Ren gawked at him, quickly following after Teru and the guard of students. "How is this my fault!?"
"Stop asking pointless questions and just follow me," Teru stiffly replied, eyes firmly ahead. "Don't try to run off or I'll have someone chase you down."
"Okay, but… unless… It can't be, you don't think it's Akagi Naoto!?" Ren gasped.
Ren had heard that Naoto had tried to enter the dorm from the other students. Whenever he asked they usually hushed up, but Ren got the sense that it was a big deal. But sending him robots to the dorm to taunt them?
"It has nothing to do with that!" Teru shouted. "I don't even know what he's been doing since last week. When you attacked Watanabe Nagi he went on a mission to get revenge and WE had to protect you. Because of that our ace had to reveal himself and since then, the dorm's been bombarded by pesky delinquents posers trying to infiltrate!"
Ren nodded, immediately understanding the situation.
Well, not entirely. He was still confused by what he had to do with everything, but he understood that the delinquents that attacked him were still stirring up problems. Either way he has to follow, or else he'd be chased down.
Teru went up to the second floor and they entered a dorm room, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary from the outside but inside it resembled more of a meeting room. One of the students tossed the robot into a small pile in the corner and many of them sat down at the chairs at the round table.
"Emergency meeting has commenced! Once again, under no circumstances will anyone find out that this robot belongs to an outside party! We will continue to leave this under wraps and find the culprit from within," Teru picked up a small gavel from the table and slammed it down dramatically. "In order to bring justice to our dorm's peace once more!"
The students stood up and hollered out, repeating what he said. Ren sat down stunned, looking around him bewilderingly.
Teru then pressed a button on the side of the table and it opened up to reveal a screen embedded inside, showing a blueprint of the inside of the dorm. Ren knew because he had mapped the dorm himself, so the sight of a perfect map made his mouth open with astonishment.
"They've found a way to sneak around the east wing, so increase patrols in the west and north. I also want more serviceable volunteers willing to deter anyone from being approached on the path."
Ren sat in on an odd meeting twiddling his thumbs, barely lasting five minutes doing so. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up.
"Um, excuse me but why am I here?"
"I'm making you bait," Teru replied without skipping a beat and continued on. "So about volunteer shift recruiting…"
"....No, what you just said… When did I agree to be bait?" Ren asked, his voice small.
"Nagi tried to attack you first, thus making you a high temptation he might not be able to resist," Teru continued with a sigh. "That's what you'll do for this dorm to help us. We'll set it up tomorrow-"
"H-Hold on!" Ren shouted, slamming a palm on the table. "You were just trying to protect me before and even stalking me, now you're trying to throw me at him like a piece of meat!?"
"Well I'm not throwing you to actually end up hurt! He might think he can get his so called Kunodanshi to come out if he goes after you again, and that's where we strike! There's nothing we can do, but we catch his ass in front of faculty or council members, even the slightest deterrence should give us an inch for negotiation."
"No, but really… bait?" Ren brought up again. "Who is that Kunodanshi again anyway!? I don't know any ninjas! But, they do look kinda familiar." He added in afterthought.
Teru grunted. "If you're so scared then, fine. I figured you'd do at least this much after everything the…. Kunodanshi, has done for you," He said with disgust before rearing his head back up with a glare. "Get out of here."
"Wait, I-I never said I was scared!" Ren cried, though he admittedly kinda was. "Maybe I'd be more into it if you'd just tell me what was going on better! Like who the heck this Kunodanshi is!"
"That's classified information!" Teru barked and turned off the screen and banged the gavel. "That's it for now, meeting adjourned! Get him outta here."
But Ren wasn't done, even as the students got up to leave and some grabbed his arms to haul him out.
"But why not just confront him directly? No bait or waiting around?" He asked.
Teru narrowed his eyes at him. He held up a hand, stopping the students from pulling him away.
"And get overpowered? You have no idea what you're talking about." Teru answered.
Ren yanked his arms free and let out a irritated scoff, head lofted full of confidence. "Yeah well, it just seems like what's really going on is that you're scared. If your guard was of any use they could hold their own against a bunch of thugs like them."
The other students behind Ren made a sort of pained hissing noise, beginning to back away. Ren tried to turn back to them but Teru grabbed him by the collar and pulled him onto the table he had suddenly climbed on. He let out a great snarl from his throat.
"You don't know anything!! I keep this dorm safe when all other measures fail, don't you dare downplay the importance of our defensive measures!! You should look at yourself before you criticize me: you're a thug and crook more than even those assholes!! I KEEP THE PEACE — YOU LIVE IN IT!!!"
"Alright!" Ren screamed, flinching away, and Teru released him, before hopping down from the table, putting his hands on his waist and tutting.
"YOU have no say in here with your track record! Heats going off without supplements or suppressors, getting involved with multiple council members, causing half of the incidents last month alone… I thought you were just an agent of chaos but I see now you're just an idiot."
Ren spat out a sound of audacious disbelief. "I am NOT an idiot! You... You're just a coward!!" He shook a fist at him, anger boiling over. Who was he to call him a crook!?
Teru cracked his knuckles and made a beckoning gesture with his hands. "Sure sure - well since you're so confident go ahead and fight them yourself. I've done my end of the deal and I have a dorm to protect."
They kicked Ren out of the office. Ren angrily banged on the door but it refused to open. Furiously grumbling to himself Ren stomped away, wondering what they had planned for him.
'Deal? What deal? What a jerk! Using me for his own gain?! I knew he was nothing but bad news, even if he keeps saying he's protecting everyone. Why would the omegas need protection anyway if they're not going to fight? I mean look at what I've done and the best the school could do is Naoto! Before they suddenly changed their minds, anyway.'
Ren suddenly stopped, then turned around. However, the hall was empty. He had just gotten a sense though, that he was being watched. He lingered a little longer on the ball, but eventually turned his head and walked away.
———
On the way to Lunch the next day, Ren walked with Chihei, his head hanging low.
"Chihei-kun, do you know what that Omega dorm guard is all about?"
He shrugged. "Beats me. I think it's just to give them a bit of control over things, but I think it's kinda way too over the top."
"Right… also, I need to ask. Where can I find the delinquent students?"
Ren had decided that Teru's method was too slow and unwieldy, mainly with him being set as bait with unknown variables. He needed to know a little more about what these delinquents were up to so he'd have a better chance of making it out in one piece.
"Delinquents? Sure, if you can call them that. They look the part but it's all mostly for show. They wish they were tougher but anyone that actually acts out is usually kicked out or given study hall."
"So they're just a bunch of phonies. And they've just been around?" asked Ren.
"Well, there weren't any last year, until Watanabe Nagi transferred. He became their leader and always do stuff on his behalf, like bribes or coercion, but that's mostly it."
'Wow… I guess they're just a nuisance after all. But why target the omega dorm? Did someone put them up to it?' He silently pondered.
"If you wanna find them, look behind the biggest gym," Chihei continued. "They moved there after the new gym finished up its construction a while ago."
"Thanks." Ren nodded. He then turned, beginning to walk down the hall to head in that direction.
"Where are you going? Food is this way." Chihei immediately called after him.
Ren swallowed and turned around. "J-Just the bathroom! I'll be back before the end of lunch."
Chihei nodded. "Alright. As long as you aren't going near there."
Ren choked down his guilt and left just before the lunchroom doors. Meanwhile, through the kitchen area, Masanori snuck inside. Clutched in his hand was a small gift box.
'The excuse I gave Sensei won't last for long… I won't approach him, I'll just drop it on his tray then leave before he tries to look for me.'
Masanori looked around through the hole into the dining area, but he couldn't find him.
'He normally eats in here lately, where is he? Maybe he's running late.'
But on a different side of the school Ren had arrived at the older gym. He moved towards the back, walking along as the sun's light faded behind him until he was walking in shadow, since the building blocked the sun most times of the day. Because of that Ren stepped through some dry patches of grass, away from the lush green hills.
A cold mountain wind drifted through and Ren shivered, nerves rattling his head. Where were these delinquents supposed to do around here when it was so dark and dry and creepy-
He walked forward when suddenly, he was pulled back.
It was one of the omega dorm guards. Specifically Ren recognized him as the one from the locker room.
"Whatever it is you're thinking: don't." He said with a glare.
Ren pushed his hand away. "I'm trying to stop myself from turning into bait!"
They gripped him by the shoulders. "Being bait is better than walking into the wolf's den! What, were you born yesterday!?" He hissed, "The delinquents are like 80% Alphas! They spot you, they'll tear you apart!"
"That's a little dramatic," Ren huffed. "They're just a bunch of kids. I mean some of them are scary especially with their powers but I get the sense there's a catch when it comes to them."
"Of course there's a catch!" The guard yelled, grabbing Ren by the collar. "Don't you get it? Any Alpha that hasn't tried to hit on you is just one slip from acting on their instincts. I don't know how you haven't figured that out yet, with your track record. One whiff of your pheromones and they'll be all over you and forget all human decency."
"What do you mean my track record? So what?" Ren tapped his chest with his fist. "If I get caught I'll just fight them! Or, take them down with my mate bond!"
"Your… mate bond?" The look on their face could be described as confused disgust.
"Something tells me you're confusing that with something else somehow. Who the hell even are you?"
"An intruder is what you are."
A voice spoke out and they looked up. A delinquent stood on the branch of a tree, smiling down with a malicious grin. The guard let go of Ren, before they were quickly swarmed.
———
Masanori waited around during the entire lunch break. Soon the second years lunch had ended and it was time for the third years. He walked out of the lunch side door with a sigh.
'Maybe he went somewhere else to eat around the school. But it'll be too much to try to catch him on the way back to his class.'
Masanori was about to give up, when he noticed a tray of food that hadn't been tossed out, and the second year student stood scratching his head next to it. He recognized him from somewhere.
'Oh right. That kid's, he's in Takeshita's class.'
That student looked around with a worrying frown when he noticed Masanori looking. To his surprise the student then jogged over.
"Masanori-Senpai. Could you maybe do me a favor? My classmate Takeshita Akira was supposed to come back from the bathroom twenty minutes ago. I think he ran off to-"
Masanori suddenly put a hand over their mouth.
"No, don't tell me. Come with me to the disciplinary office, right now."
"Oh, okay?" Chihei said, having to jog to keep up with Masanori through the hall.
———
Ren and the other student were tied up by ropes to chairs inside a gym storage room.
The crowd of delinquent students were small but Ren could recognize one of them at the center as the person who tripped him during sports day.
That student swung a bat over his shoulder and grinned. "Well well well, look who we have here. Some omegas have come along to meet us. Our boss'll be thrilled that there's people that want to throw themselves at him! I guess you changed your tune, Takeshita? Nagi-Aniki's going to be thrilled to get a second chance at you! Oh! Someone has to go get Nagi-Aniki!" He suddenly shouted.
One of the delinquents hissed into the other's ear with a grimace. "But he hates it if we interrupt his lunch time!"
The front delinquent pointed at the door. "This is more important! GO!"
Some delinquents ran out the door. Ren and the other student couldn't talk because their mouths were gagged, but that didn't stop Ren from trying, thrashing and shouting under his mouth gag.
The delinquent whistled. "Man, you've got energy! Now take it easy - I'll remove the gag if you promise not to scream…" He laughed. "To think you'd just show up after everything! It's a shame, he just moved on from you…"
Ren stopped moving but didn't stop glaring. They pulled down their mouth gags and Ren's first words weren't a scream.
"Is all you can do is jump and kidnap people!? You're all a bunch of children - how can you get involved with trafficking at this age?!"
They reeled back. "Wah?? Trafficking?!"
"That's right! I was told there was something going on with being sold - but I didn't think it would be the students behind it. But if it's not the school then you have no power over me! I won't go down this easy after everything!" He boasted, words loud and over the top with complete confidence.
The other omega student looked away with wincing irritatedly. "Can you cover him back up please? He's giving me a headache."
Ren was quickly re-gagged, shaking his head in protest.
The omega student's eyes opened and with a steady look he glared at the delinquent. "Where's he then? Watanabe?"
"So you did come here to see Aniki!" He held his chin with a fully confident smirk. "I knew this would happen eventually! Luckily I got everything set up!"
"Set… up?"
"The crash pad of course~!" He exclaimed out with great enthusiasm. "I had to make plans because we all here know that his aura is just too big to contain, it was bound to leak out eventually no matter how hard he tried to hide or deny it, I said. And I was right! Nagi-Aniki is simply irresistible!! It was only a matter of time that everyone realized and came throwing themselves at him!"
Both Ren and the omega's eyes twitched, equally just as befuddled.
"...who are you again?" asked the omega student.
They puffed their chest. "Shimizu Giro - Aniki's right hand man! I know everything about him and what he'll want to do with the likes of you two. So I know, once he gets here he'll finally show us: his superior Alpha technique to seduce omega by unleashing the raw power of his S class pheromones for us!"
The omega student blinked in shock. He then, sighed. "So, it's worse than I thought. You're all completely insane."
But right beside him, Ren's brow furrowed, beginning to sweat profusely. 'Insane? Not that long ago I would agree but… is it possible Watanabe Nagi actually IS as strong as they're making him out to be?! I mean he called it S class…'
Ren bit down on the frankly not very tight knot and pushed it out of his mouth. "What kind of power does he have?! Is it mind control?!" He shouted.
The omega student gawked at him while Giro chuckled. "If you mean he'll entrance you with his sheer strength and intimidation, then yes!" He turned back to the door with dark laugh. "I can't wait! He's always held it in but it's about time for him to reveal his immense strength that even the Student council Alphas can't beat!!!"
Ren began to suck in a breath and twisted his head and frantically whispered towards the other omega student.
"We need to leave!! If he's as powerful as they say-!!"
"So annoying," The omega student interrupted him. "And I'm working on that, weirdo. This wouldn't have happened if you just had any common sense and stayed away from the school delinquents!"
"I never meant to get caught!" Ren loudly whispered back. "It makes way more common sense to try to figure out what you're getting into than to let yourself become fresh meat blindly!"
"Tch." The other student closed their eyes, their head dipping down to the floor.
"You never thought about the second step though, did you? How far do you think about your future, Takeshita? No wonder all your heats keep activating the way they do. Won't you consider what'll happen when one day no one's there to save you next time?"
Ren winced. He craned his neck back with a sinking heart.
"You think I need saving too? I don't like being looked at like a weak useless person either, but I just feel completely lost for what to do. If I wasn't stuck in this weak body, I wouldn't need to rely on Masanori-kun or Ryusei."
"That's no excuse to be an idiot. I tried to save you before since I felt bad about running off from Masanori-Senpai in his rut, but I've started to think it might have been better if someone gave you a wake up call already."
Ren leaned forward as much as he was able to peer down at the student's face. "Wake up to what?"
"Your vulnerability in the face of Alphas."
At that moment the door to the storage room opened and Nagi came waltzing in, still holding half of his lunch in his hand and in his mouth. The dumpling still on his lips fell to the ground, his eyes wide in disbelief. "What the…"