As evening fell, Izumi remained sprawled on the ground in the same position, but there was a positive sign regarding his condition—his body had responded to the cells Megi had supplied him. He was alive, breathing normally, but still unconscious as Megi worked hard to bring him back to awareness.
Megi stretched and headed to the kitchen to find something that could help revive Izumi. The shelves were filled with numerous pots, small containers, spices, and powders—things Megi wasn't accustomed to seeing since Izumi wasn't skilled at cooking.
He grabbed some sugar and went to the sink, forming his body into a jar to fill it with water. After adding the sugar, he returned to Izumi to give him the drink he had prepared. He fashioned one of his fingers into a pipette and placed it in Izumi's mouth to transfer the drink.
**The sound of the phone ringing.**
Izumi's eyelids stirred, and he slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he remained unaware of his surroundings until he gathered his strength and tried to get up. On his knees, he struggled to breathe, making sounds that indicated he was in pain. He found his glasses and stared blankly at the spot where his mother had stood before attacking him.
Struggling to his feet, Izumi leaned against the wall as he made his way to the bathroom. He washed his face and then placed his head under the faucet, breathing quickly as if he had just finished a sprint. He coughed violently, causing some blood to spill out.
Looking into the mirror, he saw a pale, sallow face with tired eyes. His shirt was stained with blood. He stripped off his shirt and threw it on the ground, revealing a large, deep wound on both his chest and back—an injury shaped like a starfish.
Izumi couldn't tear his gaze away from the wound for a moment, contemplating its shape and how it had come to be.
"The hole has closed," Izumi said aloud, placing his left hand over the injury.
"It's deep. It looks like it's closed up, almost melted together instead of stitched," he thought out loud.
He continued to feel the wound for a while until he turned his attention to his right hand. Having momentarily forgotten about Megi, he raised it to eye level and whispered, "Megi!"
"Must be that Megi was present. Could it be that Megi healed me? It has to be him who treated me," Izumi pondered aloud.
Leaning against the sink, slightly bent over, he recalled his mother's face cracking when she attacked him. Conflicting emotions surged within him—sadness and anger, a longing for his mother, and the immediate desire for revenge against the parasite, along with feelings of regret...
Overwhelmed by these emotions, Izumi fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"So it wasn't a dream," Izumi said in a voice choked with sobs, having hoped that what had happened was just a nightmare.
**The sound of the home phone ringing.**
Izumi noticed the ringing and got up to answer, hoping it would be his father on the line.
"Hello," Izumi said as he picked up the receiver.
"We finally reached you," a female voice replied.
"I'm calling from Sakurazaki Hospital. Is this where Izumi lives?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Izumi replied coolly, but his demeanor changed immediately as he realized the woman was calling from the hospital. He added eagerly, "Is something wrong with my dad?"
"Yes, but he's fine; he's sleeping now. His life is not in danger. When you come to visit him, bring some of his clothes and..." the woman started to say.
"I'm on my way," Izumi interrupted, not allowing her to finish.
He quickly changed his clothes and grabbed some of his father's clothing in a small bag. As he was leaving the house, he found Murano waiting outside, forced to wait due to what she had heard from the student.
Izumi stood for a moment, surprised to see Murano, while her expression turned to one of sadness upon seeing him in that state.
"I came because you didn't come to school. With your parents missing, I thought maybe you stayed home after the fight..." Murano said, her thoughts scattered.
Without looking at her, Izumi replied and then moved to leave. "My dad was injured on his trip."
"What?? Then it must be hard on your mom..." Murano said, concerned.
Izumi stopped walking and turned suddenly towards Murano, his eyes sharp. "I won't be going back to school for a while."
"Izumi..." Murano whispered softly, watching him walk away.
"Izumi..." This time, she shouted at the top of her lungs as he turned around. "You will come back, right?"
Izumi nodded slightly and said in a barely audible voice, "Not before I kill her."
Izumi boarded the ferry to reach the place where his father was, Sakurazaki Hospital. As he sat by the window, watching the sunset, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He couldn't find peace, with many questions swirling in his head, including how his father had survived the parasite that had taken control of his mother.
"I don't understand how my dad managed to escape her! She searched for our address and traveled all this way to find him, but who told her our address? Don't ask obvious questions; she could get it from official documents. There's no doubt she's still looking for where my dad is. I need to hurry..." Izumi thought aloud.
"Excuse me, excuse me..." a girl in a school uniform, sitting next to Izumi, interrupted.
"Are you okay? You look really upset," the girl added.
Izumi turned his attention to her after she touched his shoulder. He hadn't heard what she said at first but found himself staring at her. Noticing the school bag beside her, he asked, "Are you from Sakurazaki School?"
"Uh... yes," the girl replied, surprised by the question.
"Then you must know where Sakurazaki Hospital is, right?" Izumi said, hoping for a satisfactory answer.
"Yes, I know it," she said, a broad smile lighting up her face.
**At Sakurazaki Hospital.**
A police investigator visited Takashi to deepen the inquiry into the incident where he lost his wife, taking his statement with the doctor present to conclude the conversation whenever necessary.
"This happened on the 21st at dusk (your wife was killed), right?" the investigator asked, standing across from Takashi's bed.
The doctor helped Takashi sit up, and he replied, "Yes."
"Did... did you find my wife's body?" Takashi asked, raising his eyes toward the investigator.
"Let me be frank with you, Takashi, since we're colleagues. Your wife is alive," the investigator said, while his colleague stood by the window, taking notes.
Takashi's eyes widened at what he heard. "How is that possible? What you're saying is impossible! I saw with my own eyes her head being cut off."
"She has been seen," the investigator stated.
"What are you saying? I witnessed her head separate from her body! How could this happen?" Takashi exclaimed.
"The doctor informed me that your head was impacted when you fell against the rocks after jumping into the waterfall," the investigator replied.
"Don't mix things up! I know you want to lead me to a memory loss theory," Takashi said angrily.
"Well then, how do we explain your wife returning to the hotel after 9 PM?!" the investigator pressed.
"That's impossible!" Takashi shook his head.