No More Stripes (Beastars)

Cat, Dog and Drama

To join, or not to join, that was the question.

Well, not really. It was more so which one he should pick. Should he choose the basketball club? No, he was a couch potato. He could barely run for a few minutes without needing to catch a breath. How about something like the newspaper club then? Maybe. He was always interested in journalism. Problem was, they mostly focused on scandals and dramas, something he couldn't care less about.

Jack sighed. He's been staring at this damn bulletin board for about an hour now. All the words had jumbled up together into an incomprehensible mess of numbers and letters, and photos of the club's activities became blurred. Too bad he didn't have his glasses with him or they'd be on by now.

"I need a break..." Jack mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. From behind him he heard a set of heavy footsteps approaching.

"Jack?"

The labrador turned around and was met with an elder male tiger in formal attire, both his hands held together behind him. It was the principal. "M-Mr. Gon!" He bowed his head. "Yes, it's me, Jack."

"No need to be so formal," Gon said softly. He walked to Jack's side and looked at the board, adjusting his glasses. "Planning on joining one of these?"

Jack nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, "I just don't know which, to be perfectly honest."

"I'm sure you'd do well in whichever one you'll choose."

The labrador gave a small smile. He appreciated the fact he's been able to talk with Gon like this more often. First time they met, he almost stepped on the tiger's glasses—yet now they could chat from time to time whenever passing by one another.

"But if you haven't decided yet, may I suggest one?" Gon asked, earning a nod. "How about the drama club?"

Jack tilted his head. "Drama club?" he repeated. True, he hasn't thought about that one, but he wasn't sure if he'd do great in it.

"Yes." Gon stroked his chin as he gave the lab a look-over. "I think you would fit in just fine."

"...Maybe." Crossing his arms, Jack's gaze fell to the ground.

"Do you not want to?"

Jack shook his head. "Was just unexpected, that's all." He glanced around as he gathered his thoughts. To his relief, there weren't many animals in the hallway, excluding one dall sheep playing on his phone. The quiet helped. He met Gon's eyes again. "But uh, I do wanna know, sir. Why the drama club specifically?"

"Well, with Louis now gone, it's been going... downhill, to say the least," Gon said with a heavy sigh. "It wasn't a huge drop, but it's mostly been up and downs unlike what it used to be."

The club's current state was what Jack had expected. A major reason why it was so big before was because of Louis and his popularity, acting skills, and—Jack had to admit—his good looks. With the deer now gone, interest for the plays they held would've definitely dropped.

"You're a brilliant student, Jack," he said with a friendly smile. "I've seen it firsthand. I'm positive you can make an impact while in the club."

"O-oh, uh," the lab's face brightened as he answered the smile in kind, his tail wagging, "thank you, sir."

"And this will help you in the long run with that scholarship you told me about, right?"

Right. Jack looked up in thought. It would certainly help him enter the university he was aiming for, same with that scholarship he's been chasing after. That was the whole reason he went club hunting in the first place. It also said students who did 'artsy' activity or whatever would get a huge plus, he recalled.