Chapter 49

Staring Experiment (お見合い実験, O miai jikken) is the 49th chapter of the Parasyte manga series, written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki.

Overview
''With Reiko dead, the police take her child into custody, and bring Shinichi in for more investigation. In a police interogation room, an experiment started by Detective Hirama, will be taking place. A serial killer named Uragami will be screening five people, including Shinichi, to see if they're a parasite or have the ability to sense the creatures. After screening the other four people, who all failed, Shinichi is brought in and sat adjacent from Uragami. Though Uragami joked about Shinichi even being here, he quickly changed his demeanor, and asked that the boy looked him right in the eyes.''

Summary
Police and investigators speak with Shinichi and Satomi. He gives up the infant to a woman and gestures towards Tamura's corpse before Hirama asks him to accompany them elsewhere.

The next day, Satomi returns to school and tells Kamijo and Nagai that Shinichi will be returning soon.

Shinichi and his father are in a scientific building having lunch together. Nearby, a pair of scientists discuss his unnervingly collected manner, but believe that he doesn't have the ability the police are looking for. They express mild displeasure at the upcoming test, knowing if it becomes public it'll cuase trouble.

Uragami is brought in handcuffed, displaying annoyed familiarity with the building, and calls his tests pointless. Hirama tells him that they'll be moving on to humans, and he laughs. He is then pushed into a room with a two-way window, while Shinichi is brought to a waiting room with four others. Hirama tells Uragami that he'll need to point out any people who has the same capability as him, and he is immediately unnerved by the thought of a parasite joining his tests. Hirama tells him not to worry, and brings in the first person to sit on the other side of the glass.

Upon being questioned, the man named Fukami states Uragami is not a parasite but can't tell if he has the ability to detect them. Although the police show interest in his response, the scientist states that the so-called psychics brought in are unlikely to have any actual capability. Likewise, Uragami immediately dismisses him as a fraud.

The second, a woman named Nakagawa, is brought in. Uragami proceeds to masturbate directly in front of her. Horrified, she calls him a parasite and runs out the room.

Finally, Shinichi is brought in last. He fortifies himself to not reveal anything when Hirama brings up the possibility of him being able to identify parasites and their apparent interest in him. Hirama thinks Shinichi may be Kuramori's collaborator, but is uncertain due to Shinichi's lack of reaction when he heard his name.

They wake Uragami who had fallen asleep between tests. Initially he simply comments on Shinichi's looks, then takes a closer look and tells Hirama to ask Shinichi to meet his eyes.