Chapter 126: The Circus is About to Begin
Two days passed in a flash. Soon, it was Friday.
On Friday morning, the Director once again called the cargo truck driver. This time, he had him and his colleague bring two large trucks, big enough to fit all the animals. One by one, he had them all get inside.
"Eh? Zookeeper, am I going too?" Igarashi the seal asked, confused, as Aoi Hana carried him. "I don't have an act, do I?"
"The Director said the Twilight Circus needs a mascot, and you're it. Your attendance is mandatory."
Aoi Hana patted his head and showed him the poster the government had sent over, which was now plastered on the side of the truck. On it, a group of animals was shown fleeing in a line from a menacing, clawing rabbit-headed demon king. There was a cheetah, a gorilla, an ostrich, a rhinoceros... A lion stood off to the side, licking its paws and watching the show. And in the top-right corner, a round, chibi-style seal head was stamped like a logo.
"Who drew this? It's so vivid," Igarashi said, surprised. The poster perfectly captured the ecological relationships of the Twilight Zoo. He, the mascot, didn't get much attention and just had to be cute every day. Shishido the lion was constantly at odds with the Director, refusing to accept his tyrannical rule. And the rest of the animals were either the Director's lackeys or his victims...
"It was a sketch that Yoshikage Kira gave us. He said it was his impression from his observations over the past few days..." Aoi Hana said with a wry smile, looking at Kira, who was currently moving cages. Ever since he had arrived, he had been doing all the work she normally had to do. She felt like she had been turned into a signboard girl, whose only job was to carry the mascot around...
Although the animals could all understand human speech and were very well-behaved, to the average person, without the restraint of a cage, these animals could attack at any moment. To avoid causing the audience any unnecessary anxiety, the cages were still necessary.
"Kira! I'm ready! When are we leaving!?" The Director, wearing a bowler hat, was excitedly pushing a lion's butt.
"Hey! Stop pushing me!" Shishido the lion growled in a low voice, his movements as graceful as a cat's. Although he hadn't transformed, Kira, with his Cat Language Level 10, could understand what he was saying.
The Director stopped pushing and stood in front of Shishido, making an inviting gesture. "Well then, let's have the star of our show, the great Lord Shishido, board the truck himself."
Shishido shot him a contemptuous look. He ignored the ramp and, with an easy leap, jumped onto the truck. He hooked the door of a cage with his front paw, opened it, and strode inside with his head held high.
That's right. In the end, Shishido the lion had been unable to escape the Law of True Fragrance and had decided to perform in the show.
While Kira had been training with Okami, Takami, and the others, Shishido had been watching from his cage with a cold eye. Later, he couldn't stand it anymore, jumped out of his cage, and said that their turn-based training was useless. In a life-or-death battle, the enemy wouldn't wait for you to get into a stance before attacking.
Shishido was a battle-loving lion. The story was that he had been found by the Director after losing a fight for leadership of his pride. After meeting, the two had fought, and only after losing to the Director had he come to live at the zoo.
Watching Kira and the others train, he had been unable to suppress his own restless instincts and had stepped up to offer his guidance. Kira had then seized the opportunity to ask him to help with his own training. Shishido, who had been waiting for Kira to say just that, had agreed and had immediately pounced on him—
Later, the Director had come by on his rounds and had seen Shishido standing with his hands on his hips, a smug smile on his face as he looked down at Kira, who was spread-eagled on the ground. He had taunted him a few times, and in a fit of rage, Shishido had made a bet with the Director: if the Director fought him right then and won, he would agree to participate in the circus performance.
But the Director had refused, saying his time was too precious to be wasted on him...
The two had glared at each other for a while, then had both turned their gazes to Kira—if, before the performance tomorrow, Kira could last five minutes against Shishido in a real fight, then Shishido would have to perform.
That was the bet they had made.
The result was already obvious. The Director hooked an arm around Kira's neck and said with a laugh, "Look at that lion. He looks just like a dog."
Like a dog? Kira didn't think so. He rubbed his still-aching arm and sighed. Shishido had actually gone easy on him. He hadn't used his sharp claws, instead just batting at him with his immensely powerful paws. Although it hurt, Kira hadn't suffered any serious external injuries.
In other words, he had actually wanted to participate in the event himself but had been too proud to admit it. The Director had probably seen through him from the start; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let him use "training" as an opportunity to get on stage. The taunts were just for his own amusement.
What a pair of stubborn fools...
The first truck was a closed-top, for the smaller animals like the lions and wolves. The second was an open-top, for the taller animals like the elephant and rhino.
After everyone was on board, the Director slammed the gates of the Twilight Zoo shut, leaped onto the open-top truck, and, sitting on top, raised a carrot and shouted, "Twilight Circus, move out!"
News of the Hero Killer incident had spread throughout the country. Even Momo, who had been extremely busy with her work-study, had heard about it. She felt a little regretful. So many things had happened in the past few days, but she had spent every day at a TV studio, filming...
Momo thought back on how she had stood behind Uwabami, constantly striking poses, and had even filmed a commercial. She couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. I didn't come here to become a celebrity...
Uwabami hadn't nominated Momo and Kendo just because they were young and beautiful and would make good assistants—though that was also a factor. But she was a Pro Hero, and after her day job was done, she would still fulfill her duties, taking Momo and Kendo on patrol through the streets.
However, in Momo's opinion, it felt more like they were just going shopping. Whenever a citizen saw Uwabami and cried out in surprise, she would always smile and greet them, often drawing a huge crowd.
"Yaoyorozu-chan, you have to know that for a Pro Hero, being approachable to the public is a very important part of the job," Uwabami said, seeing that Momo's spirits weren't very high. She turned and asked, "You've heard about the Hero Killer, haven't you?"
Although Momo didn't know why she had suddenly brought this up, she still nodded. "A few of my classmates were even involved..."
"Have you seen that video? Even I, as a Pro Hero, have to admit that some of what he said was very persuasive. Imagine what it's like for the ordinary public." A shadow of gloom passed over Uwabami's eyes, but she quickly smiled again. "Although he's been arrested, his ideology has already spread. At a time like this, when we greet the public, we can reduce their anxiety." She said softly, "Making the citizens smile... that is also the job of a Pro Hero."
"Making the citizens smile... just like All Might...!" Momo suddenly understood. So there was a reason for what Uwabami was doing! She nodded heavily. "I understand what I have to do now, senpai!"
"You've all been working so hard..." Uwabami suddenly gave a suggestive smile. "As a way to relax, I'm going to take you two somewhere fun tonight."
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