Marriage of an Omega Chapter 4.1: Stolen Inhibitors (Part 1)

Translated by Mojo of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

At night, he claimed that he was ill and called the school doctor to his room. He had half expected it, but he was told they had no medicine on hand. 

“I’ve sent for some, but it’s a specialized medicine so the soonest they’ll be able to get it here is the day after tomorrow. I’ll write you a medical certificate so take a break from classes tomorrow. The medicine you last took should be working now, so you won’t have any awareness of it, but if you don’t take a new dose in the morning it will definitely wear off by ten o’clock. In two days, your heat is scheduled to come, so you must not leave this room until the medicine arrives.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“About the robbery, I will report it to the Dean myself. I do believe that the one who stole just intended this as a bad quality prank to inconvenience you, but if the medicine were seen by some third party and someone realized that you were an omega… If we make this public then there will be unnecessary speculations and rumours which will be difficult, but we will be looking into the person responsible and make sure the medicine was returned.

“When they entered your room, it seems like they used a duplicate key. What’s possible is that during gym class someone opened your locker, and copied the key… or something similar. They may have even just borrowed the master key from the dormitory dean’s office under some pretence.”

Masazumi also wondered about the key. There was a possibility that they would try and steal something again. If only they hadn’t made a duplicate key, then it would be okay. It was hard to think that someone would be able to trick the dean, but if they had then they would be able to enter his room at any point. The thought was terrifying.

“I’ll talk to the dean about a key replacement for your room. Since it is possible that management of the master key was one of the problems here, I have to tell him about the robbery. There’s no need to say what was stolen, however, so don’t worry about that.”

The school had requested for a new key to be fitted the next day by a worker, and the school doctor had made them promise it would be done by the evening, “Just in case, I’m going to put some prescription sedatives here. It might be only a small consolation, but if the medicine doesn’t arrive in time for your heat, then it’s better to have them than to not.”

“Thank you very much.” He prayed that it wouldn’t come, but if it did then he would just have to bear with it somehow.

“Do you have any idea what kind of person would play such a cruel prank…?” At the last moment the doctor asked Masazumi this reservedly, seeing how pale his face was. He shook his head ‘no.’

Today was the last day of the school festival. He returned to his dorm to change out of the formal uniform he had especially worn. Usually at this time he would drink his medicine but there were no traces of it in the drawer. It had obviously been stolen during the ball. To tell the truth, though there were many people who saw Masazumi favorably, there were others who were unable to stomach him. Even then, someone who hated him enough to go so far and steal something–

He brushed away the thoughts of Nashiba that had appeared in his mind. It wasn’t good to doubt someone without any evidence, he would be acting in bad character. In the first place, Nashiba had been in the hall the entire time. His two followers as well. It wasn’t like he had been conscious of them around the clock, but there was quite a distance between the dorms and the dance hall. It was impossible for them to make the round trip without being noticed. 

As for the idea that Nashiba had used the sick Iwahashi to steal the pills, there was also no evidence for that. He would entrust the search for the offender to the school, and thinking that it was probably best not to involve himself, he stopped thinking about it.

That night he couldn’t get to sleep. Though he lay there until morning, he hadn’t so much as dozed. Once morning came, his physical condition was no different from usual, so it seemed like his heat hadn’t come yet, but he obeyed the doctor’s orders and didn’t leave his room. One of the kouhais on dinner duty brought his breakfast to him. 

Masazumi was always telling the people around him that he was in poor health so his current situation wasn’t seen as that unusual. They would sympathise with him, saying that he must have been worn out from the dance. A pot was brought to him so he could have tea whenever he wanted, water was drawn so that he could wash his face, and they showered him with various other gallant gestures. He just felt embarrassed.

Both the senior and the junior classes usually began classes at nine. Instead of classes today, everyone would be cleaning up after the festival. After the cleaning was finished, the individual classes would have a meeting to reflect on everything, and when that meeting was done they could all leave.

The fastest classes would be able to finish the meeting by around two p.m. The day after that was a public holiday so they would have the day off. 

Most likely Kase would not be participating in the cleaning, so Masazumi’s class would be two people short. He felt bad, but it couldn’t be helped given the situation. It was on doctor’s orders so his guilt was lessened a little. 

As it approached nine o’clock and the students left one by one, the entire building fell so quiet it was like nobody was in it. At the very least, there were no signs of life on his floor, so he thought he must be the last one left. His anxiety relaxed enough for him to pour himself tea. 

He hadn’t taken the medicine as usual so he felt a little warm and fatigued. There was no alpha near him so they wouldn’t get affected, that was no different from usual. The problem was when his heat would come. It was scheduled for tomorrow, but being a physical phenomenon it could be affected by things like one’s state of mind or their environment. It wasn’t an exact cycle of twenty eight days and he had heard that it wasn’t unusual for it to come late or early.

He prayed it wouldn’t come before the day after tomorrow. That way the medicine would get here in time. Having never experienced a heat, his imaginations of it were limited, and he was overrun with unease. Would it be possible for him to bear the two days by himself without getting found out? Once the heat had begun an omega couldn’t suppress it with medicine, either. The only one who could help an omega, once it started, was an alpha. 

However, that would mean giving his body up to an alpha, and getting filled up with his semen. If the alpha liked him and bit his neck, the omega would not be able to separate from that alpha again. In return, the alpha could assist him whenever his heat came. If an omega had a mate beside them, the symptoms became less noticeable, since there would be no need to attract someone else.

Among omegas, there were some who believe that ‘fated pairs’ exist. Masazumi thought of this as nothing but an empty dream, not based on truth. Those born into the thin and fragile bodies of omegas would not have the strength to resist the healthy, able-bodied alphas. If they were attacked, there would be no choice but to accept it. That was the reality.

In such a one-sided relationship, there could be no love. Even if there was, how were they supposed to meet that person? There was no way to distinguish between a good or bad alpha. It was all too hard to accept.

From the tea canisters in his room, Masazumi chose an earl gray, and placed a few measured spoons of leaves into the heated pot. He poured hot water into it using a thermos that the kouhai had brought to him. The tea slowly began to steam.

Carefully pouring his tea like this, his heart was able to keep calm. An optimistic feeling swelled inside of him, and he started to believe that it would all turn out okay. Since it was necessary, he would try his best to endure the heat.

Before now, he had never gone without taking the medicine, which was because of his privileged environment. If he hadn’t been born into a high ranking family with social influence, he would have experienced this many times already. Heats were in essence a phenomena of being an omega, and to bear the children of the superior alpha was an expected role. Omegas who mated with an alpha would definitely conceive. That’s why alphas instinctively sought out omegas in heat, and when they got close, they would also go into a rut. Suppressing one’s heat with medicine was an act of self-interest. In other words, it was selfish.

There were many omegas who endured it, so there was no logic in saying that Masazumi could not. The problem was whether he could be left alone for two days so that nobody found out…

As Masazumi was drinking tea, seriously thinking about the worst case scenario where the medicine did not arrive in time, his door burst open without warning and a man in school uniform walked in.

“Nashiba–!” Masazumi was frightened by this surprise visit. “What do you want? Just coming in here… Toyonaga, Nakamori, you guys too…”

They continued anyway, as if they had not heard him, and at their rude attitude, his anger swelled into loathing, “You are all unbearable, get out now!”

Masazumi snapped at Nashiba and his two followers who were standing behind him. However, the three of them did not flinch, acting composed as if they had not heard him. It would seem they had no intention to withdraw. 

The dorm rooms were made so that they could not be locked them from the inside. It was so that nothing forbidden could be done, so that no problematic behavior would take place. Although he understood the school’s thought process, right now Masazumi violently cursed his inability to lock his door. 

“We heard you were feeling unwell so we came to see how you’re doing. Sorry to intrude on your elegant tea time, in casual clothes. Did you trick the doctor into writing a fake medical certificate? Since you are obviously just trying to get out of school.” Nashiba nagged Masazumi sarcastically, simultaneously surveying the room without reservation. With his arms crossed arrogantly he made his way over to the sofa where Masazumi sat. 

Facing Nashiba, he said “get out” again emphatically, to no avail. 

Nashiba just approached faster and Masazumi felt his courage drain from his body. Nashiba had a small build for an alpha, but compared to Masazumi his height and breadth were much bigger. His body, which was toned from playing tennis, was full of agility and stamina. Masazumi had seen one of his matches before, and he had served multiple brutal aces. He had thought to himself that if they were ever to fight he would get killed, not entirely joking.

Only Nashiba and Toyonaga had fully entered the room, Nakamori was standing by the door as if to obstruct it. Masazumi felt enormously threatened, fear and suspense sent a shiver crawling down his spine.

Right now, there was almost nobody in the dorms. Of course it wouldn’t be completely empty, but at the very least, if he shouted, there was nobody in a close enough radius to hear. If their intention was to take out their pent-up anger on him ,then they would have at least made sure that nobody was around. Just looking at Nakamori’s action, it was clear they were attacking him based on a plan they had made in advance.

Masazumi, still sitting on the sofa, was now facing Nashiba who had come over to him. Though usually it was not noticeable, today he could clearly smell his scent. It smelt like sweat, and hot grass in the middle of summer. It wasn’t a terrible smell, but he couldn’t say he liked it either. His heat was approaching but he felt no desire at all; it would appear that the thing called ‘compatibility’ really did exist. He had taken medicine for so long, and now he had finally been able to understand something that he hadn’t known before.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but the truth is I’m feeling unwell.” He felt no desire for Nashiba. It would be hard to be affected by him. This gave him some slight relief, and he became calmer. Though he was calm, he responded in a voice that sounded like he had no hope to cling to. He purposefully avoided Nashiba’s gaze, and their eyes did not meet.

“I didn’t eat much breakfast, so I was just going to drink some tea and return to bed.”

“Usually there would be nobody who would distract themselves by drinking tea, so it can’t be helped that I’m suspicious… right?” Nashiba pressed for an answer, and Masazumi opened his eyes wide. He moved his averted eyes to make eye contact with Nashiba. He didn’t want to believe it but it seemed like this had all been his doing. Once he realized this he despaired, his jumbled feelings stirring up inside of him. 

Nashiba, and Togonaga behind him, had vicious expressions on their faces. Just by looking at those faces Masazumi became completely weak. No doubt they were going to at least blackmail him. 

He bit his lip to stop it from quivering, and passed his unsteady fingers through his hair. Every one of his movements was being watched by Nashiba as if he were taunting prey that he had caught. Masazumi sank backwards further into the couch, the alpha in front of him giving off an intensely intimidating expression, with his arms crossed across his chest.

Nashiba gestured behind him by nodding his head. Understanding this signal, Toyonaga reached into his pocket, and drew out a pill packet for all to see. 

Masazumi gasped quietly and half rose out of his seat.

Before he could stand his shoulder was grabbed roughly, and he was pushed back onto the sofa. 

“Uh-uh, be a good boy, okay?” Nashiba pushed Masazumi against a cushion, and put one knee on the sofa so that he was almost on top of him, closing their distance. Masazumi’s field of vision was almost entirely blocked by Nashiba, causing him to instinctively panic. He could make out Toyonaga’s figure but the pill packet that he had insinuatingly taken out was no longer in his hands. Did he put it back in his pocket? Of course he would have no intentions of giving it back, that much Masazumi could surmise.

“You surprise me. No, it wasn’t as if I had trouble accepting it, but…” Nashiba’s tone of voice became even more sinister. “It wasn’t that hard to find out what this medicine is for.”

Masazumi didn’t want to hear it, he wanted to block his ears. His heart pulsed faster as if it were about to break. It hurt. Just make it stop already. He looked up at Nashiba pleadingly. But he was expressionless and inhuman.

“To think that the second son of the Nirei Count family would be an omega…” He spat out this final, decisive sentence. 

Its jarring syllables made Masazumi feel as if the ground were falling out from under him. His mask had been torn off, he had been stripped bare, he had been thrown down to the lowest possible state of being. He felt a violent dizziness, and pressed his fingers to his temples.

It was all over. He couldn’t hide. They had the medicine that only an omega would ever need to take, he could see no solution to this.