After a moment, the energy-saving lamp flickered, then returned to its normal brightness.
"Good, it didn't burn out," the man murmured to himself.
When he turned his head, Aiko covered her mouth in disbelief as she looked at him.
"Hey kid, did I scare you? Sorry, I came late," Masashi said with a smile.
In that instant, Aiko's mind went blank, and before she realized it, tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably. Almost instinctively, she ran to him at an incredible speed, throwing herself into his arms, and a heart-wrenching cry erupted.
"It's alright now," he gently stroked her head.
At his words, Aiko only clung to him tighter, crying even harder.
Masashi thought it best to let her cry it out; it might prevent any trauma later.
Five minutes passed before Aiko's sobbing finally subsided. She was so drained that she could barely stand, so Masashi had to support her by holding her around the waist.
"So, you're still here?" Masashi said indifferently, holding Aiko as he looked over at the middle-aged man.
The man stared at him with a curious expression. "Who are you?"
Masashi glanced at him but said nothing.
"Fine, don't answer, but I have another question. How did you get in? Were you here all along?" This was what most concerned Chiyama.
"No need to guess; I came in after you. Didn't your parents teach you to close the door before doing anything bad?" Masashi smirked.
"You..." Chiyama was furious but quickly suppressed his anger. With a cold snort, he walked over to the badly beaten Toyokawa Mito.
"Can we go now, Gennai? I'm really scared," Aiko murmured, trembling in Masashi's embrace.
"Alright, let's go. Can you walk on your own?" Masashi asked, wiping the tears from her face.
Aiko tried but, feeling frustrated, said, "My legs don't have any strength... What should I do?"
"I'll carry you."
Just then, Chiyama suddenly yelled, "You bastard! What have you done?"
Aiko jumped in fright, immediately burying her head in Masashi's chest.
"It's the middle of the night; why are you screaming like a ghost?" Masashi frowned.
Chiyama glared at him, pointing to Toyokawa's exposed body. "You idiot! You damaged a valuable composite parasite."
"My strikes were precise. He's not dead, is he?" Masashi said calmly.
"But you damaged his parasites. From now on, he'll be just an ordinary person. Do you realize how rare a specimen with two parasites is?" Chiyama was furious, his face red with anger.
"So what? Don't forget that your so-called treasure almost killed you. Besides, instead of letting you use it to harm others, destroying it was the cleanest option."
"You..." Chiyama glared at Masashi, as if about to attack.
Masashi's face remained calm and indifferent.
Sensing the tension between the two men, Aiko felt worried for Masashi. Although she didn't fully understand what had happened in the darkness, she knew this middle-aged man and Toyokawa seemed to possess strange abilities.
Not knowing what else to do, she glanced down at Toyokawa lying on the ground—and almost cried out in shock. His shirt was ripped open, revealing his bare chest, which was covered in large, purple bruises, obviously Masashi's handiwork. But what shocked her the most were two raised, half-rounded lumps on his right collarbone and chest, shaped just like human brains. Deep fist marks were embedded in each, almost flattening the bulges.
She started to understand what Chiyama meant by "parasite."
After what felt like an eternity, Chiyama finally unclenched his fists.
After facing off for so long, he realized he couldn't gauge Masashi's abilities. Although he was certain Masashi wasn't an esper, he had an inexplicable sense of reluctance to fight him. He decided it was best to avoid further conflict.
He glared at Masashi. "If you ever fall into my hands, I'll make sure you regret your attitude today."
"Blah, blah, blah. Is your midlife crisis hitting hard?" Masashi remained nonchalant.
With a cold snort, Chiyama hoisted Toyokawa over his shoulder and walked towards the exit, casting Masashi one last hateful glance before he left.
No fight? Masashi was slightly disappointed.
"Let's go, kid," he said, lifting Aiko onto his back.
Aiko nestled quietly on his back, clinging tightly to his neck.
Since Masashi's motorcycle had broken down on the way, he'd come by taxi. Now they would have to walk to the main road to flag a ride.
After about fifteen minutes, they could hear the sounds of passing cars.
"Hey, am I heavy?" Aiko whispered in his ear.
"Not really. You're lighter than a pig."
"Jerk," Aiko giggled, then tightened her grip around his neck defiantly.
"If you keep doing that, I'll have to smack you."
At his words, Aiko's face flushed, and she held onto him even tighter.
Masashi assumed she was still frightened and didn't mind, though it was a bit uncomfortable.
After a few more minutes, they finally reached a main road.
Masashi waved at a few cars, but none stopped. Growing annoyed, he stepped directly into the road.
After a few minutes, a medium-sized truck approached.
"What are you doing, trying to die? If you want to die, go jump off a building!" the driver shouted out the window.
Masashi walked to the driver's door, opened it, grabbed the driver by the shirt collar, and said, "You have two choices: give us a ride, or get a beating. Choose quickly."
The driver, thinking it was a robbery, went pale with fear.
"I—I don't have money! Please, I beg you, I really don't have any... I only have this much..." the driver stammered, pulling out a handful of crumpled bills.
Seeing his pitiful state, Aiko couldn't help but laugh.
"Relax. We just want a ride, not your money. Besides, that cash isn't even enough for toilet paper," Masashi said, opening the back door, putting Aiko inside, and following suit.
"Drive," Masashi said, giving the driver Aiko's address and closing the door.
Realizing they only wanted a lift, the driver let out a sigh of relief and reluctantly drove to the address.
"How did you find me, Gennai?" Aiko asked in the car, suddenly curious.
Masashi pointed to the coat she was wearing. "In the pocket, there's something. Take it out and have a look."
Aiko reached into the pocket and found a small device resembling a Game Boy.
"What is this?" she asked curiously.
Masashi took it, pressed a button, and handed it back to her.
"See the red dot?" he asked.
"Yes. What does it mean?"
"It means the signal source is here."
"What signal source?"
"The bracelet on your ankle. This device is a tracker, and the bracelet is a signal emitter. That's how I found you. Get it now?"
"You put a tracker on me?" Aiko was surprised and angry.
"Hey, kid, what's that attitude? Without it, someone might have eaten you by now. Do you think that tracker was cheap? I even had it customized to look nice so you'd wear it. The signal range is only two kilometers, and I had to search all over, even after my bike broke down. What an ungrateful brat." Masashi yawned.
Aiko fell silent, glancing at him before lowering her head as if deep in thought.
After a while, she whispered, "Thank you."
Masashi chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek.
Blushing, Aiko jerked away, scolding, "You're so improper."
The truck drove on for about an hour, finally reaching her apartment complex.
When Masashi was about to tell Aiko they'd arrived, he noticed she had fallen asleep.
With no other choice, he carefully carried her out of the truck.
"I was going to tip you, but your truck smells," he said, tossing a ten-thousand-yen note to the driver.
The driver, stunned by his good fortune, examined the bill in disbelief.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" the driver beamed.
Ignoring him, Masashi carried Aiko toward the apartment entrance.