RH Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The Alpha

Prologue, Part 4

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, this is what an Alpha looks like…) 

Onizuka inwardly muttered to himself. He barely managed to suppress the feeling of being overwhelmed by the aura radiating from this young man, who was young enough to be his son. Although he had been briefed beforehand, facing the person in question made him realise even more just how troublesome this situation could be.

Yes, the newcomer to the Criminal Investigation Department was from the Alpha category. And not just any Alpha—he hailed from the elite Shutou family, one of the top five among the Alphas, which were already renowned for their prestigious lineage. Moreover, he was the third son of the main family.

Why would such a super-elite young man be assigned to a lowly police station like this?

According to the Superintendent, the young man had insisted on enrolling in the police academy, defying his parents’ strong objections.

Onizuka could understand why his parents objected. Typically, dealing with criminal cases was dirty work meant for Betas. In fact, 99% of police officers were Betas, including Onizuka and the Superintendent. Omegas, due to their heat periods, couldn’t even become police officers.

The remaining 1% comprised the career group who stood at the top of the police hierarchy—Commissioner General, Deputy Commissioner General, and Chief Superintendent—all of whom were Alphas.

Therefore, it would make less sense if this young man intended to lead as a career officer.

However, it seemed that the young man was determined to work on the front lines as a detective.

The parents, reluctantly granting their stubborn son’s wish to become a detective, had secretly arranged for him to be assigned to the most gruelling police station. Their hope was that the harsh realities of the lowest tier would make him despise the job, leading him to quit early and return to the stage where he truly belonged. This much was fact, based on what Onizuka had heard from the Superintendent. But the rest was his conjecture.

Informed of the young man’s parents’ wishes by the upper echelons of the police, the Superintendent likely thought that the sooner the young man quit, the more it would work in his favour. Thus, he ordered Onizuka, the head of the department, to pair the Alpha rookie with Honjou, the wildest horse in the department. The Superintendent figured that if the spoiled rich boy partnered with a loose cannon like Honjou, he’d be running away with his tail between his legs in no time.

(…Probably.)

The Superintendent, who Onizuka suspected of being the instigator, stood beside the young man. His face gleamed with oil as he wore a broad smile the likes of which Onizuka had never seen.

“This man will be your Squad Commander. He’s the head of the Criminal Investigation Department,” the Superintendent said, introducing Onizuka to the young man in a voice so sweet it was almost sickening. The young man, now facing Onizuka, straightened his posture.

“My name is Kariya Kouki. As of today, I’ve been assigned to the Downtown East District.”

The deep, resonant voice introduced himself, accompanied by a steady gaze directed at Onizuka. Despite facing a notoriously tough superior, the young man showed no signs of fear or hesitation.

“I’m Onizuka, head of the Criminal Investigation Department.”

“I look forward to working with you. I’m sure there will be times when I fall short. But I humbly ask for your guidance.”

Still maintaining unwavering eye contact with Onizuka, the young man extended his right hand. Onizuka had welcomed dozens of rookies over the years, but none had ever reacted like this.

Instead of bowing his head, the young man opted to seek a handshake, as an equal. This was quintessentially Alpha behaviour.

While the young man’s language was polite, his Alpha nature meant that he likely couldn’t bring himself to truly humble himself before others. However, since Onizuka could tell that there was no ill intent behind it—just a sense of entitlement born from his Alpha status—he allowed himself a wry smile as he grasped the offered hand.

The young man’s hand was perfectly groomed, smooth yet firm. Onizuka held it for only a moment before letting go.

“The department is the toughest department in this station. Given the area, we deal with a high rate of serious crimes, and we’re always short-handed. Just because you’re an Alpha doesn’t mean you’ll get any special treatment. So don’t expect it,” Onizuka cautioned.

The young man’s lips curled up slightly in response to Onizuka’s warning.

“I understand. In fact, that’s exactly what I want,” the young man replied with a confident smirk.

Next to him, the Superintendent, clearly impressed, nodded enthusiastically.

“Impressive! As expected of the Shutou family’s bloodline.”

The Alpha youth, however, only glanced at the Superintendent out of the corner of his eye before promptly returning his focus to Onizuka. It seemed he wasn’t much interested in flattery or ingratiating behaviour. Perhaps he had grown weary of people fawning over him his entire life.

“Well then, let’s get started. I’ll introduce you to the members of the department.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Superintendent, having been ignored despite his attempts to ingratiate himself, was slightly displeased with Onizuka. Onizuka gave a polite bow and began walking. The young man followed close behind.

As Onizuka exited the Superintendent’s office, he turned to the young man who had caught up and was now walking beside him.

“There’s something I need to clarify first,” Onizuka began.

“About your real name and second gender. Currently, the only people in this station who know your true identity are the Superintendent, the Chief Inspector, and me,” Onizuka said.

From what he had heard, ‘Kariya’ was the surname of the young man’s maternal family. If he were to use the well-known surname ‘Shutou’, it would inevitably reveal that he was an Alpha, which could cause various complications. It seems that the young man himself had requested to use his mother’s maiden name instead. He had gone by Kariya both during the police academy and his training period.

In truth, an Alpha rookie was more than the department could handle. Onizuka didn’t want to impose any additional burden on his already overworked team by requiring them to make extra considerations.

“We’ll keep the fact that you’re an Alpha a secret from the rest of the team. As far as they’re concerned, you’re just another rookie. Is that acceptable?” Onizuka asked for confirmation.

The young man nodded in agreement. “That’s fine. I appreciate the consideration.”

“Good.”

While Onizuka had no intention of giving him special treatment, he decided to watch over him from a distance like he would any other rookie. He would only step in with support when necessary. His approach was now clear.

(Even so, things are likely to get messy for a while…)

As Onizuka glanced at the profile of the ‘super rookie’, whose appearance was flawless even from the side, he loosened his tie slightly and let out a small sigh.

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*Translator’s Note: Well, Honjou Amane is really something else though. I mean that in a Japanese standard kinda way… People who are not familiar with Japanese culture might think he is not that bad. But for Japanese people, whose discipline has been deeply embedded in their bones, Houjou Amane is definitely an outlier in every sense. I will explain more as the story progresses. We’re entering Chapter 1 (in the RAW novel) next. -K

Illustration 2:

Next update: 2024.11.22

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