While they were riding the elevator up to their classroom on the fourth floor, Aurora Perish couldn't help but be fascinated.
She had never seen a high school with an elevator before. When she entered the building earlier, she expected it to be as hot as it was outside—but to her surprise, it was cool, like the inside of a shopping mall. The comfortable temperature and gentle hum of the elevator made her start to doze off.
"This really is a fiction novel,"
she thought.
I still couldn't wrap my head around it—men getting pregnant? It just didn't seem possible. But then again, if they were Omegas, I guess it made sense. In this world, anything could happen.
"If her friends were here, they'd probably laugh at the idea that men could get pregnant now."
It was supposed to be a gender balanced society, but in reality, it wasn't much different from her past life. The second gender system—Alpha, Beta, and Omega—still had its fair share of discrimination. Alphas were seen as dominant and powerful, Omegas were treated like fragile porcelain, and Betas... well, Betas were often ignored altogether, as if they didn't even exist.
If you were born an Alpha, you'd get plenty of invitations—from colleges to job offers—it was easy. But if you were an Omega or a Beta, you had to work twice as hard to prove yourself, to showcase your skills just to be considered.
"This is like..." Aurora paused mid thought, realizing she still hadn't reached some great enlightenment.
She let out a sigh.
Aurora Perish couldn't help but judge everything around her, just like she did during her rebellious phase.
"Is it because I've been hanging out with kids these days?"
Aurora Perish thought she should really fix this habit of overanalyzing everything. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror of the elevator and, only then, noticed three people standing quietly in the corner. They were whispering to each other. Judging by their delicate features, flushed cheeks, and slightly shy demeanor, they were boys—but they looked so feminine that Aurora Perish almost laughed. Of course, she kept that reaction to herself.
She found it both funny and absurd how men looked in this world. Back in her original life, it was rare to come across good looking, feminine guys like these.
Realizing the three were stealing glances their way while whispering, she instinctively turned her attention to her companion.
Hyacinth Chua stood tall with her rare, long black hair—an uncommon trait for female Alphas, who typically wore their hair short. Her uniform was perfectly neat, her posture flawless, and her expression unreadable. Those striking, siren like purple eyes could make any Omega weak in the knees, and her height only added to her intimidating presence.
Standing next to her was Aurora Perish—her fluffy, grayish blue hair softly framing her pale skin, speckled with delicate white spots. Her build was well-balanced, and her half-lidded, lazy eyes gave off a cool indifference as she calmly sipped on her orange juice. Her uniform was just as neat, but what stood out most was that she was actually taller than Hyacinth Chua.
Being in the presence of two strikingly attractive individuals made the three boys visibly shy—especially since one of them had already differentiated into an Omega.
The whispers between the three boys grew more urgent as they stole glances at Aurora Perish and Hyacinth Chua.
The one who hadn't differentiated yet nudged the Omega in the middle, whispering, "Don't be a coward. Look at them—if someone else makes a move before you do, you'll be left with nothing."
The Omega, standing between the two, was visibly flustered—his face, ears, and even his neck were red. The third boy, standing on the other side, nodded in agreement and urged him, "Just talk to them already. What's the worst that could happen?"
As the trio whispered and planned, Aurora Perish and Hyacinth Chua exchanged glances. There was a silent message in Hyacinth Chua's eyes as she blinked a few times, then abruptly turned her gaze to the elevator door. Aurora Perish caught the signal, confused at first, but quickly pieced it together. They had both heard the boys' conversation—it hadn't exactly been quiet but chose to ignore it at first, assuming it was harmless chatter.
But when Aurora Perish realized the whispers were turning into action, she subtly adjusted her stance, preparing to get off the elevator.
Just as one of the boys finally gathered the courage to step forward and ask for their number, the elevator let out a soft ding.
Without exchanging a word, Hyacinth Chua and Aurora Perish stepped out in a hurry. They both knew what was coming, and neither had the time nor interest to entertain anyone right now.
With a brief glance at each other, a silent message passed between them: Nope.
They had absolutely no energy for small talk—or flirting.
One is recently heartbroken. The other is still learning how to be a teenager without becoming a pedophile.
As Aurora Perish and Hyacinth Chua walked away, the three boys stood motionless by the elevator. After a moment, the boy on the left side of the pretty boy finally spoke.
"...Did you just get dumped?"
The boy on the right responded, "Our whispers weren't that quiet, were they? They probably heard us, but..."
As he continued speaking, the face of the pretty boy in the middle grew darker. He hesitated, and both the left and right boys glanced at each other. It was obvious—they hadn't kept their voices down earlier. Of course, they both knew Aurora Perish and Hyacinth Chua must've heard everything.
As they were thinking this, the middle boy glanced at the spot where Hyacinth Chua and Aurora Perish had just left, watching as the elevator doors slowly closed.
Hyacinth Chua was well known throughout the entire school. Even if she seemed a little disoriented when it came to love, she excelled in both academics and looks—and she was great at sports, too. Not to mention, she was rich.
Who wouldn't like her? Everyone adored her—except for the Alphas who were secretly jealous, though they never showed it. Only a few, those with real power, dared to provoke her.
For Aurora Perish, her presence was almost invisible. She wasn't popular like Hyacinth Chua, nor was she particularly liked. People tended to ignore her, partly because it was well known that the clothes she wore weren't from high end brands. However, since she was friends with Hyacinth Chua, no one dared to bully her because of her status.
She wasn't particularly pretty or ugly—just average. But the middle boy, when he looked at her earlier, noticed something different. Her demeanor had changed. Her presence might not have stood out much, but she exuded a quiet confidence, as if she didn't care about what was happening around her.
And the way she looked earlier—something had changed. She was attractive, unlike her usual self, who never stood out from the crowd. She hadn't changed, yet somehow, she was more alluring than before. The pretty guy in the middle was confused by how Aurora Perish had changed overnight, so unlike the girl he used to know.
The boy on the left nudged the guy in the middle, offering him a comforting smile. "She probably didn't hear you," he said softly. The guy on the right nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no Alpha can resist you!"
The middle guy smiled, shaking his head slightly. "It's fine."