Evan's and the girls' dormitory. Noon. Beautiful sunny weather. A light, refreshing breeze carried the scent of herbs from the garden into the living room.
It was seemingly a perfect day to laze around and relax. However, the atmosphere among the girls was tense. Evan's behavior had long since gone beyond mere eccentricity. At first, they could think he had caught something from that nihilist Shawn. Meaning it could be ignored and even treated as fun. But what happened at the club and just before it made it crystal clear to them: this was no longer a joke.
It was bad.
It was fucking bad.
They had a plan.
Return home. Sleep peacefully. Watch over Evan all day. Wait until evening to cool down after everything and have a serious talk. If it got really bad, send him to Dr. Florentine.
Now they were at the stage of waiting until evening. All of them were trying to act as normal as possible. Normalcy 100%. With one small exception.
Frida sat over a book and looked like she had a massive hangover.
"Fucking hell!!! Who the fuck came up with something as stupid as sine and cosine?! What the hell does anyone need stupid trigonometry for?! Logic!? Just look someone in the eyes and kill them with a glare, not talk about zeros and ones!!! Fuck!"
Aiko sat down next to her.
"You're studying?"
Frida tore her gaze away from the textbook for a moment and sighed.
"I had a serious talk with Dad." She rested her head on Aiko's shoulder. "We really needed that conversation…"
"Okay, but what does that have to do with math?"
"He said he'll let me join the club if I get decent enough grades."
Aiko burst out laughing immediately.
"So you have to hunt down at least a C in math on your report card?"
Frida gave her an angry look.
"Better tell me what you came up with in that sketchbook of yours?"
"Tada!"
She showed her sketchbook. It contained an arousing drawing of Evan with his head resting on the chopping block and an axe beside him. Frida knew Aiko's skill. She had to admit one thing: if she posted this online, the likes would bury her.
"Not bad, kitten."
Aiko smiled. Her tail waved and her ears twitched.
"Really? I like it too."
"How did you remember the scene from the club so well?"
"I didn't have to. Evan posed for me."
Frida's eyes widened.
"You asked him to do that?"
"We agreed not to do anything that reminds us of meat."
"No. I was sitting with my sketchbook, and then he asked me to come to the butchery room and positioned himself for me."
Suddenly the smile vanished from her face. She looked as if she had just been hit by a wrecking ball, and her ears drooped.
"Hey, who arranged all this?"
Both girls turned to Callisa.
"What do you mean?"
"Sage, rosemary, butter, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, kitchen twine, bowls, brushes, roasting pan. Everything arranged in mise en place."
"And in normal language?"
"It means everything is set up so you can start working." She crossed her arms and asked, "So which one of you did this?"
"Not me. I'm studying!"
"I was drawing."
"Morona?"
The mantis stood by the tea table she was decorating. Black cloth and flowers. She only shook her head and showed a bag of tea.
"Then who? Wait… it couldn't be…"
Then they heard steady footsteps from the stairs.
"Evan, what are you…"
Evan walked into the living room completely naked. It wasn't that the girls minded — but why?
He simply put his hands behind his head and walked through the living room. He behaved completely calmly. The girls were utterly captivated. He looked like a model on a runway. They stared at him like magpies at a shiny object. None of them could move even an inch. None except Morona.
She walked up to Evan and stood behind him. She seemed to be somewhere else. She followed him as if in a trance. Her mouth opened and closed. Her claws moved nervously. Evan looked back at her over his shoulder and winked. She began following him in a trance. All her focus was concentrated on his neck. She kept opening and closing her mouth, from which streams of drool flowed.
The boy climbed onto the tea table covered and decorated with flowers. Morona approached him.
She began kissing his back, slowly moving toward his neck. Finally she reached it.
"When resistance is merely an illusion, all attempts are fruitless, everything leads to one elevation. When heat warms bodies, hearts, and stomachs, the bond undergoes consumption."
Morona kissed his neck once more, then began opening her mouth wide. The other girls simply couldn't move. As if they were suspended in reality. Evan, on the other hand, gave Morona a truly passionate look. It made her unable to stop herself.
She wrapped her mouth around his neck.
She began to tighten it.
Evan felt her teeth on his neck.
Then suddenly…
In one violent motion…
Morona pulled back.
"When a flaw creeps into perfection, everything collapses. The lack of red petals of love makes everything incomplete."
"You forgot the roses?"
Morona walked toward the roses.
First step.
Second step. Surprise.
Third step. Consternation.
Fourth step. Terror.
Her face froze in a silent scream of horror.
Each of the girls looked at Evan, then at each other, and finally heard their own stomachs growling.
The plan required immediate change. They didn't even have time until evening.
They immediately stood in front of him and told him directly.
"EVAN, YOU MUST GO TO THE DOCTOR RIGHT NOW!!!"
Evan looked at them in surprise.
"Why? Don't I have a date today?"
He looked toward the kitchen. The girls trembled. Their stomachs growled. They were on the verge of panic and losing control.
"This isn't the best moment," Aiko said.
"Why?"
The cat quickly pulled out her phone and showed him the moon phase calendar.
"This is our super special date. Everything has to be perfect."
"The moon like a witness clad in silver, illuminated by the dance of flames," Morona added.
"Of course, the best dishes from the best ingredients."
Evan looked left and right. After a moment he became slightly dreamy.
"A candlelit date under the full moon? Sounds beautiful."
The girls felt hope. Evan started walking where they wanted.
"Everything has to be perfect," Frida said.
"Nothing below perfection is acceptable," Callisa said proudly.
"That's why you have to go to the doctor. It's part of the preparations," Aiko said.
"Well then…"
"Please," all of them looked at him with super sweet eyes.
"Alright, I'll go."
The girls felt relief. But it didn't last long. That same day Evan ended up on the examination table. In the evening they met with Dr. Florentine. Besides them and Dr. Florentine, Director Arslan Flambe and Professor Albert Gator were also present. Evan was under the care of nurses in another room.
Morona's mother looked at them directly.
"Just as you thought… it's meat erosion."
The girls shuddered. The Director asked in a calm voice:
"What stage, Doctor?"
"Third. You could actually say Evan is already on the border of the fourth."
"Can he be helped?"
"It's hard to say," the doctor turned to the paralyzed girls. "Right now his entire identity has shrunk to the role of meat and their boyfriend."
The silence that followed said more than a thousand words.
"Treating mental illnesses is difficult because for the therapy to work, the patient must internalize it."
"So if Evan doesn't believe he's something more than meat, he can't be helped?"
"Unfortunately, that's correct, Director."
Callisa raised her hand.
"Just in case, I'll say that separating Evan from the girls would only worsen his condition," the psychologist replied.
"What can we do?" Aiko asked.
"The only way is to make Evan believe he is something more than meat, and only your words can reach him." She looked at them sternly. Morona trembled. "You must know one thing. If Evan says outright that you should eat him, it means he has entered the fourth stage."
"What does that mean?"
"That he can no longer be helped. No one who has reached the fourth stage has survived. Partly because the patient very proactively influences their immediate environment."
Arslan clapped his hands.
"Girls, you are Evan's only hope. However, if you fail… the Council grants you the right to eat Evan without consequences."
The girls looked at him in shock.
"I'm afraid we're reaching a point where we can only influence how it ends."
The girls lowered their heads.
The girls left the office and took Evan home. Their minds were in chaos. They had no idea what to do, but they felt that every moment, every move, was working in favor of their final date.
Morona's mother, the Director, and the Professor remained in the office and had a serious conversation.
Gator, who had been quiet until now, lowered his head when he heard the full psychiatric report and Dr. Florentine's assessment.
"I understand. That explains a lot."
"I assume the Council doesn't have a psychiatrist among its ranks."
Gator only nodded.
"When I think about it, it doesn't surprise me that people often end up this way. They are torn from their environment. Before they can adapt, they are bombarded with signals about how delicious they are, and their new environment normalizes it."
"We'll take that into account when a new human appears. We'll try to place them in some role as quickly as possible."
"Just out of curiosity, Professor Gator, has anyone survived for a longer period?" Gator gave her a truly threatening look. "I'm asking for professional reasons."
"One man. He was employed in a certain project run by the Council. A major incident occurred that caused a significant number of fatalities. He was one of them. That's all." The councilor's gaze immediately made it clear that the topic should not be pursued.
"I understand. So he found his role, but died due to a random event."
"Doctor, please tell us directly — what are the chances of curing Evan?"
Florentine leaned on her claws.
"Honestly? Considering the patient's living environment and current state, I believe that… the girls will eat him within a few days. I see virtually no chance of recovery."
"I understand," Arslan nodded. "It's difficult. Tenebrae and other academies exist so that the young can learn how to survive. It's a shame to lose Evan. I liked him, but if nothing can be done… then let those who like him the most eat him."
The girls left the room and took Evan home. Their minds were in turmoil. They had no idea what to do, but they felt that every moment, every move, was working in favor of their final date.