Anyone in her position would accept the offered help, especially from someone well-dressed and articulate. The girl had no choice but to accept Shimada's assistance and followed him to an electronics store after he convinced her that one was nearby.
"Your mother must have called you several times, so let's cut down the time to the store," Shimada suggested, pointing with his finger to a narrow, dimly lit alley.
Initially hesitant, it seemed that Shimada had touched a weak point. The girl's mother was bedridden, sick, and needed reassurance as soon as possible. She was already an hour late returning home due to her overbearing boss, who had forced her to add an extra hour of work because of the influx of customers at the agency. To make matters worse, her phone had drained its entire battery without her noticing.
Shimada moved ahead while the girl followed closely behind, as the narrow alley could only accommodate one person at a time. In the middle of the passage, where the light barely reached, Shimada intentionally dropped his keychain.
"Sorry, you dropped this," the girl said as she picked it up from the ground.
The moment she raised her head, Shimada was ready to seize his opportunity. His grotesque, large head resembled a Venus flytrap, leaving her no time to panic or analyze what was happening. He crushed her skull with the strength of his jaws effortlessly, as if he were breaking a walnut.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the unusual scent of it drove Shimada to devour his victim voraciously. The tender flesh, with its appealing aroma, required no further crushing. It was a meal unlike any other he had consumed, and in no time, nothing remained of the innocent girl.
Shimada was still not satisfied, leading him to lick the blood that splattered on the wall. The girl had maintained a healthy lifestyle.
Later that night, in the dark room of the father, he sat at his desk, surrounded by empty alcohol bottles. Days after his wife's death, he struggled to cope with the loss and sank into deep sorrow. He had left his job as a detective after his supervisor granted him an indefinite leave to gather his strength, but it seemed this would take a long time.
There was a knock at the door.
Izumi opened his father's room, standing at the entrance. "Dad."
"I know," the father said, not allowing his son to continue, having understood from his arrival that he wanted him to stop drinking.
"I'm going to bed," the father added, holding a bottle of alcohol.
Izumi couldn't find the right words for the situation and remained silent for a moment before he excused himself, saying, "Good evening."
Just as Izumi took a step to leave, his father said, "Izumi, when did you become this strong?"
The father noticed that Izumi was unaffected by his mother's death, continuing to do what he always did as if nothing had happened.
"Are you... made of steel?!" the father said harshly to his son.
Izumi's eyes widened as he placed a hand on his chest, pained by his father's words, but he remained silent, allowing his father to express his feelings. The father quickly realized that his words had hurt his son and said softly, "I'm sorry."
The next morning, the street was bustling with people heading to their destinations, including Kana. However, she suddenly stopped while walking, sensing someone behind her. She turned slowly to identify him and see if he was following her or if it was just a coincidence.
"What?" Kana gasped upon seeing Shimada, who was a few meters away, watching her and walking behind her.
Shimada smiled slightly, having confirmed that the girl could detect every parasite around her. Remembering Izumi's advice to stay away from Shimada, Kana prepared to run away, but her first step collided with Mitsu, who was in front of her without her noticing. Mitsu was also tracking Kana, trying to keep her away from Izumi after learning that she had feelings for him.
"Mitsu, what are you doing here?!" Kana exclaimed after bumping into him.
"What's with him?" Mitsu asked, referring to Shimada's strange gaze directed at her.
He perceived Shimada as a new transfer student, which he interpreted as an easy target, giving Mitsu the courage to approach him.
"Don't!" Kana grabbed Mitsu's arm in a gesture of refusal, warning him.
"Shut up! You won't tell me when to act and when not to," Mitsu said, rejecting the idea of backing down.
Mitsu felt compelled to take Shimada somewhere out of sight, a suggestion that Shimada accepted without objection. Mitsu was very confident that he could overpower him.
Advancing with Shimada behind him, Mitsu stopped when he found a suitable spot to provoke a fight away from passersby. He turned to face Shimada, clenching his fists, only to receive three quick punches to different areas of his face that knocked him to the ground, motionless.
"I always prefer to avoid using violence, so I showed you some mercy. But if you dare to come looking for trouble next time without a good reason, I will end you," Shimada said before leaving the scene.
As he walked away, Shimada's strong instincts sensed that someone was watching him. He suddenly stopped and turned to reveal Yuko, who was hiding behind a tree, peeking. Spotting Shimada and Mitsu, Yuko decided to follow them and observe from a distance.
Embarrassed by her actions, she remained frozen behind the tree for several minutes. After she emerged, Shimada had already left, paying no attention to her presence.
**At the University**
Izumi stood before a wooden board displaying students' names for various purposes, such as admissions or exam successes. This was the place where he first met Murano. They shared a brief conversation about their studies, and Izumi was extremely shy in his responses, giving short answers and always placing a hand behind his head. After all, he had never experienced a romantic situation before, especially not with a girl as beautiful as Murano, who took the initiative to start the conversation.
"I don't think you remember me; we registered in the same hall for the entrance exam," Murano said during their exchange.
"That's right. I'm sorry; I didn't recognize you," Izumi replied, his hand still behind his head, feeling embarrassed.
"I was so nervous that I can hardly remember anything that happened that day," Izumi added.
"I'll see you at the start of the school year. I hope we'll be in the same class," Murano said, finishing her words with a sweet smile.
Not fully grasping the significance of the moment, Izumi nodded in acceptance, saying, "Yes, yes."