Accidentally become a father-Chapter 13: Administrative Reality

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Tokyo had fully come alive by now.

The traffic was louder.

The air was warmer.

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We walked to the nearest station.

Then to the district office.

I didn’t hold her hand.

She didn’t grab the hem of my jacket this time, either.

But the distance between us remained consistent—

Half a pace by my side.

Nothing more.

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"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"A little."

"Why?"

"What if the records aren’t there..."

"That just means your forgery prep wasn’t good enough."

She lowered her head slightly.

"I didn’t do it."

"I know."

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The district office looked like any other government building—

Clean.

Devoid of any aesthetic ambition.

The automatic glass doors slid open as we approached.

Inside.

The chill of the air conditioning was a constant.

The automated voice calling out queue numbers echoed softly from the speakers.

Yuna surveyed the room with watchful eyes, but without panic.

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I took a queue number.

The digit printed on that small slip of paper felt like the beginning of something much more official than buying a futon last night.

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I checked the number currently being called.

There were still five people ahead of us.

"Good," I said. "We have time to practice if we need to."

"Practice what?"

"In case they ask about our relationship."

She thought for a moment. "Guardian."

"Good."

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"Papa won’t say ’father’?"

I stared at the screen displaying the changing queue numbers.

"Administratively," I said quietly, "and biologically."

"I am not your father."

"So Papa won’t acknowledge me?"

"I can only be your guardian."

"What about an adoptive father?"

"I don’t know."

The next number was called.

I looked at the queue ticket in my hand.

Soon, someone who didn’t know me at all.

Would determine whether my name was recorded in the right place—

Or if it wasn’t there at all.

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