"Nice shot!" My opponent, who barely managed to intercept Ayaan’s crosscourt shot from the back, made an error while attempting to flick the ball deep into a defensive position near the net. I seized the opportunity and smashed the ball with a nearly vertical downward strike as it crossed the midline, ending the match.

"Your reaction speed is unbelievable," Ayaan remarked as he stretched during our cool-down session after practice.

"And those smashes! They're so intense! You should consider training with the second team on the school squad," added the senior captain, a mountain gorilla offering his praise.

"Haha, you’re both flattering me. My endurance is awful, so I rely entirely on bursts of power to keep up. If we extended the intensity for just five more minutes, I’d probably pass out right here," I said while changing back into my hiking shoes. I wasn’t exaggerating; my hands and feet were already starting to tingle slightly from exhaustion.

"Want to grab lunch together? But are you okay? You don’t look too great," Ayaan asked, standing up after slipping into his white sneakers.

"I'll feel better after eating something," I replied, packing my racket into my bag and taking a sip of water. Skipping breakfast and heading straight to play was clearly a bad idea, but at this hour, I just had no appetite.

"I know a great brunch spot," Ayaan said, pointing toward the college town district.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I said, and we left the gym together.

"So, what classes did you choose? Wow, this salad is amazing," Ayaan said, spearing a few chunks of avocado and dipping them into sauce.

"Most of the mandatory courses for biology majors take up nearly all my schedule, leaving only a few slots open for general education electives," I said, noticing a few dorm-mates from our department walking past the window but not paying them much attention.

"I picked 'Diversity and Gender Identity' from the sociology domain. Honestly, I have no idea what that means*—the syllabus isn’t even uploaded yet—but it’s the only sociology elective that fits into my free slot. For the arts domain, I chose 'Ocean and Land: Bilingual Animal Artists and Writers,'** which I assume is about artists like seals and penguins, though I wonder if it includes animals that are simply bilingual. Oh, and there’s a general elective called 'Animals and Natural Resources,' which, surprisingly, is scheduled for Friday at noon," I said, taking a bite of my scrambled eggs.

"You’re taking way too many classes! I only added two more. 'Diversity and Gender Identity' was too late in the evening for me; I wouldn’t make it home by bus. So, I went with 'Film and Society' for sociology instead. I don’t think we have any major-specific classes during that time," Ayaan said, finishing the food on his plate. Later, I learned that half of our class consisted of residents from Central City. So much for the promised “change of scenery”—what a joke.

"Aside from the fact that I’ve definitely watched enough movies recently, I have another class at that time," I said, hesitating briefly before deciding to share something personal. I wanted to strengthen my bond with Ayaan, driven by my desire for deeper connections. "It’s 'Beastar: Year One.' I’ve been nominated by Cherryton Academy as this year’s Beastar."***

"What?! You’re that gray wolf?" Ayaan looked genuinely surprised. Anytime a life animal received a nomination, it became the center of public attention. "And since you’re a minor, the media can’t release photos, so no one would guess that Cherryton Academy’s nominee for Beastar is an entirely white wolf. That’s so fascinating," Ayaan said, stealing the cheese-stuffed potato mushroom I had just rolled up. "This is delicious too!" he added, sipping some water and wiping his mouth.

"The nomination of a life animal has certainly stirred up quite the commotion. You have to stand out and become the Beastar to advocate for life animals!" Even a lion who doesn’t eat meat had this to say. It seemed like turbulent waters were churning beneath the calm surface of Central City—a problem that needed swift resolution before small ripples grew into massive waves. Oddly enough, everyone seemed to have forgotten who the current Central City’s Sublime Beastars were. I suspected this wasn’t a coincidence. It felt less like forgetfulness and more like fear of remembering.

While I quickly pondered this, Ayaan fell silent, idly poking at the avocado on his plate.

"Speaking of life animals, what about tonight? I really don’t want to go to the Black Market to eat meat, but everyone’s so excited that it feels wrong to spoil the mood," he said, voicing his concern.

If this had been a year ago, I would have suggested we skip the market altogether and recommended a decent restaurant nearby instead. That would’ve likely paved the way for a friendship that could have lasted through many trials, supporting us as we chased our dreams. But I was greedy.

Even now, I could feel the gaze of the enormous social beast—a clammy, suffocating presence. I had caught its attention. Today, I stood on a different plane, noticing places I’d never seen before. What colors would they be? What scents would they carry? Could I understand them before I was consumed? Isn’t this what I wanted—a new beginning? I had to take the risk.

"You don’t necessarily have to eat meat at the Black Market. Just order something else," I said, though I knew it wasn’t that simple. The judgmental stares and peer pressure would be hard to withstand. Even I hesitated briefly as I uttered the forbidden word, realizing how challenging it was to defy such deeply ingrained societal norms.

"That’s it?" Ayaan looked incredulous.

"Most of the time, the simplest solutions are the best," I said, even though the easiest choice in this case would’ve been not to go at all. My selfishness had led me to lie to a lion willing to be my friend.

"Almost no one knows that the Black Market actually has meals prepared specifically for nature animals, let alone that the primal instincts triggered by the air saturated with tempting aromas will crush nearly all resistance. So, life animals who initially didn’t want to eat meat often end up succumbing." I examined the zucchini on my plate—something I’d only ever seen on TV before.

"What? The Black Market has food for nature animals? That’s kind of weird," Ayaan said, his confusion making me uneasy. The Black Market reforms were only two decades old. Could it be that efforts to integrate surface society with the underworld had utterly failed, leaving only the tradition of senior life animals openly bringing junior ones to the Black Market?

"Well, how should I put this..." I bit into the zucchini. Its perfectly cooked texture released a rich, moist aroma in my mouth. It was indeed a flavor I hadn’t experienced before, yet it didn’t move me in any particular way. I worried this might foreshadow my future life. "Have you ever heard of hyperdrugs?"