Fated Encounter

Hikaru put his thoughts aside and eyed through the peephole in the front door.

It was a Caucasian teenager around his age. He had short brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Judging from his voice earlier, his Japanese pronunciation was perfect, so he was most likely born here or raised at an early age.

"Please open up!" He shouted while looking into the peephole.

From his eyes, it looked like he knew that someone was inside and that they just didn't want to come out, which made Hikaru uncomfortable. He must have been through other doors.

Hikaru was curious and wanted to ask why he was here, but it was too risky. If this person knew about what was going on, he would either be Hikaru's ally or an enemy. Although Hikaru had a gut feeling that this teenager would save Aimi if he had the chance.

This was because the boy's urgent tone and impatience made him seem like he was rushing against time, like he carried the weight of lives on his shoulder.

*Bang*

The boy hammered the door with his fist and leaned his forehead down on it.

"Is anybody… there…" His voice was breaking up and fading away when he said that.

His vehement reaction surprised Hikaru.

Was he a friend looking for Aimi? Is he romantically interested in her?

They had a couple of Westerns as exchange students, but this guy wasn't one of them. Then did he know her from their workplace or as a neighbour?

After a long moment, the guy turned around and walked off gloomily onto the street with his head down.

***

After standing in front of Hikaru's door for a long time. Aimi Harue finally found the strength to knock on the door.

Then her hand froze an inch away from the door.

Aimi stared at her hands with shocked and wide-opened eyes. Then they became eyes of realisation.

'I couldn't do it after all' she admitted.

She closed her eyes and smiled. She thought about going home and telling her best friend she failed. Likewise, she dreaded being teased for the next week, but the imagery made her feel comforted.

She missed Chiho's roasting.

She started walking back home.

"Aah!"

She spun around and looked at the door. A yell came from inside!

***

"Huh…" Hikaru uttered.

'What was that?'

It was too vivid to be an imagination. It appeared to be one of Harue's memories.

'While I was daydreaming…'

Hikaru wondered about what the trigger was. Did it happen upon absorbing her head and brain cells? Was it because he thought about why she was at his house?

He was up to Aimi's neck. Her entire head had dissolved and absorbed into him. About two minutes have passed since he started absorbing her.

He didn't just see the memory; he recalled it alongside with the sounds, touch, smell and the emotions. She seemed to have followed him walking back home from school and was about to confess her feelings to him.

Hikaru had rejected a lot of girls from his school, most in his year level, and one was a teacher.

Hikaru had even rejected guys before. Although he wasn't interested in relationship or sex. He knew he was heterosexual, but he couldn't care less if he wasn't.

It didn't matter if he was a bird, an insect, a monster or a human. His goal remains the same.

Destroy them all.

Despite his experience, Harue must be the strangest secret admirer yet. For her to see him after school, she must have waited for him to finish Kendo class at 5 pm…

'The parasite could enter a host, see their memories and obtain memories from living organisms it eats… This parasite is perfect for reconnaissance and covert operations… Hmm…'

This reminded him of what happened earlier.

When the parasite was about to destroy his soul, a flash of memories of his past life flooded him and enlivened… enraged him to push back and take over the parasite's body.

Now he had the parasite's powers.

'So, I used to be a Demon Lord and because my past self was lonely, I got betrayed.'

How pathetic.

From his point of view, his past life had nothing to do with his current life. Although he can see why he has an innate desire to destroy the world, what happened and who he was doesn't matter. They are completely two different persons.

Hikaru pondered about these things and his situation while he waited for Aimi's body to disappear completely.

He thought little of the classmate he had just killed. Just like his mother, it didn't matter to him, she was dead. It matters that he doesn't get caught as the murderer and if any witness was here earlier other than her.

Hikaru looked at his backyard through the open sliding glass door.

'She must have entered through here, but she had to climb through the back fence.'

Suddenly Hikaru saw a bin pushed to his back stone wall fence. Aimi clumsily climbed the bin which wobbled under her feet and then peeked over the wall.

She saw a grey squid-like creature bursting out of the cat's stomach, then face-hugging Hikaru.

She shouted his name and then climbed over the fence. After she landed, she ran to the sliding door that was unlocked and opened it.

The parasite was no longer on his face.

He just had another memory recalled.

It seems he could search through their memories if he made a query.

***

He walked depressingly down the street with a bitter look on his face.

The sun was just about to disappear over the horizon.

The setting sun painted the streets with an orange light that looked brilliant to other people as it looked like candlelight that was flaring in its last moment. Whereas the colour gave a sombre look to him.

After a few minutes had passed since he gave up knocking on doors, he finally looked up to the system menu he left there.

A notification box blared red in large letters right in front of him.

Saving Lives 003 — Mission Failed: Aimi Harue is deceased.