"So, I'm supposed to find the killer...well, what I've discovered so far is that the victim was an alpaca and that he was a member of the drama club, so do you have any info that could help me, Rokume-san?" I asked as I was currently sitting on a bunch of stairs while Rokume was coiled around me.
"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," Rokume stated and I frowned at her disapprovingly.
"That's not a smart idea since I need all the information I can get to narrow down suspects or I'll just be finding myself walking in this blind and I can't afford that," I said firmly and Rokume sighed.
"I understand that this decision is irresponsible and I apologize for it, but I have my limits and I don't want you to be accusing the wrong person because of bad information. Before you say anything, the only thing I can give you is moral support since things can get very complicated when personal feelings are involved.
You have what it takes to solve the murder on your own and I can see a great darkness in you so let me give you some advice, use that darkness and your vicious body to the best of your abilities to think...the answer lies within you," Rokume told me before she slithered away and I was left to my thoughts after that.
As time passed by, I continued investigating while also pondering what Rokume said and that's when I figured it out while I was in the male dressing room with the other members of the drama club before I gazed back and watched the male carnivores and herbivores joking and chatting about what they were going to do this weekend as my eyes narrowed.
'I see, the killer is no different than Legosi because he is the same as any other carnivore, a person who laughs or gets angry just like anyone else,' I thought as I studied the carnivores in the room, and the thought of a murderer standing amongst us made me tense so I decided to say something to test the killer's reaction.
"Meat," I muttered and everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me.
"Legosi, what the hell did you just say?" Bill questioned and I put up a sheepish front as I rubbed the back of my head.
"Sorry, just thinking out loud and I'm a little tired today," I lied and Bill sent me an odd look before he shook his head and turned away.
"I swear, you get more stranger the longer I know you," Bill said as he went to leave the dressing room before I returned my attention to Legosi's locker while the gray wolf hovered next to me and appeared confused by what I was doing.
"You know, there are times that I'm often reminded of the fact that Tem is dead and Tem talked to a few carnivores in this club, right?" I asked stoically and that caused Bill to quickly turn around with an outraged expression while the others looked tense.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! You bring up Tem's death all of a sudden and now you think one of us killed him?! Have you completely lost it?!" Bill exclaimed incredulously and I looked at him impassively.
"The only reason why I'm bringing it up is that we need to remember the fact that there is a murderer walking amongst us," I stated and Bill didn't look happy to hear that.
"That's not the point, so why are you bringing it up now of all times?" Bill demanded and I scowled.
"Because Tem's killer is still out there and the police haven't done shit about it, which pisses me off since the thought of that bastard continuing on with his life after brutally killing someone and the police not giving a shit about it makes me fucking sick," I snapped irritably and Bill laughed amusingly.
"Right, sure, you're good at playing the canine idealist...sorry, but I don't trust anything from a no-good bunny-fucking wolf," Bill insulted and I reacted by grabbing him by the shirt collar and pinning him against the wall as my face held an expression of deadly calm.
"You listen to me very clearly because I'm only going to say this once...I don't care what you say to me since I can take it, but if you ever speak about Haru-chan in such a manner again and I will knock your fucking teeth out before I make you eat them," I threatened coldly with an icy glare and Bill didn't look phased by it.
"Well, looks like our meek wolf finally grew a pair and I'm so scared," Bill mocked and my chest started rumbling from menacing growls that escaped my mouth.
"Fuck you, and don't talk to me about being untrustworthy since you're more distrustful than I am," I growled darkly and Bill chuckled.
"Yeah, don't even think about accusing me of anything because I've got more friends than you do so I'm way more trustworthy than you are," Bill boasted and I sent him an ugly scowl.
"Yeah right, you went to the-" I started to argue and quickly shut up just before Bill started glaring at me.
"Went to what?! Say it, I fucking dare you!" Bill snarled while I was grimacing and chastising myself for nearly revealing that we went to the black market several months ago.
'Dammit, I need to control my temper before I say something stupid that'll scare the shit out of all the herbivores,' I thought just before the door to the exit opened and we all looked to see a feminine male Dall sheep enter the dressing room.
"Knock knock, is this the drama club's male dressing room? Oh, were you in the middle of an argument?" the sheep wondered as he entered the dressing room and I let go of Bill as the newcomer approached me.
"Heh, it smells like a gym in here so excuse me, doggie," the sheep told me and something told me that he will annoy the hell out of me as I moved out of the way and the sheep went over to Tem's former locker.
"So, this is locker #2?" the sheep questioned while I was studying him curiously.
'Tem's locker...it hasn't been used since he died,' I thought just as the sheep looked at me and gazed at my right arm that had scars on it.
"Those scars on your right arm look painful," the sheep observed and I raised my right arm as I looked at it.
"This? Nah, it doesn't bother me," I reassured with a wave and the sheep smiled.
"How many stitches did you need?" the sheep asked and I stared at him strangely since it was an odd question to be asking someone.
"As I recall, about thirty-five," I replied and the sheep widened his eyes before he whistled impressively.
"Whoa, I couldn't handle that since I had my wisdom teeth pulled out the other day and that made me cry. Well, I'll be leaving now and I'll see you guys later so fight to your heart's content," the sheep said cheerfully after he was done looking through Tem's locker and left the dressing room while everyone was rendered silent by what happened until Bill snapped out of it.
"Wha-who the hell was the pretty boy?! Is he a new member?!" Bill exclaimed at Aoba in disbelief and the eagle shrugged.
"He didn't introduce himself and he called Legosi doggie, so don't look at me," Aoba commented and Bill appeared none-too-happy.
"Well, he's got a shitty attitude so let's teach him a lesson tonight," Bill suggested and Aoba stared at him like he was crazy.
"Um, let's not," Aoba said dryly and I sighed while I pinched the space between my eyes to prevent a headache from happening.
'Just what we need right now, a new herbivore member causing problems around here...fuck me, this is a really bad time for the carnivores to become agitated and I hope my investigation won't be stalled so I can find the killer,' I thought in exasperation while I left and headed into the main practice room with the others right behind me until most of us stood or sat next to each other while Sanou was bringing the sheep to the middle of the room.
"So, everyone, I'm guessing the guys have already met him? Well, I wish to introduce a new member to the acting team," Sanou announced while the female members of the drama club started whispering to each other as the sheep cleared his throat.
"Hello, my name is Pina, a Dall sheep and a first-year. So, one of you guys asked me to join this club. Well, I don't know much about how it works around here so I might cause some trouble, but I'm okay as long as we all have fun together and I want us to get along, so I'm pleased to be with you all," Pina stated with a grin and some of the others clapped while Bill raised his hand.
"Chief, why are we getting a new member now of all times? You're not thinking of making him Louis' replacement, are you?" Bill questioned skeptically and I decided to walk away from the others before this got ugly.
"You know he has a good point since that's not going to work," Tao agreed and Sanou started looking out of place while he smiled sheepishly.
"Come on guys, I wasn't going to do that," Sanou reasoned uncomfortably with a sweatdrop as Pina started holding his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm, isn't this a matter of appearances? Everyone likes the drama club, but it's still tough without the star actor Louis-san, right? The drama club is honestly going to have a hard time without a distinguished handsome male actor...oh, and I'm just going to say how it is.
I'm not trying to offend anyone but day after day, the eyes of carnivores are losing their shine from being consumed by their desires and instincts, which isn't beautiful at all and it's a scientific fact. My only redeeming trait is my looks since I don't have an herbivore's pride nor do I have conviction and while I can't replace Louis-san, I'm popular with the females and that's good enough for me," Pina stated and it pissed off all of the carnivores while they looked like they wanted to strangle him.
"What the hell?! Are you saying that all carnivores are ugly?!" Sheila shouted in outrage while I was far enough away from the others while having a quiet chat with Legosi.
"And there they go, I can just see the carnivores working together by having Pina as their enemy...shit, I sometimes wish that I could get away from all of this but, as experience had once taught me, it's that trouble just seems to find me," I muttered while I had my back turned to the others and Legosi frowned.
"Well, just try to stay out of the middle of that since you're a third-party and he can call you ugly as much as he wants," Legosi said and I recalled my human face and body covered in so many scars that it was like I had been quilted back together.
"Yeah, I didn't exactly look pretty before I died after traveling the Wasteland for 13 years," I remarked quietly and was startled when someone clapped their hands on my shoulders, causing me to quickly get ready to defend myself until I saw that Pina was responsible for scaring the crap out of me and I relaxed slightly.
"Everyone knows that the drama club is filled with weirdos! In the spring, one of your members was torn apart, your star actor disappeared, and you've got a brave wolf with battle scars," Pina stated as he grabbed my scarred arm and held it while looking down at it as I was taken off guard.
"Whoa, just wait a damn second!" I protested and Pina got a little too close for comfort as he leaned in to stare into my eyes.
"Where did a quiet guy like you get these scars from? You're definitely dangerous so I sure wouldn't want to make you angry," Pina told me and I started sweating since I was feeling more than uncomfortable.
"Come on, I'm just an ordinary animal who's part of the stage crew and I don't think it's very polite asking someone something that personal!" I exclaimed in disbelief just before someone else grabbed me and was yanked away from Pina until I found myself with the other carnivores.
"Hey, Legosi has always been a carnivore in the drama club!" Bill retorted as he gripped my scarred arm and Tao nodded with a firm glare.
"That's right, he's not your friend because he's one of us so just look at Legosi since he rarely gets this pissed! If he does snap, you'll be in serious trouble!" Tao agreed while I was gritting my teeth and trying hard to keep my temper under control.
'Son of a bitch, this is fucking bullshit because I didn't ask to be a part of this goddamn feud so why the hell does this always happen to me?!' I thought incredulously just before Pina yawned and smiled at us.
"Sorry, it seems I'm tired so why don't we continue this tomorrow?" Pina offered before he left the practice room and everyone looked flabbergasted that he just brushed us off so rudely.
"God, I just want to beat that goat bastard into a fucking pulp and rip him apart to add insult to injury!" Bill snarled while he started crumpling his soda can tightly and I sent him an unamused look while we and the other carnivores were on the roof as it was currently night time.
"Bill, I get that you're pissed and that this is the rooftop but if you say something like that again, then I'm officially gone," I stated stoically and Bill looked at me with a raised brow.
"Dude, you actually came to this carnivore gathering, which you never do so that means you want to confess something, right?" Bill questioned and I frowned at that.
'That doesn't mean I wanted to come here,' I thought as I sniffled slightly since my nose was a bit stuffy and I kinda felt like crap so I assumed that I was coming down with something.
From what Legosi had told me before I came here is that there would be a gathering of carnivores sometimes to relax and socialize, but I had never been to one since I didn't see the point in it at the time but the only reason why I'm here is that the large carnivores from the drama club would be here too, so I decided to test their reactions to what I thought about the whole thing to see if anything stood out.
'Ugh, I hate the atmosphere here since it reminds me of the black market back in the city,' I thought in displeasure while I used a handkerchief to wipe my nose that was a little runny and Dolph sighed.
"I know why you're here, Legosi...you think one of us killed Tem," Dolph said and everything became quiet between me and the small circle of male carnivore members of the drama club.
"So, this is about that talk in the dressing room..." Tao trailed off with a grimace as I gazed at the others with no expression on my face.
"Legosi, no one's forgotten about that terrible tragedy since it was one of our friends who was killed and I'm quite frankly offended that you think one of us did it," Dolph stated with a hurt expression and I sighed as I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Listen, I'm not accusing anyone yet since I don't have any proof, but it doesn't change the fact that someone killed Tem and they're still out there so I came here because I wanted to have a good talk with you guys.
The thing that you need to understand is that everyone here is a suspect, even me since I'm a gray wolf and I don't have evidence that one of you didn't kill Tem so that's why I can't take any chances until I'm able to clear each and every one of us for the murder, so we're to remain vigilant until the killer is found and I'm able to clear you all," I said with a serious expression and the others looked surprised.
"Damn, since when did you become such a good speaker, Legosi?" Bill inquired and I shrugged.
"Since I decided to, in your words, finally grow a pair and the police haven't done shit about this so I'm going to solve Tem's murder myself since they don't seem to give a damn," I answered bitterly and Bill appeared satisfied with my response.
"Good point, but you used to be an animal of action, not words, right?" Bill asked and I wondered where he was going with this.
"Yeah, why?" I questioned dubiously while staring at him strangely.
"You slept with that bunny, didn't you? There's only one thing we want to know right now...can large-breed carnivores fuck bunnies?" Bill whispered as he and the others leaned forward in anticipation just before my brain shut down at what he said and struggled to reboot.
'Um...what?' I thought dumbly as Legosi looked highly embarrassed to hear Bill's question while I started twitching.
"Like, is it physically possible and does it take effort? I always thought it would be dangerous, like putting a large truck through a garage door," Bill admitted rather bluntly and Tao appeared flustered before he nudged Bill with an elbow.
"Um, Bill, you are making this very awkward," Tao stated and I had enough while I stood up with a tick mark.
'Why are teenagers, Asian or otherwise, such complete fucking perverts?!' I thought in disbelief before turning away from the others.
"Okay, if this is what you want to talk about, then I'm officially leaving," I declared with a scowl as I started to head to the door that led to the stairwell until Bill grabbed my shoulder.
"Easy man, you don't have to get pissed because I'm just curious is all," Bill assured and my face felt hot while I was utterly mortified by what he had said earlier, though I was too embarrassed to say anything and Bill had a look of realization.
"Oh...what, so you didn't fuck?" Bill inquired and I sucked in a breath before turning around and knocking his hand off my shoulder as I glared at him and the others.
"L-Look, why the crap do I have to tell you guys something so personal?! I'm not being a part of this bullshit and it was way more than that! Listen, that night was very special to me and I'll always remember it so just drop it, okay?!" I exclaimed defensively with passionate comical flames right behind me and the others held their hands up in surrender while the other carnivores around us started staring to see what was going on.
"Okay, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I do know the reason behind your reserved personality...you say that you're in love with that bunny, but aren't you just glorifying her? Don't you think your feelings for her come from your feelings for herbivores in general?
Tem was ripped apart, Louis-senpai is no longer a part of the drama club...listen, I don't know the full story, but I think your feelings for her are a little too heavy for a high school girl to handle so you need to enjoy love for what it is," Aoba told me and I looked away from him.
"I do enjoy it and I don't take it for granted," I stated quietly and felt a tickle in my nose that built up until I sneezed into my handkerchief.
"Shit, are you okay?" Aoba inquired and I blew my nose before I nodded.
"Yeah, think I'm coming down with something and my nose is all stuffy," I said after I wiped my nose with the handkerchief and took out my phone with my other one.
"You know, this might be the best chance I have to beat Legosi in a fight," Bill commented eagerly while I started texting Haru about meeting with her.
"Bill, don't be an ass," Aoba reproached as I received a message from Haru and walked away from the others before entering the stairwell.
"So, what's up? You don't normally contact me at night," Haru pointed out while we were sitting on the edge of a walkway.
"Y-Yeah," I said nervously and I didn't know why since things were going well between us.
"What? What's the matter, you big goof?" Haru asked after chuckling at my hesitance.
"Well, nothing really, but what happened to your right hand?" I inquired in concern when I saw a band-aid wrapped around her middle finger.
"Oh, I accidentally cut myself with a knife while I was cooking something. So, I grab the knife like I was in a hurry and...Legosi-kun?" Haru questioned as I took her hand and stared down at her with a soft gaze before I thought about what Aoba said and frowned slightly.
'What the hell does he know? I'm not glorifying her, I'm genuinely in love with her,' I thought as I gently moved my thumb across her right hand before Haru reached up to grab my tie and pull me down so that we were eye-level with each other.
"Hey, you're too high up and need to slump down so that I can properly make eye-contact with you," Haru reminded me and I blinked at that.
"Right...so, am I-" I started to ask and was cut off.
"Just stop talking," Haru said and I smirked amusingly.
"Very well," I remarked as I rested my right hand next to her and leaned forward while she rested her hand on my jaw.
We tenderly kissed and took it slow as Haru opened her mouth and I pushed my tongue in until I started exploring, then I closed my eyes and enjoyed the nice moment between us until we were forced to sadly separate so that we could get some air and we let out quiet heavy breathing when I moved slightly to nuzzle her cheek with a pleasant smile until I thought of something and backed away while I started looking less happy.
"Haru-chan, I'm sorry to ask you this but are you still in love with Louis-senpai?" I inquired and Haru looked taken aback by that.
"Wait, why would you say that? You don't know anything about me and Louis, so why?!" Haru interrogated and I cringed at how hurt she looked before I avoided eye-contact with her.
"I'm sorry, it was a stupid question and I guess the reason why I asked is that I don't want you to feel like I took you away from him or anything. Listen, I want to apologize for ruining the mood and I'm just happy knowing that you're still alive so I'm going to go now and I'll see you tomorrow," I said guiltily as I stood up and sent Haru one last look of regret before I walked away with my hands in my pockets.
"Connor, maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask her that," Legosi pointed out and I made a face while I felt like hitting my head against a wall for what I said.
"Yeah...god, I'm such a fucking idiot," I muttered as I kept walking and found myself in the middle of campus before I knelt down next to a tree and scowled at nothing in particular.
'Jesus, the hell was I thinking, asking her that? Dammit, I always seem to make things worse like everything I touch turns to shit around me,' I thought angrily and sighed while I decided to head back to my dorm room before I get in trouble for being out late.
"Connor, look out!" Legosi alerted urgently just before I sensed someone behind me, causing me to roll out of the way as a fist nearly bludgeoned my head.
I quickly stood up and spun around with my fists up in a combat stance, barely seeing my unknown attacker because it was dark but I studied the figure and my perception told me that the attacker was large and well built while being male at the same time until I managed to see that he was an ursid of some kind while I glared at him.
'Shit, where the fuck did he come from and how the hell did he sneak up from behind me?!' I thought in alarm while I was tense and ready to fight back.
"Okay, I don't know who the fuck you are, but I'm in a piss-poor mood at the moment so you just picked a fight with the wrong carnivore," I growled before the attacker charged at me with frightening speed.
Thanks to my experience of facing off against large enemies like Super Mutants and Deathclaws, I was able to react accordingly by dodging the strikes that would've badly injured me and retaliated by hitting the more sensitive spots on the attacker's body while he snarled in pain and staggered back as I hopped left and right like a boxer who was at the ready for the knock-out blow, then I charged at the attacker and moved around him while avoiding a swing before slamming my foot into his leg and sending him down to one knee with his hands on the ground until I glared down at him as I backed up at a safe distance.
"Well, considering that you just attacked me by ambushing me from behind, I take it that you're the one who killed Tem and you knew that I had a cold so you planned this, which means that you were at the carnivore gathering earlier and the only ones who knew that were the other male members of the drama club-" I said and was cut off from saying anything else when the attacker unexpectedly threw dirt into my eyes.
I shouted in pain and stumbled back as I clutched my face, then something slugged me in the stomach and I leaned forward to grip my abdomen before a blinding pain exploded onto my head as I spun from the force of the attack and crashed onto the ground as I was dazed and rendered nearly unconscious when I was kicked in the head hard and groaned as everything went black. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and still couldn't see but the cloth covering them and the sensation of my wrists tied together as I was being dragged told me that the attacker was taking me somewhere to be killed and I was blindfolded so I couldn't see his face.
I started kicking at the hand that was gripping my ankle while Legosi was shouting words of encouragement, then I was swung around suddenly until I collided against what appeared to be a pillar with my head cracking against it and the attacker let go as I hit the ground with a dazed groan and felt something wet go down the side of my head while I didn't feel any pain at all so I assumed that I was either slipping into shock or my adrenaline was up as I weakly stood up and swayed as I grinned.
"Is that...all you got...you little bitch? You're an arrogant shit who thinks that you got the better of me, but you're wrong and I don't see what you're trying to prove by kicking the shit out of me...so understand that you'll have to kill me first before you can lay a finger on another herbivore and I'll stop you even if it kills me because I'm not afraid to die," I wheezed with a mocking grin.
Apparently, my attacker didn't take too kindly to being mocked since his head slammed into mine and I was sent into the pillar with my nose breaking while I was grabbed by the ankle again and dragged into the dirt before my attacker finished moving me and I stayed still to make him think I was dead as I could hear him leaning forward to sniff me, then I lunged forward and bit down onto his arm viciously before my attacker roared in agony.
'Yeah, how does that fucking feel?!' I thought darkly as I wrapped my legs against his torso and started putting him in an awkward headlock to try and choke him into unconsciousness.
The attacker seems to have figured out what I was planning and started decking me in the head with his free hand but I wouldn't let go as I took in his scent and memorized it so that I could locate him, and I could taste his blood so I had badly injured him and he would have his arm bandaged later on after he escaped, which was a nice bonus if I wanted to find him. After that, I was struck in the solar plexus and I was forced to let go of him before I heard him running away while I was just laying on the ground and started feeling woozy.
'Shit, not good...I think I might have a concussion from the head trauma so what did dad say about that back in the Vault? That's right, he once told me that someone suffering from a concussion needs to stay awake and seek immediate medical attention,' I thought dimly as I moved my wrists over to my mouth and started chewing at the duct tape that was restraining my hands together.
I managed to break the tape and removed it before taking off the blindfold and put pressure on my injury with one hand while digging into my pocket with my other one and took out Legosi's phone, then I found Jack's number on the contacts list and tapped the call icon before the phone started calling him until Jack picked up.
"Hey Legosi, where are you?" Jack asked and I let out a slight groan while I struggled to stay conscious.
"Jack, I'm not feeling very hot so could you come and help me? I'm in the courtyard," I wheezed and hung up before putting the phone in my pocket and I weakly sat up as I waited for Jack to show up.
Pretty soon, I heard running footsteps and assumed that Jack was coming while I hoped that he would be able to keep it together when he saw me since the poor kid does not do well at the sight of blood, then the person arrived and came to a stop before I slowly turned my head and saw Jack just standing there near the walkway while looking completely paralyzed with his eyes bugged out and trembling in utter horror.
"L-Legosi, oh my god!" Jack shouted just before he ran over and knelt down to check on me.
"Jack...thanks for coming," I groaned dizzily as I looked at him with a dazed expression.
"Oh fuck, can you see straight right now?!" Jack questioned frantically and I grinned weakly.
"Yeah, I can see straight but I think I'm going to have a nasty headache for a few days once this concussion goes away," I wheezed as Jack saw the duct tape that was on the ground and appeared to have figured out what happened.
"Legosi, who did this to you?" Jack inquired while his eyes welled up and I stood up while wobbling.
"I'd like to know that myself...listen, I'm not going to be in school for a while so I want you to tell the teachers that I'm going to go home and take care of my grandfather who's sick. One more thing, could you return the textbook I borrowed from Collot? It's in my desk and I'm really counting on you to do this for me.
You know, I'm feeling much better after seeing you so you need to head back to the dorm because he might come back," I said as I placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and went to leave, but he grabbed my free arm to stop me.
"Who's he?! Shit, your face is covered in so much blood! Look, we need to go to the infirmary right now so that someone can take a look at you because you look so messed up!" Jack pleaded and I sighed as I looked back at him.
"No, if I go back to the main building, he'll kill me and then he'll come after you so I can't let that happen," I refused firmly.
"Then, where are you going?" Jack questioned and I grimaced while my head flared up as I kept providing pressure on the injury.
"It's better that you don't know, but I swear that I'll come back," I stated and Jack looked hurt, which made me cringe since I didn't like seeing him that way.
"What the hell, man...I'm aware of how distant you've been these last few months and you're not coming back, are you?! I-I wanted nothing more than for you to be happy...a clumsy guy like you growing up, making friends, studying for school, and getting a girlfriend...I wanted that, I wanted you to be stronger so that you could better yourself.
Why did it have to turn out like this? The stronger you get, the worse off you are in life and I can't bear to see that anymore..." Jack whimpered and he started crying, causing me to frown before I walked over and pulled him into a hug with one arm while he froze at the close contact.
"Jack, I'm sorry that you feel that way and I'm not strong because I want to be happy...listen, be extremely careful from now on because I don't want that bastard to come after you to get to me," I warned as Jack looked up at me with teary eyes, then I smiled warmly while I let go of him and patted his head before I walked away from him with my free hand up in a gesture of goodbye.
After I had left campus, I traveled to the subway and made sure no one saw me before I went into the male bathroom until I removed my suspenders, shirt, and tie while I turned on the sink and plugged it up, then I submerged my head for a couple of minutes to wash the blood off and removed my head from the sink to check myself until I saw a nasty gash on my head that won't stop bleeding and I hoped that I would be able to find sutures to stitch up this injury.
'Jesus, I'm bleeding like a stuck pig and I swear that I'll find that asshole who used my head as a soccer ball,' I thought with a scowl as Legosi grimaced at the state of his head.
"Connor, Jack was right when he said that you should get that checked out because that looks like a nasty injury," Legosi pointed out in concern and I sighed.
"Yeah, and I know just the person to help," I muttered as I put my shirt and suspenders on before using the tie as gauze as I wrapped it around my head and tied it together like a bandanna so I wouldn't continue bleeding.
It wasn't pretty, but it would have to hold until I would be able to find proper medical supplies to stitch up the head injury and I would have to use the reptile car on the train since they didn't have a very good sense of smell because the mammals would be able to instantly pick up the scent of blood and call the police or an ambulance, so I went into the reptile car and ignored the stares while I used my shirt to cover my injury.
I knew that I would have to see Gouhin so that I could get advice on how to stop the killer since he was more experienced on how to deal with carnivores who gave in to their instincts and crave more of it, like someone who was addicted to drugs as I used to be back in the Wasteland after I lost my father and the train came to a stop until I left the reptile car and headed into the city before I found myself in the black market while it had started raining.
'Now that I think about it, I haven't thanked him for helping me deal with the Shishigumi so asking for his help again would seem pretty presumptuous of me and I should buy something for him as thanks for his help before,' I thought as I spotted a booth that sold bamboo grass and walked over until I cleared my throat to get the attention of the female turtle who was manning it.
"Excuse me, I would like to purchase some bamboo grass, please," I said and the storekeeper looked puzzled since it was not every day that a wolf would be talking about buying bamboo grass.
"Bamboo grass? There are many types in here so how many bundles do you want?" the storekeeper asked and I was rendered silent since I didn't know what kind of bamboo grass Gouhin liked.
"Um..." I trailed off as I was completely lost on what to do and the storekeeper seemed to notice.
"Sir, are you okay?" the storekeeper inquired in concern and it snapped me out of my train of thought.
"Sorry about that, just thinking," I stated just before I heard some large footsteps approach the booth and I tensed up since I had no idea who was behind me.
"I'd like to take my order first, miss. Fifty kilograms of giant bamboo and five bundles of Narihara bamboo while I also want thirty kilograms of Kuma bamboo grass with thirty kilograms of the same thing ordered a while back to dry up my Ruscus bamboo," a familiar voice announced and the scent of cigarette smoke made me look back to see that it was Gouhin, who was dressed in a heavy raincoat with the hood up
"Very well, you sure eat a lot Gouhin-san so would you like all of that to go?" the storekeeper offered and Gouhin nodded.
"Yeah, this is nothing I can't handle," Gouhin said before he removed his hood and turned his attention to me as the storekeeper was busy getting his order.
"I knew it was you, though you look like shit and you seem to be doing well despite your nasty injuries," Gouhin commented and I blinked at that before I smirked at him.
"Well, I feel like shit and it's good to see you again," I remarked and Gouhin chuckled before the storekeeper notified him that his order was ready until he took the pack filled with bamboo and flipped his hood up while he walked out into the rain and looked back at me.
"Okay, this will last me three days and it's better to make a move to get what you want, which is a good way to live," Gouhin told me and it reminded me the reason why I came here in the first place.
"Gouhin-san, wait!" I called out and the large panda halted as I hurried over and went in front of him before I bowed my head humbly.
"Look, I know that you don't owe me anything and don't have to agree to this, but I need your help because something happened at school and I need your advice on something," I told him and Gouhin hummed thoughtfully.
"Huh, it must be pretty serious if you decided to come to me of all people for advice, so why don't we head back to the clinic so that you don't catch your death standing out here," Gouhin offered and I nodded before we walked back to the clinic together while I hoped that he would agree to what I had in mind.
A/N Looks like Connor had his first encounter with Tem's killer and he's lucky to have survived, though the change that was made in that encounter is that Connor knows how to defend himself so he easily hurt his attacker with his CQC training before he was blinded by having dirt being thrown into his face and that can stun even the most well-trained soldier if they're not prepared for it, so the only reason Connor lost the fight and nearly died was that he was taken off guard and his skills have gotten a little rusty.
Anyway, one of the changes that I'm sure you're okay with is that Connor didn't kiss his attacker as Legosi did in canon so he was spared from that particular embarrassment, though he memorized the killer's scent and injured him with a nasty bite to the arm so all Connor has to do it track down the killer by scent and keep an eye out for anyone who has a bandage on their arm that looks recent, so talk about clever, am I right?
So, I noticed that nobody had sent me any reviews on this story for a while and it doesn't have to be a long one if you don't know what to say, just let me know what you think is all and stay tuned.
