Volume 5 Chapter 20 Interrogation Part Iii
It was around noon when Toxy and I went to see my old man.
A shack in a corner of the slum. It's the shack that Toxy and I cleaned up a few days ago.
We expected it to be dirty again right away. But when we stepped inside again, I stopped.
"...It's still clean."
"Really. Maybe he's been cleaning it up properly since then."
Sensing our presence, there was the sound of someone moving in the back room. We thought it was strange that he was awake at this time, but we were more surprised that the house wasn't dirty.
"What do you want... uh? Oh, Wade! Oh, what is it? You should have said you were coming, kuku."
With a creepy smile, he said, "Wait, wait a minute," and went back into the back room to tidy himself up before coming out.
"So, what are you doing here today?"
"...Well, I thought it would be dirty again."
"Haha! You were surprised that it was still clean! Well, if you said you wouldn't come again if it was dirty, I had to clean it up."
My old man said proudly and rubbed the underside of his nose. I twisted my mouth and said.
"I said I wouldn't help if it was dirty, but I didn't say I wouldn't come."
"Huh? Was that so?"
"But... it's good that it's clean, isn't it?"
When I said that while looking away, my old man said, "Of course!" I didn't know how to react, so I scratched my head.
Then, he said.
"What are you doing standing here? Come in. Toxy-chan, you too, make yourself comfortable."
When we sat down, my old man, who had been rummaging around the kitchen for a while, said, "Here, here," and plunked a bottle down in front of us.
It was a bottle of alcohol.
"...Old man..."
"Wade and Toxy-chan, you could drink too, right? I got something good from work, so I saved it for you."
My old man proudly poured alcohol into the cups. I frowned, but Toxy didn't seem to mind.
"Well, cheers! Drinking during the day is delicious, right?"
I think it's strange from a Japanese point of view, but well, my old man seems to work the night shift, so it's okay.
The three of us raised our cups and lightly clinked them together.
"Cheers!"
"...Cheers"
Toxy was in high spirits, but I still had a lot on my mind. Nevertheless, we drank. ...Hmm.
"This is good alcohol"
"Delicious! "
"Right!? I've been working hard, you know~ I asked the boss for it"
I reluctantly drank it down. It was good. Seeing this, my old man said with a happy smile, "I can't believe Wade is drinking like this." I turned away and drank some more.
...The alcohol itself is not to blame.
"Haah, no, it's the best. I never thought I'd be able to drink with my son and daughter-in-law in the middle of the day...If only there were some snacks."
As my father said, Toxy grinned and spread out the food she had brought from her bag.
"Actually... I made it! "
"Ooh! As expected of Toxy-chan. You're a really thoughtful daughter-in-law"
"Cheers!" said my old man, his spirits high, and he drank even faster. Toxy, knowing that she had put the sleeping potion in the food, offered him even more snacks.
My old man, without a doubt, devoured them.
"Mmm! Well, you're kind and you cook well! You're such a wonderful wife for Wade!"
"Hehe~ Is that so?"
Flattered by my father, Toxy was genuinely blushing. My father ate, drank, and fell into a drunken state.
"Toxy-chan... please... Wade is a grouch, but he's a serious guy... Don't run out of love, you know..."
"I'm only grumpy in front of you, old man."
I sighed and muttered to myself, then sighed again. Then, I asked him what I wanted to know.
"Hey, I have a friend who works at the casino, and he's been smelling fishy lately and is scared. He says he was attacked by Nightfather's 'Swallow' and is afraid he'll be killed."
"...Swallow is going to do it... He's going to do it, I can see it..."
I nodded. It seems that Frain and the others' predictions were right.
"When are they going to attack? I have to tell my friend to run away."
"...The day after tomorrow..."
"The day after tomorrow? Got it."
The possible schedule was for tomorrow. Or the day after. I could tell that he was really worried, but I could also guess that he had other things to do.
So, our offensive was working well.
Starting with the Financial Department, Frain went around shutting down the departments that were especially illegal, and just recently, we destroyed the Fraud and Robbery Department as well. At this rate, Nightfather will only get weaker and weaker.
And then, finally, it will be destroyed. And then, I think to myself.
Come to think of it, if I destroy Nightfather like this, my old man will lose his job too.
"..."
I don't care. It's his own fault for joining an illegal organization. That's what I think.
"...Damn it"
I look at my old man. I have to admit, he's gotten a lot better than he used to be. He's still a bit of a slacker, but he's not incoherent or violent anymore.
Maybe it's because I've gotten stronger. Maybe my old man's true nature hasn't changed at all. Maybe it's just that he's still on his guard, so his bad side isn't coming out.
But if it's because he went back to work. I would be kicking down the axis of my old man who is just starting to recover.
Toxy notices something in the way I'm looking at him and calls out to me.
"Hey, Wade. ...If it's too hard, you can stop, okay? We've become friends, and I'm sure we can find out everything we want to know in one or two more times."
"I'm going too. ――I appreciate your concern, Toxy, but I've made up my mind. No matter what happens, I'm the only one who can accept it."
When I declared that, Toxy said, "Okay." Then, Toxy gently placed her hand over mine.
I grabbed Toxy's hand.
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