Report 31: Who's Your Daddy?

Report 31: Who's Your Daddy? is the thirty-first chapter of the Hyper Police manga, and is the first chapter of Volume 5. Its Japanese name is "Father come home!" ("ちちかえる！", a simplified spelling of "父帰る!").
==Plot==
Professor Sasahara travels back to Tokyo from his archeological expedition with his student, Yoshimura. His expedition has been called off a year early due to a shortage of storage space of artefacts. Nonetheless, it has been two years since Sasahara was last home, and he has prepared an Aztec plate as a birthday gift for Natsuki, which Yoshimura doubts would take her interest. Sasahara arrives in his neighbourhood to find the family house burnt down. His worries are short-lived as Natsuki returns on her scooter. Sasahara presents Natsuki with her birthday present, apologising for being a month late due to travel problems; he is embarrassed to hear that her birthday was actually three months ago.
Sasahara quickly begins to interrogate Natsuki, concerned over her safety. First, he asks Natsuki where her new accommodation is, to which she replies Odaiba (an artificial island in Minato). He then criticises her use of a scooter, finding it to be unsafe. Natsuki defends her use of one, Batanen having lent it to her it to make it easier to bring food from the store. Being made aware that Natsuki is hanging out with a boy adds more to Sasahara's worries, fearing his daughter's mind to be corrupted by some sort of gang. Natsuki decides it is best to not bring up her Bounty Hunting job in front of him. 
Natsuki and her father travel to the temporary accommodation in Odaiba. Sasahara looks at the door and sees Sakura and her family listed as fellow occupants. Believing her to be a subletee to Sakura, he asks why she didn't just use his bankbook for emergencies to find she had no idea she had been given any such thing. Going inside, he thanks Sakura for the care she gave to Natsuki. This confuses Sakura, given it was her children who burnt the house down in the first place. Sakura proceeds to interrogate Natsuki about it, understanding clearly that she is refusing to say too much abut the previous two years.
In an effort to keep Natsuki under his nose, Sasahara suggests she move in with him in another apartment. To keep her with him for the following morning (to prevent her seeing anyone), he insists she come furniture shopping with him as well, after first criticising her "unladylike" behaviour of wearing a towel post-bath. When she goes to sleep, Sasahara overhears her sleeptalking about going to work in the morning. Seeing her now as an adult and not a child, Sasahara heads back to his office to continue his research to give her space.
==Characters==
* Professor Sasahara (first appearance)
* Yoshimura (first appearance)
* Bob
* Natsuki
* Sakura
==Sources==
31