Attack Of Parasites

Standing on his tiptoes at the back, Dikim strained to catch a glimpse of the new professor. As soon as he spotted her, he exclaimed, "It's her...!!!" His voice, filled with fear, caught the attention of those nearby, who looked at him with curiosity.

"Izumi, the new professor has superpowers! She kicked a harasser at the tram station and sent him flying several meters away," Dikim whispered, placing a hand on Izumi's shoulder.

Izumi struggled to comprehend his friend's words. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Megi interjected, simply stating, "It's her."

"My name is Tamiya Ryoko, and it's a pleasure to meet you all," she introduced herself with just a few words.

"What!!!" Izumi lowered his head, keeping his eyes on the ground, feeling anxious.

"Ms. Tamiya will be the teacher responsible for classes 3-3, 3-4, and 3-5," announced the human resources representative.

"3-3, that's our class," Izumi said softly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Curiosity compelled Izumi to cautiously raise his head to get a better look at Ms. Tamiya—or perhaps the host, Tamiya.

"Don't look! Izumi!" Megi said firmly.

Izumi's gaze met Ms. Tamiya's eyes, as if she had been waiting for him specifically, amidst everyone else in the room. This connection was intensified by the aura emanating from him, which was a result of Megi's active presence, contrasting with Dikim's left hand.

The professor's pupils widened, and she held his gaze longer than expected, sending a message that startled Izumi, causing him to quickly lower his head. He was rendered speechless by the eye contact, unable to say anything, while a slight smile appeared on Ms. Tamiya's face.

"She's looking at me; she likes me," said a student standing in front of Izumi.

"Idiot!" Dikim replied.

"Our professor is incredibly beautiful," one girl remarked to her friend.

"How gorgeous! It pains me that Ms. Tamiya won't be teaching us," said another student.

Amidst the students' admiration for their new professor, Izumi clenched his fist in frustration at the impression he had left on Ms. Tamiya—an impression that conveyed weakness and an inability to confront.

"She found me easily," Izumi thought aloud, biting his teeth as beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead.

In a state of instability, Izumi and Dikim made their way to the baseball field, where the coach had scheduled a training session in preparation for the final match of the national university league.

"Listen up! After we finish running around the field, do some stretching exercises to relax your muscles. Then we'll split into two groups and play a preparatory match," the coach said, surrounded by the players.

As Dikim and Izumi ran separately from the rest of the team, Megi perched on Izumi's shoulder and said, "What a surprise! I'm impressed by what I saw. Even after taking over the host, this parasite managed to maintain its host's important position in society. Not to mention, she teaches people at high levels in their academic paths. She's incredibly talented."

"I see you're impressed with this parasite of your kind!" Izumi replied, slightly annoyed.

"Well, it's the truth. It's the first time we've encountered one of my kind who can control themselves," Megi said.

"Praising her won't help us if we don't know her intentions," Dikim interjected.

"We can't just sit back and do nothing; we need to take action!" Izumi directed his speech at Megi.

A yawning voice came from behind Dikim. "Hello, fellow of my kind. Did you eliminate anyone without me?" Hidari appeared, peering over Dikim's shoulder.

"Shut up! Where have you been all this time?" Dikim responded.

"What do you mean we should do something?" Megi asked, puzzled.

"Are we just going to watch her devour everyone?! She's surrounded by them!" Izumi exclaimed, agitated.

"No, that's unlikely," Megi replied confidently.

"Megi's right. She was on the tram this morning among a crowd of people. It would have been a feast for her if she wanted to take them all out, but she remained calm until someone harassed her. Even then, she didn't kill him; she just taught him a harsh lesson," Dikim recalled, thinking back on Ms. Tamiya's actions.

"Based on what your friend said, and what I've gathered, she wants to integrate into human society. She doesn't intend to use humans in her immediate social circle as food; she wants to distance herself from any suspicion that could lead to her exposure," Megi explained.

"Why are you so sure about that?!" Izumi asked, intrigued.

"Let's just observe the situation for now," Megi suggested.

"It seems I've missed a lot," Hidari said, having overheard the conversation.

In the classroom, during the first lesson under the supervision of the new professor, Ms. Tamiya, everyone was present: Izumi, Dikim, Murano, and the others. Each student reacted differently to the situation. Some found it boring and rested their heads on their hands, while others were distracted by details like her legs and high heels. Murano, however, focused intently on what the professor was saying about the math lesson.

Dikim, sitting in the second vertical row, tried to puzzle out how such a beautiful woman maintained her social standing, questioning the possibility that she could be non-threatening, especially since the parasite had taken control of her brain. To his left, Izumi was restless since Ms. Tamiya's arrival. She was a model of someone he was encountering for the first time—calm, mysterious, intimidating, and intelligent—all these traits only added to his anxiety.

"Nice choice!" Hidari whispered.

"What did you say?" Dikim asked.

"I mean, my kind, she made a great choice transitioning to such a beautiful and socially prominent host..." Hidari replied.

"Stop your nonsense," Dikim said.

"How can Megi sleep at a time like this? What if..." Izumi thought aloud, his anxiety escalating.

"No, she won't do it..." Izumi's tension caused him to break the pencil he was holding.

Ms. Tamiya, who had been busy writing a math problem on the board, turned around and said, "Alright, use this equation that I've added to the board to solve the problem."

Ms. Tamiya began to walk through the rows, getting to know the students one by one until she reached Dikim's seat.

"Introduce yourself, student," Ms. Tamiya said.

"D... Dikim." Dikim stumbled over his words, his tongue betraying him due to the strong presence of the professor.

"Alright, alright... two," Ms. Tamiya said with a slight smile before moving on.

"Pull yourself together. What will my kind say about me now?" Hidari remarked, dissatisfied with Dikim's reaction and hinting at the earlier discussion about choices.

"Shut up!" Dikim snapped, confused about why he felt so flustered in front of the professor. He wiped his forehead with a tissue.

"Izumi!" Ms. Tamiya called as she reached his seat.

Startled that the professor knew his name before he introduced himself, Izumi looked up into her eyes and said, "Yes?"

"What's the matter?" Tamiya asked, trying to assert her presence and style.

"Nothing," he replied, hiding his embarrassment.

"I see you're not making any progress..." Ms. Tamiya observed.

"Uh, well... sorry," Izumi said, returning his gaze to his notebook and noticing the scribbles and incomprehensible symbols on his paper, feeling shy.