Chapter 1 - Blindness
Translator's Note:
I picked this up because it's been a long time since I wanted to read it.
The first 7 chapters will be updated at a frequency of one chapter every 2 days. Then, the rest will be released following the usual schedule for all my other translations, twice a month on Tuesdays.
For those who wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.
With all that said, I wish you a good read.
Blind Alpha
A young boy, dressed immaculately in
a white shirt, black vest, and black slacks that accentuated his long, slender
legs, swiftly drew back the curtains adorning the expansive window. Light
overflowed into the dimly lit room, causing the boy to squint due to its
brightness.
"Good morning, Master Aoi*."
[T/N: Aoi-sama: Sama (様, さま) is a
very respectful way to address individuals of a higher rank than oneself.
Appropriate usages include divine entities, guests or customers, and sometimes
towards people one greatly admires.]
The boy had distinct features and a
lively appearance. His chestnut hair was neatly cut short, with the front
strands smoothly flowing diagonally above his gently arched eyebrows. As a
servant of a prestigious family, he exuded a tidy and clean aura.
"Hmm..."
"Your kingcraft teacher is coming
today. He's very particular about time, so you have to get dressed
quickly."
"Yes, yes. I know..."
"Today is such a beautiful day.
There is not a single cloud in the vast blue sky, and the sun is so
bright."
"Yeah, it's bright... I can sort
of see that. But can't you use a bit more literary expressions?"
"L-Literary...? Um..."
"Heh, sorry, sorry, I'm just
kidding... By the way, Yuto, where are my clothes?"
"I'm sorry. I'll bring you a
change of clothes right away."
On the bed, a young man sat up and
looked around the room filled with the bright morning light. Even in the midst
of the sudden brightness, he showed no signs of being dazzled.
Despite his disheveled golden hair,
the young man's handsome appearance remained unblemished. His well-defined
face, with hints of Western heritage, resembled a meticulously crafted bisque
doll. His porcelain-like white skin had a youthful radiance, and his long
eyelashes that covered his slightly lowered eyes cast faint shadows on his
cheeks.
The boy called "Yuto" came
back to Aoi and handed him a neatly folded shirt and trousers. Aoi put them by
his side and then he carelessly stripped the top of his nightclothes. Yuto
quickly averted his eyes from Aoi's exposed upper body.
There was no need to look away...
While trying hard to hold back his
embarrassment, Yuto covertly stared at Aoi's body. It has been a little over a
year since he started helping Aoi get dressed in this way, but he still
couldn't get used to this man's alluring beauty.
Aoi's well-toned body had balanced
muscles, with the freshness typical of a youthful man. However, the color of
his skin was an alarming whiteness. It exuded a fragile beauty that seemed as
if it could melt away under the sunlight. To Yuto, Aoi was the most beautiful
existence.
When Aoi picked up the shirt and was
about to put it on, Yuto exclaimed and gently touched Aoi's arm.
"Master Aoi, your shirt is inside
out."
"What? Really?"
"I'll do it for you. It's a bit
hard to put on because the collar is high and the buttons are small."
"Yes, please."
Aoi's eyes looked up toward Yuto as
he handed him the shirt. However, there was no light reflected in those eyes.
Both his eyes, which fit within a
pair of well-positioned double eyelids, were a cloudy white. It was as if there
was a layer of frost on the back of his pupils, clouding Aoi's vision.
Aoi lost his eyesight due to the
aftereffects of the encephalitis he suffered from when he was three years old.
Nowadays, he could only distinguish whether it was bright or dark outside.
Although he could visualize some
things based on his memories from before the age of three, Aoi primarily relied
on his remaining senses to navigate the world. Because it has been 16 years
since he lost his sight, Aoi was able to take care of most of the things around
him by himself. But many things were still inconvenient without the help of
others.
"Here, it's done."
"Uh-huh, thank you."
"Now, let's go have breakfast.
Here, give me your hand."
"Mmm."
Yuto took Aoi's hand to guide him,
and as he stood up, Aoi smoothly placed his hand on Yuto's shoulder.
Aoi was 179 centimeters tall, while
Yuto's height was just about 165 centimeters. Yuto often thought that it must
be due to Aoi's excellent genes inherited from birth.
When he was a child, Aoi had deep
golden eyes.
Aoi's stunningly exotic appearance
and the mysterious color of his eyes were inherent to those who had the blood
of the Kunishiro family.
The Kunishiro family was one of the
financial conglomerates* that have been in business for a long time, and it was
also the parent company of Kunishiro Holdings, which wielded great power mainly
in the trading industry.
[T/N: Zaibatsu is a Japanese term
referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of
Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of
the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.]
The Kunishiro family was currently
run by Aoi's older brother, Ren. Ren was 25 years old this year, and Aoi would
be turning 20 soon.
Meanwhile, Yuto was 17 years old this
year.
Normally, he would go to school, but
for various reasons, Yuto was presently working for the Kunishiro family.
+
Yuto Fukaya's grandfather had fallen
ill, so he found himself in need of money.
It was around the summer when Yuto
just turned sixteen.
Yuto's grandfather was an old man,
but he still took in his grandchild after the early death of his parents and
taught him many things. He provided Yuto with a new home where he showered him
with great kindness and deep love. To protect his only remaining family member,
Yuto needed a lot of money to pay the hospitalization fees and his living
expenses.
Yuto was an omega. If he had wanted
to, he could have used his secondary gender to provide himself with a good
lifestyle.
Omegas were a rare species and were
carefully protected by the whole country. Their lives were guaranteed and they
were exempt from paying taxes. People who envied the existence of Omegas were
not few, as they could enjoy a life where one didn't have to work so hard.
However, in reality, omegas are often
ridiculed as being mere "tools for powerful Alphas to bear their
children".
Many of those born with Alpha genes
were inexplicably charismatic and excelled both physically and intellectually.
That is why Alphas held significant power, and most of those who bore central
roles in this country were Alphas.
Omegas were the only beings capable
of giving birth to those Alphas. Therefore, Omegas were protected by the state.
And among the Omegas under their
protection, there was a hierarchy. Alphas would pay large sums of money to
obtain individuals from good family backgrounds, that were blessed with both
intelligence and good looks. And so the Omegas would marry into the Alphas'
family.
However, Yuto didn't want to live
like that. He didn't want to be auctioned off like some marketed livestock, to
be held by a man and impregnated by him, even though he was a man. To Yuto, it
was a future that he didn't even want to think about.
Since the age of fifteen, Yuto had
been pretending to be a Beta. It was in the month he turned fifteen that he
experienced his first heat. During the entire week-long rut, Yuto could only
retreat to his room and spend the entire time comforting his body, which was in
a state of uncontrollable arousal.
His grandfather understood Yuto's
thoughts, so he let him deal with his heat on his own.
Every time, he'd leave food outside
his door, tell the school that his grandson had a terrible cold, and refuse to
allow teachers and friends to visit him. He also promised that he would never
tell anyone about Yuto's true secondary gender.
The junior high school he attended at
the time was a normal public school. All of Yuto's friends were Betas and
ordinary people from ordinary families leading average lives.
To ensure that his friendships and
relationships remained intact, Yuto made the choice to take suppressants to
conceal his Omega status. He was aware of the potent pheromone scent emitted by
an Omega in heat, capable of arousing even individuals with typically calm
dispositions, such as Betas. By consistently taking the suppressants, Yuto
believed he could lead a peaceful life without anyone discovering his true
identity, protecting the connections he had painstakingly built over time.
However, when his grandfather, the
only person who understood him, collapsed, Yuto was thrown into a whirlpool of
anxiety. He was worried about his grandfather's condition, his life, school...
but also about the possibility that his Omega nature would be exposed to the
outside world.
He couldn't just sit back and relax.
Yuto immediately talked to his homeroom teacher about his need for money to pay
for the hospitalization fees and other expenses. Within a few days, he was
introduced to a live-in job. However, he was told that he would have to drop
out of school and that he should be prepared for the hassles of becoming a
live-in worker.
A home without his grandfather was
not worth going back to. Yuto jumped at the offer without a second thought. The
homeroom teacher was a male Beta, but he was able to get him that job through
an Alpha friend he had known since college.
They were looking for a "young,
healthy male Beta" who could "live in the house 24/7" and who
had "no ties to any prominent family". Yuto was the perfect
candidate.
Yuto and his teacher went to the
Alpha's mansion for an interview with the head butler. He immediately accepted
the terms of the contract and was hired on the spot.
It was a relief.
Yuto had been anxious ever since his
grandfather had fallen ill, even if he did not show it on his face. He was filled
with worry about his uncertain future and secondary gender... He had thought
about taking advantage of his Omega gender to provide for himself, as well as
his grandfather.
However, Yuto managed to secure a job
without having to go to such extremes. Knowing that he had to do his best there
no matter what, Yuto decisively put on the servant's uniform he was given.
The job he was assigned was to take
care of Aoi Kunishiro, an Alpha who was blind.
He had assumed that he would be
assigned to work in the garden or some other similar task. However, to his
surprise, Yuto was given the job of waiting on Aoi hand and foot.
The Kunishiro family was a massive
conglomerate, and even as a commoner, Yuto had heard about them before. The
unexpected situation initially intimidated him, but he couldn't continue to shy
away from it. Yuto utilized his natural brightness and boldness to become Aoi's
eyes and hands, consistently making efforts to be of assistance to him.
Aoi was a true gentleman, despite
being an heir to a large conglomerate, he didn't exude any sense of pretension
or arrogance. Despite being only a few years older than Yuto, Aoi's
intelligence was so remarkable that Yuto almost saw him as a god. Initially,
Yuto was inexperienced and prone to making mistakes, but Aoi never gave up on
him. Aoi would playfully tease Yuto, who was initially afraid of him, using a
tone that made him feel at ease. On the contrary, there were many things he
taught him.
Aoi was the embodiment of beauty and
nobility, leaving Yuto deeply moved by his personality. As time went on, Yuto
found himself yearning for Aoi, drawn to him in a way he had never experienced
before.
The more time they spent together,
the more this admiration evolved... and Yuto began to harbor a secret love for
Aoi, albeit a shallow one.
Yuto had instinctively realized the
importance of cherishing the time spent with the people closest to his heart.
He understood that making the most of those moments was crucial, and this
realization had become a guiding truth for him.
Despite not possessing remarkable
intelligence or physical attractiveness, Yuto's only notable trait was his
physical strength and resistance to illnesses. In contrast, the Kunishiro
family had a long-standing tradition of selecting the most talented Omega
individuals to marry into their family, thus preserving their exceptional
bloodline. Omegas, with their beauty and strong backgrounds, were highly sought
after, even among those in positions of power who competed for the privilege of
winning over such individuals. The Kunishiro family had always emerged
victorious in this competition, which was why they still held the greatest
influence and power in the country.
In other words, there was no chance
for Yuto to be chosen as Aoi's partner.
If Yuto's Omega status were to be
exposed, he would face dire consequences. He would lose his job, be taken to a
shelter, and ultimately be sold to an Alpha stranger. This meant that Yuto
would be forced to live the life he absolutely dreaded and wished to avoid at
all costs.
Indeed, if Yuto's Omega identity were
to be revealed, he would no longer be able to continue working for the
Kunishiro family.
It meant that he would no longer be
able to be by Aoi's side... Yuto didn't want that. Even if he wasn't chosen,
even if he remained as a servant, he wanted to be by Aoi's side. That was
Yuto's wish.
Therefore, Yuto had to keep his omega
status a secret.
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Makes me wonder if he’ll be able to also watch Aoi marries another Omega.
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