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Chapter Text

Title: Seigaku Academy

Summary: Seigaku has just become a coed school for Alphas, Betas, and Omegas for the first time in history. Not only has the school had to open up to mixed education with Omegas, but its clubs as well. How will the members of the tennis club react when the Omega tennis club merges with theirs?

Clarification Notes:

Disclaimer: Seigaku Academy is a fanfiction based on Prince of Tennis, which is obviously not my property. Only the story in which the characters are developed is mine.

Omegaverse This fic is an Omegaverse of Prince of Tennis. The first thing I need to say is that the concept of Omegaverse is not mine; it is a fandom concept that has proliferated, especially in English-language fics. Let me explain a bit about what the Omegaverse is (explanation taken from a copy-paste on Google).

The Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta/Omega, or Omegaverse is a type of alternate universe that originated in the Supernatural fandom and has spread to others like Inception, X-Men: First Class, Sherlock, Teen Wolf…

The basic concept is that people (or at least men) are divided into Alphas and Omegas (or Alphas, Betas, and Omegas). Alphas are sexually dominant and sometimes have a bulb at the base of their penis, similar to dogs and other canids (this feature comes from werewolf fics). Omegas are submissive, go into heat, and can get pregnant. If Betas are present, they are a middle ground between Alphas and Omegas.

The Omegaverse can vary widely from one fanfiction to another. Universes where Omegas are considered possessions of Alphas and little more than walking baby factories, societies where most Betas resent Alphas and Omegas for being considered "special," worlds that are practically like ours, where people aspire to equality between classes…

Most Alpha/Omega fics contain slash with mpreg. Depending on the author, women may not exist, be all Omegas, be Omegas and Betas, or even be Alphas (in this case, according to the universe, female Alphas can have a penis and even be capable of producing semen).

Elements that can be found in the Omegaverse:

• Social hierarchies based on biology/sexual orientation;
• Lycanthropy;
• Heat in humans (people going into heat);
• Mpreg (male pregnancy);
• Knotting (penises with a bulb);
• Animalistic behaviors (especially during heat);
• Heightened senses (especially smell);
• Futanari (women with penises, particularly if they are Alphas);
• Unbreakable bonds between partners;
• Dub-con and non-con;
• Forced pregnancy;
• Multiple pregnancies;
• Feminization of male characters;
• Union and reproduction controlled by the government.

***

In my fic specifically: Alphas are sexually dominant; they tend to be physically strong and will discover some Alpha powers throughout the story. Omegas: They are sexually submissive (but only sexually), go into heat twice a year starting when their body is ready to reproduce, typically around 13 or 14 years old. They have some peculiarities when they are about to go into heat (which alerts their family that heat season is approaching) similar to women with pre-menstrual syndrome, signaling that those days are coming XD. Betas: They could be considered the normal people, the most abundant, with a primary instinct to protect Omegas since they don’t react to their heat and obey Alphas. This is embedded in their DNA and is their nature.

You’ll also find a lot of:

• Heat in humans (meaning heat, as Omegas in my fic experience heat);
• Mpreg (Male pregnancy);
• Knotting (Penises with a bulb, with Alphas staying attached to their Omega for a little while to give them affection after orgasm);
• Heightened senses, especially smell (An Alpha can smell an Omega and their heat season from meters away, which is why they are so sensitive to pheromones and Omegas are also sensitive to Alpha pheromones);
• Animalistic behavior (particularly during heat) because here, humans descend from animals (like us), and they are more in touch with their animal side, doing some things by instinct, like mating;
• Unbreakable bonds between partners (if you find your soulmate… Some people never do). And we’ll see what else; I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter Text

Prologue

“The Omegas are not less than the Alphas,” Nanjiro Echizen warned seriously. No one was surprised, after all, Nanjiro only had one son, Ryoma Echizen, and it was well known that the young man was an Omega.

“No one is saying that, Nanjiro,” Taro Sakaki said seriously. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to turn Seishun Gakuen into a co-ed school,” he insisted. “Omegas are fine having their own schools, and Alphas and Betas have theirs. We must protect our Omegas, and this is much safer.”

“But that only fosters more sexist culture,” Nanjiro stated to the council. “By opening a co-ed school where both Omegas and Alphas and Betas study and participate in club activities together, we will foster a culture of greater equality.”

“But you’re forgetting that they are not the same, Nanjiro. An Alpha doesn’t go into heat, nor can they get pregnant like an Omega,” Taro Sakaki reminded him.

“Well, it’s true that Omegas go into heat and that Alphas are weak to it, and yes, it’s true that Omegas can get pregnant, but it’s also true that Alphas, Omegas, and Betas are all human beings. There are intelligent ones, idiots, cute ones, ugly ones; there are all kinds. Turning Seishun Gakuen into a co-ed school will be a good thing for both Alphas and Omegas,” Nanjiro assured.

“Well,” interrupted Sumire Ryuzaki, the president of the educational council, “It’s time to put this to a vote,” she ruled.

Times were changing. At first, Omegas were kept jealously as the valuable property they were. They were only taught how to take care of children and do household chores. Over time, thanks to human rights organizations, they were allowed a basic education, as many Omegas, being the property of their Alphas, were mistreated by them, leading some to suicide. After basic education, they advanced to complete education. Now, there were universities for Omegas and others for Alphas and Betas. There were professional Omegas, just like Alphas, though it was in the nature of Omegas to be more home-oriented, leaning toward marriage, family, and children. Still, many could opt for careers if they wanted to, and equal rights had been achieved over the years. It was not rare for most Omegas who wanted to work to choose jobs that allowed them to stay at home, but others preferred to work outside.

Of course, they had their rights. Omegas during their heat were excused from showing up for work; no one could work with an Omega in heat beside them, and most (especially if they were Alphas) would only fight to be able to have sex with them. An Omega had the right to maternity leave, among other things. But despite the progress made in equal rights, it couldn’t be said that everything had been achieved.

Omegas still had their own schools and universities, and inter-school tournaments were never co-ed. This was what was being fought for today—to turn Seishun Gakuen, better known as Seigaku, into a co-ed school where Omegas, Alphas, and Betas would study together, take classes together, and participate in club activities. It was a pilot project, but many were convinced that it was a new way to teach Alphas that, despite the physical peculiarities of Omegas and their nature, mentally they were equal.

The more conservative ones, who only wanted to protect the virtue of the Omegas from any possible harm, disagreed with the idea of mixing Alphas, Betas, and Omegas at such a young age. They believed the only time they should mix was when the Omegas were adults and had the tools to know how to handle and avoid an Alpha.

To the joy of Nanjiro Echizen, who only wanted the best for his son, his proposal was approved by a majority vote. That August, when classes began, Seigaku would open its doors for the first time as a co-ed school.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Reactions

Classes hadn’t started yet. It was still summer vacation, but some clubs—especially sports clubs like Seigaku’s tennis club—had summer practice sessions. Oni Jujiro, the team’s coach, looked at his players seriously as he ordered them to stop training and gather around. He had to deliver the news he had received the day before.

"Coach," the ever-serious Tezuka Kunimitsu greeted him once everyone had gathered, standing in a semicircle in front of their tall, red-haired coach.

"Guys, I have some news for you," Oni said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Even he wasn’t quite sure how to react to the announcement. "Do you all know about Rikkaidai Academy?" he asked.

All the boys nodded, some with knowing smirks. Of course, they all knew about Rikkaidai Academy—it was the small Omega academy in the area. It was small because the number of Omegas in that region wasn’t particularly high. Many had tried to sneak a peek inside the school to catch a glimpse of a cute Omega at least once… but without success.

"Well, at the start of the new school year, Rikkaidai will be closing its doors because it’s merging with Seigaku. From this year onward, Seigaku will be a mixed school for Alphas, Betas, and Omegas," he informed them. "The first in its history."

The young Alphas gathered there exchanged surprised looks.

"Coach," Inui Sadaharu, one of the team's two data analysts, spoke up. "Are you serious? Omegas studying at Seigaku?" he asked, and if anyone had been able to see behind his glasses, they would have noticed the sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes, that’s right," Oni confirmed, making a face as several of the boys began celebrating the news with genuine excitement. The most enthusiastic ones—Oshitari Yushi, Oshitari Kenya, and Sengoku Kiyosumi—looked like they were about to break into a celebratory dance. Others, like Captain Tezuka and Vice-Captain Sanada Genichirou, seemed a bit more unsettled by the news, though as true Alphas, they didn’t appear displeased in the slightest. Of course, that part of the news wouldn’t bother them—it wouldn’t have bothered him back when he was a student either. Having cute, hormonal teenage Omegas at school when he had been an Alpha in the prime of his youth? He would’ve loved that.

"Yeah, this is great," Oshitari said aloud. Oni hid a smile—now came the moment when he had to deliver the bad news.

"But that’s not all, boys," Oni raised his hands to silence them, and they immediately obeyed. "We’ve been instructed to make the Omegas feel comfortable, and as a result, their clubs will be merging with ours," he informed them.

"Please tell me they don’t have a tennis club," Sanada said, very seriously.

"They do," Oni sighed. "So, we’ve been ordered to merge their club with ours," the redhead announced.

"What?!" several of the boys exclaimed at once.

"Omegas playing tennis?" Shishido Ryou asked in disbelief.

"As regular players?" Yanagi Renji questioned, furrowing his brow.

"What the hell is an Omega supposed to do in an official tournament?" Yagyuu Hiroshi asked. "We compete against other Alpha and Beta schools," he reminded them.

"Exactly. If they play in a tournament against other schools with us, the other Alphas will crush them," Oshitari said seriously. "Or are all schools going to be mixed now?" he questioned. Everyone looked at Oni curiously, waiting for an answer.

"No, for now, it’s just us. We’ll be the first mixed school, and we’re more or less a test subject. If it works, more mixed schools will open. If not, they’ll likely go back to educational segregation," Oni explained.

"Well, it’s definite then, Coach," Sengoku said. "I love Omegas—almost more than anything in the world—but our rivals are often very strong. They’d crush them if they played against them, and it would be disastrous for our club. We’d surely lose any matches they played in," he complained.

"Well, we just have to let them join the club, not play," Akutsu Jin interrupted, sounding bored. "Look at the bright side—honestly, we need managers. We don’t have anyone to handle drinks and towels. Not to mention the hassle of picking up balls and setting up the nets," he pointed out. After all, wasn’t it in an Omega’s instincts to take care of Alphas?

Everyone stared at Akutsu in surprise. The truth was, the aggressive boy could occasionally say intelligent things.

"Well, honestly, Akutsu has a point," Momoshiro Takeshi agreed. "The last time we drew lots to see who would handle that, Inui and Yanagi were picked, and they nearly poisoned us when they swapped our water bottles for their concoctions," he reminded them. Half the team shuddered at the memory, while the other half kept straight faces—but internally, they shuddered too.

"Well, in that case, I wouldn’t mind if they joined our club," Tachibana Kippei admitted. Having cute Omegas taking care of them sounded pretty good.

“What do you think, Coach?” Kenya asked Oni.

“Well, we could see, but I don’t think they’ll be too happy about it. Apparently, the omegas from Rikkaidai are the two-time champions of the Omega category in tennis” he informed them.

“So, they’re good at tennis, then?” Tezuka asked seriously.

“In the Omega category, yes, very much so” Oni nodded.

“Yes, but that’s in the Omega category, where they play against other omegas like them” Senri Chitose reminded them, just in case Tezuka started sympathizing too much with the omegas and let them play. That would be disastrous for the club. They couldn’t afford to lose this year; they wanted to win Nationals.

“If they played against alphas or even betas, it could be dangerous for the omegas’ physical health” Shiraishi said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, imagine if they had to play against a beast like Akutsu or Momoshiro” Shishido said, earning dark looks from the mentioned players. But they were two of the guys with the most aggressive and powerful playstyles in Seigaku.

“Well, that’s true” Sanada agreed seriously. Any good alpha should protect omegas, and alpha and beta tennis courts were no place for them. They would let them be club managers; they could definitely use the help, after all.

“Well” Oni said hesitantly. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy, but one could still have faith, right?

“We will take care of organizing the club for the omegas' arrival and outlining their tasks as managers so we can inform them when they get here” Tezuka said seriously, looking at his vice-captain, who nodded. That was their job.

“For the omegas' uniforms… Can they wear shorts?” Sengoku asked hopefully.

“No” Sanada said sternly. “None of you will get perverted with our new managers” he warned, especially looking at the Oshitari cousins and Sengoku. “We will treat them with respect and make them feel welcome as our new managers. Understood?” he asked seriously.

“Yes, fuku-buchou!” they all responded like good little soldiers.

Poor, innocent Seigaku boys, who truly thought it would be that easy. They had no idea what was coming for them. They believed all omegas were like their "mothers," but they had no clue what it was like to deal with hormonal teenage omegas on a daily basis.

Managers? Ha. They’d see if the omegas accepted such blasphemy.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Omegas

Coach Kanata Irie boarded the bus, adjusting his magnifying glasses over his golden eyes, and counted the heads to ensure none of his tennis club members were missing. There were all sixteen of them, so he sat next to Yukimura Seiichi, the captain of the tennis team, and signaled the bus driver that they could depart.

Through the mirror, Kanata could see his boys. At the back were the two first-year aces, Ryoma Echizen and Kintaro Tooyama. Kintaro was speaking at a thousand miles per minute, while Ryoma barely responded, ignoring him. On the other side, Hikaru Zaisen and Kawamura Takashi sat silently. Eiji Kikumaru and Gakuto Mukahi shared a seat, likely discussing their acrobatics in the last match; they often teamed up for doubles. Chotaro Otoori and Dan Taichi were probably chatting about Seigaku, as they had been the most enthusiastic about the school and club merger. Kamio Akira and Kaoru Kaidoh shared a seat, with Kamio listening to music on his MP4 while Kaidoh rested with his eyes closed. Masaharu Niou and Fuji Syusuke were talking, while Kirihara snored on Ibu Shinji’s shoulder, who was muttering things, probably complaining about how early it was, especially in the summer. In the seat behind them was Atobe Keigo, the vice-captain, reviewing papers handed to him by Yukimura.

Kanata Irie had gathered the club members to visit Seigaku. He thought it was a good idea that if the two clubs were now to become one, the team captains should meet. Some of them had received the news with joy, while others were more reserved. Kanata prayed everything would go well, as, while he had sweet boys like Chotaro and Dan, he also had demons like Kirihara, Yukimura, and Fuji.

The trip to Seigaku went smoothly. Kanata had already spoken with Oni Jujiro by phone to organize the meeting between the two tennis teams. Soon they arrived at the school that would soon be their new home, and Kanata got off the bus with the rest of the students.

"Kanata Irie-san?" asked a tall man with black hair, gray eyes, and a serious expression. Kanata nodded.

"Welcome to Seigaku, I’m Tokugawa Kazuya, the school counselor," he introduced himself. "And this," he pointed to the man beside him, "is Yamato Yudai, the school nurse."

"Please follow me," Yamato said with a smile, guiding all the omegas, both the adolescent players and the blonde coach. "We’ll take you to the tennis courts. The team and Oni are waiting there."

"Thank you," Kanata said with a smile, and they followed him to Seigaku's tennis courts, which were quite impressive. They were large and well-equipped, and Kanata was pleased to see they were as good as those at Rikkaidai, which had been a concern for him with all the school change.

"Oni," Yamato called to a large redhead—or at least, that’s how Kanata saw him—"the boys from Rikkaidai have arrived." "Kanata-san, this is Oni Jujiro, the coach of Seigaku’s team. Oni, this is Kanata Irie, the coach of Rikkaidai’s team, your future colleague," Yamato introduced them. "Well, we’ll be going now," he said, taking Tokugawa’s hand and dragging him away.

"It’s a pleasure, Jujiro-sama," Kanata said, extending his hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Oni said, gently taking the hand of the small blonde with glasses, being careful not to hurt him.

"Boys," Oni called loudly to the sixteen members of Seigaku's tennis club, and they quickly stopped their training and gathered in an orderly fashion, forming a perfect line. "Greet Coach Irie and your new teammates," Oni ordered.

The young players bowed to the blonde and the boys standing behind him. At a signal from Kanata, his boys returned the bow in kind.

"I hope you take care of my boys," Kanata said with a kind smile.

"This is Tezuka, Seigaku's captain," Oni introduced the brown-haired young man who approached them, "and this is Sanada Geinshiiro, the vice-captain. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to reach out to them," Oni kindly informed the young omegas. "Come, I’ll show you the facilities first," he invited the Rikkaidai team. "Return to training," he ordered his players, except for Tezuka, who would accompany them, while Sanada stayed behind to supervise.

"These are the boys’ locker rooms and showers," Oni pointed to a long building with two doors. "And this is yours," he pointed to the omegas’ area. It had once been a single locker room, but they had built a wall to divide it into two, providing more privacy for the omegas. "If any alpha tries to come in here, just let me know," Oni assured them, earning a grateful smile from Kanata. It seemed things were going much better than he had expected.

"Who’s your captain?" Tezuka asked, looking at the omegas with curiosity, though his serious expression didn’t reveal his emotions.

"That would be me, Yukimura Seiichi," a purple-haired boy introduced himself, "and this is my partner, the vice-captain, Atobe Keigo," he pointed to the gray-haired boy with a charming mole beside him.

"Alright, I’ll need the uniform measurements for your team members, so we can have their uniforms ready when they arrive here at the start of classes," Tezuka informed them. In response, Yukimura handed him a piece of paper.

"There you go," he said, already ahead of the group. Tezuka nodded approvingly.

"Are we going to see the courts now? This way, you can watch a bit of the training," Oni told the omega boys, who nodded; that was what they were most looking forward to. They all headed back to the courts, where the Seigaku team had resumed their training.

"Let’s join the training, Koshimae!" Kintaro Tooyama shouted, full of excitement, pulling Ryoma by the arm. Ryoma didn’t say anything but allowed himself to be dragged by Kintaro, which, in Ryoma’s language, was a "fine."

"Kintaro, calm down," Yukimura ordered seriously. "We came here to watch, not to cause trouble. We're not part of Seigaku yet," he reminded him, managing to get an unhappy pout from the loud and wild red-haired boy.

"About that..." Oni looked at Tezuka, as he wouldn't deliver the news.

"We are very happy that you're joining our team," Tezuka said diplomatically. "We've been missing a softer hand here. We've never had managers," he told them, trying to put on a kind expression, though not with much success. He was serious by nature.

"Managers?" Yukimura asked, turning his serious face to Tezuka, and he wasn’t the only one; Fuji and Kirihara’s necks almost cracked from how quickly they turned to glare at Kunimitsu. In fact, the whole atmosphere had become tense, and the Seigaku team had stopped training, watching the omega group. "We’re tennis players... not just tennis players. We’re bi-champions of the Japanese national youth championship for two consecutive years," he warned, his fists clenched at his sides.

"I apologize if I offended you," Tezuka said, as diplomatic as ever. "I didn’t mean anything else, I’m sure you’re excellent players, but in the Omega categories... trying to compete with Alphas would be suicide. And I regret to inform you that Seigaku, being the only mixed school for now, all our games will be against Alpha and Beta teams," he reminded them reasonably.

"Mada, mada, dane," Ryoma’s voice was heard, even serious Ryoma was ready for battle now.

"Shhhh," that was Kaidoh, and Kanata didn’t need to turn to know.

"Guys, calm down," Chotaro whispered nervously. Dan had immediately stuck to him; everyone on the team was now ready for battle.

"Do you seriously think that, peasant?" Atobe asked indignantly. Without letting him answer, because it was obvious what those foolish Alphas thought, he continued speaking. "You’re a team of all Alphas, right?" he asked seriously.

"Almost entirely, we’ve had a Beta here and there," Sanada nodded seriously, standing next to Tezuka.

Atobe exchanged a look with Yukimura, who nodded, giving his approval.

"Since it’s like that and you think we don’t have the strength to face other Alphas, why don’t we prove it here and now? Let’s have a tournament between Alphas and Omegas," Atobe challenged with that arrogance only he could have. "If you win, we’ll accept being the managers of this second-rate club. If we win, we’ll be the starting players too and play in the tournaments."

"Guys, wait," Kanata tried to stop them. "We need to behave. We’re just here for a visit," he tried to reason, better to let Oni see the talent of his guys and then there was no need to escalate it to extremes; everyone was supposed to be teammates.

For his part, Oni sighed. He would have preferred to spare the Omegas from this unpleasant situation, but it was better for them to see the difference in strength right now.

"I think the best thing for everyone will be to have this duel," Oni opined. Kanata looked at him, then at his guys, and sighed.

"Just so you know, I tried to stop it," he sighed and nodded. His guys took off their jackets, revealing their Rikkaidai uniforms, and took their rackets out of their backpacks.

"Both teams have sixteen members," Fuji informed Yukimura, quickly counting the Alphas.

Yukimura nodded.

"Alright," he called Tezuka’s attention. "Since we have sixteen members, you and us, how about we play five doubles and six singles?"

Tezuka nodded.

"We’ll split it into two sets, one with five and another with six games each. How does that sound?" Tezuka proposed. Yukimura nodded. "The first set will have two doubles and three singles, the second set will have three doubles and three singles," Tezuka informed.

"Coach," Yukimura nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Kanata adjusted his glasses with another sigh."For the first set: Doubles two will be Kaoru Kaidoh and Kirihara Akaya, doubles one will be Eiji Kikumaru and Chotaro Otoori. Singles three will be Dan Taichi, singles two Ryoma Echizen, and singles one Syusuke Eiji," he announced. "For the second set, doubles three will be Ibu Shinji and Kamio Akira, doubles two will be Gakuto Mukahi and Masaharu Niou, doubles three will be Kawamura Takashi and Hikaru Zaisen. Singles three will be Atobe Keigo, singles two Kintaro Tooyama, and singles one Yukimura Seiichi," he assigned them all.

Oni nodded.

"For the Seigaku Alpha team, for the first set: Doubles two will be Yanagi Renji and Inui Sadaharu, doubles one will be Oshi Shuichiro and Shishido Ryou, singles three will be Akutsu Jin, singles two will be Momoshiro Takeshi, singles one will be Tezuka Kunimitsu," he assigned for the first set. "For the second set, doubles three will be Kippei Tachibana and Chitose Senri, doubles two will be Oshitari Yushi and Yagyu Hiroshi, doubles one will be Kenya Oshitari and Sengoku Kiyosumi. Singles three will be Kabaji Munehiro, singles two will be Shiriaishi Kuranosuke, and singles one will be Sanada Genshiiro. All the matches will be played, and the total results of each match will be considered," the tall redhead indicated.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: First Set Showdown

“Given the number of matches, and since we have several courts available, we’ll begin the second doubles match on the next court in 10 minutes,” Oni suggested kindly. He didn’t believe the omegas would need more than 10 minutes to get their boys ready. “Would you like to be the referee?” he asked Kanata politely.

“You better do it,” Kanata replied with a smile, gently shaking his head. Oni nodded. “I’ll take the second court when the second doubles match begins.”

“Yanagi, Inui,” he called out to the team’s data boys. The black-haired boy with glasses and the brown-haired one with closed eyes immediately approached the coach. Oni looked at the two omegas who would be playing the first doubles match—Kaoru Kaidoh and Akaya Kirihara. Oni had a good memory for names. “Don’t be too harsh, remember they’re omegas,” he reminded them. Inui and Yanagi nodded in agreement. The four young men walked onto the court while Akaya stepped forward with his racket.

“Heads or tails?” he asked, to decide the side of the court and who would serve.

Yanagi and Inui exchanged a look. Given the way the seaweed-haired boy was holding the racket, there was no doubt how it would land. Inui shook his head, and Yanagi nodded in agreement with his partner.

“Tails,” he said, choosing the losing side. Indeed, Kirihara’s “K” landed face up.

“Our serve. We’ll take this side of the court,” Kirihara said after glancing at Kaoru, who nodded.

Everyone took their positions.

“Serve for Kirihara from Rikkaidai,” Oni announced, marking the start of the game.

Kirihara began the match. There was a good rally; both Kirihara and Kaidoh realized that Inui and Yanagi were showing them "mercy" to avoid humiliating them by prolonging the rally… big mistake on their part.

“Kaoru, give them a little taste,” Kirihara said with a twisted smile.

“Snake!” several of the omegas watching shouted when Kaidoh hit the ball, leaving Inui and Yanagi stunned—they hadn’t expected such a strike from an omega. The two Data Men looked at each other, impressed. They had underestimated that omega, and now realizing they had underestimated Kaoru, they weren’t about to take Kirihara lightly either.

“We’re just getting started,” Kirihara mocked them.

“Shhh,” Kaidoh backed him up.

“We’re going to crush you,” Kirihara pointed his racket at them.

“15-0.” Even Oni was stunned.

“Kirihara-san holds the record for the shortest match—14 minutes and 2 seconds in the last tournament,” Kanata kindly informed Oni.

From that moment, the match exploded. The two Data Men, to the surprise of their teammates, were forced to use all their special techniques—from the data-based tennis they were known for, to Yanagi Renji’s Kamaitachi and Utsusemi, as well as Inui’s Super High-Speed Serve, Jack Knife, and Waterfall.

But the two omegas were proving to be scarily good, matching the Data Men’s rhythm. From Kaoru Kaidoh’s Snake, Short Snake, and Boomerang Snake that made the alphas run, to Kirihara’s Split Steps, which made it hard for the Data Men to score. They also had to be cautious of his Knuckle Serve—a serve far too aggressive to be coming from an omega, they both thought. His Phantom Ball and Red Snake weren’t a joke either.

The real shock came when Inui used his Jack Knife. Kaoru tripped, and his racket went flying—hitting Kirihara. Kaoru got up from the ground, and his eyes had turned red. Kirihara, lifting his head, had the same red eyes.

“Are you guys okay?” Inui asked, concerned, walking toward the net with Yanagi about to jump over to check on the two omegas.

“We’re going to mince you,” Kirihara swore with a maniacal grin, while Kaoru licked his lips with a chilling expression.

“We’ll paint you red,” Kaoru added. The alphas had no way of knowing, but both Kaoru and Kirihara had entered Devil Mode—the same one that had injured many players before. The game on the second court was about to begin, and Kanata, busy giving instructions to Chotaro and Eiji (playing the first doubles of the second set), hadn’t noticed in time to stop them.

Kirihara launched his Knuckle Serve. Yanagi returned it, Kaidoh hit it back, and when Inui sent it again, Kirihara used his Napalm—a smash aimed directly at the opponent’s body. The unlucky target was Inui, who was hit in the knee and stumbled.

“Oops… that was an accident. Are you okay?” Kirihara approached the net with a feigned look of concern, which neither Data Man believed. Kirihara Akaya had done it on purpose—with Kaoru Kaidoh’s help.

“You two…” Inui began with a frown, standing up with Yanagi’s help, but Kanata interrupted.

“No, Kirihara, Kaoru,” the blond called out, adjusting his glasses. Dan Taichi had warned him, so he had rushed to stop them. “You won’t injure anyone today,” he declared. “Oni-sama, Kaoru and Akaya are disqualified. The match goes to the boys by default,” Kanata stated firmly.

“What?!” Kaidoh exclaimed.

“They started it!” Kirihara protested.

“I said to the bench, now. Drink some water and cool off,” Kanata ordered. Both boys growled but obeyed. Oni was completely bewildered, trying to process what had just happened. The match was tied 3-3.

“Game for Seigaku by default,” he finally announced.

“Let’s spray some anti-inflammatory on your knee,” Yanagi said to his partner.

“No need, I’m fine,” Inui insisted.

“Better safe than sorry,” Yanagi replied, and Inui let himself be led away.

The second doubles match began.

Eiji Kikumaru and Chotaro Ootori for the omegas, and Oishi Shuichiro and Shishido Ryou for the alphas. This time, Oni didn’t make the mistake of telling his players to go easy on the omegas. If they were anything like Kirihara Akaya and Kaoru Kaidoh, that wouldn’t be a smart move. They had clearly underestimated them.

As soon as the match began, Kikumaru and Ootori completely dominated, making things difficult for Shishido and Oishi. Kikumaru was a born acrobat—the boys had never seen an acrobatic style like the one the cheerful, innocent boy displayed, leaping across the court. And then there was Chotaro Ootori’s serve. They had always believed Inui Sadaharu had the fastest serve at 200 km/h, but Ootori’s Neo Scud Serve reached 215 km/h. With Chotaro Ootori at the baseline and Eiji Kikumaru at the net, Oishi and Shishido struggled to keep up.

The game ended 6-4, much to the alphas’ surprise. The omegas jumped around in celebration—Chotaro smiling shyly as Kikumaru climbed on him with joy. Oishi smiled without realizing it, despite having just lost. Eiji Kikumaru seemed incredibly sweet to him—almost like a child, with so much joy and energy. The two alphas approached the net and shook hands with the omegas.

“Your acrobatic play is impressive,” Oishi complimented Kikumaru, making him blush, “but you need to work on your stamina. Toward the end, your movements slowed. If the rally had lasted longer, you might’ve run out of energy,” he advised, just as he would have any teammate. For Oishi, the omegas had proven themselves in both matches. If they were all like these boys, he didn’t understand why there was any debate.

“Thanks,” Kikumaru nodded. “I know stamina is my biggest problem,” he added, scratching his head with a grin. “Your Moon Volley is amazing—Chotaro and I couldn’t do anything against it!” he said enthusiastically.

“Thank you,” Oishi laughed at the praise.

“You! You should have more confidence in yourself,” Shishido said bluntly to Chotaro, surprising him. “Don’t be so shy. You’re a great player,” he added in his usual brusque tone, and Chotaro smiled timidly.

“You’re a great player too,” Chotaro replied softly—being shy was just his nature.

Singles 3 began immediately. Akutsu Jin stepped in to give it his all and crush whatever omega dared face him. He wouldn’t underestimate them, unlike his teammates. It didn’t matter who the opponent was—he’d crush them. Or so he thought… until he saw the small, trembling boy staring at him in fascination when they greeted at the net. The boy had dark blue, almost black, medium-length hair and large chocolate-colored deer eyes that looked at Akutsu and the other alphas as if they were the most incredible and strange things in the world. It made the bleached-haired alpha uncomfortable. That boy was exactly what he imagined an omega should be—so timid, cute, and small.

Kanata grew concerned for Taichi. He had just made it to the regulars and was only a first-year in middle school. Taichi could be considered the weakest of his team, yet he had great talent. Taichi could imitate any technique he saw at least once, although not always at the same level as the original.

The match ended 6-1 in favor of the alphas, who were once again left puzzled. Maybe the first four omegas had been their trump cards.

“Akutsu-senpai!” Taichi said excitedly, running up to him and making him stop. “You’re amazing!” he said with admiration, despite just having been completely beaten—and Akutsu hadn’t even played at full power.

“Eh… uhmm… thanks,” Akutsu replied awkwardly. He was an aggressive guy and didn’t really know how to deal with a bunch of cute little omegas like the one standing in front of him.

“Good job, Taichi,” Chotaro gently tugged him back to the bench, noticing the alpha’s discomfort. “You almost nailed Oishi-senpai’s Moon Volley,” he praised. It had been one of the techniques Taichi had tried to imitate, though he had placed it inside instead of on the line like Oishi.

"Thank you," Taichi smiled shyly. "Oishi-senpai is amazing," he added, glancing toward the dark-haired alpha drinking water, his gaze full of admiration. Dan was a sweet and easily impressed soul, especially by alphas, since he had never been surrounded by so many before. Dan was the son of two betas, the first omega in his family. To him, alphas were something new and fascinating.

Singles Two began, but once again, the alphas were completely stunned. The first-year student Ryoma Echizen was a little monster on the court, forcing Takeshi Momoshiro to get serious right from the first set. It was worth noting that Momoshiro had a sprain in his right ankle. Ryoma had noticed it from the beginning, which was why he played with his right hand. The alphas assumed Momoshiro was losing because of his injury, unaware that Ryoma was actually left-handed — something Tezuka had picked up on.

"He's a lefty," Tezuka said to Sanada. "That kid is left-handed."

Sanada looked puzzled, as did Shiraishi, who stood beside him.

The match was 2-3 in Momoshiro’s favor, who had been forced to use his special techniques.

"Switch your racket hand and play seriously," Momoshiro ordered Ryoma. Ryoma blinked his golden eyes in surprise. He hadn’t expected that this rough and loud alpha would notice his dominant hand.

"If that’s what you want," he shrugged and changed the racket to his left hand. After that, the game ended quickly, 3-6 in Ryoma Echizen’s favor.

"Mada mada dane, senpai," Ryoma smiled, lightly tapping his racket on his shoulder. "Wasn’t a good idea to ask me to switch hands," he said when Momoshiro extended his hand over the net, shaking his.

"Maybe not, but it was way more fun that way, you little monster. Next time, I’ll beat you," Momoshiro grinned, cheerful as always. Despite having one of the most powerful plays on the team, Momoshiro was incredibly friendly and kind to everyone.

The final match of the first set began. Singles One would be played between Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain of the Alpha team, and Syusuke Fuji, the tensai (genius) of the Omega team.

Fuji was an amazing player, and his three counter techniques were impressive, but Tezuka was on a professional level despite his age. The match ended 6-4, much to Fuji’s dismay, as this was the first time he had ever lost a match. Tezuka wiped the sweat from his brow; it had been a short but intense game. He was impressed by the tensai — no one had ever managed to take four games from him before.

The omegas, and even Kanata, were shaken. Fuji had lost — they couldn’t believe it. Meanwhile, the alphas were also shocked — but because Fuji had managed to win four games against their captain, even forcing Tezuka to play seriously.

"Fuji," Yukimura whispered, handing him a towel and a bottle of water, "you did well," he reassured him.

"That captain," Fuji said, referring to Kunimitsu. "I have to play against him again someday... I’ll beat him," he said with determination.

Yukimura smiled brightly. Apparently, the tensai wasn’t discouraged at all by his first loss.

"I know you will," he said confidently.

The first set was over — the alphas had won three matches, the omegas two. Oni and the other alphas were truly impressed; they hadn’t expected the level of skill the omegas were showing. It was clear to all of them now that they had underestimated their opponents. But they wanted to continue — they wanted to see what the new members of their team were truly capable of. Kanata allowed the matches to continue, too — he wanted to evaluate the alphas as well.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Clashes, Second Set

“You’re such a bastard,” Ibu Shinji muttered in his usual expressionless tone, stretching on the court alongside Kamio as they waited for the two alphas they would face.

“Me? Why?” Kamio asked, amused.

“You took off your track pants and stayed in shorts just to show off your legs,” he murmured in his usual tone.

“Aren’t they pretty?” Kamio grinned proudly. He was the fastest guy on the team.

“Bastard,” Shinji repeated, taking off his own pants and staying in shorts too. Kamio laughed—he knew Ibu didn’t take provocations well and would end up doing the same thing.

Senri Chitose and Tachibana Teppei finally entered the court, walking up to the omegas to greet them at the net, unable to stop themselves from glancing at those nice legs—and they weren’t the only ones. The Oshitari cousins and Sengoku also had their eyes glued to the omega court.

“Nice legs,” Chitose commented. Ibu averted his gaze, slightly blushing. He hadn’t expected the alpha to say it so bluntly.

“Thanks,” Kamio replied cheekily. They drew for sides and the alphas won, taking the right side and the serve.

To Chitose and Tachibana’s surprise, Ibu Shinji and Kamio Akira made an excellent duo. Kamio had, as he put it, "the rhythm"—he was fast and agile. Ibu, on the other hand, had great technique. You could almost call him a genius. But Chitose and Tachibana were no pushovers either. Chitose had the Pinnacle of Wisdom, and Tachibana was an all-rounder. Together, they were known as the Two Wings of Kyushu. Despite the omegas' strong performance, the match ended 6–3 in favor of the alphas, who had been a doubles pair since elementary school.

Doubles Two began, with Gakuto Mukahi and Masaharu Niou representing the omegas, while Yushi Oshitari and Hiroshi Yagyu stood for the alphas. If the boys had thought Kikumaru's acrobatic game was unique, they soon realized they were wrong. Gakuto Mukahi jumped as if he weighed nothing, and Masaharu Niou was terrifying. He also showed signs of having the Pinnacle of Wisdom like Chitose, though he didn’t have the full control of it like Chitose or Kunimitsu. Oshitari was a genius, and Yagyu wasn’t far behind, a very capable player—but those two omegas forced them to give their all, and they returned the favor. Despite the alphas’ effort, they were soon overwhelmed, and the match ended 7–5 in favor of the omegas.

Masaharu hugged a tired Gakuto around the waist, lifting him easily and planting a kiss on his lips, making Gakuto smack him and wipe his mouth.

“Gross, Niou,” the acrobat complained, making Niou laugh.

“You love me, baby,” Niou said in his best hentai-Casanova impression, leaving the alphas completely stunned. They’d never seen an omega like Niou—omegas were supposed to be sweet, submissive, and well-behaved. Niou was none of those things. He was loud, flashy, and shameless.

“Of course I love you—but at the bottom of the sea,” Gakuto replied.*

“You’re so mean to me, Gaku-chan!” Niou whined, chasing him around the court while Gakuto ran from him, hurling insults. The other omegas laughed. Just another normal day with Niou. He wasn’t the typical omega, and neither were many others on the tennis team, who shattered preconceived stereotypes about what omegas should be like. The boys felt bad for whatever alpha fell in love with Niou someday. Though, with his personality, he’d probably end up with a beta he could dominate, rather than an alpha who’d try to dominate him.

“Are they dating?” Yushi asked, frowning before realizing what he’d just said.

“Not at all,” Kirihara said, having overheard while sitting near the guy bench. Kirihara was back in his usual mode. Kaidoh was beside him, quiet and ignoring the two clowns running around the court—Gakuto yelling insults and Niou screaming his love for everyone to hear. “Gakuto would kill him two minutes into a relationship—any of us would. Niou checks out every nice ass that walks by.” He laughed. “Niou’s just like that with all of us—it’s not serious.” He shrugged as Kanata called out to Gakuto and Niou, and the two finally calmed down and went to get water.

Doubles One began when the two clowns sat down to watch. Hikaru Zaizen, a black-haired guy with earrings in one ear, walked onto the court with swagger, like he owned it. Beside him was a tall, slim, well-built omega with brown hair and chocolate eyes. Physically, he didn’t fit the typical image of an omega—if not for his shy attitude, eyes flicking around uncertainly with his head down.

“Taka-san,” Hikaru called, turning to smile at him, “Your racket?”

“Ohhh, I forgot it,” Taka admitted, blushing, while the alphas tried to hide their smiles. Kenya Oshitari and Kiyosumi Sengoku, their rivals who were just entering the court, stopped at the net to greet them with a smile.

“Taka-san, here,” Fuji smiled, handing the timid omega his racket. Taka took it with a bashful smile.

“Arigato, Fuji-kun,” he said—then suddenly his expression changed. “Burning!” he shouted. The sudden transformation made Sengoku and Kenya jump. “I’m on fire, baby!” he declared, swinging his racket. “Let’s crush them, Hikaru!”

“Hai, Taka-san,” Hikaru replied with an amused smile. The alphas hadn’t seen anything yet—Hikaru couldn’t wait to see their faces when they saw the monstrous strength Kawamura had. No one in the omega league could stop his Hadokyuu. Even his regular shots were hard to block. Kawamura had a physical strength that shattered all omega stereotypes.

The serve went to the alphas’ fastest player, Kenya Oshitari, and the lucky boy, Kiyosumi Sengoku. They had recovered from the shock of Kawamura’s weird personality. Sengoku served. Hikaru casually let Kawamura return the ball. When Kenya tried to return the shot, his racket flew from his hand, and the ball smashed into the fence.

“What the hell…?” Kenya looked at his now racketless hand in disbelief.

“YEAH, BABY!” Kawamura shouted while Hikaru smiled. Now it was his turn.

The green-eyed left-handed player smiled as Sengoku served again. Hikaru quickly analyzed their play, not like Yanagi or Inui did, but with logic—spotting subtle mistakes others missed. He scored a point on Sengoku.

Sengoku and Kenya exchanged serious looks. At this rate, those two omegas would crush them. Time to get serious. Sengoku might’ve had a pretty face, and Kenya too, but both were incredibly skilled. They focused on Hikaru and tried to avoid Kawamura’s power.

“No, no, baby!” Kawamura whined when he was ignored. So he fetched the ball himself and this time hit a Hadokyuu as a gift to the Alphas. Both Kenya and Sengoku lost their rackets, which went flying as the ball smashed into the fence, denting it—stunning all the alphas.

“YEAH, BABY!” Kawamura shouted, slamming his racket against Hikaru’s. Sengoku and Kenya weren’t going to give up, though. From there, they made the game much harder for the omegas. Still, the match ended 7–6 after a Tie Break, in favor of the omegas.

“YES! I told you we’d crush them! Suffer!” Kawamura yelled—until Hikaru took the racket from his hands. Kawamura blinked, suddenly bashful.

“Thank you for the match, sempais,” he said softly, leaving Sengoku and Kenya so confused that Hikaru laughed in their faces.

“Hikaru is so twisted,” Fuji smiled beside Ryoma.

“And look who’s talking… you’re the most twisted one on the team,” Ryoma replied, raising an eyebrow.

Singles Three began: Atobe Keigo vs. Kabaji Muheiro. Atobe entered the court like he was royalty.

He started with his Hametsu e no Rondo, just to show off. He loved the adoring stares and looks of awe. In short, Atobe loved being the center of attention.

“No one can beat me. Only I can beat myself,” Atobe declared, dramatically fixing his hair. That boy made Aphrodite look humble.

“Stop showing off and focus, Monkey King,” Ryoma muttered. Fuji smiled, but said nothing, watching the game.

The match was 1–0 when something incredible happened. Kabaji suddenly performed the Hametsu no Rondo—the technique Atobe had spent months perfecting. That alpha had copied it after just seeing it a few times. The great Atobe Keigo was in shock. A vein popped on his forehead and he sped up the game, but no matter what he did, the other guy was like a damn sponge—absorbing everything and throwing it back at him. Atobe had great perception and could spot his opponent’s weaknesses, but he was so pissed at seeing his best moves copied that he wanted to crush Kabaji with his own power, without using his best skill.

After a short but intense match, Atobe managed to win the Tie Break 7–5.

“I’m the king,” he said triumphantly.

“Usu,” the alpha calmly replied after losing. A vein twitched on Atobe’s forehead. Did nothing ever make that guy change expression?

Singles Two began, and Shiraishi watched with fondness the redheaded kid full of excitement who jumped around joyfully. He had energy to spare and looked almost like a child. That was precisely what kept Shiraishi from imagining the wild strength the boy possessed.

Kintaro wasn't just energetic—he had a strength and stamina that made Shiraishi admire him. Shiraishi held enough respect and admiration for the boy to use his "Bible mode." No one wanted to miss a single second of the match—it was too intense and too good. Kintaro laughed while playing; it was obvious he was enjoying the game. And Shiraishi... Shiraishi smiled. It had been so long since he had had so much fun during a match that he wished it would never end.

But good things come to an end. During a short break, as Shiraishi loosened his bandages to readjust them, Kintaro suddenly screamed.

“Koshimae!” Kintaro shouted, running to Ryoma and hiding behind him.

“Kintaro, what’s wrong?” Kanata asked patiently, knowing how his player was.

“It’s him,” Kintaro pointed at Shiraishi. “The guy in my manga has poisonous claws—I read it in my manga—he’s going to eat me, Kanata-sensei!” he said as he hugged his coach’s waist.

“There, there, Kintaro, he’s not going to eat you,” Kanata assured him, stroking his red hair with a tender smile. “Do you want to keep playing?” he asked gently. These matches weren’t important, and he wouldn’t force Kintaro to continue if he didn’t want to.

“No,” Kintaro shook his head, “I’m scared of his claws,” he said seriously.

“All right, Kintaro, then you don’t have to play with him,” Kanata smiled at Oni. “Apologies for my player—Kintaro is withdrawing.”

“Eh? Kin-chan, wait—” Shiraishi said, then quickly covered his mouth when he realized how casually he had addressed the boy, who was hiding behind Kanata and peeking out a little from the side to look at him. “They’re not claws,” he assured, extending his bandaged hand, but Kintaro screamed and hid behind Kanata again. Kanata smiled at Shiraishi.

“Sorry about Kintaro—he’s easily influenced. He probably read a horror manga. He’ll get over it,” he assured him.

“Eh, okay… I don’t want him to be afraid of me,” Shiraishi said.

“Considering how you played, I think he’ll grow to like you—and if he likes you as much as he likes Ryoma, be prepared to be followed everywhere,” Kanata said with an amused smile.

“Koshimae!” Kintaro ran to Ryoma, sat beside him, and hugged him. Ryoma just let him, taking a sip of his ponta. Shiraishi smiled. Oh well, he would have other chances to play with the wild boy and show him that under his bandages, there were no claws. He had won the match by default, and now the final match was beginning.

Singles One of the second set: Yukimura Seiichi, captain of the omegas, versus Sanada Genichirou, vice-captain of the alphas.

Despite how great a player Sanada Genichirou was, Yukimura Seiichi was the best among the omegas—that’s why he was their captain, known as the demigod of the court. Yukimura knew only two players had the potential to one day defeat him: Ryoma Echizen and Kintaro Tooyama. From the alphas, he believed Kunimitsu Tezuka could match his level. Although Sanada gave him a good fight and even managed to take three games, once Yukimura used his most terrifying technique—yips—Sanada found himself lost. That technique made you feel like you were losing your five senses. Sanada first lost his sense of touch, then sight, and finally hearing. When Yukimura stopped, it didn’t feel right to do that to such a strong player.

Kunimitsu was the one who stepped in and ended the match, while Yukimura crossed into Sanada’s court and leaned down to help him up as he began regaining his lost senses.

“Take a deep breath,” Yukimura said gently. “It’s not real—it’s just a technique. Your senses are still there,” he assured him, rubbing his hands. Sanada blinked, looking at the small figure in front of him, so easy to crush with his hands. He never thought he’d see a player of his captain’s caliber among the omegas. “Feeling better?” Yukimura asked softly.

“Yes,” the vice-captain answered seriously. “You… you’re impressive,” he admitted, looking him up and down. Not only was his tennis impressive—this boy was beautiful. Sanada was grateful for his cap, which hid the faint blush that came with that thought.

“I’m sorry,” Yukimura apologized.

“For what?” Sanada asked, confused.

“For using yips against you… For the first time, it didn’t feel right.”

“Nonsense. You just showed me you’re as good a player as our captain… You have my respect,” Sanada said seriously, earning a soft smile from the small omega.

“Thank you,” Yuki said, letting go of his hands, sure that Sanada had recovered all his senses. Yukimura returned to his coach, who was speaking with Oni and their team.

The final result had been six matches for the omegas and five for the alphas.

“So, are you still thinking of making us managers?” Atobe asked with a smug smile.

“Wasting your talent would be completely foolish on our part,” Kunimitsu said seriously.

“We underestimated you,” Oni admitted with a smile. “We apologize for that,” added the redhead, and together with his boys, bowed to the omegas, who blushed. They had expected a fight and complaints—not humble acceptance from the alphas.

“You’re also very good… commoners,” Atobe muttered awkwardly, turning away so they wouldn’t see his blush.

“You’ll be our trump card for this year’s national tournament. The Seigaku alpha-omega combination—no one will expect it, and no one will stop it,” Oni declared. Kanata smiled.

“I can think of some very good combinations after seeing your boys’ talent,” Kanata said.

“So can I, after seeing yours,” Oni nodded. “How about we meet one day for coffee to discuss possible combinations for the start of the school year?” Oni asked the blond, who nodded eagerly. The alpha boys looked at their coach in disbelief—they never imagined the day would come when they’d see their serious coach flirt with someone.

The omegas were also shocked—Kanata usually ignored alphas. But that huge redhead… Coach Irie was definitely giving him heart eyes.

“Alpha-omega Seigaku combo sounds good,” Fuji smiled. Ryoma nodded, and so did Kunimitsu, who had overheard.

“This year we’ll win nationals, Koshimae!” Kintaro shouted as he jumped, making everyone laugh.

Oh yes—this year Seigaku would be unstoppable. The young alphas looked forward to seeing the poor fools who underestimated their new teammates, just like they had. The alpha-omega combo would crush all their rivals.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Casual Summer Encounters

Oishi Shuichiro was on his way to the tennis store—he needed a new grip for his racket. He walked calmly until something near the shop caught his attention: three boys in an alley bothering a fourth, apparently smaller one. Logic told him not to get involved and just keep walking, but his instinct told him to find out what was going on. Oishi could be very kind, but he was still an alpha, and the three in the alley were betas—surely harassing another weaker beta. He approached, and with every step, the scent of the fourth hidden person filled his nostrils. Omega. The three betas were bothering an omega, not another beta as he had assumed.

"Give us your money or you'll regret it," threatened the one who seemed to be the leader of the group of bullies.

"I won’t give you my money! It’s mine!" the omega protested. "It’s for the new strings on my racket. I earned it."

Oishi’s eyes widened when he recognized that voice. It had stayed imprinted in his brain since the alpha vs. omega match a few days ago at Seigaku. That voice belonged to Kikumaru Eiji. Before he even realized what he was doing, Oishi had already charged forward, grabbing the beta who had threatened the omega and slamming him against the wall, lifting him several centimeters off the ground by the neck. He heard the movement of the other two betas, likely trying to help their “boss,” so Oishi gave them a deadly glare—his dark eyes shining with a lethal intensity. The other two backed off immediately, recognizing his dominance; everything about Oishi screamed alpha.

"Oishi-sempai," Kikumaru recognized him, his voice full of relief.

"Are you okay, Kikumaru?" Oishi asked, without taking his eyes off the enemy—he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

"Hai," Kikumaru nodded.

"We're sorry, we didn’t know he was yours," apologized the beta Oishi was holding by the neck. Oishi was torn between the instinct to punch him and the need to check on Kikumaru. In the end, the second instinct was stronger, so he threw the beta onto his two friends like they weighed nothing.

"Get out of here before I change my mind," he ordered. The three scrambled to their feet and ran off. Only after they were gone did Oishi turn his back to check on Kikumaru.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his gaze softening as he looked the omega up and down.

"Hai, Oishi-sempai," Kikumaru nodded again with a smile. "Thank you, they didn’t do anything to me," he assured.

"That’s a relief," Oishi nodded. "But that was really dangerous—your life is worth more than a few dollars. You should’ve given them the money; they could’ve hurt you."

"But it’s my money," Kikumaru complained with a pout. "I earned it. I had to mow my lawn so my parents would give it to me, and it’s for the new strings on my racket."

Oishi sighed. It seemed Kikumaru wasn’t aware of how much danger he’d been in. No matter how good the boy was at tennis, he was still an omega alone against three betas.

"Come on, let’s go buy your strings," he ordered him to follow.

"Eh?" Kikumaru tilted his head.

"I need to go to the tennis store too—I’m getting a new grip," he explained. "So let’s go together. I’ll make sure you don’t get into trouble, and then I’ll escort you home." He ordered… then realized how he sounded. He rarely let that dominant side of his alpha nature come out, and his omega mother would kick his ass if she saw him giving orders to another omega like that.

"I mean… it would be an honor for me, if you’d let me," he said more gently, offering Kikumaru a smile.

Eiji returned the smile and ran up to him, wrapping his small hand around Oishi’s arm, surprising and flustering him.

"I’d like that," he said enthusiastically. "But if we have some money left after going to the tennis store… can we go get ice cream?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Oishi replied, smiling before even thinking about it—he just felt the urge to say yes. He wanted to see more of the redhead’s smile.

"Yay!" Eiji cheered. "Ice cream!" He almost jumped with joy, making Oishi chuckle.

***

Yanagi climbed up to the street tennis court calmly. He wasn’t with Inui this time—he had come alone, knowing his friend was training solo. Yanagi occasionally came to the street tennis court because, although he wouldn’t admit it, even he got bored, and it was a good place to kill time with some casual matches; though rarely did he find an interesting player there.

That’s why he was so surprised to see Kirihara Akaya on one side of the small bleachers. He hadn’t forgotten the ruthlessness with which Akaya had struck Inui, yet curiosity got the better of him and he approached the seaweed-haired boy.

"Kirihara," he announced his presence. The omega turned toward him with a frown before recognizing him.

"Yanagi-sempai, right?" he asked. Yanagi nodded.

"What brings you here? It’s the first time I’ve seen you in this place," he commented.

"Well, I heard you could play street tennis here, so I came, but they refuse to let me play because I’m an omega," Kirihara said, and Yanagi could tell he was very upset about it.

"Oh," Yanagi whispered, sitting beside him. In truth, he had never seen an omega play on this street court. "Well, you know, there’s an omega court on the other side of the park," he commented.

"How do you know that?" Kirihara asked. That court was a secret omegas kept from alphas and betas to avoid them hovering like flies trying to “hunt.”

"I have an omega cousin, Murai Bunta," he replied. "He goes to an omega boarding school, but when he’s home, he often goes there. I know because I’ve driven him close and waited until he came out," he said, raising his hands in peace. "The secret is safe with me," he assured. "But the point is… you could go there."

"I can’t," Kirihara sighed in frustration. "I was banned for two weeks," he complained.

"Why?"

"Well, let’s just say someone pissed me off and Coach Kanata wasn’t there to stop me… and maybe I hurt him a little," he admitted. Yanagi opened his red eyes and fixed them on Kirihara, who immediately felt pressured by that gaze.

"Okay, okay, he’s in the hospital," he confessed, even though Yanagi hadn’t said a word. Still, Kirihara felt deeply pressured by that look—Yanagi had a strong presence without needing to speak at all.

"Oh… I see. So, you came here to see who you could hurt?" Yanagi asked.

"What?!" Kirihara exclaimed. "That’s not it," he defended himself. "I just wanted to play," he assured. "Kaidoh and I… we don’t do it on purpose," he added, wringing his hands in his lap and keeping his eyes on the ground. "It just happens when we get mad. It happens before we even realize it."

"That’s because you don’t have anyone to keep you in check. Is Kaoru Kaidoh always your doubles partner?" Yanagi asked seriously.

"Yes," Kirihara replied, not quite sure why he was answering instead of saying ‘Mind your own business’, which is what he’d say to anyone else. But he had the feeling that saying that to this particular alpha would be a very, very bad idea.

"There’s your problem. Coach Kanata should pair you both with people who can handle your temperaments, so those accidents don’t happen. But instead, he just puts two volatile omegas together—and that’s what you get. Neither of you can control the other because you don’t even try," he said flatly. "Get up," Yanagi said as he stood.

"What? Why?" Kirihara asked. Yanagi closed his eyes, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him to his feet, dragging him to the court while Kirihara stared in disbelief.

"What are you doing?"

“We’ll play doubles together. I’ll show you that you can play without needing to hurt anyone if someone tries to put control on you,” Yanagi assured him—he just couldn’t resist a challenge like that.

“But what part of ‘they don’t want to let me play because I’m an omega’ didn’t you understand?” Kirihara asked, digging his heels into the ground to avoid being dragged.

“With me by your side, they won’t dare say anything to you,” Yanagi assured him. Kirihara still doubted it.

“Fine, I’ll go with you, but you don’t have to drag me,” he said, and Yanagi let go. Kirihara picked up his racket, curious, and followed the alpha to speak with the two guys in charge of organizing the street tennis. He waited until Yanagi returned.

“All set. We’ll play doubles together,” the brown-haired boy said, to Kirihara’s surprise—he couldn’t believe it.

“Uh… okay,” he nodded.

Shortly after, Kirihara entered the court with Yanagi. Yanagi hid a smile. Their opponents were overconfident, thinking Kirihara was just an omega he had brought to show off.

“Kirihara,” he ordered the boy to come closer, and Kirihara obeyed immediately. Yanagi leaned in and whispered his plan in his ear, knowing their opponents would focus on him, thinking it was a two-versus-one and disregarding Kirihara; that would be their big mistake.

That must have been the shortest match ever played on the street tennis court—just seven minutes and the game ended 0–6 in favor of Yanagi and Kirihara. The other two hadn’t even managed to score a single point.

“See? You just have to follow my instructions—it’s easier that way,” Yanagi said calmly to Kirihara.

Kirihara looked at him, impressed. The whole game had played out exactly as Yanagi Renji had predicted. That man was a genius.

Truth be told, though he would never admit it, Yanagi was curious about Kirihara. He had expected Akaya to be rebellious and resist his instructions after the way he’d played against him and Inui a few days earlier. But the truth was, Kirihara accepted all his instructions calmly and performed exactly the way Yanagi wanted him to. It was baffling. Kirihara Akaya deeply stirred his curiosity—he was a very contradictory boy.

“Wanna play another match?” he asked the omega in a flat voice, although secretly hoping he’d say yes. The truth was, he was enjoying playing with the seaweed-haired boy. And when it was his serve, he had a much better view than when he played with Inui. Inui was, and would always be, his best friend, but watching his butt from the baseline wasn’t the least bit appealing. That wasn’t something he could say about the cute, round little butt of the seaweed-haired boy.

“Yes, sempai.” Yanagi was rewarded with Kirihara’s enthusiastic nod and smile. He also enjoyed playing with Yanagi—he found him a little scary, but also magnetic. Kirihara just wanted to be close to that strange and strict alpha.

***

“Keep going down that path, Sengoku, and your luck will end in an alley next to your guts when I rip them out,” Akutsu Jin growled at his classmate as the other boy walked beside him.

“Come on, Jin, don’t be such a grump. We’re friends,” smiled the lucky boy, hands resting behind his head.

“Me, your friend? I don’t have such bad taste,” replied the delinquent-looking guy—basically, the kind of guy nobody would introduce to their parents unless they wanted to give them a heart attack.

Akutsu ignored Sengoku’s chatter, his eyes drawn to two alphas chasing a small boy. The omega seemed to have noticed them because he was walking quickly, clutching his backpack to his chest, trying to shake off the two persistent bastards. Akutsu elbowed Sengoku in the ribs, who groaned but fell silent when he saw what Akutsu was pointing at. It was Taichi Dan, the small boy Akutsu had “beaten up” during the alphas vs omegas match.

“What the hell do those two think they’re doing?” Sengoku asked, frowning, earning a surprised look from Akutsu. The white-haired boy had never in his life seen Sengoku act serious… and he’d had the misfortune of knowing him since elementary school.

At that moment, little Taichi spotted them—or rather, he spotted Akutsu—and his steps hurried toward him.

“Akutsu-sempai,” he said with frightened eyes. Every one of Akutsu’s alpha instincts flared up when he saw that scared look in the big, chocolate, deer-like eyes. In response, he walked past Dan and shoved the two alphas to the ground.

“Do you want me to kill you?” Akutsu asked with a dangerous look, leaving the little omega to Sengoku. That damn womanizer was better at dealing with scared omegas than he was. For now, he’d handle the two harassers, who clearly had no good intentions toward little Dan.

“A-Akutsu,” the other two stammered. Akutsu was well-known for being a thug and a delinquent.

“If you get near that kid again, you’ll be fish food,” he swore to them, and they nodded, practically about to wet themselves. Akutsu Jin was very capable of killing them. “Still here, scum?” he punched one and kicked the other. They scrambled up and ran off with their tails between their legs. When he turned to check on the kid, he saw that damned flirt Sengoku hugging him, supposedly to calm him down, making Dan hide his face in his chest. It was obvious Sengoku didn’t want the kid to see the violent scene. Now that Jin thought about it, he didn’t want the kid to see it either.

“You want me to kill you too? He’s not one of your conquests—he’s our classmate, you damn octopus,” he warned Sengoku, snatching the boy out of his arms. “Stop crying!” he told Dan, panicking when he noticed he was crying. What did you do when an omega cried? How were you supposed to calm him down? Akutsu awkwardly pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to the omega, who wiped his face with it.

“Gomen, sempais… those guys scared me; they’d been following me for two blocks,” Dan whispered.

“It’s okay, Dan. Don’t worry. We won’t let anyone hurt you, little guy,” Sengoku smiled, ignoring Jin. He wasn’t an octopus… well, okay, he was an octopus, but that didn’t mean he’d take advantage of Dan. Even he had a moral code—he only slept with people who were willing, never someone as innocent as the kid in front of them. “But what are you doing out alone?”

“I just wanted to go to Taka-san’s sushi restaurant. He’s helping tutor me in math and it’s been really helpful. My dad offered to take me, but since I live close by, I didn’t think it was necessary. Besides, it’s daytime,” he said innocently.

“Taka?” Akutsu asked.

“Takashi Kawamura,” Dan replied, looking at Akutsu like he was a hero.

“Ah… the brute strength guy, the weirdo who shouted ‘Burning!’ right?” Akutsu recalled. Sengoku was shocked—Akutsu usually didn’t remember names or faces… unless someone had caught his attention, probably to crush them.

“Yes, that’s him. But Taka-san’s not weird,” Dan defended him timidly.

“Of course he’s not,” Sengoku smiled before Akutsu could say anything stupid.

“We’ll go with you,” Akutsu said bluntly.

“Eh?”

“Yeah, Jin’s right. Someone as cute as you is a temptation for perverts, so we’re coming with you,” Sengoku offered. Akutsu raised an eyebrow—if there was a bigger pervert than Sengoku, he hadn’t met them. The nerve of him, saying that.

“I… thank you, sempais,” Taichi smiled with shining eyes, almost imagining the two of them with glowing auras—Akutsu dressed like a shining knight and Sengoku like a prince.

“I’m only going because sushi sounds good… and Sengoku’s paying,” Akutsu said.

“I’m not—ugh, fine,” Sengoku sighed when Akutsu glared at him.

“The best sushi in this area is made at the ‘Kawamura’ restaurant—Taka-san’s dad’s place,” Dan said enthusiastically, walking between his two sempais. “It’s here,” he pointed to a small family-run restaurant.

“Kawamura-sama,” he greeted as they entered.

“Dan,” the man greeted. “Takashi is waiting for you upstairs. Go ahead.” He then noticed the two other boys. “And them?”

“They’re Akutsu-sempai and Sengoku-sempai. They’re our new classmates,” Dan answered innocently.

“Ahh, right, the co-ed school thing,” the older man nodded, eyeing the boys with some doubt. They were alphas—he wasn’t too comfortable letting them upstairs, but well, they were just kids too, big or not, and classmates of his son. Besides, his other sons were upstairs. Nothing strange was going to happen. “Go on, you can go up too,” he encouraged the two young men, although he was wary—especially of the white-haired one, who looked like a tough thug.

“This way, Akutsu-sempai, Sengoku-sempai,” Dan guided them upstairs. The two alphas followed in silence, aware they were being watched by Mr. Kawamura.

They found Kawamura upstairs, sitting at the living room table, studying.

“Dan,” he smiled upon seeing the boy, and looked confused when he noticed the two alphas. “Sengoku-san? Akutsu-san?”

“They came with me. I ran into them on the way,” Dan said, sitting beside Taka. “They saved me from some perverts,” he told him, enthusiastically recounting what happened.

“Oh… thank you so much,” Kawamura stood and bowed to the two alphas. “If something had happened to Dan, I would never have forgiven myself. I should’ve gone to pick him up.”

“That wouldn’t have been better,” Akutsu said with a frown. “Something could’ve happened to you.” He said it before realizing it, and Sengoku looked at him in shock—was that concern he just heard in his childhood friend’s voice?

“Taka-san?” Dan asked curiously. “No way. Taka-san is the strongest person ever—he’s even trained in karate, used to go to a dojo and everything.” He spoke with enthusiasm. It was clear Dan got excited easily, and Sengoku found it adorable. Akutsu, too, felt a strong sense of protectiveness toward Dan. He’d never felt something like that before… well, maybe for his mother. But Dan inspired a lot of tenderness.

That other boy, though—that disastrous omega who didn’t seem like any other omega he’d ever seen, bipolar whenever he grabbed a racket… that strange being had made Akutsu do something very embarrassing in the shower after the alphas vs omegas match a few days ago—something more worthy of Sengoku than himself.

“Do you think Kawamura is stronger than me?” he asked Dan harshly, who jumped, looking from one to the other.

“I…”

“No, Akutsu-san. The odds of me winning a fight against you are almost zero. Besides, I would never raise a hand against a classmate,” Kawamura replied in Dan’s place. Dan lowered his gaze, embarrassed. He didn’t understand what he’d said to suddenly create such an awkward atmosphere.

“Exactly. If your friend ran into a thug like Akutsu, he’d be in trouble. That’s what Jin means,” Sengoku said with a reassuring smile to Taichi. “Akutsu’s a brute, but he’s just worried about your friend,” he added, earning himself a hit on the head from the mentioned brute.

“Don’t talk to me so casually,” Akutsu warned. “Or I’ll gut you.” He instantly regretted it when he saw the surprised look on the two omegas’ faces.

“He’s not serious. In his language, that’s practically an ‘I love you,’” Sengoku downplayed it with a shrug, while Dan and Kawamura nodded in confusion.

“Look, summer’s almost over, but whenever you need to go out, call one of us and we’ll go with you if there’s no one else,” Akutsu said awkwardly. Dan and Kawamura stared at him in awe. Despite his appearance, the alpha was very kind, both thought. Sengoku, for his part, was on the verge of a heart attack—never in his life did he think he’d live to see the day Akutsu Jin acted… “kindly.” At least, like he was acting now.

“Yeah, Jin’s right. We’re on vacation now,” Sengoku smiled, writing down both his and Akutsu’s phone numbers for them.

“We don’t want to bother you,” Kawamura said softly.

“You better use it if you need to,” Akutsu warned, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

“Hai,” Kawamura nodded, startled. Dan didn’t say a word either but nodded too. It was clear Akutsu wasn’t an alpha you wanted to argue with. Sengoku just smiled at them.

“For now, we’ll wait for you to finish and then we’ll walk Dan home,” Sengoku smiled. “We’ll sit here and not bother you,” he promised.

“Uh… do you want something to eat or drink?” Kawamura asked kindly.

“Will you make it?” Akutsu asked gruffly.

“Of course,” Kawamura smiled, amused at the idea of his brother cooking—he’d burn the house down. Only he had inherited his father’s culinary talent.

“Then yes, I do,” Akutsu replied simply, while Sengoku… well, he couldn’t open his mouth any wider, so he opted to just smile in amusement. It seemed “little” Akutsu had taken an interest in an omega. Oh yes, this was going to be fun, thought the lucky boy.

To be continued…