Ren had thought he had seen it all, but when he saw Masanori's eyes, everything he thought he knew had been thrown off course. He didn't imagine it, his eyes really did glow. And he punched through that wall without even wincing! (Ren is greatly dramatizing his memory) That was more than something extraordinary, it was something supernatural.
Back in his dorm Ren was continuously pacing, trying to organize his thoughts into a coherent plan of action. This was unprecedented. He never did have a good reason why a school would want to test such strange drugs on a bunch of high school students, but this expanded on his theory that there were more types of experiments going on than he realized.
Maybe it was a good idea to stay after all, because if they were playing with supernatural powers... They could very well have more up their sleeves. What defenses could have awaited him had he gotten over the wall? Was it connected to his glowing eyes, or something else?
Ren's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Ren ceased his pacing and stared at the door. It wasn't any of his roommates, they would just come in...
They knocked on the door again, and a voice on the other side was the doom leader.
"Oi! Takeshita? You in?"
Ren slowly inched towards the door. It wasn't the school was it? Coming to get him? Perhaps what he saw was a step too far, Masanori must have told them!
"Inori-senpai, is there something wrong?" Another voice said through the door, one he did recognized as his roommate Hanaseki.
"No see, Takeshita-kun got a letter? I was asked to deliver it personally. Has he-?"
Ren paused, then suddenly opened the door, making the two students jump.
"A letter?"
Ren stood there stunned for a moment, before he bent down and slowly picked up one of the blank envelopes save for the owner of this body's name, and opened it.
—
To Akira Takeshita:
I understand that you might not want to accept my apology in letter form now. I also understand that you don't want to talk to me, but I wish to make amends and explain what happened before. It was an accident, I didn't mean to frighten you. Please understand that, and I wish you well.
With regards, Masanori Imada.
—
Realizing who the letter belonged to, his mind flashed back to the last time he saw him earlier that day, the way his eyes glowed. A chill down his spine he couldn't quite explain, but he shook it off.
What was this? An apology? Wasn't this just a trick, after he spilled out so much information to him! A trap to lure him in?
But the letter didn't ask anything of him. It was saying sorry, and nothing more, eloquently nondescript. Ren still wasn't sure what he had wanted back at the infirmary. Why was he so fixated on talking to him, then suddenly avoiding him?! It wasn't making any sense...
Was there... something he missed? He thought he was just chasing him down as a way to interrogate or bully him, he never considered he wanted to discuss anything of worth. Maybe it wasn't just because his boss was forcing him. Maybe, he really did have something important to say?
But after everything he said, it could just be a trap the school put him up to, or... was it? Was this a chance? Was there a way to get through to him?
Ren nodded at the letter determinedly. It was worth the risk.
———
As the sun set over the horizon Masanori watched the lake below him slowly become cast in shadow, only the lights of the lamps along the path around it keeping the area lit. He was on his way back to his dorm from that omega's. A letter was really the only way to handle things now, he was cutting it close enough as it was.
Maybe he shouldn't have. He should have just apologized in person after all... but would it be appropriate after his behavior before?
'No, I shouldn't. That didn't work so well last time... no need to apologize in person this time. As long as he understands and I know everything is alright.'
Besides, giving more attention to an attention seeker was a bad idea. But he wondered, wouldn't being cold possibly make him act out more?
'He... looked pretty scared when he ran off. Was I... so scary?'
"Heeeeey! Masanori-kun!"
Masanori's thoughts froze in their tracks. Eyes widening, he turned around on the path.
On the dimly lit path, Ren had appeared, calling out to him in a dash.
Masanori froze briefly, uncertain. H-He was chasing after him!? Before he could think to act Ren stopped a few meters in front of him, panting and gasping for breath. Ren's scrawny hand ran through a strand of trestled black hair, wiping sweat from pale skin. His round dark eyes squinted through the dim light. Finally, he held up the letter with a small gasp.
"I... got your letter!" he wheezed. "So you... did come in person...!"
"Takeshita-san..." Masanori looked around and noticed he had come with no one. "Are you... alright?"
"For... Forget that!" Ren growled. He lifted his chin and raised his heels, crossing his arms in a serious stance. "You... you think you can just get away after writing a letter like this?" He asked firmly. "You're a confusing guy, you know? I... I want you to tell me clearly this time."
Masanori broke into a sweat. So, he did want an in person apology after all... Before Ren could say anything else, Masanori bent into a deep bow, almost losing balance in his rush.
"I'm... so sorry! I shouldn't have snapped like that. I was angry and acted irrationally. I never meant any harm. All I ask is that you understand that!"
Masanori watched Ren's foot tapping the ground. Was it impatience, nervousness?
"I-I... I'm sorry this had to happen this late but I didn't think just leaving it at the front desk was sufficient." He continued. "Please understand–"
"So that's it?" Ren interrupted. "All you can do is apologize for threatening me?"
Masanori raised his head in alarm. He thought it was a threat?!
"It... it wasn't!" He blurted out. "I just lost my temper is all! It was an accident..."
"...How often?"
"How... Often?" Masanori met Ren's eyes now below eye level from his bow.
Ren's eyes only showed interest, intrigue. He didn't look angry at all.
"Like, does it always include the glowing eyes?" He asked.
"Well I mean I... what?" Masanori asked, befuddled.
"Your eyes. Do your eyes always glow whenever you get angry?" He asked bluntly.
"N-No, that's... unusual for me." Masanori admitted slowly. "That just happens sometimes when you're an alpha, I guess I must have frightened you. I'm sorry."
Ren seemed to consider this. "And... You don't think about why?"
Masanori's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Huh? "Well... no? They just do sometimes..."
"And? You're fine with that, Masanori-kun?" Ren said, and moved forward. "Have you ever questioned why your body does the things it does, how it works, when these things happen?" He pressed, getting closer with every question.
"W-Well.... All the time?" Masanori realized, though not quite in the way Ren thinks. "But it's not... it's because I'm an alpha. That's just... how we are."
Ren's hands suddenly cupped around Masanori's face. He lifted his head up to his eye level. "Don't live your life burying these questions, seek the truth Masanori-kun! Don't let them tell you what is normal or not normal, you know deep down what's right! follow your heart!"
Masanori's heart seemed to leap into his throat as he gazed into Ren's fiercely determined expression. Then, he thought a little about it and his head tilted into a lopsided puzzlement. It sounded familiar...
"You're... Talking about the 'experiments' again." He guessed, voice going flat.
Ren nodded fiercely. "Yeah! Now you're starting to understand, right?"
Masanori frowned, and slowly lifted his hands to move Ren's away, straightening his back.
Ren's face fell. "... Right?"
Masanori flinched. What could he say? He didn't want a repeat of earlier today. He took a hard swallow. But he needed to address... whatever they were thinking. He couldn't avoid it. The underclassmen, whether he was doing it for attention or not, had a concerning behavior pattern. It was his job to curve that behavior in him. That meant, giving him the hard truth. He was nuts. Then someone else would handle the rest...
But then Ren did something he didn't expect. He grabbed Masanori by the arms and pulled his arms back down towards him until he was back at his height.
"Don't be ridiculous! You're just gonna run off after everything!? Didn't you make a promise you'd help me!? If it really was all an accident then what are you hiding from? I want to clear things up and so do you so tell me! Don't you want to see a clearer tomorrow, Masanori-kun?"
Masanori's thoughts went up in smoke, fuming. His promise, back in the infirmary? That was before he knew he was bonkers!
But his head was burning, and his mouth went dry, the words he had readied before would no longer come up. He did promise... but what was he going to do about it!?
Ren's brow furrowed and a sadness seeped into his expression.
Masanori panicked. In a burst of desperation he said something else. One word, that he really shouldn't have said.
"...Right!" The words slipped from his mouth as if the dam drying up his mouth had sprung a leak. As Ren's expression relaxed the dam cracked, and words flooded from his lips.
"Right, of course you're right! There's nothing wrong with keeping your mind open, right?!" Masanori gushed out in a sweat. "I-I shouldn't have been so defensive before! Maybe, I'll consider it...!"
The hope that had left Ren's eyes realighted, and he smiled stupidly wide.
Masanori swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling instant regret. He may have just fed the beast. Well, nothing to be done about it now, he thinks in the face of Ren's grin.
"But hey you know...! Maybe keep it on the low, alright?" Masanori leaned down to whisper, his actions feeling like a crime. "You don't want to bring up any more attention..... you understand?"
Ren nodded enthusiastically, his body moving in an excited bounce. He suddenly reminded Masanori of a dog about to take a walk.
"Yeah!" He yelled out, then cleared his throat, calming his bouncing. "...yeah, I got it." He said more calmly, then grinned again. "So then, you want me to act in line so they think i've given up!"
"Y-Yeah... no more doing anything drastic without consulting me first!" He said with his own smile, buying into his enthusiasm and resigning to his fate. "That means no more jumping the north fence or not eating... ok?"
Ren chuckled. "Of course, I'm done doing crazy stuff like that! Besides... there seems to be some benefits." he grinned vaguely, his mind remembering those glowing eyes in a different light, looking at Masanori's once more.
Masanori didn't know what he meant by that and didn't ask, but noticed the intense eye contact he was making. Masanori wondered briefly if he would have been this complacent at the wall if he agreed earlier, save him the bruise on his chest.
"Speaking of..." Ren continued. "what's up with that?"
"Huh?"
"You know... being an alpha?" Ren pressed.
"Oh... oh. Did you... not know I'm an Alpha?" Masanori sighed. "Guess I can't blame you, I keep it hidden pretty well..." Masanori looks back down to the ground distractedly.
"Hide it? What for?" Ren pressed.
"It's not..." Masanori stopped before he said 'important', instead shaking his head. "Nothing... It's almost curfew, you should head back now. Thanks for listening to my apology."
Ren nodded brightly. "Then, I'll see ya, Masanori-kun!"
Masanori watched Ren walk away back towards his dorm, disappearing under the glow of the path lights. Once he was sure Ren could no longer see him, Masanori sank to his knees onto the ground.
Man... he really was a coward. How was he going to fix this now!?
———
When Ren got back to his dorm his roommates were back and heading to bed. He beelined for his desk, not a single moment to rest, not yet. He began plotting, his mind clearer than ever.
There was one thing was clear to him: It's all related to the school, the experiments... A mysterious drug, a boy's school as a testing ground, that supernatural power from Masanori-kun, his eyes.... of course!
The school is trying to create super humans! They give various types of drugs to everyone, so no one grows suspicious of their plans and they can test multiple! It's why the food he's been eating for the past few days hasn't had any effect, and it's why he felt like that the first time he had it, it's a first time symptom! Even Masanori was unaware, he seemed to see what happened as accidental and something he couldn't control, just like that sickness he had!
'And somehow, the test had to be run on teenagers. I don't understand why, but it must have to do with our hormones... teenagers are rite with hormonal imbalances after all!' He got up and sat down in a rhythm, pacing his room, lost in his theories and speculation, only to rush back to his seat when a new idea passed his mind. What if they're doing this-? Or was it related to this-? He was unaware of his own growing insanity as he paddled down the river of conspiracy armed with only a pen and the feeling in his gut.
'And with that boy, Masanori." Ren pondered. 'He said he was an Alpha... it seems to be a specially labeled group of those affected, something about them is special....'
Ren paused. 'But... 'It's clear then that Masanori still knows more than he lets on... he seemed nervous. He's not telling me everything... Maybe, he can't.' Ren frowned.
'I gotta find a way to chat with him on the specifics before the school closes in... he said I need to lay low, but I just can't sit idly by and let the enemy gain the advantage! How do I go about gaining intel while laying low...?" Ren clicked his pen anxiously, closed fist clenching over his pile of notes.
"Could you stop that? It's late." His laptop gifting roommate complained. Ren put the pen away, and pulled out a pencil instead. He began making defensive plans.
—-—
Earlier that day:
In the office of student wellness, the door opened to a dark-haired junior, walking in with careful steps.
He walks up to the desk shakily.
"I'm sorry to interrupt right now Akagi-Senpai... But I have your report."
A senior lifted his head from his work with a glare.
"What is it Kotaro? I'm busy."
"The report... On the second year you asked me to get for you..."
"Huh." The senior's head lifted more, blazing red hair hitting the light from the windows. He flipped though the file handed to him.
"Just that omega..." He scowled, tossing the files on the desk. "Whatever. It's been handled. Just a few scrapes and bruises right? We'll get the fence fixed later, got bigger fish to fry. Nearly a dozen alphas students expelled..."
He looked up with an attempt at a thankful expression, that looked more like a threat. "Thanks for handling it for me, now scram."
The junior named Kotaro bowed his head before dipping out of the room quickly, leaving his senior to his work.
The senior leaned back and gave a deep sigh. He leaned forward and lifted back up the file he tossed, flipping tentatively through the pages.
"... Takeshita Akira.... Omega." He clicked his teeth disapprovingly and tossed the file away. "Waste of time."