Peak Omnivore 2 - or 'Sometimes being Apex doesn't mean being Alpha in a world where Carnivores are 'kings'' (Beastars, Human!SI)

It was morning and the events of yesterday were still fresh in my mind.

I already had the opportunity to check on cameras to confirm that Legoshi was not behind the attacks, and I managed to see that the reason he was still up at that time was due to an assignment he had with another student.

Louis, herbivore. He was adopted and his father was money. I wouldn't say that there's much love in that family and that the adoption was written out of affection- Mr. Ogma was seemingly infertile, thus he had to create the idea he had a child rather than admit to the truth.

The school was made aware of this condition and threatened with legal actions in case anything that could divulge the truth was not suppressed. Right now, this didn't seem to be the case but… I needed to straighten up a silly wolf with the help of his sister.

Legoshi was a… good student. Quiet, shy, and definitely an introvert. He was rather passive as a person, even more than his twin sister. Speaking of her, she was the one that arrived at the place of the meeting, my office at a punctual hour. She knocked, bowed her head as the door opened and then stepped inside.

Rona was a lovely student. Still an introvert, but not too shy from connecting with fellow girls that shared her mood at times. Legoshi was just less active socially compared to his sister and… Rona was the one that tried the hardest to have him crack from his small group of friends and make even more in the process. Nothing wrong in broadening the horizon but-

"Sensei, if I may ask already even if my brother is not here… is this something to worry about?"

I offered a tiny smile. "There's not going to be a punishment, but I need to give your brother a bit of a stern lecture for something he was caught doing and… the misunderstanding he created."

"My brother is not a killer-"

"And I already know that. I even went the extra step to get copies of the surveillance to show he was not around any of the places where the predator struck, just in case something bad happens and 'someone somehow ends up deleting by mistake the whole thing'."

She smiled back, and I used this quiet break from dealing with the student in question to speak with Rona herself.

"Say, Rona-san, have there been any… signs that your brother has been feeling a bit aimless recently? As if he wanted to look into making new friends or-"

"N-Not that I know of," She admitted. "He has been a bit 'lost' ever since Tem died and… Some may be suspecting him of being behind this but-"

"We both know it's not the case. I am sure the principal and other teachers would share this opinion."

Relief flashed on her face-

"But I wasn't asking in regard to this crime. I meant in regard to making new 'interesting' friends. Not carnivores, but herbivores."

This time, the female wolf offered a thoughtful look. "Maybe? He is in the Theater Club and it's a mixed club. Maybe he met… Louis?"

I frowned. "Louis? That's specific."

"He is quick to make friends and maybe saw Legoshi as a 'trustworthy' individual," Rona reasoned flatly. "Sir, I don't mean any disrespect but… is there going to be a punishment?"

"A fitting one, but nothing that will go beyond making your brother grumble a bit about not having much free time for a month."

The girl flinched and then gave me a cheeky look. "May I ask what it is?"

"You may, but I prefer to keep it a secret until… Hello Legoshi."

The young wolf had tried to peep from the partly open door, but he seemed to have momentarily forgotten he is a lanky bipedal wolf for a moment.

"Bukharin-sensei," He greeted back nervously. "Rona-nee."

"Le-Go-Shiiiiii," Rona trailed on the 'i', making it sound like she was sibilating like a snake. "What did you do?"

"I… was just helping around."

"Without permission. But I will cut the chase and settle with the essence of this conversation. I caught you wandering the school grounds without permission at a late hour despite it being curfew, you almost attacked a student out of instinct and… do I need to add to the fact that you have not slept well today?"

"I-" He looked a bit shaken by this last comment and he bowed his head. "Apologies."

"Apologies accepted, but only because of how good of a student you are. It's small things, and I would have been willing to close one eye on it if not for the fact you put your life and the ones owned by those you were 'helping' in jeopardy. I know for a fact you are aware that nighttime is where your instinct is more prominent- you are tired, so you get easily taken over the moment you smell a scent you find reasonably pleasant to target."

Rona's eyes snapped open as I finished relaying this. "Legoshi, you what?!"

"I wasn't- I didn't mean to scare them like that and I caught myself quickly."

"Urgh! I am going to tell this to Jiji."

He bowed his head in shame and… I relented a bit.

"I will not suspend you or even put a bad grade on your conduct- but I want you to make an honest effort to be clever about this, Legoshi. You are a smart student and you need to be a bit more protective of your own self. Self-preservation is needed to survive in this world."

"I will be more careful-"

"And you will also apologize to the student you came close to attack," I added, smiling a bit more as I retrieved a formal document for Legoshi to carry to his club. "You will be spending a full month helping at the Gardening Club."

"But I-"

"The slip is just in case you are kept around for longer than needed. Your contribution is at most of a full hour each day, minus the weekends."

…

"I expected worse, if I have to be honest," Legoshi remarked, his sister slapping his shoulder for making this comment, but I found his honesty refreshing as quite truthful to the situation.

"Many teachers would have given you worse since you are a carnivore, yes. But I am not someone that judge people by their appearances or biology, but by their deeds and personality. You are not a monster or someone undeserving of kind guidance. Just… don't be a idiot and you will find an ally in me."

He finally smiled, barely keeping eye contact before looking away.

"T-Thank you, sensei."

"And you can start tomorrow at the club. I will tell Haru that you will be her kohai due to your inexperience on the topic- I am sure she will be thrilled."

A lite blush manifested on his cheeks through the fur.

"O-Oh."

I bit down a snort, but Rona looked amused by this development. I could hear them chat about it as they left as I didn't hold them for more during this conversation and… I felt like I had to do something about this 'Predator at School' situation.

While the police were doing what they could, the fact that we didn't have a full-on check-up for students that had been missing on their medical needs to keep the hunger at bay meant that we didn't have a clear path to track down. Sure, Tem was not that social of an individual despite having a good disposition but…

He was also not someone that made it clear who was a close enough friend to him that could be both a predator and someone with that sort of mindset. It had to be a bit more complicated, but not too much. A slight change of personality, a small 'slip' into a state of freedom that was usually missing and…

Maybe the culprit was actually the one we should have expected from the very beginning.