Chapter 2

Despair is the second chapter of Pet Shop of Horror manga, debuting in Volume 1 in February 1995. The sudden death of movie star Robin Hendrix appears to be the fault of a heart attack but Detective Leon Orcot refuses rule out foul play. There have been more and more suspicious deaths in recent months. They, and Robin Hendrix, all have one thing in common - Count D's pet shop. Is it really nothing more than coincidence, or will the detective find something more sinister at play?

Plot
Robin Hendrix, a young actor, has been found dead inside of his apartment. Investigating the possible scene of the crime, Detective Leon Orcot and his fellow officers find little to be suspicious of. The apartment hasn’t been ransacked, the corpse shows no signs of blunt force trauma - and yet, there are signs that the actor had been entertaining a guest before his untimely death. The body of a lizard is found next to the actor’s body, just as dead, and the detective turns his suspicions towards Count D’s pet shop. As Detective Orcot arrives at the pet shop, he notices a child leaving with a cage. He uncovers the cage without asking, discovering only a bird inside. D, witnessing this, appears distinctly unimpressed. Despite this, he easily welcomes Leon once he enters the shop. Leon confronts D about the sale of dangerous animals and, in the course of his investigation, mentions the death of both Robin Hendrix and his pet lizard, Medusa. D is visibly upset to learn that Medusa has died. Leon is infuriated that D cares more about the death of an animal than that of a human.

D asks for the lizards body to be returned, so that he can reunite her with her family. Leon informs him that Medusa’s being tested for poison and, if she is, he promises that he won’t let D off the hook. D disclaims any involvement with poison, asserting that his pet shop sells only love and dreams. As Leon continues to show case his tendencies towards irritability, D offers him a bird - not to keep as a pet, but to eat in an effort to combat the possible calcium deficiency that makes him so irritable.

Back at his precinct, Leon is still fuming over his meeting with D. He is presented with the autopsy report for Robin Hendrix, which confirms the earlier suspicion that his death had entirely natural causes. The lizard, although so rare as to be unknown, is not poisonous. The reporting officer goes on to say that, even if D had been involved or broken the law, they wouldn’t be able to do much about it anyway. Leon is shocked at the revelation that the police don’t have much authority in Chinatown. Still firm in his belief that the key to the string of mysterious, gruesome deaths lay somewhere within D’s shop, he does not let this knowledge deter him from seeking D out once more. This time, he arrives with both Medusa’s corpse and a gift of cake for D. Sufficiently bribed by the pastries, D proceeds to detail what he knows of Robin Hendrix and his death.

D starts by theorising that Robin was killed by a spirit; Leon is extremely unimpressed by this assertion. D explains that Robin was haunted by the spectre of his most famous role and, consequently, spent much of his life as little more than a ghost. As an actor, he was effectively a one hit wonder, unable to move out of the shadow of the alien prince he once portrayed.

When Robin’s wife left him, two months ago, he once again came to Count D’s pet shop in search of another reptilian pet. The newly acquired pet which D shows Robin is not, despite initial appearances, a human. A rare subspecies of basilisk, the albino lizard is called Medusa and has the same ability as the historical legend. One look at her eyes is enough to kill.

Leon interrupts D’s recollection, disbelieving that anyone could mistake a lizard for a woman. D is unperturbed by Leon’s disbelief, maintaining that he is telling nothing but the truth. He continues his story by saying that Robin purchased Medusa, who seemed as taken with her new owner as he was with her. Leon reads D’s copy of the contract, dissatisfied that everything seems to be above board. Robin’s manager Albert intrudes on the actor’s solitude with Medusa, come to present Robin with a new script for him to look through. Robin’s offended at the small role and refuses to audition, despite Albert attempting to coax him. When that fails, Albert threatens to end his contract if he doesn’t audition. Should that happen, Robin would have to move out of his expansive apartment and would no longer be capable of looking after all of his pets. Robin is horrified at the prospect of being unable to provide for Medusa, at being separated from her.

Attending the audition, Robin finds that it makes him feel alive again. The rush of it quickly fades when, despite making the final selection, he is not chosen for the role. He ignores his agent’s attempt to cheer him, instead claiming he’s talent-less. Returning to his apartment in low spirits, Robin continues to denigrate himself. For a moment, he contemplates using Medusa to remove his rivals but quickly rejects the option.

Robin arranges a romantic tableau for himself and Medusa, announcing the date as an anniversary. Then, he removes Medusa’s blindfold without warning and looks in her eyes; he dies in moments. Leon protests again, both at the claim of suicide and at the idea that someone's gaze could be fatal. Despite his continued disbelief, Leon still asks further questions. D admits that Medusa, mourning the death of her love by her own power, looked into a mirror and followed him in suicide.

Both Leon and D attend Robin Hendrix’s funeral, though D is there to bury Medusa’s bones rather than for Robin. Leon believes Robin’s death to be a waste but D, using the gathered mourners to prove his point, says that Robin’s young death secures him as a legend instead of fading away into obscurity.

Robin Hendrix
An out of work actor who cannot seem to overcome the spectre of his most famous role. After his wife leaves him, D introduces him to an exotic lizard who he comes to cherish.

Medusa
A sub-species of basilisk, Medusa is an albino lizard who falls in love with Robin, to the point of committing suicide upon his death.

D
The mysterious shop keeper of Count D's Pet Shop, who claims he is neither the stores owner nor a count.

Leon Orcot
A hot tempered detective who is suspicious of the wares sold by Count D's pet shop, and its mysterious proprietor.

Robin's ex-wife
An unnamed woman who has grown tired of both reptile food in the fridge and Robin's lacklustre approach to life. An old set of her make up was found at the scene but, due to her airtight alibi, she is never seriously considered to be a suspect.

Albert
Robin's manager. He attempts to cajole Robin into auditioning again and, when that fails, threatens to end his agency's contract with Robin. He's, along with another unnamed man, appear delighted when their threat works and Robin attends the audition.

Contracts
There is one contract in this chapter, signed and broken by Robin Hendrix. It's terms are:


 * 1) Feed her fresh fruit or live animals each day.
 * 2) Do not show her to anyone.
 * 3) Do not look into her eyes under any circumstances

Trivia

 * Space Wars 3 is clearly a reference to the Star Wars franchise.
 * D claims that the shop does not sell dangerous species; is this the most egregious lie told in the entire series?
 * Leon notes that the pet contract is 'not even overpriced.'
 * An officer mentions that D has not violated 'the Washington Treaty.' Presumably, they were referring to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also called the Washington Convention. This treaty attempts to ensure that the international trade of wild animals and plants doesn't threaten or endanger the survival of those species. Over 35,000 species fall under its jurisdiction.
 * Leon details two of the mysterious deaths: a body torn to pieces and another one drained of blood.
 * Leon bribes D with a piece Hotel de Marseilles champagne gateaux, of which only 30 slices are sold per day. D, a habitually late riser, is never up early enough to buy a piece.