Chapter 19 (Beast Complex)

The Bull and the Crocodile (ウシとワニ) is the nineteenth chapter of Beast Complex.

Synopsis
After returning from school and escaping from a strong night storm, the duo of classmates, Heyse the bull and Nagumo the crocodile arrive at Heyse's house where they are greeted by Heyse's mother and give Nagumo permission to stay until the storm end, providing him with a towel to dry, feeling the unexpected difference of the towel for its softness, Nagumo recalling hearing that the financial status of a house can be seen on his bath towels.

Waiting in Heyse's room, Nagumo thinks like he had never touched such a fluffy towel before, until when he finished bathing, Heyse proposes that he take a bath too and gives him some clothes to wear later. Nagumo remembers that last month his brother brought him a Black Market broth soup, and although he claimed that it was technically not meat and there is no law prohibiting its consumption, the broth was made from beef. Surprised, Nagumo notices how the hot water in which Heyse bathed smells very similar to that can of soup, which he could not stop drinking until he finished the can of broth that is now spreading inside him.

Nagumo tries to deny the idea of ​​drinking the water and takes a bucket with the water to soak in before entering the bathtub, but instead of soaking he takes a huge swallow of the water, which turns out to be very extremely tasty and begins to desperately drink the water from the bathtub, until Heyse walks in and discovers it on the spot. Heyse came to give him body soap and Nagumo regains his composure, stands up and thanks for the soap as if nothing had happened, Heyle informs him that his mother invited him to dinner and after being alone Nagumo gets nervous because Heyse definitely saw him drink the water.

At dinner, Heyse's mother asks Nagumo if he is in the same club as Heyse, but Nagumo denies it and says that they are just classmates who have never really spoken, they were just talking on the way home and got caught in the rain, so Heyse's mother alleges that maybe the rain was a blessing, which Heyse claims by stating that she's glad they met. After dinner, Heyse accompanies Nagumo to his house and Nagumo thanks him for his kindness and tries to explain what happened in the bathroom, but Heyse shows he was already aware that he was drinking the excess water from the bathtub and claims that it did not matter, so he should not worry about it, Heyse claims that Nagumo must be poor and states that his family motto is always to help his poor friends and always give, Heyse states that he already knew that carnivores buy meat in the Black Market, but Nagumo's family are poor that he can only satisfy his craving for meat by drinking his classmate's bath water, so who can blame him. Leaving Nagumo speechless who upon returning home, finds a note from his mother that reveals that she has a night shift and will be home late, leaving Nagumo instant noodles and a bun for dinner.

The next day at school, Nagumo and his classmates play rock, paper or scissors to decide who will stay to clean the pool after school, with Nagumo the loser, and even though he is the winner, Heyse says he will help him clean. Since doing it alone is a lot of work, so the others tell Nagumo that he better thank Heyse for his mercy and Nagumo just remains silent. Some time later, Nagumo and Heyse are cleaning the school pool and Nagumo thanks Heyse for his help, but asks why he does it, Heyse alleges that it is because he feels sorry for him, claiming that he was caught drinking the water from leftover bathroom and instead of being blamed, they hurt him and, the next day he must clean the pool, so Heyse declares that he cannot imagine being hit by misfortune day after day like Nagumo, or maybe it is just a punishment for yesterday. An angry Nagumo throws Heyse into the pool with a kick and throws himself with him, Nagumo states that if he drank from a bathtub full of broth soup and asks Heyse if he knows what that is, a broth made with beef, Nagumo declares that he does not mind being poor, that leftover water was delicious, so he asks Heyse if I understand his pain now, Heyse replies that he is an idiot and runs away.

As Nagumo goes after him and sees how through Heyse's wet shirt, the outline of his stains is blurred, as if he were really going to melt in the pool, once the pool is completely drained, Nagumo will never get another chance. But a hunch asked him "Another chance ... for what?". Heyse declares that he was also surprised, but that it does not make him the bad guy just because he feels sorry for himself, since when he said it that he was grateful that they met, he meant it and was not lying, Nagumo tells himself that he could do it and he couldn't have said it but he really should have told him the first time he saw him, Nagumo takes a bow and tries to apologize but Heyse stops him and tells him that if he apologizes then he will be the bad guy so he apologizes instead, Nagumo doesn't understand and Heyse declares that he apologized on his behalf. Heyse points out that they are both soaked again and Nagumo agrees with him, Heyse asks if he wants to go home later, but Nagumo says he'll think about it.

Trivia

 * This is the last chapter of Beast Complex, as it was confirmed by Paru Itagaki.