Corridor in Tenebrae Academy.
Two students are sitting over the school newspaper. On the front page, there's a photo of a human student with the headline "Game for Patronage" above it.
"Do you think it's true?"
"That some luxury club kidnapped him, almost ate him, and now the director and a few other big shots want to chip him?"
One spreads his hands in ignorance, and the other slaps the newspaper.
"Seriously? The Council and Patronage?"
"Yeah, dude..."
Suddenly, he falls silent. They hear growling behind them. He turns around, no one there. He looks a bit down. Standing there is the school's terror, Professor Ratel.
"I see you have too much time on your hands if you're wasting it on gossip that doesn't concern you."
The prof rubs his chin.
"You could use it for something useful..."
The prof looks to the side, his eyes gleam as if he'd just received the best honey in the world. The students tremble. Professor Ratel's extra assignments were legendary. Apparently, some went insane when they saw them, and then jumped onto predators' plates themselves to avoid doing them.
"You could..."
Before he can finish, both students flee. They run so fast that dust kicks up behind them. Neither wants to hear words like "mandatory report for volunteers" or "presentation in front of the whole class."
The prof just frowns and says.
"No running in the hallway."
Kitchen of the culinary club.
The members stand around a special supplement to the school newspaper. On the cover is a photo of a luxurious and elegant meat dish in an exclusive and probably extremely expensive restaurant. The girls would consider it an extraordinary culinary achievement if not for a few details. First, the headline: "One Step from Consumption. Illegal Culinary Club Kidnaps Student." Second, the same dish.
"Isn't that Callisa's boy?"
"Yeah. She almost ate him once. Remember the party."
"I remember. He dances pretty well."
"Too bad we don't have a recording."
The girls gossip for a while longer.
"Maybe we'll cook him ourselves."
"We'll work it out with Callisa."
"How should we cook him?"
The girls' excitement escalates quickly.
"Stop!"
One shouts. All the girls fall silent and look questioningly at the one shouting. She points to a paragraph in the newspaper.
"It says here that the director wants to take him under patronage. There's also the chief meat commissioner and the porn magnate."
The girls start discussing more intensely. In the meantime, they flood the school socials with posts.
School cafeteria.
Evan sits at the table with Rufus and Shawn.
"Evan, how the hell are you still alive?"
"I don't know, Rufus."
Evan slams his head on the table.
"Fake an SMS and send it from a fake address to make it look like mine? I didn't think that was possible."
Rufus pats Evan on the back.
"It's okay now. You're alive."
"I don't know, Rufus. It would be okay if not for..."
Rufus glares at him and starts tapping his foot.
"I'm not talking about your lack of experience. I mean the patronage."
Rufus sighs heavily.
"Do you know what to expect? After all, Valentine is your boss."
Shawn starts looking back and forth.
"Uh... the boss told me not to say anything. She wants to make it a surprise."
Evan turns his face toward him without lifting his head from the table.
"And do you know anything about Arslan or Frida's father?"
Shawn thinks for a moment.
"I don't know anything about the commissioner. Except what you already know. You know, system guy, big shot."
"And the director? I have a meeting with him today."
Shawn looks a bit downcast.
"Do you know what the director does outside of school?"
Evan thinks for a moment.
"He has many culinary awards. I saw them in his office."
Shawn sighs. Exactly, the director is a renowned master chef. He had many students who made culinary careers.
Rufus smiles and looks at Evan.
"Looks like he'll have another one."
Shawn chuckles lightly.
"Not quite. You know, the director only has students who succeed or are at a decent level. Do you know why?"
Both say no.
"Because students who disappoint the director end up on the plate. The boss told me. Apparently, when it comes to cooking, the director is sharper than his knives."
Rufus pricks up his ears.
"So if Evan doesn't meet the director's requirements, he'll end up on the plate?!"
"I didn't say that, but it's possible."
Shawn looks at Evan.
"Rosemary."
"Evan! This isn't the time to think about spices."
"No, I really smell rosemary."
"Seriously?"
Rufus starts sniffing the air.
"I don't smell anything."
"Strange. I'm sure I smell rosemary."
"Actually, how does the newspaper know about this? You didn't tell them, did you?"
Rufus tries hard to change the subject. Suddenly, a voice comes from under the table.
"A good reporter doesn't reveal his sources."
The whole trio glances under the table. Underneath, they find a Schnauzer with a microphone.
"Nice to meet you. Joseph, editor of the school newspaper."
Then he shoves the microphone in Evan's face.
"Would you answer a few questions? First..."
Suddenly, something pulls the reporter out from under the table. When they both straighten up, they see Arslan's lioness-maids.
"Interview canceled."
Joseph starts struggling.
"This is a blow to press freedom! The public has a right to know."
Suddenly, his gaze sharpens.
"This is excellent material for an article. Which of you ladies will give me an interview? Why are you interrupting my interview?"
The lioness looks the reporter in the eyes, baring her fangs.
"You weren't scheduled."
One of the maids turns to Evan.
"Director Arslan Flambe is expecting young Evan."
Evan sits in a chair in front of Arslan. The director is in an armchair behind the desk. A maid pours them tea.
"Please. We've ensured no one disturbs you."
"Thank you, Karila."
The lioness bows to Arslan and stands a bit further away. The director looks at Evan and asks with concern.
"How are you feeling, Evan?"
Evan feels himself sinking into the chair. How the furniture creaks under him, and he himself shakes. He unconsciously groans.
"When I arrived here, I thought I'd won the lottery, that I'd be the king of life, master of a harem, a man of success..."
Suddenly, his head droops.
"I thought I'd be meat for fucking, not for eating."
Evan's tirade lasts a while longer. After a few moments, he runs out of energy and slumps in the chair. It seems he's been bottling this up for a long time.
He takes a sip of tea.
"Does everyone have it like this?"
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you for sure. The records don't go that deep into the intimate lives of otherworlders. But it's possible."
Evan sighs again. Arslan clears his throat.
"As you know, your dezarobata won't protect you from people deliberately breaking the law for their own gain. Plus, even those who respect your consent might try to pressure it. Consciously or not."
Evan has to agree. The girls occasionally, pressed by hunger or for fun, try to talk him into being eaten. So far, he's managed to scrupulously refuse. But the club completely ignored his consent, which almost ended in consumption.
"Just out of curiosity. Would you like to move to another dorm?"
Evan suddenly jerks. He starts shaking his head intensely. Arslan smiles.
"I'm glad to hear that. It means there's still a desire in you to adapt, not escape."
Evan sinks a bit into the chair.
"Alright. Let's get to the point."
Evan focuses.
"Currently, the only guarantee of survival for you is patronage."
Arslan looks him in the eyes.
"It would mean implanting a chip that allows the patron to monitor your location and condition. But patronage isn't given to just anyone. The protege is a kind of calling card for the patron, so they're chosen wisely."
Evan feels the pressure and swallows.
"I, Commissioner Vollmond, and Madame Onyx have our ideas for your future, so you'll talk to us. The others at the meeting didn't present ideas satisfactory to the council as a whole."
Evan looks up at Arslan from below.
"Uh... Councilors Medvedev and Austin were preparing me to be eaten, and Councilor Puszek sent me somewhere to the end of the world?"
For a fraction of a second, surprise appears on Arslan's face, but it quickly returns to normal.
"You could say that. Back to it. Here's my offer."
There's a moment of silence and...
"I understand you might want to pursue various career paths... I'm willing to acknowledge that. No problem if you choose your dream job. There won't be an issue if you want to go on a trip somewhere once in a while. If you ever decide to get married, that's no problem either. If you ever really decide you want to be eaten... I'll accept it."
Evan focuses. It's a good offer, but...
"In return..."
"I expect you to bind yourself to the academy."
"So that's what the director is offering me? A golden cage?"
Arslan nods. Evan tries to process it all. Agreeing to Arslan's offer means basically being tied to the ground... his mind is flooded with conflicting stimuli.
"Do you have any questions?"
Evan wonders what to ask and finally comes up with an idea.
"So I was thinking about a culinary career."
"Chef..."
Arslan thinks deeply and points to the diplomas and awards hanging on the wall.
"Evan, I don't know how it is in your world, but here a chef is almost a separate social class. I mean professional chefs. Those who cook in a bar or for themselves aren't taken seriously as chefs. There's significant elitism in the environment and a certain entry threshold."
Evan suddenly remembers his first meeting with Callisa in cooking class. How she behaved. Like a princess, and she got very upset when he said cooking is simple, though he meant no harm. That told him Arslan is right. A chef was almost a social class.
"What's that threshold?"
"To enter the chef community, you need to find a master. I could be your master. I heard about your beet burger. It's something interesting."
Evan feels flattered. He was about to ask about the conditions when suddenly Arslan's voice changes. Evan has never heard the director speak so coldly. The words seem to cut him like a knife.
"The student goes through various stages depending on the master, but the final exam is always the same."
For some reason, Evan feels himself trembling, and instinct tells him to run.
"The student takes a meat orphan under care for two weeks. During that time, he cares for it and looks after it. After that, he has to cook it and serve it at the inaugural banquet."
This shakes Evan. On one hand, his conscience bombards him with information that he's been cooked himself more than once and why would he do that to someone else. On the other, he's already learned the rules of the world, and that voice screams that it's obvious. He can only muster one word.
"Always..."
Arslan answers in a firm voice.
"Always. Whether you're a carnivore or herbivore, you have to pass this test. I passed it, Callisa, Sable probably too."
At that moment, Evan remembers the cooking in the club. Sable really treated him professionally. He wasn't like his boss, for whom he was just a trophy. Sable worked as if creating a work of art. Evan's awareness of this pins him to the seat.
"Calm down."
Arslan's voice is back to normal.
"You don't have to force yourself to become a chef if it overwhelms you. You can keep working in the bar, serving guests, preparing snacks and drinks."
Evan feels lighter, but it doesn't give him relief.
"Director. I heard a certain rumor."
"About me and my students?"
Evan can only nod.
"There's a grain of truth in every rumor."
Evan trembles.
"Do you have any more questions?"
Evan looks at his forearm. Actually, there was one more question. It's been swirling in his head since his first date with Callisa when he ended up on her plate, and after the club, it's been swirling unbearably. He just has to ask it.
"Yes, I have a few more questions. Am I really that delicious? If so, why didn't the director cook me when he found me? I'm asking you, Arslan Flambe, not as the director, but as a culinary master."
Evan looks at the trophies on the wall. For the first time, Arslan seems thrown off. After a moment, he speaks.
"I have to admit, Evan. When I first saw you in the garden, the thought crossed my mind, but I wouldn't be on the council if I couldn't resist such a temptation."
He looks at Evan and points at him.
"You can be sure I won't cook you unless I get explicit consent from you."
Evan feels relief and, though he doesn't know why, a slight disappointment.
"It's true, you're the rarest ingredient that exists in Carnivora. One every dozen years or so. A true chef's dream."
He adds quietly under his breath.
"Including mine."
Evan feels himself smiling. Arslan seems to daydream for a moment.
"I'd like to propos..."
Suddenly, he coughs.
"Do you have any more questions?"
"No, Mr. Director."
Arslan smiles.
"You may go."
After a few moments, Arslan watches as Evan leaves through the school gate. He sits in his armchair, and one of the maids pours him tea. For a moment, he sinks into his thoughts.
Yes, it's true he thought about possessing Evan, but he wouldn't be on the council if he gave in to such temptations.
Well, one can always dream.
He feels the maid hugging him and whispering in his ear.
"He'd be delicious, don't you think? Especially if you cooked him."
"Yes, you're right. I even have a few ideas."
The lioness smiles.
"But I won't do it. If I gave in to such temptations, I wouldn't be the Alpha."
"That's true."
The lioness kisses him.
"Will you make it up to me and my sisters?"
"Tonight when we're all together."
The lioness smiles brightly and wags her tail. The director smiles.