The question threw Ivan off for a second. He didn't answer right away.
Luckily, a few police officers in uniform showed up just in time. They stepped in front of the reporters, and the one in charge held up a document.
"The details of this incident are classified. You are not authorized to know. If you have questions, ask about something else."
That shut things down fast.
With the police stepping in, the reporters couldn't push any further. They quickly shifted topics.
"We've heard your swordsmanship is exceptional. Students at West High even call you the 'Fastest Legend' and the 'Reaper Swordsman.' And witnesses say a sword you left behind was found at the scene. Did you defeat the attacker using swordsmanship?"
Ivan smirked. "Honestly, I'm impressed you managed to say all those nicknames with a straight face."
He didn't deny it.
That was all the media needed.
Their eyes lit up. Big story. Something that could blow up online. They started fishing for more details from every angle, throwing questions nonstop until it got annoying as hell.
"Alright, enough. I need to rest."
Ivan shut them down directly.
"You sure you don't want to share more? We'll pay for the story."
They still tried to push, but seeing he wasn't going to talk, they had no choice. On their way out, each of them slipped him a business card. One of them leaned in and said quietly,
"Mr. Greevs, if you ever have exclusive information, please consider us. Don't worry about the price."
Once the reporters finally cleared out, a police officer immediately locked the door.
The lead officer sat down in front of Ivan, opened a file folder, and took out a stack of photos.
"The man you killed was named Masashi Makino. He used to be a construction worker in Osaka. According to his family, after he came to Tokyo, they lost contact with him. These were taken at the scene."
Ivan took the photos.
They showed the aftermath of the fight with Mr. A. The damage was brutal.
"It's obvious this level of destruction isn't something a normal human could do. We also have autopsy photos. His cranial structure was completely abnormal. He wasn't human anymore. His body had been taken over by something we've identified as a parasite."
The officer looked straight at Ivan.
"We came here today to ask you one thing. How much do you know about these creatures?"
From the way he spoke, it was clear the police were already aware of parasites and had gathered a decent amount of information.
Ivan shrugged. "Sorry. I don't know much. Killing him was just luck."
Ivan shook his head. "I don't know much either."
"While you were unconscious, we reviewed your X-rays. We can confirm you're human. The wounds on the body at the scene also match that long sword. What we're curious about is this… can humans really fight something like that?"
Ivan gave a small smile. "They're a pain in the ass, sure. But they're still parasites. Once the host body gets damaged enough, they die just like anything else."
"Understood. That's all we needed."
The officer took out a card and placed it on the table.
"There's 1.3 million yen on this. It includes an official reward and public donations. Focus on recovering. And one more thing, this conversation stays confidential."
With that, the police left the room.
As they walked out of the hospital, a younger officer couldn't hold it in.
"Chief Fujita, there were clearly signs of a third person at the scene. And I get the feeling he knows a lot more about these parasites than he's letting on. Why didn't we press him further?"
Fujita opened the car door and got in. "If he doesn't want to talk, we can't force him. Not with the media watching him this closely. Handle it wrong, and we've got a public mess on our hands."
He paused, then added, "What matters more right now is figuring out how to distinguish normal humans from parasites as fast as possible. Headquarters just transferred in a biology PhD. Let's hope he can solve that."
…
Not long after the police left, the principal of West High arrived with a group of teachers and students to visit Ivan.
Ivan handled it smoothly. He smiled, accepted the gift from the principal, and thanked him politely.
"The school will likely suspend classes for a while. When they resume, Ms. Tamiya will inform you."
The principal didn't stay long. With something like this happening, he had his hands full.
"Ivan, I'm really glad you're okay."
After everyone else left, only Shinichi remained.
"Other than a bit of low blood sugar, I'm fine."
Ivan tore open the wrapping, grabbed a piece of pastry, and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
"Fuck… not bad."
Top-tier sweets. You could taste the quality. As the sugar hit his system, he finally felt like a living human again.
"Want some?"
He pushed the box toward Shinichi.
Shinichi watched him devour the food like a starving animal, swallowed unconsciously, then quickly shook his head. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of water, twisted it open, and handed it over.
"If nothing goes wrong, I should be discharged tomorrow."
Ivan took the bottle and downed it in one go, then leaned back against the headboard with a satisfied look.
"Oh, and next time, don't dump the whole 'hero' thing on me alone. Those reporters are a pain in the ass."
Shinichi looked a bit awkward. Before he could respond, Migi slid out from his hand and spoke up.
"Shinichi and I are not suitable for public exposure right now. He cannot disguise himself like you can. To others, you appear no different from a normal human."
Ivan smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
He picked up an orange, peeled it clean, and popped a slice into his mouth.
"What about Tamiya? Why didn't she come with you today?"
"She probably had something to deal with. But she asked me to pass along a message. The rest of the information will be given to you after you leave the hospital, at the usual place. Consider it compensation for this incident."
The two of them chatted for a bit longer.
Meanwhile, Migi had a lot of questions. It couldn't understand Ivan's regeneration. From its perspective, the only explanation was that a parasite inside Ivan had completely assimilated his body. Otherwise, there was no way he could reattach a severed arm like that.
"Maybe I'm just built different. Who knows," Ivan said with a shrug. Better to brush it off than come up with some bullshit story full of holes.
"Then we'll take our leave. Ivan, take care of yourself."
___
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69