Chapter 1
2015
"I like you, Megumi-chan!"
Who the hell is he to address her so familiarly? As a matter of fact, who is he?
She opens her mouth to ask, to say something scathing, something insouciant, something wry.
Then she feels it.
Tsumiki's piercing gaze glares one thousand daggers into the back of her head, and she lets out a put-upon sigh, her face becoming a study in apathy. "I'm sorry, I can't accept your feelings," She says without inflection.
"W-what, why!?"
Why? Why? Why does she have to give an explanation? Why does she have to indulge in this farce, this weekly spectacle? She can feel the gazes of her peers from the windows of the halls and classrooms; it's as if she is put on trial; it's as if she is a puppet on stage for a farce. It's so dull, it's so tedious, it's so mind-numbing.
She would rather be anywhere but here.
But that is her burden as a not-quite woman, as an omega teetering on the edge of true presentation. As much as she wants to disregard social norms, she also doesn't want to be the outlier. Keeping a low profile in school, being solicitous of others feelings and thoughts, catering to fragile egos of alphas and the upstart betas, is her lot in life.
She flips her hair over her shoulder, the glossy strands capturing his attention before it's redirected to her face, the source of this current conundrum. "I have someone I like."
"Who!?" He demands blusteringly.
How dare he demand answers from her?
His face is an alarming red, and the scent of his anger overwhelms whatever blockers he uses. Her nose wrinkles, and his mouth settles in a snarl. She would likely cower if she were any other omega, but she's not.
"Someone older, an alpha," She answers.
"Do they know?" He seethes.
"Of course not," Megumi eyes him in vague disgust. "I admire them in silence. I don't mind my one-sided love."
Her words are both a rebuke and words of warning for their gathered audience.
"Then you have no chance with them; you should date me, accept my confession. I'll treat you well, and you'll love me one day, too!"
Megumi shakes her head and bows, "I'm sorry, I can't accept your confession."
She backs away and then turns, ignoring the chatter. She hates this middle school, the students, the teachers-
"Who said you could leave!?"
She's accosted, grabbed rough enough to bruise.
Megumi doesn't think, the response is intrinsic.
She swings.
She promised Tsumiki she would behave herself, but that promise is broken as soon as she hears the crack and crunch of bone.
She barely registers the pain; she's breaking his hold and kneeing him in the balls.
Well, Tsumiki won't be pleased, but Satoru-san will be entertained. Highly entertained.