The State of Animals

"Yaoyorozu, it's only been a few days... and you've already made your mark in the fashion world?"

Seeing the somewhat strange look in Jilan Yaoyorozu lowered her hands from her hips. She had unconsciously adopted this posture because she had been photographed for the past few days.

Yaoyorozu, not to be outdone by Jilan's retort, replied, "Jilan- kun, you've become a beast tamer after just a few days?"

"I'm not an animal trainer, the animal trainer is someone else. I'm just a zookeeper and program planner," Jilan replied. "However... even though it's supposed to be a workplace internship, we're doing things that are unrelated. In that respect, we're quite similar."

"Well, that's true..." Yaoyorozu chuckled wryly, "I've noticed I always seem to run into you at unexpected places. It was at the concert before, and now we've met again at the circus performance..."

"You just leave the stuff outside and then ignore it? Even though I'm strong, you can't treat me like this." A girl walked in complaining. She was Itsuka Kendo, another of the Snake Woman's designated assistants.

Upon seeing Jilan, she paused for a moment, then greeted her with a smile, "Oh, isn't this the class representative of Class A? I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Same to you."

As Jilan watched Itsuka Kendo push a huge pile of luggage in with one massive hand, he asked with some curiosity, "I have a question. How did you two groups end up together? Do you know each other?"

Jiancao Erren turned around and gestured towards Yaoyorozu with his chin, smiling as he said, "Then you'll have to ask this pretty lady."

Actually, Yaoyorozu didn't know where the destination was at first, and the Snake Woman was also mysterious and refused to say. However, she saw the Soul Band sitting in their seats on the train. She had been to their concert and knew that Jilan knew them.

As Yaoyorozu hesitated whether to greet them, the Snake Woman saw Kyoka Makoto and went up to say hello. Kyoka Makoto was a former Pro Hero and an old acquaintance of the Snake Woman. After chatting for a few minutes, Yaoyorozu mustered up her courage and asked them about Jilan. Diduo Chengjie revealed that they had come to Oumagadoki City at Jilan's invitation. Surprised, the Snake Woman also said that their purpose was Oumagadoki City, so it was only natural that they had come along the same route.

It was from them that Yaoyorozu learned about Jilan's situation in the circus.

After briefly recounting their meeting, Yaoyorozu looked curiously at the notebook in Jilan's hand and asked, "Jilan, is that the proposal for this performance?"

"Ah, that's about right. Do you want to see it?" Jilan handed the notebook to Yaoyorozu, then turned to Kyoka Makoto and the others, saying, "We don't have much time left. Let me show you around the venue and discuss the performance."

As Jilan Jiyu and Ji Yu led Kyoka Makoto and the others toward the stage, Yaoyorozu sat in the audience and started flipping through Jilan's notebook.

It was less of a notebook and more of a sketchbook. The first page she opened to was an illustration, drawn with colored pencils. The first picture was of a blonde little girl in a blue dress playing in a garden; the second was of a rabbit wearing a suit and a top hat; the third was of a hole under a tree; and behind it were illustrations of wolves, lions, and cheetahs doing strange things that defied common sense...

Yaoyorozu closed his notebook, somewhat understanding what Jilan was trying to say. He closed his eyes, imagined the scene, and burst out laughing.

Itsuka Kendo leaned closer. The two had been sharing a room for the past few days and were quite familiar with each other, so they didn't hesitate to use each other's things. She reached out and took the notebook from Yaoyorozu's hand, flipping through it with some surprise, saying, "I never expected that guy to draw such cute pictures..."

Itsuka Kendo's impression of Jilan Jiyu was still based on the time when he came to the entrance of Class B to give money to Ibara Shiozaki. She thought he was a weirdo. Although Jilan won second place in the Sports Festival, this impression never faded. She flipped through the notebook, which was full of simple drawings with appropriate colors, showing that a lot of effort had been put into them.

"Is this a fairy tale?" Itsuka Kendo handed the notebook to Yaoyorozu after reading it, and asked with some doubt, "Aren't they supposed to be putting on a circus performance? Why are they drawing so many unrelated things like tigers and lions?"

In the late 22nd century, the general public generally believes that circus performances have become a comprehensive performance symbolizing acrobatics, singing, dancing, and special skills. The most famous of these is Cirque du Soleil, which has many highly skilled performers, but does not include animal trainers.

The reasons are not complicated. On the one hand, some animals have become aware of their Quirk, or some humans have become aware of their own Quirk related to animals. These people have formed an animal protection association and have begun to fight for the rights of animals. They are calling for animals to be released back into nature, and that places like zoos and aquariums should not exist. They believe that live animals should not be kept in cages.

Although U.A. High School Principal Nezu was unwilling, he was still chosen as one of the representatives.

Their appeal was initially very strong and garnered support from many animal lovers, but it quickly hit a bottleneck.

In the common perception, cats and dogs are domesticated pets, while pigs, cows, and sheep are considered food. If animals are granted their own rights, what will happen to these domesticated animals, and what will happen to human demand for food? Endangered animals will quickly become extinct in the wild if left unchecked. Are we just going to watch them disappear from the world?

Moreover, and most importantly, only a minority of animals possess Quirk. Aside from keyboard warriors, few would dare to utter the words "sacrifice the interests of the majority for the sake of this minority."

Ultimately, through the mediation of Principal Nezu and other key figures from other countries who had awakened their animalistic Quirk, the United Nations reached an agreement.

Zoos and aquariums are essential for several reasons. First, they provide a space for the public to learn about their fellow animals in the world, disseminating relevant knowledge and information. Second, they offer a place to protect animals that cannot adapt to their natural environment. Third, researchers can study the reasons behind animal Quirk and explore the rules governing different species.

For animals that have awakened their Quirk, as long as they can communicate normally with humans and do not have a cynical worldview, they can obtain identity documents from that country, enjoy the same rights as ordinary humans, and even become police officers or Pro Hero.

No, it should be said that they possess extraordinary instincts, and having their own Quirk actually makes them more likely to hold important positions, like Principal Nezu. Because animals with Quirk frequently appear in public, most people, except for a few extreme racists, accept this situation and identify with the animals who go to school and live with them.

Especially in island nations where otaku culture is prevalent, people grow up surrounded by Nekopara " and " NinNinDays." They are surprisingly tolerant of non-human girls, and some otaku even consider marrying a kemonomimi... Who wouldn't love a cool kemonomimi who offers a unique sensory experience?

For these reasons, circuses that use animals for performances must first be certified by the state to ensure that the animals have not been abused, have not been forced to do things they do not want to do, and are in good physical condition before a circus is granted a performance permit to use animals for performances.

After all, in this society of Quirk heroes, most people possess Quirk. Rather than training animals, it's more efficient to train individuals with relevant Quirk and talents to perform acrobatic acts. This is both entertaining and cost-effective, and it also earns a good reputation. Why not do something so worthwhile?

As a result, increasingly harsh conditions have brought animal circuses to the brink of extinction.