An Oddity Among Beasts (BEASTARS)

Alluring Call

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt? It still looks a little red."

"I'm fine, okay? That ice pack helped numb me a bit, so it doesn't hurt much at all!"

    Alan was able to get to Todd, which provoked a reaction of sorts from the goat. This mainly involved a lot of questions and some reassurance on Alan's part, which worked somewhat. The human suggested that they attend the Meteor Festival together to ease his worries, though it was for his own as well. Even after coming back to school, he had a sense of unease around him no matter where he went. He could only hope that seeing the festival in person would help.

    The area looked amazing since the last time he saw it, though back then it wasn't exactly "finished" yet. The lights, the decorations, the meteor itself— it all looked fantastic! There were a lot of animals around, some going around the different booths and others making conversation with one another. It made Alan smile a bit, finding the atmosphere optimistic despite what happened previously.

"You said you were going home for summer break, right?", he asked.

Todd nodded, "My parents wanted to check in on me, y' know? Tell them about high school life, talk about my friends—"

"And the fact that you're conveniently roomed with the school's first human student?", he smirked.

"Well, they don't know that yet!", the goat laughed. "I think it's mainly because of what's been going on lately. All these incidents, and Tem..."

"Yeah. I think everyone's still worried, but they just don't want to show it."

    He thought back to when he came up with the Riser idea. There was tension in the air, even if it wasn't shown outright. It was off the cusps of the Drama Club's performance— where he stepped in to stop Legosi and Bill from fighting. It seemed a lot calmer now, but it was probably just because of the season. Summer break was coming just after the Meteor Festival, so it made things more optimistic around that time.

    It was then that the performance began for the Meteor Festival, and Juno was the lead. Alan couldn't help but be mesmerized by her movements, along with her outfit and makeup. It showed her strength as a carnivore, along with her beauty. It made him remember his venting to Legosi hours earlier, talking about how certain people he met made him feel like he belonged among them all. He could put Juno into that boat, too, despite her reaction to Legosi being in love with Haru.

No...she's still nice., he thought with a small smile. "Strength of a wolf", I guess. I wish I had that, but...

    He trailed off, shaking his head. If he kept going back to loathing himself, he'd never get out of it. He knew it wasn't good for him, but with stronger, faster animals all around him, it was hard to avoid doing. He looked over to Todd, the goat smiling wide as he gazed up at the wolf dancing gracefully in the tower. It was so different from how he was before, fearful of carnivores because of his species. Now, he looked enamored by one, almost entranced, in a way.

I can at least believe in it..., he gazed at the wolf as she finished her dance.

"Tonight, I would like to introduce you all to another one of our members!", Juno took the mic as a spotlight close by them. "He's a male wolf who's accomplished a very brave deed."

He turned, seeing the familiar sight of a wolf and rabbit...

"He went looking for two missing students all by himself...and saved them with his life on the line."

The duo looked frozen with all the attention on them.

Juno, what the hell...

"He acted with wonderful courage as a carnivore! Now, Legosi-senpai, please get up here."