RL Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – The Kidnapping Story

Resonance 4, Part 7

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*

֍֍֍

Kouki had discussed his career path with his parents many times. While his resolve and his brother’s support had eventually caused his parents to relent, it was clear they had never truly come to terms with it. In their hearts, they still wished he would quit the police force and take over the family business.

(Well, that can’t be helped. The only thing I can do is prove to them through my actions that I’m serious about this and not just doing it on a whim.)

As Kouki reaffirmed his resolve, Amane’s slightly irritated voice cut in, “I’m talking about your kidnapping story.”

“Ah… right,” Kouki said.

Before his mother and brother had arrived, they had been talking about the major event that had changed his life.

“Where did I leave off?”

“You were six years old when you were kidnapped for ransom.”

“―――The perpetrator was a staff member at the Alpha elementary school I attended. I later found out he wasn’t a permanent employee, just a temporary hire filling a vacancy for a six-month term. He was in his early twenties, and we had spoken a few times at school… I can’t remember what we talked about, but it was probably small talk. I just remember thinking he was a kind guy wearing glasses. Most likely, he knew from the start that I was the third son of the Shutou family and approached me with that knowledge.”

“So, you were already targeted by that point. But there were teachers and other students around at school, and you had an escort, right?”

Amane asked for confirmation, and Kouki nodded.

“Yes, I was driven to and from school. But back then, I hated being rushed into the car right after school when I still wanted to play. So, I would hide around the school, causing trouble for the staff who were supposed to escort me. Looking back, the perpetrator must have been observing my ‘after-school hide-and-seek’ routine.”

“Ah, I see,” Amane said with understanding.

“That day, I hid in a cleaning supply closet at the back of the classroom. But suddenly, the door opened from the outside. I was startled, but when I saw it was him, I felt relieved. He said, ‘Everyone’s looking for you,’ and since I’d been found, I stepped out of the closet. As I walked ahead of him down the hallway, he suddenly covered the lower half of my face from behind… and I lost consciousness.”

“He covered your mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in chemicals, right?”

“…That’s probably what happened. When I woke up, I was in a small, dim, and empty apartment room, with my hands and feet tied up and a gag in my mouth.”

“The room must have been prepared for the kidnapping. How long were you held there?”

“Three days. My memories of that time are hazy. I wasn’t given any food, just a small milk carton once a day that I had to drink through a straw. That was the only nourishment I received. When I needed to use the bathroom, he untied me. But I was so weak from not eating and lying on the floor for so long that I couldn’t even think about trying to escape or resist.”

Imagining the tragic situation, Amane frowned sympathetically.

“The perpetrator was getting more frustrated as the ransom negotiations didn’t go well. He shouted things like, ‘Don’t underestimate me!’ and ‘How could privileged Alphas like you understand the suffering of someone struggling at the bottom!’ He yelled into his phone and kicked the walls. I guess he could sense that the police were intentionally dragging out the negotiations and that the investigation was closing in on him. The more cornered he felt, the more dangerous he became. I started to feel like I might be killed. Then one day, he finally pulled out a knife.”

“A kitchen knife?”

“A butcher knife, about 20 centimetres long. He pressed the blade against my throat and said, ‘If I kill you, your family will suffer forever. Go to hell, Alpha!’”

“……”

“Maybe he figured if he couldn’t get the ransom, he’d just kill me and then take his own life. I’ll never forget the cold feeling of the blade on my neck, and how my blood ran cold as everything went black.”

It later became clear from the criminal’s testimony that he held no personal grudge against the Shutou family or Kouki himself.

The kidnapper had grown up in a poor Beta household with a single mother. He hadn’t been able to attend the university he had wanted and had to settle for temporary, low-paying jobs. After working at a black company, his physical and mental health deteriorated, and he quit within a year. From then on, he scraped by with part-time jobs. His mother, the only family he had, fell ill and passed away because he couldn’t afford her medical expenses. He relapsed into depression and had to attend psychiatric care while working part-time. When he finally started to recover, he applied for a temporary staff position at the Alpha elementary school and was lucky enough to be hired.

For the first time in a long while, he had a decent job. Though it was only for a limited time, he was told his contract might be extended if he performed well. So he worked with hope in his heart. However, as he became more familiar with the privileged environment of the Alpha school, he began to harbour complex emotions.

Luxurious facilities akin to a five-star hotel. Uniforms designed by top designers. Gourmet meals prepared by a private chef. Limousine service. These children lived in a world where all of this was normal.

Meanwhile, he was there to serve them.

Though they were all human, the difference was stark.

Just because they were born as Alphas, they were given every advantage, cruising through life on the elite track without struggle, with a brilliant future guaranteed. Day by day, his envy grew until it became uncontrollable.

That was when he learned that one of the children at the school was from the well-known Shutou family.

―――I knew that kidnapping was risky. I also knew the chances of success were low. But since I didn’t have a great life anyway, I thought it was worth betting on a one-in-a-million chance to turn things around. Even if I failed, I could at least strike back at the Alphas. They think they’re special and invincible. It didn’t matter who I kidnapped; it didn’t have to be that kid. I just thought that if I were going to commit a crime, taking a child from a more famous family would have more impact.

That’s what the perpetrator apparently stated―――.

֍֍֍

*Translator’s Note: Even though you feel that the world is not fair, you shouldn’t have taken it out on a kid, bruh… -K

Next update: 2025.02.08

֍֍֍