10 Chapter 10

Toji is not coming back.

Zoro mulled over this now unsurprising fact once more. Toji is not coming back.

It wasn't a matter of days or weeks. October was nearing its end, which meant it had been over half a year since Chie had died and he hadn't returned home.

'Why?'

...but there was no one to answer that question. In this life, Zoro's social circle had been extremely limited. The only people he had deeply interacted with were Chie, Toji, and Megumi. Megumi was too young, and Chie was dead.

So, ironically, the only person who could answer was Toji, the very subject of his concern.

As the sunset dyed the unfamiliar streets, Zoro frowned, feeling a throbbing pain in his feet. Upon removing his shoes, he saw his feet were swollen.

"Damn."

Despite being physically superior to his peers, he was still not even four years old. Since Chie's death, he had sporadically engaged in strength training, but walking continuously from early morning until late afternoon had proven too much for his young body.

It was time to head back. After another day out without any results, Zoro sighed.

'Couldn't find him today either.'

If only they could meet, then everything would be alright.

'Really?'

Would it really be alright?

Unconsciously, he clenched his fist. His right hand automatically reached for his neck, touching the crude, large monkey-shaped ornament hanging from a necklace.

Click.

The monkey's head separated from its body, revealing a small blade hidden inside. Fiddling with the sword provided some cooling relief to his thoughts.

This blade, found by chance in a storage room, was small but surprisingly sharp and he carried it around. It reminded him humorously of Mihawk.

Rustle, rustle.

At the end of a dark and filthy alley, he sensed a presence. It was neither human nor animal, but a damp and malevolent aura.

"...Again?"

Zoro sighed inwardly as he walked determinedly into the alley.

The stench assaulted his nose, making him scrunch it in disgust. He wondered for a moment if he should have ignored it, but he couldn't bear to leave something emanating such blatant malice unchecked, especially since Megumi took walks around here.

Crunch, crunch.

Something resembling a giant dog was trying to squeeze its way through a half-open window. Was it really a dog? Zoro couldn't tell since it was invisible to the eye.

"Hey."

With a snap, it turned its head. A gurgling growl resonated, unmistakably threatening, but Zoro remained unfazed and continued.

"Could you keep it down?"

And not try to enter someone's house.

Growl!

It charged at Zoro with a loud cry. Clink, clank. The sound of its long, hard claws scraping the ground was heard. In the blink of an eye, it leaped at Zoro, aiming to pounce on him.

Whoosh!

The moment its elongated claws nearly grazed Zoro's neck,

Clang!

Surprise filled the monster's numerous yellow eyes. A short sword, enshrouded in the black hue of Armament Haki, blocked the giant claws seamlessly.

"I told you to be quiet."

Why won't you listen?

Zoro swung his sword indifferently. With a slicing sound, the creature's head was severed. Thud, thud, roll. The head, still clueless about the situation, remained frozen in shock as it rolled on the ground.

He casually wiped the creature's blood on his forearm, relieved it hadn't splattered on the dark green bandana tied around his arm.

"Always something, everywhere."

Though the numbers had decreased since summer. He flicked the sword to rid it of blood and sheathed it back.

Long ago, when Zoro encountered something at the supermarket, he hadn't seen anything like it for a while. Not during walks, outings, or even shopping trips.

But after Chie died and Toji left, forcing Zoro to search for Toji alone, he began seeing them far too often. It was almost as if they appeared wherever he went, exaggeratedly so.

'Until now, they've all been small fry.'

But that couldn't be all. There must be stronger ones out there.

Maybe, just maybe, there could be one as formidable as those he faced in his previous life, only manageable by his former self.

'Have they increased since then?'

...Or had someone been taking care of them before?

His head throbbing, he ruffled his hair in frustration.

'Where are you, you fool.'

For the first few days after Chie's death, he tried to understand. Death is hard for anyone to accept, and the death of a spouse even more so. So, he waited, thinking that despite the sadness, pain, and torment, Toji would eventually return.

But the person who came to the house was not Toji but a nanny.

The young woman who said she would work in their home initially worked diligently for the first few days. But once she realized there were no adults around, she began to slack off.

When Zoro found her watching TV calmly while Megumi cried from hunger next to her, he chased the woman out of the house. She yelled something, but Zoro, covering Megumi's ears, paid her no mind.

A few days later, another person came to nanny but fled after seeing Zoro picking up rocks in front of the house for strength training, calling him a weird kid.

The third nanny was a man who, having heard something from the previous nannies, treated Zoro like a ticking time bomb. He tried to force him to the hospital or prevent him from being near Megumi. When Zoro got angry, he quit just the same. Many nannies came and went after that.

'The current nanny is pretty good, though.'

The current nanny took good care of Megumi but was completely indifferent to Zoro. Whether he lifted and lowered rocks for training, swung a long wooden stick around in his room, went out in the morning and returned late in the afternoon, or wore a necklace with a large ornament, she didn't care. She didn't even speak to him. He was treated as if he were invisible.

He didn't mind that. As long as she was good to Megumi, that was enough. He didn't think he needed much care now that he wasn't a newborn anymore and could move his limbs somewhat freely.

The issue was that during this entire time, Toji had neither come home nor contacted them once.

'He must know.'

Since Zoro had never given money to the nanny, it was clear that Toji was the one paying her. Even knowing that the nannies couldn't last more than a few weeks and a new one had to be brought in repeatedly, he never once came home.

Whenever a nanny left, it was Zoro who had to take care of Megumi until a new nanny arrived. Although a new nanny was usually found within a few days, during those days, Zoro was stuck looking after Megumi without a break.

Megumi was a good baby, but a baby nonetheless. A being with more things they can't do than can. If Zoro took his eyes off him for even a moment, Megumi would inevitably get into some kind of mischief, preventing Zoro from training whenever they were without a nanny.

"..."

When Chie was alive, Toji never entrusted any part of child-rearing to Zoro. The same went for chores like cleaning or laundry.

Even when Chie was pregnant with Megumi, Toji took care of Chie himself and didn't ask Zoro to do anything. At most, he told him not to press on Chie's belly, but that was a natural request for the health of both Chie and Megumi.

But now, aside from hiring a nanny, he had left almost everything else to Zoro.

'Is it trust?'

...Or does he simply not care what happens?

Before Chie died, Zoro would have naturally thought it was the former. But now? Honestly, he wasn't sure.

If Toji intends to return.

Why he hasn't returned.

Why he knows but still neglects.

...If they still mean anything to Toji at all.