Dad Morishige

What?

Akamine and I returned to the hospital, and I had the formula in my hand. We looked around for Yoshinaka so we could find out where he put the bodies. We didn't see him anywhere, which was peculiar.

He was a nurse I often worked with, and I must say... I respected him. He was an extremely hard worker, and he never stopped doing what he needed to do. Slacking off wasn't in his dictionary.

We found Yoshinaka's typical workspace--a room near my office--and I knocked on the door.

"Yoshinaka? It's me, Morishige. Are you in there?"

I didn't hear anything for a moment, until Akamine gently tugged my sleeve.

"Seishirou..."

I slightly turned my head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Fukumi? Is something wrong?"

She turned red again, and looked at the floor. What was her deal? She was acting really weird, and I oddly couldn't piece it together.

I understand psychology and everything, but this type of behavior was unheard of from Akamine. It worried me.

"Masami... Oh, never mind. Why don't we just wait until he comes back? You can use the formula later... you don't need to bring them back right now."

Her words made something inside of me snap. I was not happy. I thought she was my ally... that she was on my side. She'd normally come up with an alternative solution, but she told me to just wait.

"...Are you serious?! After all the hard work... I don't want to wait! I don't want to be alone... It's my fault Sakutaro is dead. It's my fault Kumiko is dead. I can't handle it... I can't..."

Akamine's face wrenched up, and water started to well up in her eyes. I realized my mistake, and grabbed a hold of her shoulders while looking at her.

"I... I'm so sorry, Fukumi. I didn't mean it like that... please don't cry."

My attempt at trying to comfort her didn't work, though. She began to bawl her eyes out...

I had to do something to make her feel better. Seeing her so upset made me want to cry, too. I decided to keep my hands where they were as I brought her closer to me and hugged her.

"I'm sorry... it isn't your fault..."

I felt her tears soak into my shirt, and it was almost too bizarre for me to comprehend. She just... never cried. Not like this.

"It isn't your fault, either... Don't blame yourself. You... you've worked so hard..."

Her words made me feel a bit more at ease, and I couldn't help but smile. I didn't let go of her, either. After all, she seemed to be recovering, so I didn't mind holding her.

"...Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

I heard her snicker, and I laughed a little, too.

"Wow, the doctor can take a compliment, after all."

Neither of us said anything else afterwards as we just kept holding onto each other. At the time, I convinced myself I only did it because it made her feel better, but looking back on it, I realize now that wasn't the only reason.

Holding her close comforted me, too...

Don't get the wrong idea. I had just lost my wife, after all. I didn't feel any such feelings for Akamine... but I felt a different kind of love and appreciation for her. She was always a loyal companion I could rely on, no matter what.

And...

She reminded me of Sakutaro. They were so similar... I couldn't help but see him in her. They both rarely spoke until you got to know them... they both easily got engrossed in doing anything they enjoyed... they both gave off odd first impressions... they were both extremely intelligent...

I felt like I was a father whenever I spent time with her, and I was doing it right. That feeling made me happier than anything else, and that's why I vowed to always keep her safe from harm.