Line 50

Roots II is the third chapter of the tenth volume of the Devils' Line manga series and the fiftieth chapter.

Summary
Midori Sako and Tamaki Anzai start to learn Japanese Sign Language so that they can communicate better. Some of the other staff have picked some up too. They're learning the sign for "parent". Julius Kurtz wonders if they're not getting too close to Tamaki. He looks especially worried about Midori.

The pairings for the Hybrid Plan are finally announced at a meeting. Tamaki has been paired with a woman named Ibuki Takeya. Right after the meeting ends, Midori's phone rings and she leaves the facility for ten days. When Kurtz tells Tamaki about Midori's absence, Tamaki can see in Kurtz's face that someone has died. He correctly guesses that Midori's father passed away in Sapporo. When she came back, she wanted to dive right back into work, but she couldn't help be feel lonesome - until she saw Tamaki again, who was concerned about her.

Midori explains to Tamaki about his role in the Hybrid Plan. Along with the information already detailed, she tells him he will have no interaction with the mother, no rights as a parent, and the child will be left in ONLO's custody. Tamaki agrees it's for the best that the mother not know him because she might get cold feet if she found out who he was. Midori says he should think about his own feelings too, but he says he is just thankful that his death sentence was postponed and he's been treated well at ONL. He would cooperate in any circumstances. Midori blurts out the suggestion that she could be his partner. Tamaki is so taken aback that he actually speaks. Midori is so mortified that she leaves him with the documents a moment later. The rest of the staff are just as shocked at the unprecedented outburst. Midori admits to herself that she loves Tamaki, but that she crossed a line and should apologize.

The next day, she goes to see him, but Kurasawa tells her that Tamaki's come down with a fever due to stress and is in the med-bay. Midori goes there and apologizes to him and says she won't do it again. Tamaki then confesses his feelings for her by saying she'd make a good partner for the experiment. Midori is shocked, but she says she'll ask her superiors for a partner change. Midori then explains the next step and Tamaki realizes it would be done with artificial insemination, not sexual intercourse. Apparently, the thought of having sex without hurting Midori is what caused his fever. Midori says that with the tools the R&D department has currently, she should at least be able to help him produce sperm and that one day they'll be able to have sex safely too. Tamaki can't believe what he's hearing. He can't believe that she would want someone like him. She reassures him that she does and that he will never kill anyone again with her help.

Midori goes to her superiors for permission and eventually they agree with some conditions. She'll need consent from Ibuki Takeya to be a surrogate mother instead, since they can't risk the life of one of their best researchers. So, Midori went to meet her and got her to agree. She had volunteered to pay off debts owed by a dead relative and to save money for her own children's future education. Even though she initially didn't want to meet her partner, she agreed to meet with Tamaki once after hearing their story and taking an interest.

Midori ends the story there and tells Yuuki that it's time to visit the person who requested to see him in exchange for sharing that information with Yuuki. Midori gets her can and Yuuki expects to meet Ibuki, however, it is actually her older brother Yasuhiko Takeya. They meet up at a cemetery to visit Ibuki's grave. Yuuki's birth went without issue, but five years ago, Ibuki's lungs started to give out and she died. Yasuhiko tells Yuuki that she always kept him in her thoughts and how she wanted to meet him someday. Yuuki is surprised by how much he actually enjoys having a family in Midori, Tamaki, the Takeya's, F Squad, and Tsukasa now that his days at ONLO are long gone.

Back in the car, Midori gives Yuuki a pamphlet from East Bay Security and tells him to apply. She also gives him photos of Ibuki, herself, and Tamaki. Yuuki immediately recognizes Tamaki as the devil he saw in the basement of ONL when he was taken there by Kikuhara as a child. Midori is surprised he remembers, since he passed out and couldn't remember anything at the time. She remembers how Tamaki blamed himself for scaring Yuuki and how she was so furious that she punched Kikuhara with all of her might. He'd been stroking Yuuki's head after scaring him half to death. Midori explains that Kikuhara was one of many detectives and prosecutors to come see Tamaki as part of their practical training. Occasionally those people would sneak into the facility due to their doubts of the legitimacy of ONL taking in criminals. After the incident with Kikuhara, they increased security and relocated the cells.

Thinking back to the basement cells, Yuuki is reminded of his peculiar, half-eyed transformation and he asks Midori about it; he tells her in full detail what happened and the circumstances that caused it. Midori boils the conditions down to "anger" and "forgiveness". It reminds her of Johannes' case. His condition for a stable transformation was reciting lines from books he liked. But, he hasn't had to do that for a long time since his transformation is always stable. She warns Yuuki to never tell anyone about this transformation because, like Johannes, he would be forced to stay at the research facility as a research subject. On the other hand, she assures him that the day will come when he can transform like Johannes and even have sex with humans. She blatantly asks how far he and Tsukasa have gone which Yuuki has a hard time answering, but he tells her. She recommends using the equipment at the lab to try having sex once and she adds that Tsukasa is at ONL right now, which Yuuki is shocked to hear.

Tsukasa and Yuuki get an email at the same time from the prosecutor of their cases. The message informs them that all charges have been dropped and that, effective immediately, they can see each other again. The next step is to reunite.

Chapter Notes

 * Tamaki is randomly paired with Ibuki Takeya for the Hybrid Plan.
 * Midori's father dies and only starts to feel better when she sees Tamaki again.
 * Midori confesses her love for Tamaki by asking him to be her partner. After coming down with a fever from worry, he agrees.
 * Midori gets consent from her superiors to have Ibuki be a surrogate for her and Tamaki's child.
 * Yuuki and Midori visit Ibuki's grave with Ibuki's brother.
 * Yuuki tells Midori about his stable transformation. She warns him to never talk about it and says he'll be able to control it someday, like Hans Lee.
 * The cases against Yuuki are dropped and he can see Tsukasa again.

Characters

 * Tamaki Anzai
 * Midori Anzai
 * Kurasawa
 * Julius Kurtz
 * Masami Komatsu
 * Ibuki Takeya
 * Yuuki Anzai
 * Yasuhiko Takeya
 * Kirio Kikuhara (no dialogue)
 * Tsukasa Taira