It had been two months since the meteor festival and things went on as normal, though Louis was still missing while Haru and I had been taking our relationship slow by either texting or meeting in different areas of the school even if I didn't care how people saw us, but Haru wasn't exactly eager with us coming out and announcing our status as a couple so I decided to respect her choice to keep it quiet for now until she was ready.
Now, I had texted to Haru about us seeing each other and we met at the west stairway on the third floor, then Haru proceeded to talk about how her day was going so far while I was leaning against a wall with my arms crossed as Haru was sitting on the stairs.
"So, on my way here, I bumped into this African elephant and was knocked down onto the floor while I could actually hear the tremors from his stomping, like this entire building is falling apart so I can't imagine how rough it's been for the mouse family," Haru explained while I was looking thoughtful and sent her an expression of acknowledgment.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're alright and this school has passages near the ceiling for mice," I commented and Haru looked surprised to hear that.
"Huh? Really...I guess I would appear big in the eyes of a mouse," Haru remarked before she chuckled and I moved away from the wall until leaning down while my tail started wagging.
"Hey, I just want to ask, why do we always meet here? No one really uses these stairs so is that why?" I questioned curiously.
"Yes," Haru responded and I blinked at that.
"Really?" I wondered in confusion and Haru nodded.
"Hmm, well, the thing about small animals is that rumors spread really fast and stay around for a long time," Haru said and I stiffened up at the thought of everyone in school knowing about that night in the love hotel.
"Wait, everyone knows about us...sleeping together?" I inquired hesitantly and Haru crossed her arms while looking unamused.
"Yeah, I'm a pro when it comes to being a victim of bullying so let me say this; a rumor is like a big ball on a hill so the more scandalous the rumor, the steeper the hill is and once the ball comes rolling down, it becomes an unstoppable force," Haru explained and I was worried that the other students were being nastier to her than usual.
"Are you being bullied because you slept with me, a wolf?" I asked in concern and Haru shrugged.
"I've always been bullied and it's a bit worse than usual, but it's nothing I can't handle," Haru stated and I frowned at that.
"Still, I'm a bit worried about you so maybe I can help-" I started to offer when Haru walked over and held my head in her hands as I was cut off.
"Hey, I'm glad that you're looking out for me, but I don't want to make this worse than it already is, so you don't have to worry," Haru reassured and I still felt uncertain about this.
"Are you sure that I'll make it worse? We can always stop the rumors if we come clean about it and if people don't like it, then fuck 'em," I stated and Haru looked thoughtful.
"Hmm...but coming clean about it would be weird because of our relationship, don't you think?" Haru wondered with an uncertain smile and I made a face at that.
'What the hell is she implying?' I thought as Haru let go of my face and started beaming.
"We don't have to change our relationship, okay?" Haru told me and I was taken aback by that.
"Wait, we don't?" I questioned in confusion and Haru nodded.
"Nope, I'm enjoying the relationship we have right now, really," Haru stated and I stared at her strangely before I shrugged and leaned in to kiss her, then we enjoyed the kiss for a minute as I cupped her jaw with my hand until we separated and Haru smiled before she walked away while waving at me and I stood up.
'So, we're not dating?' I thought and started heading to the bathroom to wash my face while Legosi watched me.
"Connor, you look highly confused so are you doing alright?" Legosi asked and I sighed heavily as I looked down and rested my hands in my pockets.
"I don't know, this whole thing is just so complicated and maybe I'm not cut out for romance since all we do is text and talk to each other on occasion, but even that's starting to make me wonder where things are going between us.
I'm also starting to get worried because Haru hasn't been happy lately and it's got me thinking that she must be worried about Louis this entire time, something I've also been worried about since I was beating the shit out of him the last time we encountered each other and now he's been missing for two months.
Ugh, I'm going completely against what I said that night at the meteor festival since I've been looking for Louis after I've found out that he went missing but I haven't found any leads at all...kid, I just want to make everything right so that I can have no regrets and have a proper relationship with Haru but even that feels like a pipe dream right now," I admitted in frustration while keeping my voice down so that the other students in the hallway didn't hear me supposedly talking to myself.
"I see...well, I'm sure you will figure it out so hang in there, Connor," Legosi reassured and I smiled at him.
"Thanks, kid," I said as I approached the men's bathroom and opened the door, then I halted and was rendered silent when I saw Louis looking back at me while he was in the bathroom and the air became awkward between us.
"Hey," Louis greeted and walked past me while I was struggling to say something and I snapped out of it before I went after him.
"S-Senpai?" I stuttered in shock and Louis looked at me with a calm smile.
"Long time no see Legosi and before you say anything, I arrived here last night so the Housemother and the teachers already know," Louis explained and I started sputtering before I quickly calmed down and sent him a look of disbelief.
"That's all you can say?! Where the fuck have you been these past two months because everyone thought you were dead!" I exclaimed incredulously.
"Someplace far away and you're heading to the club, right? I'll come with you...so, it's been two months, right? That quite a long time," Louis said and I couldn't help but notice that something was off about him, something dark and it made me feel on edge while we arrived at the club and everyone there was stunned at the sight of him.
"Louis, is that really you?! So, the rumors were true and you did come back! Where have you been?!" Sanou questioned in shock and Louis smiled.
"I'm sorry for making you worry about me so how have things been here?" Louis asked and I was wondering what had happened to him to make him like this.
"Worry doesn't even begin to describe it since we couldn't focus in practice...I'm just so relieved that you're okay and I'll ask questions later but, for now, I'm just glad to have you back," Sanou stated with a relieved sigh and Louis chuckled.
"That's quite alright, Chief, and I want you to accept this," Louis stated as he handed Sanou a slip of paper, then Sanou adjusted his glasses before he looked at what was on it and his eyes widened in shock.
"Louis, this is..." Sanou trailed off and Louis smiled solemnly.
"I came here to give this to you and I just wanted to say that I'm grateful for the time we had together," Louis said while Sanou looked up at him.
"Y-You're quitting, why?! The club can't go on without you-" Sanou started to protest while my eyes widened at what I had heard, just before Louis looked at the stage with an expression of nostalgia.
"Oh, the stage...now that takes me back. I once stood on that stage with the artificial light shining down on me and while I stood on that stage, I would draw the audience in with my acting as they waited for my downfall and I can still see them now," Louis muttered before he turned to look at me and I froze at the look in his eyes.
"My, how the tables have turned, Legosi, so do your best to struggle in the shallow light since I'm going to fight my battles differently," Louis added before he turned around and left the club while ignoring the others calling for him, then I couldn't help but feel wary since the look he gave me was almost the same empty and dead look I had once back in the Wasteland.
'Louis, what the fuck happened to you?' I thought uneasily and felt highly concerned for the kid since no one should ever have that expression on their face.
After that, a week had passed by and I was mostly lost in thought with a troubled look while it caught the attention of my roommates and Haru, but I reassured them that I was okay since I wasn't eager with sharing my thoughts on what was bothering me so they reluctantly let it go and now I was staring at a deer and his girlfriend until he spotted me and started looking unsettled.
"Hey, the hell is your problem?! Quit staring at me!" the deer retorted nervously and it snapped me out of it before I bowed my head quickly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I said while I felt embarrassed for acting so rudely at him.
"J-Just stop staring at me, you creepy bastard!" the deer retorted before he and his girlfriend walked away and Legosi started looking at me in concern.
"Connor, what's going on? You've been acting quieter than usual so is it about Louis-senpai?" Legosi asked and I sighed as I continued my walk to the wolf room since today was territory day.
"Yeah, I can't help but keep thinking about what he said to me before he left...just, what did he mean by that? I've never seen him act like that before and the look in his eyes, it's starting to scare me since that look is similar to the one I had before back in the Wasteland," I stated and Legosi frowned thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I can see what you mean and I hope that he's not dropping out of school so maybe he got a job or something," Legosi said and I shrugged with a small hum.
"Maybe, though I just need to continue things as normal since everyone is starting to get suspicious of me being quieter than usual," I muttered as I kept walking and paused when I saw Juno ahead of me.
"Hey, Juno-san, you're going to the wolf room since today's territory day, right?" I greeted and Juno stiffened up before she looked back and the glare she shot at me made me start rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly as the air became tense between us.
"S-So what?!" Juno snapped as she looked away and I sighed in exasperation.
"Well, I'm also going there so why don't we head there together," I offered before we walked down the stairs and I felt uncomfortable at the awkward silence that was between us so I decided to start a conversation and hope that it didn't end up at what happened between us two months ago.
"So, I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Louis-senpai last week, and what are your thoughts about it? In fact, do you know what's going on with him?" I questioned as we arrived at the door to the wolf room and flinched when Juno spun around with an expression of distress.
"Stop playing so hard to get and break my heart any more than you already have! Ever since I confessed to you at the meteor festival, I can't look at you in the eye anymore...I was so desperate and embarrassed back then but you...refused and just left me standing there in front of the meteor.
What I want is for you to think about how I felt when you glossed over my confession," Juno retorted, causing a few students to start staring at us and I sweated a little at how pissed Juno was.
'Shit, I wasn't trying to gloss over anything since I meant what I said, but Juno still won't let that go and now I don't think this could get any more awkward,' I thought and froze when Juno started sniffling with her eyes welling up.
"Now I understand, my love for you...has been lost to your hatred of your own species and it's why you're in love with that rabbit girl, isn't it? Even though I've lost, I'm not done yet so that's why I want you to reject me right here, right now!" Juno shouted before she broke down crying and I just stood there not knowing what to do while we were being stared at by other students.
'Oh fuck...I can't stand seeing a woman cry so I need to fix this,' I thought uncomfortably as I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and held it out for Juno to take.
"H-Hey, please don't cry and I know that I have no right to say this, but we do have one thing in common...where we're both pretty stubborn but in a good way and could you please calm down so that we could talk this over?" I asked hesitantly and Juno was still in hysterics.
"I can't calm down or talk to you!" Juno yelled through her sobs and I fidgeted a little with a cringe as I tried to figure out a way to calm her down until I looked at the door to the wolf room and an idea came to me.
"Look, why don't we talk in the wolf room and figure out a way to talk about this since people are staring at us," I suggested and Juno managed to calm down enough to nod at me before I opened the door and walked inside with her, only I wasn't expecting to see the wolves inside looking completely cheerful while chatting and laughing happily.
'What the hell...everyone in here is usually not this happy or active during territory time so what's got them in such a good mood?' I thought with a look of complete confusion until one of the wolves saw us and perked up with a beaming grin.
"Oh, it's Juno!" the wolf exclaimed excitingly before he and the other wolves' tails started wagging quickly as they started approaching us.
"Huh?" Juno wondered in confusion as the wolf rested his arm on the shoulders of another wolf with glasses.
"Hey, I wanted to talk to you and say good work at the festival! I don't know much about the details, but you gave a speech about a male wolf who saved an herbivore's life, right? That's so fucking awesome and we're completely moved by it!" the wolf cheered happily while Juno was taken aback by all the positive attention.
"M-Moved? What do you mean by that?" Juno questioned and the crowd of wolves looked at each other before proceeding to explain how herbivores weren't as hostile to wolves as before and that a fan club had formed for Juno before the lead wolf rested a hand on her shoulder and thanked her until Juno blushed by all the praise.
"I had no idea...I'm so glad to hear that," Juno said shyly and I couldn't help but smile warmly at how bashful she was until Juno looked at me.
"Legosi-senpai, you said that we're similar in how we're both stubborn, right? I'll admit that I'm stubborn, but you have a terrible darkness inside you that you're struggling with and I hope that you will find a way to forgive yourself for whatever is tragically haunting you," Juno told me as she touched my arm in a kind gesture and I frowned at that while Juno continued to chat with the other wolves and I became lost in thought.
'Huh, looks like I'm the rebel and she's justice but at least there aren't any herbivores in here right now...forgive myself, how will I ever be able to do that when it's easier said than done?' I thought as I went over to a bench and sat down to look up at the artificial moon.
As the days passed by after that, I've been hearing a sound that was similar to a hiss that Night Stalkers make and I had been getting the feeling that something was watching me, which was making me paranoid to the point that I might be hunted by someone or something and I really didn't like it while I was continuing the day as normal.
'Hmm, I suppose that this isn't so bad since, now that I think about it, I've been feeling happier and more outgoing ever since I got into a relationship with Haru but I think this will be the last time I try to think of ways to convince Louis to come back.
Well, if what he's doing is so important that he needs to drop out of school to do it, then it's his choice and it's none of my business since I don't have a right to stop him. This school is changing along with the carnivores in it but if there's anything I'm confident about, it's being reluctant to change my beliefs since Juno has the entire school wrapped around her finger, Louis had left and gone to God knows where, and my desire is to live a peaceful life where I don't have to be afraid for my life daily.
Huh, at least my goal is simple but if there's one thing I do know, it's that trouble always seems to find me,' I thought once I was done taking out the trash and was about to head to the carnivore dorms when I heard the rattling sound again and I scowled as I looked around to locate where it was coming from.
"Okay, this is seriously starting to piss me off," I muttered irritably as Legosi was also looking around to find out where the noise was coming from.
"Connor, I'm really not liking this and it is giving me a bad feeling," Legosi admitted uneasily and I started walking back to the dorms a little faster until I made it to room 701 and changed into casual clothes since it was now the weekend, but the sound persisted as I watched Durham and Miguno having a wrestling match with the others cheering them on until I had enough and cleared my throat.
"Hey, is there something in this room?" I questioned and it got the others' attention.
"Huh?" the others wondered in confusion as they looked at me.
"Seriously, you don't hear that? Something is definitely here, probably been here for days," I clarified before the others stared at me weirdly.
"Well, none of us hear anything so are you sure something is here?" Durham asked and I made a face at how skeptical he sounded.
"I'm not screwing around, something is here and I can hear it...it's a rattling sound and it's getting louder while I'm getting the feeling that something is watching me so it's annoying the hell out of me," I stated irritably and the others started looking nervous while Durham and Jack whispered to each other until Jack regained his attention on me.
"L-Legosi, maybe you should get ahold of yourself since you're probably hearing things because you're stressed and sleep-deprived, though I don't know about the whole being watched thing," Jack reasoned carefully as he walked over and squished my cheeks together with his hands before Collot perked up suddenly.
"Oh, I heard a story about this school and it sounds like Legosi's story," Collot spoke and Jack looked back at him with an unamused expression.
"Seriously, a ghost story?" Jack questioned skeptically and Collot nodded as he walked over and sat down on my left until he rested his arm across my shoulders.
"Yeah, it's pretty popular in Cherryton Academy and what I heard is that there's supposed to be a six-eyed ghost in this school that makes a lot of odd sounds," Collot explained and Durham sweatdropped with a deadpanned look.
"Collot, you're a goddamn second-year and you still believe in ghost stories? That's just fucking embarrassing," Durham stated dryly and Collot started arguing with him while I pictured the supposed ghost and scrunched up my face at the mental image.
'A ghost in Cherryton...well, I faced creatures in the Sierra Madre known as ghost people and they were fast and nasty bastards, though actual ghosts don't surprise me since I'm conversing with one daily and I encountered aliens back in the wastes so anything is possible,' I thought just before I felt an unknown presence to my right and instantly reacted by swinging at it with a fist, smashing a hole into the wall and startling the others as I leered at the hole and sighed in exasperation.
"Aw crap, I broke the wall...sorry about that guys, I'll get the toolbox and fix this right after I'm done with the laundry," I grumbled as I saw most of the canines in Collot's arms and gripping onto him with looks of terror while the sheepdog was completely nervous as they were standing as far away from me as possible.
I groaned as I stood up from my bed and rubbed the back of my neck while I left the room, feeling pretty embarrassed that I scared the hell out of the others and inwardly chastised myself for reacting in such a manner as I eventually arrived at the laundry room and placed the dirty clothes into one of the washers before starting it up and sighed until my eyes hardened at hearing the noise again.
"Come out, we're all alone now and I want to see the person who's been following me...how long have you been stalking me? Two weeks, maybe three? You're not really a ghost, just someone who's good at staying hidden but the people in this school have probably caught a glimpse of you more than a couple of times, hence the ghost story and rumors," I stated as I started walking around with my hands in my pockets and keeping my eyes and ears open until a long shape dropped down from the ceiling and I saw that it was a large rattlesnake while it smiled at me in amusement.
"Smart little boy, so I suppose that the time has come for me to reveal myself to you since your little naughty activities have gotten my attention. I've been watching you ever since you fought that tiger on-stage, how vicious you were outside of school, and how you chose a petite little rabbit over a female of your species.
Oh, how your tail wagged back then...you are a very dangerous wolf, a shameless lolicon, and you are the craziest psycho in this entire school who seemingly talks to himself so I have kept my eye on you or rather my six eyes.
There is nothing I don't know about you so if you think you're going to live the rest of your school life in peace, then you're in for a terrible surprise," the snake spoke with a female voice as she rose up and stared down at me while I returned eye-contact with a stoic gaze.
"So, you're the one who's been following me and why don't you tell me who you are while I get the laundry out," I said just as the laundry was done and I made sure to keep my eyes on this unknown individual as I took the laundry out and lifted the basket before I could see the snake looking away while coiling slightly.
"Well, I'm waiting so how about you identify yourself, or do you want to keep me in suspense?" I suggested as I stared at the snake and she picked up a hat that was on the floor.
"How rude of me, I seemed to have dropped my hat when I fell onto the floor and it has been many years since I approached a student in this fashion so allow me to introduce myself. I am the one and only security guard in this school, Rokume," Rokume introduced and I had no idea that this school had a security guard but it made sense.
"I didn't know Cherryton had a security guard," I commented as Rokume smirked at how I wasn't showing any fear.
"That's the point so let me tell you something that you might find interesting...during the drama club's spring performance, I was hiding on the ceiling and keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior when the second day of the performance came around and the audience, myself included, were drawn in by the devilish radiance of a certain actor.
His act left me speechless, your act that is," Rokume told me and I grimaced at the reminder of losing my temper and beating the shit out of Bill on-stage.
"Yeah, I remember and it's not one of my proudest moments," I admitted and noticed Rokume slithering around me while she chuckled.
"I know, that dwarf rabbit was the cause of your insane actions and that's also why you were unhinged during the summer, isn't it? Those scars on your arm resemble feline teeth marks and to think that someone like you would fall in love with such a petite and immoral female so you must be just as bad as she is," Rokume pointed out and I was tense that she was able to figure me out so quickly.
'Lady, you have no idea just how terrible I can be,' I thought darkly and saw that Rokume had surrounded me until I noticed that there was nowhere to run unless I wanted to get restrained.
"The more I learned about you, the more intrigued I became so I wish to see your capabilities once more for the school," Rokume added and I studied her for any signs of wanting to ambush and kill me, but my perception could see that she was mostly playful and interested in me so I concluded that she wasn't a threat and I could easily take her on if she does turn out to be a threat.
"For the school?" I questioned and Rokume nodded.
"Correct, an animal of your caliber shouldn't be hiding from the public since it's a waste of potential," Rokume stated as she started moving and before I knew what was happening, she started restraining me in her coils with her body wrapped around my torso, arms, and I blushed when her tail went between my legs but I tried to ignore how kinky this was and started thinking about anything else so that I didn't get aroused by this.
"But you're the security guard, Rokume-san, so why do you hide from the public? The students in this school only know you as a ghost story," I pointed out in confusion and Rokume sighed solemnly.
"I doubt anyone could ever understand how I feel because I wasn't always a security guard...before that, I was just an ordinary rattlesnake and for my entire life, I've been forced to live with the shame of having no arms or legs so only by hiding myself can I endure living with this shame.
I rattle my tail whenever I see a student causing trouble and my job requires me to hide and act as a whistle, so I'm jealous of you. Tell me young wolf, those beautiful legs of yours, how strong are you with them?" Rokume asked and I couldn't help but smirk at the position we were in as I grinned at her.
"You know, I never knew that snakes had it so rough but I don't see your appearance as something to be ashamed of...we're all different in our own way and it's what makes us special, though if anyone were to come in here right now, they would most likely get the wrong idea about the situation," I pointed out slyly and Rokume froze before she let go suddenly and I landed onto my feet.
"Forgive me, I-I'll be excusing myself!" Rokume sputtered with a flustered look before she slithered out of the room fast and I chased after her, eager to see where she would take me since I knew that she was leading me somewhere.
I kept chasing after Rokume through the halls of the school and nearly crashed into someone, but I didn't let it deter me as I kept moving until I caught up with Rokume and my eyes widened when I saw the familiar broken double doors that led to where Tem was murdered.
"I assume you remember the terrible tragedy where your alpaca friend was murdered? Even though I'm a security guard, I failed to capture the one responsible for his death so the killer should still be in this school," Rokume said as I walked forward and I saw a bundle of flowers that looked fresh before I knelt down and examined them.
"These flowers weren't here before and it looks like they were placed here recently," I muttered thoughtfully until I recalled Louis and wondered if he left them here.
"Forgive me, as a security guard and a fan of yours, I want an encore in this school," Rokume admitted and I realized what she wanted me to do.
"So, you're telling me to find the killer, right?" I asked while I picked up the bundle of flowers and held it as I frowned.
"I wouldn't blame you for hesitating since this must be the first time you've been told to do something that will be dangerous," Rokume stated and I stood up before shaking my head.
"No, I once told myself that I was done running and an upperclassman said that I should take responsibility for my own strength so I don't want his apology to be for nothing and I'll do it because the police don't seem to give a shit," I agreed with a serious expression and Rokume smiled at that before we started walking away from the former crime scene while I looked back at it.
'Tem, I swear to you that I'll find the one who killed you, no matter how long it takes,' I thought as we walked away from where Tem had been killed and I hoped that I would find the killer and bring him to justice so that Tem's spirit would finally find peace and move on.
A/N Hello everyone and welcome to arc two of Beast Within so thanks for your patience and get ready because, as I said before, there will be a twist at the end of this arc and it will be something that you won't be expecting.
So, Connor had met Rokume and I thought it would be funny for him to use his lady killer perk to get the rattlesnake to drop her guard and be more than embarrassed by what he implied would happen if someone were to walk in and see a large female snake restraining a male wolf in a more than friendly position, something that would most likely give him or her the wrong idea and make things super awkward.
Well, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.
