Yu-jun

As everyone starts eating and drinking, I relax a little. Sota’s shoulder brushes against mine from time to time, a subtle reminder that we really are friends now.

Out of nowhere, Samuel comments, “The whole campus is talking about that freshman Recessive Omega from the art department. There are rumors he is your little brother, Sota. Is that true?”

I immediately tense, my ears perking up as my friends casually discuss the one person I have buried deep in my mind. Only Eiji knows about my sexual encounter with Aoto, so the rest of them have no idea that mentioning that boy’s name is as much of a taboo for me as mentioning Ai’s—but for entirely different reasons.

Sota shifts uncomfortably in his seat, taking a swig of his beer before muttering, “Yeah.”

“I haven’t seen him, but everyone keeps saying he is one of the prettiest Omegas they have ever laid eyes on.” Samuel glances between Eiji, Riku, and me before asking, “You three have seen him. Is he really that beautiful? Is he worth all the buzz?”

I take a deep, slow breath, mentally reminding myself not to snap and beat the shit out of him for speaking about Aoto with such blatant disrespect.

Unlike me, Sota hurls a piece of grilled chicken at Samuel and snarls, “Don’t you dare talk about my brother like that—unless you want me to kill you. And trust me, I’d enjoy every second of it.”

Samuel laughs, completely unfazed. “Relax, man. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I am just curious because people keep saying he is stunning, and, well, I have been looking for an Omega to spend some casual time with.”

Sota’s eyes darken. He points his chopsticks straight at him, his voice low and lethal as he says, “Die, you son of a bitch.” Then, he turns the chopsticks on the rest of us, stopping when it’s aimed directly at me, and warns, “That goes for all of you. I don’t give a shit who you fuck or play with. But if any of you lay a hand on Aoto, I swear I’ll crush you with my own fists. He’s off-limits. Got it?” His eyes lock onto mine as he growls the last words.

Is it just me, or was that meant specifically for me? Did he find out I had sex with Aoto?

“Okay, okay. That was my bad. I am sorry, man. I won’t do anything to your brother, no matter how beautiful he is,” Samuel smirks. “Jeez, I didn’t know you were so protective of him.”

Eiji laughs. “Sota has always been overprotective of Aoto-kun.”

“Which is funny, considering that Aoto-kun is a video game streamer with quite a following on his platform,” Riku comments casually, shocking me that he knows about Aoto’s streaming career. It makes me wonder just how much he knows about him.

“Really? How do you know that?” asks Eiji, shooting me an apprehensive glance afterward, probably worried I might lash out in jealousy at any moment.

“My little brother and his friends happen to watch his streams,” Riku replies, oblivious to the beast he is awakening within me.

“That’s cool,” Min-ji exclaims, visibly interested. “Do you know Aoto’s streaming username? I want to check out his streams because I enjoy playing video games, too.”

Riku furrows his brows, a pensive look crossing his face. A brief moment later, he shrugs. “Sorry, I don’t remember. I think it has something to do with lemon and lavender.” He looks thoughtful again.

Lemon and lavender? My pheromones smell like lemon and lavender. Is it just a coincidence, or is Aoto’s username related to me? Does that mean he has remembered our weekend together? Has he recalled I am the Alpha who triggered his heat?

I tense even more, my heart racing at the mere possibility that Aoto might have chosen his streaming username based on my pheromones. I know lemon and lavender are common scents in candles, incense, and scented oils, but still… Am I being too delusional to hope it’s connected to me?

As Riku remains lost in thought, Samuel mocks, “Hey, Riku. Don’t think too much, or you will wreck your brain and kill the few brain cells left in your head.”

Ignoring him, Riku declares, “I think Aoto-kun’s username is AotoLemLav or something close to that.”

My breath quickens at the mention of the username.

“How come you didn’t tell us your brother is a streamer, Sota? Isn’t it unfair that you are so eager to protect him from us but not from complete strangers?” Samuel sneers, raising an eyebrow as he looks at Sota.

Sota clenches his jaw, his voice edged with frustration as he explains, “I tried to stop him when he first announced he wanted to become a streamer, but my parents supported his decision. No matter how much I nagged him, insisting he shouldn’t do it, he just refused to listen. At first, I thought my parents would change their minds once the creeps from the internet started showing up in Aoto’s stream comments. But they didn’t, since my brother wasn’t bothered by it. And besides, the money he started making as his audience grew, along with the sponsors, was his main goal all along.”

“Aoto-kun is twenty now, right? Why did he enroll at Elite Chikara just this year? I remember you said, when we ran into you two or three years ago, that he had health problems, but I’m sure you were lying. What’s the real motive? Is he dumb and couldn’t get the scores back then? Did he spend the last couple of years studying his ass off and only managed to enroll now? Is that it?” Riku asks, a mocking edge to his voice.

Sota scowls, visibly irritated, but refuses to answer, his silence only convincing Riku further and confirming his suspicion that Aoto is “dumb.”

I have no idea why Aoto didn’t enroll back then, especially when he was so excited to do it. I would be lying if I said I am not curious to know the reason—I doubt it was because of his streaming career or health problems. However, at the same time, I know better than to ask Sota about it, especially when it is clear he has no intention of speaking about his brother with us.

Riku, as annoying as ever, insists, “Come on, Sota. Tell us the truth. Or are you ashamed of your dumb, deadweight Omega brother?” He laughs.

Seeing red, I curl my hand into a fist, ready to break his teeth for talking shit about Aoto. Just as I am about to act, Sota beats me to it—he rises abruptly and grabs Riku by his collar, startling the students nearby.

Furious, he hisses, “What did you call my brother? Did you just say he’s a dumb, deadweight Omega?” He raises his fist, threatening to punch Riku in the face.

Before the scene can escalate, gasps of shock and exclamations fill the air, and a familiar, delicious scent catches my attention—chocolate pheromones. More specifically, his chocolate pheromones. My eyes immediately dart to the front door, where I see the one I have been longing for, but, at the same time, have been avoiding at all costs—the one who has never left my mind no matter how hard I have tried, and the one my body has been craving for the past two years—Aoto.

He looks absolutely beautiful in casual jeans, a white puffer jacket, a purple T-shirt, and white sneakers. He smiles broadly, laughing at something one of the two people walking in front of him says, making him look even more attractive.

He is my Omega.

The intrusive thought pops up again, throwing me off. Regardless, I don’t have time to dwell on it, as people in the establishment start making a fuss about how pretty Aoto is and how they have been wanting to see him, causing pure jealousy to flood through me.

“Eh? Isn’t that Aoto-kun?” Eiji points at Aoto, who is following the two people with him through the middle of the bar. “What’s he doing here? Isn’t he a freshman from the art department?”

“Did you know your brother was going to come here, Sota? He really is one of the prettiest Omegas I have ever seen,” Min-ji remarks, her gaze fixed on Aoto.

“He is even prettier than I expected. Let’s get along well from now on, brother-in-law,” Samuel smirks, winking at Sota, who looks like he is about to stab him to death with his chopsticks.

Jealousy and possessiveness take hold of me, and before I realize it, I am staring intensely at Aoto, his name slipping from my lips. “Aoto!”

He glances in my direction, appearing to search for the person calling him.

To make it clear to these trashy students from campus and my friends that no one is allowed to mess with him, I repeat, louder this time, “Aoto!”

His gaze finally locks on me amidst the sea of curious and lustful stares, his initial expression of shock shifting to one of anger as he looks at his brother seated next to me. When his eyes flicker back to mine, his face turns indifferent—almost annoyed.

Caught off guard by his reaction, I force a light smile and gesture for him to come over, ordering—I mean, saying, “Aoto, sit here with me.” 

Without a second thought, I shove Eiji from his seat, earning a muttered swear from him before he snatches a chair from a kid from a nearby table and wedges it between Riku and Min-ji. They are so squeezed together now, it’s almost like they are sitting on each other’s laps. But hey, who cares? I sure don’t.

As expected, the students in the bar gasp at my behavior, their faces etched with curiosity—and envy—as they glance back and forth between Aoto and me.

To my bewilderment, Aoto stares at me for a few more seconds before looking away without saying a word or offering so much as a smile. Instead, he resumes walking toward a table where the two people he arrived with are already seated.

Eh? Huh? What the fuck just happened?

Perplexed, I mumble, “Did Aoto… deliberately ignore me just now?”

* * *