ICYM Ch 2

Episode 2

“Ah!”

The moment I realized what had happened, I instinctively pushed him away without thinking, forgetting that I was the one who had opened the door in a hurry.

Instead of the other person moving, the force of the push rebounded, and I was the one who got pushed back.

There was a staircase directly behind me, and I instinctively curled up and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I’d seriously hurt myself if I fell.

But when the sensation of falling didn’t come even after some time passed, I cautiously opened my eyes and saw the person gripping the front of my shirt, apparently having grabbed it at random.

“You—”

The other person tried to say something slowly, but I acted a step faster. The moment our eyes met, his gaze was so frightening, no, downright murderous, that I instinctively slapped their hand away with all my strength.

Smack.

“…Huh.”

I was the one who slapped them, yet I was more shocked than anyone. The other person said nothing, even after my little one-man show.

“……”

“…Sorry—I mean, thank you.”

I’m not someone who usually gets intimidated by others, but faced with someone towering well over 190 cm and with a physique to match, I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.

“You—”

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

Not wanting him to see how flustered and foolish I’d just acted, I quickly blurted it out and brushed past him.

I hadn’t planned to get close to anyone here, but I definitely had no intention of getting involved with someone that scary.

But he doesn’t smell like one of those foul-smelling Alphas…

I realized it a little too late and glanced back, but the person who’d been there had already disappeared.

* * *

Despite the dorm supervisor saying he’d be here soon, my roommate didn’t arrive until well after dinner time.

The window was open, and every time the breeze blew, the dry leaves rustled as they were swept along. Looking out, I could see green leaves untouched by the season alongside others that were just beginning to change color.

Knock knock.

The sudden knock made me quickly turn my head toward the door.

“Yes.”

No sooner had I answered than the door swung open as if they’d been waiting for it.

Was it finally the roommate? Still, the fact that he knocked first made me think they had at least some manners.

“You’re studying late even though it’s not exam season.”

But the first person to come into view was Mr. Higgins.

“I was just about to get ready for bed.”

“Is that so? Come on in.”

Mr. Higgins turned slightly and gave a nod toward the person standing behind him, signaling him to enter. A slightly shorter boy, with soft features, stepped in hesitantly. He’d been in a different class before, so I hadn’t paid him much attention.

“Are you in the same class?”

“…Yes.”

Unfortunately.

I clicked my tongue inwardly, swallowing the words I didn’t say aloud. Mr. Higgins, clearly thrilled at the idea of pairing me with someone, chirped something like, “Oh, since you’re both Betas, it’d be great if you got along.”

I don’t usually pay much attention to others, but compared to the rest, I actually knew a bit more about this one.

Because he was someone I needed to watch out for.

“Look at the female lead’s name. It’s amazing. Bryant—doesn’t it sound just brilliant?”

“…Get lost.”

Thanks to that idiot of a childhood friend who’d made that dumb pun^[1], I remembered the female lead’s last name clearly. And “Bryant” wasn’t exactly common, so it had to be him. Despite my clearly unenthusiastic response, Mr. Higgins beamed and gently pushed Owen Bryant into the room.

“I know you’re busy, but could you look after him for a while? You’re roommates, after all.”

“…Huh?”

Even at my half-hearted reaction, Mr. Higgins pressed on.

“Show him around the dorm, help him settle in. I’ll tell Augustine as well, but he’s in a different year.”

“……”

“Besides, he got injured right after the term started. It must be uncomfortable for him, don’t you think?”

I had thought it wasn’t any of my business whether he wore a cast in class or not, and now, suddenly, it was. I wasn’t so much sympathetic as I was already feeling the annoyance.

“…I’ll do my best.”

I made it sound convincing. Even though there was no chance I’d live up to Mr. Higgins’s hopes.

Once he got the answer he wanted, Mr. Higgins left. As I began tidying up my books, Owen, still standing by the door, spoke in a small voice.

“I’ll try my best not to be a bother.”

What were the odds that the female lead’s younger brother would end up being my roommate?

“…If something really bothers you, let me know.”

Which was basically telling him not to say anything unless it was serious. Still, Owen seemed to take my words as a kind gesture and nodded enthusiastically with a bright expression.

“Yeah! I’ll be in your care.”

“Sure. My bed’s over here, so you can use the one on the other side.”

“Thanks!”

Owen looked like he wanted to say something more, but I’d already plugged my earphones into my laptop and stuck them in my ears.

Unlike the others, I had only just transmigrated, so I had a long way to go to catch up with the pace of the classes.

The most important thing was to avoid getting involved with people tied to the novel’s main storyline.

Forget dating or whatever. I just need to focus on studying.

Just like I told my childhood friend, there was no way I was going to get distracted by romance.

* * *

If I had to name the one person I was closest to, it would be Augustine Rogers, an upperclassman.

It wasn’t like I’d completely cut myself off from socializing just because I kept a distance from most people. I needed help, especially when it came to academics, and it was only natural to grow close to someone who willingly offered me that help.

Among students who weren’t dominant Alphas, Augustine was easily the most popular.

Every weekend morning, we were the only two who came to study in the dorm library. It hadn’t even taken a day for us to become familiar.

“I think I can help you with any subjects we have in common. Would it be okay if I helped?”

“…Which subject do we have in common?”

“Economics.”

“That’s the subject I’m worst at.”

“Ask me anything. It’s the least I can do since I won’t be lonely on weekend mornings anymore.”

He didn’t mock me for falling behind right after entering school, and thanks to his clear explanations, it was easy for me to ask questions. I felt comfortable around him.

“Senior, I don’t understand this. Can you explain it to me?”

“Ah, yeah.”

At my question, Sunbae next to me set down his pen, dragged his chair over, and suddenly closed the distance between us.

Maybe it was because I used to be an Alpha before transmigrating, but most Alpha scents smelled unpleasant to me. Augustine, being a recessive Alpha, didn’t smell so bad. His pheromones weren’t overpowering.

“You really are all about studying, huh?”

He let out a small chuckle as he patted my head. At first, I was annoyed that someone younger than me was patting my head, but since he was basically like a teacher to me now, I let it slide.

“I came to a boarding school to get into a good university.”

“Still, don’t you want to have some fun?”

“Uh… Not really.”

Better to study now than mess around, fail the exams, and end up having to apologize to parents I barely even knew.

“It’s still a couple of months away, but the girls’ dorm is holding a joint event with us for Halloween.”

“Not going.”

“I haven’t even asked yet.”

“You were going to invite me, weren’t you?”

“You checked off that you will participate in almost every weekend activity.”

I had checked off every weekend trip and activity on this semester’s dorm schedule. He must’ve already seen it.

“I paid dorm fees, so I should take advantage of everything the dorm offers.”

“Then why not this one?”

“Because that one costs extra.”

I bit down on the end of my pen, locked in a silent standoff with a problem I couldn’t solve.

“I’ll pay for you.”

How could someone be this kind? He even offered to pay because he felt bad that all I did was study.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Why not?”

Normally, I might’ve accepted such a generous offer. But I remembered that the novel I transmigrated into officially kicked off when the male and female leads met at the Halloween party.

“…I don’t have any friends. You’ll be busy anyway.”

At my seemingly sincere excuse, his gaze turned sympathetic.

“You should try making some friends. Didn’t you get a new roommate? Have you gotten close to him?”

“…It’s uncomfortable.”

What bothered me most was that he actually wanted to get close. We shared a room and he was friendly, which made it harder and harder to keep ignoring him. There was a reason I’d come to the library early today.

“Then someone else, not him.”

“Everyone hates Betas. What’s the point in trying?”

“I don’t mind.”

“That’s because you’re weird.”

“You haven’t met everyone in the dorm, have you? I’m sure there are probably plenty of people who don’t care that someone’s a Beta.”

“That might be true, but I don’t really want to go that far.”

Sunbae chuckled at my cold reply and warned me that if all I ever did was study, I’d end up regretting it later.

But I didn’t change my mind.

There was another important reason I deliberately kept a wide distance from everyone.

Before transmigrating, I’d been an Alpha, albeit a recessive one, so I didn’t fully understand all the hardships. But I knew well enough that living as an Omega wasn’t easy.

Especially in a place full of Alphas like this.

I can’t let them find out.