Ren pushed open the door into the dorm's entrance, slugging through the lobby. He could hardly take in anything around him. The voices of other students echoing through the halls faded into white noise as his eyes remained fixated on nothing ahead of him, with only the feeling of one foot past the other and the familiar path back to his room keeping his mind tethered to earth at all.
His mind had gone blank, after a head-splitting rushing of anger and confusion as he stomped back, he was now running on empty, devoid of anything. He pushed open the door and entered the room, slumping inside and plopped down onto his bed.
'I… Think I was just rejected?'
He grabbed his hair and pulled. 'Wait, I never confessed! Gah! My head's all confused…!'
He groaned and let his arms slump over back on the bed. 'What is wrong with the kids in this school? Something is wrong with all of them…'
"Akira-kun?"
Ren looked up and saw Yaruno at his desk, watched him pop out an ear bud staring at him. Not only that, Kanaseki Hino also looked over to him with an expressive look of astonishment.
Ren felt embarrassed though didn't know why, so he pulled his cover over his head. He could hear Hino mumbling but ignored whatever he might be telling Yaruno. Probably a lie, like the traitor he was. He didn't have time for that; he needed a dictionary. He pulled out the laptop from the bag to use as a light, as he opened his notebook to jot something down.
He was going to forget about whatever crazy things Ryusei said or claimed.
He remembered what he was actually trying to do, which was figure out what a "mate bond" could possibly be.
Not that a dictionary would be much use, Ren assumed. Whatever it was specifically wouldn't be put in any old dictionary.
'Honestly, who even was that guy? He was just some random beta student but he knows about some power strong enough to bring down nations? That's not something a normal student would know.' A line stretched across his brow. There was one possible explanation. The beta dorm party. Someone could have overheard. Was he… One of the betas that spotted him when he entered the secret hallway?
Ren shook his head, forgetting the thought for now. He felt as lost as ever. He wanted to ask Masanori since Ryusei went and confused him, but he didn't want to cause him trouble either. The wording was what tripped him about this "mate bond". A mate, like a friend? That sounded like the opposite though, something to destroy your enemies. But the word "bond" could mean a lot of things, right?
"What is this bond?" He muttered.
As he wrote he felt the weight of the blanket grow heavier, the heat of the insulation making him sleepy. He dozed off, vaguely recalling something sharp and earthy hitting his nose.
When Ren woke up, murky eyed and heavy bodied, he sluggishly rose from the bed dazed and disoriented. Sleep hit him like a truck, what planet was he on? His eyes drifted over to the clock on the wall.
He sprung up. 'When did it become the next day?! And the time…!' He hopped out of bed. 'I'm gonna be late for class!'
Ren rushed on a change of his uniform and rushed out the door. Just as he
sprinted up to the entrance the cloudy skies had begun to trickle down.
Ren looked out down the empty patch, heaving and sighing.
"Whew…." Good thing he got out of that in time. Ren took a few more steps back and turned, right as he bumped into someone. He quickly turned around, and sucked in a breath. It was Akagi Naoto!
Ren stepped back shaking, holding his breath. Akagi however wasn't glaring or snarling or trying to threaten him. Instead he stared with a hardened disbelief, his face wrinkled and his lips pressed thin.
Then it turned back to anger. But just scowled and stomped away him down the hall. He growled something in a low rumble just in earshot. "So that's how it is…"
'What?' Ren just frowned, watching him leave completely dumbstruck. 'What was that about? Did I…? Oh, right! I gotta go!' Ren grimaced and continued on to class.
The school passed as expected. Ren sat in his unassuming seat by the door and distracted himself with his school work, pushing aside and forgetting about it.
Well, he tried to. If one didn't intrude his thought the other would fill the space. Eventually he found it easier to focus on Akagi.
'Why did he walk away like that?' He wondered. It was sorta like when Ryusei told him to back off… maybe, I had used whatever Ryusei meant yesterday. Something that kept Akagi from using his power.
'I've really gotta figure this thing out…' Ren thought, biting the corner of his bottom lip.
He paused his work and glanced over to his left, and the students he heard whispering quickly turned their heads.
'Were they-? I usually hear them talking to themselves but, I think I heard them talking about me? I haven't done anything weird lately have I?'
They didn't stop. In between periods, students all the way from the back to the front of the class glanced at him at least once, some with curiosity, some with blatant disgust.
Ren just frowned. 'This must be the school's doing. Are they maybe spreading rumors about me to get the other students to dislike me? If they do that…'
If the student body grew to dislike him then convincing them of their reality as locked up science experiments would become that much harder. Was this why Akagi acted so strange that morning?
He didn't let them discourage him. He just needed to win them back with evidence! Hopefully before they all hate him so much not even evidence convinced them…
Getting hateful stares didn't feel that great, so Ren hid during lunch and kept his head down. Once class ended Ren was the first student out the door and ran to get back to his dorm right away.
However, the light rain had brewed into a rainstorm over the course of the day, sweeping a flurry of rain across the grounds. Ren groaned despairingly at the path back. He didn't have his umbrella. He left it in the bag that got stolen by Akagi Naoto.
Ren clenched and shook a fist. 'Damn! And I never found a spare! That stupid red-headed Alpha is such a jerk - I could-!'
Ren hiccuped. Because at that moment he saw Akagi again. He stood right inside the windows, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed and his arms crossed, shooting him covert but not subtle glares.
He gulped. 'He's right there! Is he, watching me? I-Is this a trap he set up somehow? I-I don't have any escape but to run!'
Right then, someone walked right beside him. An unexpected face appeared, and when Ren looked up his mouth opened agape.
"Yuki-kun?"
Yukihiro's smile was bright and charming as he held a snow white umbrella between them. "You look like you need some shelter? I can walk you to your dorm."
"Oh… I…" Ren barely replied in a half mumbled. He blinked and glanced back at the window. Akagi glared at him more directly, pressing his lips into a fine line. He shot a disparaging look, before he finally stomped away.
'Weird. He didn't even come near me this time. What's his deal?' Ren pondered. Yesterday he ran right at him, now he was keeping his distance. What changed?
Yuki politely cleared his throat. "Well?"
"Oh, t-thanks! I mean, thank you - I really appreciate it." He nodded at him.
"Hm. Shall we go now then?" Yukihiro asked, slightly motioning forward. Ren shyly smiled. "Yeah! I mean, sure. Let's go, t-thanks again."
Ren and Yukihiro walked the path back to the omega dorm, the steady thrumming of rainfall cast the school campus in a misty veil. Other students could only barely be spotted through the storm. Once they made it through the gate and up to the front door Ren thanked him again with a small bow.
"Thanks again for letting me use your umbrella. I wish I had something to give you in return."
"I think your security is all I could ask for," He answered eloquently. His eyes fixated on him, his smile weirdly confident that Ren found confusing then reassuring. He then shrugged with his one free shoulder. "Also, I had time to kill. A friend of mine is busy with their after school duties."
Ren nodded, awkwardly flexing his fingers and pulling at his bag strap. "Then…"
"Oh, I do have one question though." Yukihiro spoke up again.
"A question?" Ren stared at him.
Yukihiro stared back, a long moment in silence. Briefly a smile flickered in his eyes, a twitch of his cheek, then it was gone.
"Actually, it's nothing," Yukihiro then turned around and walked back out into the rain, waving behind him. "I'll see you later. By the way, you thank people too much."
"O-Oh. Right… later then." Ren weakly waved back as he stared at the white figure disappear down the path, before he then turned to head inside.
When Ren entered his room he started going back over his notes. That is until Yaruno spoke up.
"Hey. Are you still going around like that?" He asked.
Ren pulled up his head confused. "Like what?"
Yaruno stared at him, then just shrugged looking slightly peeved. "Forget it…" He put his headphones back on and returned to what he was doing before.
Ren frowned. Was it something he said?
…
"Hey, Masa! I gotta talk to you!"
Masnori's jaw clenched upon hearing Naoto's voice down the hall. He held at a throbbing part of his head, walking down the hall heading to the council room, tired and more than a little agitated. Rain and more bad news.
He sighed and stopped walking. "Sorry now's not the time Akagi-san, I'm still busy. But I appreciate you turning in those students who were in on the medicine heist with that taped evidence, but-"
Naoto grabbed his arm. "Not that. It's about that omega. Are you sure you wanna-"
Masanori pulled his arm away. He turned back, glaring daggers at him. "That's enough. We talked about this. Takeshita Akira is just confused. Messing with him will only make it worse"
"I don't buy that story," Naoto said. "And you won't either once you've seen what I found. Whatever you think you're doing protecting him-"
"Just stay away from him," Masanori grunted, "For once, just do your job and stop bothering others, or I'll make you." Masanori left, not giving Naoto another chance to speak.
Naoto growled. "What's his deal? Tch. Whatever! Need to find Fujiwara. Where the hell did he go…" He then stopped, raising an eyebrow. He turned around and someone zipped by.
He let out a throaty growl through a show of fangs, and noisily stomped away.
…
Ren sat on the floor poring over his notes, over and over again, mind deeply focused in thought.
"....ugh." He banged the back of his head against the side of the mattress, closing his eyes.
'I can't think of anything else to try. Maybe I'm just wasting my time here. I really should have asked him, before he left yesterday…I know there's something but maybe I should focus on something else. If I ask Masanori…'
Ren opened his eyes. Only then did he notice Yaruno was looking at him.
"Yaruno-kun," Ren spoke. "Um… What would you say is a bond for an omega?"
"What's a, bond?" Kakeru repeated. He turned his eyes back to the desk but put down his pen. "...Do you like glue? Or, do you mean between people? I'm not sure what you're asking."
"I mean, generally." Ren gestured his hands in a circular motion. "Is there a difference?"
"Even so…" He sighed. "A bond is, I guess, a connection. It connects two things together."
Ren took this and ran with it. 'A kind of connection between people? Is that like…?!" Ren openly gasped in front of Kakeru, who seem to recoil back a little. Ren ran to his and started to write fiercely, not seeing Yaruno roll his eyes and put his headphones back on.
Ren had gotten it. It was all so obvious.
'The mind control, the mind control! It all makes sense! Why didn't I realize this sooner!? So it's not an Alpha exclusive power, it's something they both share!'
Back when he had his heat before and he felt strange? Couldn't that be because of Kanseki Hino and not because he missed taking the heat pills?! Using his powers to make him do obscene things to force me to take them!
'Because he…he must have used the mate bond on me! The mate bond IS the mind control!!'
That incident he had managed to put out of his mind, now given a new context. It was never the pills, it was the other students. Ren set his pen down, staring at the page in awe at his revelation. 'Incredible… I've had the wrong idea this entire time! Mind control is definitely the kind of power that can bring down nations!'
He grinned manically, like a mad scientist uncovering the formula to a new element. If he could tap into this power-!
Bam Bam Bam!
Suddenly there was a loud banging at the door. Ren looked up at it, glancing towards Yaruno. He didn't seem to notice, so Ren was the one that pulled himself up and to it.
When opened it he was met with two unfamiliar faces.
He glanced between them. "Um…"
That's when they both grabbed him, gripping him tight by his skinny arms and hauled him down the hall. Ren was so stunned it took him several seconds before he started fighting back.
"W-Whaaat!!? What's going on!" Ren cried out.
"We were ordered to pull you into the interrogation room if you ever came back to the dorm smelling like an alpha again." One of the students answered.
'I smell like an Alpha? Again?' Ren gawked. 'When did that happen? What does that even mean!?'
Being dragged on Ren flopped onto the chair of the office almost in awe at their efficiency. They got there rather fast. But, Ren thought he'd feel a lot better about finally gaining access to that office again, yet if it was like this he'd rather not! He felt like he was being dragged into a prison sentence!
"You should have known this would happen," A student continued. "You break the rules, you get punished."
"Who even are you guys, exactly?" Ren asked.
"We're the Omega Dorm's Defense Guard," One of the students answered. "It was started by our leader after the election of our current student council, and the deterioration of its support systems for the omega students.To keep any unsavory students from disrupting the peace of our dorm life, we watch over things here from the shadows to keep out troublemakers."
"Okay… But what does this have to do with me?" Ren couldn't help but ask. Not to sound against them, he knew just as well how oddly the school operated, but he was no troublemaker!
"Disrupting peace includes bringing in intense Alpha pheromones," They explained. "We'll figure out who these pheromones are from and give them a stern talking to as well, once Tokubana-san and Sakechi-kun get back around curfew from their investigations."
'This scent thing again?' Ren frowned in disbelief. He would have noticed by now if it was something so bad he was being punished twice! So Ren just tilted his head, confused if not concerned. He was beginning to lose faith in this secret guard if all they did was chase students who smelled funny.
'I get the hate for Alphas, but I thought they might be fighting against their mind control powers, not getting upset because they smell. I mean I've never smelled anything special. Someone's cologne on too strong maybe.'
Ren then realized something. 'Wait…'
"Did you say, Curfew?" He spoke up. "But, that's not for another four hours! You expect me to just wait for him?" Ren then huffed, scowling. "But I don't smell like anything! Even if I did, you're locking me here for smelling weird! What do I even smell like anyway, huh!?"
One of the students twisted a hand around with a contemplative pinched cheek. "Kinda like ginger."
"Ginger? No way, I would have noticed if I came into contact that smelled like that! How is smelling like ginger criminal!?" He shouted.
"Not something, someone! You know what we mean!" One of them growled. "It's that, spicy, ginger-like husk! It's an, Alpha's, ginger!!" They stuttered then groused. "I don't even know how you can deny it so shamelessly, it's as plain as the look on your face!"
"You're the shameful ones here!" Ren cried. "This is an abuse of power is what it is! You're nuts if you think this is helping anyone! Everyone at this school is nuts!!"
"You're one who's nutty," They just grumbled. "Just have some decency."
Just then, the door reopened. The student who entered. "We've got a potential issue by the side gate…"
Ren blinked in getting a better look at their face.
"Masaru-kun!" He gasped.
Masaru crossed his arms. "Oh, Takeshita-kun? So you really were an omega. What's up, I guess?" He gave a stiff wave.
Ren's heart flared up with hope. Masaru worked with Shino before. He'd make sense!
"You don't know how happy I am to see you! How did that case go! With that Alpha!?" He asked.
Masaru blushed red and grimaced, looked away. "N-None of your business!" They pinched their nose. "Yikes… You should really stay put. I don't know how you can stand that. It's so strong even I can smell it."
Ren pouted. He glanced out the door. Then, he suddenly hopped off the seat and slid past Masaru, escaping out the door!
"Wuh, h-hey!? Come back!" He called.
"After him!"
'I'm not waiting for Teru and his guards of crazies!' He rushed off, hiding from them around a corner before heading somewhere more populated, the main common room! They wouldn't go there to grab him since they're a secret guard, right?
Ren entered the room. But the moment he did, nearly the entire room turned to look at him. Ren froze. Then they all turned away to themselves again. But it wasn't just the usual chatter, but of students around him who had their eyes focused on him, murmuring between themselves with discreet glances his way.
The world went small, and Ren's legs wobbled and he fell back. Was this the extent of the school's power? The entire omega dorm hated him now! Maybe, he was too quick to run from Teru's guard. He felt helpless as a student finally stood up and started walking over to him with a nasty glare.
"Hold on, hold on!" A voice shouted behind him. Someone suddenly pulled him up, grabbing both of his hands and turning him around. Ren found himself facing Hajime. He only glanced into the room before he started pulling him away into the hall. "Come on, let's go."
Ren was pulled through the dorm and into one of the other dorm rooms, where some students sat around on large bean bag chairs. They all immediately turned their heads the moment they walked in.
"Looks like something happened." The student named Hikei from before said.
"Hajime, the hell are you bringing in my room? Ugh." The third unknown student's nose crinkled and he held it with an agitated grimace. "I can't air it out in this weather!"
"I'm sorry. He just looked like he needed help and your room is the closest..." Hajime replied.
Ren huffed, suddenly exasperated, and collapsed down on one of the chairs with a loud groan. "You too?! Is it, that bad?" He took a second to breathe, then just grumbled. "I thought that weird defense guard was crazy, but I guess they were right about my smell."
'Well, I didn't have time to shower since I woke up late.' He thought, but what did that have to do with being punished? Maybe it was just the school's tampering, convincing them to target him because they had nothing else to use as an attack? Either way, that guard just seemed to be just be a bunch of bullies masquerading as being helpful.
Hajime shrugged. "I'm not sure about them really. I think they're a little dramatic. This isn't a school run by the big bad wolf, you know? It's fine but, if an S grade came along, what are they gonna do?"
'You just don't realize how bad it really is.' Ren silently answered. In a lot of ways it seemed.
"It's not really that bad," Hajime continued. "Your smell I mean. I mean I guess you might not notice if you got an especially bad nose… It just seems like an Alpha got a little too clingy, that or someone locked you in a room with them for too long."
"C-Clingy?" Ren stuttered back.
"You know… overly affectionate? Or maybe it's more like they're around a lot, always tagging along with what you're doing? Any Alphas that fit that?" The third student asked.
"Alphas…" Ren weakly repeated, at a lost for words. Clingy? Affectionate?
Who was clingy lately? Akagi! Could it he, he was the cause of this!?
Someone else did come to mind, but it wouldn't make any sense. Ryusei was the opposite of clingy!
"It's definitely not usual," Hikei said. "And completely inappropriate if they did it without telling you, even if they assumed you would notice on your own," He then sighed. "If you've got problems, you should go see the club leader for the gender-whatever club. The counselor will just talk your ear off and do nothing about it."
'I figured that out on my own…' Ren sighed, but was suddenly out of it. He was sure it was Akagi, but if it was Ryusei-kun, that was…
'Clingy? Affectionate? That's ridiculous…'
But the thought entered his mind, and he couldn't stop it. Ryusei was an Alpha. He had hung out with him a lot yesterday. But he was…
Ren clenched the fabric beneath him, his words muffled into it and hiding his reddening face. "But, he…" This was, unfortunately, when Ren then felt tears swelling up in the back of his eyes. It was completely inexplicable, and he could only barely hold them back. He buried his face into the bag.
'I don't get anything anymore. He knew I liked him? But I don't! I just…'
He knew he should have been more careful around a Student council member. The only one of those he knew and thought was good was Masanori, and it was complicated trust to say the least. But Ryusei just tore down his wall of distrust by being so earnest and easy to understand. He'd been hoping he was going to help him, he never considered he would just push him away then leave like that.
"I don't get it," The other student quietly asked. "What did that Alpha do?"
"I… I guess he rejected me." Ren muttered, still trying to figure out what that meant. And what was that he said about Masanori?
"And yet you smell like that?" The other student asked.
Hikei tutted. "I'll say. You smell nothing like rejection."
"They are just pack pheromones though," Hajime shook their head. "Still, even if they were more for courting, it doesn't make a lot of sense anyway."
Ren slapped his hand down on the beanbag with a groan of frustration. "I… I don't know what any of that means!" He wailed. Why was this all so confusing? He thought he had everything figured out but he'd never felt so confused.
"Me neither. Whoever this is has to be a dick though," Hikei grunted. "Be for an alpha to throw their scent around without proper consent! They use all their power and authority to push their thoughts and feelings about, not caring what we think or feel about things."
"Agreed. Some Alphas are so direct. They don't know how painstaking it is to deal with their reckless decision making, getting Takeshita-kun in trouble! What kind of Alpha goes and does this like this then rejects you? It's gotta be some show of pride or something! If it were me I'd do it right back, doesn't matter what people think. If he's gonna give mixed signals I'd give one loud and clear!"
Ren lifted his head again. 'Do it, right back?' That sounds kinda like...'
Ren jumped up from the beanbag. "Tell me how to do that! How do I do it right back!?"
"Huh? You'd use your pheromones?" They only answered with confusion.
"But how?" Ren begged through clenched teeth, close to shaking the student by the arms.
"I don't… T-That's like asking how to walk!?" They stuttered.
Ren sighed and his head drooped. 'Right. These crazy kids have been this way since birth! No wonder so few seem to be aware of these powers. Well, I guess I've just gotta work out this body's functions for myself to activate this power then! Not sure how it relates to the mind control but since this is common knowledge I can ask someone else. And for that he'd surely find…'
"Can you let go now?!" The student shouted, grimacing in discomfort. Ren let go, speedily backing up then heading out the room. "G-Goodbye!" He called behind him. He headed right back to his own room, gathering a few things.
Ren smirked, unable to help getting excited as he giggled to himself on his way out the door. He stopped and glanced at one of Hino's umbrellas before taking it. The spy could likely get another from the school, after all. Kakeru Yaruno glanced at his madness with an uneasy side-eye. He pulled out his phone for a moment and looked at the screen before putting it back down with an annoyed huff.
…
Masanori couldn't focus. His patrol checks were done, and he sat at the desk in the disciplinary office finishing up paper work. Once he was done he could pass his findings to Aruki-Sensei.
But he felt prickled. He sat slouched at the desk with a hand dug in deep in his hair, fingernails prying into his scalp. Naoto was being held back by Yuki, but how long would that hold up? If there were rumors again he'd have to work harder to curve them...
Yuki has texted him earlier that he had dealt with Naoto, but also vaguely told him he had something 'interesting' to show him later. He doubted that he would keep something important as a surprise, yet still...
What interesting thing had he found? What had he decided to do while he was too busy to handle it? Questions and daydreams sprung in his mind of what had happened, to the point it was overwhelming. The questioning twisting on his tongue, the light that shone in his eye when he seemed to have some damning idea. That sudden loss of warmth when he ran away from under that tree, the still lingering anticipation to know his scent. An image, creeping, of the faint pink flush of his cheeks, down to the curvature of his neck…
Masanori broke his pencil. No! He had to thinking like this! He had to focus…
There was a light knock on the door and Yukihiro entered the office. He stopped at the doorway. The office was reeking of Alpha pheromones.
"Masanori," he sighed. "Why are you still trying to work like this? I swear you have a line of poor betas that are too scared to approach the door. I think that's enough for now!"
"It's…" Masanori just grunted, and continued to write. Yukihiro approached the desk.
"You're just doing homework now. Air the office out and take a look at this." He smirked, waving his phone about like an enticing display. "Had to see your face for this."
"I wanna hear anything about it right now." He grunted. "Just watch him and keep him from causing trouble." Masanori got a lurching feeling in his gut that if he saw what it was he might not be able to stop himself from abandoning his work to see him.
"Hm, but it's very important…" Yuki tried to tempt him.
"If he's not breaking any rules its not important at all! Only thing important is he's a damn pain." Masanori growled, clutching his head. He has gained a headache in the time this conversation begun.
Yuki frowned. "When's your attitude been so bitter, Nori? You're looking a little-"
"I'm fine!!" Masanori snarled, and unleashed a pheromone so intense it had Yukihiro faltering back. Not in submission, but surprise.
"...Nori," Yuki paused a moment with a curious look. "Is there any chance you're in rut right now?"
Masanori stopped furiously writing. He looked up at Yukihiro in blank confusion. "I… I think I would know, wouldn't I?"
Yukihiro loudly sighed and leaned against the desk. "Jeez. You haven't had one since middle school, of course you'd go about thinking they'd be super dramatic. Okay, I'll clear out the path back to the dorm."
"But ruts are…" Masanori lightly closed his eyes, hiding his confusion.
It failed, and Yuki sighed. "You're stronger than you know, Nori."
Masanori growled again. "Damn it, but I still need more time. Just, ask the clinic to bring in some medicine. Ryusei-kun should have made the request for me."
Yukihiro crossed his arms. "Nope, time to rest. Let's get you out of the school before you get any worse. This is the only time I'll say this, but better use up as much of that fancy spray as you can. Hope it holds out."
"I hope so." Masanori just grumbled.
…
Naoto burst out the stairway and into the school hallway. He stopped to catch his breath. He had run halfway across the school, searching for someone he had only found through a helpful text. Finally, he spotted his target, a dark-haired Alpha lounging on a couch by a window, lazily staring up at nothing.
His face darkened with anger, but he walked over slowly, sanding just out of his line of sight. Still Ryusei ever so slightly twitched.
"Fujiwara." He just growled at him.
Ryusei glanced his way with a carefree smile. "Hm… Do ya need anything?"
"You've been hiding from me on purpose. You really marked that omega with your scent, are you insane? Alpha and omega student relations is against the school rules, this could get you taken out of the council!"
"I think I'm safe fer now, but School rules aren't yer concern anyway," Ryusei replied. "I have been hidin', only 'cause I was tired of you stinking up the office… Fumio can only do so many of his duties outside the lab after all."
"If you knew I was looking for you you should have come at me instead.
"Then I'd look like some kinda lover's quarrel. Don't think you'd want that. Not that big of a deal. Interesting he accepted my marking without any fight. Fer an Omega that's supposed to be out fer a mate looking fer strong pheromones, he didn't bat an eye at it. I don't think smelling like a different alpha does good for a baiter's chances, now does it?"
"If you think that's enough proof, then you're gullible!" Naoto shouted at him. "I don't know why he let you mark him, but something is iffy about him. He's got your head that twisted up in his game! That's what Alpha baiter's do!"
Ryusei gave a long sigh. "Ma head's not twisted. Yours is. Take a moment and consider what yer fightin' here."
"I know exactly what I'm fighting. It's you who's confused." Naoto then reached around and held up a small bag. With one hand he tossed it, sending it sweeping across the ground, a small green notebook, flying out just ahead of it. "See for yourself." He spat, words filled with venom.
Ryusei just glanced at it. "So yer a thief. Stealing from little omegas."
Naoto angrily grimaced and gestured a hand wildly to his side. "I-It's not stealing if it's proof of a crime! This notebook has it all!" He calmed down, seething. "It's disgusting, listing every Alpha and their interests, like a checklist of possible prey. You'll see once you read it yourself. Pay attention: he crossed out both you and Masanori-kun's names!"
Ryusei hummed. "Sounds damning. Take it to the school board then, get him suspended."
"If it were that easy he would have been expelled by now." He grunted. "It has to be Masanori, messing with the files for his sake. He always came off as too soft, I'm worried he's being manipulated into breaking rules to keep him here."
"That so? I can agree but," Ryusei turned his head to look Naoto in the eyes, his eyes bemused. "Why do ya hate omegas so much?"
"None of your business." He curtly replied, pointing a stabbing finger at him. "You just need to tell me what that little omega's been saying to you, otherwise-!"
He suddenly stopped. The sound of a loud commotion erupted from outside. Ryusei sat up and looked through the window beside him. "What's that about?"
Naoto quickly approached the window. He choked back a gasp and banged his fist on the window.
"I-Is that blood?"
…
Earlier
Ren glanced at the setting sun, the rainstorm finally calming down to more walkable weather conditions. The trip was not without its perils: he tripped and fell into a puddle so he was half-soaked, but he didn't care as long as he got results. This time he'd get results.
There was one issue that came to mind, prompted by the discussion about scents. How was he going to do something he had never done before?
But it must be possible. That was why Akagi kept watching him! He must know he's close to the truth! Though, if the mind control mate bond was powerful enough to control him why did Akagi stop at just threatening him? Why did he seem to back off from doing anything all day today?
'It could be… The more he uses it on me the more it risks me uncovering how to use it? That would explain so much! I mean I already figured out so much so far - the mind control seems to be more like a suggestion rather than command, I think because it has bad effects if they're too direct, like what Akagi said at the beta dorm that night. Early heat…' He closed his eyes and frowned. 'Still need figure out why they have a weird focus on sex, but that's not important right now.'
So suggestions are weaker forms of it, but Ren didn't need weak: He'd try to be as direct as possible then!
He glanced around. He had walked back closer to the main grounds around the school outdoor lunch yard, where students would normally sit around at the school benches or take up any of the few outdoor tables, lined by large hedges before the land slopped downward. It was the best place to find students at this time, but even now it was mostly empty. That was all the better. He only needed one.
"Have you seen an Alpha?" He began asking around. Lots of head shakes. Around a dorm full of Omegas, it made sense, and Ren knew he had to travel over there again if he had any hope of trying out his "mate bond" stare off. There, to the alpha dorm. He hoped to not have to get that far, but all he needed was a single target. He also hoped besides getting an accurate feel for it, Ren might also somehow find a way to activate his like some kind of self-defense mechanism. Because if he could control this power his Omega body had, then getting out of the school then would be a piece of cake!
"Have you seen an Alpha?"
"What? No?"
Ren moved on. "Have you seen an Alpha?"
"Do I look like I've seen an Alpha?"
People around him were starting to get annoyed, and started avoiding his eye.
Ren pouted. 'Why is everyone so weird about it? Everyone knows about this secondary gender thing here! Is it rude to ask, taboo? But, how else am I supposed to find out?"
"Have you seen an Alpha?"
"What kinda question is that? Looking for your boyfriend?" They just angrily sneered. Ren grit his teeth about to speak his mind about the fake piercing covered teen with the uniform jacket draped over his shoulders.
"Lay off him. Think I can clean up your messes all the damn time?" A student growled. Ren slightly tilted his body to look behind the other, his eyes widening. The second year on the other side of the table was looking at his phone, a deliquent with half dyed blond hair and a loosened tie, grumbling disgruntled down at his phone.
"Ha! You're an Alpha!" Ren beamed, fully confident. Well, maybe not entirely, after all cataloging every alpha student was a massive amount of memorization, but just that attitude told him. Ren's eyes lit up. An Alpha bully perfect to try it on!
The Alpha stopped looking at his phone and looked up. He glanced Ren up and down.
"Might be. Whaddya want beta, huh?"
So, Ren pointed his finger right at the alpha on the bench and exclaimed loudly, dramatically, "Then I command you you, Alpha! Bow before me!"
"...uh? Someone put you up to this?" They replied with narrowed eyes, only looking mildly annoyed. "Handle him Giro." The returned to their phone and the other student stood up and beckoned him over. "Don't make this any harder than it has to, Aniki's got bigger fish to fry than the likes of you."
Ren took a step back. 'That's not working, and they're already on to me! I must need something else. Right, a bond is a connection, right? So I need to connect with him. I need him to engage with me...!'
Ren tried again. "Then I challenge you, Alpha! You and I: A mate bond!!"
Several students openly gasped, including the one with the draped jacket who stopped approaching to gawk. Ren's hand trembled but he held firm. That sure got his attention! Now he'd see how he fared: This was it!
The student with the draped jacket whipped his head between Ren and the Alpha bugged eyed. "A-Aniki!?"
The Alpha at the bench was so shocked he dropped his phone. He glanced around the courtyard quickly and his shocked expression turned into anger. He stood up and pushed the other deliquent out of the way, towering over Ren. "What ya trying to get at, freak? There's no mate bond between us and there never will be, now get lost!!"
But Ren was not going to be deterred. "No way! And I'm not a beta! I'm an omega! And I want to see your mate bond! You: kneel before me!"
The delinquent Alpha's face twisted into a snarl. He grabbed onto Ren's shirt and lifted him right off the ground. Ren was frightened by his strength and lost his cool for a moment.
The deliquent Alpha then sniffed. "You smell like another Alpha. What is this, a joke?"
Ren's lip stop quivering, his feer giving away to a heightened determination. He was too past the point of return to quiver up and stop now!
"Bring it on!" He shouted. Whatever triggered it must be when faced with danger after all! He felt if he learned the power to control minds, then Alpha could ever scare him ever again!
The deliquent Alpha glared at him, when his eyes furrowed, confused. "The hell? What kind of beta are you? You aren't even flinching!"
Ren froze. "Huh? Am I supposed to flinch?"
The delinquent Alpha scowled. "You messin' with me? I guess you are a omega, but you must be a freak with bad instincts! If you were a normal Omega you'd know a threat and scram! Who'd wanna mate with someone like that?"
Ren froze. "I….what?" Ren felt like his heart was just squeezed. 'He thinks I'm not good enough to use the mate bond? Bad instincts?'
Ren clenched his jaw. 'No, he has to be lying to me! I have to figure this out! What do I usually do that might be the trigger? Whenever I'm around Akagi Naoto I feel, fear? Or terror or…!'
Ren was trying so hard he could hardly breathe. His vision became spotty and he went bluer in the face. The Alpha's face changed and he dropped him. He suddenly looked nervous.
"The hell?! Stop doing that, are you nuts?!"
'Not until I control you!' Ren thought. He kept going, seeing his response as a sign he was doing it the right way, scaring the alpha! Was this it? Holding his breath, of course!
'Maybe, when I couldn't breathe before, that was actually how I activate my powers! Whenever I get around Akagi, was it just my body trying activate it after all?'
The deliquent Alpha started to back away. "Crazy man…"
Then the other deliquent student rushed up behind him smacked him on the back. "Quit it!"
Ren stumbled back, and he took a breathe of his own volition. They then pulled at his shoulder. "Aniki, he's not really…"
"He's not! He's just looney!" They snarled.
Ren glared. "I'm not crazy, and you're a liar!"
Ren held up his arm that was holding the umbrella, pointing it out at him in proclamation.
"The mate bond is a real thing! I'll make all the other omegas realize this too, them you'll really be sorry!"
Suddenly the shortened umbrella sprung out to its full length, Ren accidentally pressing the button. Conveniently it was just enough to long enough to reach the deliquent alpha, walloping him in the stomach like a sucker punch. The alpha deliquent howled and hunched over, clutching his gut.
Ren grimaced and gasped. "S-Sorry!"
The other deliquent pulled him back. "You little-!"
But when the pulled him back Ren's arm flew up over his head, along with the umbrella end, smacking the alpha deliquent in the face. He grabbed his face and stumbled back. Without looking he slipped on a puddle, banging his head against the courtyard pavement. Blood spewed from his nose and mixed into the water mixing
The deliquent student let go of Ren and rushed forward. "Aniki!"
Other students looked over. Ren hunched in on himself until his shoulders reached his ears, quickly backing up and running away. That wasn't any kind of mind control!
He hid behind the bush hedges, holding his head and growling in frustration. 'I was so close! Damn it, I revealed that I know about the mate bond to that Alpha!'
He could feel it in his stomach: this was exactly what Masanori warned him about! He said to lay low, but he got too obsessed with the idea of getting this power to work.
'I hope he wasn't a big shot Alpha…'
Otherwise, he'd really be into trouble now! What was he supposed to do? He might need to go find Masanori and ask for forgiveness…
A cast of light shone through the cloudy sky, brightening the area with light from the setting sun. Ren blinked, noticing someone who had just walked outside the school.
His eyes brightened. 'Masanori!'
What good timing! He raised a hand to wave.
Then he saw his face, and his eyes dimmed. Because the dark fury on his face sent a cold chill down his back. And when he called his name even more so.
"Takeshita!!"
Ren forgot the idea he had to go to him. Instead, he backed up and turned to run. 'Nevermind! He looks pissed! I'll wait until he's cooled-'
Splash!!
Ren stomped right through a massive puddle. He stiffened and quickly turned his head, seeing Masanori turn right towards him, eyes flaring. Ren thought he saw something flash in his eyes, but that might have been the reflection of the sun. Regardless, that was when Ren started running.