/*2*/

I stood there, like a statue, waiting for Legoshi to eat Haru like a beast. My mind was divided, a part of me wants to save Haru to avoid further casualities. This can also make Cherryton's reputation safe from another predation case. However, the other part of me wants to leave it as it is. They're just animals. They're born, raised, live, hunt, or be hunted. That has been the cycle. The reality that every student endures to avoid, yet their instincts tell them otherwise.

A curse that has been casted upon this world.

It's a like a game of chess really. One mistake make cause you your game, the end of your chess career. However, you're not the one moving the pieces. The fates are the players and they're merely chess pieces. It's a pity.

It's been a minute and neither of them made a move. All of a sudden, Legoshi's eyes were getting bloody red. His muscles were slowly tensing as his fur begins to stand up. This is it…

I went out of my hiding spot and rushed towards the two.

"Lego-"

"Legoshi!"

I looked to my right to see Zoe running towards the wolf. Thank goodness. I quickly hid behind a nearby tree. It seems that the goat manages to save a fellow herbivore.

"It's urgent!"

I peeked. Legoshi's eyes were no longer red and his body mass went to back to normal. Haru manage to escape from the wolf's grasp with her left arm bleeding. I decided to follow her, in case another predator tries to kill her.

We both ran, her pace was much faster than mine. I couldn't blame her. She thought that she is still being chased by a predator.

"Cut me some slack…" I said softly. "Haru! It's me!"

It seems that she recognized my voice. Perfect.

"Wait up!"

"Theo?"

"Damn, you run fast…" I said with pants in between them. "I smelled some blood nearby and I wanted check it out. All of a sudden, the scent was running away."

I had to make an excuse. Otherwise, she would've been angry at me for not making an immediate action.

"Oh…" She said as she looks at a claw mark on her left arm. "This is nothing…"

"I never thought that rabbits would have a heart of steel. C'mon, let's get them treated. Is your place nearby?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to worry to much. Please I-"

"You know that the scent of blood will attract more predators, right? Suck it up and let's get going."

It's a good thing that I have an emergency first-aid kit on my backpack. Its not that I'm doing this for her. The kit was meant for me, if and when I'm stuck at the same position as her, I could treat my wounds. I guess human kindness is a bit of a complex feeling.

"I'm going to walk you back to your apartment." I said as I disinfect the cut wound before patching it up with a bandage. "And I'm not taking no as an answer."

"Why would go such lengths for me? You're just a human. Your neither herbivore nor a carnivore."

"Look, the last thing I want on newspaper is another predator case in Cherryton Academy. I'm giving the school a huge favor. Don't get the wrong idea."

"I-I see…"

"And besides…" I said as we started walking. "It's true that I'm merely a human, but that doesn't mean I'm an animal."

"Huh?"

"We humans… We descended from monkey. They went through multiple evolutions. Or at least, that's what I've been taught in school back in my world. We eat both plants and animals. Technically, we're part herbivore and part carnivore."

"But which one do you prefer?"

"That actually depends on someone's diet. One can survive by eating vegetables alone and vice versa. So… I guess we can technically choose being a full pledged herbivore or a full pledged carnivore."

"What about you Theo? I mean, surely at some point you are going to eat meat."

I hesitated to speak.

"Are you going to kill me as well?"

Great, now the atmosphere is getting awkward. Nice one Haru.

"Are you going to chop me up into pieces and cook me up?"

"Haru, at some point, I would've done that to you a few minutes ago. Yet here we are walking towards to your apartment."

Haru didn't speak.

"And at some point, I'm going to eat meat. I'm a human after all."

"How can you say that nonchalantly?"

"Because I'm a human." I said as we stopped. Both me and Haru are in front of Apartment building's main doors. "And that's life."

"…."

"Everyday, we are forced to face this reality. Predator's hunt, preys hide, the cycle continues. Don't you think its pointless to teach the principle of Herbivore and Carnivore co-existence if we are tortured day and night by this curse? Isn't it much simpler if all carnivores and herbivores are divided to their own world? One where there we can accept this reality at open arms…

"I…"

"It's not just the herbivores who are suffering. Carnivores are suffering too. They are forced to change their lifestyle and trap their desires. Think about it, most of the laws in this city are leaning towards the Herbivores. If, at some point, the laws changed, would you be able to cope these harsh changes? Would you be able to adapt eating meat?"

Haru stayed silent. It seems I went a little bit overboard.

"Sorry… I guess I said to much."

I left Haru who has been petrified in front of the doors. Maybe I spoiled Haru too much. She has been attacked after all. I have to apologize and make it up to her by tomorrow. I looked at my watch. It was almost ten o'clock. My body is tired from all that running, but my mind was curious of Legoshi.

I guess it wouldn't hurt if I check on a fellow club member.

/**/

"Are you alright?" asked Legoshi to Louis.

"This is nothing."

"He was trying to help me. It was dark, and I couldn't see my feet well…" Zoe explained.

"Even if my body were to one day vanish into the air, my spirit-" Zoe acted before his left foot slip off the stage. Louis tried to catch him but they instead fell together.

"If Louis ends up unable to perform, what should I…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Louis blurted out. "I should be fine tomorrow, its only temporary."

"I wouldn't be so sure senpai…" I said as they looked at me. "With Zoe's added weight, your ankles wouldn't be fully healed until a few weeks."

"So, you're a certified doctor now?"

"No, but I'm just stating facts. You're going to hurt yourself more if you push yourself harder. And here I thought that the start have the brains to think that."

"Legoshi, lend me your shoulder."

"Sure" said Legoshi as he helped Louis back onto his feet.

"Thanks for keeping watch."

"Don't mention it."

"Did everything go all right?"

I noticed Legoshi was scrubbing away Haru's dried blood onto his pants. He must have felt guilty.

"Yes."

/**/

After we helped Louis, I noticed Legoshi was in a hurry. Out of curiosity, I followed him silently. I was expected to get noticed right away, but it seems that his mind was way too preoccupied. I watched him wash the remnants of Haru's blood off before staring off into the mirror. After a few seconds, he punched it with ease, which took me by surprise.

"You must've felt guilty…" I said as I revealed myself which took Legoshi by surprise. "It's a good thing that nobody saw you… Apart from me."

"W-w-w-what do you mean?"

"Don't look dumb, I saw you almost eating a harmless rabbit in the middle of the night."

"I-I-I-"

I sighed.

"I couldn't blame you." I slowly approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. But do me a favor."

"…"

"The next time you're doing that, do it outside the academy. The next thing we want is another predation scandal roaming around."

"Um… Why are you so calm about this? Aren't you going to tell this to the principal?"

"Trust me, its much easier this way. If I did tell it to the principal, other students will think that you ate Tem."

"But… But I didn't ate Tem."

"Then let's leave it as ease. I doubt they'll listen to any explanation you'll tell them."

/**/

Morning came. Another predation case prevented. As I casually eat my breakfast, I couldn't help but notice Legoshi glancing at me from time to time. Seems like he doesn't fully trust me yet.

"Let's see, today's carnivore breakfast is…" One of Legoshi's friend said as he skims through the menu. "Bread, scrambled eggs, and soy patties!"

"Oh, nice. I love that stuff."

It's a bit that the city is offering food that satisfies all animals. I mean, when you think about it. All of Herbivore's meals are natural but for Carnivores? Soy patties? Are you kidding me? I'm surprised that they're still in shape after eating those every day.

"Woah! Sorry about that. You first."

"Oh my, thank you."

"Man, that was close. I almost stepped on one of the rodent girls. I seriously need to get some glasses."

"Really, if I'd been just a bit slower, I'd be flat as a pancake right now."

"Us small critters have to keep close to the walls."

"Hey, Legoshi, remember what you said before? That I'd look good in classes?"

"You jackass! Give it a damn rest!"

All students turn our attention at the ongoing fight in the middle of the cafeteria. This doesn't look good.

"How do you not notice you're stepping all over my tail, you dimwit?!" One of the students shouted.

"I apologized for it already, moron!" The other shouted back.

"Your stupid smirk ticked me off, you fox bastard!"

"You're looking pretty stressed out, maybe you should go take a nap!"

At that moment, the other student took a bite out of the fox's right arm. This was a shocker to every student.

"You bastard! Stop biting me!" The fox said before pushing the other student to the ground. "You know what they'll do to you, right? C'mon, let go already!"

"Shut up! I'm gonna eat you… I'll eat you up!"

I noticed Legoshi was acting weird. I can tell that just by looking at his body. Its as if his mind is replaying what happened that night. Things are going to get bloody.

"STOP IT!"

One shout of the wolf made everyone silent. Before you know it, all of our attention was at Legoshi who finally went back to his senses after snapping out like that.

"Seriously, what's wrong, Legoshi?" asked Jack.

"And what's your problem?" The fox said as he approaches the wolf. "You think you've got a chance against me, because of your large body?"

"Of course, not" said Legoshi, "No, not at all!"

"Of course he'll win." I said as everyone turn their attention towards me. "Think about it, your only advantage is speed. Legoshi has a bite force of 300kg and might even catch you if he's willing to get serious."

"Theo!"

"Oh? And what about you human? You think that you can beat m- ack!" He said before I kicked his feet off the ground to lose balance. I then proceeded to lock his arms tight. So tight that one forceful move he makes will completely dislocate his shoulders.

"I may not be a fox, nor a wolf. I may not have sharp claws and pointy teeth that can through the flesh. But that doesn't mean I can't kill anyone." I said as I slowly tighten the armlock. "I might even dislocate your arm if I wanted to…

"Why you…"

"Theo, stop this!"

"And get killed if I let him go? Not a chance. I'll let him go if he decides not being a jerk."

"Grraaaahhh~~!"

"A small move will totally fracture your shoulder. I suggest you cut me some slack over here."

"aargh! Ok! Ok!"

"Good" Then I let go of his arm. "Remember this, you don't want to mess with me. I can be a good guy if you're good. That's all you need to remember."

I pat some dust off my uniform. "Now then, I suppose that I accidentally took your spotlight Louis-senpai"

"Hmph, not at all. In fact, I was quite impressed of what you did right there." Said Louis as he approached us.

"You sure? I mean, being the next Beastar of the city, I bet that you're a tad angry that I stopped the fight."

"Not really. Though I am thankful for what you did. You certainly saved me some slack."

"By all means."

"My, my, it seems we're in the presence of the star actor, our dear Master Louis."

"Bearing your fangs in public is bad manners."

"You don't have it so easy either. Since you're looking to become the next Beastar, you have to pull these stunts to gain bits of popularity."

The Beastar. It's a good analogy for being the president of the supreme student council. They ensure the safety and peace of the school. That and, of course, being the most popular student in the school.

"Have you ever thought about why we need the Beastar? Rather than begrudging others, improve yourself."

Those words have caused sparks inside of the student's heart. That is Louis' talent. Being able to follow his footsteps by merely saying words. Before you know it, every student has been bashing the two students.

"Not bad! You sure are good at scoring points!"

"Whatever, let's go already. Come on."

After they left the scene, Louis announced, "Everyone, return to your breakfast if you would."

Which they did.

"Does this count as paying back yesterday's favor?"

"Oh, don't worry. That wasn't…" said Legoshi before putting a hand on the back of his head. "Thanks a lot, Louis. If you hadn't showed up, I…"

"'…would have had to somehow pretend to lose', right?"

Legoshi looked at him.

"How long do you think you can keep that up? It seems your more dangerous wolf than I thought."

/**/

"That's enough!"

The lights when on as the director clapped at the student's performance.

"Act 1, scene 5 is good. Time for a break."

"What?"

"Your motions are a bit slow. Are you feeling, ok?"

"You don't have to whisper. I'm perfectly fine. The welcome event is the most important of all school performances. We need the new students to understand the importance of the drama club. This is not time to be worrying about my health. Isn't that, right?"

"Uh… Yeah, I guess so…" One of the drama club members said.

"Come at me with all you have. Me, an herbivore, playing Adler, being attacked by you carnivores all you have. Our performance needs to convey the significance of that. Once more, with feelings."

I sighed, "He's pushing himself. At this point, he won't last long."

Its true that he wouldn't last. What he needs is rest. He can't recover from his injuries just like that. He thinks that he's some sort of god that can recover within minutes. Knowing that his future is not bright towards the end, I went inside the set room.

"This is Tem's…"

"What do we do with it?"

"We just leave it as is." I said. "If we want to remember Tem, I suppose we can glance at his costume. Right?"

"True…"

"Anyways, how do we get some flowers at the gardening club?"

"Hmm?"

"Look. We want to use the roses from the finale as the theme this year, and decorate the hall and doors with them too."

The gardening club. Isn't that where Haru is residing?

"Go and ask if they can help out."

"The gardening club? That's an herbivore club, right? Should I really be the one to go there?"

"Don't worry, I'll accompany you. Now that I think about it, you need to be exposed in some parts of the school. Soon enough, you'll be a shut-in wolf"

"I see… Well, then"

/**/

"Who knew that the gardening club would be at the top of the school premises. I was hoping to be somewhere outside the school."

"I don't know either. Anyways, you go talk to them while I-"

"Hold on to your fur Legoshi. You're doing the talking, I'm going to butt in if there is any issue. Capiche?"

"Why me?"

"Why not? Do you want to be a shut-in wolf forever?"

"Hmm…"

All of a sudden, Legoshi felt hesitant. Judging from his body language, his nose is picking up a familiar scent.

"It's the –"

"Girl from last night. I forgot to mention that she works here."

"What?! You didn't tell me?!"

"This is your chance to redeem yourself. After we're done, go and apologize."

"And I need to apologize as well for what I've said"

I opened the door the greeted by Haru.

"Theo-san! Good afternoon. Do you need something?"

I looked at Legoshi, who as preoccupied by his thoughts. I elbowed him at his stomach.

"Um, I…"

"The drama club told me to go grab something here. I'll be right back."

"Theo-san?!"

"Sorry, Legoshi. You have to deal with this alone."

"Well, I figured you were here to get flowers for the new students welcome event. Are you not?"

"No, that's right. We are."

"Legoshi will explain the rest. I need to find what I'm looking for."

Unbeknownst to them, I'm going to ensure that everything is going smoothly. The last thing I want is a bloody flower bed and a carcass of a dead rabbit lying on the dirt.

"Rumors sure spread quickly, huh? I guess he got scared of me."

"Huh?"

"Aren't you scared?"

"No, I…"

Well, he tried to eat you. The question is, aren't YOU afraid of him?!

"So…" Haru said as she looked at the blueprint, "You need roses. There's a bunch here, have a look around."

"O-okay."

"What club are you in?"

"The drama club, I work backstage with Theo-san. We need them to decorate the hall."

"Sure, but there's one condition."

"C-condition?"

"I can't just give away my dear children for free."

"Could you carry that to the back?"

"Huh? What? What?"

"Don't want the potted plants to fall over from this monster tail, after all. Don't worry, I won't chop it off."

/**/

"What year are you in?"

"I'm a second year"

"One year younger, huh? But don't worry about the formalities."

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you the only club member?" asked Legoshi as he carried the plants towards Haru.

"It's just been me since the older ones graduated four years ago."

"It must be hard to be all alone."

"Pretty much, but these little ones need me. And I need them too. We're all weak here. We have to support each other. Petty stubbornness can lead to poor choices, and even ending up in dangerous situations."

It's been ten minutes since Legoshi started helping Haru out. This is where the good part starts. Legoshi has asked Haru about her left arm that I treated in which she answered that she didn't remember. I couldn't blame her. I can tell that she is asking me to save her once again from being attacked.

"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good."

I have faith in Legoshi. He is not your average wolf. He is somewhat special. He can hold off his instincts at will. It's like he managed to tame them somehow. However, there are times that he couldn't keep it in. I couldn't blame him. After all, that's his true nature.

After the chores are done, they went inside the cottage. Inside an enclosed space, Legoshi have the chance to attack her. But that thought didn't cross my mind. I trust him.

"Thank you so much. They hadn't been feeling very well lately. They'll get a lot of sunlight there, so I'm sure they'll recover soon. I should repay you somehow. What kind of food do you like?"

"Well… Um… Hold on for a bit. Well…"

"Ok, I get it."

Wait… I think the tables have turned.

"You want the same thing."

I knew it, I knew, I knew it! It wasn't Haru whose being hunted, its Legoshi! And with a rabbit too? Will it even fit?! Will she even take it?! I mean, she had taken in sizes bigger than her so…

Haru closed the window shutters. I peeked without making any noise.

"Though I'm not too excited about doing it after having just taken care of the plants."

She's stripping! I have to save Legoshi! I quickly approached the door and hesitated for a moment.

"Doing it with a carnivore is a first time even for me."

What?!

"Have you done it with a small animal before?"

"Hmm?" Legoshi asked then was shocked to see Haru on her underware. "Eh?!"

"Don't worry. Even if you're a bit rough, I'll do my best to enjoy it."

This is not a part of my plan! Not at all! Do intersexual intercourse a thing? Can a herbivore and a carnivore make an offspring? That's impossible, it shouldn't be possible.

After all, Herbivores and Carnivores can't have sexual intercourse!

Right…?