Naoto approached the front door. Right away it was pelted with paint balloons.
Naoto cursed and banged on the door in a surge of anger. He then let put a loud sigh and leaned against it, suddenly calm once again.
"Damn it. I think we've forgotten something important. What's going to happen if we go out there and get paint bombed by those trigger happy lunatics the moment they see us? I'll apologize but I won't be able to if I suffocate from the stench. That smell's been incapacitating other Alphas from its intensity. Even I couldn't..."
Nemura wiped his face of sweat. "Then, you need someone to go brace the siege to give us a ceasefire. But they wouldn't listen to me as Yukihiro-sama assistant. Senpai. If I may suggest... Takeshita Akira-san is immune to pheromones. He would be able to take the initial fire."
"Takeshita," Naoto tutted right away. "Damn it, you might be right. We might need him for once. Masa better hurry up."
Outside, Teru held up the radio.
"It's almost time for stage three. After this there will be no turning back. They will see..."
...
"Nagi-kun!"
Nagi had caught himself on a lower window ledge. He began to clamor down with gritted teeth. Idoru watched, the hose temporarily forgotten.
Ren was pulled back from the window.
"Are you ok?"
Ren pointed back to the window. "I-Imada-kun, he's in trouble! Someone gets a ladder!"
Masanori wiped his brow and turned away. "I'm sorry..."
Ren stepped closer. "Imada-kun, you have to get help! A fall that high...!"
Masanori held up his hand, stopping Ren from getting closer. His hand had moved to his nose.
Ren recoiled back. "Imada-kun?"
Masanori wasn't listening, or more that he had become incapable.
'It's too strong. This scent, it's too suffocating. I think I breathed in too much of that paint smell too. At this point...'
While Masanori was thinking, someone shouted from below.
"Takeshita!!"
Ren looked back out the window. Idoru had called.
"Throw it down!"
"Throw? Oh!" Ren looked over to the makeshift rope on the floor. He grabbed it and tossed it out the window.
Idoru pulled out small knives, hitting the falling sheet rope so it remained on the wall.
"Quickly!"
Nagi grabbed the blanket and clamored down
the rest of the way down before the weight finally gave.
He ended up kneeling before Idoru.
"Ugh... who, who are you?" he groaned.
"Over here!"
Just then, voices echoed from the distance. The omega army was approaching.
Idoru cursed. "Watanabe-kun. Leave, now."
"...tch! damn it!" Watanabe picked himself up and ran.
Masanori looked over. He could see the omega guard approaching.
"The omegas... Takeshita-san," He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please stay here. I have to do something."
"I'll go too!" Ren exclaimed.
Masanori shook his head. "No. Whatever you do, stay here! If you go I can't protect you from him."
'Who... who is he protecting me from?'
Ren backed away. "Then what do you want me to do?"
"...wait for me." Masanori looked one more time at Ren, then left the room.
"...eh? Does he want me to just wait here? I forgot to tell him he needs to apologize to the guard too..."
Masanori left the room and down the hall, made a call.
".... Ishikuma-san. I need a favor. Get over here quickly."
Ren watched the scene down below helplessly.
'But I can't just do nothing...'
The omega guard arrived. Teru was at the front.
"Idoru-kun. What are you doing?"
"Cleaning up your mess," Idoru answered, letting out a sigh. "Teru. Can't you see this paint will incriminate the entire omega dorm? We'll all be framed as criminals."
Teru balled his fist. "If justice is considered a crime we should all be criminals against these Alphas! They couldn't even give us the minimal requirement of a peaceful school life, so our actions should be seen as only their comeuppance!"
Idoru shook his head. "You're insane. Everyone, it's total insanity."
Ren swallowed, feeling the heavy energy. 'I didn't expect to be here for a fight like this... huh?'
Ren suddenly spotted someone peeking from around the corner, hiding between the bushes and stony path.
'Its Nagi... he came back!'
"There's no one who will stop me now. No one has apologized, so it's time for step three. I'll unleash the sprinkler system and reactivate the faux pheromones in the paint. What perfect revenge this is - to watch the Alphas turn their unruly instincts on each other!"
"You're mad!" Idoru cried.
"That makes all of us! You can't deny it's not deserved! If you truly believe that, then come to take it from me!"
Idoru fell to his knees. "So this is Teru's unchecked power... I've been careless."
Ren's brow furrowed.
'He's going to attack the Alphas in the dorm.... Great!'
Ren's eyes shined of inspiration. 'Finally! The Alphas will take some defeat! Hahah....oh, but wait.' Ren glanced back at the room door.
'But Masanori is still here! And Tamura... even if most Alphas are bad, there are good ones for sure. Attacking indiscriminately is wrong. Plus, I just learned a non-violent way to deal with Alpha's super easily so this is overkill. Then... I have to stop him. At the least, I have to stall until Yuki can find Masanori to tell him to come apologize!'
Ren's hands gripped the railing. "Nagi! It's him! He's the Kunodanshi!"
Teru's eyes shot up to Ren. "Takeshita?"
"It's Watanabe Nagi! Fire!"
But Teru held up his hand and they all stopped. He silently looked between Idoru and Nagi, before he lowered his hand.
They fired and Nagi was hit. He fell down, covered in paint.
"Ugh, it's too thick...!"
Ren banged a fist against the window. "Nagi-kun, get up!"
"Stay out of this Takeshita!" Yelled Teru. "Idoru! Go and Hit Watanabe with the hose."
Idoru didn't move. His head was still low.
"I won't... this is too wrong, even for them, it's too much."
Nagi suddenly scoffed.
"You? The Kunodanshi?" Nagi glared at him.
"...Yeah right! It can't be. The person I knew... he wasn't scared and weak. He wasn't scared of anything. He wouldn't cower in fear, like you are right now!"
Idoru's anger rocked his body.
"Cowering... as if! It's survival! Don't act like you know what it's like! I'm an omega - all that waits for me suffering because of what I am, so don't accuse me of being weak because of something like fear! Weakness is the life of an omega!"
"Like that matters!"
Idoru's anger washed back. "What...?"
"Like it matters if you're a beta or an omega! That never mattered then, and it doesn't matter now! So don't make excuses to hide behind someone else! I'm sick of bastards that can't think for themselves! Whoever you work for can go to hell! Just work for yourself, make others work for you! Only you can make this world change!"
"That's... my line..." Idoru clutched at his heart and squeezed his eyes shut.
"What have I been doing? Working for the kind of people that put me here, what peace.... This isn't it."
Idoru picked up the hose. Then he handed it to Nagi.
"I'm sorry, I'm not that person anymore."
"This is...!!" Teru suddenly threw down his radio.
"Idoru!! How DARE YOU!"
Idoru shook his head. "I admit it. But I won't apologize for choosing sanity over your reckless cause. We're too different Teru, just-"
"YOU BASTARD!"
Several people had to hold Teru back. It was suddenly chaos amongst the omegas as Teru had seemed to go feral, amd he had a pair of claws to prove it. Idoru didn't even flinch, but he slowly began to back away.
"Everyone, calm down!"
Then the chaos was cut through by a booming voice. Naoto had entered the scene. After waiting for Masanori, he had realized the omegas had left the main entrance and made the choice to leave without Piko to figure out where they were going. It was easy to follow with all the noise. Or more specifically, the loudness of the smell of paint to his nose.
"! Naoto, be careful!" Ren cried out.
The Omegas locked in on Naoto and readied their attacks. Naoto hid behind the stone fences along the path as paint splattered around.
"Leader! We're out of ammo!" the Omegas shouted.
"Then someone go and get the next supply!"
That's when Naoto finally stood out of hiding. "That's enough! You're all in real trouble! Stand Down!!"
With such a powerful command the omegas collapsed, retreating away and dropping their weapons. All except Teru, who still managed to stand firm, even as his body was shaking.
"I don't want to hear it from you! You violator!! People like you are why this school should be for omegas only! Alphas can exist in the real world in peace, but we are trapped here with beasts like YOU, EVERYWHERE!!!"
"Idiot, this school was never for omegas to begin with! Who said you should suddenly have a claim over it!" snarled Naoto back.
'There's a fight over who the school should be for? Hm...' Ren pondered this silently. As he did, anoyher unexpected thing happened.
"Is this where the fun's been having?"
A student approached with long purple hair suddenly appeared.
Ren ducked down. 'That's... Ishikuma Haruka!'
"Who's this now?" Haruka stepped over to Teru.
Naoto stepped in front of him.
"Don't. This is over."
Haruka sneered. "Hmm~? Defending an Omegas here of all places? Are you clinging to some vestige of the past?"
"That's nothing! You harm a head on any of these idiots we'll take the fall for this, you understand?"
"What's the proof of that... but if you think its handled then I don't know why I was called. Seems this was a waste of time... but please, clean this up before anyone notices."
Ren watched as everyone reorganized and were led away.
As he tried to follow where Teru was going he met eyes with Naoto. He glared at him then motioned his head back.
Ren backed from the window and left the bedroom. Not that he understood Naoto's message, but instead seeing it as a warning. Still, his gut twisted with guilt.
'Sorry, Masanori. I probably won't be here to wait for you if I'm caught first!'
By the time Ren was outside the dorm, most signs of paint on the building's exterior were almost done being washed away.
Ren hid as some students carted away Teru's cart of paint balloons. Along the cart they were being made to push was Idoru. So Ren stopped to whisper to him.
"Pst! Idoru-kun!"
Idoru rolled his eyes. "Leave, you idiot. Why can't you save yourself for once?"
Ren shook his head. "I will, but can you tell me at least, who were you working for? Who made you lock me in the room with Nagi-kun..."
'I need to know. If he gives me a name I can track down, it's a clue!'
Idoru sighed. "You might not want to hear my answer...it's-"
"Mikozawa! What are you... Oh, it's you."
Naoto just cut in. Ren backed away. Naoto quickly approached and had his eyes on him, and there was no escape for Ren he could see.
'I was careless! I can't get caught, when Masanori told me to wait!'
Naoto patted Ren's head.
"Get out of here."
'Huh? He's letting me leave?'
Before Ren could reply Naoto turned him around and gave him a soft push forward. "I'm not asking."
Ren quietly nodded and rushed off as Idoru watched, him lowering his eyes to the ground as Naoto shuffled him along.
Not long after Masanori came out of the dorm looking frantic. He had gone back inside after he had initially left, only to find Nagi's room empty. He rushed out hoping to catch him, praying that he could, but he found Haruka instead before him, giving him a humorous grin.
"Is everything alright?"
Masanori wiped his forehead and stood a little straighter. "...Yeah, of course."
Haruka gave a haughty shrug with a relishing glee in his eyes. "You needed me for something this simple now? All you needed to do was use your pheromones. I'm sure you could have told them all to stop head back with not even a bead of sweat on your back."
"It, wouldn't have been that simple." Masanori said stiffly, trying to unhinge his jaw.
"But it was? Well, I guess not everyone's like me. Oh, and have you seen the little omega Naoto snuck out the dorm? I never thought he had the preference..."
Masanori turned around. It was so he could hide whatever relief he felt certain was on his face.
"I see. Then, have you seen Hirabayashi-san? I need to talk with him right away."
Haruka only shrugged lightly. "Like I know. Though... do be gentle. I'd hate to lose you for the rest of the term."
Masanori didn't even respond. His eyes were on a upstairs windows of a certain always blinded dorm room, glaring.
...
Ren settled in his dorm later that evening, still is disbelief that nothing that happened earlier had even registered to the rest of the dorm. That was aside from the whispers that Teru and some of his guard were interrogated for trespassing.
'So no one even knows about the paint, huh? There's no way it can stay entirely secret. Should I spread the truth? Well, maybe it's for the better. Teru's plan was too risky. And he failed. Maybe having no friends is good. It's way less complicated with probably being betrayed. Now when am I going to find Nagi so he can cover his end of the deal...'
Tap tap.
Ren jumped. Someone was at his window!
He peeked out before pulling it open.
"Idoru?" He whispered. "How are you here?"
"I broke out. I might get suspended or expelled once my parents find out, so I want to tell you now."
"Tell me what?"
"Who I worked for... it was Hirabayashi-senpai. I struck a deal to
keep what happened with the delinquents from getting out, and he used me to disrupt Teru's guard."
'Hirabayashi, of the student council? Oh of course! That's why he's so elusive: he has other people doing his dirty work!'
Ren excitedly leaned out the window. "No way! So do you know what his plans are!? Why he targeted me? Is it because I used that technique on Naoto?"
Idoru groaned and pushed him back in. "In truth, I didn't want to. But he has dirt on me that I can't let get out."
Ren leaned on the side of the window as he slightly nodded along.
"Its that you were in a boy band, right? Nagi-kun showed me."
Idoru sighed. "Boy Idol group actually. So, he knew. That's what Watanabe was talking about..." Idoru turned away with a growing blush. "That idiot... I see I was wrong about him, but I won't jeopardize my peace by you and your mess with the council members."
'My mess? The council members?' Ren scratched a fingernail down his cheek, anxiety washing pulling tight at his chest. There was always something about the student council, wasn't there? And Masanori...
"But..."
Ren's thoughts were broken, looking back to him as Idoru continued.
"It wasn't him that wanted to lock you in there with Watanabe. I was actually meant to pull him out. Actually... Teru pushed me to lock you inside once my other contact stopped responding."
Ren lurched backwards, heaving out a barely escaped gasp.
"Teru?? But... what for? I haven't done anything to him! And if you were working for him tpo then why were you fighting?"
"We were fighting the same battle, but not anymore... and, what for? Killing two birds with one stone I guess." Idoru answered belatedly.
Ren was satisfied with that.
'I guess it makes sense - he never liked me. Though, Nagi didn't seem like much of an issue after all. He's actually a massive push over and just showed me his collection of merch. He wasn't bad. I guess there are things even Teru doesn't know about with the Alphas.'
"But you..." Idoru continued, more quietly than before, "You, made me realize there's a reason you haven't been faced with the worst for this long. And it wasn't because of us. Whatever you're doing... I guess keep doing it,"
Idoru climbed back out the window. "But I won't take responsibility if it goes wrong."
"Wait! I have... one more question. Why are your eyes different sometimes when you're not the Kunodanshi? Don't tell me, can you..."
Ren was thinking of Masanori, and the other Omegas ability to change their eyes color when they began to glow. If this was an ability of omegas as well, then he might be able to learn it too! It wasn't much, but the ability to change eye color at will would be good for disguises!
Idoru just blinked in surprise.
"Oh. Contact lenses. I take them off to see better. When you used to be a half famous Idol with a distinct eye color, it's better to be careful."
"Oh..." Ren shook his head. "Then good night."
When he was gone, Ren closed the window.
'Looks like I didn't learn anything new. Well, I hope Masanori wasn't too mad I left. There's always tomorrow to send an apology. Maybe, Yuki can do it though.'