RH Chapter 30

Chapter 30 – New Lead

Resonance 6, Part 2

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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“So, what’s our new lead?”

In response to Kouki’s question, Amane said, “Crow found out about a man who has been in contact with Shou recently.”

“Not a customer?”

“No, it seems this man has met Shou multiple times over the past few months.”

Amane tapped on his smartphone and started typing something. After a moment, he showed Kouki the screen. It appeared to be a profile page from some website.

A middle-aged man, sitting comfortably in a high-backed chair and smiling directly at the camera, was featured in the main visual.

The man seemed to be in his mid-fifties, with a full head of hair slicked back, and wearing silver metal-framed glasses that gave him an intellectual air. He had a prominent forehead, a sharp nose, and thin lips. His three-piece suit was tailored, and his necktie was from a high-end brand. His hands, loosely clasped on the wooden desk, bore a luxury watch on the right hand and a platinum wedding ring on the ring finger of the left.

The man, exuding the aura of an intellectual elite, was named Ryouichi Iwaki.

After confirming his appearance and name, Kouki skimmed through the man’s profile.

Iwaki was known as an educator who managed several private schools, giving more than fifty lectures a year on education. He was also passionate about philanthropy, actively supporting underprivileged children by providing free education at the schools he chaired. He had authored numerous works on charity and volunteerism as well. 

They clicked through to another page and skimmed through related articles. But there wasn’t a single bad thing written about him. His public reputation seemed to be overwhelmingly positive.

“Do you know him?”

“I didn’t. He seems to be a person deeply involved in charity work.”

“If you didn’t know him, he’s probably not an Alpha.”

In the Alpha social circles, there are exclusive societies made up entirely of Alphas, and social gatherings are quite common. Alphas frequently have opportunities to meet each other. While it’s possible not to recognize someone who lives far away, it’s rare for them not to have heard a name at all.

“I’ve never heard the name Iwaki either.”

“Must be an elite Beta who climbed his way up.”

“What kind of relationship could a big-shot educator like him have with Shou?”

A well-respected Beta educator and a high-class male escort who is a Stray Omega. The age gap was more than enough to make them seem like parent and child. At first glance, they appeared to have no connection at all…

“We’ll have to ask him directly to find out.”

“Do you think he’ll tell us the truth?”

Kouki voiced his concern.

Investigations are usually voluntary, and interrogations aren’t compulsory. All they could do was politely ask for cooperation and schedule a time to talk. Moreover, this wasn’t an official investigation, which made it even more challenging.

“Who knows. We won’t know unless we try… Now, let’s get going.”

“Where are we headed?”

“Crow said Iwaki manages several schools under a company. He’s the president there. He’s often at the office during the day. Here’s the address.”

After inputting the address displayed on Amane’s smartphone into the navigation system, Kouki started the car.

***

Central City—Midtown District

Iwaki’s company was located in the heart of the city, where corporate headquarters and government offices were concentrated. After parking the car in the underground parking lot of a fifty-two-story skyscraper, they took the elevator to the ground floor and then switched to a different one heading to the higher floors. Kouki pressed the button for the 28th floor.

They had checked the floor guide in the lobby, but the only company listed on the 28th floor was Iwaki’s. This meant that the entire floor belonged to his company, indicating a considerable size.

Once they reached their destination, they exited the elevator. In front of the elevator hall, there was a reception desk where three female staff members in matching uniforms were attending to visitors. Seeing this, Amane turned to Kouki and gave an order.

“You’re going.”

“Me?”

“Use that face of yours and charm the receptionist. You’re good at that, right?”

“Don’t say something that sounds so shady.”

“Just go.”

With a small shove, Kouki reluctantly walked forward. Stopping in front of the reception counter, he smiled at the woman standing before him and said “Hello”. She had a cute, youthful face. She was probably around Kouki’s age. Her eyes widened slightly and a blush spread across her cheeks. But she quickly composed herself and put on a polite smile.

“Welcome. How may I assist you today?”

“I’d like to meet with Mr. Iwaki, the company president…”

“I’ll check if you have an appointment. May I have your name?”

She asked while tapping on the tablet in front of her.

“Kariya.”

“Mr. Kariya… It seems we don’t have an appointment under that name today.”

“I don’t have an appointment.”

The receptionist lifted her gaze.

“You don’t have an appointment?”

“That’s correct.”

Kouki pulled out his police ID from his jacket’s breast pocket and flashed it quickly. The woman’s expression immediately changed.

“I’m from the Downtown East Police Station. I’d like to speak with Mr. Iwaki regarding the incident that occurred in Downtown four days ago. Could you please relay this to him?”

Kouki whispered quietly, and the woman, now looking tense, replied with a stiff expression, “Please wait a moment,” before picking up the internal phone. After a brief conversation with someone who seemed to be the president’s secretary, she placed the call on hold and turned back to Kouki.

“I have conveyed your request through the secretary. But Mr. Iwaki is scheduled to go out soon and will not be able to meet you.”

“I see. In that case, may I schedule an appointment for later today or a future date?”

Though the request was somewhat assertive, the woman looked troubled. But when Kouki politely pleaded, “Please,” she once again relayed the request to the secretary—only to receive the same response.

“Mr. Iwaki’s schedule is fully booked. It seems it will be difficult for him to make time in the near future.”

The woman apologised, clearly feeling sorry.

“I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologise for the unreasonable request. Thank you very much.”

Kouki expressed his gratitude and turned away. Feeling the receptionist’s gaze on his back, he returned to Amane, who had been waiting behind a pillar in the elevator hall.

“How did it go?”

“I asked to speak with Mr. Iwaki about the incident that occurred in Downtown four days ago, but he declined the meeting, saying he’s about to head out. I also asked if we could schedule a follow-up appointment. But they said his schedule is packed, so that was refused as well.”

“Well, I figured it’d be tough to get a meeting on the spot.”

Amane shrugged, as if he had expected to be turned down.

“But normally, if the police show up and say they want to ask about an incident, even if they can’t meet immediately, they’d at least make time soon. No one would be so unconcerned as not to wonder what kind of suspicion they’re under. If someone has an alibi, they can just provide it, and that should clear things up without any lingering issues.”

“That’s true.”

“Yet, look at Iwaki’s response. Cold as ice… it’s suspicious.”

Amane’s dark eyes gleamed with a sharp glint, as if he had sensed something.

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*Translator’s Rant (TOTALLY OUT OF TOPIC. DON’T READ FOR UNNECESSARY BAGGAGE): I’ve been having bad days lately. And it was because of someone that’s been treating me badly. I should avoid them as much as possible (but it’s a family member, so what the hell). It’s like I can’t do anything right. Anything I say is shot back with it being irrelevant. Anything I commented at was told to be out of place. Then why the hell they wanna tell me about their issues then? What do they want? If I don’t talk to them, it’s wrong too. If I don’t show my ass in front of them, it’s wrong too. If I read, it’s wrong. If I eat, it’s wrong. If I spend too much time in front of my computer, it’s wrong. Me quitting my studies is wrong. Me continuing my studies is also wrong. Then what the hell should I do? Should I just die? Sorry, I just wanna rant somewhere. I know no one might care anyway but I need an outlet to let it out. Please don’t comment on this. It’s just a rant. It’ll go away, I guess. I’m translating this novel in October though. So, you guys will probably be reading it wayyyy when it’s done, so anyway, whatevs. -K

Next update: 2024.12.18

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