It was three in the afternoon at the gymnasium.
Kurozawa's class was having a physical education lesson.
Although it was called PE, after a simple roll call, the teacher let the students do whatever they wanted.
There weren't many sports facilities at this high school, and the basketball court sectioned off in the gymnasium was the most popular area.
Kurozawa, feeling bored, stood on the second floor of the gym, leaning on the railing, intermittently sipping a cola and looking down at the students below who were sweating and embracing their youth.
PE classes usually shared one venue among several classes, so there were some familiar faces to Kurozawa below, but more were students from other classes.
Among them was Shinichi Izumi.
In the morning, Kurozawa had keenly noticed Righty and Shinichi Izumi's gaze.
They were staring intently at his back until he went up the stairs and disappeared.
Although he hadn't fully awakened Fighting Spirit Perception yet, Kurozawa had an initial sense of being watched and could detect prying eyes.
Shinichi Izumi's abnormal reaction indicated that he knew Kurozawa also had a Parasitic Organism.
"I wonder if he'll think about hunting me."
As soon as this thought surfaced, Kurozawa laughed wryly and dismissed it from his mind.
The current Shinichi Izumi hadn't grown up yet; his first reaction to encountering a Parasitic Organism was to hide and flee, not to actively seek one out.
It was only after the accident at his home that, driven by hatred, Shinichi Izumi would actively begin hunting Parasitic Organisms. His character would become colder and more resilient, making him a protagonist who grew rapidly.
With the experience from his previous life, even though he couldn't control his Fighting Spirit yet, Kurozawa could still minimize his presence as much as possible.
At the same time, he had full control of Lefty, and currently wasn't emitting the unique mental fluctuations of a Parasitic Organism. Therefore, Shinichi Izumi hadn't noticed his gaze and was playing basketball with his classmates.
On the court, Shinichi Izumi, who always presented himself as a bookworm, was acting uncharacteristically. He skillfully dodged and weaved past people, jumped to shoot, and with every throw, the basketball accurately swished through the net, drawing shouts of praise.
A few minutes later, Kurozawa saw his classmate, Satomi Murano.
His eyes shifted slightly, then he turned and went downstairs, walking towards Satomi Murano.
On the other side, Satomi Murano was watching Shinichi Izumi play with two other girls, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
In Satomi Murano's impression, Shinichi Izumi wasn't someone good at sports. And her perception was quite sensitive for an ordinary person; she always felt there was something off, something strange about Shinichi Izumi.
But if you asked her what was wrong, she couldn't say, the feeling was vague and blurry.
"Shinichi-kun, sink another shot, and Satomi will forgive you!" another classmate of Kurozawa's, Mirai Tsukioka, shouted loudly. At the same time, the third girl also echoed the shout.
From the sound of it, they all knew each other.
Only Satomi Murano watched quietly, her face slightly flushed.
Shinichi Izumi, who was playing, turned his head and instantly became full of energy when he saw Satomi Murano.
Yesterday, Righty had taken matters into its own hands and made a lewd chest-grabbing move, making their relationship a bit awkward.
But it seemed Satomi Murano wasn't truly angry... Shinichi Izumi's mood was cheerful.
"Righty, help me," he whispered to his right hand during a break.
Immediately after, amidst the interception of several people, Shinichi Izumi leaped high from beyond the three-point line, and with a sudden thrust of his right hand, threw the basketball.
*Bang!* Under everyone's astonished gaze, the basketball arced gracefully through the air and went straight into the hoop.
Alright! Shinichi Izumi looked at the hidden eyeball on the back of his right hand and suddenly felt that although Righty was a Parasitic Organism, it had never harmed him and had helped him many times. Just on the first day, if it weren't for Righty's ability, he probably would have been hit by a car and killed. In the best-case scenario, he would have been hospitalized for several months.
"Thank you, Righty," he sincerely thanked it.
Afterward, Shinichi Izumi smiled, turned, and started walking towards Satomi Murano, wanting to explain the misunderstanding caused by Righty that day.
But as soon as he turned around, Shinichi Izumi stopped in his tracks, his smile freezing on his face.
He saw Kurozawa, the person Righty said he absolutely should not provoke, standing next to Satomi Murano, talking about something.
At the same time, his right hand trembled involuntarily, and an extremely tiny eyeball grew out, silently staring at Kurozawa, examining him carefully.
Shinichi Izumi saw the eyeball, and his heart settled a little. Then he quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Satomi Murano.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but he still stood firm, blocking Kurozawa with a determined gaze.
"What do you want?" Shinichi Izumi's voice was filled with tension.
Kurozawa didn't reply, only looked at Satomi Murano behind him.
Satomi Murano tugged at Shinichi Izumi's sleeve, looking up and saying, "Shinichi, don't act so strange."
"This is Kimishima Ryoma, our classmate."
Our classmate... These words hit Shinichi Izumi like a bolt from the blue, his heart sinking.
At this moment, Kurozawa said calmly, "You guys chat, I'll be going."
"Huh? Ryoma-kun, don't rush. Let's grab dinner together after school," Mirai Tsukioka tried to persuade him.
"No, I have things I need to take care of," Kurozawa replied casually and walked away with large strides.
After he left, Mirai Tsukioka's eyes sparkled as she said, "He said 'take care of things,' right? You guys heard it too."
"Ryoma-kun must be some important figure in the yakuza. He's completely different from everyone else at school. So cool."
Shinichi Izumi looked at Satomi Murano, his expression serious. "Satomi, that Kimishima Ryoma... you two are classmates, right? What's your relationship like?"
Satomi Murano paused, then shook her head. "Not close. Kimishima is the quiet type, really cold to everyone. We've barely said a few words to each other."
"What were you two talking about just now?" Shinichi Izumi didn't relax, pressing the question.
Hearing this, Satomi Murano looked at Shinichi Izumi strangely.
"We were talking about you."
"He said you're good at basketball and wanted to get to know you. Since I'm your friend, he came to ask me about you."
Shinichi Izumi froze for a moment, then his heart gave a sudden lurch. A bad feeling welled up.
"What did he ask you?"
Although she felt that Shinichi Izumi was acting a bit off today, Satomi Murano didn't ask further and quickly replied, "He asked me where you live. He said he'd visit sometime if he had the chance."
Thump! His heart leaped again. Shinichi Izumi's breathing became much heavier, and he felt a sense of suffocation. The last time he felt this was when he was very young, visiting the zoo and being silently stared at through the glass by a striped tiger.
"But I didn't tell him. I just said I wasn't sure myself."
Upon hearing this, Shinichi Izumi let out a long sigh and relaxed slightly, but cold sweat still dripped down his face.
Satomi Murano looked at Shinichi Izumi worriedly, asking with concern, "Shinichi, are you feeling unwell? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
Shinichi Izumi shook his head, forcing a smile. "No need. I'm just tired from playing basketball."
He said that, but his expression was heavy, and his mood was the same.
After school, it was still light, but the sunlight was yellowish.
Kurozawa didn't go straight home. Instead, he headed towards the largest fresh food supermarket nearby, planning to buy some food to restock his fridge.
Kana had said yesterday that they were running low on food at home, so he needed to buy more.
But as he passed a street-side underground parking garage, Kurozawa's steps paused, and he turned to look in that direction.
A scent similar to rust, but also carrying a hint of sweetness and blood, drifted into Kurozawa's Enhanced Sense of Smell with the wind.
"Very fresh scent of blood."
"Looks like some guys couldn't hold back."
He looked around, then subtly changed his route and walked towards the underground parking garage.
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