PLANT PRODUCTION RESEARCH FACILITY
I wonder where Haru went.
We need to hurry or there won't be any seats left.
- Yeah, that's right! - She in there?
Err...
Hey, Haru!
So this is where you've been hiding.
Second period's over, you know.
I can't leave a gap in the records.
It'll affect my grades.
Where's Professor Dorin?
Oh, well she already took off.
Hey, we don't have all day. Let's hurry up.
We gotta be quick if we want a seat for lunch.
- Mm-hm. - Oh, I'm sorry. Just go on ahead.
Aw... How about we order for you? Does that sound okay?
Yeah, that's great.
They should totally give us more time for lunch.
Seriously!
If there are any seats left, I'll be shocked.
What? Huh? What was that?
Um...
Hm?
Huh? What in the world?
Professor Dorin!
Professor? Professor, can you hear me?
A-Anyone? Uh, I need help! Anyone!
What's wrong?
We need an ambulance right now!
Oh no, Professor Dorin!
I'll go get help. I need a doctor! Someone call a doctor!
What happened? Can they still be alive?
Did she fall from the roof?
Stay back! Don't touch her!
A THREEFOLD DILEMMA
Do you want to know what my favorite thing in the world is?
The face of someone afraid of death.
No matter what species they are, everybody makes the same one without fail.
Not a lie to be found, a face that is genuinely honest.
Yes, that's the one! That face there...
Uh-oh.
I have no idea what they're saying.
I should have studied Oceanic languages.
Oh, I can't hold my breath anymore.
Agaga papubu daba goma beeda!
Thank you for the help!
Uh... I feel bad.
I should at least know how to say thank you.
Mr. Sagwan?
Hello?
Are you home?
Oh, it's just you, Legoshi.
Looks like I got dressed for nothing.
Uh, sorry for stopping by so unannounced.
Well, you smell just like home.
Did you... take a dip in the ocean?
Uh, actually... I did, and I almost drowned.
What?
So the shark, he was about to have me for dinner.
Uh. And then I remembered the magic words you taught me.
What magic words were those?
Agaga papubu daba goma beeda!
Ah!
I really think that saved me.
What does it mean anyway?
Nothing fancy.
All it means is that you have a special friend
who just happens to be a spotted seal!
Uh...
All right.
So I guess spotted seals have some kind of high status in the ocean then.
- Here you go, my kelp tea. - Oh, that's hot. Hmm...
Friendships can save lives, you know.
We have the kind of friendship with nothing to hide.
That's a special thing!
- Ah. Smells like the sea, doesn't it? - Hmm?
Hold on, look at that.
- Huh? - Your ear is a mess!
Uh...
Melon shot me.
And the worst part? He was thrilled about it.
Wow.
You really do live in a fantasy world, don't you, Wolfie Boy?
What's wrong with that? It's my life, not his.
I'm doing it because it's so much fun.
How could it not be when someone so full of hope
falls into the grip of despair?
Damn him.
He was laughing.
It's not just wrong. It's evil.
Evil does exist.
CITY HALL
FESTIVAL OF THE METEOR
We thank Louis, the brave heir to the Horns Conglomerate,
for his important contribution to society.
It's his brave efforts that have revealed the real dangers of Kines.
It's my honor to present this award to him.
This is our highest commendation.
I have to say, I've had the pleasure of knowing Louis here
since he was a young student at Cherryton.
Even back then I could tell that he possessed a special spark,
just like his distinguished father.
Louis showed his character by acting alone on this.
He showed initiative, and didn't run away from responsibility.
This is why I consider him worthy of becoming the next Beastar!
Uh--
He's a strong Beastar candidate, who I'm honored to give my support.
This is the black market live bait records.
Your name is still in here.
All you have to do is keep quiet about this... business here,
and just make sure the festival runs smoothly.
I'll make this disappear. I'll erase this for you.
Your dark past vanishes.
Mmm?
Excuse me! You're Louis, aren't you?
- Oh, sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. - It's just, well, I had to thank you.
My friend was attacked.
The carnivore who did it was drinking Kines.
I tried to help, and then...
It doesn't hurt all the time, just sometimes.
I'm sorry.
There were a lot of rumors about Kines, but no one did anything about it.
Until you came along.
Anyway, thank you for caring.
Hmm.
YASUMARU FAMILY PHARMACY
Thanks, take care!
They invited me to a fancy dinner,
but it turns out they just wanted me to be the hostess!
Like, seriously?
Am I supposed to be some fluffy piece of wool
for an old carnivore to stick his teeth into?
I didn't sign up for that,
thank you very much.
Huh?
Hey, so you catch colds too, huh?
I'm not feeling too good.
What do wolves do when they catch a cold?
Oh, usually soup or something.
But I remember when I was a kid, they'd put cabbage on my head.
Does that really work?
My grandpa tells me it does.
Uh--
Legoshi.
Eh-- um, Louis, sir...
Oh, I... I see you're busy. Another time.
Oh, no, no, this is not what you're thinking.
Just hang on!
Hey, what's going on? Is he your boyfriend?
Oh, it's not that either!
Whatever. Take this.
Don't forget to take your medicine.
Her... She's just my neighbor.
Of course, whatever you say.
But it's not like that...
Seriously, Haru's the only girl for me.
It's all right, none of my business.
I fell into the ocean.
Huh? The ocean?
So you'll have to forgive me. I know I look a little rough.
Well, I brought something that might make you feel better.
Here. Take your medicine.
Ah, yeah, good idea.
Your job doesn't really seem to care about your privacy.
They told me where you lived and they drew me a map.
So you went to the Udon restaurant just to meet with me?
What's going on?
Well, first things first, I have a few gifts for you here.
Which of these three do you want to eat?
Jelly?
Sponge cake?
Or me?
Back up a sec!
Just a little carnivore humor I thought of on my way over here.
It's not funny.
So did something happen or what?
I came here to check in on you.
Huh?
It seems I had a premonition.
Then I learned you fell into the ocean, and look at your ear.
What have you gotten yourself into?
You came because you were worried about me?
And? Is there a problem with that?
Hmm, not really.
Listen, I had a feeling something had happened to you.
My right leg was having phantom pains.
What?
It's happened twice before.
Oh.
Did something else happen, Legoshi?
Uh, well, I could ask the same question to you.
- Huh? - What about all those scratches?
What happened to your face?
You know what else? I saw you on television.
You got an award at the police station. Man, I thought that was so awesome.
You don't even have a television.
I do at work.
It wasn't anything special. It actually made me angry.
It's not like everything's wrapped up in a bow.
You talking about Kines?
Someone was pushing it into the public's hands,
targeting children who don't know any better.
I can't let that go.
I bet a lot of herbivores were saved because of you.
You should be proud.
That's not the point.
I wanted to help the carnivores too, you know.
Someone had to keep that stuff away from you idiots.
Carnivores need saving from themselves.
Here.
Oh, thank you, sir.
Well. Tell me what happened to you.
Well, uh... Hmm. Where do I start?
- I was chasing a bad guy. - Really?
And the thing is, the Beastar asked me to.
What?
But then I kinda wanted to talk to him,
- so I tried to go find where he was. - Go on.
Uh...
I got shot.
When was this?
It was during last month's crescent moon, I think.
- I actually died once. - Huh?
And while I was dead, my mother came to me.
She said something like,
"It's important to say what you want to say."
Huh?
I thought, "Yeah, she's right."
Then I came back to life during the full moon.
Then I went to a meeting with him, and then I got this-- Got shot again.
What?
That's when I went in the ocean.
Bless me.
Then what? Where's the guy?
Uh, still out there, I guess.
Even after you went through all that.
Oh, the Shishi-Gumi were there as well.
Hmm.
Wait, this guy... Was he a mix?
Mmm, yeah. He's gazelle and leopard.
Melon!
Huh? So you know who this guy is?
Uh, hang on. Wait.
Didn't you say you cut all ties with the Shishi-Gumi,
that you were done with them?
I ran into them when I was investigating Kines.
Uh, so-- so are you saying that you've met Melon too?
Not really, I just saw Melon from a hiding spot.
But the one spreading Kines into the general public?
I know it was him.
Pretty ironic, huh?
That's how the Shishi-Gumi were rebuilding their business.
But never mind that.
Why did you go to a meeting with Melon?
Oh, well, uh...
You had to know that he was dangerous.
Uh...
I-I just wanted to know...
what he feels. Why he thinks the way he does.
I thought maybe if we talked, I could understand him better.
Boy, was I wrong.
There's no getting through to him.
Huh?
Hmm.
Well, looks like you have quite a fever.
We'll talk another time. Sorry for just dropping by.
- No problem. - All right.
Uh... Bye.
When you feel better, we'll talk again.
Melon, uh... He just enjoys it, I guess.
Tearing everyone apart is fun for him.
It's not about reason.
I saw it in his eyes in that moment.
Right when he let me drop, his eyes were so alive,
like there were fires blazing from inside.
It's okay. Just get some rest for now.
I, uh... I'm scared.
My friend, what are you afraid of?
It just won't end, huh?
- I wouldn't take that bet. - Right, right. You're so right.
- So, Haru, are you all right? - Huh?
Didn't you see what happened to Professor Dorin?
Hey, maybe now's not the time.
I'm just checking in with my friend is all.
I didn't see anything.
I heard a loud noise and then she was just lying there.
Mmm.
I feel bad. We ran off to lunch and just left you all alone.
I'm really sorry, Haru.
Oh, well, it's okay. It's just a bit of a shock.
I don't know.
Could the railing on the roof have just given out like that?
Dunno, it's not like the building is ancient.
Well, you want to hear some tea?
- Tell me. - What?
This is just what I heard,
but apparently Professor Dorin didn't have many fans on the board.
- Sounds like they really didn't like her. - Is that true?
Well, from what I heard about the professor,
she was drunk with power.
And because of that,
she didn't win the election to become board chairman.
The university is saying that it was some kind of accident,
but there's a rumor that it was suicide.
- Really? - I don't know.
- Would she really kill herself? - These are just rumors.
It's not like there were any eyewitnesses, right?
Maybe someone saw but didn't come forward.
Oh, that's spooky.
Sorry, guys. I think I'm just gonna go home.
- Yeah. - Hmm.
What did we say?
RESTRICTED AREA. KEEP OUT.
What? Oh, Professor Lumrong.
Oh, you're that student who's always so chatty during my classes.
Yeah, probably me.
Were you taking Professor Dorin's class?
Oh, oh, no.
I'm just here to pay respects, is all.
I see. She shared a lot of wisdom with me.
It's such a shame.
An unfortunate accident.
Well, uh, it was an accident... right?
Hmm?
What are you implying?
It's just...
I just feel like someone else was there.
Have you shared these thoughts?
Uh, forget I said anything about it.
I mean, I'm not trying to make anyone a suspect here.
Hmm, I see.
If it's okay with you, I'd like to hear what you think happened.
Yeah, but...
Don't carry such a burden on those little shoulders.
If you don't mind, let's have a chat in my office, hmm?