Hirokazu Nagano and Touka Takanashi spent a brief moment chatting casually in the corridor, sharing small details about Akira’s daily life.
Seeing that the adults' conversation was rapidly heading toward embarrassing territory, Akira promptly took the initiative to intervene. He quickly bid farewell to Touka and pulled his uncle’s arm to drag him straight inside the apartment.
"Uncle Nagano, please make yourself at home," Akira said as he poured a cup of warm barley tea to welcome his uncle.
Nagano accepted the cup, taking a small sip to moisten his dry throat after a long day of work. "Akira, how have you been adapting since moving here to Chiba for school? Is everything going smoothly? If you ever need some extra spending money, just let me know right away."
Akira sat on the opposite sofa, a thin, genuine smile playing on his lips despite his inner resignation. "Uncle Nagano, I'm doing perfectly fine here. Didn't I tell you before that the balance in my account is more than enough for my living expenses? You don't need to go through the trouble of sending me money every single month. You should focus on taking care of your own health and stop working so much overtime."
Despite maintaining an incredibly packed schedule at the police department, Nagano never once neglected Akira when it came to material needs. The man always ensured his nephew's requirements were met and constantly carved out time to visit during his days off.
Having lived two entire lifetimes, Akira felt the warmth of paternal affection for the very first time from the middle-aged man standing before him.
Nagano chuckled proudly, patting his own chest. "Don't worry about me, I'm only thirty-five. This physical body of mine is still incredibly young and fit!"
"Oh, right. This is for you." Nagano reached into his trouser pocket and tossed a small object across the sofa space.
Akira reflexively extended his hand, catching the object with perfect precision. "A padlock...?"
"A friend of mine told me that the Kawasaki Ninja 400 is perfect for young people these days. The engine capacity is just right, the design is sleek, and it's not too heavy for someone your age. So, I ordered one as an early birthday gift for you." Nagano winked, flashing a broad grin.
"Uncle Nagano... thank you so much."
"Hehe, what's there to be formal about? We're family! Just think of it as your starter capital to charm a few high school girls at your new academy." Nagano directly wrapped his arm around Akira’s shoulder, giving a knowing nudge.
Akira could only flash a dry, wry smile. This was truly his uncle's classic personality shine through!
Because of Nagano's sudden arrival, Akira decided to cook a full-course meal that evening, filling the dining table with a variety of delicious dishes.
"Let's eat!"
The atmosphere over dinner was remarkably warm. Both of them completely ignored the ancient rule of staying silent while eating and began chatting casually.
"Mmm~ Akira, your cooking never fails to impress! Even the chefs at the headquarters' main cafeteria have nothing on this rolled omelet of yours." Nagano picked up a piece of grilled fish with his chopsticks, devouring it with a highly satisfied expression.
"The chefs at your cafeteria are all certified professionals, Uncle. There's no way my home cooking can compete with that," Akira replied with a chuckle.
Nagano's face suddenly turned a bit serious, as if he had just recalled something crucial. "Akira, for the next few days, try your best not to go outside late at night. The situation out there is a bit unsafe."
"Eh? What's going on, Uncle? Does it have to do with your new job at the department?" Akira tried to probe. So far, he only knew that his uncle had been transferred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but he was completely in the dark regarding the specific special division his uncle commanded.
Nagano took a mouthful of rice, seemingly weighing something in his mind before responding with a vague wave. "Something like that. A few dangerous fugitives were recently detected fleeing into the Chiba region. The police are currently conducting a tight sweep out of concern that they might do something reckless to civilians."
"I see... Alright, I'll make sure to stay locked inside the apartment during the evening," Akira answered, pretending to be obedient to protect his own nighttime secrets.
***
After dinner concluded, Nagano decided to stay the night. Akira told his uncle to take a shower first while he headed into the guest bedroom to arrange the bedding.
*TING!*
As Akira was busy pulling clean bedsheets and pillows from the closet, the phone inside his pocket suddenly vibrated. He reached into his pocket, opening a LINE notification that displayed a new message.
[Ghost Girl]: Akira-kun didn't return to the classroom after Hiratsuka-sensei called him away this afternoon. Did something bad happen?
[Pure High School Boy]: Don't even ask. I just got tricked into signing a slave contract with the Service Club because the club president's mother happens to be the biggest shareholder of this academy. Talk about a ruthless, disgusting capitalist system!
[Ghost Girl]: The... Service Club?
[Pure High School Boy]: Kato, you also think the club's name sounds incredibly ambiguous and weird, right? The president is a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair. The core concept is basically like a Yorozuya that accepts random odd jobs, but the name itself sounds totally sketchy.
[Ghost Girl]: But shouldn't that be a good thing for you, Akira-kun? A beautiful girl with long, straight black hair sounds exactly like your ideal type.
[Pure High School Boy]: Her visuals are admittedly top-tier, but unfortunately, she possesses a razor-sharp tongue that is incredibly exhausting to deal with. Come to think of it, I find Kato to be way cuter than her.
[Ghost Girl]: Eh... Akira-kun, just so you know, I am an ordinary girl. I feel a bit bewildered and uncomfortable when someone suddenly drops a flirtatious line like that out of nowhere...
[Pure High School Boy]: Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to flirt, my mouth just reflexively voiced the most honest thoughts inside my heart.
[Ghost Girl]: My mother told me to go take a bath now. Akira-kun, let's catch up another time.
The smile on Akira's face instantly froze as he stared at his screen. 'Dammit... did I just completely ruin the conversation?!'
On the other side of Chiba.
Kato Megumi lowered her phone from her face, then slowly touched the ends of her shoulder-length short hair. The girl stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, murmuring quietly to herself. "Maybe... there's no harm in trying out a different hairstyle for a change?"
***
"What are you looking at with that creepy smile on your face, huh? Did some girl invite you out for a midnight date?" Nagano, who had just finished showering, suddenly appeared right behind Akira with a towel wrapped around his neck.
The uncle's sharp gaze quickly locked onto the chat history on his nephew's screen. "Oh, you really are exchanging messages with a girl. Impressive, kid. A young lady from the prominent Yukinoshita family isn't enough for you? You truly inherited half of my legendary charisma from my younger days."
Akira reflexively coughed, quickly shoving his phone back into his pocket. "Cough... We're just regular friends! Besides, Yukinoshita and I can barely even be considered friends."
"Relax, your uncle can be your ultimate wingman. That young lady is known for having a difficult personality to crack, but I happen to have a solid connection with her mother. If you ever need secret tips to approach the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, I can give you some golden advice." Nagano burst into hearty laughter, always enthusiastic when it came to his nephew's romantic life.
Akira instantly shivered in horror as he imagined how Yukinoshita's sharp tongue would shred his pride to pieces if that ever happened. "Aha... let's talk about that another time, Uncle. For now, you should head to bed and get some rest."
***
After ensuring his uncle was sound asleep in the guest room, Akira locked his own bedroom door from the inside and sat cross-legged on the edge of the mattress.
"Alright, let's use the two remaining gacha tickets tonight. Hopefully, something good drops."
[ Congratulations! You have obtained weapon: Quinque Kula x1 ]
[ Congratulations! You have obtained item: Parasyte Prototype - Modified Module x1 ]
Akira raised his eyebrows with high interest as he scanned the rows of transparent system text floating right in front of him.
[ Quinque Kula ]: A specialized heavy sword forged from rigid Quinque steel. The signature weapon belonging to Amon Koutarou from the Ghoul universe. Features a unique mechanism that allows it to separate into a pair of dual-wielded blades for high agility.
Characteristics: Maximum Durability (Incredibly hard and virtually indestructible).
System Note: *1000 - 7 = ?*
[ Parasyte Prototype - Modified Module ]: A biologically altered parasitic organism originating from the Parasyte universe. This entity completely lacks self-awareness, does not require human flesh or blood to survive, and can fuse with any chosen body part of the host to be controlled with absolute perfection.
System Note: *I am no longer an ordinary human, Host!*
Akira chose to ignore the two absurd system notes that bordered on insanity. He extended his right hand forward, materializing his first weapon.
A heavy, deep-blue greatsword instantly manifested within his grip. Akira gripped the hilt tightly, testing a few experimental swings into the air. The sensation of its weight was massive, but with his current superhuman physical conditioning, he could handle its trajectory quite well.
Akira pressed the mechanical switch on the hilt. The greatsword instantly split into two sleeker blades, providing far more agile space for tactical maneuvers.
"Excellent. Now I have a heavy weapon for frontal assaults and a fast pair of blades for close-quarters engagement." Akira nodded with satisfaction. He was entirely certain that if he had possessed a weapon of Kula's caliber last night, he could have effortlessly decapitated that parasite monster in a single strike without needing to rely on Igris to bail him out.
"Damn, considering my cheap katana shattered and vanished last night after just one use... What a complete waste of money," Akira muttered, mourning the state of his wallet.
Akira's gaze then shifted to the second reward floating inside his system inventory.
[ Parasyte Prototype - Modified Module ]. Akira weighed his options with visible hesitation. Even though the system guaranteed that this creature lacked self-awareness and could be controlled 100% without any risk of losing bodily autonomy, Akira still felt a lingering sense of revulsion at the thought of an alien organism living inside his own tissue.
There was no other reason; Akira simply found the physical form of the Parasyte to be far too grotesque. If he were to actually use its power, he would end up looking exactly like a supervillain in the eyes of others.
Akira glanced at the wall clock, noting that it was already deep into the night. He promptly returned the Kula greatsword into his system inventory, switched off the bedroom lights, and threw his body onto the mattress.
'Finally, I can get some proper sleep. Damn, my body and mental focus are completely drained after fighting that monster for my life last night.'
Akira slowly closed his eyes, ready to drift into dreamland.
Yet, only a few seconds after his consciousness began to dim, a piercing, high-pitched alarm abruptly rang out, echoing directly inside his mind.
[ Alert: Urgent Mission Has Been Activated! ]
Target Coordinates: xxx, xxx (Location has been marked on the mini-map)
Clear Reward: Gacha Ticket x1
Akira’s face instantly turned pitch-black in the darkness of his room.
"Son of a—!" Akira cursed out loud, forced to throw his blanket aside in pure frustration.
***
Under the silence of the quiet night, a dark silhouette flashed rapidly across Chiba City's sidewalks. Akira utilized his shadow manipulation capability to melt seamlessly into the darkness, shifting from one point to another instantly. Whenever the duration of his skill ran out and entered its cooldown period, he would leap out of the shadow zones and sprint fiercely across the rooftops while waiting for the ability to recover.
*SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!*
The sharp, biting howl of the night wind roared in his ears, tearing against the fabric of his long black cloak. Akira cast a brief glance toward the floating system map panel at the edge of his vision.
'Is this direction... outside the city limits?' Akira was slightly caught off guard mid-sprint. 'Well, actually, this works out better. If the area is deserted outside the town, I can fight with everything I've got without holding back.'
Akira controlled the dark energy around him, forming a pitch-black mask that tightly covered his entire face, leaving only a thin slit around his mouth so he could breathe freely.
*THUD!*
Both of Akira’s feet landed solidly on the edge of a detached house's roof. He bent his knees slightly, dropping into a low stance, and then drove his legs forward with the full force of his superhuman physical conditioning.
*BOOM!*
A low-frequency sonic boom instantly detonated from his point of impact. The concrete surface of the roof cracked and shattered into a spiderweb pattern, launching several small stone debris that rattled onto the ground below.
In another neighborhood not too far away.
Kato Megumi had just finished drying her hair after a bath. The girl was lounging on her bed while scrolling through her phone, when her ears suddenly caught a faint thumping sound from the outside. She reflexively shifted her gaze toward her bedroom window.
Her sharp eyes caught a brief glimpse of a blurry silhouette clad in a black cloak, tearing through the air like lightning before vanishing into the deep shadows of the night.
Kato rubbed her eyes in confusion, staring back out at the quiet night sky. "Did I... just see things?"
***
The mountain forest area on the outer fringes of Chiba City.
A man wearing a police uniform, his face completely pale as a corpse, was running like a lunatic, tearing through bushes and dense trees with staggered, panicked steps.
'Damn it! Damn it! That bastard has pursued me this far, why won't he just give up?!' the uniformed man cursed in pure panic inside his head.
Not far behind his footsteps, a massive blaze was roaring crimson, consuming dry twigs and foliage with unnatural speed, sending thick columns of smoke billowing into the night sky. The rampaging inferno kept spreading forward, relentlessly chasing his path of retreat.
"Officer, do you require assistance?" A cold, baritone voice suddenly resonated from the darkness of a massive tree right ahead.
*SHADOW!*
Akira stepped out from the shadow of the large trunk, standing tall with his black cloak flowing and his mask locked in place.
The policeman flinched in shock, reflexively halting his steps. But the moment his eyes registered that the figure before him was a human and not the monster pursuing him, his pale face was instantly painted with immense relief. He rushed forward, grabbing the shoulder of Akira’s cloak, pleading with a trembling voice. "There's... there's a crazy arsonist right behind me! Please, can you hold him off for a bit?! I need to get out of here right now to contact headquarters and call for a suppression squad!"
Akira knitted his brows behind his black mask as he observed the unnatural spreading speed of the flames ahead.
'So this is the mission objective? But the sheer destructive scale of this fire element... Isn't this a bit too overkill for a regular fugitive? Well, since I'm already here, I might as well investigate first.'
Completely ignoring the policeman's panicked rants, Akira’s body melted right back into the shadow beneath his feet, moving rapidly underground to bypass the blazing fire toward the center of the enemy's energy source.
Watching the cloaked figure vanish into the darkness of the dirt in such a mystical fashion, the policeman let out a long breath of relief, and then a strange, knowing smile curved onto his lips.