An Oddity Among Beasts (BEASTARS)

The Human Mask

    Alan had gotten used to his life at Cherryton within his first few weeks. He and Todd got along really well, both enjoying the other's company. The stares seemed to lessen as time went on, the initial shock of a human student slowly wearing off. There was the occasional look, but he shook it off. He had gotten himself into a familiar rhythm in school, despite the lingering mystery of Tem's death.

    Despite what it seemed, he still couldn't stop thinking about the alpaca. Why would someone want to kill him? He heard rumors that someone in the Drama Club was the culprit, but he couldn't tell who it might be! As far as he knew, there were three large carnivores in the club: Legosi the wolf, Bill the tiger, and Riz the bear.

    Legosi he had talked to more in the wolf room, often answering questions regarding human culture and life among them. The wolf honestly seemed nice, if a bit timid. Bill was hearty and bombastic, going by their first meeting alone. The tiger was one of the first to greet Alan when he was introduced by Louis. He seemed like a reverse of Legosi, being outgoing and not afraid to speak his mind (when Louis' not around). Then there's Riz...

    If he were being honest, Alan didn't know much of anything about Riz. He seemed nice, at least from his introduction to the club. Other than that, he seemed to just be around sometimes. He wasn't part of the play, but he seemed to be on standby in case something happened. Well, that and the sound team, which would explain his infrequent appearances. Beyond that, nothing.

    Alan didn't want to keep thinking about Tem, but being in the Drama Club made it harder to do so. Is it normal? Is he grieving for someone he only briefly spoke to? Or is it something deeper, something he didn't want to admit out of respect for Tem?

    His thoughts were broken by a snicker to his side. Looking over, he saw a few herbivores looking at him before quickly walking away. He could hear them whispering amongst themselves, the words "Louis 2" briefly being heard before they were gone. The human rolled his eyes, already having an idea as to why thought that of him. He didn't mind it too much, though, as long as things didn't go overboard.

    The Drama Club was to receive an award for their work, particularly crossing the barrier between species. Now that he thought about it, it made sense for them to receive it. From what little time he spent in the club, Alan could feel a sense of community within it. It was thanks to Louis, no doubt, but he couldn't help feeling like he was apart of it.

    He had watched them from the audience, seeing Louis lead everyone to the stage as the headmaster presented the award to him. He talked about coexistence and prosperity, how they were the core aspects to be shown through the two performances. The way he spoke made Alan believe it, as did everyone else by how much they clapped afterwards. He wanted to believe that as a human, he could enhance those aspects, even beyond the performances.

~~*~~

"You should've seen the PR Head, he was adorable munching on his little seed!", Todd gushed.

Alan sat on his bed, back turned as he clipped his fingernails, "Did he even scare you at all? Sounds like he was pretty frantic."

Todd gave a laugh, "Nah. We mainly just make it seem like we're intimidated. Still, he was pretty mad about the pictures we got of Louis-senpai..."

Alan grunted as he clipped a particularly sharp nail, "Well, he is the most popular student. Plus everyone screams whenever he's near."

"I'm honestly surprised I'm not deaf yet. Are you gonna help with the show?"

"Not the first one.", Alan grunted again. "Louis wanted me to see the performance first-hand before letting me help out."

"You okay?", Todd asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah. My fingernails are just hard to cut sometimes."

    He wasn't lying. He had some mishaps when clipping his fingernails before, but they were different. They tend to grow out faster than normal, and often get a bit sharp. He luckily keeps track of them thoroughly, making sure to clip them before they get out of hand.

Maybe it was out of excitement for the performance tomorrow, or maybe something else...

~~*~~

A.N: Okay, wow. I did not expect the story to hit 1k reads already! I mean, we're kind of close to the point where things start to go down, but still!

Also, short chapter, but the next ones are gonna be longer— and for good reason, considering what happens in the manga (and anime. I'm jumping between the two for some reason...)