An Oddity Among Beasts (BEASTARS)

Humid Night

What the hell are we doing...

    Alan had that question in his head as they were seated at an outdoor diner in the city. He didn't really feel like eating anything, considering the past few hours he went through. It felt strange, Legosi having fought a gangster lion and biting his neck— and now he wants food? To be fair, he must've exhausted himself if he really took on all those lions alone just to get to them. Still, it was such a drastic change in atmosphere, and he still wasn't sure if he really processed it all yet!

He looked down at his hand, seeing his nails slightly peeking over his fingers.

"It's no wonder they isolated themselves from animals— they're so damn weak they can't compare to carnivores or herbivores!"

Is it really true?

"Here's a large serving of yakisoba noodles with egg!", he snapped out of it when the waiter came with their food.

    It looked like a lot, by his standards. Legosi handed him a pair of chopsticks and did the same for Haru before digging in. He found himself buried in his thoughts again, though they mainly concerned the two animals with him. Despite not really having an appetite, he unconsciously started eating along with them. It wasn't that bad, honestly. The noodles had a warmth to them that helped settle his mood a bit.

I can't believe I'm doing this., he thought confusedly, I escaped a group of criminal lions with a rabbit and wolf, and now I'm sitting here eating noodles. Not exactly what I'd think of as a "city experience"...

    He glanced at Haru, seeing a content smile on her face. She looked like she was doing okay, as did Legosi. Maybe...they're used to this? No, they couldn't have experienced anything like this in their lives before now. Perhaps they just want to keep their minds off of it, though it seemed to be harder for the human. They at least know where they stand in the world and the dangers that come with it. He couldn't say the same for himself, but it didn't matter right now.

"Alan-san?", Legosi asked, making him look at the wolf. "Are you alright? You've been quiet ever since we got here."

He switched his gaze, "I'm fine, I guess I'm still in shock over everything. I haven't really processed it all yet."

He could feel their eyes on him, and it didn't help at all. It was bad enough he seemed to be the only one affected by what happened, now it just felt awkward now that he let out that he wasn't well. In any other circumstance, he would've gladly spilled his guts out, but this was vastly different. It wasn't like before, where he was held down by his own anxiety and thoughts coupled with others whispering about him. It wasn't that which held him down now, but everything he experienced within that day. He sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling his head throb.

"Alan-san...", a hand touched his shoulder. "You went through a lot back there...I wouldn't know how you felt about it all, but I want to help you through it."

"Yeah, you did let loose a lot with their boss.", Haru added, "You can't just walk away from that with a straight face without something on your mind."

He really didn't want to dump it all on them, but who's to say he had to? There was a monstrous amount of things buzzing around in his head, and it'd blow if he didn't vent a little! The surface-level things, like his experience when separated from Haru, he could talk about. Other things, though, he felt were best to be kept inside. If for any reason, then to sort it out himself.

The human let out a long sigh, "When we were separated...I kept fighting those guys."

He lowered his head, "They told me...humans were integrated with animals at one point, that they weren't always isolated."