Beastars:
A Full Moon Heart-to-Heart
Beastars © Itagaki Paru
Summary- At his new home in the Hidden Condo, Legosi meets with another neighbor of his.
"ACHOO!"
Legosi sniffled as he wiped his nose. Normally, the cold air wouldn't bother him that much, but it was the middle of winter and he hadn't gotten the chance to get a heater (not that he could afford it, right now).
It had been about 2 weeks since he dropped out of Cherryton after his duel with Riz on New Year's Eve. Since then, he had decided he'd be better off living as an adult.
At least his friends came to visit him and he made some nice new neighbors such as Seibun the Merino sheep, and she did help him out when he first moved in, not to mention Zaguān the harbor seal. There were still many others living in the condo, too. He had a good job at an udon restaurant, as well, so things were going relatively well for the gray wolf.
"Ugh..." Legosi groaned as he blew his nose with a tissue. "I really have to save up my money. I can finally get that heater."
Just as he was about to hunker down for the night, however, he heard a knock on the door.
"Hmm?" he hummed, inquisitively. "Who's that, I wonder?"
"Yo. You mind if I come in?"
Legosi's ears pricked up at this.
'Riza-senpai?!' he thought before he went to open the door, and sure enough, there she was: a female black-backed jackal, wearing a dark blue jacket, beige boots, a pair of gray pants, brown boots, and a dark red handbag.
"Hey," Riza said, casually. "I heard you were shacked up here, now, so I thought I'd come and see you."
"Riza-senpai," said Legosi, surprised. "I...I didn't know that you come here! You...do know what this place is, right?"
"Of course, I do," Riza replied while crossing her arms. "I'm not stupid. It's close to the back-alley market."
At that moment, Legosi sniffed a familiar scent...and it was coming from Riza's handbag.
"...Is...is that what I think it is?" he asked.
"Don't get any ideas," Riza warned, narrowing her eyes. "I didn't buy this for me and it sure as hell isn't for you, either."
"Then...why?" Legosi asked.
"...They're for my brother," Riza answered. "He lives here, too."
"You have a brother?" Legosi inquired.
"Two, actually," Riza pointed out. "My older brother, Hawk, who's 21, and my little brother, Toby, and he's 8."
"I-I see," Legosi replied.
"...You wanna meet my brother?" asked Riza. "I actually did tell him about you, once. About how you helped me out after I mauled Mei-chan."
Legosi blinked while Riza sighed and walked off.
"Follow me, if you want," she told him...and just like that, the large gray wolf soon lumbered after her.
XXX
Up on the roof, a shadowy figure stood under the light of the full moon, just as Riza and Legosi walked out.
"Yo, bro," Riza said, causing the figure to turn around, slightly. "Got you something."
"Riza...that you?" the figure asked.
"You ought to know by now, doofus," Riza replied...and the figure approached her, at first striding casually, but then began to pick up speed...and soon, it was revealed to be a male black-backed jackal with short fur, not quite as long as Riza's, wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt, a dark brown jacket, a pair of black pants, and black boots. He laughed as he hugged the female jackal, both of them wagging their tails so fast that they almost seemed invisible.
"How've you been?!" he asked. "It's been weeks, Riza!"
"Yeah, I know," Riza replied. "I couldn't see you on New Year's without Mom and Dad getting suspicious."
Legosi blinked at the two jackal siblings as they embraced and sniffed each other. It was a typical greeting among canines. They tend to sniff friends and family members in order to confirm their respective scents.
"I brought you something," Riza replied as she pulled out something wrapped in white paper from her handbag. "It's your favorite."
"Oh!" Hawk exclaimed as he took the bundle. "You brought me my rats!"
"Shh~!" Riza shushed. "You want the whole damn condo to hear you?! I went through a lot of trouble to get those!"
"...Those are...rats?" Legosi asked.
'Although, I shouldn't judge...' he thought.
"By the way, who's this guy?" asked Hawk as he finally noticed the gray wolf.
"Oh, right," said Riza. "Hawk, this is Legosi. He was my junior in high school until recently."
"Oh!" Hawk exclaimed. "So this is that wolf you told me about!" He then placed his clawed hand on Legosi's shoulder. "Thank you very much for helping my sister! I heard about how you talked to her after she mauled her friend!"
"...Uh...y-you're welcome," Legosi replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Why don't you guys sit out here with me for a while?" Hawk offered. "The moon is lovely, tonight!"
"Why not?" Riza asked. "I don't have to be home until later."
"I guess I could stay a while," Legosi added.
Soon, the trio was leaning against the railing, staring up at the moon. Hawk was munching on one of the rats that Riza had brought her while the latter was smoking a cigarette. Legosi just stared at the two, nervously flapping his ear, as usual.
"So, Riza," Hawk began, "are you gonna be taking your entrance exams, soon?"
"Yeah," Riza replied. "Mom and Dad want me to get into one of those elite schools. The one that you tried to get into. You know how they are."
"How's Toby?" asked Hawk.
"He's okay," Riza answered. "He's gonna be going to be in 3rd grade soon." She took a drag of her cigarette and puffed out smoke. "He's still a little turd, though...always going in my room when I don't want him to be."
"Hahahaha!" laughed Hawk. "Yeah, that's Toby! And what about Mom and Dad?"
"Oh, you know," Riza replied. "The usual."
"...Do your parent know you come here?" asked Legosi.
"There's a lot my parents don't know about me," Riza answered. "For one thing, they don't even know I smoke, let alone see my older brother in secret."
"Yeah," Hawk added. "Our parents don't really ask about me, these days."
"Why?" Legosi asked.
Riza and Hawk both looked at each other.
"...You think I should tell him?" asked the former, causing the latter to smile.
"Hey, he helped you," said Hawk. "I don't see why can't trust him."
Riza walked over to Legosi, putting her cigarette out before she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Listen carefully, Legosi," she said. "My brother...is actually an ex-convict."
"...Eh?" Legosi asked in surprise.
"You see...I used to go to Cherryton, just like you and Riza," said Hawk. "Our Dad is a pro athlete and our Mom is a model for a clothing line for carnivores. Things were going pretty well for me...I had good grades, good friends...well...until the night before my graduation."
"What happened?" Legosi inquired.
"Well...I had a moment of weakness," Hawk replied. "The pressure was starting to get to me, you see...and..." He then sighed. "I went to the back-alley market, just once, and I was approached by an old rat...and...well, the rest you probably know."
"...You ate him," Legosi realized.
"That's not even the worst part," Hawk said. "I became addicted to rat meat...and when my parents found out, they didn't want anything to do with me...they said I was a stain on their honor."
"...Hawk..." Legosi whispered.
"This is the same spiel they gave me after I accidentally mauled Mei-chan," said Riza. "They said that they were worked too hard to have jackals be seen in a good light...and what my brother did might have set out kind back 100 freakin' years or whatever."
"That's why I decided to leave," said Hawk. "Now I live here...and I gotta say, I'm really happy with my choice! I'm never lonely since I have such good neighbors and at least my sister still comes to see me!"
"Someone has to," Riza replied while her brother put an arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks, sis," he said. "I hope you get into a school you like."
"School sucks," Riza began, "but I don't really have a say in it, do I?"
A pause...but then Legosi smiled.
"You two are really close," he commented, causing the two to look up at him.
"Hahaha!" Hawk chuckled. "Well, we jackals are family-oriented! We tend to get lonely quickly! Without Riza visiting me, I would've lost my mind, by now!" He then put his hand on Legosi's shoulder. "Ah, but what am I talking about? You're part of my family, too, as far as I'm concerned! After all, you helped my sister! Any friend of hers is a friend of mine, okay? So don't be afraid to come to me, once in a while, if you wanna talk!"
Legosi blinked at the male jackal, who smiled at him with fangs flashing...and suddenly, the wolf's tail wagged.
'This jackal...he's smaller than me, but he's so wise and welcoming...he really is a grownup.'
"Thanks for everything, Legosi-kun," Hawk said. "I hope we'll get to be great friends in the future!"
"...Thank you, Hawk-san," Legosi replied while Riza smiled at them, still holding her bag.
On this night, three canines welcomed each other warmly under the light of the full moon.
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