Summer Arc 1: Invite Curiosity and Havoc

3rd person POV

As the meteor festival has reached its conclusion, summer starts with a strong heat wave. The heat hangs in the air like a dense fog, where even those without fur or feathers can feel the oppressive force. With only a few options, the students of Cherryton Academy are left with only one solution.

Splash*

The community pool is one of the city's gathering places for the summer. Where those heavily affected by the heat may receive a reprieve. For others, it's a place to potentially find someone special for a summer romance. For Legoshi and Serah, it's a chance to finally relax after the whole Shishigumi fiasco.

They both are in the pool, standing on the shallow end while watching the other occupants relax or playing in the water in trying to overcome the hot temperature. Serah is wearing a yellow frilly one-piece swimsuit that fits snugly on her body as she is relaxing in the water with her hair tied back in a low ponytail. Next to her, Legoshi is wearing a pair of red swim trunks while trying to be as unnoticeable as possible, with only some success as most people are busy with their own world or friends.

Serah asks Legoshi "Aren't you going to hang out with your friends?"

Legoshi replies with a hint of nervousness "Well, u-uhm…I just thought…"

Serah gives a small smile and states "We have almost all summer to spend time together. It's okay to spend time with your friends. Besides, I wanna meet them myself."

As she walks towards Legohsi's friends as he asks in slight surprise "A-are you sure?" She turns and nods as they both swim towards the canine roommates. Jack, the golden retriever, notices Legoshi and waves at him with joy and energy. He then sees Serah and freezes in surprise with Legoshi's other roommates.

Jack asks with a blank expression "Uhh, Legoshi? Who's your new friend?" He asks the last question with a quivering finger pointed towards Serah.

Legoshi scratches his left arm and answers with an unsure expression "Guys, u-uhm…this is Serah Seikatsu, and she's…uhmm…" Legoshi blushes under his fur as he stutters at saying the word despite his tail swinging in joy.

Serah notices the blush, smiles, and finishes for Legoshi in a warm and joyful tone "Hi, I'm Legoshi's girlfriend. It's nice to meet you all." The group of canine roommates pauses in thought when she says girlfriend. The recent couple is unsure what the group of various canine species was thinking as they wait with a slight nervousness.

Jack eventually replies after a pause "Dude…congratulations man! I knew you were in love!" The others join in on the congrats as they ask how and when they started dating. Legoshi looks towards Serah as she gives him a thumbs-up sign with a small smile.

Legoshi explains "We uh…got together during the festival. We decided to give it a shot."

Serah comments in her thoughts 'It's unfortunate that a lot of drama lead up to that. And there's probably more in the future.'

One of the roommates, a fennec fox, asks with immense curiosity "So, when are you guys going on your first date?"

Legoshi scratches the top of his head and answers "I don't think we planned anything like that yet." He was unsure about how to do that, about dating or much romance, but he wants to figure it out.

Serah hugs Legoshi's left arm and states "I'm sure we'll figure it out. Until then I'm content just being together like this." Jack was able to tell Legoshi was happy despite his seemingly stoic face.

…Because Legoshi's tail was wagging happily as it splashed in the pool.

Jack moves next to Legoshi and whispers into his ear "I'm glad you were able to figure out your feelings Legoshi. I can tell she's a nice person." They both look at Serah as she is talking with the other 701 roommates.

Legoshi replies softly "She is…I hope we can make it work." Legoshi is determined to make sure that they can be together, his eyes show a fierce determination.

Jack says with an optimistic tone "I'm sure you will, it's probably gonna take time."

Legoshi nods as he stares at an approaching Serah who asks with a curious tone when arriving "Legoshi, I heard you first met Jack when you both fought each other. Is that true?" The two in question freeze when asked that, they look towards their roommates to see them waving with innocent expressions. The two canines in question are stuck in a state of minor confusion, debating whether their friends are messing with them or not. There doesn't seem to be an answer no matter how much they debate it in their heads.

Legoshi explains with a straight face "Okay, how about we play Moonball?" The canine roommates appear excited as Serah takes out a beach ball. They all take turns punting the ball in the air, making sure not to hit it twice.

Voss stands on Collie's shoulder for a height advantage as he bunts the ball. Miguno bunts the ball towards Legoshi who bunts it high. The ball almost blocks out the sun for a few seconds as everyone enjoys the shared moment between the small group. The rest of the poolgoers are also enjoying their time with others whether it's with their friends or their dates. A day under the warm summer sun, what most hope for is to make memories.

Later - Women's Shower Room

Serah is thoroughly scrubbing her hair, making sure to get the annoying chlorine out. She gave a face of disgust as she felt her hair with lightly dry chlorine, almost a crispy sensation. While washing out the shampoo, she hears the door open and a small gathering of footsteps approach.

While focusing on washing her body with soap, she couldn't help but overhear a high-pitched girl talking "It's strange how Louise disappeared out of nowhere. I hope he's okay."

Another female says with a worried tone "He started acting weird after getting punched by that wolf." The small group was wondering what the fight was about as Serah was lost in her thoughts.

Flashback*

A young Serah is holding her mother's hand tightly as they enter a large building. It has a sign that reads 'Horn's Conglomerate' which leads into a tall business office building. The two visitors feel small as they enter a professional but high-quality lobby.

The mother is wearing a dark blue, loose-fitting, kimono under a button-up gray overcoat that reaches her thighs. Her most noticeable piece of clothing is a brown fedora that helps hold back her shoulder-length blue flowing hair. A pair of fitting dress flats adorn her feet as she approaches the female sheep secretary.

The young Serah looks around as her mother is talking with the secretary. The lobby is very busy as various animals are scrambling across the lobby, some almost in a panic. Some of them are talking about something being stolen and it being very important.

Serah's mother interrupts her listening by grabbing her hand and guiding her to an elevator in the middle of the hallway. After waiting for the elevator, they stand back as a herd of workers leave and scatter to various rooms. The two humans enter the elevator and Serah's mother pushes the button for the top floor.

The wait wasn't long as the elevator stopped at the top floor and they both exited. The secretary next to the double doors to the CEO's office says "Mrs. Kiary, Mr. Oguma is expecting you."

Kiary nods, turns to Serah, and motherly commands "I'm gonna be talking with someone for a bit. Just wait here until I come back. If you need to go, just ask the nice lady behind the desk, Okay?"

The young Serah replies in a joyful tone "Okay Mama." She then sits at one of the two chairs that sit at the farthest wall from the door. Kiary smiles and then enters the CEO's office, an almost oppressive and calculating aura is what Serah felt. It almost appears like a gray void is trying to consume the color of the world and the walls are littered with numbers on the wall of various large numbers with dollar signs on the front. Serah almost felt the breath leave her body when she saw a stern deer watching the door with a cold expression on his face, almost choking her from the shock.

The pressure releases as she takes a calming breath and looks out the window to see the city stretch out in the distance. The various species mix and mingle but are like small dots from high up. One could feel like a king looking down on little ants.

'Are all adults in a rush?' Serah thought curiously. Seeing all of those animals rushing all over the place with sweat pouring down their faces. Stress is evident in their panicked expressions, and fear is evident in their eyes as they almost appear like swirls. She hopes that these people who try their best with their work don't pass out or have panic attacks.

Her musings were interrupted when a young male voice asked with surprise and suspicion "Hey, who are you?!" Serah turns to face a young red deer with stubby antlers wearing a white button-up shirt and blue slacks with suspenders. He looked at her with suspicion and fear as she looked back with curiosity and nervousness.

Serah holds her hand out for a handshake and answers "I'm Serah, who are you?" The boy stares at the hand with curiosity and fear, thoughts clamoring in his head.

He tentatively returns the handshake and answers in a quiet and almost meek voice "Louis…" That handshake became a new beginning for both of them, a new chapter in their lives.

Flashback ends*

Serah stares at herself in front of the mirror in the women's restroom wearing a simple white t-shirt and red shorts and her hair tied up into a ponytail. She stares at the mirror, almost in desperation to find an answer to a debacle that's ready to slap her in the face. She sighs out through her nose in quiet frustration as she contemplates a question that she is debating.

She asks herself in vain hope for inspiration "What am I going to do next?" But no answer seems to come, especially when it comes to Legoshi. While she wasn't lying about enjoying spending time with him, she truly didn't know what to do with him beyond that. Finding no answers from the mirror, she exits the restroom and starts walking down the halls. She hopes to seek an answer as she walks, trying to either be inspired or find a solution as she walks to the gardening club.

Her thoughts start to circle with worry 'I only ever gleam at stuff that Legoshi might like, but we never really talked about it before. I still wonder what he likes about me, and what he likes to do. What if he was only interested in an image of his preferred girlfriend? Can I even be a good girlfriend to him without being a bother or needy?! What if I become a nuisance and he starts to hate me?! How can I be a good girlfriend for him?! I don't know if I can…AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" She quickly covered her mouth as she caused a scene by screaming out of nowhere which caught a few students in the hallway she was walking down in to look towards her.

A sense of nervousness wells up inside which causes her to run away in a fit of fear and embarrassment which confuses the other students. She hides in the stairs leading up to the gardening club rooftop, a downcast of shame floods her being. She sits down on the steps and her head droops in shame.

Serah thinks 'I don't know, I need dating advice. But who can I go to for that advice?' An image of Haru comes to mind but she shakes her head and thinks 'Nope, she sleeps with them, but I don't know if she went on actual dates.' An image of Juno slides in next but Serah concludes 'Definitely not, she probably hates my guts about the whole festival thing.' She then lists off others who wouldn't help in her head 'Louise with the mafia, Gouhin would probably kill Legoshi rather than give advice, and she would probably do the same but with her motorcycle.' The last image to appear is a humanoid serpent shadow with a black leather jacket and piercing brown eyes. Serah's head droops again as she is both depressed and frustrated at both her lack of acquaintances and inability to find a solution.

Suddenly a thought pops into her head like a balloon, and the more she slowly gives it thought, the more it seems like a good idea. Serah takes out her smartphone with a blue phone strap with a small star charm and looks through her contacts. She scrolls a little bit before she finds the contact she was looking for: Grandmother. She taps on the contact and dials the number with a hint of nervousness. She puts the phone to her ear as a small knot starts forming in her stomach, hoping she doesn't get tongue-tied.

After the third ring, an elderly feminine voice answers "Hello?"

Serah replies with a nervous sweat "Hello Grandma."

Serah's Grandmother replies with joy and spirit "Oh, Serah, how are you, sweetie!"

Serah replies with a reserved nervous tone "I'm fine Grandma, I'm sorry for not calling you more often." Serah plays with a lock of her hair almost subconsciously as she thinks about all the times she could've and should've called her grandparents but didn't.

Her Grandmother replies jovially "It's fine dear, I'm happy to hear from you again."

Serah replies with a small blush and nervous tone "I'm happy to hear you too grandma. Uhm, is grandfather with you right now?"

Serah's Grandmother replies with confusion with a hint of worry "No dear, is something wrong?"

Serah replies with a small fluster "N-no Grandma, nothings wrong! I just need your advice on something and I don't want Grandfather to overhear. Just promise you won't make a huge deal out of it, please."

Her Grandma answers "Well, okay, what's the matter dear?"

Serah then begins to explain "Well, recently I started dating this nice guy. He isn't like other guys and I kinda like him. I just don't know much about dating and you're the only one I could ask for advice."

Serah's Grandma says with a slightly hushed and excited tone "A boyfriend, oh sweetie, I'm so happy for you, what's his name?!"

Serah replies with embarrassment and a huge blush "Grandma!?"

Serah's Grandma replies with an apologetic tone "I'm sorry, so what does he like to do, does he have any interests or hobbies?"

Serah replies despondently "I'm not sure, we only just started dating and we haven't gotten to know each other much so far besides just talking to each other when we have free time. I feel like I'm failing right out of the gate."

Her Grandma replies "Serah, it's okay, you both just need to talk it out. You can try and just go on a regular date and just talk."

Serah asks uncertainly while playing with a lock of her bangs "Is that really okay Grandma? Isn't a first date supposed to be special?"

Her Grandmother replies with a confident tone "Special smecial, do what makes you two comfortable. You don't need to do too much, that's not what your Grandfather did that made me like him."

Serah asks with curiosity "Really?"

Her Grandmother replies with no hesitation "Yes, a lot of our dates were more casual and we spent it just talking, I think that's all you need to do Sweetie." Serah contemplates the advice as she remembers all the times that she and Legoshi. She exhales as the last small knot of tension leaves and she feels like what she needs to do starts to set in.

Serah says in a thankful tone "Thanks Grandma, you're right. I'll try to do just that."

Her Grandmother replies in a jovial tone "No problem Sweetie, I'm happy we have this talk. Please don't be afraid to call again. I'm always here to listen."

Serah replies gratefully "I will, I promise."

Before she could give a goodbye and end the call, her Grandmother states something in realization "Oh, before I forget. The Harvest Festival is next week. If you want, you can bring your boyfriend along and spend more time then."

Serah asks with uncertainty "Are you sure?"

Her Grandmother replies with assurance "Sweetie, if this boy enjoys spending time with you, then I don't think a festival will be too much. Besides, I really would like to meet him."

Serah blushes but replies "I'll think about it, but if I do, please keep Grandfather on a leash. He's not going to like the guy I have as a boyfriend."

Her Grandmother chuckles jovially and replies "I'll try, anyways, try and call again, goodbye." Serah says her farewell, ends the call, and places her phone on the steps. She holds her legs close as she lets the conversation set in, the advice and offer as she contemplates it all. Some strands of hair fall in front of her eyes as she ruminates on the idea of taking Legoshi to her hometown.

Serah asks herself "Am I even ready to go back there, where 'she' is?" An image of her mother springs up which causes her head to lower, facing the ground. The idea of seeing her grave fills her stomach with knots, she doesn't know how she could handle it. Lying her head on her knees, she states to herself "Just do what you can do now."

Serah takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with air as she makes up her mind, exhaling slowly to calm her nervousness. She stands up and proceeds to walk down the stairs with her phone in hand. As she walks down a hallway, the light is angled to have sunbeams pointed straight at her, causing her to flinch a little as she tries to walk undaunted.

…Only to trip a little on her own two feet as she had to close her left eye because of the sun.

The Next Day

"I wanna buy your lunch today?!" Serah says with nervousness and aggression meshed into a twisted knot. Legoshi gets freaked out by the sudden declaration, wondering why she suddenly shouted that. He could only imagine that she wanted to spend time together, but that burst of voice was alarming to him.

The two eat convenience store bento at the cafeteria as the room barely had any students inside. Yet even more with the open space, the two sit almost quietly in nervousness. Serah is trying her best to start a conversation while Legoshi is worried about her and wonders if she is having any issues.

Legoshi asks "Serah, is something wrong? You se…!"

Serah blurted out in a panic "I wanna learn more about you!!" Legoshi jumps back at the interruption that almost came out of nowhere. Serah then shakily exhales and explains further "I want to know you better, it feels wrong that I barely know much about you."

Legoshi blinks at the explanation and replies slowly "Okay, what would you like to know?" Serah tries to think of what to ask as she takes a bite from her bento, trying to figure out what would be a good starting point. She hears a book hit the ground and sees that one of her novels fell out of her bag that was on the table.

Inspiration hits her as she picks up the book and asks "What kind of books do you like to read? What kind of stories do you like?" Legoshi thinks for a few seconds as he takes a bite of rice and thinks about his answer.

He answers "I like shonen, the battles are fun to read and I like some of the characters."

Serah tilts her head to the side and replies with a contemplative expression "I don't have much experience with shonen, I tend to just read adventure novels." Serah looks to Legoshi and asks "Do you think you can show me some series you like to read?"

Legoshi's head tilts to the side and he asks "Are you sure?"

Serah nods and answers while subconsciously playing with a stray lock of her hair "I…need to try new things. I hope you don't mind helping me."

Legoshi shakes his head and says with his tail wagging "I don't mind, I'm happy to help you." Serah smiles and blushes a little as she tries to ask Legoshi a new question. Seeing a glance at a poster of Adler on the bulletin board, an idea hit her.

Serah asks with a curious tone "What's your favorite part of Drama Club?"

Legoshi looks to the roof and answers with a slightly unsure tone "I guess…it's all the other members in the club. They make it vibrant…even when they argue sometimes."

Serah thinks on the statement for a second before trying to hold back a laugh that confuses Legoshi until she states "I guess*snicker*I guess it comes with the territory." She tries hard not to laugh, but the simple idea of drama begetting drama was enough to cause her to laugh.

Legoshi, taking the statement at face value, nods and asks "So, is there something about the gardening club that you enjoy the most?" Serah takes slow breaths to calm her small laughing fit and thinks about the question in her mind.

A memory of flowers in a garden comes to her mind and she answers "When I first entered, I almost thought I was back at my mother's garden. Her garden was always colorful, it felt like a hit to my gut when I saw Haru's garden." Serah's face is nostalgia-filled which entrances Legoshi as she almost radiates the gentle warmth of a candle.

Legoshi asks "Uh…Serah…if you don't mind, would it be possible for me to see where you grew up?" Serah was surprised by the question which arose an uncertain expression with a furrowed brow. She looks to the side as she contemplates the question.

Legoshi was about to dismiss the question out of nervousness, but Serah replied "I…uhh…was gonna ask about that." She starts playing with the same lock of hair again as she explains, sparsely, the call she had recently with her Grandmother. She then asks "So…mmm…if you don't have any plans right now…" she pauses in nervousness as a blush forms "Do you wanna…come to the Harvest Festival with me next week?"

The pause that came after only added to the nervousness growing in Serah, slowly becoming embarrassment. She feels her cheeks were hot as she hopefully looks towards Legoshi who holds a contemplative expression. The heat spreads through her face as she almost pulls on the lock of hair that is wrapped around her fingers. If Legoshi doesn't answer soon, she doesn't know what she's going to do next.

Legoshi then puts down his chopsticks, stands up walks around the table, and squats next to Serah. Eye to eye with her, he slowly takes her hands into his with a very controlled gentle touch. The silence is becoming palpable as she feels her nervousness slowly wane and anticipation sets in.

Legoshi says with conviction "Yes, I would love to join you for the Harvest Festival."

Opening song: Prism by AmPm ft. Miyuna (TV Version)

(0:00-0:10)

The letters of the title 'Beastars' appear with every accented note of the piano as the blue background starts showing small ripples of water matching the accents. It then shifts into a scene of Serah wearing her hair down and wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved white button-up and a calf-length brown skirt on a rocky shore of the ocean with a town in the background.

(0:10-0:21)

A wave splashes and sprays in front of her as a flashback in the background shows behind her of her younger self and a woman with medium-length bright blue hair wearing a pink sundress and a male wolf with a bodybuilder body wearing a tank top and shorts as they play in the shallow part of a beach. A small tear falls down the teenage Serah's cheek as the wind blows her hair back with white petals blown in the wind

(0:21-0:30)

The scene changes to Legoshi wearing a red short sleeve hoodie and black shorts looking at his right paw while standing in a graveyard with vibrant flowers on the tombstone in front of him. A flashback in the background shows the first time he met Serah in his almost devouring with the moon glowing in the sky. The current Legoshi now faces forward with a look of determination as the wind blows his fur with blue petals in the wind.

(0:30-0:34)

A quick scene of Cherryton Academy with the silhouettes of Jack, Haru, Bill, and Juno, who are all smiling, appears before a quick shadow overcast like a train passing by an electrical pole changes the scene.

(0:34-0:39)

The scene changes to a small town next to the ocean with the silhouettes of an elderly human, wearing a white martial arts gi, with a stern expression, and an elderly woman, wearing a yellow kimono, with a gentle warm smile, the same shadow appears again to change the scene.

(0:39-0:44)

A final scene change shows the Black Market with the silhouettes of Gouhin and Louis appearing, with Louis facing away with a small side glance, as a lion's shadow starts to appear behind Louis, almost like a phantom ready to consume him. A slide transition switches the scene to a water-painted version of the crossroads of the city.

(0:44-1:04)

Serah and Legoshi are walking side by side in a casual stride down the middle of the road as the many characters are standing and waving at the two including Legoshi's roommates and club mates, Haru, Louis, Gouhin, and Serah's father. It ends with the two walking past spectral silhouettes of Leano, Serah's mother, and a white-cloaked woman with long flowing white hair peeking out and a small smile peeking under her hood.

(1:04-1:24)

A wipe transition changes Serah into a bright yellow ball gown with shoulder-length yellow gloves and Legoshi wearing a blue and white with yellow accents 3-piece suit as they both dance a ballroom dance to the music. They are in space on an invisible floor with brilliant stars and cosmic colors dancing around them as they twirl and spin around with the Earth in the distance.

(1:24-1:30)

They both stop as they turn back to their regular clothes with a beach sunset behind them, their faces close together as they stare lovingly into each other's eyes. They lean in closer, getting ready to kiss as small blushes appear on their cheeks. The screen fades to black with a bright shooting star flying in an arc across the screen as the music ends.

Beastars

Summer Festival Arc