Chapter 09 (Beast Complex)

**The Shiba Inu and the Shiba Inu** (シバイヌとシバイヌ, *Shibainu to shibainu*?) is the ninth chapter of *Beast Complex*.

## Synopsis

A group of executives is appreciating the cover of a magazine and the model who heads it, Mugi, a model with a warm and loving face. It's the opposite of who he really is, an overweight man lounging in his home. Mugi receives a call from his manager who reveals that a spot just opened and asks if he will be available for a photo shoot tomorrow. Although Mugi alleges that it is very sudden, his manager tells him that he knows that he only eats and sleeps. He demands that he sees him at 10 sharp tomorrow and says goodbye. The manager is exasperated after the call and one of his colleagues asks him if he will be fine tomorrow. The manager says that he is not sure since Mugi only does one photo shoot per year and sleeps through the rest, although he still does a good job.

The next day after doing a photo shoot, Mugi immediately quits his pretty girl act and lights a cigarette. His manager credits him for being on time but tells him to stop smoking as his fur has been getting worse year after year. Mugi tells him to just photoshop it since he is going to be 40 soon and playing the part of an energetic, cute girl is getting harder every year. Before his manager could scold him, one of the employees tells that Lilia wants to come in to say Hi. Excited she introduces herself to Mugi and the manager reveals that she is the new girl in the studio who has always admired him. Mugi jokingly tells her that she surely must have not expected him to be a middle-aged man and Lilia affirms that although she is surprised, her respect for him hasn't changed at all. Mugi alleges that he is a Shiba Inu and she is a Pomeranian, and they are both big trouble since despite their cute faces they are very strong-willed and hot-tempered, a comment that leaves Lilia speechless.

Later, Mugi walks around the city while having a monologue where he explains that Shiba Inus, polar bears and otters are the most acclaimed species for having the most adorable faces. He has been doing calendar gravure for years and yet people still buy them like idiots just to see a Shiba Inu doing his best to flirt with them. He has been doing for a while because it pays well, but doesn't know why he is still doing it. Back when he was a 27-year-old neet, he was discovered by his manager, which is basically the standard procedure for broke girls to debut in a porno. Shipa, another Shiba Inu, gives him his bill and advises that they will be stocking jerky for Japanese dogs next week and as his fellow Shiba Inu, she highly recommends it. Later, Mugi thinks that there was a time when he was just like that part-time girl, but as the years went by, a divide grew between the born "cute face Shiba Inu" and who he really is.

The manager gives Mugi a magazine about canine surgeries to maintain his face. The more he grows, the more fake he became. Mugi refuses to fix his face and his manager declares that his aging is too much for photoshop to fix, and he needs to get rid of his beer belly. Mugi scoffs saying that of all people he cannot believe that he is the one who suggests a diet. The manager furiously alleges that fat cats are universally loved but fat dogs look miserable, and he has to accept this unfairness between their species. That's the type of world he was born in, claiming that he has come this far and just has to hold on, and Mugi claims he understands.

Later, Mugi wanders around town while claiming that it's easy to accept injustice when told directly to him and decides to hold on a little longer. A pair of tigers recognize Mugi and start chattering behind his back, saying things like he is an old fart and having read on the net things like "Migu-chan is done for", "It's Lilia's era now", and "The absolutely adorable face is a fraud". In anger Mugi punches one of the tigers, referring to the "absolutely adorable face" statements, claiming that they dare judge him based on a stupid comment and yells that not even once did he ask anyone to love him to a stunned crowd.

The next day, the event ends up in the newspapers and Mugi's identity is fully exposed. Mugi is confronted by his manager and he alleges that he was such a hotshot to end up in a weekly magazine. The manager scolds him for how far he has fallen and Mugi apologizes assuming that he is fired. His manager claims that he is not given up on him and suggests that he try again in a new direction that reflects his strong-willed and hot-tempered character, but Mugi claims that no one would want to look at an unattractive Shiba Inu and his manager asks him to think about it.

Mugi goes to the grocery store where the cashier Shipa tells him that a small Shiba Inu punched a tiger out of anger, stating that is so cool and that she wants to be a Shiba Inu like him. She claims to support Mugi and reveals to be aware of who he is. Filled with confidence, Mugi renounces his false identity by replacing his poster of Mugi-chan with his photo from the newspaper. His true cry has reached someone.

## Trivia

* This is the first chapter to focus on a single character, breaking from the theme of having two main characters.