By Zephyria He wanted to check it himself, but there was no way. Knowing it was a futile gesture, Koi lifted his arm to his nose before straightening up with an embarrassed expression. Watching Koi’s actions, Ariel brought up a topic.
“That scent you were talking about, if it’s true, doesn’t it seem like Omega Pheromone?”
“Omega Pheromone?”
“Yeah.”
Ariel nodded.
“Omega Pheromones are said to lower the guard of others and make them feel attracted. The stronger the scent, the stronger the sexual attraction. That’s why it’s dangerous when they go into heat. Not only do they get aroused, but the strong scent also seduces Betas. Alphas, of course, go crazy.”
“I-I see.”
Like Ariel, Koi had received basic sex education in school, but the information about species wasn’t relevant to him, so he didn’t remember the details.
Al is a reporter, so they probably know a lot of information.
As he listened quietly, Ariel frowned as if trying to recall something and muttered to herself.
“So, they say that extreme Omegas who can control their Pheromones can even manipulate the minds of others as they please…”
Ariel looked at Koi with a suspicious gaze. Not understanding the meaning, he simply blinked, and Ariel soon chuckled and shook her head.
“That can’t be. We’re past the age of Manifestation, and if you had mutated, you’d be emitting a Pheromone scent, but you don’t smell like anything at all right now.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Ariel replied without hesitation.
“There’s an Omega at the company I work at. I’ve smelled Pheromone scents before, and you don’t smell like anything.”
Of course, that’s probably the case.
Koi felt embarrassed for some reason and closed his mouth. If he could have Manifested, he would have done it a long time ago. He had countless opportunities. He hadn’t Manifested even after being exposed to so many extreme Alpha Pheromones, so it didn’t make sense that he would mutate now. Watching Koi, Ariel rested her chin on one hand and thought.
I’ve never heard of anyone mutating and becoming an extreme Omega…
But extreme Omegas are exceptional beings in all the laws of species. It’s as if they were created by God to punish arrogant extreme Alphas, their very existence is a mystery.
In terms of species, only extreme Alphas and extreme Omegas can control Pheromones. However, unlike extreme Alphas, who exhibit physical characteristics, it’s almost impossible to distinguish extreme Omegas from ordinary people. If they hide their Pheromones at will, they appear no different from Betas.
For that reason, they often don’t show up in species tests. Finding extreme Omegas is virtually impossible.
Unless they reveal themselves.
“…I’m just asking out of curiosity, but were your parents Alphas or Omegas?”
Koi immediately shook his head in denial.
“No, my whole family is Beta.”
Although extreme Omegas may never be revealed in their lifetime.
Ariel paused to think. If that’s the case, the likely candidate would be Koi’s mother, but there’s no way to confirm that. It’s entirely possible that there was an Alpha or Omega in her ancestry.
It’s impossible to confirm that too.
Ariel offered the best guess she could make at the moment.
“If you were to mutate into an Omega, the only cause would be Ash, but it’s strange that you’d suddenly Manifest now when you didn’t even do it in high school.”
Koi nodded as if in agreement. Besides, ordinary Omegas can’t artificially hide their scent.
Ariel knew how rare extreme Omegas were. They were on a different level from extreme Alphas, who could be seen through the media.
But it doesn’t make sense that Koi would Manifest as an extreme Omega.
Looking at the classmate sitting in front of her, Ariel unconsciously shook her head as she superimposed species onto his image. It’s too unrealistic.
Above all, there’s too little evidence to be certain. There’s not much data on extreme Omegas, and therefore, very little is known about them. To get more information, she would have to go to a species-related association or a specialized professor, but it was questionable whether they would share it with Ariel, who was just an ordinary Beta reporter.
It would be easy if she were an extreme Alpha.
Extreme Alphas pour a lot of money into associations and research, so the amount of information they can access is different from that of ordinary people. But the only extreme Alpha Ariel could ask for this favor was also the only person she absolutely didn’t want to reveal this situation to.
Besides, it’s hard to trust the results of a Pheromone test in the current situation. There was only one sure way.
“If you get a fever again or feel sick like you did this time, be sure to contact me.”
Even though she thought it was impossible, Ariel felt uneasy. No matter how she thought about it, the story about the scent and the reactions of her colleagues bothered her. It wasn’t like Koi would make up such a story, and he seemed to think it was just a cold, but those symptoms at the time…
It’s close to Manifestation.
Ariel added with a serious expression.
“Don’t walk around late, and be sure to walk on wide streets.”
Is this what parents say when they’re worried about kidnapping?
The thought that she shouldn’t be giving these instructions to a man bigger than her suddenly made Ariel feel empty. But there was nothing she could do. It couldn’t hurt to be careful.
After receiving his promise once more and even getting a spare key, Ariel left. She carried the flowerpot that Koi had brought in her hands.
Good, it’s found a good owner.
Koi waved at Ariel and his flowerpot before returning home with a lighter heart. Just in case, he took the subway, but contrary to his worries, no one paid any attention to him.
That night, Koi slept soundly for the first time in a while. But the peaceful routine was only temporary.
* * *
“Haaa…”
As soon as he got home, a long sigh escaped his lips. For over a week now, Koi had been suffering from hard labor. For various reasons, the employees had all left, leaving only the boss and him.
The boss, who had even given him money to stay, had somehow changed his attitude after the weekend. He guessed it was after the scent disappeared, but there was no way to confirm it.
〈There’s so much work, but not a single decent employee.〉
He often cursed due to the stress of the piled-up work. The construction was delayed, so clients were also complaining, which soon led to pressure on Koi. It was impossible to leave work on time, and he often didn’t get home until close to midnight.
Still, there was hope that the employees who were on leave would return someday, and then this overtime would decrease. The problem was the delayed wages.
〈We can’t get paid because we can’t get the work done on time.〉
The boss had been delaying his wages for two months now. With the exorbitant cost of living, the money Koi had saved up was gradually running out, and he was soon reduced to eating only one meal a day. Even that was just a small hamburger with a cheap bun and a thin patty, and he drank water instead of a beverage. He was so impoverished that he couldn’t even think of meeting anyone, and he couldn’t even pay his rent with the money the boss gave him.
One day, when he had to work even on the weekend, Koi made a major decision. He had endured and worked hard to get his delayed wages, but the money only piled up and showed no signs of ever reaching his hands. At this rate, he would end up on the streets.
In this case, the only option is to seek legal help, but…
He told the boss that he would quit if he didn’t resolve the delayed wages, but even he didn’t think it would be very effective. Filing a lawsuit wasn’t easy either. Was there a simpler way? Lamenting his extremely limited network of acquaintances, Koi had no choice but to contact Ariel.
– Why are you telling me this now?
As soon as she heard the situation, Ariel got angry and immediately offered a solution.
– Okay, wait a minute. I’ll introduce you to the best lawyer.
“Thank you, Al.”
Koi let out a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. He would have to repay Ariel first when he received his delayed wages. As he thought about the members-only restaurant he had gone to with Ashley, the phone rang. It was an unfamiliar phone number. Hurriedly pressing the call button, Koi assumed it was the lawyer Ariel had mentioned.
To get a call so quickly, thank you, Al.
“Hello, this is Corner Niles.”
He answered nervously without realizing it, but there was an unexpected silence on the other end. Huh? Is this spam? Startled, he blinked when a calm voice was heard.
– It’s me, Koi.
At that moment, Koi was so surprised that he gasped without realizing it.
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