Chapter 113: The Circus
When the sun was high in the sky, after Kira and Aoi Hana had finished cleaning the park, the Director finally ambled out of his cottage. By now, the animals had all returned to their original forms and were back in their cages, waiting for the tourists who might never arrive.
"Director, are you interested in starting a circus?" Kira asked, getting straight to the point. "You usually enjoy commanding the animals to perform all sorts of difficult tricks, don't you? How about performing them in front of an audience?"
"A circus?" The Director's eyes lit up. "You mean the kind of acrobatic show where you command lions to jump through hoops of fire and gorillas to walk on tightropes? Interesting!"
As Kira had expected, the Director quickly agreed. He listened to Kira's explanation with the earnestness of a schoolboy.
"A normal circus has several beast tamers, each responsible for one act, because they need to cultivate a rapport with the animals... But our zoo is different. Even in their animal forms, every one of them can understand what we're saying and can perform difficult maneuvers on their own. Therefore, we can have you, Director, act as the sole beast tamer for the entire performance."
"You mean... you want me to be the beast tamer?" the rabbit blinked.
Kira nodded emphatically. "There's no one else who can do it. Not even Aoi-san."
Even if the Director was reckless and did whatever he pleased, he was also the one the animals trusted the most. This was a conclusion Kira had reached yesterday. Whether it was the wolf-man, the gorilla, or the cheetah, although they complained about him, their bodies had already accepted his commands.
As long as the Director was the one to announce this, no one would object.
Evening. The Twilight Hour.
"Another day with no visitors." After a puff of smoke, the animals transformed into their humanoid forms. The wolf-man, Okami, stretched his arms above his head and said with a sigh, "I guess just being a zoo isn't enough to raise our profile..."
Okami looked at Kira. "Kira-kun, have you made a decision yet? You only have five days left."
His meaning was clear. If Kira kept dragging his feet, his opportunities for training would dwindle.
"I've already given the Director my suggestion," Kira said meaningfully.
"You mean you agreed!?" Okami's face lit up. He was about to ask for details when he was cut off by a sharp voice.
"Everyone! Let's start a circus together!" The Director was sitting on the statue, using the stone carrot as a microphone, roaring out the words.
"A circus? So that was your suggestion... That's actually a great idea," Okami said, quickly coming around to the idea. "When it comes to performing, we animals are in no way inferior to any professional actor."
The seal, Igarashi, who was being held under Aoi Hana's arm, said slowly, "That's fine if it's in the water, but a circus performance doesn't have much to do with me."
The gorilla, holding a banana, froze for a moment, then went back to eating it. A circus? What's that? Can you eat it?
The animals began to discuss the feasibility of the Director's plan enthusiastically. Most of them concluded that it was "doable." After all, they were capable of complex thought, a world apart from ordinary animals who had to be trained for long periods.
"But, Director, aren't we forbidden from appearing in public in these forms?" the bird-man asked with some concern, flying down from the sky.
The reason these animals only appeared in their human forms after the park had closed was not complicated. They didn't want others to discover their abnormality. It wasn't that they were afraid of appearing before humans in these forms, but they were worried it would implicate the Director.
A Quirk like the Director's, which could turn animals into talking, independently thinking beings, was extremely rare—perhaps even unprecedented.
Even if the animals could pass off their forms as their own "Beast" Quirks when they went out, their transformation was dependent on the Director's Quirk. If they didn't inhale the smoke he provided for a long period, they would revert to their original forms. This would likely arouse suspicion, which could lead people to the Director, who might then be captured and dissected by researchers.
But these were just the animals' worries. The Director himself couldn't care less and would often lead his army of animals out of the zoo in a large group.
Okami explained their concerns to Kira. "It's fine if we use our original bodies, but using these talking forms would put the Director in danger."
Kira wasn't concerned. He and the Director, who was being questioned by the bird-man, both laughed at the same time. "Well then," Kira said, "you just have to make sure you're not discovered."
It was just like in Assassin's Creed: as long as you kill everyone, it's a perfect assassination.
Suddenly, a dissenting voice rose from the crowd. "I object!"
All eyes were drawn to the speaker: Shishido the lion-man.
Shishido strode out from the crowd, ignoring the surprised looks from those around him. He walked up to the statue and met the Director's gaze, his face full of annoyance. "Rabbit, you really do love your bizarre ideas, don't you? A circus? Your plan definitely includes a lion jumping through a hoop of fire. You think I would do something so degrading? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Oh?" The Director leaped down from the statue, his eyes narrowed. "I don't know who it is that eats the most around here but does absolutely nothing. You think you can do whatever you want just because you're a rare animal? What do you think you are, a panda?"
During the food delivery this morning, when all the other animals had come out to help, the only one who hadn't, aside from Igarashi the seal who couldn't, was Shishido, who had been napping in his cage.
(Actually, the Director had had an idea for a long time: to get a panda as the main attraction for the Twilight Zoo. Then he wouldn't need any publicity. He could just put up a sign with the word "Panda," and countless people would flock to them. Becoming the number one zoo in the nation would only be a matter of time.)
(The Director had snuck into that country several times and had even convinced a panda to leave with him. But unfortunately, he had been discovered at the last minute every time. Although he had escaped, he had never been able to bring it with him.)
"So what if I eat a lot!?" Shishido snorted. "From now on, I'll only eat as much as that idiot Okami! I, Shishido, would rather starve to death, die outside, jump from this very spot, than eat another bite of your food!"
Shishido had been about to say he wouldn't eat a single bite, but the rumbling in his stomach had stopped him.
"You said it," the rabbit said, turning away. "You don't have to participate in the circus. In exchange, your food rations will be cut in half... Zookeeper, did you hear that!?"
The last sentence was directed at Aoi Hana.
Aoi, who was sitting on a stone bench, holding her face in her hands, sighed in resignation. "I heard you, Beast Tamer!"
In the circus, there was a rule: if an animal refused to obey, you would starve it for a few days until it was willing to cooperate, at which point you would resume its normal feeding. Many animals were forced to comply with the tamer's demands simply because they succumbed to hunger.
It seemed the Director had quickly slipped into his new role. However, it also seemed he had no intention of making Shishido participate, which was different from a normal circus.
Because... Shishido wasn't necessary.
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