“Thank you so much for everything today. I feel like we had a really meaningful conversation. And… thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all of this.”

Senpai bowed deeply to my parents.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner? We really don’t mind. I’m sure Kaname’s happy you came to visit too,” Mom said.

Senpai smiled a little awkwardly.

“No, I think I’m already full from all the information I’ve taken in today… But really, thank you very much.”

He politely declined the invitation to dinner, and Dad smiled at him.

“Well, the secret’s already out now, so you can come over anytime you want, Yano-kun.”

“That’s right. Don’t be shy. You’re welcome here anytime,” Mom added.

“Thank you. Then I’ll take you up on that and come by again sometime.”

Senpai smiled at my parents.

“I’ll walk Senpai as far as the park.”

With that, Senpai and I left the apartment together.

While we waited for the elevator, he seemed strangely subdued.

“Senpai, are you okay? You look kind of tired… Were my secrets a little too much for you?”

I was starting to worry, but he gave me a smile.

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Then the elevator arrived.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

We stepped inside.

The ride from the forty-eighth floor to the lobby was over in no time.

But the entire way down, Senpai kept his head lowered.

Somehow…

he looked a little sad.

After leaving the building, we started walking toward the park.

“Senpai, I just want to make sure one more time… You really don’t mind if I join the art club?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I don’t mind. I’ll do everything I can to look out for you, Kaname-kun. So don’t worry. Just come and join us.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

Senpai had truly made up his mind to help me.

And hearing that finally helped me make up mine.

“Then I’ll bring my club application tomorrow. I’m looking forward to being part of the club.”

“Yeah. I’ll be waiting.”

After we had walked a little farther, Senpai suddenly spoke again.

“But your parents really are exactly the way you described them.”

“Huh?”

“They love each other so much. They care about each other… They’re kind, and both of them are determined to protect you with everything they have. Now I really understand why you long for that kind of warm, loving family.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled, a little embarrassed.

“I’ve watched my parents care for each other ever since I was little. So I’ve always thought… someday, I definitely want what they have.”

“I understand how you feel.”

I hesitated for a moment before telling him what had been on my mind.

“It’s not that I’m pessimistic about my future, but… I’m an Omega. So I’ll probably be the one who has children someday.”

Senpai said nothing and simply listened.

“I’ve heard all kinds of stories about what can happen to Omegas, whether they’re male or female. So I think that makes me want it even more. Just like Mom found Dad… I want to meet someone who truly understands me and loves me for who I am.”

“I really admire your parents too,” Senpai said quietly.

“I hope you find someone who’s meant just for you, Kaname-kun. Someone you can have the same kind of relationship with that your parents have.”

“…Yeah.”

For some reason…

hearing him say that made me a little sad.

After we walked in silence for a while, Senpai suddenly brightened.

“This is going to be fun.”

“What is?”

“We live pretty close to each other, and if you’re joining the art club, maybe we’ll get to walk to and from school together from now on.”

Oh.

So that was what he meant.

My heart fluttered a little, and I decided to tease him.

“Sempaaai… if I’m with you all the time, I might never get a boyfriend.”

Truthfully, I just wanted to see how he would react.

But his reaction went far beyond anything I had expected.

“That’s what you get for being an ungrateful junior!”

“Ah!”

Senpai pressed his knuckles against the top of my head and started grinding them into my hair.

“Ow, ow! Senpai!”

I laughed and tried to escape.

Maybe Senpai was finally feeling better.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

he suddenly stopped.

Then—

his fingers slipped into my hair.

Thump.

My heart gave a violent leap.

It was pounding harder than I had ever felt it pound before.

“Kaname-kun…”

Senpai gently lifted a lock of my hair between his fingers.

“Your hair is really soft. It’s so fine… and such a beautiful color.”

His fingers slowly brushed through it.

“And your skin is so pale. Your features don’t look entirely Japanese, either… and your skin is so smooth.”

He was staring straight at me.

My heart started beating even faster.

It was pounding so hard that I almost imagined he could feel it through the strands of my hair.

I held my breath, desperately trying not to let him notice.

Please calm down.

But the more I wished for it, the harder my heart seemed to pound.

“Kaname-kun, do you have any foreign ancestry?”

“Huh? No. Both my parents are one hundred percent Japanese. My grandparents too. Although I have heard that if you go far enough back in our family, there may have been someone from another country…”

“I thought so.”

Senpai studied my face.

“Your eyes, your hair… Those colors suit you perfectly. They’re beautiful.”

And as he said it—

his hand touched my cheek.

“…!”

“You’re the only person who says things like that, Senpai!”

That was all I could manage.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

I couldn’t bear being this close to him anymore.

I took a small step away.

“W-Well, my parents are probably waiting for me, so… I’m going to head home from here.”

The instant I said it—

Thump.

Something pulsed deep inside me.

But this was different.

“…!”

It felt as though something at the very core of my body was beginning to change.

This is bad!

I gave Senpai a quick bow, then turned and ran toward the apartment building without looking back.

Please don’t let me run into anyone.

Please don’t let me run into anyone.

I repeated the words over and over in my head as I raced home.

When I reached the building, I rushed straight into the elevator.

Thankfully, no one else was inside.

Hurry.

I have to get home—

The moment I finally reached the top floor and stumbled through our front door, it suddenly became difficult to breathe.

“Ah… hah…”

My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed in the entryway.

My consciousness began to blur.

“Kaname?!”

“Kaname! What’s wrong?!”

Mom and Dad came running toward me.

The last thing I remembered was the two of them catching me in their arms—

and then everything went black.

Meanwhile—

Koji Yano stood alone near the park, staring in the direction Kaname had disappeared.

“…Kaname-kun.”

As though trying to make sense of something still lingering in the air, Koji whispered—

“Your scent…”