Attack Of Parasites

"Could it be that you'll feel scared staying home alone?" his father used a tactic to make Izumi accept the idea.

The father succeeded in his intent as Izumi exploded, saying, "That's not it; that's not the reason."

"The reason is that they..." Izumi began but didn't finish his sentence.

"They?!!!" The parents were surprised by the word, and his father repeated it, urging Izumi to complete his thought.

"Don't worry..." Izumi said, as if he had just made a mistake in choosing the right words.

"Izumi, if you strongly oppose this trip, we will cancel it," his mother intervened.

"For heaven's sake, dear, there's no need for all this fear," his father rejected the idea of cancellation.

"There's something that's been bothering me for a while. Is there anything troubling you, Izumi?" his mother asked, sensing that something was off.

"No, no," Izumi replied.

"Maybe one of your friends or your teachers..." His mother insisted, continuing down the path that something was wrong.

"There's nothing! We agreed!" Izumi said before getting up from the table, wanting to put an end to the topic.

"I'm leaving," Izumi added, causing his mother to tense up even more.

As Izumi left the house, Migi called out to remind him of their agreement. "Izumi, I shouldn't have to remind you, but..." Migi appeared and said.

"I know," Izumi replied in a clear voice.

"If I tell my parents about my right hand, I don't know what Migi might do. He doesn't care about others; he's only trying to protect me because my survival is tied to his. My parents don't matter to him at all, and if he feels they pose a threat, he won't hesitate to get rid of them. Migi lacks emotion and feeling; when it comes to that, he is no different from Tamiya or others of his kind." Izumi thought to himself as he headed to the university.

"He's hiding something!" Izumi's mother said after being alone with her husband at home.

"Of course, it would be unusual if he didn't have a few secrets," said his father, Takashi.

"In my opinion, he's a good boy, perhaps even overly so. He's disciplined when it comes to his studies and doesn't cause any trouble," the father added.

"You're right, but I have a feeling that what he's hiding is important and has affected how he interacts with those around him," said the mother as she washed the dishes.

"We don't know. It's possible he's in love with a girl, and that's affecting his behavior. You know how these things impact young people today," the father tried to reassure his wife.

As evening fell, Izumi finished his classes. Before heading home, Migi had convinced him of the necessity of obtaining a weapon—a gun—and keeping it for emergencies. Instead of having to get close to someone and stab them with a table leg, now he could end things from a few steps away with just the pull of a trigger. This idea eventually swayed Izumi after his initial objections.

He searched online through the black market for the weapon he wanted to buy and arranged a meeting place and price with the seller. With the money Izumi had saved up, he was able to acquire the gun without any issues and then headed straight home.

In his office, Izumi was working on some homework while Migi played beside him, fondling the gun he held for the first time and searching for information about firearms and calibers on the computer.

"Tell me, Migi, shouldn't I be worried about my parents' trip?" Izumi set his pen down and asked.

"Depending on their destination, it should be fine if they're heading somewhere outside the urban area," Migi replied.

"Really!" Izumi said, intrigued.

"Yes, considering the probabilities, my kind tends to gather in urban areas where food is plentiful. Not to mention, they tend to target solitary individuals. If they're going on a trip to the countryside, it should be safer compared to now," Migi explained, waving the gun in various directions.

Suddenly, the door to Izumi's room opened unexpectedly by his mother, catching him off guard since he was sitting with his back to the door.

"I guess I shouldn't oppose it too strongly," Izumi said aloud.

"Izumi," his mother called out.

"What!!!?" Izumi exclaimed, quickly placing his right hand behind his back and turning to face his mother, who was still standing at the door.

"Were you talking to someone?" she asked, having heard him speaking, but she couldn't see Migi or the gun he was holding due to Izumi's body blocking the view.

"To myself!!! What did you want?" Izumi replied, sounding agitated and perhaps a bit rude.

"Dinner is almost ready, and I just wanted to let you know," his mother said, a look of sadness crossing her face due to her son's reaction.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," Izumi replied.

Before his mother left the room, he added, "Mom, please knock before you open the door next time. Don't forget, okay? We agreed." Izumi said, anxious and aware of the danger if she had seen Migi along with the gun.

"Okay," his mother said after a long silence that indicated her displeasure with how her son spoke to her.

"I felt like I was going to have a heart attack," Izumi said out loud after his mother left.

"A heart attack! That would be bad for me," Migi replied.

"He yelled at me when I walked into his room," the mother later informed the father about Izumi's rude behavior.

"Was he... you know, doing something inappropriate?" the father joked.

Izumi got up from his desk to join his family for dinner, his right hand still stretched out. Migi continued to handle the gun, moving from corner to corner and aiming in various directions, mimicking what he had seen in a video of police officers raiding a gang hideout.

"Come on, Migi, it's dinner time. Aren't you hungry?" Izumi said at the door as he prepared to leave.

"It feels comfortable in my hand; it's not heavy. You need to train your left hand to aim and hit the target with the first shot," Migi replied, maneuvering and creating angles for shooting.

"Alright, put it in the desk drawer. They're waiting for us," Izumi said.

He opened the door, and as he left, Migi followed him, returning to his normal state.

"I told you both this morning that I opposed your trip. After thinking it over, I realized you deserve some time alone to relax in a secluded place with fresh air, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. So I've changed my mind and support the idea of the trip," Izumi said as he reached the dining table.

"So when did you decide to go?" he added.

His mother paused from eating her onigiri and placed her hands under the table. "I don't understand, Izumi. What's going on with you? You were strongly opposed to the trip this morning. What happened for you to change your mind and now decide for us without caring what we want?"

It seemed his mother had reached her breaking point regarding Izumi; she was tired of the emotional ups and downs he had been experiencing, as if her son had been diagnosed with split personality disorder without her knowing.