The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

A Step into The Light Side

"Hey, do you have any plans tomorrow?"

The question was sudden to Alan, making him look over at Todd, "Hm...not really, why?"

The goat stammered, "W-well, I thought we could hang out together. Maybe we could go out into the city for a while."

    Alan couldn't help blinking at that, not opposed to the idea entirely. His mood had mostly mellowed out over the past few days, though there were still problems persisting. Part of him was still ruminating constantly— An-Man, his trauma from The Shishigumi, his place in Cherryton overall. It was still in his mind, albeit not in the forefront. He didn't spend as much time with Todd as he did with others, mainly those in the Drama Club, so spending a day with him would be nice.

"Where do you wanna go?", he asked with a small head tilt.

The goat shrugged, "I don't know. We could just go downtown and see where it takes us from there."

"I might know a few places from when I went in the summer. Plus, I went back a few weeks ago."

Todd beamed, "Sounds like a plan!"

    The human chuckled, already feeling his mood lighten a little. He always liked Todd for his personality— non-confrontational, kind, and gentle. He was one of Alan's closest friends, despite them not spending much time together. Going into the city seemed like a good idea, mainly because it would give the two a break from schoolwork and the like. Even then, Alan still felt a bit apprehensive as they took the subway and ventured into the wide world outside the school walls.

"Where'd you get the mask and tail from?", Todd asked once they were on the streets.

"I got them the last time I went out.", he said while adjusting the mask. "I thought it would help if I didn't have a lot of eyes on me."

"True."

    Alan's views on the outside world didn't change much since he last ventured out. He still felt as if he didn't belong there, but he pushed it down for Todd's sake. The goat wanted them to spend time together, so it wouldn't do any good to have his thoughts clouding it all. When he looked at him, he had a smile on his face. It was enough to quell his doubts, at least for a time.

    They started with some shopping, though it mainly consisted of them browsing through different stores. Todd had found himself a short white coat with a hood, which complemented his fur well. Alan didn't find many things worth buying until he saw some gloves on display. Unlike his usual pair, they had different designs on the back. He took a few mainly for the novelty, wanting to widen his wardrobe a little.

    After that, the two went to see the sights. Alan led the way to a few landmarks he saw back in the summer, steering clear of some. He could see the goat getting wide-eyed at the crowds and buildings around them. It didn't seem like the goat got a chance to see the city like this. Part of him envied that, seeing how new it felt to him. In a way, it still was for the human, but in a different light. Even then, he enjoyed the time he was spending with the goat.

"Man...I knew the city was big, but seeing it like this makes me feel tiny!", Todd joked as they sat inside a cafe.

Alan chuckled, "Yeah, I felt the same way in the summer. There are so many moving parts and people around that I honestly felt like I'd get lost."

"Yeah, I was afraid of that when I first enrolled. I mean, a timid goat like me in a big world like this? I'd get eaten alive!"

"No kidding.", the human sipped his drink with the mask off. "Even if it's really cool to see, it feels so...cluttered. I guess it's a grown-up thing to find your way through a place like this."