Chapter 20 (Beast Complex)

**The Black Panther and the Sea Otter** (クロヒョウとラッコ, *Kurohyou to rakko*?) is the twentieth chapter of *Beast Complex*.

## Synopsis

Riding the subway train, Gil is a black panther who has been having a problem lately―he feels a great desire to eat the hand of his coworker, Po, being tempted by how white, fluffy, round, and fragrant it is. Po is a sea otter who works as a marine correspondent for the company and comes from a whole different culture compared to the land. He speaks both seaspeak and landspeak, so he is a great asset to the company for its expansion into the ocean. Po is a very different from Gil, who is a simple guy who just came to the big metropolis from the countryside.

Gil feels hungry again by seeing Po's hand, which Po realizes, so he kindly offers Gil a bag of sardine crackers, a snack from the sea. A puzzled Gil rejects it and warns him not to pull those out on the train. The main difference between marine and land creatures are their views on life and death. In the ocean, it is not a crime to eat living things, so when Po brought a fish for lunch in the company, everyone in the office kept their distance from him, as expected. The bag of sardine crackers is comparable to packing dead baby rats into a bag, which on land would be a ruthless crime punishable by death.

Even so, Gil considers directing his appetite to his coworker's hand to be even more ruthless. He assumes that if he ate it, Po would forgive him considering his view on life and death, although he assures that it would feel like an even greater sin. Later, the train passes through a sea tunnel which Po says reminds him a lot of his home, a dark environment where he caught and ate fish and shellfish that glistened in the dark. After this, Gil can not stand his impulses and gives a great lick to Po's hand, who without reacting gets off the train when he reaches his stop and says goodbye. Gil follows him and apologizes for what he had just done, but Po claims that Gil can always eat him if he wants to, even if it's not allowed on land, and it is the cycle of life that allows it.

The next day, Gil goes to work where he is scolded by his boss for making the same mistakes at work and affirms that he only hired him because he has the same color as his feathers. He later compares him to Po who is very dependable, as how can they be so different when both came from far away. He recommends that Gil goes back to the country and take over his family's liquor store. After this day's work, Gil considers visiting the Black Market, since he feels the desire to eat meat of any kind. At that moment, Gil is surprised by Po's arrival who greets him and Gil apologizes for the scene at work, commenting that maybe he is not cut out for his job. Po asks if he wants to lick his hand again, but Gil politely rejects the offer. Later both are dragged by a multitude of animals that enter the train and Gil asks Po if he is okay, noting how uncomfortable he is. Po states that in the ocean it is never this crowded and Gil replies that the same goes for his hometown too. He tells him that he just has to be patient as a lot of animals will be getting off the next two stop. Gil thanks Po for being quiet about licking him, claiming that he does not know why he did it. He has been so overwhelmed lately, feeling lonely and starving, and Po's kindness has made him feel worse. Both of them are squeezed by the crowd, and Po declares that he never understood the concept of loneliness until he came to the land, recounting how all his coworkers look at him as a monster whenever he eats fish. Even when his work is valued, he does not think that anyone understands the real him. He reveals to Gil that he has been lonely too.

Taking Gil's hand, Po explains that when sea otters sleep, they hold hands with their mates to avoid being swept away by tide while they sleep. Holding hands makes them feel very safe, so for those who are not used to crowded trains, Po suggests that they hold hands until they get off the train. As soon as the train arrives at a station, both Gil and Po struggle not to be swept away by the crowed of people leaving the train. Feeling that he is overreacting, Gil clings to Po's hand, feeling that if he lets Po go, he will be exposed to dangerous carnivores like him, so he feels he has to save him. They realize that they both ended up being thrown out of the train, and Po declares that Gil is a gentle black panther, and he is no longer lonely. He invites Gil out for a drink, and Gil agrees. They both walk away still holding hands.

## Trivia

* This chapter is a one-shot included with the purchase of the September 2021 issue of Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine.
* This is the second chapter of *Beast Complex* to co-star a sea creature after Sagwan in Chapter 16.