An Oddity Among Beasts (BEASTARS)

The Order of This World

"Wow. This place is so big!", Alan said, astonished by the size of the cafeteria.

    Todd had given the human a tour of some hotspots around campus. Everywhere, they could see different animals walking, talking, even laughing together. There were tall ones, short ones, and even really small ones! A few turned their heads towards Alan, but he was too entranced by everything to mind.

    The cafeteria was a very large space, with two floors and even a tree near the back! It wasn't much of a surprise, though, as Cherryton is a well-known school with possibly hundreds of students. Still, seeing it with his own eyes made him feel small tiny among everyone. It certainly didn't help that a lot more heads turned to him now.

Todd chuckled, "The first time I came here, I felt like I was gonna get lost with so many people around."

"No kidding.", he said as he looked at the menu. "Plus there are carnivore and herbivore lunches. That's a nice touch."

Todd nodded nervously, "Heh, yeah. It's to be expected, though, given the world we live in."

"True.", he paused for a moment. "I could go for some lunch. How about you?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

    The two got their trays (both getting herbivore lunches) and sat at a vacant table. Alan could see several animals watching the two curiously, probably wondering million things about him. He could feel the all-too-familiar "new school dread" coming on. Looking to Todd, he could see the goat trying to make himself small. He sighed.

"I was kind of expecting glances, but it's already getting annoying."

"Well, it does come with the territory.", Todd pointed out.

Alan nodded before glancing at him, "I bet you were wondering which one I'd get."

"Huh?"

"Which lunch.", Alan smiled slightly. "You seemed nervous when I pointed out the menu."

"Oh, uh...", the goat rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I was kind of scared. Since humans are omnivores, they can eat meat too, so-"

"Don't worry about it.", Alan cut him off. "I know it's weird, but I won't get a carnivore lunch if you're not comfortable with it."

"Oh, no! That's not what I meant, it's just...", he sighed heavily. "Boer goats, we're kind of known for being targets of predators. I was basically raised to be scared of carnivores, but I wanted to move past that fear by coming here."

    Alan felt a pang at Todd's explanation. He knew what carnivores were capable of, often hearing stories about them on the news. It made them out to be monsters in disguise that could rip away the mask at any moment, but he didn't believe that. In fact, he utterly despised the notion.

No, more than that...

"Todd-san!"

The two perked up at the voice, looking over to see a few people making their way over. They were a duck, a buffalo with a camera, and in front was a chihuahua with a notepad in hand. Todd's face fell with a groan, and Alan had a good idea of what was coming.

"I didn't know you were gonna eat lunch with the new student!", the chihuahua said amazedly.

"Lisa-chan, I didn't really plan on it.", Todd said with a small chuckle. "The thing is, we're actually roommates now."

"Ehh?!", all three gasped in shock. Alan couldn't resist laughing, making them acknowledge the fact that he was sitting across from Todd.

"Oh! Sorry about that...", Lisa said. "There's been gossip about a human coming to school for a few weeks now. We've been wanting to an interview as soon as possible, if you're okay with that."

"Sure.", Alan smiled. "I'm guessing you guys work for the school newspaper, right?"

"Yup, the PR team, to be exact! Todd's actually apart of it, too!"

"Well, I mainly help with editing...", Todd added sheepishly.

"Anyway, would you have time to answer a few questions?"

"Sure, mostly to keep everyone from staring at me."

The interview went well for Alan, the questions mainly being about humans and how he feels about the transfer program. Todd seemed to pick up on the cheerfulness of the interview, smiling as he listened in on the human's answers. There was one question that got him pondering, this one being his leaning towards more of a carnivore or a herbivore.

He merely shrugged, "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I know I'm an omnivore, but I'm not really particular on either side. I don't feel weak, but I don't feel strong either. I guess you could say I'm in-between."

The students from the PR Team seemed satisfied with his answers, thanking him for his time and walking off. Todd's mood seemed to have brightened up from before, letting Alan in on some of the goings-on in the school and local gossip. The two felt better, knocking away the negativity for now.

"Honestly, with the way you answered that last question, you kind of sounded like Louis-senpai.", Todd pointed out as they walked back to the dorm.

"Who's Louis?"

"He's basically the school star.", he explained. "Leader of the Drama Club, a third year, son of a huge businessman. He's pretty much got his life set for him."

"I guess you could say he rules the school, then...", Alan pondered.

"Pretty much. I see him sometimes in the halls, and there's just something about him. The way he carries himself, it's almost like he can control everyone!"

"Well, maybe all his admirers.", the human chuckled. "But I'm not that easy to charm."

"I don't know, maybe one look will change your mind."

"Oh please!"

The two shared a laugh as they made it back to their room. Alan couldn't stop smiling, already enjoying the prospect of attending Cherryton. If Todd and the interview were anything to go by, he was going to like this place. He did wonder about this Louis character, though.

What is he like? What are his ideals? Is he spoiled rotten? Tough? Cute and timid? He only had Todd's description to go on, but it made him someone to look out for.

Whether that's good or bad, he couldn't say.

~~*~~

A.N: Updates will come every two days—for now. I already have some chapters drafted up, so it's just a matter of making sure they're good and copying them over from a different app.