Chapter 40 – To His Room
Volume 3, Resonance 5, Part 7
Novel Title: 共鳴熱情 オメガバース (Resonance Passion: Omegaverse)
Author：岩本薫 (Iwamoto Kaoru)
Illustrator：蓮川愛 (Hasukawa Ai)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: MC- 遠峰一紗 (Toomine Kazusa), Lemur & ML- ゼロ (Zero)
*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Even after making up his mind, his heart felt heavy. He dragged his tired feet into the elevator. After pressing the button for the sixth floor, he slumped against the wall, letting out a weary sigh.
(Zero had gone out of his way to create this path for me to become a cast member… He even gave me a name…)
He had even stopped him to offer words of encouragement.
The weight of his inadequacy crushed his spirit, and he felt like crying.
Lifting his glasses with one hand, Kazusa wiped at the tears that had welled up.
“Get a grip. You’re too old to be crying.”
As he scolded himself, a soft ding signalled the arrival at the sixth floor. The elevator doors slid open. Kazusa sluggishly stepped out and began walking towards his room. But then, he froze.
There was a figure standing by his door, leaning casually against it with arms crossed—it was a tall silhouette.
“Zero!”
Kazusa blurted out in surprise, his voice louder than intended. Zero uncrossed his arms and stepped away from the door, slowly lowering his hands.
(Wait, was he waiting for me? Why?)
Caught off guard by the unexpected ambush, Kazusa began to panic.
“Good work,” Zero greeted him.
“Ah… um… thank you. How long were you waiting?” Kazusa stammered.
“About ten minutes. I wanted to talk to you one-on-one.”
“Oh, I see… I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”
Kazusa’s mind raced. Was it possible that there had been a complaint about his terrible customer service?
The image of the furious female executive flashed in his mind… It was entirely plausible.
If Zero had come at this late hour to relay the complaint in person, it must have been a serious one. If Zero was here to tell him to give up on being a cast member, Kazusa figured that would actually align with his own decision. Plus, it might give him the chance to apologise directly to Zero.
“I’ve actually been wanting to talk to you as well,” Kazusa said.
Zero raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Well then, let’s talk in my room.”
With that, Zero started walking. He moved around Kazusa in a wide arc, as if avoiding him, before stopping in front of the elevator. He pressed the button and stepped inside, looking back at Kazusa, who hadn’t moved.
“Hurry up and get in.”
“Wait. We’re really going to your room?”
“Is there a problem?”
“N-No… not really.”
Since the rooftop incident, nothing had happened between them, of course. Just moments ago, Zero had even made a point of keeping his distance by walking around him. Kazusa also had been careful to avoid close contact. With his heat almost over, as long as they didn’t touch, there shouldn’t be any issues.
It was better to be cautious. But they couldn’t stand in the hallway for a long conversation at this hour. Inviting Zero into his own room would lead to the same situation—being alone together—so his room, being larger, might actually be the better option.
After a moment’s thought, Kazusa made up his mind and approached the elevator. Just as he was about to step in, he stopped and turned around.
He felt like someone was watching him.
But there was nothing behind him except the closed door of the room across the hall.
(Was it just my imagination?)
“What’s wrong?” Zero asked.
“Nothing,” Kazusa mumbled, hurrying into the elevator. They stood silently on opposite sides of the small space until they arrived at the seventh floor. Following Zero’s lead, Kazusa stepped into Room 701, which was, as usual, left unlocked. By now, he was used to the unusual practice of entering the room without taking off his shoes.
“Pardon my intrusion,” Kazusa said politely as he entered.
It was his second time in the room, and the living room hadn’t changed since his last visit. The only difference was that this time it was night, and the curtains were drawn. Instead of natural light, the room was bathed in the soft glow of downlights and indirect lighting, casting a warm, orange hue over the space.
Kazusa felt a heavy pit in his stomach as he considered what they were about to discuss. But the calming atmosphere of the room eased his nerves just a little.
“Sit wherever,” Zero said, taking off his coat. “I’ll make something to drink.”
“Oh, please don’t trouble yourself.”
“I want a drink.”
Zero’s blunt response caught Kazusa off guard. Zero headed to the open kitchen area in the corner of the main room and pulled a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. He poured the entire 500ml into the kettle and set it to boil, then opened a cabinet, pulling out a glass teapot and two cups, which he placed on the counter.
Kazusa glanced around. But there was only one obvious place for him to sit. He walked over to the seating area, where a café table was flanked by a black leather two-seater sofa and a pair of armchairs. He sat on the sofa.
As soon as he sat down, he felt uncomfortable, shifting in his seat. Something about the situation made him uneasy.
“………..”
This silence is the problem. When it’s just the two of them in the middle of the night, Kazusa can’t help but be unusually conscious of him.
Feeling restless, his eyes wandered, and suddenly, a piano caught his sight. Amidst the modern interior, the antique-style, claw-foot piano clearly stood out.
“Um…”
Finding a topic to break the silence, Kazusa called out to Zero, who was placing what seemed like fresh herbs into a glass pot.
“You don’t play the piano anymore? I heard you used to play at a nightclub.”
Zero paused and confirmed, “You heard that from Serval?”
“Yes.”
“…That guy…”
The sound of a sharp tongue click echoed. Though his aura radiated displeasure, it was still better than the silence.
“Serval said he’s never heard you play the piano.”
“…I haven’t touched it in a long time.”
Zero glanced at the piano and murmured in a low voice.
“And about those performances at the club—those don’t count as playing. I was just pounding the keys to please the customers, responding to their requests.”
His dismissive tone carried an undercurrent of something dark. But at the same time, Kazusa sensed there might be an interesting story behind it.
“What kind of piano music did you play before?”
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Next update: 2025.04.25
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