Chapter 85: Goodbye, Murano Satomi
The next day, early morning.
"Good morning!" Izumi Shinichi, dressed in his school uniform, sat at his desk and greeted his mother.
Everything was the same as usual.
He just felt a slight discomfort in his right hand; he clenched it, then released it.
"Eat your breakfast properly, don't forget your lunch," his mother said, placing breakfast on Shinichi's desk and giving him a few more instructions before hurrying away.
"My right hand feels a little numb," Shinichi said, feeling uneasy.
"It's because you tied your headphone cord around your arm! You're still half asleep!"
Shinichi wanted to say something, but his mother had already left.
"I'm heading out," he said, followed by the sound of a door closing.
Walking to school that morning as usual, Shinichi, being a bit of an introvert, still didn't have a girlfriend despite his age.
"Hey!!" Suddenly, someone slapped him on the back.
Shinichi, who had been thinking about his right hand, was startled by the sudden contact.
"Why are you so jumpy?" It was Murano Satomi; this seemed like a normal everyday interaction between the two.
"What are you doing?" Izumi Shinichi complained. "Don't scare me like that, you could give me a heart attack!"
However, despite his feigned displeasure at his childhood friend's sudden approach, Shinichi was secretly thrilled.
Just as he was about to say something, Murano Satomi suddenly called out and ran off into the distance.
"What's wrong?" Shinichi asked, puzzled. But when he glanced in the direction she had gone, he stopped in his tracks.
It was the man he had seen yesterday.
"Wearing so little in this cold weather, he's really trying to look cool," Shinichi muttered under his breath.
"Hi, sir, do you remember me?" Murano Satomi had already run up to the man in the black suit, bowed politely, and greeted him. "Yesterday, you saved me on that street over there..."
The man seemed to pause for a moment when he saw Murano Satomi, but quickly smiled. "Hello, of course I remember."
"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Murano Satomi, and I go to that school over there."
"Jake."
"Ah? You're a foreigner?"
"What? Don't I look like one?"
"No, no," Murano Satomi shook her head repeatedly. "It's just that your Japanese is so good, I always thought you were a local."
How could I possibly be Japanese?!
But he wouldn't say that out loud, and besides, this movie world was essentially fictional, so it was best not to bring in real-world historical issues if possible.
Otherwise, if Jake traveled through hundreds of worlds, he would have to deal with hundreds of complicated political situations, which would be too much trouble.
The two chatted happily as they walked towards the school together.
Last night, after capturing the parasite , Jake returned to the Princess Diaries world with them and handed them over to Dr. Simms, explaining the details of the parasites.
Upon first learning of these extraordinary creatures, Dr. Simms almost had an animal parasitized right in front of him, but Jake intervened in time.
Only five parasite larvae had been captured; these larvae were extremely rare. As for the parasitized creatures he wanted to study, he could capture as many as he wanted.
After swiftly dissecting the larva that Jake had nearly killed, Simms provided Jake with clear information: the creature's biological structure was both peculiar and simple; given enough subjects and materials, he could definitely research what Jake wanted.
After receiving this information, Jake took a short nap and then traveled back to the Parasyte world.
He originally planned to capture two parasites that had already completed their parasitism, but unexpectedly encountered Murano Satomi again, and it seemed she had quite a bit of interest in him?
Remembering his complicated situation with Mia , since it didn't work out there, why not try something different here?
At the school gate, Jake said goodbye to Murano Satomi and arranged to have lunch together at a fast-food restaurant that afternoon. Murano Satomi had invited him, claiming it was to thank him for saving her life.
However, this should really be considered a date.
After Murano Satomi entered the school, Izumi Shinichi, who had been following them, approached. He instinctively tried to avoid Jake. Having been tempered and developed across many worlds, Jake possessed a maturity, confidence, and a multifaceted personality—sometimes cynical, sometimes serious—making him seem like someone who had life figured out. This was quite intimidating to someone like Izumi Shinichi who lacked confidence.
However, thinking about his goals, Jake felt he should cooperate with this protagonist.
"Excuse me," Jake stopped Izumi Shinichi.
"Yes?"
"My name is Jake," he said, extending his hand to Izumi Shinichi.
Although puzzled, Izumi Shinichi still introduced himself and shook hands with him.
During the handshake, Jake clearly felt that this right hand was unusual, seemingly very powerful. It seemed the plot hadn't changed; he was still being parasitized by Migi.
He just wondered which five lucky people in this world had escaped with their lives.
"Since you're Miss Murano's friend, I feel there's something I should tell you."
"What is it?"
"If you feel anything strange happening to your right hand, remember to come find me. I might be able to help you figure it out, but you'll have to help me out in return."
"Uh, okay." Izumi Shinichi wasn't particularly interested in this kind of dialogue, which sounded like something out of a movie, feeling like the guy was trying to mess with him. However, thinking about the strange sensations in his right hand, he hesitated for a moment but still agreed.
Just today, a series of strange things happened to Izumi Shinichi's right hand. For example, his arm would extend impossibly far to pick up an eraser that was out of reach.
Or, while playing basketball, his right hand uncontrollably made a half-court shot.
Jake intended to use the plot to negotiate with Izumi Shinichi for Migi's help. After all, parasites could sense other parasites, and with this living radar, his parasite hunting mission would become much simpler.
Watching Jake leave, Izumi Shinichi touched his right hand with his left. He felt like his right hand no longer belonged to him. Should he tell Jake about this? He quickly suppressed the thought; Jake was a stranger, after all. He'd deal with it when things got really serious.
This was just a minor incident for Jake.
He wandered the streets and alleys, sampling some local Japanese snacks.
The parasites are completely indistinguishable from humans, and Jake has no way of telling them apart from ordinary people. Therefore, this so-called search can only be considered a tourist trip.
Now, all he can do is try his luck and wait for Izumi Shinichi's parasite—Migi—to wake up so he can cooperate with it.
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