Chapter 077 (Beastars)

The Naivete of a Honey Hunt (ハニーハントの純情) is Chapter 77 of the manga Beastars written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion of the Akita Shoten publishing house.

Synopsis
At night, Riz is taking some medications while in his mind he responds to what Pina had previously told him about sleeping well. One of his roommates comes to the bathroom and asks if he has already taken his pills, to which Riz replies yes. His roommate tells him that now he must take it since he has reached two meters in height and asks Riz if he has the side effects of the pills. Riz replies yes, but claims that these effects will disappear when he turn 20, so all you can do is deal with it.

It is soon explained that carnivorous bears that reach two meters in height are required by law to consume pills to decrease their muscle mass in order to control their overwhelming strength, which is dangerous for their environment and to maintain trivial accidents instead of tragic ones. Riz is not ashamed to take his pills, but it botheres him that he had to constantly suffer with the side effects of the medication. To calm the side effects Riz resorted to consuming large amounts of honey which worked as a kind of antidote. Thanks to this, Riz obtained an image of a friendly honey-loving bear in front of his classmates, without anyone knowing what he really is like.

One day after one of the drama club rehearsals, while they were in the locker room, Tem told him that he was somewhat scary, an honest comment that completely caught Riz's attention looking surprised. Since no one had called him that before, Tem commented that he is curious about how Riz sees the members of the club when they have fun and asks if he feels helpless to always have his eyes down. Riz considered these words even sweeter than honey, and told Tem that he now feels lighter. Tem told him that if he had any concerns, he would listen to him and invited him to the cafeteria, where Riz confessed that he was taking pills to retain his physical strength. Tem advised him to tell the other members of the club, but Riz refused, claiming that they would distance themselves from him if they discover that he has to restrict his strength, to which Tem came up with the idea that they both speak more. After club activities, Riz commented that he felt lighter when they spoke earlier. Riz and Tem began to get together to talk about trivial issues, and over time Riz consumed less honey, proving that Tem turned out to be right.

One night, Riz feeling grateful to Tem, questioned if he really needed his pills and with the idea of ​​getting closer to Tem, Riz decided to leave his pills and called Tem to see him. When they met, Tem denoted the increase in Riz's size and he reveals that he stopped taking his pills, to which alarmed Tem tells him that he can not do that. Riz alleged that he no longer needed them prevents Tem from pulling away taking him by the arm, but due to the lack of control of his enormous strength ended up accidentally piercing Tem's arm with his claws. Tem runs away very wounded, and Riz, repentant for his actions, pursued him fiercely, begging him to wait and telling him that as friends they should be able to understand each other. Cornered and fearing for his life, Tem replied that carnivores are nothing more than monsters. Riz noticed that when saying those words Tem had the most beautiful and compassionate eyes that he had ever seen. Tem claimed that since they are best friends he does not have to hide anything, a comment that surprised Riz. Tem told him that his monstrous strength is one of the many great things about him, and that he accept every part of him. While hugging him Tem tells him that he no longer has to suffer anymore. It turns out that Riz lost control of his instincts, and after regaining consciousness, he finds Tem's inert body in a pool of blood accompanied by resistance marks that Tem made in a desperate attempt to defend himself against him. Not wanting the time he spent with Tem to become a mere illusion, Riz proceeded to devour what remains of Tem, treasuring his memories and friendship with Tem until the day he dies.

Characters

 * Riz
 * Pina (flashback)
 * Tem

Important Events

 * It is revealed that bears must consume pills to decrease their strength when reaching 2 meters in height.
 * It is shown how Riz devoured Tem (from Riz's point of view).