The next day, Lee, Oscar, and Theo made their way to the Gardening Club to discuss the identity of the mysterious assailant. As they ascended the stairs to the roof they started to hear whispering.

Two male canine students, that huge Great Dane and a husky had the door to the roof open just a crack, their tails wagging as they stared at something.

"You were right, they're friggin' huge."

"I thought they were only that big in anime."

"She's got some really wide hips too. She's gotta have a thick ass under that skirt."

"That's what sucks about Cherryton. The girl's uniforms have skirts that are way too long."

Lee's right eye twitched as he listened to these creeps spy on his friend. He was about to walk over and deck them when suddenly, Esther arrived. She growled at them. "The hell are you two whispering about?" The tiger's tail was bristling and her irises turned to slits. This feline was ready to pounce.

The Great Dane chuckled as he approached Esther. "I know you. You're that dyke that likes to pretend she's a boy."

The dog was slightly taller than Esther. Which was frightening since the white tiger was already a colossus of a female for her species. Friends and family were somewhat frightened when her growth spurts made her slightly taller than her father.

Esther snorted. "I don't 'pretend' shit. I may be female, but I've got more balls than you two pansies. But if you're lookin' for a fight, we can take this conversation downstairs."

The Dane smirked. "Fine by me."

The two descended the stairs and the chimera and goat followed out of curiosity. Oscar sat on the top step, unwilling to walk back down just to watch a fight. The two giants stood across each other in the hallway, the husky standing behind his friend.

Lee was told by his parents not to get into fights. But they never said anything about him needing to stop a fight. If he couldn't kick the living crap out of this dog then maybe Esther could do it for him.

Esther gave a cocky smirk and cracked her knuckles. The Dane grinned and smashed his fists together a few times.

Then, Lee heard chatting and two familiar voices coming up the other flight of stairs.

"And then I asked her if her perfume was made of skunk-" Sebastian and Viola appeared in the same hallway and turned their attention to the Great Dane, ending their conversation.

The Dane looked at them curiously. Then his face went pale, replaced by an expression of pure terror as he stared at the two sheep.

Viola smiled. "Hector-san! It's been so long. I don't think I've seen you since middle school."

Sebastian looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow. "Who?"

The canine trembled before sprinting away from the sheep. "Stay away from me, you psychos!"

His confused husky friend looked between the fleeing Dane and the sheep with a confused expression. The husky shrugged and walked the direction his friend ran off to.

Sebastian looked confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Viola looked at her brother incredulously. "You don't remember Hector-san?"

Sebastian shook his head.

Viola scoffed. "He was that boy in middle school that threw a stapler at my head."

Sebastian scratched his chin until a look of realization crossed his face. "Ooooh. That guy."

Viola groaned. "Honestly, Bast, how could you forget him? He needed eight stitches and the school banned you from using scissors until you graduated."

Lee winced. Esther was right after all. These two are psychos.

Sebastian shrugged. "Eh. Honestly, I'm already forgetting his existence as we speak."

The twins continued their ascent up the stairs. Esther sighed, looking disappointed.

The group all got together in the garden shed. Theo sat cross-legged on the bed with his laptop.

Esther raised an eyebrow. "Why is hehere?" The twins both crossed their arms and glared at him, while Oscar looked nervous about the situation.

Olivia tilted her head. "Who is he?"

Lee gestured towards the goat, who looked very intimidated. "This is Theo-kun."

The lab looked shocked and appalled. "The blackmailer?! Why the hell did you bring him?!"

Theo started to tremble. "I-I…"

Lee patted him on the shoulder. "He deleted that video and apologized. He's agreed to make it up to me by helping us hunt down the person that tried to kill Ibuki-san."

Everyone looked at him with skepticism and disdain. The goat gulped. "I'm really sorry. What I did was inexcusable. But I'd still like to make up for my misdeed."

Lee took a seat next to Theo. "You said you already have a clue, right?"

The goat nodded. "Yes. I was up on the catwalk when I saw that person. I could tell from their tail that they were a large feline. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop them."

He started typing on his computer. "The weapon was a broken stage light. Supposedly, it broke when it hit the ground, but I suspect it was already broken before it was even dropped."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Theo looked up at her with a somewhat embarrassed expression. "Because Ibroke it."

Lee's ears perked up as he remembered. "You mean the one you dropped in the practice building before the play?"

Theo nodded. "I was taking inventory and that's the only light that was unaccounted for."

Esther's ears perked up. "Oooohhh! So it hasto be the same one!"

Olivia smiled and looked at the tiger. "Good work, Esther-chan!"

Esther blushed and scratched the back of her head bashfully. "Th-thanks."

While Esther was happy about the praise, Lee couldn't help but mentally compare Olivia's tone to that of a first-grade teacher giving a child a gold star. At least it was a step up from the lab's usual condescension.

Theo drummed his fingers on his laptop as he thought. "I threw that light in the garbage though."

Sebastian, who was texting on his phone, looked up at the goat. "In that case, somebody dug it out of the trash."

Viola sighed. "That doesn't really help narrow it down, huh? Anybody could get it out then."

Olivia crossed her arms. "True, but a Drama Club member is still a more likely suspect. Since they would know there was a light in the trash. And it's the perfect weapon to kill somebody in a play and make it look like an accident."

Lee groaned. "Every feline in Drama Club was backstage though." .

Theo adjusted his glasses. "In that case, it's very possible a different animal in Drama Club gave the light to our feline attacker."

The glass door slid open and Lee heard a familiar voice. "And who do you suspect that might be?" In walked Ibuki.

Everybody stared in shock and surprise. Lee tilted his head. "How long have you been eavesdropping?"

The deer-wolf sneered at Theo. "Everything since this little guy here admitted to blackmail."

The goat bit his lip and looked away in shame.

Ibuki leaned against a wall. "I was looking for something to do now that Drama Club has been suspended. I heard rumors about a bunch of members going to the Gardening Club. I can't say I expected myself to be the subject matter."

Lee smirked. "Congrats, Ibuki-san. A club all about you. I'm sure it perfectly suits your interests."

Ibuki chuckled. "We already had that. It was called 'Drama Club'."

Lee couldn't believe it. Ibuki using self-deprecating humor. The chimera actually found himself chuckling with him.

Ibuki scratched his chin in contemplation. "My first idea is that they wanted me dead because I'm a hybrid. Or perhaps it's someone that hates me for being Louis the red deer's son."

Theo looked up at Ibuki. "Good point. I'll do some independent research and see if I can find a suspect."

Lee nodded and turned to Ibuki. "I'm surprised you're still here, Ibuki-san. I would have thought your parents would have taken you home."

Ibuki shook his head. "Dad agreed to let me stay as long as I stick around you whenever I can."

Lee looked confused. "Me?"

The deer-wolf scoffed. "Well, you didsave my life. I suppose he thinks I'm safe in your care."

Lee blushed. Having Louis put so much trust in the wolf-rabbit made him feel a tad embarrassed, but perhaps a little proud.

Lee and Theo decided to chat as they both walked back to their dorms together. Unfortunately, they somehow managed to get lost and wound up in the wrong building.

Lee spotted something unusual in one of the hallways. There were big double doors that were somewhat caved in with police tape on them. On the floor was a black-framed photo of an alpaca with a bouquet next to it.

Theo made a sad expression as he spotted the photo. "Oh…"

Lee tilted his head. "Who is that?"

The two approached the photo and Theo kneeled down near it. "His name was Tem."

Lee's ears drooped as he recognized that name. "Oh…"

Theo sat in front of the photo. "He had a crush on my mom. She didn't find out until after he died. Your father gave her the love letter Tem was too scared to give her."

Lee looked at him curiously. "Huh. Dad never told me that."

Theo's eyes were drawn to the bouquet. The flowers were fresh. "Somebody is still leaving him flowers? Nobody he went to school with is here anymore."

Lee crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. Was it one of the teachers, maybe?

Theo stood up. He reached into his pocket but then started patting himself. "Damn it. I'll meet you at the dorms in a bit, Lee-kun. I think I just forgot my phone on the roof."

Lee nodded. "I'll see ya."

Ibuki returned to his dorm. His father demanded that the only time he's away from Lee should be when he went back there. He slowly opened the door and spotted Jiro sitting on his bunk, drawing as he usually did. However, there was something off about it. He was drawing very fast and moving his pencil in an almost aggressive way. His face was neutral as always, but Ibuki was getting a manic feel from the Tibetan fox.

Ibuki walked in. "Hey, Jiro-kun."

Jiro looked at him. Despite his underdeveloped face muscles, the fox's eyes widened slightly, and his pupils shrank. He slammed the sketchbook shut and tossed it behind him. His face went back to how it was as he pulled out his notepad and showed Ibuki the big smiling face. "Hey, Ibuki-kun!"

Ibuki got a strange feeling. Something about Jiro's demeanor implied to him that the face he's currently showing him was disingenuous and didn't actually reflect how the fox was feeling. Suddenly, the happy face on the notepad felt like a mask that was hiding something else. But the deer-wolf didn't know what and didn't want to pry. "H-hey."

Jiro flipped to the small smile. "Have you been around Lee-kun lately?"

Ibuki nodded. "I met up with him and some friends. They're trying to figure out who tried to kill me."

Jiro flipped to a surprised face. "Oh, that's interesting! Trying to solve a mystery, huh?"

The deer-wolf shrugged. "I guess. We don't have much as far as leads are concerned. One of Lee-kun's roommates is looking into it."

Jiro flipped to the big smile. "If there's any way I can help, please let me know."

Ibuki chuckled. "Sure."

The door opened and the rest of Ibuki's canine friends came back. The rest of the day was uneventful for Ibuki. But as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing.

Esther returned to her dorm after doing homework with Olivia. She'd gotten a lot of praise from the lab for her progress and as a result, has been in a fantastic mood. When she got back to the dorm, everybody but Lin was there.

She looked around curiously. "Where's Lin-chan?"

Ceci was hanging upside down from her bed while texting on her phone. "Hanging out with her brother. He's got nothing to do now that Drama Club is suspended."

Hikari smiled. "You seem to be in a good mood though, Esther-chan. I thought you'd be bored too without club."

Esther grinned. "Nah, not at all! A really smart friend of mine has been tutoring me after school. She says I'm getting way better!"

Mila scoffed. "Lucky! I wish Ihad a tutor."

Hikari picked up her hand mirror and looked at herself in it. "You must hold this person in high regard to be so giddy about her approval."

Esther blushed and fiddled with her fingers. "Well. She's also pretty cute."

Donna looked at her with surprise. "She's cute?"

Esther scratched her head awkwardly. "I can't help it. I like getting compliments from pretty girls."

Everybody looked at her with surprise. Donna cleared her throat. "Um, Esther-chan. Are you a lesbian?"

The white tiger looked surprised. She was shocked anybody needed to ask. "Duh! I thought that was obvious."

Mila looked a tad uncomfortable. "Well, it's not right to make assumptions about people. Plenty of straight girls can be masculine."

Esther sighed. "I don't think she's interested in me that way though. And sometimes I wonder if it's her I like or her body." She laughed nervously. "She's really… hot, y'know?"

All the girls looked at each other awkwardly. Donna raised an eyebrow. "Are there a lotof girls you find attractive?"

Esther pondered this. "Yeah. I mean, a good amount." The white tiger grabbed her sleepwear. "We should be showering soon, right?"

Donna approached Esther. "Just out of curiosity, do you find any of usattractive?"

Esther started to sweat nervously. "Well. Yeah. I'm more into busty gals but, you're all pretty good-looking in your own way."

Donna placed a hand on Esther's shoulder. "Esther-chan. I think you should probably shower afterus."

The white tiger looked stunned and confused. "H-huh?"

Mila looked at Donna sadly. "But Esther-chan didn't do anything wrong."

Donna shook her head. "Of course not. She can't help who she is." She turned to face the rest of the girls. "But we don't allow boys in the showers either. I don't think I need to explain why."

Hikari looked uncomfortable. "Y-yes, but-"

Donna crossed her arms. "How would you girls feel about a boy watching you in the shower? I'm sure you'd be uncomfortable with that. Esther may be female, but she's interested in girls the same way a male is. It's nothing against her as a person, of course, but I think it'd be in our best interest to have her shower separately."

All of the girls looked at each other with conflicted expressions. Ceci looked at Esther. "Are you okay with showering alone, Esther-chan?"

Esther looked at the girls with a surprised expression. But then she put on a smile. "Yeah, I get what you mean." She set her sleepwear down. "You girls can go without me."

Hikari looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

The white tiger nodded. "It's not a big deal. It'll be nice having the shower to myself."

Donna smiled at Esther. "I'm glad you understand and didn't take it personally."

The girls started leaving the room, some of them still looking a tad conflicted about it. The door shut behind them and Esther sighed.

Then she sniffed. She wasn't sure why she sniffed. But then she felt something on her face. She touched her cheek and felt liquid. Tears. She scoffed and started mumbling to herself as she wiped the tears away. "Come on, Esther, don't cry over something so stupid."

She sniffed again and wiped away more tears. "C-come on, stop it." The tears kept coming and her sniffing turned to sniffling. "I-it doesn't matter. Just stop crying." Her face turned red and her lips trembled as more and more tears kept rolling down her face. She slapped herself. "S-stop crying, damn it! Stop it!"

The sniffling turned to sobbing as the tears went on endlessly. She sat down on her bunk and couldn't take it anymore. Her emotions overwhelmed her and she buried her face in her hands while she cried. What she felt on the first day was true, she really didn't belong here.

When Lee opened the door to the dorm he spotted Oscar very aggressively tossing something in the trash so hard it caused the bin to tip a bit. Immediately afterward the rabbit went behind his bunk's curtain.

When Lee went inside, he noticed there was nobody else there. From the other side of Oscar's curtain, he could hear sniffling and sobbing. Lee knew it wasn't right to pry, but knowing that his friend was hurting drove him to want to find the truth. So he reached into the bin and pulled out the piece of crumpled paper the rabbit had just disposed of.

He opened it as quietly as possible so as not to draw attention to his presence.

"Oscar, you need to start taking your weight loss seriously. You have a responsibility to Harlequin rabbits to reproduce and help save our species. But no female is going to be interested in someone with a body as disgustingly obese as yours. At this rate, you'll die of a clogged artery before you can find a mate.

You'll be attending this school for four years. That's more than enough time to lose all that weight. If you are still overweight by the time you graduate, you will no longer be welcome in this home and we will be forced to cut all communication with you. Please pin this letter to your wall as a reminder to motivate you.

- Mother"

Lee was so enraged by what he read he accidentally tore the letter in half. He was beyond disgusted that anybody who called themselves a mother would dare treat their child like that.

He heard the sound of curtains being moved aside and saw Oscar looking at him with tears in his eyes. "She's not wrong though. If I can't lose this weight I'm worthless to my entire species."

Lee shook his head. "Don't talk about yourself like-"

Oscar glared at Lee, his face overcome with rage. "Shut up! Don't even pretend! You know I'm not healthy! You know I'm not attractive! You know I'm slowly killing myself like this!"

The harlequin rabbit jumped out of bed and stormed towards the chimera. "Look at you so high and mighty. You think you can just solve everybody's problems?! You don't know a damned thing about what it's like to be me! So stow your savior complex bullshit!"

Tears rolled down Oscar's face and his ears completely flattened against either side of his head. The rabbit hid his face in his hands as he sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Lee-kun."

Lee got down on both knees and picked up the torn in half letter. "It's okay to be angry. I don't know what you're going through, but I'd like to help as best I can."

The chimera scowled as he held up the torn letter. " Thisis not help. This is just abuse. You need people that will actually support you."

Lee continued to tear the letter into tiny pieces before shoving what was pretty much confetti into the garbage can.

The chimera pulled Oscar into a hug. The Harlequin rabbit looked at him in surprise.

Lee smiled. "Even if you never lose weight, that doesn't mean you have less worth as a person."

Oscar sniffled before making a wry smirk. "I was right. You dohave a savior complex."

Lee released the rabbit from the hug and chuckled. "Hey, I've got my own problems, ya know? I wanna at least help other people with whatever problems they have."

The door opened and the rest of their roommates slowly walked in, so Lee and Oscar decided to end the conversation there.

Later that night, Lee was lying down in his bunk with his phone in hand.

Lee: "They're suspending Drama Club for a month unless they find out who attacked Ibuki."

Legosi: "Seems that club continues to end up in turmoil for some reason."

Haru: "That sucks. I thought it was pretty cool that they accepted carnivore and herbivore members."

Legosi: "It was something of a bridge between the two groups. Proof that carnivores and herbivores can cooperate."

Legosi: "That bridge started to really strain after Tem died."

Lee: "That reminds me. I found flowers at his memorial."

Haru: "Really? He's been dead for such a long time. I wonder who left them."

Legosi: "It could have been the security guard. She's left flowers at Tem's grave before. She felt responsible for his death."

Lee: "I've never met the security guard."

Legosi: "She's a giant rattlesnake that crawls through the walls."

Lee: "Okay. Now you're just making shit up."

Legosi: "I'm not! She's the one that told me to hunt down the killer."

Haru: "I believe him. Sounds weird enough to be something that happened in his life."

Legosi: "Thank you."

Lee: "Yeah, okay. Good night."

Legosi: "Goodnight, Lee."

Haru: "Night, sweetie!"

Lee found himself sitting on the edge of the water fountain, staring off into the fog. He contemplated on who could have been responsible for the attack in the auditorium. He also found himself somewhat lamenting that his time in school wasn't as normal as he hoped. Perhaps strange things were part of his destiny as Legosi's son.

The chimera heard a growling noise on his left and turned his head. Outside the auditorium doors was some kind of silhouette on all fours, glaring at him with red eyes. He stood up and started to sweat nervously as the predator slowly approached him.

Suddenly, he felt something tiny pulling on his right hand. He turned around to see a little bunny that looked like a shadow trying to pull him away with a terrified look on its face. "Y-You have to run away! He's going to eat you!"

Lee nodded and prepared to run. But then he felt something large grab his left hand. He turned to see a gigantic wolf-like shadow holding his hand and glaring at him. "You want to run away?! What kind of predator are you?!"

Lee contemplated this. Perhaps it would make more sense to stay and fight. However, the rabbit tugged harder on him. "Don't listen to him! He'll get you killed!"

"If you run he'll chase you! He can't eat you if you kill him first!"

"Don't be stupid! You can't handle that thing!"

"Ridiculous! You have the might of a wolf! It's in your blood to fight!"

"Are you blind?! He clearly looks more like a rabbit! He needs to run!"

The chimera groaned as the two both tugged on each arm and fought over him. He swayed back and forth as they wrestled for control. He didn't know what to do, but it felt like he was about to be torn in half.

Before he could make a decision, the beast pounced on him. Lee tumbled over as he felt the creature grab him. It was canine for sure. Another wolf, looking at him with hungry eyes as drool dripped down its face while it pinned Lee to the ground.

Something about this beast was familiar. It became far more clear who it was when Lee looked up and saw antlers.

"Ibuki?"

Suddenly, Ibuki was gone and Lee was staring at the ceiling above his bed. He growled in frustration. These dreams were starting to piss him off.