father?”

“Yessir… Because, well, Sabu seems to worry a lot.”

Groo’s shoulders drooped as she went on, her voice subdued.

“Sabu is hurting right now. He needs medicine, but he isn’t taking it. I think… he doesn’t want to.”

“…He’s sick but won’t take his medicine?”

“Yes. So, maybe Sabu really doesn’t want to get better. I don’t know why, but…”

The quest had said Kazuki was hesitating.

For Groo, still so young, it was too hard to grasp the complexities of an adult’s feelings.

To her, taking medicine when sick was simply natural.

“…”

Groo looked at Reiji’s serious face, then stole a glance at Bailach.

Bailach shook his head, as if to say there was no way such a request would be granted.

But at the mention of Kazuki being unwell, Reiji’s expression turned grave.

He might be a bad man, but perhaps not a bad father.

“So Groo just wants to ease Sabu’s worries. And I’ll give him lots of fun and happy experiences. Because you most want to get better when you want to be happy.”

Groo shivered a little, recalling her past.

“Like how when friends are playing house, I want to get better quickly so I can join in too…”

Back at the orphanage, when Groo was sick in bed and friends played under the blankets, she’d felt so left out.

Why is it that you want to play even more when you’re not well?

“So Sabu needs to find the strength to take his medicine. Please be Sabu’s good dad.”

Groo clenched her fists.

“That’s the only way Sabu will be happy!”

“…”

A brief silence followed.

Groo glanced at Reiji, who still seemed unable to speak.

Worried she’d said something strange, Groo’s anxiety rose.

But then, still quiet, Reiji smiled gently at last.

“It seems I’m one of the things that boy worries about.”

Groo furrowed her brow.

“That’s not a good thing…”

“Better to care, even with anger, than to be indifferent.”

“…?!”

Is that so? Groo blinked at such warped affection, and Joorim murmured,

“Please don’t teach the child strange things.”

Reiji smiled softly, gazing into Groo’s eyes.

“You truly have beautiful eyes.”

At his compliment, Groo beamed.

All at once, Reiji realized just how deeply curious and fond he’d grown toward this lively child.

Enough to want to grant even such impossible wishes.

“Young miss, I’d like to offer a suggestion of my own. How about you arrest me later, rather than now? There are a few things I need to do before being caught.”

“Um…”

He could use this escape to break his promise. But reading the sincerity in Reiji’s eyes, Groo nodded.

“Yes. That’s fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Promise.”

Groo raised her pinky, and Reiji made a show of sealing and duplicating the promise.

“Oh, and… Only Groo can arrest you.”

That was the only way Groo’s own crimes could be forgiven!

But she swallowed the rest. She couldn’t let Joorim find out she’d turned criminal again.

Reiji chuckled and stroked her hair, promising lightly,

“That too, I promise. I’ll let only you catch me.”

“Okay!”

Only then did Groo hand over the key to the cuffs.

As Reiji freed his wrists, Joorim spoke up.

“Groo, put it back the way it was and return it to its original place.”

“Okay.”

“Young miss, a moment. Could you give this to Kazuki?”

“Yes?”

Reiji produced a small, ancient toy train—at least several decades old.

He took out a fountain pen and wrote a message in Japanese on it.

Groo accepted the train, mouth agape.

“I don’t know that this will ease Kazuki’s worries… But maybe, at least, it’ll give him a little happiness—enough to want to get better.”

Groo grinned.

“I’ll be sure to deliver it to him!”

Promising to do so, Groo waved a little fist, then, storing the train carefully in her inventory, went with Bailach to return the handcuffs to their place.

“…Phew.”

Joorim could only watch Groo’s retreating figure, dumbfounded by how she’d managed to arrest that behemoth with just a pinky promise.

Interpol, who’d ended up with their headquarters half-destroyed after approaching Reiji too rashly, and the nations whose VIPs had been assassinated, would likely celebrate with both arms raised…

But picturing a five-year-old girl being the one to hand over such a menace was headache-inducing in itself.

No doubt the international agencies would soon be turned upside down.

Moreover, for Reiji, it couldn’t have been an easy decision.

Joorim was suddenly preoccupied: “Should I be worried about the Orchestra headquarters blowing up?” But Reiji simply straightened, smiling.

[“I have a lot to do if I’m to put my affairs in order before getting arrested.”]

Reiji let out a deep sigh, but then laughed aloud as if genuinely amused.

[“Being asked to let myself be caught—a prospect I never imagined. Your daughter is certainly cute, kind, and very unique.”]

[“…I’ll take that as a compliment.”]

[“Of course it’s a compliment. She managed to arrest me.”]

[“Groo… would probably agree to any request you made, even if you changed your mind now.”]

[“I didn’t want to. I became curious about what a ‘good father’ means, in the way a child says it.”]

[“More importantly, Reiji—about the child…”]

Reiji smiled slyly.

[“Don’t worry, On-chan. If I’m good at anything, it’s keeping secrets, wouldn’t you agree?”]

Reiji watched the child reappear after returning the cuffs, then took a step. At that moment, his figure began to vanish like smoke.

Groo’s eyes went wide with wonder.

No one else even noticed as they passed by, shopping around Reiji’s fading form.

Reiji waved at Groo, then looked at Joorim.

[“Are you a good father?”]

[“Of course I am.”]

Reiji burst into laughter at Joorim’s shameless reply.

[“I doubted my ears when I heard you’d adopted a daughter, but now, you’re every bit a father.”]

[“Well, yes. I’m a better father than some. I mean, what other clever, adorable, lovable five-year-old prodigy catches criminals like me?”]

[“Is this payback for the letter? Fatherhood has made you petty, I see.”]

Joorim shrugged.

Hmmph. Reiji’s eyebrow twitched as he beckoned to Groo, who was watching him blankly.

“Hmm?”

Groo scampered over, and he whispered something in her ear.

Joorim frowned. What on earth was he saying?

Just then, Reiji’s figure winked out, like a candle being snuffed.

After hearing Reiji’s whisper, Groo immediately checked under the cart.

“Ah! There it is! The meal kit!”

Ah, she found it.

He’d gone and tipped her off, despite Joorim hiding it at the very bottom so she wouldn’t see.

Joorim quickly snatched the meal kit before Groo could get it.

Groo huffed and squirmed, trying to grab it back.

Why should I be made a bad dad too, just because you have to play the villain?

Annoyed, Joorim hoisted the squirming Groo up into his arms.

Groo fussed that it wasn’t fair but still wrapped her arms around his neck.

Joorim smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

Groo’s laughter rang out, and Bailach, observing, let out a helpless smile.

‘She did it.’

Ever since Groo had vowed to arrest him with toy handcuffs, Bailach had thought it ridiculous.

Even without getting the key, Reiji could have just snapped the cuffs and left at any moment.

He expected it would come to a fight, or at the very least, someone would have to die.

Having lived so long, Bailach thought himself a better judge of the situation than his own master.

Yet, in the end, it was his master who accomplished everything she wished for—peacefully at that.

It was small, but… Bailach smiled as he watched Groo being held, truly happy.

This wasn’t so bad, after all.

This tiny girl was the very opposite of Shea—always passionate and full of love.

At first, Bailach had agreed to be her Familiar with a feeling of resignation…

Realizing his body was shifting again, he headed to the restroom, thinking—

…Even if she’s underpowered now, one day she might well become his perfect master.