Chapter 44 - Blindness

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

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Grasping His Hand

 

"Aoi! Where are you?"

 

A voice rang out.

 

Hearing someone call for Aoi from the distance, Ren's body froze involuntarily.

 

— Mikado's voice...?

 

The sound of footsteps crunching on the dirt grew closer. At the same time, that familiar scent—the one that always left Ren unsettled—sweetly wrapped around him, enveloping his entire body.

 

Ren stood frozen, unable to move. He couldn't even think of running. Before long, under the dim light of a flickering warehouse bulb, Mikado Haruto stepped into view.

 

"Oh! What's the guest of honor doing here...? Wait, Mr. Ren is here too... and also, Yuto!? What's with his outfit?"

 

—What do I do... I have to leave, now...!

 

Ren thought, but his feet hesitated. Just a little longer, he wanted to hear Mikado's voice. The joy of seeing him so close after such a long time and the overwhelming urge to flee fought within him. The two emotions were so intense that Ren couldn't move.

 

Mikado's gentlemanly act of draping his jacket over Fukaya Yuto, his broad back, the black vest and glossy white shirt—it all mesmerized Ren. And every time Mikado moved, the sweet scent of his pheromones wafted gently through the air.

 

Before Ren realized it, he had become captivated by Mikado, who was now chatting with Aoi. But Aoi's sudden suggestion, "Mikado, please return to the party with my brother," shocked Ren back to reality. Flustered, he hurried to leave.

 

"Wait!!"

 

Mikado caught up and grabbed Ren's wrist, halting him instantly.

 

A sweet, electric sensation spread from the point of contact, surging through Ren's entire body.

 

His every cell seemed to heat up, and his rapidly increasing pulse squeezed tight around his chest, making it hard to breathe.

 

"L-let go..."

 

"Why are you avoiding me?"

 

The stillness of the night garden was pierced by Mikado's soft voice, the sadness in his tone unmistakable.

 

"...What?"

 

"Did I do something to offend you?"

 

"That's... no..."

 

Tentatively, Ren turned to face him. Mikado's sharp features were filled with a look of desperate sincerity, and the intensity in his gaze made Ren's heart race. Mikado's hand, holding Ren's wrist, was large and just as warm as Ren's own. The reality of standing so close to the man he had yearned for all these years felt like a dream, leaving Ren at a loss for words.

 

What could Mikado be thinking?

 

What emotions lay behind those slightly widened eyes as he gazed at Ren? Ren, trembling, looked up at him, longing to understand his feelings.

 

"If I've done anything wrong, I deeply apologize. I'm truly sorry—"

 

"No, that's not it...!"

 

Mikado, still gripping Ren's wrist tightly, hung his head in anguish. Feeling guilty for making him suffer, Ren's urge to run began to fade. Slowly, he relaxed his arm and swallowed nervously.

 

—It's fine. I took the strongest suppressant. Just talking to him a bit won't be a problem. Avoiding him any further would just seem unnatural...

 

"N-no, that's not it," Ren managed.

 

"Ah..."

 

Surprised by Ren's response, Mikado blinked rapidly and let go of Ren's hand with a flustered expression. His face flushed red, and he stood up straight, stiff as a board.

 

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to grab your hand like that...!"

 

"It's... fine."

 

"I... I..."

 

Mikado's face remained bright red as he clenched the hand that had just held Ren's wrist. With a look of longing, he turned his gaze back to Ren.

 

"I've wanted to see you for a long time... Just to talk with you, even for a little while."

 

"If it's about the financial support, you've already thanked me more than enough. Your company has grown remarkably well, and—"

 

"No, that's not it...!"

 

Mikado's impatient voice cut Ren off mid-sentence, causing him to blink in surprise. Mikado pressed his trembling lips together and then, with newfound resolve, spoke forcefully:

 

"I… I've admired you for so long! If you wouldn't mind, even just once… would you go out to dinner with me?"

 

"...What?"

 

"I-I know it's strange, asking something like this out of the blue! But ever since I first saw you—back when I was in high school—I've started admiring you! I wanted to get closer to you, so I took over as CEO from my father. I thought, to get your attention, I had to be someone who could excel at work. There was no time to waste as a student. I had to build up the skills to succeed right away!"

 

"W-wait. You can't just drop something like that on me..."

 

Ren, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of emotions from Mikado, raised a hand to stop him. Flustered, Mikado immediately bowed his head in a panic.

 

"S-sorry! I didn't expect to be alone with you here, and… my chest feels… so tight."

 

"I see."

 

"I-it must sound strange, me suddenly saying all this. But I was afraid I'd never have another chance to tell you, so…"

 

"...It's my fault for dodging all those appointments, isn't it?"

 

"No, that's not it! You're someone far above me, someone I shouldn't be able to approach so easily. I understand that. But even knowing that, I just couldn't bear the thought of only watching you from afar anymore…"

 

"..."

 

As Mikado grew more nervous, Ren, in contrast, began to regain his composure.

 

Looking at Mikado now, he saw a man who had grown into an impressive figure with a striking presence. But within, he still held that youthful innocence from the first time they'd met.

 

Mikado was five years younger than Ren—Aoi's classmate, only twenty and just beginning his journey as an adult. Ren suddenly realized that he had built up an image of Mikado in his mind that wasn't entirely fair.

 

With that thought, the sight of Mikado earnestly pursuing him became even more endearing, and Ren had to stop himself from smiling.

 

It made Ren happy to know that Mikado had admired him for so long. But at the same time, there was a tinge of disappointment.

 

The feelings Mikado harbored for Ren were simply admiration. It wasn't quite the same as the affection Ren had for Mikado. Ren's omega instincts had long since confirmed that Mikado was his fated mate, his soulmate.

 

Was it the long-term use of suppressants, or the cologne Ren used to mask his pheromones? Or maybe...

 

—Is it because he thinks I'm an alpha...?

 

"I-I'm sorry! I've just been rambling on and on... And you need to get back to the party—"

 

"...It's fine."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Dinner. I don't mind going, at least once."

 

"...What?"

 

The nervous atmosphere that had surrounded Mikado came to an abrupt halt at Ren's words. He stared at Ren in disbelief, frozen in place. The look on Mikado's face was so amusing that Ren couldn't help but smile.

 

Unlike the people Ren was usually surrounded by, Mikado's expressions changed with every passing moment. His every gesture, every little movement, was so endearing that Ren found himself captivated.

 

When Mikado caught sight of Ren's unexpected smile, his own cheeks flushed even deeper, and he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

 

"A-are you sure? With someone like me... going out to dinner...?"

 

"You're the one who invited me, so why that tone?"

 

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry! It's just… I can't believe it...!"

 

"Well, I can't spare too much time, but I'll make a reservation at a restaurant in our company's main building. Is there anything you can't eat?"

 

"N-no! I can eat anything!"

 

"Alright. I'll be in touch. I need to get back to the party now."

 

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

 

Mikado's face lit up with a brilliant smile, so bright it was almost blinding. Ren suppressed the urge to smile along and quickly turned on his heel, walking away at a brisk pace.

 

Just before returning to the party, Ren rested his hand on the large, open doors of the grand hall and took a deep breath for the first time. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been, barely able to breathe in front of Mikado.

 

—It's fine. He didn't figure it out... But... I need to take my meds, soon...

 

"Hah… hah…"

 

His body burned with an unbearable heat. The mix of tension and excitement that had been contained now swirled wildly inside him, threatening to overwhelm him.

 

—There's no way I can go back to the party like this...

 

Ren's fingers grazed the case of tablets hidden in the inner pocket of his tuxedo as he staggered toward the restroom.

 

—Am I really going to keep hiding my secondary gender from Mikado? Even now, when we've finally started speaking normally… will I just keep pretending?

 

The moment Ren stepped into a stall, his legs gave way, and he sank to his knees. His body had been overwhelmed by Mikado's pheromones to the point of collapse. Inside his trousers, his arousal was straining, throbbing painfully. Desperate, Ren hurried to relieve himself, knowing he had to return to the party before it became disrespectful to the guests.

 

Stifling his voice, Ren leaned against the wall, furiously pleasuring himself. The image of his composed self just moments ago in front of Mikado now seemed ridiculous—he felt ashamed.

 

"Mm… ngh… ah..."

 

—...This is so humiliating. I never want Mikado to see me like this...

 

But what about Mikado? Could he have sensed even a trace of Ren's omega pheromones, which Ren had tried so hard to conceal? Was that why he had blushed so much and acted so flustered?

 

—I don't know… I don't know what to do...

 

Even though Ren didn't want Mikado to see him like this, his omega instincts screamed for Mikado to discover his true nature.

 

—What am I supposed to do... What should I...

 

"Ah… ahh... mmm… nnngh...!"

 

As Ren recalled Mikado's scent and all the different expressions he'd just seen, his body arched, and he reached his climax.

 

Panting, Ren looked down at the sticky whiteness staining his hand and the arousal that still hadn't faded. He closed his eyes in frustration, pained by his body's uncontrollable desire.

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