Accidentally become a father-Chapter 2: A birth certificate

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And I took it.

The plastic folder was thin.

High quality.

There was a brand logo in the bottom right corner.

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I figured this kid didn’t come from an ordinary family.

I opened it.

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Official paper. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Stiff.

Thick.

Bearing a government seal at the top.

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I recognized the format immediately.

A birth certificate.

Her name was written clearly.

Yuna.

Date of birth: nine years ago.

Place of birth: Tokyo.

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Mother’s name.

I hadn’t looked at that part yet.

My eyes stopped at the father’s column.

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Nishida Itsuki.

The exact same kanji.

Not a single stroke out of place.

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I reread it slowly.

Nishida.

Itsuki.

I looked up.

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She was sitting cross-legged now.

Hands resting on her knees.

Back completely straight.

An innocent expression that was far too composed.

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"It’s official," she said.

I ignored her.

A few seconds later.

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"There are a lot of similar names out there."

"There are."

"And a lot of Nishidas."

"Yes, I know."

"And a lot of Itsukis."

"...True... and?"

"So it’s highly likely this isn’t me."

She tilted her head slightly.

Leaning forward.

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"But the address is correct."

I hadn’t turned to the back page.

I lowered my gaze again.

The official seal.

The signature...

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My signature?

Since when was that here?

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I looked closer.

Every stroke.

It all looked authentic.

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Not a cheap imitation.

Nor a crude forgery.

If this was a fake, the person who made it wasn’t an amateur.

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I let out a soft exhale.

"You know, forging documents is a criminal offense."

"I didn’t forge it."

"Do you know what ’criminal offense’ means?"

"I know."

I stared at her.

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She wasn’t the least bit anxious.

Nine-year-olds usually aren’t this calm when they’re lying.

I closed the folder slowly.

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"If you’ve got the wrong person, what are you going to do?"

She gave a small shrug.

"Then that means Papa is a bad person."

I stared at her for a few seconds.

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"That is terrible logic."

She fell silent.

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I opened the folder again.

The mother’s name was finally visible near the top.

Kanzaki Sayaka.

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My hands stopped for a fraction of a second.

I hadn’t reacted.

Not yet.

That name wasn’t common.

Too specific.

Too well-known.

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I closed the folder again before my thoughts could wander too far.

"Alright," I said quietly.

"Let’s assume this is real."

"It is real."

"Let’s assume," I repeated.

She didn’t argue this time.

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I placed the document on the table between us.

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"If this is true," I said,

"when exactly did I do something this major?"

She smiled slightly.

"That’s something Papa should remember."

I had no doubts.

I didn’t remember ever doing it.

Not even once in my entire life.

I never had.

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I stared at her.

She stared back without blinking.

The room fell silent again.

I tapped the paper lightly with my fingertip.

For quite a while.

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"Do you have any other proof?"

She immediately reached for her backpack again.

Without rushing.

Without panicking.

As if she had been waiting for that very question.

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Her hand disappeared into the bag.

Then she pulled out a small, folded piece of paper.

She didn’t hand it over right away.

Just holding it in the air for a moment.

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"This too," she said.

I stared at the paper.

"Papa’s address."

She smiled.

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I hadn’t taken the paper yet.

My hand paused mid-air.

If the address was right, this wasn’t a coincidence.

If the address was right—

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I finally took the paper.

And opened it.

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