Chapter 10 (Beast Complex)

**The Crow and the Kangaroo** (カラスとカンガルー, *Karasu to kangarū*?) is the tenth chapter of *Beast Complex*.

## Synopsis

In District 0, a completely white town and without a single cloud in the sky. Houses, roads, stores, mailboxes, even the residents, everything is white in District 0.

On the way, Ebisu meets a ferret who asks him if he will attend the meeting and asks to go together, telling him that the night before in District 17, a polar bear got murdered and of course their pelt was skinned. It is suicide for a Bright to go outside District 0. Animals that are completely white-furred are referred to as Brights, and although there are a lot of white animals, a true "Bright" is hard to find. Brights are considered valuable for this feature, and so they are common targets in society.

Ebisu asks if the meeting is due to that murder and the ferret replies that it is possible, but since only the Brights live in District 0, they should be safe. On the way they run into Orion, a beautiful but unsympathetic kangaroo and ask her if she is also going to the meeting. In this meeting a lecture is given about how shining and precious "Brights" are and how they should help each other. Ebisu asks the ferret who is that girl he called Orion, and he reveals that she is very famous. Ebisu declares that he never had heard that name and the ferret reveals to him that it is a nickname, because that girl has some spots on her crotch that resemble the Orion constellation. Ebisu asks him how he knows that and the ferret reveals that it is because he and most of the males have seen it, because she sleeps with them just so she can stay in the district.

That day, Ebisu went to a park where he covered himself in mud and soon after he is found by Orion who asks him what he is doing. She recognizes him from before, Ebisu introduces himself and asks her what she is doing in the park. Orion emphasizes that Ebisu is covering himself in mud and he tells her to leave him alone, claiming that he is sick and tired on this city. Orion comments that his movements are funny and asks him if he is a comedian. Ebisu confirms his suspicions and agrees that Orion is a shallow woman just like they said, but even so she is so beautiful. Orion asks if he also wants to see the "Orion" since she heard him talk about her at the meeting and says that although she is not a "Bright", the guys in the district association told her that if she slept with all the men in the district, she can continue to stay. And although it is tough, there is no way around it and that is how things are in District 0. Ebisu thinks about how the district is so bright and dazzling, the stars cannot be seen. Thinking how beautiful Orion is, he decides that he does not want to see her spots and although he does not know why, he wants to be the only male to not call her "Orion". He throws a handful of mud at her, telling her that since she has spots on her crotch anyway, a little mud won't make any difference. As Ebisu laughs at his joke, Orion slaps him.

The next day, Orion works at her milk stand where she attends to a customer who seeks to take advantage of Orion's situation. They are interrupted by Ebisu who asks for a drink and although Orion tells him to leave, Ebisu tells her that he is ordering this drink to get plenty of protein and get build. Ebisu says he came to apologize for what he did the day before and asks if she minds he waits until after her shift. That day, Ebisu and Orion walked until they were exhausted. Orion reveals that her spots were acquired, telling that she comes from generations of Brights, but for some reason she started getting spots on her crotch when she was 12. Her parents freaked out they saw them and, eventually, the district leaders found out, too. Ebisu asks her why she accepted their demands and Orion replies that she cannot imagine a life outside District 0, since all her life she has been told that the outside world is scary. Ebisu claims that the district is even scarier and Orion replies that he can't know since he has never seen the outside world, claiming that he is like everyone else in District 0 - scared of their own shadow. Ebisu alleges that he is not like the others, and he has decided he doesn't want to see her spots until she wants him to. Orion interrupts him and they see the Orion constellation in the sky. Suddenly, Ebisu is put in a sack by a couple of small felines. In the confusion Ebisu tries to free himself without success and asks Orion to flee. She realizes that they left District 0 without noticing and wonders if perhaps this is the outside world. Before the carnivores could take Ebisu, due to the difference in size, Orion defeats the feline that was holding Ebisu with a single kick, freeing him. For that short period of time, Ebisu managed to see under her skirt and consequently her spots. After this experience, they both rejoiced. And so, on that day they left District 0 for the first and final time. They were brave enough to venture out.