After getting back to the kendo club, Ivan grabbed a proper longsword, wrapped it in black cloth, and shoved it into his backpack. He wasn't here to study anyway.
He'd already cut a hole in the bottom of the bag last night. Sure, carrying a long object like that looked a bit weird, but it beat walking around with a sword in hand.
"This fusion speed is fucking annoying."
[Shapeshifting Ability Fusion in Progress: 19%]
Ivan pulled out his phone and started looking up good food nearby. At the end of the day, satisfying his appetite came first. If he happened to run into a parasite or two along the way, even better.
"Too bad I can't use analysis until the fusion is complete. Otherwise, I could check if other parasites have developed detection abilities."
Thanks to some enthusiastic online reviews, Ivan found a decent oden place.
The food was solid.
The only downside was that no parasites tried to tail him.
…
The next day, all the second-year students gathered in the auditorium at West High.
On stage stood a middle-aged man with glasses, while the rest of the faculty lined up beside him.
"Good morning, everyone. A few days ago, Mr. Matsuyama was hospitalized due to a traffic accident and will no longer be able to teach. So today, I'll be introducing your new substitute math teacher."
He turned slightly to the side.
"Ms. Tamura, please."
A woman stepped forward.
She had a striking figure, dressed in a light blue coat with an open collar. Her face showed almost no expression as she spoke in a calm, even tone.
"My name is Ryoko Tamura. I look forward to working with you."
Interesting. Finally.
Compared to Shinichi, who had just learned about Tamura's identity from Migi and was already tense, Ivan stayed completely relaxed.
If he remembered right, she was a key figure in one of the parasite groups.
Later on, she'd even create something like that monster, Gotou.
"A genius among parasites."
Ivan watched her with clear interest.
But Tamura didn't notice him at all.
Her attention was already fixed on someone else.
Sure enough, after math class ended, Shinichi Izumi was called to the guidance office alone.
"Damn, she's got a huge.. heart. Congrats, Shinichi. I'm jealous. Getting private lessons from a hot teacher like that?" Ivan raised an eyebrow, clearly messing with him.
Shinichi snapped.
He lunged forward and grabbed Ivan, practically shouting in his face.
"What the hell are you talking about? You have no idea what I'm dealing with!"
"Relax." Ivan leaned back against the desk behind him, completely unbothered. "Things are rarely as bad as you think."
After Shinichi left the classroom, Migi slipped out from his collar again.
"He's not wrong. It might not be as bad as you think. At the very least, I didn't sense any killing intent from her."
"…Wait. Someone's following us."
Migi told Shinichi to look back.
What he saw was Ivan stepping out of the classroom behind him.
"Don't worry about it. I just need to use the bathroom."
"No. He's lying. The bathroom is in the opposite direction," Migi said quietly.
"…That doesn't matter right now."
Shinichi forced himself to stay calm as he walked up to the guidance office and pushed the door open.
After stepping inside, he closed it behind him.
At the same time, Ivan reached the door.
He glanced at the window, slightly ajar, and smiled.
Then he leaned against the wall. His right ear stretched out like rubber, extending just enough for him to clearly hear everything inside.
"Have a seat."
Seeing that Shinichi remained standing, Ryoko Tamura continued.
"Izumi… you're aware of what I am, aren't you?"
"…Yes."
"'Yes'? That's how you speak to a teacher?" she said calmly. "Relax. That right hand of yours should know I have no intention of killing you."
Her gaze stayed fixed on him.
"Besides, at this distance, if we fight, both of us would suffer fatal injuries."
"I have quite a few things I'd like to discuss with you. After school, can you make some time?"
Before Shinichi could answer, his right hand responded for him.
"Agreed."
"What if it's a trap? I'm not going anywhere with her," Shinichi said quickly to Migi.
"Why are humans so irrational? If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. I'm interested in you. Your case is the first I've encountered. I want to collect data, exchange information, and possibly cooperate in the future."
Click.
Ivan pushed the door open and walked in, smiling at the two of them.
"Mind if I join and make it a threesome? Haha! I'm pretty interested in your information, too."
His sudden appearance flipped a switch in Ryoko Tamura.
Killing intent hit instantly. Cracks split across the right side of her face from top to bottom, and razor-sharp blades snapped out from the openings.
"Ivan! Get out of here!" Shinichi didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of Ivan, trying to shield him.
"You've been listening the whole time? Stupid human." Tamura's face twisted into something inhuman.
"Yeah." Ivan admitted it without hesitation. He stepped out from behind Shinichi and raised his right hand, fingers already reshaped into blades.
"But I'm not human either. I'm a parasite. Same as you."
The words hit Shinichi like a truck.
"That's impossible. I can't sense you at all," Tamura said immediately.
Ivan gave a small grin.
"You can't sense me, and I can't sense you. Shinichi's case is new to you, right? So how do you know mine isn't something you've never seen before?"
It was complete bullshit.
But it worked.
The shapeshifting alone made it hard to argue otherwise.
"…Your situation is extremely unusual. Did something go wrong during infection, causing you to lose the ability to sense your own kind? But then… why can't I sense you either?"
Tamura couldn't make sense of it.
"And on top of that… I feel a strong urge to consume you. Just like I would with a human."
Ivan just shrugged.
"No idea. But out of all parasites, having a couple weird ones isn't that strange, right?"
"…You really are special."
Tamura stared at him. On the surface, she looked calm, but inside, her thoughts were running wild.
She had always been fascinated by the relationship between parasites and humans, wondering how their kind could integrate into human society.
Now, standing in front of her, Ivan might be part of the answer.
___
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
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