Chapter 162 (Beastars)

An Early Afternoon with a Good Wife and Wise Mother (良妻賢母の昼下がり) is Chapter 162 of the manga Beastars written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion of the Akita Shoten publishing house.

Synopsis
At the Shishigumi base, after finding a hostess club card, Melon confronts Miguel and Agata to see which of the lions in the group she belongs to. However, detecting the scent of an adult woman on the card, Melon is shocked to have a memory of his mother. After this, Melon affirms that there are two types of female scents, that of a grown-up female and a young female, because females change as they grow up and become love monsters. Melon hates the scent of grown-up female, because it reminds him of his mother, her sickly sweet voice, and the room adorned with flower patterns and lace.

When Melon lived with his mother, she made the apartment they lived in look like a fairy tale castle. She asked Melon to run errands outside the apartment, because, according to her, she couldn't leave because the apartment is filled with "mean neighbors", who spread rumors and talk behind her back. Despite all the gossip, his mother never told him about his missing father, and he never told her that he was getting bullied in school for being a hybrid because they weren't allowed to speak their minds in their apartment. This apartment used to be the bizarre fairy tale world that his mother made, and they lived in it like it was a stage prop built for a mother and son. Melon couldn't taste the food that his mother cooked and for him, it was all very dull, but he wanted to think that the love his mother felt for him was the only genuine thing in their home. Every time his mother said his name, her feline, prickly, grater-like tongue came out as a sweet trill. Melon liked it when his mother said his name, because it made him feel that he was not a hybrid, not a carnivore or an herbivore, but he was simply his own person.

At school, it is explained that a name is the first sign of love that parents give to their children, so children are instructed to ask their parents for the origin of their name. Leaving class, Melon is harassed by his classmates, who claim that his mother named him Melon simply because she likes melon bread. A feline student said she is the kind of female who got a child from a gazelle, and was clearly not right in the head. These words made Melon feel the desire to kill him and wonder how would his mother have reacted if he killed the child who insulted her. He thought about it for a few seconds, but despite being her own son, he could not find an answer.

At his house, Melon, remembering his class, talks to his mother about what he learned and asks her the meaning of his name. His mother, totally changing the sweet expression on his face, explains in a crude and sinister way that she only named him that because melons are not fruits nor vegetables, but they still taste good. He was neither a carnivore nor an herbivore, but she wants him to live a life as sweet as melons, and that is the origin of his name. This was the first time that his mother talked about his status as a hybrid, and even so, she still insisted on using her fairy tale tone of voice, something that he could not forgive. Melon points out that he is burning the clothes with the iron and takes it off to burn his mother's hand with it. He declares that this is how he feels about his life as a hybrid, which is nothing more than suffering. His mother claims to know because he has the same eyes as his father and loves him very much for that; she loves his frightened eyes and frail body, because they are the very essence of herbivore's beauty, and he reminds her of his father's flavor. Seeing his mother's grater-like tongue, he deduces that it was not meant to call her son by his name, but to scrape meat off of bones, which he always knew. Melon hits his mother on the head with the iron, killing her and claiming that she was always a maiden in love. After murdering his mother and destroying the apartment, Melon felt that his home was normal for once and corrected one of his mother's misunderstandings, that he does not take after his father, but very much takes after his mother. Melon calls the police to report a false assault and disguise his matricide.

Characters

 * Melon
 * Agata
 * Miguel
 * Melon's Mother (debut, flashback)

Important Events

 * It is revealed what Melon's childhood was like.
 * It is revealed that Melon's father abandoned his family, but the suspicion that his mother devoured him is left open.
 * It is revealed that Melon murdered his mother when he was just a child.

Trivia

 * It is revealed that members of the Shishigumi frequent a hostess club, a type of bar found mainly in Japan, where men drink and often interact with hosts and hostesses.
 * This is the second time Melon is seen murdering someone in his childhood. However, the order of the murders is unknown.