The classroom, which had been noisy since morning, gradually quieted down as the teacher opened the door.

However, the moment the man stood before the podium, the commotion that was about to settle only grew louder.

Vivid orange hair and sharp eyes. Dressed neatly in a shirt with a teacher's ID badge, he looked like any other teacher at first glance. But from him, a scent was faintly drifting—one that had never been smelled from anyone else in this school.

A sweet yet fresh scent of orange blossoms. It was the characteristic body scent of an Omega, suppressed as much as possible by suppressants and scent blockers.

“...Hey, did you feel that just now?” “Is he really an Omega?” “That’s crazy. What is an Omega doing in a place like this?”

Low whispers spread throughout the classroom. In a specialized high school where only Alphas could enroll, Omegas were a rare sight.

Since such an Omega had arrived not as a student but as a teacher, it was only natural for the students' attention to be piqued.

Some sniffed the air openly, while others exchanged glances with interest. Someone wore a look of blatant displeasure, and another couldn't take their eyes off the man at the podium, as if chasing the unfamiliar scent.

Even under those numerous gazes, Shinonome Akito did not look intimidated in the slightest. His movements as he placed the attendance book on the podium and wrote his name on the chalkboard were calm and unwavering. Even as the sound of chalk scratching the board echoed, the students' whispering did not stop.

Every time the suppressed scent drifted faintly, small gasps erupted from the back of the classroom, and several Alphas stared at Akito as if observing him openly.

Aoyagi Toya, sitting in the very back seat by the window, also looked up.

Calm grey eyes were revealed beneath hair that was a mix of dark navy and light sky blue. Toya didn't show much reaction to the surrounding noise. However, as he caught the unfamiliar scent lingering in the classroom, his gaze, which he had intended to turn away indifferently, stopped at the podium.

It was the scent of an Omega.

Yet, the owner of that scent looked perfectly unfazed despite being surrounded by dozens of Alphas. Even though he must have noticed all the students' stares and whispers, Akito simply opened the attendance book and checked the students' names. Finally, he looked up.

His sharp eyes scanned the entire classroom. He neither avoided the gazes pouring toward him nor showed any sign of discomfort. On the contrary, his attitude was so confident that several whispering students were the first to shut their mouths.

Akito set the attendance book down on the podium and organized his teaching materials. Even then, some students were still whispering behind their hands, and the scent of orange blossoms remained faintly in the classroom beyond the suppressants.

Toya watched the scene with his chin resting on his hand.

Until now, most of the stories he had heard about Omegas were nothing but prejudices about them being fragile or needing protection. However, the man before his eyes looked like someone who didn't care about such gazes in the first place.

...