RL Chapter 41

Chapter 41 – Now or Never

Resonance 5, Part 2

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*

֍֍֍

As he prepared to approach the target, Kouki’s words suddenly echoed in his mind.

―――I’ll be back soon. But if Kourogi shows up while I’m gone, contact me on my phone.

―――I’m sure you already understand this, but please don’t act alone. Okay?

Even so, if he waited for Kouki to return, Kourogi might find someone he knew, and his chance would be cut in half.

(It’s now or never.)

Making a split-second decision, he stepped forward. Weaving through the crowd, he closed the distance between them. As they passed, Amane deliberately bumped his shoulder hard against his.

“Whoa!”

Kourogi’s upper body swayed and the champagne in his glass sloshed over the rim.

“Watch where you’re going!” Kourogi growled, switching the glass to his other hand.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Amane said, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket. He wiped the champagne from his hand and then slowly lifted his gaze from beneath lowered eyelids.

As soon as their eyes met, Kourogi’s eyes widened in surprise. Holding his gaze, Amane focused all his attention on his eyes, resisting the urge to blink. His eyes grew warm, filling with moisture, until a faint sheen of tears formed over them. He continued staring intently at Kourogi with slightly tearful eyes.

“You’re…?” The man, who had been frozen, was captivated by his gaze. He muttered in a hoarse voice, “Could you be… an Omega?”

Without answering his question, Amane smiled faintly. Breaking the eye contact, he turned to a passing waiter and took two glasses of champagne, offering one to Kourogi.

“Here’s a fresh glass of champagne. I’ll take the one I spilled.”

Still looking slightly dazed, Kourogi handed him the glass he was holding.

“…Thank you.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologise. I seem to have had too much champagne…”

He paused meaningfully before speaking again and stared intently at Kourogi’s face.

“Are you here alone by any chance?”

“Ah… yeah,” the man replied, blinking excessively as he nodded.

“I came alone too. But this party is really something, isn’t it? Everything is so extravagant… I was actually thinking about heading out soon because I feel a bit out of place.”

“I get it,” Kourogi agreed, seemingly relieved to have found someone who shared his feelings.

“Actually, I was invited out of the blue too. I didn’t want to turn down such a nice invitation, so I rearranged my schedule to come. But in the end, I don’t know anyone here…”

“There’s nothing more awkward than attending a party alone,” Amane said with a mischievous smile.

“Exactly,” Kourogi laughed awkwardly.

“If you’d like, how about we step outside for a bit and chat?”

Kourogi didn’t seem to mind the suggestion and responded with, “I don’t see why not.”

***

Amane and Kourogi walked side by side, passing through the glass doors that led out of the venue. They crossed a short approach and walked under a spire-shaped arch. Beyond that was a terrace paved with terracotta stones. White benches, garden tables with parasols, garden chairs, and box sofas were strategically placed, while potted plants served as partitions.

There were a few guests on the terrace, escaping the heat of the party and enjoying the breeze.

“How about over there?” Amane pointed to an empty box seat. Leading the way, he sat down next to Kourogi on the box sofa. Beyond the white fence surrounding the terrace, a beautifully lit garden stretched out. It was one of the five gardens on the estate. The garden was filled with colourful flowers, an octagonal gazebo, and a circular fountain.

“I’ve heard the rumours. But this mansion really is incredible…” Kourogi muttered in awe as he gazed enviously at the garden.

“Are you acquainted with someone from the Shutou family?” Amane inquired.

“Well, not directly…” Kourogi hesitated. He seemed to be pondering for a moment, but the desire to boast won out.

“Actually, I was personally invited by Shutou Keiki.”

“Shutou Keiki? Isn’t he the CEO of Shutou Conglomerate? That’s amazing to receive a personal invitation from the top!” Amane responded enthusiastically, lifting Kourogi’s spirits.

The man’s nose twitched proudly. “We don’t know each other personally. But he might’ve taken an interest in my company somewhere. I plan to greet him later.”

“And your company is…?” Amane prompted.

Kourogi, falling for Amane’s bait, pulled out a business card from his tuxedo pocket and handed it over.

“I run this kind of business,” he said.

Amane took the card and read aloud, “Kourogi Masashi from ‘Chance Promotions’…”

“‘Chance Promotions’… I’ve definitely heard that name before, on TV or the internet. It’s a talent agency, right? Quite a big one, isn’t it?”

“In the industry, we’re fairly large,” Kourogi said with a satisfied grin. His confidence was returning, having previously been slightly overwhelmed by the grandeur of the event.

“Our flagship star is Mizuki Andou.”

“Mizuki Andou? She’s beautiful. I’m a big fan,” Amane said, causing Kourogi’s nose to flare even more. He was an easy man to read.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Amane,” he answered, opting to use his first name to avoid the risk of slipping up with a fake one.

“Amane, huh? What do you do for work?”

“I used to work in the food and beverage industry. But I quit at the end of last month. It was a really exploitative workplace and I ended up getting sick. But since I lost my parents early and I’m on my own, I really can’t afford not to work.”

Amane spoke with a sorrowful expression, which made Kourogi’s eyes light up.

“In that case, how about the entertainment industry? Are you interested?”

“The entertainment industry…?”

Amane widened his eyes, feigning confusion, while subtly releasing a small amount of Omega pheromones.

During his heat, Amane had learned to control the release of his Omega pheromones to some extent. It was a skill he discovered about two years after experiencing his first heat. Though it might have been genetic, he couldn’t confirm this as his mother had passed away long ago.

In a typical heat cycle, an Omega’s pheromones flow uncontrollably, and suppressants—essentially medication—are used to close the metaphorical faucet to stop the pheromone leak. Amane, however, could manually adjust the flow of his pheromones, opening or closing the faucet at will. That said, he couldn’t completely suppress a large amount of pheromones, so this ability only worked when he had taken pills.

֍֍֍

*Translator’s Note: Acting alone will make your puppy really angry, Honjou-san. -K

Next update: 2025.02.11

֍֍֍