Chapter 23 (Beast Complex)

**The Wolf and the Dog** (オオカミとイヌ, *Ōkamitoinu*?) is the twenty-third chapter of *Beast Complex*.

## Synopsis

From a train station to his home, a young deer finds himself being chased by a German shepherd who has gathered substantial information about his personal life, this behavior is called stalking. However, Adamo affirms that this is something that mediocre non-canine species say, because they cannot understand how he feels obliged to follow the smells that attract the attention of his keen sense of smell, and his nose is always in search of a new target. Later, while returning to his home in the train car, Adamo catches the scent of a young wolf carrying a large bouquet of flowers to mask her own smell. Upon finding a new target, Adamo uses his keen sense of smell to try to obtain key information from the wolf and, ecstatic, feels how the act of stalking becomes a fine art. However, the wolf notices his presence and when she turns to look at him, they both make eye contact for a brief moment, which culminates with a flirtatious smile from the young wolf, who continues on her way. In disbelief of what just happened, Adamo continues stalking the wolf and sees how she keeps her black curtains closed and has no clothes drying on her balcony, a very cautious behavior for a carnivore, Adamo does not know if he is being guided by the wolf or is being warned. Before he knows it, dawn breaks and Adamo realizes that he followed the woman all night and reflects on how his impulse to stalk animals is getting out of control.

However, after a month had passed, Adamo continued stalking the wolf and claimed to know her more than anyone else. The wolf's name is Fasa, she works in a flower shop and is single, hard-working and kind-hearted. She always comes straight home every day and is never late for work. After observing her for so long, the most important thing he has learned about her is that there is no other wolf as wonderful as her, beautiful and without a single flaw. However, upon seeing that Fasa left the curtains on her balcony open for the first time, Adamo climbs a tree to observe her and discovers her eating pieces of meat from a herbivore that she kept in a refrigerator.

Upon being discovered in the act and realizing Adamo's presence, they both have a second eye contact, after which Adamo orders her to stay still, something he had not done since he was an active detective. However, Fasa repeats her order and warns Adamo that he is the one who should stay still, because she knows that he has been stalking her all this time and admits to having forgotten to close the curtains, the latter pointing out that both have been doing inappropriate things, although Adamo denies his attempt to equate stalking with Predation. Later, he asks whose corpse she is eating, Fasa reveals that it belongs to an old goat that she killed two months ago and has been devoured little by little, and later asks Adamo what he is doing in her apartment and why he is questioning her, Adamo reveals that he is a retired detective, which Fasa points out as a dog's job.

Fasa deduces that Adamo was only looking for criminals simply because he couldn't resist following a trail and asks him if he ever worked out of a sense of justice. Making Adamo remember how his co-workers looked down on him for being a dog that likes to follow trails, look for people and obey the rules, a source of ridicule for those who would be his ancestors, the wolves. Again, Fasa compares herself to Adamo, pointing out how he couldn't resist following a trail, just as she couldn't resist eating meat, and while hugging Adamo, Fasa declares that they are both canine losers, but before he could give in to Fasa and hug her back, the police burst in and arrest her. Resigned, Adamo asks the police to arrest him as well for being a stalker, but Fasa interrupts him and declares that Adamo is a victim that she intends to devour, later telling Adamo not to take her so seriously, because they are nothing alike at all. After this, Fasa says goodbye with a smile while Adamo watches in bewilderment as she is taken away by the police.

## Trivia

* This is the fourth Beast Complex chapter to feature a wolf as two of the main character, and the second where the wolf is female.