The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

The Eyes of Truth

    Alan couldn't think straight the next day, and the reason was clear. He was silent the entire time after Kibi's accident, and only talked to Todd when he noticed his demeanor. The goat made sure to stay with him once he relayed the whole story— minus his panic attack. Lucky for him, the Drama Club decided to cancel their next meeting because of what happened. It would give the human some time to process what happened, but more importantly to think about his breakdown. He now leaned against one of the windows in the hall, gazing at nowhere in particular. All he could set his mind on was the moment he lost all hope of keeping this to himself.

"We all know what just happened doesn't have anything to do with being fine!", Kai's words echoed in his ears. "You need to talk to someone about it."

He sighed breathlessly, How can I do that...

    If he could, the human would've completely forgotten about the aftermath and disappeared. However, he already did that once before and it didn't need repeating. Even so, he hated the fact that they now knew about his troubles and would worry about him more than ever! Worse than that, it would reach Legosi and the wolf will surely hit him with the "I'm worried" spiel again. He didn't need that, and he didn't need them!

It was then that he felt a familiar feeling, and heard a very faint rattling sound.

    Alan didn't need any other cue, getting up and walking down to the main hall. He kept his head down, movements slow and robotic. It was a far cry from how he usually carried himself, but he could care less about that now. The closer he got, the more he felt his anxiety rising slowly. He already had an idea of what it was about, seeing as though he could feel the hidden gaze on him as he walked. After making sure nobody else was around, he stepped into the bathroom.

Once he shut the door, he heard the ceiling panel shift as a familiar snake slid down to the floor gently.

"I didn't think you'd hear my tail.", Rokume noted as Alan turned to her. "You seemed like you were thinking about something."

"I'm guessing you already know what happened, right?", he avoided her gaze as he spoke. "How much of it did you see?"

"Not all of it, though I was able to catch the aftermath..."

The human turned his head slightly towards the mirror, "And what was the aftermath?"

"I'm sure you know."

    Alan looked at her, seeing her expression a mix between seriousness and concern. To the snake's credit, she at least valued his privacy. The first time they met was at a time when not many students would be in the halls, so they'd have some time to talk alone. She also wasn't overly pushy like Legosi and Juno, as she seemed to gently ease him into a conversation by starting off small. Not only that, but there's also their similarities with one another.

"I know how it feels to be ashamed of a part of yourself.", her words echoed in his mind.

Even then...

"It wasn't the first one, was it?", he blinked at her voice.

"What?"

"That wasn't the first time you broke down...", she inclined her head. "The look in your eyes says that much."

He looked away sharply, "...It was never that bad before."

"And you know the cause of it?"

"More like 'causes'...", he said quietly as he closed his eyes. "At first it was just one thing, but then it kept building and building..."

He recalled the An-Man article, "They disappeared and were never seen again."

"I learned things that I wish I hadn't..."