Chapter 158 (Beastars)

An Unheard-of Word (聞いたこともない言葉だが) is Chapter 158 of the manga Beastars written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion of the Akita Shoten publishing house.

Synopsis
In a flashback to his childhood in the Black Market, Louis and two of his cellmates watch in amazement outside the tower through a window. They are interrupted by one of the clerks and are returned to their cell, saddening the trio of herbivores whose only solace was their own company, until the day they are eaten.

In the present, as Louis walks deeper and deeper into the Black Market, wherever he looks he can see fires starting, chunks of raw and uncooked meat, carnivores eating meat while standing, and exchanges of angry shouting between the animals. It's an environment that Louis finds nostalgic, as this is the version of the Black Market that he could see through the bars during his childhood. To prevent being attacked, he decides to focus on his mission and be alert. However, Louis is found by Legoshi who upon seeing his price tag asks if he should pay all that to talk to him. Louis informs him that this is just for show and gives him permission to talk, causing Louis a feeling of discomfort, because he feels as if he is showing a friend his hometown. Legoshi limits himself to pointing out the changes in the Black Market and, having no response from Louis, asks him to answer him or lower his price by five zeroes. This causes Louis to get upset and informs him that his price used to be 7 million yen, confusing Legoshi, so Louis takes the opportunity to show him his "house" and Legoshi excitedly accepts.

Arriving at the tower, Louis reveals to Legoshi that this was the place where he was raised as livestock until he was five years old and that it now appears to be closed, so his cellmates must have been sold long ago. Louis points out that Legoshi doesn't seem too surprised, but Legoshi states that he's just trying to listen calmly considering his tone. He remembers that the night he ate Louis's right foot, it had a "4" written on it. Louis tells him that this was his product ID and that his right foot was his curse. He says that he wanted Legoshi to eat him whole, but instead he crippled an important part of him, claiming to have changed so much, yet Legoshi remains as aloof as ever. He states that he wanted Legoshi to eat him whole so he could have changed completely. After this, Legoshi replies that he also ended up crippled after eating Louis's foot, getting a criminal record and dropping out of school, but no matter how crippled his potential, chances, body, and heart becomes, he treasures his current self the most, claiming that maybe that's what it means to "live". He reveals to Louis his childhood dream of being an insectarium keeper and stating that he will take responsibility for changing Louis, but that Louis must also take responsibility for how Legoshi's life turned out, and they will be even that way as both take responsibility for each other. This causes Louis to leave, furious that Legoshi claims him for his wasted potential as an insectarium keeper, so Legoshi tries to make him understand. He asks Louis if he agrees that the Black Market is going bad and public society is going crazy, stating that if they don't stop Melon, he will change animal society permanently. Despite the fact that Louis agrees with Legoshi and that he also wants to improve the animal society, he is still incapable of putting his feelings into words, the same as when he was five years old and did not know how to speak. He notices how his eyes are getting misty and despite not feeling sad or emotional, his eyes are getting misty just like when his father first brought him to the tower terrace. Louis remembers that his father told him that he has what it takes to change the world. After this, Legoshi proposes to Louis to team up to capture Melon, because if they work together they can achieve it. Louis incredulously states that a ragtag duo of an ex-convict wolf and a one-footed deer will not be able to do it, declaring that capturing Melon is a job for the Beastar. Legoshi agrees with him, but states that even if none of them are aiming to become the Beastar, even a ragtag duo made up of the two of them, they can be the "Beastars", a word Louis claims he has never heard before. Just then, the elevator floor collapses and they both plummet to the bottom floor, luckily landing on a mattress and discovering Louis' former cellmates, who are still alive.

Characters

 * Louis
 * San (debut)
 * Kyuu (debut)
 * Legoshi
 * Ogma (flashback)

Important Events

 * The change in the Black Market is introduced after Melon's victory in the previous Turf War.
 * Louis and Legoshi meet at the Black Market.
 * It is revealed that the tower was closed long ago.
 * Legoshi asks Louis to team up to capture Melon, to no avail.
 * Legoshi and Louis fall to the basement of the tower, where they discover that Louis's former cellmates are still alive.
 * San and Kyuu are introduced (their names are not disclosed in the chapter).

Trivia

 * This is the first time that a character after Yahya has referred to the title Beastar in plural form.