The Spicy Omega
Translator: Katie
Editor: Derpy
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 11
When I got there, my first thought was that “a place right out of a manga exists.”
These stairs led to the rooftop.
Unlike many other high schools, this school restricted entry to the rooftop. The stairs leading up to its entrance were blocked by chains, and the door was always firmly locked.
The people who took the stairs at the end of the hallway only went down—no one used them to go up. But if you slip under the chains, it suddenly becomes a secret area.
If you had a loud conversation with someone there, you’d surely be found out immediately. Depending on the situation, it might even be a teacher calling you out.
For that reason, this place was usually used for confessions or secretly exchanging quiz contents with other classes.
After confirming that there wasn’t anyone already there, Kijima easily slipped under the chains. I did the same.
We climbed some flights to a place no one could see before Kijima turned to face me. For someone who always seemed so alive with emotion, this was the first time I’d ever seen him this blank.
“You understand what we’re here to talk about, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Kijima said bluntly, with both hands shoved into his pant pockets.
We kept silent and our eyes refused to meet.
I steeled myself and carefully opened my mouth, making sure my voice didn’t shake.
“I am an omega. I’m sorry for lying to you all this time.”
“…”
“Also, I’d like for you to keep quiet about this—even if it’s just until I graduate. Thanks for taking me to the school infirmary, you really saved me. After I changed my prescription, I shouldn’t be a bother anymore.”
“…”
“Also, um… thanks for being my friend until now.”
“…What are you saying?”
“Huh?”
When I finally raised my gradually dipping head, our eyes met straight on.
Was he… mad?
“Do you think I’m the type of person who will suddenly ignore you or give you the cold shoulder just because you’re actually an omega?”
“I-I never thought that! It’s just that— I’ve been lying all this time…”
“Listen here, I didn’t plan on telling you this… But I already knew you were an omega.”
—What did he just say?
I stood shocked as Kijima avoided making eye contact with me.
He knew I was an omega? When, and how?
Seemingly knowing my questions, Kijima began to speak.
“I can’t tell you how I knew yet. As for when, it was when you became my classmate in our second year. Since I knew you wanted to pretend to be a beta, I didn’t say anything. I haven’t told anyone about this.”
“You haven’t told anyone? What do you mean…?”
“I’ll get to that later. Anyway, I’m not going to stop being friends with you. Even if you hate me, I will still cling to you.”
He proudly claimed without caring about how dumbfounded I was.
“…No, if you’re being judged, then please stay away from me.”
“If you distance yourself from me, who am I supposed to get lesson prep notes from? Amami doesn’t do any lesson prep, and you know I don’t have any other studious friends!”
“So it’s for the sake of notes…”
At such seemingly Kijima-like logic, my shoulders relaxed.
True, the only person softhearted enough to lend Kijima notes was currently me.
“Actually, haven’t I seemed super tense for a while now? I was forcing myself to put on a stern face, ya know. Did you think we’d be having a serious talk?”
“I thought I was done for—!”
“You fell into my trap!”
Kijima peeked at my face, laughing with a teasing look as I plopped onto the stairs and sent dust flying into the air.
Ah, it’s the usual Kijima.
The atmosphere that seemed like I was going to get denounced was blown away.
With only a few tests left until our long-awaited graduation, lesson prep doesn’t hold much weight.
He must have behaved like this on purpose to brush off my worries since I was thinking too seriously. Kijima was really such a good guy.
His consideration pierced into my heart.
Right after finishing our secret conversation, Kijima descended the stairs and slipped under the chains.
Hearing Kijima say he was going to the school canteen to buy lunch, I decided to also buy a drink.
As we walked shoulder-to-shoulder, I was surrounded by thoughts of what he had felt when he confronted me about hiding my secondary gender. I felt myself getting more and more embarrassed thinking about it.
I tilted my face away from him, enough to still seem natural, so that he wouldn’t see me flushed.
After buying a few things, we headed back to the classroom. On our way, Kijima suddenly brought up something casually as if he was talking about the weather.
“Hey, would it be fine to let Amami know about your circumstances?”
“You can’t!”
My loud refusal reverberated through the hall and I gasped.
Seeing Kijima’s surprise and how all the students passing by were startled, I panicked.
“S-sorry, I was too loud.”
“Woah, that surprised me— Are you going to hide it from him forever then?”
Kijima laughed it off, so the students paying attention to us went on their merry way.
Kijima lowered his voice considerately while saying this, but I refused to back down from it.
“Sorry, Amami is the only one I don’t want to find out. Though I know it’s inappropriate for an alpha to have an omega they’re not paired with by their side.”
“Then…”
“It’s just until graduation. I want to be with him for just these few months.”
“—Karasawa, do you like Amami?”
He got to the crux of it immediately. I probably couldn’t hide my expressions well enough.
“O-of course I like him. Amami is a good friend.”
“That ain’t it. Don’t you already know what I mean? You don’t want him to find out because you like him, right?”
“…”
I couldn’t anymore. Kijima knew everything now. He found out.
Why was this guy so sharp?
Resigned, I gave a small nod.
I only recently realized that my jealousy towards Nishikawa and possessiveness towards Amami would normally be tied to something called “love”.
Since I holed myself up at home with a cold, I had a lot of time to myself to think about stuff.
My knowledge of this thing called love, in reality, was so lacking that I couldn’t understand it at all. That’s why I was slow to realize it, but objectively speaking, this feeling was undoubtedly love.
So love was something this unsightly.
That’s what I felt in the beginning.
Or perhaps, it was because someone like me was holding this emotion that it was this ugly. Maybe if I were normal, it would be a more beautiful and lofty feeling.
Now that I realized it, I no longer hesitated to cover up my feelings.
There’s nothing more fruitless than being in love with an alpha with a “Fated Pair”.
“Since Karasawa doesn’t want to, I won’t force you and I won’t involve myself anymore.”
Kijima had leaned closer because of our lowered voices, so he backed off with that non-committal remark.
Though I was relieved, he sounded somewhat reluctant about it. But this was the only thing I would not yield on, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Thanks…”
“It’s fine. More importantly, are you free after school today?”
“I don’t have any plans.”
“Let’s go to the restaurant across the train station. To celebrate your recovery, it’s my treat!”
“Your treat!?”
This was coming from Kijima, whose schedule after school was always filled to the brim with part-time jobs. His profile on the messaging app always has “I’m broke” written under it, so to hear him say this was extremely surprising.
Furthermore, wasn’t that restaurant part of a chain with usually high prices?
Will there be a natural disaster, or will it rain spears? Taking no notice of my apprehension, Kijima continued heading to the classroom while humming for some strange reason.
After school, on the same day we had that conversation, I thought that it would just be Kijima and I meeting at the restaurant, but how could I have imagined that Amami would come as well?
Or rather, I want Kijima to imagine what I was going through right now.
At this somewhat expensive restaurant chain we seldom visit.
In the northern half of the restaurant with the exquisite and high-class interior decor, we were ushered to the non-smoking seats—and following behind us was Amami with his usual gentle smile.
When I noticed Amami sticking behind us near the entrance, I almost let out a weird noise. Are you a stalker?! Don’t erase your presence.
I didn’t know that Amami was coming, but just because I wasn’t the one treating, didn’t mean I would chase him away.
Furthermore, when Amami suddenly sat next to me on the sofa seat, a loud shriek almost escaped my mouth, but I managed to keep it in with difficulty.
Well, it wasn’t unnatural for Amami to sit next to me at restaurants.
The only one who changed was me.
Not to brag, but I’d never fallen in love until now.
For as long as I was posing as a beta, I couldn’t fall in love. It was just something I resigned to not have.
Amami was my first love.
Up until recently, he was a friend I had no problems with. But what was I supposed to do when the first love I admired was sitting next to me at a restaurant and was even sitting so close that our shoulders were touching?
I was so nervous it felt like I was about to throw up…
“Karasawa, are you okay? Have you perhaps not fully recovered?”
“Khr…!”
Seeing me downcast, Amami rubbed my back. I straightened my spine so quickly that you could almost hear a snap.
Since we haven’t had any contact since last week, I grew so embarrassed that I felt my face burn.
Was it normal to rub the back of a friend who is in a bad condition? It’s normal, right?
How had I interacted with him up till now? As this question circled around my head, I somehow managed to feign normalcy.
“Really, my cold is all better now. Thanks.”
“I guess that’s fine, but… Kijima, couldn’t you have picked a later date?”
“Unfortunately, this was the most convenient day for me! Karasawa, you can order whatever you want. Amami is treating us.”
“What!?”
He once again said something inexcusable. This time I yelled aloud.
Certainly, when Kijima said he would be treating me I suspected that it would start raining spears, but if we’re talking about Amami treating me, that would be a completely different matter altogether.
“Why is Amami treating me instead!?”
“We’re celebrating your recovery, courtesy of Amami.”
“That’s right, we’re celebrating your recovery.”
Why were the two of them suddenly making that face? Was I the only one in the dark?
“No no, for a group of three high school students of the same age, isn’t it weird for only one person to pay for everything? Doesn’t it seem like we are blackmailing him when you look at it?”
“Hmmm… Well, that would mean I have obtained Amami’s weakness, right?”
“Probably.”
“Therefore I can take the chance to treat Karasawa as well.”
“Ehhh…….”
Right after the conversation ended, Kijima rattled off an amazingly long order. Then there was Amami who kept going, “What about Karasawa?” without pause. Constantly glancing between them, all that was left in me was exhaustion.
Amami, who was supposedly being blackmailed, didn’t appear to be at all with how calm he looked.
At this rate, I really will be treated by Amami. Before we go our separate ways, it would be nice to somehow forcefully pay for my own share.
In the worst case, I could secretly prevent Amami from taking out his wallet.
With desperation, I opened up the menu to delicious-looking steaks.
A/N:
Next is Kijima’s POV.
Thanks for the update