Paradigm Parasite

I couldn't help but cringe at the appearance of the man sitting in front of me.

His age is in the early 20s, I guess. His face itself would be in the good-looking category.

The first thing that caught my eye was his blonde hair, which had been halfway lengthened, with some black mixed in here and there.

For some reason, one of his eyes is hidden by his bangs.

The next thing I noticed was his clothes. A sleeveless black dress...sleeveless, you say? I don't care.

His arms are wrapped in red and black bandage-like cloth on each side down to his shoulders.

I glance at his feet on the desk, which are wearing boots with a large amount of belt-like decorations on them as well.

It's an unfashionable level of chunibi fashion.

Wow, that's amazing....

That's all I could think of.

It's strange because if it were only a part of it, it would seem cool, but when it's so fully armed, it's just painful.

To be honest, this is probably the most shocking scene I've seen recently.

"Hey, how's it going?"

He called out to me, but I couldn't help but look away.

I didn't want him to think I knew him.

"Hey. You're a terrible guy. Don't ignore me."

I was about to tell him that it's your outfit that's terrible, but I ignore him and forcefully pull out the book on which the man's foot is resting.

The man's expression turns quizzical at my reaction. I inwardly tilted my head.

I don't remember being entangled with this strange guy....

I don't think so, but is it another Darzain?

It raises my vigilance.

There are people around, albeit sparsely, and they set this up?

They are supposed to be careful about that, but not this guy?

I thought so, and decided to ask him what he wanted, even though I was extremely reluctant to do so.

I tried not to make eye contact.

"As you can see, I'm busy reading. If you need something, could you get it done as soon as possible?"

The man took a comb from his pocket and began to straighten his hair.

What is this guy doing? Oh, the bangs were getting too much for you, huh?

The man with his hair in an all-back style comes looking straight at me. He looks even more like a chuuni.

I couldn't tell by the bangs, but his eyes are different colors.

Red and black. Are they colored contacts or something? He's very thorough.

"You're the one who wants to see me, aren't you?"

...Yes?

"I don't understand your question."

"You came after me, didn't you?"

I felt goosebumps.

Is that him? Is he the self-conscious one who is saying "I'm being targeted by an agency or an organization!"

No, no, no, give me a break. If you're playing games, go play somewhere else...or is this an act to catch me off guard?

If it's not an act, I don't know what tugged at your heartstrings about me, but could you please take that kind of play somewhere else?

Seriously, which is it? I can't decide.

...I'm having a hard time making a decision....

"Why would I do that to a complete stranger like you?"

"What?"

...I'm going to make it very clear.

"I'm not interested in you and I'm not going to do anything to you. I don't know what you're worried about, but I'm not involved. ...If you're convinced, go somewhere else, and I'll continue to do my research for good."

I included in my words, "Take your playful games elsewhere."

If he got the message, he'd get cranky and disappear.

"You're not?"

You're persistent. You're still coming at me, aren't you?

I let out a sigh of disgust. I made an appeal of annoyance for the time being.

It's a hassle, but I'll deal with him for a while. If I leave him alone, he's going to stay here forever.

"What is it?"

"You're an apostle of Tuke, aren't you?"

............ What?

What did he just say?

An apostle? Shit! Here we go again. Why do these people keep showing up one after the other...No, wait.

If they're going to the trouble of asking, does that mean they have suspicions, but they're not sure?

Then let's do everything in my power to keep them in the dark.

"Apostles? I don't know what you're talking about."

The man gives me a probing look, but I keep an annoyed expression on my face.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do about this guy.

Who is this guy?

I don't know who he is. But the word "Tuke" that this man said sounded familiar.

I believe it is an organization that can be called a brother of Darzain.

I don't know the details, but I'm sure they exchange supplies and information....

...but I don't remember anything about it in the memories I have so far.

"Then you're Darzine?"

My guard jumped to the limit with those words.

From the way he speaks, I'm guessing he's not one of them, but at least he knows something.

I don't respond, but get up from my seat with my book in my hand.

"Wait a minute. Let's change the place."

Let's just hear the details for now.

I'm going to kill and eat him, depending on the case. The entrance fee is not free.

If it's a boring story, I'll kill and eat him in exchange for a fee.

I quickly put the book back and left the library with the man.

We walked for a while to a corner on the outskirts of town.

I knew it, but it's a terrible place.

The moment I entered, the quality of the buildings and the people deteriorated at once.

A shack with just a pile of straw and scraps of wood, and its inhabitants were lifeless and worn out, dressed in ragged clothes.

A child staring at my purse and luggage from the corner of the shack.

...Not a place I like to be.

Just to be safe, I walk around, using my detection magic to look for signs...Hey, hey, hey, hey, I'm suddenly trapped.

The number is six, divisible by three.

They're a set of three.

I know how they move and how they hide.

I wonder if this chuuni son of a bitch is Darzain, too.

Well, that makes me feel better. All I have to do is to finish him off.

When we get to an unpopular place, kill him and take his memory....

Oh, I remember that they explode when they're dead.

That's convenient. I've got some things I want to try, so by all means, let's have him blow up.

We got out into a little open space.

The guy stops and I stop a little distance away.

Well, before we talk, let's clean up first.

I'm going to make sure I've done everything right before I take down the guy.

"Are those guys hiding around there your buddies?"

"Are those morons who've been following us for a while now your friends?"

The man and I opened our mouths at the same time.

Oh?

The man frowns at my reaction.

He then lowered his voice, as if he had guessed what I was going to say.

"Before we talk, let's clean up. We'll split the work half and half, okay?"

...You switch so quickly, don't you?

I don't dislike that kind of thing. I have no objection, so I nodded.

The possibility of a trap cannot be dismissed, so I will not let my guard down, but will it provide me with material for discerning?

I looked around casually.

Three people are dispersed around the corner of the house. The rest are clumped together on the roof.

Should I take the one who is clumped together? It would be no fun to aim at the ones who are scattered and accidentally let them escape.

I pretend as if I'm having a conversation with them, run at once without showing any preliminary movement, and at the same time pull out the sword from my waist.

Kicking the wall of the rundown building where they were camped, I climbed up to the roof and pounced on them.

The one hiding there was the now-familiar black robe. It was Darzain.

So this is what happens in the end.

I stab the nearest one in the heart with my sword.

I know it's going to explode, so I keep it in and put all my strength into the hilt, swinging him around and hitting the other one with his body.

I look to the side to see it explode and slam my fist into the face of the remaining one.

The guy just barely avoids my fist, pulls out a dagger from his pocket, and slashes at me in a counter manner.

Aiming for the neck, I ignore him and grab his neck.

The blade hits my neck, but it only cuts through the skin and is stopped by the shell underneath.

As soon as he gasps for air, I twist my neck and turn 180°. I throw my body off the roof.

The explosion scattered as soon as it fell.

...I got rid of him, but...I lost my sword.

The sword that was left plugged in was caught in the explosion and disappeared.

I'm running out of weapons, aren't I?

Well... What happened to that chuuni bastard?

I looked over... where the man was sticking out his bandaged arm, the black one, at the black robe.

The next moment, the black robe's body twisted.

The black robe became like a wrung-out rag, and before he could scream, it exploded.

... Ugh, What was that?

Is it magic? It looks very different from what it is....

Without letting my guard down, I climb down from the roof and slowly approach the man.

There are three melted marks on the ground.

I guess the cleaning is done for now.

"Looks like you're done there, too."

I called out to him, and he turned his gaze toward the city...

"Damn.... Three others escaped."

He clicked his tongue in a grumpy manner.

Geez. You're still here. I didn't realize you were still here.

If that's true, I'm screwed.

The guy snorts and turns to me.

"You got them, huh? You did good."

"Thanks."

The man kicks open the door to a nearby house and motions for me to come in.

Inside, there's a crummy desk and two chairs.

When I sat down in the chair, the man invoked his magic. [Silence] And he did it quickly.

When he confirms that the magic has taken effect, the man opens his mouth.

"I'll leave aside who you are, but I'll explain first. They are my clients. I want to thank you for helping me to get them."

...I'm totally in the middle of all this, aren't I?

I was about to complain, but I swallowed it and followed the conversation.

"Darzain?"

"Yes, that's right. If you know who they are, it's not like this is the first time you've tangled with them."

The man reverses his chair and leans back against the backrest.

"First of all, let's check. Who are you? At least you are not a normal human being."

Well, I don't know what to do.

I'll kill him if I have to, but in case I can't, I'd like to hear how he recognized me.

But still, the fact that I couldn't get the memory out of Iger at Oldia is pretty upsetting.

As long as I don't know the means, there's no way to prevent it.

I'm not sure what the implanted "part" is capable of, but... I don't know the details.

"Before I answer your question, I'd like to ask you a question. Why did you look at me?"

"I'm the one asking the question."

"If you want to proceed, answer my question first."

We both shut our mouths and stare at each other.