SWEET HUNGER
"I know how mighty you are."
"But you wouldn't eat me, would you?"
Does that sound too dominant?
"I know how mighty you are."
"But you wouldn't eat me, would you?"
No good. Now I'm acting too scared.
This character is supposed to trust her carnivore friend.
But wait.
Are trust and friendship separate things?
Are they?
"But you wouldn't eat me, would you?"
No! This isn't working!
I NEED YOUR ADVICE CAN YOU MEET THIS AFTERNOON?
I NEED YOUR ADVICE PLEASE MEET ME THIS AFTERNOON
"I know how mighty you are."
"You wouldn't eat me, would you?"
"But... you wouldn't--"
Goodness! What are you doing, Juno?
Oh, no, this is just for drama club.
Oh, good, you're just acting. Don't try too hard, okay?
This girl takes stuff too seriously.
Are you gaining weight?
What? Really?
You eat when you're stressed, Juno.
Who cares? Stuff your face.
Did you hear the news, Juno? About your fellow drama club member?
What?
I knew he'd make it big someday, but not this quick.
Well, he is a Beastar candidate, after all.
Wait, what are you talking about?
What? You don't know?
Check it out.
He's the ambassador for Zoolympic.
He keeps drifting farther away, huh?
He's always been in a league of his own.
Yeah, right...
Hang on. When did this happen?
Is he too busy to have lunch with a measly high schooler now?
Here you are.
Please enjoy your meal.
Oh?
Roar!
That's my Mr. Lion.
- Here you go. - Thanks.
Sorry about that.
You like lions?
Yeah, when I grow up, I wanna be a lion.
Really? Why's that?
'Cause they're cute.
Hey, Haru!
- Table six. - I'm on it.
- Be careful. - I will.
Here you are--
- Juno? - Haru?
You ate all of these?
No, I didn't!
Okay, I did.
Are you doing okay?
Well... Let me get these out of your way.
Can I vent to you about something?
Wow.
So the guy you like has a fiancée?
He sure does.
So, what's he like?
He was in the drama club before me,
so I wanted his advice for our upcoming play.
The drama club?
He graduated this spring, so he's not there anymore.
Graduated this year?
I mustered up the courage to text him.
And this is what I got back. Look!
What do you make of this?
LOUIS WITH MY FIANCÉE TODAY.
Louis?!
How mean is that?
Yeah... So mean! He's leading you on.
He sure is.
Always getting my hopes up for nothing.
What is he doing to her?
I was never emotionally attached, but this girl's seriously falling for him.
Hang on, why does this girl always like the same guys as me?
I wonder if he was dating anyone at our school...
Nah, no way.
I mean, no, I doubt it. He's engaged, right?
Not that I'd know anything...
That's exactly why I feel bad for him.
He can't even love freely.
What do you like about him, anyway?
He's always so perfect in front of people.
But the truth is...
The truth is, he hides his weakness with a tough facade.
I liked that about him too.
He's an adorable little pushover!
What?
He always puts on an irritated face, but he enjoys being pushed around, and--
Wait, wait. That's your impression of him?
Yes.
He acts cool and intellectual, but he's shy and clumsy like a child...
- I never would've guessed. - I know, right?
I've never had feelings for someone like him.
And I know he thinks I'm special, too.
I know he does, but...
But what?
What do I do?
Does he secretly think I'll eat him someday?
Oh, he's an herbivore, by the way.
So, do you ever think about getting eaten by Legoshi?
Since he's technically safer being with his red deer fiancée,
I'm afraid he'll never pick me. You know what I mean?
Well, I can't really...
But I still refuse to give up!
There's nobody like him.
He's so strong, and he shines in every role he takes on.
He's so cute, I could just gobble him up!
Not literally, I mean! It's a figure of speech.
Oh, gosh, I'm so done!
I see now.
She didn't fall for an herbivore who just happened to be Louis,
she fell for Louis, who happens to be an herbivore.
She likes Louis as he is.
I get it.
You won't eat him, Juno.
Juno?
That's it.
That was perfect.
The way you said, "You won't eat him, Juno."
Like, in a comforting way...
Over here, Haru!
Coming!
Gotta go.
Haru.
Thank you.
Sure.
All right!
I thought you preferred classical music?
That's what my father likes.
Louis, you still don't know me at all, do you?
Doesn't this feel great?
Driving like nothing else in the world even matters anymore?
You've been tired lately too, haven't you?
I wanted to give you a break today.
Say that again?
You've been tired lately, so I wanted to give you a break.
...is none other than Louis, heir of the Horns Conglomerate.
You're more modest than I thought.
I thought you liked the spotlight.
It seems you don't know me yet either, Azuki.
Nothing wrong with that.
We have plenty of time to get to know each other.
Too bad. If it were sunny, you would've seen a lovely sparkle out on the water.
The garden is lovely.
See that tree?
Father planted it the day I was born.
When we have a child, let's plant another.
Pardon me.
From my father.
Congratulations on being chosen as ambassador for the Zoolympic bid.
Please enjoy.
Here's to my future husband.
What a proud moment.
Thanks.
I have a present for you too.
Blinds.
Louis, you'll be in front of an audience more frequently now, right?
I'm going to make sure you're properly groomed.
It's sesame oil.
The scent is a blend of moss, patchouli, and bay laurel.
Isn't that relaxing?
Yes...
Wait, please. Let me...
Don't resist.
Azuki...
Calm down.
Just relax.
You have such gorgeous antlers.
They're not my horns.
They're prosthetics I'm using until my new ones grow in.
It doesn't matter.
As long as someone's watching, these horns are seen as yours.
So they ought to be big and handsome.
Wouldn't you agree?
Even if they're not real?
Yes.
Even if they're fake now, they'll become real someday.
No matter how long it takes.
There's no guarantee of that.
So be it.
First, visualize it.
I think that's an important step in the process.
Okay, that's enough.
That reminds me. Have you heard about those plans?
For the city's deep cleaning.
If our Zoolympic bid is accepted,
there are parts of town we can't let visitors see, right?
Right.
So they're going to clean them up.
Like those areas with suspicious carnivore activity.
The Black Market?
Isn't that where frightening creatures stir up a ruckus?
My father was talking about purging that altogether.
I haven't heard a thing.
That's too bad. I'm looking forward to it.
I should head back soon.
The sunrise over this ocean is stunning.
Would you like to see it together?
MADARA-GUMI
Clear out! Clear the way!
Madara-Gumi, comin' through.
The Madara-Gumi is coming! Make a path!
Oh, crap. Run!
Hey, old man. How's business?
Great, thanks to you. Here's my monthly fee.
All righty, leave it to us.
We'll take good care of you.
What the hell?
Get this outta my way!
Remember this, you uncultured barbarians.
The finest stilettos are made for walking red carpets.
If you make a scene, I'll dye the carpet with your blood.
Feeling pretty cocky today, eh, Ten?
As we should.
Our Inari-Gumi is what this Black Market needs right now.
That's right.
This street's ours! The Madara-Gumi.
Get this crap outta here!
Only if you can take me down.
Watch that mouth.
You little...
Teach them a lesson.
Jeez, they're wrecking my shop.
It's always like this these days.
I sure miss the Shishi-Gumi's deer boss.
What the...?
Who in their right mind would pay that much?
100,000,000 YEN
Little bastard!
Don't mess with us!
You're the only one refusing to fork over protection fees.
I'd pay if you could actually protect us from the Inari-Gumi or Madara-Gumi.
But you can't.
Shut your beak!
Am I wrong?
Since when have you done anything for us?
We haven't even signed any contracts.
All you do is hide in your lair.
First, that deer abandoned you. And now that mix, too.
Listen, punk.
Do you wanna get drowned in the ocean?
Okay! I'll pay you.
I've changed my mind. I'll even pay extra!
So please, I beg of you!
Good, good. That's what I thought you said!
Louis!
I'm exhausted.
I figured this was the safest disguise
for an herbivore walking through the Black Market alone,
but I still drew attention.
Yeah, I bet.
Good to see you're still a psycho.
I have to ask.
You coming back to the Black Market...
Does that mean you'll be the Shishi-Gumi's boss again?
No. I already declined, didn't I?
C'mon, man!
You got our hopes up for nothin'.
I'm here for an entirely different reason.
The city has plans to purge this Black Market in the near future.
Purge?
I don't know their specific plans, but I thought I should let you know.
You came all the way here just to tell us that?
Well... yeah.
That's all.
See ya.
- Hey, wait a minute. - Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's the rush? You came a long way.
Have a meal with us, would ya?
We'll whip something up.
That's not your usual scent.
Yeah, I noticed too.
Things happened.
With a babe?
Jeez...
You all reek much worse than I do.
Are you bathing?
We'll stand under a rain of tears, but we'll never take a shower.
- Get off. - Purr, purr, purr...
I said get off.
They're getting to me.
I can't believe this smell actually calms me down.
Louis is finally back.
Do we have any fancy grub to feed him?
Around here? Not a chance.
Maybe some meat...
Dumbass! We need something more herbivore-ish...
Got something?
- Jackpot. - Jackpot.
Ta-da!
Dinner is served!
In honor of Louis, we've prepared some ultra-fancy, ultra-high-class melon!
Seriously...
A defenseless herbivore snoozing away in a lion's den?
You won't find that anywhere else.
UDON BEBEBE
Oh, thank you.
Enjoy your meal.
Haru said she's working today, so I guess she won't be here.
Wait, that's her scent!
It's coming from around here.
But I don't see her.
This scent...
No, it couldn't be.
It's Melon.
That guy's super sus.
Should we report it?
Oh, no.
Wait... Legoshi, is that you?
What?
Hey, Dom!
He's fine. I know him from high school.
You go to college here?
Yep. I'm in the School of Fine Arts.
I'm so happy to see you. I can't believe we crossed paths.
Do you keep in touch with the drama club members?
Yeah, I stopped by the clubroom last month.
They were hard at work.
Seems like the school's going through some rough times.
Weren't the carnivores and herbivores divided into separate clubs?
Have you heard anything about it?
I still keep in touch with Kai.
With Kai? Oh, I see.
He said the bad news lit a fire under them.
He puts more heart into the drama club now than he did as an actor.
I know what you mean.
Anyway, what were you doing just now?
- Did you lose something? - Well, not quite.
You should try not to do anything strange.
All kinds of things have been happening lately.
Like what?
A professor fell from the roof, and someone tried to devour a student.
Everyone's on their toes.
I didn't know that.
Horrible, isn't it? On and off campus, nowhere is safe.
Are you going to the festival?
That's the plan.
I'll see you there, okay?
Great! See you then.
His scent got stronger when I came into the building.
Outside of the underworld, I hear that Melon goes by "Professor."
Right here.
Melon.
I'm catching you at all costs.
Early this morning,
a female llama was devoured inside this apartment.
A brown bear, the presumed devourer, was also found dead in the same location.
The crime scene, a back street connecting Algama District and Center Street...