RH Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – Treatment

Resonance 5, Part 1

Novel Title: 共鳴発情 オメガバース (Resonance Heat: 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 Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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It was a room on the third floor of a four-story apartment building, located about a five-minute walk from the bar.

Standing in front of the door with patches of peeling paint, Amane selected a key from the keychain he pulled out and inserted it into the keyhole. With a click, the iron door unlocked, and he pulled it open. Gripping the doorknob, he gave a curt nod, expressionless, and prompted, “Come in.”

Kouki, who had hesitated for a moment, muttered, “…Pardon my intrusion.” He stepped inside. Amane followed him in and closed the door.

Behind them, the sharp sound of a switch echoed, and the ceiling lights flickered on.

Bathed in the orange light was a stark, square room surrounded by concrete walls and ceiling. The floor, worn with age, was made of polished black wood. A large window that dominated the front wall was covered with light grey blinds. The ceiling fan’s blades rotated lazily, stirring the air in the room.

In one corner of the room was a small kitchen. But it seemed barren with only the most essential equipment and tools, making it appear desolate.

As for furniture, there was a single worn-out leather sofa and a wooden coffee table. A round dining table with two mismatched chairs. A stainless steel shelf.

Judging by the iron ladder installed in the corner opposite the kitchen, there seemed to be a loft space on the mezzanine floor. Next to the ladder, there was a door, likely leading to the washroom and bathroom.

After briefly scanning the dry, impersonal room, Kouki muttered to himself, “…What is this place?” Since the morning, he had resigned himself to the fact that even if he asked, he wouldn’t get a decent answer. So he hadn’t inquired about where they were headed along the way.

Amane, as he took off his mod coat, walked toward the sofa and threw the coat over its backrest with a casual toss.

“This is my place.”

“Yours, Honjou-san?”

Kouki reflexively asked back, as he never expected Amane to invite him into his private space.

Still finding it hard to believe, Kouki looked around the room again, this time from the perspective of it being ‘Honjou-san’s place’. He had always thought that a person’s room naturally reflected their tastes and personality. But here, that wasn’t the case. Within his view, there were no flowers, plants, aquariums, or any living things, let alone a single painting or photo. The space was sparsely furnished with only the bare necessities for living, giving off a distant, uninviting atmosphere. It was hardly the kind of place that felt comfortable.

Kouki couldn’t imagine Amane living here—sleeping, cooking, eating—or anything resembling daily life.

While Kouki stood there in a daze, void of any sense of life, Amane called out, “Come here.” Kouki snapped back to reality and walked over to the sofa where Amane was. Just as Kouki reached it, Amane moved past him and walked toward the shelf against the wall.

On the coffee table opposite the sofa, there was a scratched-up laptop, an aluminium ashtray, and a bottle of mineral water. Several cigarette butts were in the ashtray, and the water bottle was about half full.

Before long, Amane returned, carrying a plastic box in one hand.

“Sit.”

He pointed to the sofa, indicating where Kouki should sit. Following the instruction, Kouki sat down. Amane placed the box on the coffee table and sat cross-legged on the rug spread over the floor. At that moment, Kouki noticed the cross mark on the lid of the box, realising it was a first-aid kit.

(So… I was brought here for treatment.)

For Kouki, this area of town was completely foreign. But for Amane, who lived here, it was his home ground. He was likely familiar with the local situation. Besides, there were no emergency hospitals around that offered nighttime services. Compared to returning to the shady doctor they had visited earlier, his own place was much closer to the bar—perhaps that’s why Amane had decided so quickly.

In any case, Kouki was surprised that Amane had even brought him to his home for treatment. After all, for two days since their first meeting, Amane had barely spoken to him. Even today, he had essentially been a burden.

Was it because Amane felt guilty, thinking Kouki was injured while protecting him? Kouki didn’t want him to think that way, but…

Kouki stared intently at Amane, trying to read his emotions. But his fair face was a poker face. It was like a Noh mask, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Recalling the events in his mind, since they had left the bar and Amane had ordered him, “Follow me,” Amane had remained expressionless the whole time.

“Has the bleeding stopped?”

“Probably.”

Kouki had been pressing a handkerchief to his head the whole way here, so the bleeding had likely ceased by now.

“Even though the bleeding has stopped, it’s a wound at your head. Go see a doctor tomorrow morning. For now, I’ll provide some first-aid treatment until then.”

Amane, speaking in his usual calm tone, pulled out gauze and antiseptic spray from the first-aid kit. He held the gauze in his left hand and the spray in his right, then kneeled on the floor.

“Show me the wound.”

Kouki, following Amane’s order, lowered his head and brushed his hair aside. The injury, still throbbing with a dull ache, was located about a centimetre left of the centre of his scalp.

“The blood’s caked on. I can’t see the wound.”

Amane muttered to himself. The nearby hair had become stiff, likely from the blood that had hardened.

“I’m going to apply disinfectant.”

With that declaration, Amane sprayed the wound directly.

“…ugh!”

Kouki had braced himself for some pain. But the stinging was far worse than he anticipated, almost enough to make him cry out. He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress any sound. But Amane showed no mercy, continuing to spray the disinfectant and roughly scrub the wound with gauze.

Unable to endure it any longer, Kouki let out a yelp. “Ow! Honjou-san… please be a little gentler…”

If he rubbed that hard, the bleeding, which had just stopped, would start again.

“You’re a man, so suck it up.”

“This has nothing to do with being a man! Please, wai—”

His plea was completely ignored.

“Stop! Stop!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Kouki grabbed Amane’s arm. It was an unconscious action, driven by the desperate need to halt the rough treatment.

Immediately, Kouki’s hand tingled with a sharp jolt. It was as if he’d been electrocuted.

“…aaahh!”

The sensation was startling, but familiar. It was the same as when Amane had tapped his chest on the rooftop during their first encounter. Back then, Kouki had been too distracted by what followed to dwell on it. But now the sensation was even stronger than before.

He knew he should let go. But his muscles were paralyzed. He couldn’t move.

“…!”

He couldn’t even make a sound. His mouth hung slightly open as he stood frozen, his hand still gripping Amane’s arm. The tingling in his palm was now joined by an intense heat, spreading from his hand to his elbow, up his arm, and into his shoulder. The heat continued to travel, reaching his neck.

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*Translator’s Note: The resonance heat is beginning… Hehe… -K

☝🏻Japanese Noh mask. Yep. Kinda creepy…

Next update: 2024.12.11

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