Chapter 20: First Targets!

"Make sure to rewrite the report and give it back to me before lunch break," Theron said as he sat on the leather chair.

"Yes sir..."

Rin didn’t look back as he left Theron’s office, his heartbeat still hammering in his ears from that awkward, too-close encounter and also from seeing that expression on Elna’s face. Elna stood near the doorway with her arms crossed, and she offered him a calm smile, but Rin could see through it. There was no warmth in that smile... only warning.

He dipped his head politely and hurried past her. Behind him, the door clicked shut.

He placed a hand on his chest as he heaved a breath of relief.

Elna turned.

Theron didn’t even glance up. He returned to scribbling something on his desk, clearly trying to ignore the tension in the room.

Elna took her time, stepping closer until she was standing in front of his desk. Then, without hesitation, she unbuttoned the top part of her shirt.

"Not now, Elna," Theron said flatly, not even lifting his head.

She frowned, pouting.

"Not now? You’ve never refused me before. What’s wrong?"

"I’m busy." He answered. "Isn’t that obvious?"

"Is it because of him?" she asked, voice sharp.

That made Theron finally look up at her, wearing a confused expression on his face.

"Him? Who are you talking about?"

"Rin," Elna said plainly. "You’ve been... acting different ever since he arrived. I know you don’t like men, but someone that beautiful... even you aren’t made of stone."

Theron’s brows drew together.

"I’m not interested in men. Not Rin. Not anyone. Why would you think of something as stupid as that?"

Elna’s lips twitched.

"Then explain the mark I saw on his neck. Don’t play dumb, Theron. You were clearly pressed against him. I saw everything."

"That’s not from me," he muttered, looking genuinely irritated now. "And I warned you not to call me by my name, Elna "

"I... I apologise, Head Doctor,"

Elna’s smile faded. She buttoned her shirt again slowly, the tension rising.

"I’ll still find out. I won’t let some omega ruin what we have."

Theron tilted his head.

"What do we have?"

"Huh?" She asked, hiding her trembling hands behind her.

"Just because you spread your legs for me doesn’t mean we have something going on with each other, Elna. Don’t you fucking forget that,"

Elna didn’t say a word. No matter what Theron said, she was sure that he loved her. He just didn’t want to show it.

’I’ll make you prove how much you love me, Theron. Just wait!’ She thought to herself as she clenched her fist.

.

.

That day, Elna glued herself to Rin’s side like perfume on silk. She fetched reports, adjusted equipment, and smiled too sweetly whenever someone else tried to talk to him.

"Rin, can you grab a towel? It’s close to the Head Doctor’s office,"

"Okay, I’ll go..."

"Don’t worry, Rin," Elna cut him, with a smile. "I’ll go grab it for you. Just stay and do your job... To assist,"

Rin watched her leave. Even the nurses could tell what was happening.

"She must have seen him as a threat, right?"

"It’s definitely that,"

Elna even helped Rin rewrite his report, claiming she was just being nice. But Rin knew better. He saw the glint in her eye every time someone mentioned Theron’s name. It was as if she believed he was some kind of seductress sent to steal her man.

’This chick is gonna murder me in my sleep,’ Rin thought miserably, watching Elna grab a plain report sheet from the shelf, which he didn’t know existed. It looked like a form and all he needed to do was fill in the gap. That was probably the reason his report got thrown away.

She filled it neatly and he just let her help. If this kept him away from Theron, that was a win. The fewer awkward encounters, the better.

"Thank you, Elna," he smiled at her.

She lifted her head to meet his eyes.

"Thank you? Do you think I’m doing this for you? No way!" She slammed the ink pen on the table and leaned forward, almost pushing her face into his face. "I’m doing this so you can stay the fuck away from Theron. He’s mine, do you hear me?"

"Sure, sure, he’s yours. Hold on there, Wonder Woman," he waved his hand.

She took the form and walked away to submit it to Theron.

"Women sure do have a lot of personalities," he grumbled.

.

Evening crept in. The clinic emptied slowly. One by one, the nurses left, bidding Rin goodbye.

Well, all of them except Elna and Theron.

Rin looked around. Only two students remained, lying unconscious in the observation beds, still recovering from mana exhaustion or something else.

Theron finally packed up his things and walked out of his office. Elna saw he was finally leaving and also grabbed her own things.

She has been waiting for him ever since. Even if the male and female dorms weren’t close, she didn’t want to head out first and leave those two alone.

Elna turned quickly to Rin.

"Keep an eye on those two. If they wake up, tell them to go. Lock the clinic when you’re done."

Rin blinked.

"Wait, what? You’re leaving me alone with..."

"It’s just for a while," she said with a fake, sweet smile. "They’ll be up soon. Goodnight, Rin!"

Rin nodded reluctantly. Theron’s cold gaze met his for a second, and Rin bowed slightly, without saying any word.

They left together. Rin exhaled like a deflating balloon as he slumped into the chair, finally alone. The clinic lights hummed overhead.

Outside, the sky had gone dark.

He glanced at the two unconscious students who still lay there like they were dead. He was too lazy to walk up to them to check their condition... It’s not like he could tell what was wrong with them.

"They’re not dead, are they?" He grumbled.

"Please, just wake up and go," he muttered. "I need ten hours of sleep," he grumbled.

He wasn’t planning on going to the training hall to train with Lucien after what he pulled up last night. But, he was still concerned about his mission. It was a mission that was triggered by the deal he had with the Duke.

He won’t die if he fails anyway. However, his identity will be exposed and he’ll get sent to the Duke’s estate to be part of his ’Game’.

DING!

The system interface flickered into view like a ghost.

[SYSTEM ALERT!]

MISSION: Survive the Week

DAY: 2/7

THREAT LEVEL: HIGH

WARNING: Lucien’s Lovers Detected

OBJECTIVE: Survive 3 Critical Encounters (0/3)

REWARD: Unlock Skill - Pheromone Concealment Lv. 1 (+5 to all stats)

PENALTY FOR FAILURE: DEATH

Rin sat up, all sleepiness evaporating.

"What the fuck?! Detected? Who? Where?"

He looked around to see if they were crawling in through the window or maybe, the door.

But, he heard a soft creaking sound and turned his gaze toward the observation beds.

The students were waking up.

"Don’t tell me they are the one..." He mumbled.

Two pairs of eyes blinked open. Two bodies shifted under the sheets.

Rin’s stomach dropped as he watched them spring up from the bed and start cracking their bones because they’d been asleep for more than five hours or... Pretending to be asleep.

Their eyes locked on Rin.

Not on the ceiling... not around the room.

HIM.

They smiled and Rin’s blood immediately ran cold.

"Oh... fuck!" he whispered.

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