Chapter 160 (Beastars)

The Uncertainty of a Loyal Son (孝行息子の疑い) is Chapter 160 of the manga Beastars written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion of the Akita Shoten publishing house.

Synopsis
After looking at Legoshi's face again, Kyuu is weirded out to see that his eyes are filled with despair over the world's state of affairs, and yet they are also filled with hope. Because of this, she assures him that his hope is wasted on the Black Market, and he should give up on capturing Melon, showing that she knows that the evil hybrid is the cause of all the chaos in the Black Market. She claims to be surprised that Legoshi is so deadset on capturing him after two failed attempts, reproaching him for sympathizing with his hybrid struggles and instinctively letting him go, something that she can assure is typical of Legoshi, even though she has just met him. After this, Legoshi agrees with Kyuu and asks her to teach him how to fight herbivores, but Kyuu immediately refuses, claiming that wolves who show pity to herbivores have no potential, in addition to the fact that she hates Legoshi. Louis offers to make a deal and pay her to train Legoshi, but Kyuu replies that she is not interested in money and all she wants is a carnivore who has as much willpower as she does. She says if Legoshi can punch her using all of his strength, then she might reconsider, but is she senses him holding back even a little, she'll ask him to leave. Given this, Legoshi is with the idea of having to hit Kyuu, a female, a herbivore, a small animal, a rabbit, and someone who seems really cute, this is the first time he feels attracted to a woman who is not Haru, this being his disgusting fetish, his strength and his weakness. Under pressure from Kyuu, Legoshi agrees to strike with the intention of becoming a strong, perverted wolf. With everything decided, Kyuu informs Legoshi that she will fight him the same way she fights everyone, so she recommends attacking her with all he's got. Legoshi asks if she always uses a rope and two daggers to fight, and she answers that she needs them when fighting, because they are part of her fighting strategy, which she calls "Imaginary Chimera". It's when you compensate for what you lack by conjuring an image of it and using it to fight, which Kyuu learned from a master. Spending a long time being livestock in a cell, being scared of carnivores, the chimera she conjured using those carnivores in mind is made of hatred and envy. She alleges that what Legoshi needs to conjure an imaginary chimera as strong as hers, are strong feelings towards different species, projecting behind her the gigantic figure of a carnivore. Louis points out that Legoshi is looking up where there is nothing, and San informs him that Legoshi is seeing Kyuu's imaginary chimera and can only be seen when fighting her. He explains that she spins her rope to expand her animal senses, conjuring a huge body, and she used her daggers to reproduce big, sharp claws, stating that the fiercer an animal's hatred of their attributes, the stronger the chimeras they can make. Declaring that the ferocious body of her imaginary chimera is what she wants so she can be stronger, she asks Legoshi what he wants, asking if he has an obsession that rivals her hatred for the carnivores that treated her like livestock, and to show it to her. Legoshi tries to figure out what his obsession is, which is to be with Haru forever. Legoshi manages to manifest an imaginary chimera which is a combination of him with a rabbit, so at Kyuu's order, Legoshi gives a strong punch, but avoids hitting her and deflects his blow into the wall. She states that she knew Legoshi was going to miss and declares that she won't be satisfied until Legoshi punches her using all his strength, entrusting him to visit her every day. After this, San invites Legoshi and Louis to sleep over.

Some time later, Legoshi rests in a cell reflecting how the Imaginary Chimera is the combination of different animals, a hybrid, so he wonders if combining his body with another species is suppose to make his body stronger. He remembers that Melon is a hybrid between a leopard and a gazelle, and wonders if the "male" who he created with his ego is his and Haru's future child, wondering if he fights from now, will he have to use "him" and how does that works. Legoshi is surprised by Kyuu, who jumps into his bed without warning and claims that being so defenseless, she could have killed him and states that she was thinking hard about why Legoshi missed her despite how well-done his chimera turned out to be. Legoshi assumes it was due to his inexperience, but Kyuu assures that the reason is something more basic and simple than that, just like the solution. It is because she is a female and because he probably still doesn't know how females are. She takes off her tracksuit jacket and shows him her cleavage.

Characters

 * Legoshi
 * Kyuu
 * Louis
 * San
 * Haru (Legoshi's imagination)
 * Melon (Legoshi's imagination)

Important Events

 * Legoshi asks Kyuu to train him and is accepted after a test.
 * The concept of the Imaginary Chimera is introduced.
 * Legoshi manages to summon an imaginary chimera, which is one of himself and a rabbit.
 * Legoshi and Louis sleep in the Livestock Tower.
 * Kyuu sneaks into Legoshi's bed and comes on to him for sex.

Trivia

 * The cigarette brand Kyuu smokes, "Paruboro", is a parody of the American cigarette brand "Marlboro", with an identical packaging design.
 * In this chapter, Kyuu claims to have no interest in money, despite the fact that in future chapters it is revealed that one of the main problems of the character is her lack of money and extreme poverty.
 * The concept of the Imaginary Chimera is consistent with the Adler projection that Louis manifested in Chapter 16 and in part with the moth projection that Legoshi manifested in his fight against Riz.