Thanks to Rin's memory, it was easy to find his way to the clinic. He had walked out of the staff dorm and it was empty. Everyone must have left to perform their duties, so he was the only one left.
He rushed to the clinic, avoiding the perverted gaze that was fixed on him. They were from both students, non-teaching staff and even the instructors.
'I shouldn't be that pretty, right?'
.
Rin didn't believe in hell until he opened the door to the academy's clinic. The moment Rin stepped through the clinic's door, the atmosphere shifted.
Within three seconds of stepping in, he realized two things:
The first one was that, he was prettier than anyone else in the building. And two, being pretty was a serious fucking problem.
Heads turned to look at him, it wasn't just a few.
Everyone.
A student tripped over a chair just trying to catch a second glance. Students sitting on the benches for their morning checkups blinked. A nurse paused in the middle of handing out temperature cards. Even the damn cleaning bot made by the magic students whirred to a halt like it needed a reboot.
Rin didn't flinch. He just adjusted his white clinic coat, clutched the clipboard to his chest, and walked past like he wasn't actively trying to prevent a heat-induced mass incident.
Calm the fuck down, he told himself. You're a beta. A boring, average, don't-touch-me beta. That's your story and you're sticking to it. The lie tasted like shit in his mouth, especially with the way his body started warming up beneath his clothes.
But Rin's new body? It was too good.
Porcelain skin that looked dusted with moonlight. Crimson eyes so deep they sparkled with violet when caught in the sun. Glossy white hair tied messily at the nape of his neck, with soft strands that curled around his face in an almost flirty way.
And his scent...
Shit.
He knew something was wrong the second the air around him turned slightly warmer. He could smell the edge of it: sweet, heady, with some sharp floral undertone he couldn't name. It clung to his skin like honey left in the sun.
Someone sneezed.
A low cough came from a boy nearby.
Then, whispers.
"Is he new?"
"Is that the clinic assistant?"
"He's... wow."
Rin kept walking like nothing was happening, but inside, his brain was exploding.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. Don't react. Don't look anyone in the eye. Don't breathe too hard or you'll start panting like a heat-starved idiot.
The clinic wasn't huge... just a wide hallway of white doors with little brass tags: Treatment Room A, Storage, Break Room.
Heat/Rut room... it had a metal door.
The receptionist, a shy beta girl named Elna, sat behind a tall desk.
She stood when she saw him.
"O-Oh! Good morning!" she blurted, her cheeks flushing violently. "Are... are you Rin?"
He nodded stiffly.
Her hands trembled as she handed him a clipboard.
"You're even prettier than the rumours said..."
Rin gave her a tight smile, trying to think of his next words and maybe reply like a normal human that he was...
"I like soap," he said flatly.
Elna had a confused expression fixed on her face when she heard what he said.
"I mean... thank you," he corrected himself immediately, taking the clipboard and walking off before he would faint from embarrassment.
By the time he reached the back office, two more nurses had peeked in just to "see if anyone needed help."
They didn't.
They just wanted to stare and look at Rin.
He finally found his way to the storage room, locked the door behind him, exhaled hard, and nearly slammed his head on the small table.
"Of course," he muttered. "Of course, this trash world gave me a face that belongs in a romance sim and the pheromones of a damn sex candle."
He tugged the collar of his uniform away from his neck, already starting to sweat. The heat was building slowly, yet quickly. But it was there... bubbling just under his skin like a fever. He clenched his fists.
He had taken suppressants before reaching the clinic and it hadn't kicked in.
This wasn't supposed to happen so fast.
According to the mirror, he had three days. But no. His scent was already leaking. It was subtle now, but give it an hour and he'd be walking around like a walking aphrodisiac.
He needed blockers.
Immediately.
Rin dug through the drawers, hoping to find some emergency supplies. Most medical centres kept a stash for unexpected early heats or scent clashes. But every drawer he opened was filled with bandages, gloves, energy drinks, and pain patches.
There weren't any scent blockers, no stronger suppressants.
Just a pile of heat packs and lube in one particularly cursed drawer.
He slammed it shut so fast he nearly broke his wrist.
"Why am I not surprised?"
A knock sounded.
He jumped at the sound.
It was Elna again, her voice high and unsure.
"Um, Rin? There's a student here with a twisted ankle. Do you want to observe?"
Rin took a deep breath, forced a sweet smile, and opened the door.
"Sure. Happy to help." She replied to his smile with an even warmer smile as she clasped her hands together.
Worst mistake of the morning.
Well, that was because the student wasn't a regular one.
He was tall and handsome. Definitely an Alpha.
And he stopped cold the moment he stepped into the clinic, his nose twitching slightly.
"Since when do omegas work in the school clinic?" he asked, eyes scanning the room.
Rin backed away slowly, waiting for the perfect opportunity to run.
The student's face flushed red, his pupils dilating just a little too much. He was definitely an Alpha, so he could perceive faster than the beta nurses.
"Oh no," Rin muttered.
One nurse bent slightly, touching her own collarbone.
"Is it just me, or is the air kind of... sweet?"
Then the door opened again. Two more students wandered in. Both Alphas. Both immediately stiffened like hounds catching a trail.
"Huh? What is this smell?"
"It's faint, but fuck—what is that?"
They began sniffing.
SNIFFING.
Rin was going to die.
His body was overheating. The soft hum of his scent thickened like sugar melting in a pan. It was everywhere now... drifting through the air like invisible poison. Invisible bait.
He needed out.
"Shit, shit, shit..." Rin bolted past the curious students, slipped through the hallway, and yanked open the bathroom door.
He slipped into one of the rooms and locked it behind him before collapsing against the tile wall with his chest heaving.
His skin felt like it was glowing, his bones hummed and his face was burning red. Even he was starting to feel aroused, which was exactly as terrible as it sounded.
From outside, he heard murmurs.
'Don't tell me they tracked me already?'
"Where'd they go?"
"I swear they were here."
"Can't you track the scent?"
"I'm trying, dumbass! It's fading... wait. It's coming from..."
And then.
Silence. He could just hear the sound of his thumping in his chest.
Suddenly, a voice echoed. It was cold, deep, not loud. Just... commanding.
"Leave."
Something in the tone made the rest fall quiet instantly.
"But..."
"I said leave. I hate repeating myself,"
Footsteps shuffled and the doors slammed closed.
Rin blinked, feeling relieved.
Whoever that was, they just saved him from a very public meltdown.
He waited a full minute. Then two.
Just as he started to relax, thinking maybe he'd gotten away clean...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A knuckle tapped the bathroom door. It sounded so deliberate.
That same commanding voice followed.
"How long are you going to remain in there... Come out," it said, "Or I'll break down this door."