Attack Of Parasites

"Are you late? Has she changed her mind?" Dekim asked after a considerable time while they waited for Professor Tamiya's arrival.

"We'll wait a bit longer," Izumi said.

"Izumi, roll up your sleeves," Migi said, wanting to reveal himself to Izumi while being careful not to be seen.

"Why? It's not like we're going to fight," Izumi replied after rolling up his sleeves.

"There are two people coming," Migi said.

"So what?!" Izumi replied.

"Two people like me, what do you think now?" Migi said.

Izumi was alarmed, having only been waiting for Professor Tamiya, and exclaimed, "Is this a trap or what?!"

"Don't rush, we don't know that yet," Migi said.

"They're about to enter," Hidari said.

"More importantly, can you calm your racing heart? You're making me anxious!" Migi said, forming an eye on his thumb with his mouth on his palm.

"Do you think it's that easy?!" Izumi said, pulling his right hand from the table and placing it underneath.

"I apologize for the delay, boys. Allow me to introduce you to someone," Professor Tamiya said, still standing.

"Someone?!" Dekim replied.

"He doesn't have a name," said the professor.

"Who are these kids, for heaven's sake?" asked the tall stranger with a deep scar on his forehead who was accompanying the professor.

"It seems you haven't grasped the concept of respect and its meaning in your vocabulary," Dekim said, annoyed.

"How are we supposed to consider them one of us, of our kind?!" the man said mockingly.

Like the drop that overflowed the cup, Migi and Hidari refused to be insulted by the man and sprang from beneath the table, transforming each of their fingers into deadly kukri and bayonet knives. The man, in turn, was ready to fight, his head splitting and beginning to transform... but Professor Tamiya intervened, stopping the conflict by saying, "Stop this, there's no point in trying to kill each other here."

The man obeyed Professor Tamiya and returned to his normal state, just as Migi and Hidari did.

Professor Tamiya moved to sit down, and the man did the same. She said, "So, boys, tell me, how many types have you encountered up to this point? I mean, how many of us have you come across?"

Dekim took the floor and said, "Two types."

"Could you provide more details, please?" Professor Tamiya asked.

"We encountered the parasite in a human host, and we also encountered it in an animal host," Izumi said.

"I see. Who do you think we are?" Professor Tamiya asked.

"Flesh-eating monsters and perpetrators of torn flesh crimes," Dekim said bravely.

"Without a doubt, what would you be! Don't you know how many innocents die every day because of you...?" Izumi said.

Without giving any attention to Izumi's words, Professor Tamiya interrupted him, saying, "I have established a relationship with it..."

The boys looked at each other in surprise at what they had heard, realizing the implications of that relationship.

"Yes, you're right. I became pregnant from that relationship, so the question is, what do you think is growing inside me now?" Professor Tamiya said.

"Actually..." Izumi began.

Migi interrupted, directing his gaze at the professor and said, "A regular human child, right?"

"Well done, a human child. Based on that, what are we?" Professor Tamiya interlaced her fingers and directed her gaze to the ground.

"I don't know; that's what I want to ask too," Izumi replied.

"You eat humans to preserve the life of your human host. This is akin to cannibalism. Why would you do something like this?" Dekim said, visibly upset, his eyes showing his distress.

"Have you tried asking this question to your left hand?" the professor remarked, commenting on Dekim, then turned her gaze to Izumi and added, "What about your right hand?"

"I get nutrients directly from the host's blood, so I have no reason to eat humans," Migi said.

"The same goes for me," Hidari added.

"We don't have reproductive capabilities. As for cannibalism, it is merely for survival. We found our purpose on this planet. How everything began and who we are—that's something the days, months, or years to come will reveal," Professor Tamiya explained.

"What? You said years! Whether you are a form of life or not, either way, you don't belong in this world," Izumi said, not entirely convinced by what he was hearing.

After some time had passed, it seemed that the strange man had heard enough. Dekim, sitting across from him at the table, noticed bizarre signs that no human, even a mentally unstable one, would exhibit. One pupil moved to the right while the other moved in the opposite direction, his jaw trembled, and the upper teeth scraped against the lower ones, producing an audible sound. He manipulated his eyebrows as if putting on a frightening show. This continued until he slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"I'm leaving. Knowing the truth about what I am won't change anything. I'll eat my favorite meat when I'm hungry," the man said, standing without looking at them.

"And I will kill anyone who stands in my way," he added, distorting his human face into a surreal shape, moving his eyes to where his ears should be, his mouth to where his nose was, showcasing strange teeth that were not human, with his nose below his jaw.

"They are a danger to our kind; they must be torn apart," the man added in an inaudible voice as he withdrew from the place.

"He's likely a product of our differing maturation environments," Professor Tamiya commented on the man's reaction while Dekim and Izumi remained astonished, following the man with their eyes until he left.

"So..." Professor Tamiya continued after picking up a spoon as if offering it to the boys.

"Humans sometimes behave illogically, so I feel it is my duty to warn you, assuming you might consider me an enemy," she added, turning the spoon to reflect the images of Izumi and Dekim in it.

"Your choice will be negative since you are unable to change your faces," Tamiya remarked, and the reflection of Dekim and Izumi in the spoon showed visible signs of panic.

"I also want to maintain my human identity, so I don't intend to do anything excessive. But if I have to, I will be able to face everyone in your class and slaughter every one of them in three seconds. Do you have friends in the class?" The professor placed the spoon in her mouth, and as she took it out, its shape changed; she had bent it into a cylinder, and her right pupil had disappeared.

Wide eyes, a furrowed forehead, and a dry mouth—this was the description of the boys. The first person that came to Izumi's mind after hearing Professor Tamiya's threats was Morano, recalling that day and the events he spent with her.

The boys returned home in a bad state, not saying anything to each other about the threats.

"Did Izumi come back?" their mother asked.

"Yes," Izumi replied, heading straight to his room.

He flung himself onto his bed, focusing his gaze on the ceiling. Moments of silence passed before Migi broke it, saying, "Impressive."

"I didn't expect her to intimidate you with what she said," Migi added.