Attack Of Parasites

"Miggy!" Izumi exclaimed, astonished.

"You saved our lives!!!" Izumi raised his right hand to eye level, looking grateful as he spoke.

"It was just a choice that worked in your favor," Miggy replied, a hint of arrogance in his tone.

"What? How so?" Izumi asked, surprised.

"My plan was to eliminate that person just to prevent Hideri from teleporting. Fortunately, Hideri had the same idea, which was to stop me from teleporting as well..." Miggy explained.

"I wasn't sure if teleportation was possible with three of us in one body. Conflicts would inevitably arise; I don't think it's a wise idea. I value my life too much," Miggy added.

"I understand," said Izumi, sadness evident on his face.

"I'm tired now; I'm going to sleep." With that, Miggy closed the topic and fell into a deep slumber.

It was late, and Izumi was still awake, lying on his bed lost in thought, staring at the ceiling of his room. The events of the day haunted him, lingering in his memory. The last words of that strange man echoed in his ears, and numerous thoughts and conclusions swirled in his mind...

"Miggy chose me over that person. No, he didn't choose me; he saved his own life, as he said. He doesn't value anyone's life but his own." He thought aloud. "Saving his life means saving mine, right, Miggy?!" Izumi raised his right hand to eye level as he spoke.

Today was the day Izumi had been waiting for—the day he was supposed to go on a date with Murano. But what kind of spirit would he have after what he experienced last night? He put on his best outfit from his closet and headed to the café where he was supposed to meet Murano.

"Delicious!" Murano said in a sweet voice, enjoying her favorite pie.

"Yes!" Izumi took a small bite of his pie, responding without paying much attention.

"What's wrong? Why the lack of enthusiasm?!" Murano asked after noticing that Izumi was only present in body.

"Ah, yes, I'm happy to see you," Izumi changed his expression and, with a broad smile, said, "Delicious!" He took a large piece of his pie with his fork and struggled to eat it.

"You look forced to say that," Murano replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.

For no reason, Izumi burst into loud laughter, as if he were at a comedy show featuring Japan's best comedian. The predicament he found himself in could only be escaped in this way. Everyone in the café turned their gaze toward Izumi's table, and surprisingly, Murano joined in the laughter.

"It worked," Izumi thought to himself.

Izumi left the café with Murano, deciding to take a walk in the park.

"My parents are strict about me leaving the house these days," Murano said.

"And why is that?" Izumi asked.

"Because of the events happening lately—the torn flesh crimes. I don't want to end up as minced meat..." Murano replied anxiously.

"Yeah, yeah," Izumi said.

"If Murano knew about me and what I have in my right hand, I bet she'd be the first to run to the police," he thought aloud.

Izumi stopped walking as Murano took a couple of steps ahead. She paused and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You love animals, right?" Izumi said, hoping to change the subject from the torn flesh crimes.

"Of course," Murano replied, a slight smile appearing on her face.

"What animals do you like?" Izumi inquired.

"I like many, but I definitely don't like snakes," Murano said.

Izumi jumped back a step, startled. "Why? Not all snakes are dangerous."

"I don't know; I think it's because of their length," Murano explained.

"Okay," Izumi said, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Come on, Izumi, I want to try that swing! Let's have some fun..." Murano grabbed Izumi's hand, pulling him to follow her.

The sound of a cat meowing filled the air, drawing the attention of Izumi and Murano. They stopped to locate the source of the noise. Not far from them, a group of teenagers had buried a cat in the ground, leaving only its head exposed. They were standing a few steps away, taking turns throwing stones at it, and the winner was clearly the one who could crush the cat's head.

"This is horrific! What has happened to our world?!" Murano exclaimed, feeling sympathy for the cat's fate.

"Let's go; I don't want to watch this," she said, turning to leave.

"No, we have to intervene and save the cat," Izumi insisted, stepping toward the scene.

"What's wrong with you? Get away!" one of the group members shouted.

"Stop this!" Izumi shouted back, then bent down to dig with his hands to rescue the cat.

Izumi freed the cat, earning Murano's admiration for his actions. She looked at him with pride and appreciation.

"It's just a game," one of the group members said dismissively.

"No one asked you to intervene!" another shouted.

"Animals are not toys for you to play with; you don't get to decide their fate. They are living beings just like you!" Izumi said angrily.

"Are you kidding me? You'll pay for what you did!" one of the teenagers threatened.

As Izumi began to withdraw, the remaining teenagers threw the last stones at him, but his right hand was ready and blocked them effortlessly.

Izumi turned to face the teenagers, glaring at them with an intimidating look. In a low voice, he said, "Do you want me to eat you?" The teens had no choice but to flee in fear.

"Let's get out of here," Izumi said.

"Uh, okay," Murano replied, feeling tense and trying to process what had just happened.

Walking back home together in silence, Izumi was preoccupied with Miggy's words about humans being the closest creatures to demons, as if Miggy were right in what he said. His thoughts scattered when Murano touched and held his right hand.

Izumi scored many points with Murano for this gesture; she had taken the initiative to hold his hand after feeling safe. Murano looked at Izumi, a shy smile lighting up her face, but suddenly she felt something unusual while holding his right hand. This made her stop and stare at Izumi's right hand for a long time, feeling uneasy. She released his right hand and switched to grasping his left hand instead, while Izumi smiled at her and slipped his right hand into his coat pocket.

Murano responded to Izumi's smile with one of her own, and they both began to run, holding each other's hands, joy evident on their faces.

However, Izumi's mind was racing with thoughts. He linked Murano's action of switching hands to what she had said earlier in the dressing room: "Are you really the same Izumi?"

On the tram, Dekim was returning home after visiting his grandmother. The tram was packed to capacity with passengers, causing most people to stand. A woman's voice was heard near Dekim's position...

"You, behind me on my right, in the gray jacket—stop treating people's bodies roughly," the voice said, coming from a beautiful woman of medium age, with wide gray eyes, silky hair cascading down her neck, and rosy lips that looked as if painted by a Vermeer brush.

"Harasser!" a voice from the crowd said with disgust.

In an uncomfortable situation, the man addressed by the woman flinched as he noticed dozens of eyes turning toward him. "No, no, she's lying," he stammered.

"Take back what you said! What evidence do you have that I touched you?!" He stepped forward to confront the woman who had accused him, speaking heatedly. "Are you even listening to me?" he added, shouting in her face as he realized she was not responding to his claims.