Ginny was soon laid to rest in a grave at the church's cemetery, placed there gently so she would always remain close to home... no matter what happened.
The church, the place where she had laughed, argued, lived, and loved, became her final resting place.
And from that moment on—
It was just Kuma... and the baby.
As expected, Kuma struggled at first.
Raising a child was nothing like anything he had ever done before.
He didn't even know how to feed her properly. The first few attempts were clumsy, awkward—he was too careful, too nervous, terrified of doing something wrong.
But slowly... he learned.
He adapted.
And judging by how much milk she drank, it became very clear very quickly—
She was going to be a glutton, just like her mother.
Time passed.
Before long, Bonney was crawling, surprisingly fast too—able to make her way across the room in the blink of an eye whenever Kuma looked away for even a second.
Then came the next step.
She started walking.
Wobbly at first, small unsteady steps, but determined.
And then one day—
She looked straight at Kuma and spoke her first word.
Dada.
Kuma froze.
And then he cried.
But this time—
It was out of pure joy.
Years passed like that.
Bonney grew quickly, almost like a weed, full of energy and life.
The townspeople adored her, always smiling whenever they saw her running around.
And Kuma...
Was the best father she could have ever asked for.
She ate endlessly, just like Ginny, always hungry, always asking for more.
Kuma still had responsibilities with the Revolutionary Army, so sometimes he had to leave.
But he always came back.
And when he did—
They spent all their time together.
Eating.
Sleeping.
Bathing.
Even at night, Ginny's old bed had to be surrounded by wooden bars—not to keep Bonney in, but to make sure Kuma wouldn't accidentally roll over and crush her in his sleep.
Even while waging war against the world...
Kuma always came home.
And every single time—
Bonney would light up with happiness the moment she saw him.
But slowly...
Something began to change.
One day, small blue stones appeared on Bonney's cheek.
Just a few at first.
Tiny.
But unmistakable.
The same as Ginny.
The same disease.
