By Zephyria 
Faced with an unusual gaze, Koi flinched and glanced around nervously. Ariel stared at him for a moment, then let out a sigh and opened her mouth.
“Let’s start by testing your designation.”
Before Koi could say “Uh,” Ariel added, “Because it says if you’re an Extreme Omega, it’ll show up as Beta, so if you still test as Beta, then you’re definitely an Extreme Omega. It’s a fact that you experienced a heat cycle.”
She wanted to do more tests, but Ariel wasn’t well-off, and Koi’s money only stretched so far. He needed to save money for emergencies.
If only she hadn’t broken up with Garrett, she would have had more leeway.
Her finances were so tight she could barely pay rent, leaving no room for anything else. If she had known this would happen, she should have held on for just two more months, regret washed over her, but it was already too late. Ariel decided to focus on the present and spoke again.
“And how about keeping your Extreme Omega status a secret for now?”
To the puzzled Koi, Ariel added an explanation.
“Extreme Omegas are so rare that we don’t know what kind of situation might arise if it’s revealed. So, let’s keep it a secret for now and see how things progress. If a situation arises where we have to say something, it would be better to just say you’re an Omega.”
Suddenly, Angel’s words came to mind. Was it for this reason that he had asked her to keep their meeting a secret?
The thought that he had tried to hide her designation made a corner of her heart ache. She wanted to see Angel again, but it was probably impossible. All Koi knew about him was the name Angel, and it wasn’t even clear if it was his real name.
“Can I tell Ash? I mean… if it’s confirmed that I’m an Omega.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say ‘Extreme Omega’ and mumbled vaguely. Ariel said, “If you’re confident about Ash, you can tell him. But I’d prefer you keep it a secret from Ash for now.”
“Why?”
She didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets from someone she liked. Ariel continued speaking to Koi, who clearly looked uncomfortable.
“We still don’t know for sure if he knew you were an Omega or not. If he intentionally deceived you, that’s a problem, isn’t it? I’d like to see how the situation unfolds first.”
After stating her opinion, Ariel backed down slightly.
“But this is just my opinion, and if you want to tell him, you can. It’s your business, after all, and your feelings are what matter.”
Koi fell silent. She wanted to say that Ash would never lie to her, but her words wouldn’t come out easily. She wondered if a sliver of doubt remained in a corner of her heart, and the unsettling feeling made it impossible to speak. After watching Koi hesitate for a moment, Ariel changed the subject.
“Would you like some tea? I have some of that tea from last time left.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Ariel, who deliberately took her time to give him space to think, returned after making the tea.
“What about Julie?”
“Huh?”
Koi froze at the forgotten topic, and Ariel brought her teacup to her lips.
“This is the first time you’re contacting her after breaking up like that, right? She contacted you again, so why not meet her one more time? To make up for how rude you were last time.”
She’s surprisingly popular.
Ariel thought as she watched Koi across from her, sweating profusely and looking utterly lost. Julie had been delighted when Ariel, apologizing on Koi’s behalf for the disastrous date, had earnestly made excuses about how shy and easily embarrassed her friend was.
“My god, Al. Such a naive handsome man, he’s not just a rare species, he’s endangered.”
Ariel had only managed an ambiguous smile at Julie’s reaction, which showed even more interest in Koi. But the fact that she was contacting him first made Ariel feel uneasy, though in a different way than Koi. According to what Garrett had told her just before they broke up, Sara also had a considerable liking for Koi.
She’s going to become a player at this rate.
Even as an Omega, you can date Alphas. As long as you tell the other person beforehand. Some even like it because there’s no risk of pregnancy, and dating doesn’t necessarily mean marriage.
Surely that bastard isn’t planning to just use Koi and discard her, is he?
Shaking off the sudden dark thought, Ariel spoke again.
“Anyway, shouldn’t you show some reaction to someone who’s shown you courage?”
“But I like Ash…”
Koi mumbled in a hazy tone.
“I’m not saying you should date Julie,” Ariel said patiently. “Even if you’re going to refuse, do it in person. You were rude to Julie last time, so think of it as repaying a debt.”
That was true. Koi still felt a pang of guilt, so Ariel’s words were enough to sway her.
Ash will understand that much.
Thinking of Ash, her heart ached again. She still hadn’t heard from him. He probably hadn’t regained consciousness due to his rut. Koi wanted to believe that. She could hardly imagine anything else.
“Then… I’ll do that.”
As Koi reluctantly agreed, Ariel nodded and added, “Contact Sara too. She might still be waiting.”
“Okay.”
Thinking about it, she felt her face flush, realizing she had acted inconsiderately towards so many people. Ariel gently encouraged the dejected Koi.
“It’s good to be clear about your intentions. You like Ash, so it’s right to firmly reject others, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. I think so too.”
Koi nodded.
“I’ll go and reject them clearly.”
“Alright.”
Ariel smiled and lightly raised her teacup as if to toast. They decided to get a simple test done the very next day and then went to bed.
*
Koi received the call just as she had finally drifted into a light sleep after tossing and turning all night. Not recognizing the ringtone immediately and wandering in her dream, she woke up halfway and fumbled on the mattress for her phone. Before she could even answer, a voice came from the other end.
“Connor Niles?”
The voice, almost devoid of accent, like a machine’s, jolted Koi fully awake. As she sat bolt upright without realizing it, the other person continued.
“It’s Miss Burness. I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I have something to tell you.”
“Did something happen to Ash?”
Koi shrieked, her face pale, and asked. After a brief pause, she replied, “No.”
“Junior is fine. He just regained consciousness a little while ago. It’s just that… a small problem has arisen.”
“A problem?”
Her heart sank. Koi asked urgently, and Burness replied, “It’s not as worrying as you might think. It’s just…”
She hesitated for some reason, then finally added, “He has memory impairment due to his rut. Do you understand what that means? Junior’s memories might be different from yours.”
Koi couldn’t react immediately to the unexpected words. Ash and her memories being different, what could that mean? As she remained silent, Burness continued, “In any case, I thought I should let you know in advance to avoid confusion. Junior has fallen asleep again. He’ll contact you first when he wakes up and his condition has fully recovered. Are you alright? Where are you right now?”
“Uh… I’m fine. I’m at my friend… Al’s house. Ash will know if I say that.”
Startled by the unexpected question about her situation, she stammered. “Yes,” Burness replied.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you so late. Get some more rest then.”
Still speaking in a businesslike tone, Burness added only the set phrases and hung up. Koi stared at her phone for a while, but there was no further contact. She lay back down in bed, but ultimately couldn’t sleep at all until dawn.
\ \ *
“Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful restaurant.”
Julie smiled brightly and greeted Koi as she sat opposite her. The restaurant Koi had invited Julie to was a French restaurant Ash had recommended. It was the only high-end restaurant he knew, and the only one he could afford. There was no other choice. Grateful to Ash for making arrangements so he could visit the place alone anytime, Koi opened her mouth.
“I’m glad you like it. I’m really sorry about last time.”
She apologized again, and Julie shook her head as if to say it was okay. Koi decided that after the meal, she would escort her home and politely convey her refusal. In the meantime, she intended to do her best for Julie while they were together. Julie was knowledgeable on a variety of topics and a pleasant person to converse with, so it wasn’t too difficult.
They were chatting cheerfully while waiting for the waiter to bring the menu. As they laughed, sharing anecdotes about small events around them, the waiter handed each of them a menu and stood straight. Koi accepted it with a smile, but her movement stopped as she casually flipped open the first page.
…What?
She blinked several times, but nothing changed. The prices listed next to the dishes had at least one more zero than she had ever seen before. Koi’s mind froze in panic.
What happened?