Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 385

Chapter 385: Ch 385: A familiar feeling
Rika had chosen the omega hygiene store because she knew most alphas would not follow her inside, a stark reminder of the societal discrimination she faced.

Feeling the weight of societal expectations, most people valued how they were perceived and, thus, adhered to the established norms.

As expected, the manager was also such a person, and she looked uncomfortable at the thought of heading inside this store.

So, she called for an omega to accompany Rika inside the store.

The omega she called for, Rika, was a little taller and curvier than her. She also had a shy and innocent look, which looked like a mask to Rika.

Somehow, she could tell this omega was faking her personality and decided she did not want to bother becoming friends.

“Go in and have fun! My dear! Please take care of Rika for us. She is a VIP guest at our hotel, and we cannot afford to have anything happen to her.”

The manager asked the omega. Her words caused the omega to almost melt when the manager touched her.

Rika could instantly tell that this person had a crush on the manager.

‘Well, it looks like things are about to get annoying soon. My instincts tell me I will not like this short trip.’

Rika sighed as she felt her arms being held by this new omega.

“You can leave it all up to me, Manager. I will take care of our ‘guest’ well.”

The female assured the manager before dragging Rika inside the store.

Despite being taller and heavier, the omega did not have enough strength. Rika could quickly stop her when she did not want to move.

“Stop dragging me along. I will walk at the pace I want to. If you try that again, I will make sure you pay for it.”

Rika felt that she had been a more patient person before. Something inside her told her to take it easy and let these small matters go.

But her current self did not like that idea. She was not about to let these people make trouble for her when that was her job.

“E-Excuse me, but what did you say to me? How can you be so rude when all I have done is be nice to you?”

The omega asked in a startled voice. She seemed to be having a hard time holding herself back. So, Rika decided to clarify once more for her.

“I don’t care who you are and what you are here for. I can tell that you don’t want to be my friend. So how about we cut this talk and be the strangers we are supposed to be.”

Rika asked, and the female looked pissed. But then she took a small breath and calmed herself down.

“You are right! I am not here because I want to be friends with you. I think I should stop trying so hard as well.

The only reason I was acting foolish and happy was because the manager was there. I wanted to impress her and ask her to be my partner. So, can you tone your tantrums down so the manager has time for me?

Unlike someone else, I can be mated to the person I want to.”

Rika knew the female was talking about her, but she remained quiet. She was sure she had a mate somewhere, and a half-baked bond, but not remembering anything made things awkward.

Her partner took Rika’s lack of response as her win, and she smirked at her victory.

“Anyway, look around for whatever you want. I will keep an eye on you from here. I don’t even know what pheromones omega you can wish to have from here. Are you even an omega in the first place? You feel more like a beta to me.”

The omega spoke, likely to insult Rika. But those words felt more like compliments than actual insults.

She was unsure why but liked it when she was called a beta instead of an omega.

‘Ah, it might be the residual feelings left inside my subconsciousness. I will have to chase them later. For now, I should shop and find what I came here to find.’

Rika quickly gathered some random supplies and packed them. Once she had everything, she headed to the counter, and the person incharge gave her a weird look.

The person in charge likely assumed Rika was beta, but she did not ask for anything from her paying customer.

It made shopping easier, and Rika said nothing on the way back.

Just when she was about to enter the hotel, Rika felt a tug at her senses and looked back.

She could not see anything in the crowd, but her instincts told her there was someone important she needed to contact.

Rika almost ran to chase that feeling when the manager (and a few others) grabbed her and took her back inside.

“Miss, you know you cannot run away. Now, don’t be difficult and come inside with us. We will take care of you from this point on.”

The manager assured Rika, and she could feel the other omega giving her death glares.

Rika could not calm down as long as she was outside, but once she was inside, her senses dulled.

The alphas breathed a relieved sigh as soon as Rika calmed down, which made her realize that her pheromones had leaked from her scent blockers.

“Manager, I will take Rika back to her room. She might feel more comfortable with an omega than with all these alphas and betas in the same space as her.”

The only other omega in the group assured the manager with a smile, and Rika was sure she would prefer to be anywhere but here.

But the manager’s relieved expression made the duo move.

“Tsk, so you were not as pheromone-less as I hoped you would be. What a waste! I will have to keep an eye on you in the future to ensure you do not cause any trouble to me or the manager!”