Chapter 13 – A Phone Call
Resonance 1, Part 9
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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⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of suicide. Readers’ discretion is advised.
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The phenomenon of resonance heat between them only happened during Amane’s heat, which lasted for a week. Kouki had started taking pills meant for Alphas as well. Therefore, during the three weeks when Amane wasn’t in heat, he wanted him to be able to rely on him without worry. Yet no matter how much he explained, his words were not believed by him. And his outstretched hand was rejected.
Of course, he understood why Amane was so nervous.
If it became public knowledge that he was a Stray Omega, he wouldn’t be able to remain a detective. In fact, he could be arrested and face imprisonment. Given that risk, it was understandable for Amane to be overly cautious.
But Kouki was on his side. He was the only ally who knew Amane’s secret.
To reject him—their bond as ‘soulmates’, their relationship as work partners, and his role as the only ally—was both frustrating and maddening.
Still, he couldn’t give up.
He couldn’t abandon the ‘soulmate’ he had miraculously met.
(That’s something I absolutely cannot do.)
As he gazed sadly at his distant partner’s back, a vibration from the cellphone in his suit’s inner pocket broke the silence. Upon taking it out and seeing the name ‘Mizuki’ on the home screen, Kouki furrowed his eyebrows.
Mizuki Andou was his ex-girlfriend, someone he had been in a relationship with until he entered the police academy. Among all his former partners, she was the most recent. She was an actress, two years older at twenty-five.
A few years ago, she rose to fame after starring in a romantic drama. Since then, she has steadily climbed the ranks, now being touted as the top young actress. For an actress, looks were a crucial factor, and like many in her field, Mizuki was an Omega.
However, not every Omega would find success. Only a select few would reach the top, a reality consistent across various industries. Mizuki possessed not just stunning looks but also solid acting skills, a charm that appealed to everyone, and perhaps a bit of luck as well.
In truth, she could be quite spoiled at times. But she had the ability to turn that into charm. She’s a sweet and charming woman who knows how to be endearing.
Kouki’s romance with her, as the youngest son of the Shutou family, who had been linked to several rising young actresses, was soon sniffed out by the media. Their paparazzi-captured date photos (with Kouki’s identity obscured since he was technically a civilian) sparked significant public interest. Subsequently, he became a target for the eager paparazzi, with fake news circulating about ‘a wedding countdown’ and ‘finally getting engaged’. These news were composed of comments from insiders and acquaintances, presented as if they were true.
Growing tired of such sensationalism and feeling a sense of urgency that he couldn’t afford to be distracted by romance while striving for his dreams, Kouki broke up with Mizuki shortly before moving into the police academy dormitory. It was apparently her first time being rejected. She had exploded with anger, saying, “Are you out of your mind? I can’t believe you want to break up!” Despite her considerable resistance, Kouki patiently continued to persuade her until she ultimately accepted it.
Looking back now, having met his destined ‘soulmate’, he realised that his relationship with Mizuki, where he had initiated the breakup, might not have been true love after all.
However, Mizuki seemed to still harbour some lingering feelings, occasionally reaching out as if suddenly remembering him. True to form, she would contact him late at night or in the early hours. She often disregarded his circumstances while sharing trivial industry gossip or venting about her job.
He had considered blocking her number. But before he could act, she had abruptly stopped reaching out. The last call had come on the day he arrived at the D-East Station and he wondered if she was still upset about his cold response then or if she had started a new relationship and erased memories of her distant ex-boyfriend.
In any case, he had felt a sense of relief thinking this might be a fade-out.
He hoped that this wouldn’t trigger another barrage of calls that ignored his own circumstances. If it was the usual trivial matters, he would firmly tell her not to call anymore. That would be for the best for both of them.
As he pondered this, he stepped out of the criminal investigation department floor, still holding the vibrating phone. At the end of the deserted hallway, he tapped the answer button and placed the phone to his ear.
“Hello, Mizuki?”
“Kouki!?!? Ah… finally caught you.”
“I told you not to contact me while I’m working, didn’t I?”
“I know. But you ignore my messages and they go unread!”
She replied with a hint of dissatisfaction. It struck him that he had been so busy with stakeouts and preparations for arraignment lately that he hadn’t checked the messaging app properly. Apparently, she had reached out to him several times during that period.
“I’ve been swamped with work these past few days. So, what do you want?”
When he coldly prompted her, she responded with an unusually low voice. It was one he had never heard before.
“Hey… do you remember Aya? We’ve had dinner together a few times with her, remember?”
Hearing that name triggered a reflex. The face of a young woman floated into his mind. Indeed, they had shared meals together a few times. But the last time he had seen her was nearly a year ago when he was still dating Mizuki. Aya was also an Omega and only twenty years old, but the two had been as close as real sisters.
“She’s a junior from the same production company, right?”
Aya was just starting her career as an actress, with only a few minor roles in dramas to her name. It seemed her main arena was gravure modelling. But her ultimate goal was to become an actress. “Someday, I want to be credited first in the cast like you, Mizuki-senpai. That’s why right now, I’m doing everything I can to get noticed by producers and directors by auditioning non-stop,” she had said, her large eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
He remembered her as a sincere and positive young woman.
“What happened to her?”
“She died.”
“Died!?”
He couldn’t help but raise his voice and quickly turned his head to check that there was no one around. After confirming the hallway was empty, he asked, “When? What was the cause of death?”
“Ten days ago, she drowned while taking a bath after taking sleeping pills. The police are ruling it as a suicide.”
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*Translator’s Note: Ugh. How convenient…. Girl died in bathtub after taking pills and the stupid police just ruled it as suicide. No proper police work at all. -K
*GLOSSARY:
- A gravure model, or gurubia aidoru in Japanese, is a model who poses in provocative lingerie and swimsuit photos for magazines and photo books aimed at men. They are similar to pin-up models
Next update: 2025.01.14
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