Chapter 291: Mom's Scar
Travels are always short, but Ren and Sakura felt relief and joy on this trip.
After returning to Tokyo, they each went back to their work.
The story of Parasyte continues from the last conversation between Tamiya Ryoko, Shinichi, and Migi.
However, in the subsequent episodes, Tamiya Ryoko's mother appears.
She looks for her "daughter" due to her unmarried pregnancy and her resignation from her teaching job.
Tamiya Ryoko remains calm. As she has already said, she does not want to lose her human identity.
Therefore, she initially refrains from attacking the original mother in this body. She also tries by all means to disguise herself as Tamiya Ryoko, intending to dismiss her without a second thought.
However... for some reason, perhaps because of a parasite's cruelty or perhaps a mother's intuition, Tamiya Ryoko's mother recognizes that the current Tamiya Ryoko is not her daughter and declares that she is not the daughter she knew.
Faced with the possibility of her identity being exposed and cornered, Tamiya Ryoko could only reveal her true identity and directly killed her mother at home.
Had she not been cornered, with her calm and cautious style, she would not have killed anyone in her own home.
Even if she did, she would do her best to distance herself from it and not get involved in any suspicion.
Upon seeing the body of Tamiya Ryoko's mother lying on the ground, Tamiya Ryoko was completely confused.
"It only took a moment for her to be discovered."
She caressed the facial features of her current face, thought carefully, and said: "The face and voice should be exactly the same as Tamiya Ryoko's... I don't understand. This woman shouldn't have any special abilities."
However, manga fans were deeply moved.
"It's probably the emotion, the bond between mother and daughter," Professor Kenji Tanaka said with some emotion upon seeing this scene. "This isn't exclusive to humans; all animals share the bond of affection for their young. As young, animals also feel a dependence on their mothers."
"And the parasite... still seems to feel no emotion. It may not be obvious to others, but to her mother, this feeling is particularly evident."
Professor Kenji Tanaka felt a pang of sadness. The original Tamiya Ryoko's brain had been devoured by the parasite, and her mother had been killed by the current Tamiya Ryoko.
Had her family done anything wrong?
It was a celestial disaster.
It was like returning to the wild. Did the prey caught by the hunter do anything wrong?
Nothing.
They could only blame bad luck and a lack of strength.
Meanwhile, Migi took advantage of Shinichi and experimented with a useful ability: he could temporarily leave his body and move freely for three minutes.
However, if he didn't return to him after three minutes, he would die from a lack of nutrients.
Meanwhile, Shinichi learned that his parents were planning a trip.
But he was worried, because who knows how many parasites like Tamiya Ryoko and Mr. A were loose.
Mom and Dad were on a trip, what if they ran into a parasite?
"Isn't it too dangerous?" Shinichi asked worriedly.
"Are you talking about the minced meat murders?"
Shinichi's father reassured him: "The number has dropped drastically lately. Don't worry."
This puzzled Shinichi. The existence of parasites had not been revealed, and the only ones he had killed were the yellow-haired one and Mr. A.
Why had the minced meat murders decreased so drastically lately?
But he still felt uneasy.
"The sudden decrease in numbers is only superficial," Shinichi said seriously. "It's very difficult to go around unfamiliar places during these critical times."
But just then...
"Do you object?" Shinichi's mother asked, looking at Shinichi with the same seriousness.
"Shinichi, if you really object, we won't go."
She looked at Shinichi, as if she had noticed something, and asked.
"Hey, hey, hey, your mother..." Shinichi's father said, somewhat bewildered.
However, Shinichi's mother continued: "But I've been a little worried about you for a while. Is something worrying you?"
"No..."
Shinichi replied with a slightly evasive look, hiding his feelings.
Despite Shinichi's mother's repeated questions, Shinichi finally decided not to reveal the story of Migi and the Parasite, nor did he object to his parents' trip.
On his way to class, Shinichi and Migi had a conversation. Migi didn't want Shinichi to tell his parents about him or the Parasite.
Shinichi knew that if he told them about Migi, he, sensing a threat to his life, would probably attack his parents.
In this unique situation of mutual distrust, the two maintained a tenuous balance of trust.
After Shinichi left, Shinichi's parents talked about Shinichi's developmental problems.
They assumed he was going through a rebellious phase, which was why he didn't want to talk to them much.
Shinichi's parents, however, were quite open-minded and were even worried that Shinichi's overly obedient behavior might be a problem.
Such parents are truly incredible to anime fans!
Look at them, other people's parents!
At that moment, the manga screen changes to a scar on Shinichi's mother's right wrist, which looks like a burn or abrasion.
Shinichi's father observes the scar on his mother's hand and suddenly remembers: "Maybe it's because of the scar on your hand."
"What?" Shinichi's mother asks, somewhat surprised. "How is that possible?... That was a long time ago."
Memories return to the screen, and the mother of young Shinichi and young Shinichi appear in the image.
However, this scene leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.
"Oh no! Is this the rhythm of a memory kill?"
Kenji Tanaka observed the scene and immediately understood something.
But...
"When will old thief Ren first kill someone with a memory kill?" he muttered in surprise.
As everyone knows, Ren is known as a mangaka with mental problems and the freest mangaka on the planet.
He never sticks to the basic law when he kills people, much less with a memory kill. He doesn't even have time to generate emotions and prepare for people, he just goes for it!
And now there's a memory kill?
"No... This is not old thief Ren's style."
Kenji Tanaka thought for a moment and, suddenly, he had an idea: "Could it be the other way around? This memory kill is not a flag, it's just a simple memory fragment."
That old thief Ren is trying to confuse us, and the one making the knife is someone else, or maybe not!
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that his assumption was correct.
Kenji Tanaka's eyes lit up and he said: "That's it! How could that old thief Ren follow the rules?
He's definitely doing the opposite! As they say, buy the opposite of what the old thief does: a seaside villa! Exactly! Totally!"
In a manga flashback, Shinichi wanted to grab an aluminum plate from the top of the cabinet for the next day's science class.
However, Shinichi's mother warned him cautiously: "Shinichi, I'm frying chicken wings. Come back later."
However, young Shinichi said impulsively: "I'm going for it now!"
He then grabbed a stool, stood on his tiptoes, and tried to reach the plate. However, due to his short stature... he tipped over the hot oil nearby.
"Shinichi! Danger!"
Shinichi's mother reached out, ignoring the still-boiling oil, grabbed the pan, and put it away.
She didn't even bother to worry about whether she had burned herself, but looked worriedly at Shinichi and asked anxiously: "Are you okay? Shinichi!"
Upon seeing this scene, Kenji Tanaka was moved to tears and said: "She's like a superhero! No, all mothers are like superheroes when their children are in danger!"
After confirming that Shinichi was okay, and thanks to a reminder from Shinichi's father, Shinichi's mother, seemingly belatedly, realized that the boiling oil had burned her right hand.
From that moment on, Shinichi's mother's right wrist had a permanent scar.
The flashback ended and Shinichi returned home from class. However, he and Migi immediately looked at their phones, discussing how and where Shinichi's parents could travel safely.
But then, Shinichi's mother suddenly entered without knocking, startling them.
Shinichi even yelled at his mother: "Next time, remember to knock before you open! You must!"
He was worried that his mother would find out about Migi's presence and attack them.
But his words still hurt her deeply.
"Okay, I get it," she said with a forced smile. "Then I'll go downstairs."
She went back downstairs and told Shinichi's father what had happened.
"Shinichi yelled at me," she told him with some sadness.
Upon seeing Shinichi's mother's distress, Kenji Tanaka felt empathy and said: "Shinichi, Shinichi, your mother is so kind, how could you do this to her?"
Suddenly, it occurred to him: if Shinichi's mother had really died from a parasite during this trip... would Shinichi be devastated to remember yelling at her?
Thinking about it, it would undoubtedly be the deepest pain of his life, a lifelong rheumatism. Every time he thought about it, he would be filled with pain and regret.
At that moment, Kenji Tanaka doubted again.
"No way... is that old thief Ren really going to stab the protagonist's mother like that?"
Suddenly, he thought, and said.
"If Shinichi's mother died like that, probably... all Parasyte fans would be angry."
Meanwhile, after Shinichi's mother's death at the hands of a Parasite, Shinichi would completely darken and become a Parasite hunter.
It seemed like the perfect opportunity for a change of pace.
It was like David in Edgerunners, who, after experiencing the death of his older brothers Maine and Dorio, completely matured and gradually became a prominent figure in Night City.
It seemed... quite similar!
Kenji Tanaka felt some apprehension again. If the plot really went this way, it would be really painful to watch.
But then, at dinner time in the manga...
"Well... although I objected to your trip this morning," Shinichi, returning to his usual kind demeanor, told his parents with a smile: "But I've changed my mind. It's good for you to get away from the crowds and relax in a cool, clean place once in a while..."
However, instead of the joy of desired success, their faces reflected concern.
"By the way, when are you leaving?" Shinichi asked again.
However...
"I don't understand you, Shinichi..." his mother said sadly. "What's wrong with you? Didn't you object all morning? What's wrong with you? Now you're acting like a crazy person."
"Do you think your parents no longer matter?"
"No!" Shinichi quickly denied. "Mom, it's you. What's suddenly wrong with you?"
"I don't understand you! I don't understand you at all!" his mother suddenly said with tears in her eyes. "Something is wrong, like... like..."
"It's like you're not my son!"
With his mother's words, even anime fans were a little confused.
After all, they knew that Shinichi had not been devoured like other parasites. His Migi had only eaten his right hand.
Why did his mother say... that Shinichi didn't feel like her son?
Was his mother wrong?
"Tamiya Ryoko said before that Shinichi and Migi seemed to have influenced each other, and that's why they have become different people..."
Professor Kenji Tanaka, remembering something Tamiya Ryoko had said before, said: "So Shinichi was influenced by Migi, and that's why he has become a different person in the eyes of the protagonist's mother."
"But of course... Migi will also be influenced by Shinichi, and little by little he will become more sensitive."
"Please, tell me what happened."
Faced with his mother's tearful interrogation, Shinichi looked at Migi.
He still chose to hide the truth, but this time he pretended to be sincere and said: "The truth is that I was worried about feeling lonely... That's what I thought this morning..."
"But after telling my friends, they laughed at me, so I reconsidered..."
"Now I don't think it's a big deal."
"If you feel lonely, you can invite your friends over."
Finally, after Shinichi's words and his father's comfort, his mother returned to normal.
She and Shinichi's father also left together, following Shinichi's suggestion, and embarked on a trip to the countryside.
At the same time, Tamiya Ryoko, who was contemplating the lights of the human city in the darkness of the night, felt the movement of the human fetus in her womb.
It seemed to have a special meaning in her heart, never before seen, and she said: "It moved..."
"End of this chapter."
After reading this chapter, manga fans only felt that the plot was full of flags. Tamiya Ryoko was forced to kill the mother of the original body, the memories of Shinichi's mother, Shinichi's changes in his mother's eyes, and Tamiya Ryoko's last words...
It seems like an omen!
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