Chapter 17 – Probing
Resonance 2, Part 3
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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Kouki’s eyes widened at Amane’s sudden proposal.
“…A bite to eat?”
He repeated the words as if he were hearing them for the first time. His expression was one of utter surprise.
“Yeah, dinner. Since we’ve wrapped up the case, I thought we could have a little celebration. What do you say?”
Amane carefully observed the range of emotions that flickered across Kouki’s handsome face.
First came pure astonishment. Given that Amane had always turned down Kouki’s previous meal invitations, his shock was understandable.
After the initial surprise wore off, the realisation seemed to hit Kouki, and his light bluish-grey eyes began to sparkle with excitement. His expression, beaming with joy and radiating the intense aura of an alpha, was almost blinding. But that expression didn’t last long.
Like the sky darkening before a summer storm, Kouki’s bright eyes suddenly clouded over. The joy on his face quickly faded.
“…I’m really sorry but I have to turn down your invitation.”
His eyes filled with sadness, and his voice lost its strength. This was a side of Kouki that Amane had never seen before.
“I already have plans today…”
“I see. Then how about tomorrow?” Amane pressed on, not ready to give up.
Kouki stiffened, his lips tightening into a thin line. His brow furrowed with tension as he responded with difficulty.
“I can’t guarantee tomorrow either.”
“…Is that so.”
Amane straightened up from his relaxed position, folding his arms as he spoke.
“I was thinking we could have a drink at my place after dinner… But if you’re busy, I guess it can’t be helped.”
Kouki’s head shot up, surprise evident on his face.
“Your place, Honjou-san? Really?”
“What would be the point in lying? …Come to think of it, the last time you were at my place was after ‘that’, wasn’t it?”
Amane lowered his voice, deliberately adding a suggestive tone. Kouki’s throat visibly bobbed as he gulped, immediately understanding that the ‘that’ Amane referred to was their second resonance-induced heat. His eyes instinctively grew moist and gleamed with desire, almost as if on cue.
(Stop thinking about it with that lustful look on your face)
Amane cursed inwardly, irritated by how Kouki was unconsciously releasing pheromones.
Then, without warning, Kouki closed the gap between them at lightning speed.
“What about the day after tomorrow? By then, I think things will be wrapped up…”
“What exactly are you wrapping up?” Amane shot back immediately.
“It’s not the Nitta case, is it? That was resolved just this afternoon. What are you dealing with on your own?”
“Well…”
Kouki hesitated, the inner turmoil he was feeling clear on his face.
“If it’s something I can help with, why don’t you tell me?”
“…”
Kouki remained silent, resisting Amane’s attempt to coax him into talking.
(He’s more stubborn than I thought.)
Amane unfolded his arms and leaned forward, looking up at the man in front of him.
“Is this something you can’t even tell your partner?” he asked, his tone probing.
Kouki bit his lip tightly, hesitating.
“I see.”
Amane slowly shook his head from side to side.
“We’ve been partners for two months now. After handling a few cases together, I personally started to feel like we were building some kind of trust between us.”
“Honjou-san…”
“But apparently, that wasn’t the case for you.”
Amane muttered this in a disappointed tone, turning his back to Kouki. Immediately, Kouki called out, “Honjou-san!”
(Got him.)
Smiling to himself, he quickly wiped the expression from his face and spun his chair back around. Facing Kouki again, Amane asked with feigned innocence, “What is it?”
Kouki hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly in the midst of his final internal struggle. Finally, with a resolute expression, he spoke.
“Honjou-san, there’s something I’d like to consult with you about. Could you hear me out?”
***
“So, where are you going to meet Mizuki Andou?” Amane asked from the passenger seat, glancing over at Kouki, who was gripping the steering wheel.
“At her apartment,” Kouki replied. “She’s well-known, and considering the sensitive nature of the conversation…”
“Right, we can’t exactly ask a top actress to come down to some dingy dive bar in the downtown area,” Amane quipped sarcastically.
Kouki simply nodded silently in response, driving the car out of the parking lot of the D-East Police Station. Most of the cars parked in the underground garage were either patrol cars or unmarked vehicles. The remaining 20 percent of the spaces were reserved for high-ranking officers and visitors. Given this limited allocation, the fact that Kouki—a rookie—had been assigned a parking space and was allowed to commute by car clearly showed he was being treated with special privilege.
However, Kouki himself didn’t seem to question this privilege. Being born into a prestigious Alpha family, he had grown up constantly receiving special treatment as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Though Kouki was surprisingly good at reading the room for an Alpha and showed proper consideration for others, especially in an office mostly populated by Betas, he still couldn’t entirely rid himself of the mindset of the privileged class (setting aside his fashion choices that screamed ‘celebrity’). Despite this, he managed to fit in relatively well.
(Well, having this guy drive me around is pretty convenient.)
Kouki’s car was a silver two-seater with a top-quality leather interior. The ride was as smooth as could be. And the car handled corners like a dream. On top of that, Kouki was an exceptionally skilled driver, almost at a professional level.
No one would willingly give up the perk of being chauffeured around in such a luxurious car, so Amane had no intention of pointing out the obvious.
As the car exited the underground garage and merged into the downtown streets, Amane glanced out at the passing cityscape. He silently reviewed the details he had just pried out of Kouki.
Six months ago, a young Omega actress named Aya fell victim to a rape drug. Because she had lost consciousness during the crime, she was unable to identify who had assaulted her—whether it was one of the three men at the party or if all three were involved remained unclear.
To make matters worse, the morning-after pill failed, and she later discovered she was pregnant. She attempted to track down the father on her own but was unsuccessful.
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*Translator’s Note: Honjou-san is really naughty…. -K
Next update: 2025.01.18
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