Evan couldn't decide whether he was incredibly lucky or horribly unlucky. Today he'd moved into his new dorm. Living with him were four furry beauties: the elegant vixen Callisa, the rebellious wolf Frida, the manga-nerd cat Aiko, and the gothic mantis Morona.
They all liked him. A lot.
Right now they were snuggled up against him.
He had four of the school's most gorgeous girls all over him. He could feel three different types of soft fur and one smooth chitinous carapace against his body.
A dream come true. Life didn't get any better than this.
Except there was a tiny problem with that "life" part.
Evan had already learned the hard way that in Carnivora, hunger and desire went hand in hand. Now those four beauties were staring at him with such intensity there was no doubt about it: they were practically drooling.
He was alone with four hungry predator girls who could quite literally roast and eat him like a turkey, and the only thing standing between him and the oven was his consent.
That was the task the Headmaster had set him: survive his years at Tenebrae while living with them, and during that time avoid anything that could be taken as agreement to be eaten.
He had to survive for three years.
Right now he was afraid he wouldn't make it to tomorrow.
And he had good reasons.
He felt Frida's hand on his butt as she spoke in a romantic voice about skewering him on a spit. Aiko traced a finger down his chest, her tail swishing all the while. Callisa whispered in his ear about herbs as she toyed with his belt.
They seemed to be slowly guiding him toward the kitchen table when Morona's voice rang out:
"The land of chill is a place where only the wind has a home."
The other girls shot the mantis a look, having absolutely no idea what she meant. Evan, however, got it instantly.
"The fridge is empty?"
Everyone peered into the depths of the refrigerator.
It really was empty. As empty as the day it had rolled off the factory line.
The girls began checking the rest of the kitchen.
"Cold room's empty," Frida reported.
"Nothing in the cupboards either. Just equipment," Aiko summed up her and Callisa's search.
"Well, no one lived here before…"
Evan felt a twinge of anxiety. They had an empty house with an empty fridge. And he was the legendary meat.
The girls looked at each other—and then at him.
Callisa spoke first.
"There's only one thing we can do."
Evan suddenly feared for his life.
"We're going shopping."
All four girls announced the plan with determination, and Evan exhaled with relief.
Maybe he would live through today.
Evan was in shock. Sure, he knew they had to fill the fridge, the cold room and all the cupboards, but he hadn't expected this.
They were already filling a second cart.
"Girls, don't you think this is a bit much?"
He said that just as several cases of beer went into the cart, followed by a few bottles of wine and vodka. He'd heard that girls liked shopping, but this…
"Don't worry. We've got vouchers."
Evan had to admit that was true. The envelope he'd gotten from the Headmaster had been full of store vouchers. The girls seemed determined to use every last one today.
One thing puzzled him, though: the vouchers were red, blue and green. The red ones were for meat, the blue for alcohol, and the green for everything else.
Maybe he shouldn't be surprised.
"Alright, now spices."
Into the cart went a whole collection of seasonings. From salt and pepper to warming spices and dried herbs. There was a suspiciously large amount of sage, rosemary and thyme.
"Do you want to say something about that?"
They just gave him some unbearably cute looks. His will to argue vanished instantly.
Evan just sighed deeply.
"Fine. Oil, then."
Before they headed to the oils, he noticed something strange. Everyone in the store seemed to be avoiding one particular refrigerated case. It looked like it contained meat. On the top was a sign: synth-meat.
"What's that?"
"Nothing worth your attention."
Callisa covered his eyes with her hand.
"Better not look. You might go blind."
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Finally Frida sighed and explained.
"That's synth-meat. Cheap synthetic product."
Evan looked at it with interest.
"Not worth it. Price is its only good point."
In response, Evan said it didn't have to be that way.
To prove his point, he told them about a dish he'd once made on a school trip using simple hot dogs.
The girls just couldn't believe it.
Evan insisted it was possible.
At last Callisa gave him a challenging look.
"Then how about a bet? If you can't make something good with it, you do a striptease on the pole."
"And if I can?"
"Then I'll do a striptease on the pole."
At first, he didn't want to agree.
Then he imagined Callisa dancing on a pole and decided to risk it. He was confident in his skills.
A little while later, when they were almost done, he noticed something else.
There was no meat in the supermarket.
"It's sold in special stores," Frida explained. She sounded a bit down about that. The tip of her tail twitched, the fur on it bristling—she was clearly in a bad mood for some reason.
"Well, we do have meat vouchers. We might as well use them."
When they stopped in front of the store, Evan's reaction was a mix of awe and unease.
To him, the place looked more like a factory than a shop. Above the entrance was a plain, minimalist sign:
"Meat Processing Plant and Wholesale–Retail Outlet No. 285."
The sign struck him as odd. No logo, just dry text. And the sheer size of the building…
He had expected something smaller.
"Isn't this a bit too big?"
Frida ground out a "No" through her teeth.
Then they heard a voice behind them.
The sound of it sent a shiver down Frida's spine.
"You don't come here very often, Frida."
When they turned around, they saw a wolf in something that looked like a black military uniform. He had a powerful build and a steely gaze. You'd think not even a tank at full speed could knock him over.
Just looking at him made Evan feel like a tiny rabbit in a predator's jaws.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Chief Commissioner for Slaughter and Meat Processing, Ernst Vollmond."
The name echoed in Evan's head for a moment. Vollmond.
Same surname as Frida.
He didn't really believe it. The two of them were like fire and water.
"Hi… Dad," Frida said.
Everyone stared at her in shock.
He was her father?!