"Are we nearly done yet?" bemoaned Free as he crawled out from beneath a lavender-scented sock.

"Half a basket to fold and then we've gotta get it back to base!" Agata called from behind a half-folded dress shirt. "Jinma's' on his way back with the transport!"

Free groaned and assisted his lion peers in rolling up the sock he'd crawled out from. Sweat dripping to the ground below as several lions struggled to push the swelling roll of fabric. A single article of clothing reduced the supposed King of Beasts to a huffing, whimpering mess. Like mewling kittens building their strength to tackle the scary world around them. Other beasts watched from their windows as the formidable gang members turned maids, struggled to fold their hybrid boss' clothes. What should have been sympathy transformed into a growing sense of schadenfreude as victims of the Shishigumi got to see those responsible suffer for their efforts. A moment of relief amidst the thundering steps of the Shishigumi's boss, Melon, wandering about in the distance.

Those that hadn't been victims of the Shishigumi wanted to offer their help to the struggling lions, but with each pounding step in the distance, they were reminded of what happened to those that interfered. Melon's rule was absolute and when he set his underlings a job, he expected them to be the ones to complete it. Back in the early days when Melon's growth had seemed like it had an end, he tasked the Shishigumi with crafting new clothes to suit his growing form. With the hopes of getting into Melon's good books (if they even existed), several beasts from the local community had pitched in to help the lions. It became a social event where more and more people worked on individual pieces to be stitched into the final article. When Melon found out that it hadn't been completed solely by those he'd given the task to, he made his fury known. To this day, there remain parts of the city left in ruins, untouched by any attempts to rebuild as a reminder of what happened when he was disobeyed. And now that he'd grown even larger than that day? Everybody just went about their lives, in the hopes that they could live under Melon's shadow and avoid his wrath.

The Shishigumi meanwhile, were afforded no such luxury. They did as they were told. They recruited new beasts to replace those that tried to leave and fell foul of Melon, or who simply couldn't keep up with the lifestyle. The days of Louis as their boss seemed like a far-off dream. A pleasant figment of their imagination, impossible to regain now that Louis had moved out of the country to settle down with his wife and their upcoming child. Though if Melon's growth didn't stop, the hybrid would reach them eventually.

Free sighed. "Alright, fine. Half a basket to go and then we're out of here. I'm going back to the crane to get the next shirt out. Think you guys can clear that shirt by then?"

The lions wearily grunted in unison.

"I hear you on that."

🎨 is Shiki_Shaka
Shishigumi, Melon, Beastars is ITAGAKI, Paru

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