RL Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – The Beast Tamer

Resonance 1, Part 8

Novel Title: 共鳴劣情 オメガバース (Resonance Lust: Omegaverse)

Author：岩本薫 (Iwamoto Kaoru)

Illustrator: 蓮川愛 (Hasukawa Ai)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 本浄天音 (Honjou Amane) & 苅谷煌騎 (Kariya Kouki) / 首藤煌騎 (Shutou Kouki)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“The case has been wrapped up, so how about we grab dinner tonight?” Kouki muttered the invitation in his mind as he stared at the elegant back of his partner’s head.

But soon enough, a flurry of rejection echoed in his mind—“Huh? Why do I have to go eat with you?” “Not happening.” “No thanks.” The words stabbed at his heart, making him furrow his eyebrows and press a hand against his chest. This wasn’t just imagination. These were actual phrases Amane had hurled back at him over the past two months.

The thought of hesitating to invite someone to dinner would have been unimaginable for him until now. However, after having every single one of his numerous attempts turned down in such a cold manner, he found himself hesitating to make another advance.

As Onizuka had mentioned earlier, he felt that they had gradually started to sync as partners. The results, in terms of the number of arrests, were proof of that.

Just the other day, his closest senior and the only female detective in the department, Seo, had slid her office chair closer and whispered excitedly, “Your arrest numbers are amazing!”

“Did you know? Everyone at the station is calling Kariya-kun the ‘Beast Tamer’?”

It was Kuroki, the squad supervisor of the first squad, who had described Amane as ‘a wild beast that can’t be tamed or made to trust anyone’.

A creature of unmatched beauty, a feral and fierce beast—Honjou Amane was acutely aware of his existence among the department’s members, who treated him as a cautionary item to be observed from a distance.

“Or the ‘brave man who put a bell around the neck of a lynx.’ Hey, brave guy, how do you manage to control Honjou-san?” Seo asked him earnestly, leaving him at a loss for words.

He was neither taming nor controlling him at all.

(If anything, I can’t even control myself…)

Thinking back to their first meeting on the rooftop two months ago still felt like the worst memory.

Amane had shouted “Shut the hell up!” at Kouki. He had been sleeping on the roof during work hours and had blown smoke in his face from the cigarette he had been smoking. Then, Kouki had been called ‘well-bred’ and laughed at as Amane sneered, “You won’t last more than three days,” mocking the long-held dreams he had.

When he realised that this man, with an unusually low boiling point and a significant lack of consideration for public morals despite being a detective, was going to be his partner, he cursed fate and the gods for his punishment.

However, as they investigated the mysterious death of a male prostitute in the red-light district together, he discovered unexpected sides of Amane, whom he had initially thought of as an incorrigible troublemaker. It became clear that Onizuka’s praise of him as ‘the ace of the investigation department’ was not unfounded.

Amane could set aside his delinquent appearance to use polite language as needed and was skilled at negotiating. He had a keen sense for investigation and sharp observational skills. He worked tirelessly to uncover the truth, bravely plunging into deep areas when necessary.

The driving force propelling Amane wasn’t his own ambition or the rewards that came with his work.

It was all for the sake of rescuing the souls of nameless dead who had met untimely ends.

As his evaluation of Amane began to change, he experienced an unintended phenomenon—a ‘resonance heat’—triggered by their accidental physical contact.

Overwhelmed by an irresistible sexual impulse, Kouki found himself connecting physically with his partner, leading him to uncover the heavy secret that Amane bore.

Amane himself was a socially vulnerable Stray Omega.

He had assumed the identity of his childhood friend, who had died at the age of nine, taking on his national ID number and living a life full of lies as a Beta.

Though he put on a brave front, deep within, he hid a fragility that few could see.

Despite being a Stray Omega, he fought fiercely for the sake of those socially vulnerable while using his slender frame to navigate a harsh environment.

It was no wonder that this man felt like his destined ‘soulmate’.

Could there be anyone who wouldn’t feel a sense of fate in this encounter?

The desire to protect his ‘soulmate’ quickly morphed into a possessive urge to claim this person as his own.

Watching Amane, exuding Omega pheromones to seduce a security guard right in front of him, made his mind feel like it was about to explode. He had never experienced such overwhelming passion before.

―――Stop! Don’t touch him! That person is…-

That person is mine!

In the voice of his heart that had slipped out unconsciously, he realised his true feelings. Once he became aware of his love, he could no longer suppress it and confessed to Amane, “I like you.”

―――It doesn’t matter if you’re an alpha or omega. I just like you.

―――However, even if we’re ‘soulmates’, we’re both free. I have no intention of being bound to anyone, and I won’t bind you to me either.

―――..So I’ve been rejected.

He sank into the depths of despair from his first heartbreak. But shortly after, he was able to learn Amane’s true name, which lifted his spirits back up.

―――Am I the only one who knows this name of yours?

―――You’re my partner, after all.

The special feeling of being the only one in the world who knew Amane’s true name became a thread of hope within him. Though it may not be possible right away, he believed that as they spent time together as partners, he would one day surely have his feelings accepted. He thought they could become genuine ‘soulmates’, body and soul. But…

(How naive.)

Since that day he learned Amane’s name, he had indeed been accepted as a work partner. However, in private, a line had been drawn.

The times they had sought each other endlessly, connecting countless times—those intense moments felt like a mere illusion now, as Amane remained distant.

His invitations to dinner were consistently ignored. And he hadn’t been allowed into Amane’s apartment even once since that day.

Rather than growing closer, it felt as if they were drifting further apart with each passing day.

Amane was completely averse to any physical contact with him. Whenever Kouki approached even slightly, Amane would visibly grimace with his fur standing on end like a wildcat, exposing his wariness.

―――I only trust myself. Let me make this clear one more time. Don’t touch me. Got it?

He had been warned like this just the day before when they secured Nitta.

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*Translator’s Note: I think everyone notices how Honjou-san is treating Kariya-kun differently. Only he himself didn’t see it. -K

Next update: 2025.01.13

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