Wow, you're tougher than I expected.
No wonder Legoshi's so head over heels for ya.
Wait, Legoshi?
Look.
He's got my eyes, don'tcha think?
Don't tell me you're...
Yep, I'm Legoshi's grandpa.
But you're a lizard!
THE DEMON KING OF BEASTS
I'm sorry about all that.
I didn't know Legoshi's grandpa was a lizard.
Not at all.
I guess he never told you.
That's just like Legoshi, isn't it?
When it comes to things he should've said from the start,
he's always like, "Oh, come to think of it..."
Is this Legoshi's mom?
Yep.
Looks like my wife, right?
She does.
I wish I had some juice or something for you.
I don't mind. Legoshi gives me tea when I visit him too.
Oh, does he?
What?
Okay, disinfected.
What was that for?
Komodo dragon venom is dangerous.
You could die from simply touching it.
Venom...
So that stun gun you used earlier was a great choice.
You can attack an enemy without touching them.
I'm sorry again for shocking you out of the blue.
I'm sorry too. Didn't mean to scare you.
I was a bit overexcited.
I was thrilled when Legoshi asked me to protect his special girl.
I should've talked to you properly first.
Don't be sorry. Legoshi knew that telling me in advance would only upset me.
I'm sure he was just worried about me being attacked.
You're not suspicious of Legoshi at all, are you?
Aren't you afraid of him?
You're in danger of getting devoured, his grandpa's a lizard,
not to mention he himself is a wolf.
Oh, I'm not scared.
I mean, I used to be scared of him.
But I'm a rabbit who fell for a wolf. That alone shows how much we've overcome.
Plus, he's not just a wolf to me. He's Legoshi.
Is that so?
Toki was the same way.
Toki? Is that your wife?
Yep.
She told me the same thing.
That she'd love me no matter what I am, even a Komodo dragon.
We met as teenagers.
It was love at first sight for us both.
We ignored the naysayers and started dating.
Back then, interspecies couples were still looked down on.
But we were happy.
By some miracle, we had a child.
Kiss me, darling.
What's the matter? Gosh, you're cute today.
Smooch.
What? You used that on your wife, too?
She always complained about it.
Said it wasn't romantic at all.
Every day was like a dream.
My wife was beautiful, inside and out.
She built a family with a venomous monster like me.
I doubt she saw you as a monster.
Right you are.
She didn't want venom to come between us,
and wished that I'd stop worrying about it.
So I eventually stopped.
Back then, all I cared about was drowning each other in love.
Happy birthday, Toki.
Thanks.
I've been thinking.
Being with you has made me the happiest girl in the world.
Toki! What are you doing?
Disinfect, disinfect... Wait, where's my spray?
Where'd it go?
I wanted you to know.
To know the bliss of a deep love without fear.
So I made you forget all those worries you harbored.
That's when I finally understood.
The only reason I was able to fall so deeply in love with Toki
was because of her thoughtfulness.
If I had noticed earlier,
maybe I wouldn't have lost her.
I'm happy that you love Legoshi.
And that's why I hope you have a happy future together.
Both of you, forever.
We'll be fine.
After meeting you today and having this chat,
I want to learn more about Legoshi.
And I want him to learn about me, too.
In order to do that, I need to stay alive.
That's right.
Toki really loved you, didn't she?
Yes.
I really miss her, though.
What're ya cryin' for?
The stench is so strong, it's stinging my eyes.
I needed that fresh air...
I'm sorry, Mom!
That kid stole something again, eh?
Even as a parent, that's a little harsh.
Nah, she's not his mother.
But he called her "Mom."
She's a foster parent.
- You can't be doing that! - Is he an orphan?
That kid was raised by his grandfather,
who got into some trouble in mainstream society.
He failed to escape and was captured by Yahya.
You know Yahya, right?
Yeah.
If Yahya gets his hooves on you, you're a goner.
Carrot fertilizer...
The Black Market has a few kids like him,
so that tough mama makes sure they're fed.
- Mom. - What?
Hey, Degoshi.
Are they more heartless inside the walls, or outside?
A week's worth of food, carried all in one go!
Awesome, Degoshi!
Manual labor is about all I'm good at.
Bean's gonna be strong like Kyuu for sure!
Kyuu? You mean that rabbit?
Yeah. Even as a tiny herbivore, she's the fight club's best moneymaker!
She's super strong!
A role model for Black Market kids.
Wow.
She's our dream.
Dream?
Because of her, we can dream too.
She's like a star lighting up our skies.
Someone to aspire to. Who gives us hope.
Having someone they can idolize gives them the confidence to dream big.
Though it doesn't actually matter who it is.
It's important to have that kind of role model, huh?
Look down, and we'll get trampled.
Look sideways, and we'll just make mincemeat of each other.
But if we look up at something together, the conflict stops for at least a moment.
Same goes for mainstream society, right?
If we can all look up and dream the same dream,
maybe those from the Black Market and mainstream society can get along.
Carnivore and herbivore alike.
What do I do?
Can I escape?
No, running away won't solve anything.
Louis, dear.
Toughen up, Louis. Face this head-on.
I've finished my bath.
That was a quick one.
Come on, say it!
Admit that I can't do it with herbivores anymore.
I'm so glad.
When I invited you, I thought you'd say no.
There's a reason I came here to get some privacy with her.
I've got to come clean!
Wait. Even if I admit it, what's the point?
Our engagement is final.
So then, how should I...
Shall we order room service?
You haven't had dinner, right?
The room service here is...
You can just lie there.
I'll handle the rest.
Please, stop!
- I'm... I mean... - I'm trying too, you know.
I'm trying to make this work.
I know you are. I apologize.
We're in the same boat. Doing this for our families.
Am I really that unappealing?
That's not...
Then why don't you kiss me? Right here, right now.
Oh. Well...
It's not your fault.
I'm the problem here.
With herbivores, I...
I kind of...
I have a deep affinity for carnivores.
So, with you, I can't...
But this poses a huge problem.
To my father, I only exist to parent the next Horns Conglomerate successor.
That's the only way this is profitable.
But I can't do it.
Logically, I understand all this, but I can't help how I feel around them.
I'm at ease when I'm with them. With carnivores.
Cloaked in that stench...
I understand if you want to break up.
I may never be able to make love with you.
The whole purpose of our marriage is to birth a successor, but I...
I get it.
I see the full picture now.
If that's the case, there's no need for us to make love.
Louis, our objective is merely to bridge a connection between our families.
Yes, we need children, but there are countless methods for that.
I admit that I had hoped to form a romantic relationship with you.
But objectives must change and adapt to the circumstances.
This is also an essential business tactic.
Azuki...
Let's change our goal.
It's no longer necessary for us to love or mate with each other.
Wait a minute.
So we're not breaking up? You still want to get married?
Yes, all according to plan.
- We can't. - Why?
I don't want to make you suffer through an unhappy marriage.
Besides...
Louis.
You misunderstand me.
My objective is marriage itself.
So please, don't worry about me.
And even if we can't be lovers, we can still be partners.
Business partners.
Are you okay with that?
Yes.
I'll inherit my father's company someday, and I'm interested in expanding it.
This marriage would cement my Ogura Foods' mark on history
and eliminate concerns about the future of your Horns Conglomerate.
LION
You really gonna do this?
Sure.
We need a leader to join the turf war on Meat Appreciation Day, right?
Just to be clear, this doesn't make you our boss.
I know that.
Only this time.
If we miss this, we'll have to wait till next year.
The Doku-Gumi, Madara-Gumi, and Inari-Gumi will steal our turf,
and I can't stomach looking at their smug faces for a whole year.
"Leader: Agata"... There we go.
LEADER AGATA
All right!
Okay! I'll go register.
Hold on.
We gotta go together to assert our presence.
Even if it's temporary, leader means leader.
Really?
Boss?
Gang's all here, eh? What a thrilling welcome.
What's this?
SHISHI-GUMI
We're participating in the turf war.
On Meat Appreciation Day? Perfect timing.
I've just had a female rabbit slip through my fingers,
and I was contemplating when to eat her.
A day we celebrate meat?
Maybe I'll eat her then.
"Leader: Agata"?
Somebody's on their high horse.
Come on, fellas.
You're not trying to fire me, are you?
No.
But you weren't here.
So I stepped in to replace...
You?
Replace me?
Even after that scar I gave you,
you still haven't learned a thing.
You might be able to replace your boss,
but you can't replace me.
Nobody on this planet could ever replace me.
It's such an obvious fact,
but even my mom failed to understand.
My mom claimed that she loved me.
But the whole time, she was only searching for my father. Inside of me.
It wasn't me she sought, but a weak, timid little herbivore.
So, I taught her a lesson myself.
I'm not like my father.
I'm not like anybody else.
I'm just me.
Nobody can replace me.
How dare you talk about a replacement?
Could a replacement take that pain for you?
Nope, the pain is all yours.
- Hey... - And you're just you.
If you wanna fight, let's go.
If you wanna be the boss, beat me and take the throne for yourself.
If you don't like something, squash it.
Carve your path with your own claws.
That's how we do things here.
You guys said it before.
Become a lion worthy of your mane, or whatever.
What's the criteria?
What makes you worthy?
Having power.
I concur.
Having power gives you freedom.
Shackles make us weak.
We should eat whatever we want and do as we please.
Tell me.
What's wrong with living freely?
Isn't that why the Black Market exists?
Melon's a demon who truly belongs in the Black Market.
Wait, I see it now.
This guy's a carnivore and herbivore mixed together to create...
a true king of beasts!
I'll follow you, Boss.
Agata...
You're messed up, for real.
But we're the only ones who could obey a boss as twisted as you.
I'll offer you my paw, my mane, whatever.
With you at the helm, our Shishi-Gumi can get stronger! Eviler!
Yeah, I second that.
There's nobody as psychotic as you.
I know, right? That's the only way to make this fun.
Here, guys. I have your next job.
Melda?
You haven't played with that yet, have you?
Those creatures live indifferently.
So let's show them what living really is!
Let your souls grow even darker!
Become pitch-black kings of beasts and rule over this Black Market!
Shishi-Gumi!
Yeah...
Right.
SAFETY FIRST
Our annual event to determine Black Market territory!
The participants of this year's Meat Appreciation Day are...
Inari-Gumi!
Madara-Gumi!
Doku-Gumi!
No Shishi-Gumi?
Comin' through!
Outta the way!
Make a path! Let us through!
Move, damn it!
Scram!
I said make a path!
MELON
That's the Shishi-Gumi's boss?
A mix?
Never seen him before.
That's...
Have you ever seen this guy?
A gazelle?
No, he's a mix...
Yo, Degoshi! We found Melon!
Where?!