RL Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Looking for the Suspect

Resonance 1, Part 4

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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For Kouki, this was his first long-term stakeout. Since he was physically strong, he didn’t seem to be suffering from any physical fatigue. But by now, he was likely starting to feel the mental strain. That might be why he was being so easily provoked over minor issues.

Currently, Squad One of the Criminal Investigation Department, which primarily handles serious crimes such as murder, assault, and extortion, was investigating a fatal assault that had occurred in a family restaurant’s parking lot. The incident took place five days ago at 2:20 a.m.

In the parking lot of a 24-hour family restaurant in the Downtown East District, two men got into a dispute over a parking-related incident. The suspect punched the victim in the face, causing him to fall backward and hit the back of his head on a parking block, rendering him unconscious. The suspect then fled the scene in his car without calling an ambulance.

The incident was reported by the restaurant staff. The victim, a 27-year-old office worker, was transported in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

About six hours after the incident, shortly past 8 a.m., the suspect’s car was found about two kilometres away from the family restaurant. The suspect was not inside. And no belongings, such as a phone or ID, were found that could identify him.

However, surveillance cameras in the restaurant’s parking lot had captured footage of the incident as well as the suspect’s car licence plate. His identity was quickly established.

The suspect, Kouji Nitta, 38 years old, had a criminal record. He was sentenced to three years for assault five years ago and was released two years ago after serving his time. After his release, he seemed to be making a living as a day labourer at construction sites.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department went to his apartment. But there was no sign of him returning home. It’s been five days without any movement. Another team from Squad One is also conducting a 24-hour stakeout at his apartment in shifts. Investigators are going around hotels, lodgings, and internet cafes in the downtown area with his photo. But so far, no significant leads have emerged.

The balance in Nitta’s bank account is close to zero. And due to his criminal record, he doesn’t possess any cards with a cash advance feature. It’s only a matter of time before he runs out of money.

Amane, betting on this assumption, thoroughly investigated Nitta’s personal connections. After checking with family, friends, and acquaintances one by one, he ultimately zeroed in on a hostess named Yukari Aiba. She had been Nitta’s childhood friend. And, at one point, his girlfriend. So Amane decided to stake out her apartment.

In the two days since the stakeout began, Yukari left her home at 6 p.m. on both days and returned by taxi around dawn. This seemed to be her workday routine.

Last night, she returned home from the club where she worked past 3 a.m. and hasn’t appeared since. She was probably still asleep by now.

(But the suspect should be making his move soon…)

Given his financial situation, it was unlikely that Nitta had a large sum of money on him on the day of the incident. Five days have passed since the crime, so he’s probably running out of funds by now. It’s obvious that his family, friends, and acquaintances would be under police scrutiny. If he sought help, it would be from someone he’d lost touch with but had a past connection – like a former lover.

However, realistically, few women would lend money to a man they’d already broken up with.

But what if that ex-lover was also a childhood friend?

Amane placed his bet on Nitta contacting Yukari because he himself knew the special bond that comes from sharing childhood memories. Of course, there was a high chance this bet would end in failure…

(Would this gamble turn out to be a hit or a miss?)

While monitoring the unchanged door through the night-vision scope and sorting through the course of events in his mind, Kouki’s tense voice broke the silence.

“Honjou-san, it’s the suspect!”

Amane swiftly brought his feet down from the dashboard.

“Where?”

Kouki, who had been watching the windshield with sharp eyes, silently pointed to his front-right. The man indicated was wearing a black cap pulled low over his face, a black T-shirt, and black pants. Although his face was hidden by a mask, his physique matched the description of the suspect.

“Is that Nitta?”

Kouki answered Amane’s mumbled question without hesitation, “There’s no doubt. The way he’s walking matches the suspect.”

Whether it’s due to his Alpha abilities or simply his own exceptional skills, Kouki’s memory is almost like an AI’s. He had replayed the footage of Nitta from the surveillance camera in his mind and compared it with the gait of the man now in his line of sight, concluding that they were the same person.

“What should we do? Should we apprehend him?” Kouki asked.

“Not yet… don’t move yet,” Amane cautioned in a low voice, like a hunting dog restraining its prey, and kept his eyes on Nitta’s movements. Nitta, walking with his head down as if to avoid being seen, passed in front of the parking lot and then turned right about ten metres ahead. The gentle uphill road he was now on led directly to Yukari’s apartment.

“It’s decided. Alright, we’re going after him.”

At Amane’s signal, they both opened the van doors and stepped out. They started moving at the same time But Kouki, with his longer stride, pulled ahead. Amane called out to his back.

“Take the outside stairs.”

They had already confirmed that the apartment had no elevator and that the only ways up were a concrete internal staircase and an external iron staircase.

“Wait at the third floor,” Amane instructed.

“Got it.”

Kouki responded and increased his speed even more. His tall figure in the suit quickly grew distant. By the time Amane reached the apartment, Kouki was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that he had already started ascending the external stairs on the right side of the building, as faint footsteps could be heard echoing.

Meanwhile, the silhouette of Nitta, the suspect, could be seen on the second-floor landing of the internal staircase located at the left end of the building. Amane chased after him, running up the concrete staircase. As he reached the third floor, he called out to Nitta, who was standing in front of Yukari’s apartment door.

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*GLOSSARY: 

• Hostess – A hostess club in Japan is a type of entertainment venue where primarily male customers pay for the company and attention of female hostesses. These clubs are often located in entertainment districts like Tokyo’s Kabukicho. The hostesses are hired to engage in conversation, flirt, and make their clients feel special and entertained. They provide companionship through attentive listening, playful banter, and flattering remarks.

Next update: 2025.01.09

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