Chapter Text
Chatlog: 701 Dawgz (and Miguno)
Collot : So, how are the daddy-o’s handling being childless for the first time in forever
Collot : ?
Jack : You’re making it sound like they died. (ーー;)
Jack : It’s just moving to a dorm, we can still see them on the weekends you know?
Durham : Yea but we all know how you guys get
Collot : lol
Durham : Can yuo at least confirm if leg oshi cryed or not
Legoshi : ???
Jack : First off: Your spelling is awful. (；一_一)
Durham : *You’re
Jack : Second: Yes, he did. (^_-)-☆
Legoshi : Jack
Legoshi : How could you do this to me?
Durham : LMAOOOOOO
Jack : Like a baby.
Collot : Yeah, that sounds about right. I bet Haru and Teru had to force you to leave.
Collot : @Legoshi
Legoshi : No
Collot : It took you an awfully long time just to type “No” out.
Collot : @Jack?
Jack : Well….
Jack : He’s pretty big so it took asjkndsoljwenfclbsnjklweibvjakjdclwe
Jack : htyx4uydxfrgvj782t98fogubwkhcvuoi
Collot : ?
Durham : Did jack just die
Jack : legoshi
Jack : Didnt djvuiebjdnks
Collot : ??
Jack : n
Legoshi : Hey this is Haru.
Legoshi : Stole Legoshi’s phone just to let you guys know that he took Jack’s phone out of his hand and now they’re fighting for it.
Legoshi : Also, both Legoshi and Jack were crying pretty much the whole time.
Legoshi : Byeee <3
Durham : THIS IS TOO FUNY CANT BIRTH LMAOO
Collot : Birth
Collot : XD
Miguno : Why did I just log in and we’re already giving Legoshi humiliation exposure therapy?
Collot : I hope someone recorded that
Miguno : But seriously, it’s kinda cute that you guys get so emotional.
Miguno : I remember my dad didn’t even say goodbye when he dropped me off at the dorms.
Collot : Yeah.
Collot : Honestly? If I was dropping off one of mine, I don’t think I would do much better.
Legoshi : Thanks.
Legoshi : It’s just going to be hard getting used to not seeing him every day.
Durham : ah did you guys stop fighting?
Jack : A waiter threatened to call the cops if we didn’t stop. (；一_一)
Jack : But, yeah. It was an emotional day for everyone.
Jack : It’s just the two of them in room 717 for now, but they said more canines will be assigned there soon.
Jack : So I’m sure they’ll be fine.
Miguno : That’s the spirit! Plus, Legoshi’s birthday is coming up soon.
Miguno : That oughta keep your mind occupied for a bit.
Durham : we should go to the beach!
Voss : 👍
Collot : Hell yeah
In the back of a cozy café Haru had discovered the other day, seated across from his favorite rabbit, Legoshi stared at his phone as the discussion shifted to birthday plans and other topics. Jack had said goodbye already, so they had the table all to themselves. “Even though we’re all pushing 40, they’re still the same as they were back in high school. Not that I’m complaining.” He thought, shoving the phone back in his pocket. Across from him, Haru noticed him staring and extended a pure white hand to reach for his clawed one. Legoshi took it, relishing in the softness of her touch. His tail wagging behind him, thumping against the café’s booth. “Are you feeling better now? I still have some tissues if you need to cry more.” Haru said, patting the pocket of her jacket with her other hand. “T-that won’t be necessary, thank you.” Legoshi said, blushing slightly. “I guess… seeing him off reminded me that he’s not a little kid anymore.” His ears drooped slightly as he said that, remembering how tiny his son was when he was a kid compared to how tall he eventually became.
“Sadly, he couldn’t stay that way forever… It wouldn’t be fun if he didn’t get to grow up either, would it?” Haru said, smiling at him. Though Legoshi could tell that she was putting on a brave face for him. On the way back, once they were out of sight (and more importantly, out of earshot) of their son, Haru had hugged him and wept silently into his chest, both happy and sad that the child she raised for 16 years was now going to be away for a while. Legoshi had been… perhaps a little less discreet with his emotional state. He was just so proud to see him grow up, it brought him to tears every time he was reminded. Let it be known that he fought his urge to hug him every 2 seconds valiantly and managed to control himself, even if he couldn’t turn off the waterworks. It was probably a comical sight to see a rabbit crying while big wolf-sized tears fell on top of her, leaving her more soaked with his tears than her own, though Legoshi wouldn’t know.
Now that they’d calmed down enough to not weep uncontrollably, the both of them were stuck feeling what can only be described as empty-nestedness. Even though it wouldn’t even be very long before they were reunited, deep in Legoshi’s primal mind he felt almost like they had their son stolen from them in some weird way. The education system, time, the world or society at large; whoever it was, the ancient wolf side of his brain begged him to go save his son, much like how he’d doggedly chased after those who kidnapped Haru all those years ago. His son was still just a puppy, who cares if he’s almost as tall as Legoshi himself? “ Us canines… so possessive and irrational." Legoshi thought, looking back at Haru. “Let’s just hope he has a good time in high school. A lot of stuff… happened in Cherryton when we were there. I can only wish that he experiences the good and not the… bad” He said, his finger running over the back of Haru’s hand. “ Tem… I wonder if it would be too much to ask for your spirit to watch over the new generation. To let them live happily for all the years you were robbed when you died. ” He looked out the window and to the city skyline. Barely, he could see the top of the Cherryton windmill. “Well, even if some bad stuff happens, I’m sure he’ll be fine. We raised a wonderful kid after all, aha ha ha.” Haru laughed, trying to return to her carefree self. Legoshi appreciated her support, even if he had trouble matching her energy.
Moments later, the waiter came with their food. A strawberry parfait, a black coffee, and a peanut butter brownie. Legoshi had to explain with some embarrassment that the parfait was actually for him, sending the poor man back to the kitchen so they could change the small parfait into a large one, and the large black coffee into a small one. “At least the brownie is the correct size.” Haru said, sinking her fork into the cakey dessert. Legoshi had been a little unsure of ordering something with chocolate since neither of them could eat it, but according to the menu it was a special variant that was safe for all species, the so-called Dog Chocolate. “It looks pretty good, but….” Legoshi said, picking a piece with his own fork. ”I’ve never tasted real chocolate, so I have no idea if it compares to that.” He put it in his mouth. The peanut butter and chocolate made for a very sweet combination, perhaps overly so. Legoshi felt the peanut butter stick to the roof of his mouth and tried to lick it off, resulting in him looking quite ridiculous. His tongue kept getting stuck to it, making a loud smacking sound when he tried to clean himself. “Hehe, you always look so funny when you eat peanut butter, Legoshi.” Haru said, smiling at his buffoonery. Legoshi tried to reply, but it was obviously impossible because of the peanut butter, so he ended up making a strange noise with his throat instead, which only made Haru laugh harder. The waiter who’d returned with their things was just weirded out by the sight.
“So, what are your plans for your birthday?” Haru asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Legoshi mulled the question over for a moment, sinking the spoon into his parfait. “I guess I would like to go out with just the three of us as a family on the weekend. Teru should be able to come if we do it then.” He said, looking at the spoon as it pulled out a nice mixture of every ingredient. “I bet the guys will want to do something, but I want to have time just for us as well.” He put the spoon in his mouth, thinking of ideas of where to go during the weekend. “We could go to the museum… or the insectarium, I know you love it there. If we go to the amusement park, we can ride the ferris wheel together.” Haru said, listing ideas off the top of her head. “I remember last time we went there, Teru won a ton of prizes at the batting cages they had there. I personally have always been better at those shooting gallery games, even if the guns aren’t made for people my size.” Legoshi remembered that time quite vividly too; Teru and Haru actually got pretty competitive while seeing who could get the most prizes. Legoshi managed to win something from one of those punching bag games that tests your strength, but aside from that he’d mostly walked away empty handed. “So long as we don’t play with those claw games….” He said, remembering his countless attempts at grabbing a plush komodo dragon, a rarity, at one of those machines. A kid, no older than six or seven, actually offered to come help him once he wasted too much money. Neither his wife nor his son would let him live the humiliation down for weeks after, but at least the plushie was cute. “ I want to keep having moments like those. ” He thought as Haru bounced more ideas off of him. “ That’s right… Nothing needs to change. Even if he isn’t home all the time anymore, Haru, Teru, and I will still just be the same as always. ”
x-x-x
Legoshi’s job as a professor of entomology at the local university wasn’t the easiest nor the most well paid, but he did enjoy it. His students were usually very passionate about his lectures, and he was allowed to rant about bugs for as long as he wanted while getting paid. Aside from adjusting to the changes Teru’s absence brought, Legoshi’s routine was pretty mundane for most of the week. During the morning he got out of bed, kissed his wife, ate breakfast and showered, kissed his wife again, stood in the doorway of his son’s room while reminiscing, kissed his wife once more for good measure, and went to work. It seemed like Friday was going to be no different, until he was stopped while leaving the university.
“Going out to lunch, Professor?” Legoshi heard a voice say. Looking around, he eventually spotted the silhouette of a horse standing beneath the shade of a tree by the sidewalk. “... Mr. Yahya? What are you doing here?” He asked as the black horse stepped out of the shade, closing the distance. Despite being 71, he looked exactly the same as the last time Legoshi met him. “I could ask the same thing. Never took you for the teaching type, nor the wearing-a-pressed-shirt-and-tie type.” Yahya pointed at his outfit, a blue collared shirt and a tie with a pinstripe pattern Haru had picked out for him. “It does nothing to hide your monstrous physique, honestly. I guess the quiet life has not done anything to slow you down.” The horse said with a chuckle. Legoshi just scratched behind his ear, feeling uncomfortable over his comments. “I still work out at the gym, but I’m done doing dangerous stuff. I have my wife and son to think about.” At the mention of Legoshi’s family, Yahya looked away from him, clearly unwilling to have the same argument he’d had with Legoshi’s grandfather many years ago. “ I guess he’s still not over it. Though it’s an improvement over how he behaved before. ” Legoshi thought, seeing the horse cross his arms. “Good for you.” Yahya said in a terse tone. “Though there is a reason I came looking for you. I need your help with something. Nothing dangerous, I assure you.” The horse continued, to which Legoshi’s ear twitched “Ehh, sorry, I have to grade these and- woah!” He tried to explain to the horse while motioning to his bag, but Yahya swiftly took it off of him completely. “Just hear me out, will ya?” He said, holding the bag in one of his hands. Legoshi frowned, letting the horse speak.
“Have you heard of the fixer by any chance?” Yahya asked. Legoshi shook his head, having never heard of such a person. “It's a meat dealer that has been making quite a stir at the old Black Market; or rather, where the old Black Market used to be. He sells meat products of unknown source, specifically targeting high school students who are looking to satiate themselves.” The horse continued, making Legoshi’s brow furrow even further. “ High school students… Including Cherryton, I suppose. ” He thought, concern welling up within him. “I need someone who can help me track him down. I figured it wouldn’t be an issue for you, with your nose and all.” Yahya finished his explanation. Despite it sounding fairly simple, Legoshi’s tail still wagged low with worry.
“Why me specifically, though? Don’t you have any friends?” He asked, which seemed to offend the horse if the look on his face was anything to go by. “Of course I do! It’s just that Gosha doesn’t have a wolf nose, idiot!” Yahya said, infuriated. Legoshi felt just a little pity at the thought of Yahya seriously having no friends other than his grandfather. “If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine, I’ll just ask someone else.” The horse said, trying to steer the conversation away.
“Maybe I’ll ask your cute little son for help, eh? What was his name? Tooru? I bet he would be happy to lend an old man a hand.” Yahya taunted Legoshi, who predictively turned from pitying to snarling with his fangs on full display. “You keep Teru out of this! I don’t want you anywhere around him!” Legoshi could feel his hackles rising, but Yahya simply scoffed in return. “Glad to have you on board then. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow at 3 so don’t make me wait.” Yahya dropped Legoshi’s bag to the floor and walked off without another word. The wolf was left growling even as the horse left, walking in the shade of the trees, avoiding the main road. Picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder again, one of his ears twitched as he wondered just what he had gotten himself into.
“Guess I'm going to have to go to the Black Market tomorrow.”
x-x-x
The halls of Cherryton Academy are oddly peaceful at night. During the day, it’s a cacophony of voices and footsteps, the rustling of clothes, the squeak of shoes against the polished floors, the tiny voices of mice and rats obscured by the comparatively thunderous sound of large carnivores laughing alongside their herbivore friends. For a creature like Terushi, a wolf-rabbit hybrid with a hearing sharper than both, the night was a blessing. All he could hear in the distance were the passing cars and the chirping of crickets as he passed through the darkened hallways of the school. “ As much as I enjoy the silence, I wish I was a little more responsible for my things. I can’t believe I forgot my phone in the laundry room. ” He thought, admonishing himself for his lack of care. In his defense, his hands were full of laundry and his roommate Teddy would not stop telling him spoilers about the newest horror movie he’d seen, so his phone went unnoticed until they were back at their dorm room. “ It feels weird being here, away from home… I wonder how my parents are doing. ” Terushi thought absentmindedly, finally reaching the laundry room. He grabbed his abandoned phone from on top of the washing machine he’d used earlier. “There you are! Good thing no one took it.” He said, putting it in his pocket.
Leaving the laundry room and walking down the hall for a few minutes, he heard a certain sound right above him, like one of those rain sticks being tilted. His right ear twitched as it got closer and closer, clearly following him. He made a point of stopping right below a vent. The sound intensified and then stopped right above him. “… It’s you again.” Terushi said, looking up to find a set of six eyes staring at him from the vent. “It’s pretty rude to stalk someone. If you just want to chat, I can hear you out, there’s no need to be shy.” He continued when the creature in the vent only coiled around itself, the sound of scales writhing and breath hitching was only perceptible to him. After a moment of silence, marked only by the sound of both their breaths, a voice rang out. “Hmm… Your ears… They’re even sharper than his….” The voice, a woman’s, said from within the vent. Slowly, the grate that covered it began to pry open and out poked an angular head with two sharp eyes, staring right into him. Terushi stepped aside to let the snake fall to the floor, revealing her massive size. “You don’t know me child… but I know you very well. You’re the seed of that pervy wolf from 20 years ago….” She spoke as most snakes do, with elongated sentences and needlessly whispery voices.
“ Pervy wolf… I guess she means dad. Well… considering he and my mom were dating back then too, it’s no surprise she would think of him as a lolicon.” Terushi thought, smiling uncomfortably. “Um… I guess that’s me, yeah. M-my name’s Terushi though, what’s yours?” He rebounded, trying to continue politely as the snake coiled itself, slowly surrounding him. The rabbit side of his brain told him to use his legs and run like the wind, the wolf side told him to stand his ground and fight with his fangs. He chose to do neither, as the logical side of his brain told him there was nothing to be afraid of. “You’re… the security lady, aren’t you? I can tell because I noticed your rattling earlier.” He said, recalling an incident that happened earlier in the day. “You were following me, but you stopped and diverted when we passed the bathrooms. I could hear someone vaping inside, so it’s no surprise that the security lady would step in.” Terushi explained to the snake, who kept staring at him as she encircled him with her body. For a tense moment, the snake just circled him and he worried that he might’ve been mistaken.
“It seems… your mind is just as sharp as your ears. I am indeed the security guard… Cherryton’s only security guard. You may call me Six-eyes.” She finally said, putting on a guard’s cap with her tail. “I have been curious about you ever since I learned of your existence. For you see, you… are an impossibility.” Terushi suddenly felt her move between his legs, lifting him up and wrapping around him. His hands, faded white and devoid of claws, were incapable of defending against the tough scales of a snake. “I don’t mean that as derogatory against hybrids, mind you. You are impossible because your father… as far as I know he should have been unable to marry and have kids with that rabbit.” Six-eyes continued, ignoring Terushi’s discomfort having her touch him like that.
“A-and why would that be? Interspecies marriage has been legal for quite some time, you know?” Terushi retorted, but it only earned him a tighter squeeze that knocked the wind out of his lungs. “The law is exactly the reason why I ask… Last time I saw your father, he was convicted as a predatory offender.” Six-eyes asked, looking at him from above. The words predatory offender clattered inside his mind, like someone dropping a metal pipe down an elevator shaft. “W-what are you talking about? My dad… would never do something like that!” Terushi exclaimed, grunting as the snake tightened her grip. “Oh but he did… He felt the call all carnivores feel, and was unable to resist it, it seems. Has he… never told you about it?” She said, taunting the hybrid in her grip. “Did you ever wonder why his body is covered in scars? Perhaps you’ve asked and gotten nothing but lies in return ....” Six-eyes looked at him, her gaze burning into his skull as he looked down in shame.
“ He’s never… I’ve never gotten him to actually talk about them .” Terushi thought, deciding it was better to keep it to himself. The snake seemed to guess the answer regardless. “If that’s the case, I can only ask that you look into it. After all….” Her body began to shift around him again, as if she was measuring his limbs and torso. “You have your father’s powerful body… and your mother’s delicate hands and legs. I’m sure any doors… will open if you knock hard enough.” She finished, dropping him on his ass and slithering back up into the vent. Leaving him speechless, staring up into the ceiling. “I should really… leave a sexual harassment complaint after that.” He said to no one in particular, his crotch still feeling weird after having Six-eyes run her body against it for so long. He looked down at his arms, the point where his grey fur gradually faded into a pure white, like he was wearing a pair of long gloves that reached his forearm. “ I couldn’t even defend myself when she grabbed me because of these. Compared to dad’s they look like they’re full of stuffing .” He thought, his chest still feeling tight from where the snake had squeezed him. Standing up, he pulled his phone out and shot a quick message to someone. If he was looking into this, he was getting help first.
Returning to his dorm, the words of the snake still slithered in his mind. “ Dad… you wouldn’t, right? She… has to be wrong. Please tell me you didn’t…. ” He pleaded, seeing the full moon outside through the windows. His father was likely watching that same moon, unaware of the dark seed of distrust that had just been planted.
x-x-x
The saying goes: Birds of a feather flock together. Though it hardly applies just to birds. Animals of the same species, or gender, or classification, or what have you, do tend to make friends amongst themselves. It is, of course, not impossible to bridge the gap between species and form meaningful relationships with others, but it’s undeniably more difficult. Therefore for a hybrid — a creature that is perhaps the only one of its kind in all of creation — the gap is even wider. Terushi knew this well; he knew herbivores saw him as a wolf in sheep’s (rabbit’s) clothing and carnivores saw him as a pretender, a prey animal puffing up his chest to seem bigger. He knew that if one wants to maintain a good social standing, you can’t slip up even once. When all eyes are on you all the time, you can’t let them see what bothers you or what makes you mad, you can’t reveal your fear. A continuous tightrope act where falling can mean total isolation. Terushi had so far maintained a good facade in this new school, but so early in the school year, a simple rumor could prove devastating.
“Yeah, I heard his dad is an ex-con!”
“A predation case they say.”
“Way back then an alpaca was devoured and apparently it was him!”
“They say his mom got devoured shortly after giving birth. Carnivores are so ruthless!”
“To think that hybrid seems so nice all the time, maybe he’s just pretending to be like that to get closer and eat someone.”
“I’d stay away from him. You can’t trust someone raised by a monster….”
The incessant chatter of rumor permeated the air in the hallways of Cherryton academy. The school semester had barely started, and yet in less than four days, the entire school had not only learned of the existence of Legoshi and Haru’s son, but also had decided that the pair and their ilk were nothing but trouble. “ Rumor sure spreads fast around herbivore circles. Even the carnivores are starting to gossip. I wonder how everyone found out…? ” Terushi thought to himself as he wandered through the hallways of the school, looking for a certain door. “ If this continues, I’ll just stand out as a freak. I need to prove to everyone that dad’s not like other carnivores.” He thought of the hypocritical carnivores he’d had the displeasure of meeting during the initial assembly and their first day of class. They thought he couldn’t hear them when they talked about planning a trip to meet the fixer near where the old black market used to stand. Worse still, they seemed to be all so proud of this. “ Dad’s not like them at all, which is why it’s difficult to believe he could be an ex-con on predation charges like Ms. Six-eyes said. I just… wish I could prove it. ” He thought, though he then frowned. “ Although… She did have a point. Dad does clam up when I ask him about his scars. It would definitely be a lot easier to defend him if I actually knew what happened. Speaking of… .” He finally stopped in front of a classroom labeled: Newspaper Club. One of his ears twitched as he picked up the sound of chatter from inside. Two women, one with a sleepy voice, another with a familiar friendly intonation. Exactly who he’d hoped to hear.
“Ibuki, I’m here!” Terushi said, knocking on the classroom door. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some people at the end of the hall staring at him. The echo was too strong to make out what they might’ve been saying unfortunately. He pretended he didn’t notice. “I’ll be right there!” The familiar voice said, accompanied by the shuffling of what sounded like paper. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a very… expensive-looking doe. Ibuki the red deer, heiress to the Horns Conglomerate and one of Terushi’s childhood friends… sorta.
“There you are, I was waiting for you. Come in!” She said, pulling him in by one hand and closing the door before he could say anything else. Terushi watched as the doe put her ear to the door, listening for anyone else that could have followed him. “Are you… worried about something, Ibuki?” He asked. Ibuki stepped away from the door to look at him, satisfied with her findings it would seem. “Kinda. I believe someone might be leaking info out, so I’ve been making sure we don’t get any intruders during club meetings.” She said, fiddling with one of the large spiral shaped earrings dangling from her ears with one hand. Terushi wondered if maybe she should be more worried about teachers finding her wearing those than spies in the clubroom.
“It doesn’t matter. You came for that thing you asked for the other day, right? The thing about your dad?” Ibuki asked, smiling at him with what felt like both kindness and pity. No doubt she’d been hearing the rumors too. “Did you find anything about this supposed predation record?” Teru asked, scratching the fur on the side of his face. “Don’t worry, Big sis Ibuki’s got you covered. Though I really don’t get why you can’t just ask your dad directly.” She said, looking at Terushi with an accusatory glare. “I-I just don’t wanna bother him with this.” He lied, wilting beneath her judging eyes. She hummed, unsatisfied with his explanation, then turned to look at a sheep that was sitting on a nearby desk, typing away at a computer. She was most likely the source of the sleepy voice he’d heard earlier. “Hilda, can you pass me the notebook?” Ibuki asked, to which the sheep pulled something out of the second desk drawer wordlessly, and passed it to Ibuki, who immediately forwarded it to him.
Terushi cracked open the notebook, careful not to let any of the loose pages inside fall off. Written within were notes belonging to a member of the Newspaper Club from 20 years ago, detailing their investigation into the death of an alpaca at the hands of one of the carnivores of the drama club. It was quite thorough, detailing every bit of information regarding the circumstances of the victim's death, the arrest of the culprit by the end of the year, one whose identity remains a mystery to this day, and the involvement of a certain red deer in the capture. It was interesting, sure, but what drew Terushi’s attention the most was a passage about the possible perpetrators. It read:
Of the carnivores of the Drama Club, there are only four members worth considering, ordered by most to least suspicious:
- Legoshi, the gray wolf. Stagehand.
- Bill, the bengal tiger. Actor.
- Riz, the brown bear. Stagehand.
- Sheila, the cheetah. Actress.
I have dedicated a section pertaining to the evidence against each one in this notebook. It is my intent to reveal the truth to the authorities before the year’s end.
Terushi stared dumbfounded for a moment at the list. “ So dad… was suspect number one? That can’t… That can’t be right .” He thought, his brow furrowed. Looking back up at the red deer in front of him, he asked. “Ibuki, how do you know you can trust this notebook? I thought you said you had solid evidence of what happened.” Ibuki closed her eyes with a smirk. “Heh, you shouldn’t underestimate me. I checked every source I could from the time to corroborate the info in that notebook. I even wrote some notes in there myself; they’re the ones written with green ink.” She said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow and an annoying smile. “The facts in that notebook are accurate. I guarantee it.” She finished her explanation with a thumbs up, clearly confident in her investigative work. Terushi’s ears drooped a little, feeling the weight of the notebook in his hands. “ That means… whatever I’m about to find out about dad will be true as well… .” He looked down at the notebook, holding the edge of the page where the section about his father started. For a moment he stood there silently, his hand trembling slightly. “... Why am I… hesitating… Why am I afraid?” He thought, noticing his hand shaking. “ Dad is innocent… he has to be! Right…? So I should turn the page without fear….”
After a few moments of tense silence, Terushi finally had enough and slowly turned the page, revealing a large spread of images and text. The sharp eyes of a familiar, albeit 20 years younger, wolf staring back at him from a fashion magazine cutout, as if disapproving of his betrayal. Why do you doubt me? They said, making Terushi’s fur stand on end. Nevertheless, he read the content of the pages.
Within this section of the notebook, the author described Legoshi’s appearance and his role within the Drama Club as part of the lighting crew. More importantly, it named several suspicious events that the author related to the alpaca’s death.
According to other members of the Drama Club, Legoshi was close to the victim and had the opportunity to kill. Not only that, he has been spotted on multiple occasions since heading to the black market by both campus security and other students whose identities will remain hidden in exchange for their collaboration*. Image shows the suspect buying bamboo grass at the scene. This indicates that the suspect might have been suffering from meat withdrawal after consuming the victim, leading him to search for alternatives to satiate this desire. This is compounded by him already presenting anti-social behaviour, such as attacking another Drama Club member during a performance.
* Ibuki’s note: The people who spotted him were most likely other members of the Newspaper Club at the time.
Looking to that side of the page, Terushi had to suppress a laugh that suddenly threatened to leave him when he spotted said image. Within it was indeed his father sporting a rather… interesting appearance. “ W-who told him that furcut looked good? Dear lord. I can’t believe mom would fall for such a loser, aha ha! ” He thought, trying to stifle his laughter as his mouth curled into a smile involuntarily. Ibuki just stared at him in confusion. Composing himself, he continued reading.
Campus security has also spotted the suspect with a certain small herbivore of unknown species. It’s possible he has been looking for a new victim, not satisfied by eating dead flesh at the black market. According to members of the Drama Club, the suspect spent the night with a herbivore at a Love Hotel somewhere close to the black market, a little before the festival of the meteor. This could also be an attempt at devouring a victim away from the prying eyes within Cherryton. The most damning evidence has come after the arrest of a culprit. Legoshi the gray wolf has been charged as a predatory offender at the end of last year, right around the time the culprit for the murder case was captured by a student*. Because of this, I am led to believe that the captured offender was indeed Legoshi all this time. Accordingly, the suspect dropped out of school following shortly after, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.
* Ibuki’s note: While not inaccurate, Information about the sentencing and punishment remains classified to this day. It’s strange, but it seems like someone high up in the chain of command has been obscuring relevant info.
Terushi closed the notebook, his mind racing. “So… Dad did eat someone… it wasn’t a rumor after all.” He said. In his mind he pictured the friendly face of his father, the one that he most associated with him; a gentle harmless wolf, someone who was clumsy and a little impulsive, but otherwise a caring and loving father and husband. To imagine such a person taking a life left him bewildered. More than that, it left him feeling betrayed. “I’m sorry… I guess I couldn’t help you put the rumors to rest.” Ibuki said, putting a hand over his. Her upbeat persona swapped for a comforting smile. “But I felt you needed to know regardless. Hiding it from you could only make things worse.” She was trying to reassure him, but there was not much she could do.
Terushi closed his eyes, his mind still trying to make sense of what he’d just read. “ In the end, you’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you, dad? I… believed in you. Is that why you kept quiet about your scars? Why… Why did you do it? ” He thought, but then caught himself. Sure, at face value it all seemed plausible, but this story didn’t quite make sense. Ms. Six-eyes was right after all. “Actually… There’s something that’s still wrong about this.” Terushi said, opening his eyes to see a confused looking Ibuki. “P-pardon?” She said, her eyes opening wide at his words. “My dad and my mom are married. They have a real marriage certificate, I’ve seen it. So… If my dad actually was a predatory offender, he wouldn’t have been able to marry my mom.” He explained, opening the notebook once more.
“You said you checked the relevant facts of this thing, right? Did you check if he was in the predatory offender registry by any chance?” Terushi asked, shifting through pages to see if he had missed something. Ibuki crossed her arms, looking up while thinking. “That’s the weird part… According to the registry, your father’s offense was changed to: special case a year later.” She said, looking back at him. Suddenly, she smiled, thinking of something good apparently. “Actually, that’s great news, no? How about this….” She lifted a finger up in some pantomime of a detective presenting their theory. “Your dad wasn’t guilty, but they thought he was at the time. So they sent him to juvie for a year, then it got retracted when new evidence exonerated him!” Ibuki slammed her left fist over her palm. Terushi couldn’t help but feel that she was getting carried away, but he remained quiet. “That would also explain what that snake lady said. She wouldn’t have known about the mistrial, right?” She finished, pointing a finger to his face in what was probably supposed to be the moment of truth. Terushi pondered the deer’s proposition for a moment.
“ It would be nice if that was the case. Sadly…. ” He shook his head, setting the notebook down on the desk and crossing his arms again. “No. It would probably say something different if that happened. Special case makes it sound like he did do something, but wasn’t punished for it.” Terushi said, his brief moment of relief crumbling as quickly as it came. “Was there anything else that might give us a clue?” He asked the deer, who looked down in frustration. “Nope. I even called the hotline, but all they said was that this case was of interest for someone up the chain of command, thus details are confidential.” Ibuki said, wringing her hands together, feeling sorry for the hybrid in front of her. Rather than help ease his suspicions, it seems like she only made them worse.
For a moment, the two stood in silence. Ibuki trying to think of a possible explanation, and Terushi rummaging within his own head for any information that might clue them in. “... I guess that means more legwork for me.” He finally said, breaking the silence. “I feel like this has got to be related to that alpaca case somehow, but there’s just not enough to go on with this notebook alone.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the time. “Ah, crap! I have to get to baseball practice. I’ll look into it more later. Thank you for your help.” Terushi tried offering the deer a smile to reassure her that this didn’t upset him, it did not work. “O-okay, but… please be careful out there. I’ll try to see if anyone on the Horns Conglomerate side can help me too.” Ibuki said, her earrings dangling low as her ears drooped. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry.” He responded, opening the clubroom door and walking off through the hallway, attracting the curious gaze of other students once more. Before he could get too far, he heard Ibuki shout at him from the door.
“Hey Teru!” She said, making him turn to look at her. “You should just… ask him, y’know? Even if he ends up being guilty… he’s still your dad.” With that, she ducked back into the clubroom, closing the door behind her. Once he was out of sight, he let his smile and his ears drop. “ Oh, dad… just what did you do? ”
Terushi couldn’t concentrate at all during practice, completely missing the ball with every swing, to the point that the coach just told him to go home and clear his head. The other players came to ask him what was wrong, and he just told them he was having an off-day because of homework, with a big enough fake smile that no one would notice his ears were drooping. He couldn’t help it, the idea of his father taking a life just to satisfy his carnivorous desires made him uneasy. He tried viewing the situation from every angle and no matter what he tried, his father still came off looking guilty. “ Unless he was forced at gunpoint, I can’t think of a reason he would eat someone, or at least part of someone. ” He thought, stepping out of the shower and dressing himself back into his school uniform. “ If only there was someone I could ask directly. ” He thought, packing his bat into his school bag. “ If I asked dad… Would he even tell me the truth? He’s always shut me down before, so maybe he won't .... ” He sighed, frustrated over his lack of options. Making his way out of the men’s locker room, he decided to go back to his room to research the alpaca’s murder further.
“ I wanted to ask Ibuki’s father about it. He found the killer after all, but Ibuki herself told me he's overseas on a business trip right now and won’t even answer her calls. ” He reached his room and jumped into his bed, closing the curtains. He just wanted to forget he'd ever learned about his father's dark secret. Even the thought of seeing him face to face made him sick from worry. He had no idea what to do anymore, so he just buried his head in his pillow, feeling dread over whatever tomorrow might bring.
“Guess I'm going to have to go to the Black Market tomorrow.”