Invitation to the Art Club
During the day, Yūko remembers that the Art Club is hosting a model that afternoon and invites Zhao Xuan to join her.
"Who? Hideo Shimada?" Zhao Xuan's pupils immediately contract.
When Yūko confirms with a smile, Zhao Xuan's breathing quickens. He realizes the plot is about to begin: Shimada is going to the Art Club, where his identity will likely be exposed, leading to a massacre.
Zhao Xuan's mind races: Shimada is destined to die soon (by Shinichi Izumi and Reiko Tamura). Can he kill him first and claim the mission reward? He recalls the movie plot: Satomi Murano will throw a bottle of corrosive liquid (stripping agent) at Shimada, severely weakening him. If Zhao Xuan intervenes with his bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid during the fight between Shimada and Izumi, he might succeed.
Suppressing his excitement, Zhao Xuan casually accepts Yūko's invitation, which she happily confirms, adding shyly that she wants to spend more time with him. Zhao Xuan feels a fleeting pang of guilt but crushes it, prioritizing survival.
Tense Stand-off
After school, the Art Club is bustling. Shimada stands in the center, smiling and posing elegantly.
Zhao Xuan retreats to a corner, his right hand clutching the glass bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid in his pocket. He is terrified, sweating profusely, and his heart pounds, knowing he is facing a monster that could easily tear him apart.
Yūko notices Zhao Xuan's pale face and sweat and asks if he's feeling unwell. Zhao Xuan dismisses her, focusing intently on Shimada, who is momentarily positioned with his back to him.
Shimada seems to sense being watched and turns toward Zhao Xuan. Zhao Xuan's heart pounds faster, and he quickly turns his gaze to Yūko's easel, offering forced compliments on her drawing.
Shimada walks over to them with interest and compliments Yūko's drawing, then directs his attention to Zhao Xuan: "This student, you seem... very nervous?"
Zhao Xuan, terrified by Shimada's proximity, feigns illness: "I... I think I caught a cold... Yes! I have a cold, I feel unwell." Yūko quickly confirms this and offers to take him to the nurse's office. Shimada smiles and moves aside to let them pass.
Zhao Xuan is relieved, but when he looks up, his eyes meet Shimada's. In that moment of eye contact between the man and the monster, Zhao Xuan quickly looks away. Shimada wonders internally if the student's extreme nervousness means he knows his secret.
The Beginning of the End
A girl with a ponytail ("Ponytailed Girl") calls Shimada back to pose. Just as Zhao Xuan and Yūko are about to leave, Satomi Murano arrives. Seeing Murano confirms for Zhao Xuan that the moment of crisis is imminent. He quickly grabs Yūko's hand and rushes toward the door, preparing to make his escape.
As they reach the doorway, the "Ponytailed Girl," true to the movie plot, approaches Shimada, trying to get him to adjust his pose. She remarks how tall and handsome he is: "You really don't look Japanese..."
Getting bolder, she jokes, "Could you not be human?"
She reaches out and, in a joking manner, plucks a single hair from Shimada's head.
Zhao Xuan and Yūko are now just outside the room, peering through the crack in the door.
Time seems to freeze inside the Art Club. The plucked hair, gleaming strangely in the sunlight, begins to wriggle.
A scream pierces the air. The "Ponytailed Girl" throws the hair to the ground, crying, "The hair... the hair is moving!" The other girls recoil in terror.
Shimada maintains his signature fake smile: "Look what you've done! I worked so hard to maintain this disguise! And you ruined it!"
As he speaks, Shimada's handsome face slowly begins to split open...
The scene is set for the inevitable Parasyte attack and massacre. Zhao Xuan is on the immediate periphery, armed with his sulfuric acid and his "human shield." What do you think Zhao Xuan's next move will be?
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