Chapter 19: Mount Takao

As soon as the weather cleared, Cyrus completed the discharge procedures and left the hospital.

The first thing he did after leaving was call Ryoko Tamiya and head to the café where she was waiting. He picked up the remaining documents from her. With these documents, he estimated that his fusion progress would reach 90%.

“Are you attempting to merge with the Parasitic Beasts? How are the experiments going?” Cyrus asked as he skimmed through the documents, noticing some intriguing details.

“Don’t try to pry into matters that don’t concern you, or I can’t guarantee I won’t be forced to take drastic measures,” Ryoko Tamiya said with a cold, unwavering stare.

“Okay. When the time comes, I’m sure I’ll see it for myself,” Cyrus replied, taking the documents and preparing to leave.

“School will resume normal classes in a month,” Ryoko added.

“Got it.”

Over the next month, Cyrus frequented various famous eateries throughout Tokyo.

The gruesome incidents involving dismemberment seemed to have drastically decreased, possibly due to the negative impact of the recent Parasitic Beast incident. Cyrus suspected that while the attacks hadn’t stopped, they were now happening in more remote, less populated areas.

“Shinichi, I’m over here,” Cyrus called, waving from a seat by the window in a maid café.

“Why did you bring me to a place like this?” Shinichi looked around curiously; it was his first time visiting a maid café.

“I heard the coffee here is excellent, so I thought I’d give it a try. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Morino Rumi,” Cyrus said, signaling for the maids to leave. He wanted to ensure their conversation remained private.

“Have you had any conflicts with Ryoko Tamiya at school recently?” Cyrus took a sip of his coffee and asked.

Shinichi frowned as he sat across from Cyrus. “Just yesterday, I wanted to confront her, but she left before I could. She also said some strange things.”

“She believes that all creatures on Earth are driven by some sort of command—like how flies instinctively know to flap their wings and spiders weave webs from birth. When she took over a human brain, she received a similar command: to wipe out humanity!”

Shinichi leaned back, his gaze fixed on Cyrus. “Did you receive that command too?”

Seeing Shinichi’s concerned expression, Cyrus shook his head. “I have no knowledge of any such command. What she described sounds more like an instinct—meaning that killing or consuming humans is just an inherent trait of the Parasitic Beasts.”

“Instinct?” Shinichi pondered this.

“Exactly. It’s like lions hunting antelopes; for Parasitic Beasts, their prey is humans.”

“It seems that way,” Cyrus agreed.

However, Shinichi struggled to understand. If that were the case, Parasitic Beasts should have appeared at the dawn of humanity, rather than suddenly infiltrating human society now.

“Why did they appear so suddenly?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out in the future,” Cyrus replied. He didn’t want to delve further into the issue with Shinichi, as it seemed futile. The appearance of Parasitic Beasts seemed more like a result of Earth’s consciousness manipulating events. Even if they existed, it didn’t mean humanity would stop damaging the environment—a notion that seemed unrealistic.

“By the way, are your parents still at home?” Cyrus’s question caught Shinichi off guard.

“Are you looking for them? Is something wrong?” Shinichi asked, confused.

Cyrus recalled that in the original story, Shinichi’s parents were attacked by a Parasitic Beast while traveling, and his mother was killed. The Parasitic Beast that killed her had even taken over her body.

“I just wanted to visit your home,” Cyrus said.

“They left for a trip yesterday and won’t be back for a while.”

“So soon!” Cyrus exclaimed, startled by the news.

“What’s wrong?” Shinichi sensed something was off about Cyrus today.

Cyrus felt a pang of worry; he had missed his chance. Shinichi’s mother might already be in danger. “You know the situation with the Parasitic Beasts. Why didn’t you stop them? This isn’t a good time for traveling, especially with how much the Parasitic Beasts prefer attacking in remote areas.”

Shinichi was reminded of his fears by Cyrus’s words. He hadn’t tried to stop his parents because he couldn’t find a plausible reason. He feared that revealing the existence of Mickey might lead to a worse outcome, as Mickey was as emotionless as the Parasitic Beasts.

“They should be fine. The number of Parasitic Beast attacks has been almost nonexistent lately,” Shinichi tried to convince himself.

“Where did your parents go on their trip?” Cyrus asked, hoping to find a way to help.

“They didn’t tell me where they were going,” Shinichi said, shaking his head.

Cyrus put down his coffee and said with a hint of sarcasm, “You actually risked your parents’ safety? What if they’ve been killed? Can you handle that, or do you not care?”

Shinichi’s anger flared at Cyrus’s harsh words. He stood up abruptly, knocking over his coffee, which spilled over him. The sudden commotion drew the attention of everyone around.

As his anxiety increased, Shinichi looked down at his right hand.

“You’re right. Traveling isn’t a good idea with the Parasitic Beasts still around,” Shinichi said, feeling more alert after the coffee spilled. “Some things you can’t avoid, no matter what.”

Shinichi quickly opened his phone and found his mother’s contact, dialing it immediately.

*Beep beep!*

After several tense seconds, the call was answered.

Hearing his mother’s familiar voice on the other end, Shinichi’s voice trembled with relief.

“Ask them where they are now,” Cyrus urged from the side.

“Tell me where you are right now!” Shinichi asked urgently.

“There's no time for explanations. We’ll tell you everything when you get back,” his mother’s voice said.

Shinichi quickly learned their location. “They’re at Mount Takao. It’s only an hour away from here.”

Hanging up, Shinichi was eager to leave.

“Shinichi, no human should know about my existence,” Migi emerged from Shinichi’s palm.

“Shut up! Believe it or not, I’ll cut you off,” Shinichi threatened, picking up a small knife from the floor and holding it to his arm.

Migi sensed Shinichi’s seriousness.

“Is family really that important? Humans are such strange creatures.”

“Parasitic Beasts could never understand human emotions. You’re all just soulless creatures!” Shinichi said, not even bothering to change his coffee-stained clothes. He stood on the street and flagged down a taxi.

“Please go to Mount Takao. Thank you.”