RH Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – Deep Downtown

Resonance 4, 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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“Half a year ago, this is where I first met Shou.”

Listening to Amane’s explanation, Kouki looked around.

They were in an area known as Deep Downtown, which borders the slums in the downtown district.

Spray art danced on the crumbling walls. The cobblestone streets were full of noticeable potholes and bumps. A battered car was abandoned on the street. Buildings, almost like ruins. Broken windows. Trash fluttering about. Vomit stuck to the asphalt. In a dark alley just a few metres ahead, where visibility was nonexistent, stray cats rummaged through the garbage.

The streetlights had been left unfixed, creating patches of darkness here and there. Perhaps due to the late hour, there were hardly any people around. Occasionally, a muscle-bound man covered in tattoos or a suspicious-looking middle-aged man, likely on drugs, would pass by. A woman standing at the entrance of an alley, seemingly waiting for someone, turned out to be a rather old call girl.

For Kouki, who grew up in the Upper Hills, this was completely foreign territory. It was an absolute ‘away’ game. Just a single road away was a slum where gun-toting street gangs roamed, and assault and murder were part of daily life. There was no telling when or from where danger might strike.

(Darkness lies just ahead…)

Feeling the tense and hostile atmosphere on his skin, Kouki braced himself and started walking. As Amane had warned him, “If you drive a luxury car around here, you’ll be surrounded in no time,” he had parked it in what appeared to be a relatively secure parking lot.

Even Amane, walking shoulder to shoulder with Kouki, was visibly on edge.

“There’s a chance Shou came around here last night as well.”

Amane’s low voice spoke as his eyes cautiously scanned the surroundings. That speculation prompted Kouki to voice the question that had surfaced in his mind.

“Half a year ago… when you saved him, why was he in a place like this?!”

The profile Kouki had of the boy so far was that of a 17-year-old Stray Omega, a high-class male escort, not very sociable, quiet, and a book lover.

The image of an introverted person didn’t match the reckless behaviour of wandering around such a dangerous area at night. There seemed to be a disconnect between the character and his actions.

The most obvious reason for someone wandering a place like this late at night would be to get drugs. Alternatively, it could be for illegal gambling, like underground casinos, or prostitution.

However, the Shou Kouki had heard about didn’t seem like the type to get involved with drugs or lose himself in gambling. As for prostitution, he was already a male escort. Of course, Kouki had never met Shou in person before his death, so it was only an impression.

“An Omega wandering Deep Downtown alone at night is incredibly dangerous, isn’t it? He was actually attacked after all.”

“………”

“I had an impression of Shou as an introverted person. So such reckless behaviour doesn’t seem like him at all…”

Kouki voiced the discomfort he felt. But there was no reaction from the man beside him. When he glanced over, he saw Amane furrowing his eyebrows and his lips tightly pursed. Realising something, Kouki stopped in his tracks.

“Do you know something?”

Amane also stopped. But did not answer the question.

“………”

“You do, don’t you?”

When Kouki pressed further in an interrogative tone, Amane furrowed his eyebrows even more. He glared at the pockmarked cobblestones as if pondering something deeply, and then muttered under his breath, “Drugs.”

“Drugs? You mean narcotics?!”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Kouki raised his voice, only to be reprimanded with a “Don’t shout.”

“It’s not narcotics. It’s suppressants. Heat suppressants. Shou was trying to get his hands on them.”

Kouki repeated, “Heat suppressants.”

“…I see. He wanted to control his heat.”

Perhaps the inability to manage his own pheromone release was unbearable for such an intelligent boy. That made sense. And it fit with the image Kouki had of him.

“So, there’s a place around here where you can illegally obtain the pills?”

“…Who knows.”

Amane’s reply was vague. His expression looked uneasy.

“Half a year ago, Shou was attacked before he could get the pills. So, it’s unclear if such a place really exists.”

“But he might have snuck out of the ‘Kamokuriya’ last night to try again. If we can find the place where the pills are sold, we might be able to trace his movements from last night until early this morning.”

Disheartened after the dead end with the list of seven clients, this new lead felt like a ray of hope.

“Let’s search for the place that deals the pills.”

However, Amane’s reaction to Kouki’s suggestion was unenthusiastic.

“How exactly do you plan to search? Are you going to go around asking, ‘Where can I illegally buy heat suppressants?’ Even if someone answers, you might end up getting caught in the crossfire. There’s no way you’d get a straight answer.”

Kouki sensed something off about Amane’s dismissive tone. Just moments ago, he had been burning with determination to uncover the truth. This sudden shift felt strange.

“Honjou-san, what’s going on? You seem different somehow…”

As Kouki tried to question him, a voice called from behind, “Amane.” Amane turned toward the raspy voice and murmured, “Crow.”

Kouki glanced back and saw a small silhouette standing in front of a crumbling building wall. The figure was dressed in oversized, loose-fitting black clothing and wore large, black-rimmed glasses.

Amane left Kouki’s side and quickly walked toward the figure—Crow.

Now that Kouki thought about it, Amane had been sending a message to someone in the car on the way here. That boy might have been the recipient.

It seemed they had arranged to meet.

From where Kouki stood, he watched the two of them huddle together, exchanging words quietly. After a moment, Amane reached into the pocket of his mod coat, pulled out a wallet, and handed over a few bills. Crow checked the amount and, after seeming satisfied, gave a nod. Amane patted Crow on the shoulder. With that, the two parted ways. Crow quickly disappeared into the darkness.

When Amane returned, Kouki asked, “Who was that?”

“An informant,” came the curt reply.

“An informant?”

The existence of informants was already in a legal grey area. But adding monetary transactions to the mix was another thing altogether.

“You just handed him money. Paying for information is a breach of conduct,” Kouki pointed out.

Without a trace of guilt, Amane retorted, “So what?”

“You can’t get sensitive information through proper channels. You can either let the case go cold while you stick to your clean methods. Or you can solve it using a few tricks. Which do you choose?”

Faced with this cold ultimatum, Kouki was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Well…”

“If you stay up on your high horse, you’ll never understand the people you’re supposed to protect. Come down here and dirty your fancy shoes. If you’re not willing to, then go home. You’re just getting in the way.”

The blunt dismissal made Kouki clench his fists tightly.

Amane was right. Unless he stepped down and stood on the same level, the truth would remain out of reach.

Besides, it was too late to turn back now.

In reality, he had already sunk quite deep.

He had assisted in a solo investigation, disobeying his superior’s orders, fully aware of what he was doing. If the higher-ups found out, he too would face penalties. A suspension right after joining the force would be unavoidable.

He knew all this, so why had he followed this man?

He has a short temper and snaps easily. His anger management is non-existent. He breaks the rules without hesitation.

At the station, he keeps a distance from his colleagues, acting as a lone wolf who doesn’t easily let anyone get close.

Despite being distant in personal relationships, he passionately seeks the truth behind the death of a Stray Omega he only met once.

―――As long as the government thinks that way, the Stray Omegas will remain at the bottom of the caste. The vicious cycle won’t improve. But just because they’re at the bottom, that doesn’t mean they deserve to die in vain.

Murmuring to himself as if convincing his own heart, his profile carried a determined yet subtly sorrowful beauty.

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Next update: 2024.12.08

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