Chapter 80 - Blindness

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Chapter 80

 

 

"...So that's how it all happened, huh."

 

Ren had told Suno everything.

 

Shion was fast asleep in his arms now—though Seta's wife had offered to look after him, the baby had refused to let Ren go. As he cradled that tiny warmth and sipped at his now-cold tea, Ren felt the weight of the past settle lightly on his shoulders.

 

"Now that you mention it, yeah… I guess some of it does make sense," Suno murmured.

 

"Does it?"

 

Suno dabbed the corner of his eye with the sleeve of his kimono, then looked at Ren with a gentle smile. His gaze drifted to the clear winter sky, as if recalling memories from long ago.

 

"I never thought of you as an Omega. But… I did wonder if you were really an Alpha. Or maybe, if you were something else entirely."

 

"What?"

 

"It's just… I think everyone, not just me, always saw you differently. You were famous even as a kid, and you've always been so breathtakingly beautiful. Like someone not quite of this world… not someone you could measure by normal standards. There's something… divine about you."

 

"You're exaggerating."

 

"But I think you knew that, didn't you? That the world saw you that way. And maybe that's why… you worked so hard to become exactly what they expected you to be."

 

"…Yeah… maybe you're right."

 

It was true. He had worked so hard not to let anyone see a crack in his armor. To be the person the world expected. He'd built up walls, strict and unyielding, to become a version of himself worthy of that ideal. That was the life he had always known.

 

"…You must've been scared. You know, you could've told me sooner. Though… I guess that's easier said than done."

 

"Yeah."

 

"Outwardly, the world might look like it's made progress—like it's protecting Omega rights. But the truth is, there's still a lot of bias and mistreatment left. Honestly, it's often the Betas who are the coldest to us."

 

"Really?" Ren blinked, surprised. His voice rose a little without meaning to.

 

Shion stirred with a soft whimper, and Ren instantly froze. Seeing this, Suno gave him a gentle, affectionate smile.

 

"Even if an Omega goes into heat, they can't get pregnant with a Beta. That's why there are some people who treat Omegas like we're nothing more than walking reproductive organs. Especially Betas who weren't born through an Omega. That mindset's more common than you'd think."

 

"…I see."

 

"And then there's all that stuff about 'fated pairs'—about Alphas and Omegas being drawn together by instinct and all that dramatic stuff. A lot of Beta kids back home say they're jealous. They want that kind of destined romance too. They don't really get the pain of being at the mercy of your own biology."

 

"Huh… I'd never thought about it like that."

 

Ren had no close Beta friends who would bring up things like this, so it was an entirely new perspective for him. He tried to imagine what it might feel like from their side—but it didn't come easily.

 

He had, at times, wondered if life would've been simpler had he been born a Beta. Betas didn't have to live in fear of urges too powerful to control. There were moments he envied the calm, the normalcy, that they seemed to have.

 

Alphas and Omegas, forever at the mercy of their instincts. Betas, yearning for passion they couldn't feel.

 

Perhaps they were all longing for what the other had—and never truly understanding one another.

 

"Anyway," Suno said, "I really do think it was a good thing Aoi chose his mate on his own terms."

 

"…Yeah. I think so too."

 

"If Aoi had just gone along with what you wanted and picked me as his partner, I'd never have known this happiness. I'd probably have ended up jealous of the other Omegas he touched. And he… he would never have truly loved me. Even if we'd had a child together, I don't think we ever would've become a real family."

 

"…That's true."

 

"Honestly, none of us would've ended up happy. You included, Mr. Ren."

 

"…"

 

Ren fell silent, his chest tightening at Suno's words. He had clung so stubbornly to the idea of Aoi's 'partner selection'—had pushed it so hard onto him.

 

But Suno was right. If Aoi had fathered children with countless Omegas… could they truly have been called a family?

 

There was no telling whether those children would have become rivals one day. Whether the Omegas Aoi touched would have turned bitter and possessive. That, too, might have sown the seeds of destruction for the Kunishiro lineage.

 

"…What was I thinking…"

 

"Ah—no! Please don't look like that! I know you were doing your best, Mr. Ren. I really do. I know how much it meant to you—to protect the bloodline, to safeguard the family business. Those things mattered to you. I get it."

 

"…Yeah."

 

"But still, I'm glad. I'm glad your true fated partner found you. The Ren who's always carried his family on his shoulders... it feels like the gods were watching over you all along."

 

"You really think so?"

 

"I do. I mean, even I—someone with zero Alpha luck—ended up loved by a younger, adorable Alpha. I was honestly prepared to go my whole life alone."

 

Suno smiled, lowering his hand to gently caress his abdomen. Just below the loosely tied sash of his kimono, there was a barely noticeable swell. He'd always had a delicate frame, and his kimono hid most of the change—but there, without doubt, a new life had quietly taken root.

 

"...I'm really glad," Ren murmured.

 

Looking at Suno's peaceful profile, an immense sense of relief bloomed in Ren's chest. Suno turned to him, his smile soft.

 

"You know, I can already picture Mikado fawning over you. He used to say he admired you so much, he wished he could change his sex just to be with you. For a proper Alpha, he's ridiculously smitten. It's cute, really."

 

"Heh. Yeah, it is."

 

"You've softened, haven't you? And it's thanks to Mikado, right? You never used to smile like that."

 

"Oh? What kind of smile did I have?"

 

Ren tilted his head slightly, genuinely curious. Suno chuckled, covering his mouth modestly with a sleeve.

 

"How do I put it... your eyes never smiled, even when your lips did. Like a mask, really."

 

"A mask... huh."

 

"It felt like a face you'd trained yourself to wear—gracious, poised, always perfectly social. I figured it was something that just came with growing up in high society."

 

"You really observe people well, don't you?"

 

"Well, you know. When your job is literally to perform on a stage, you learn to see the little ways people put themselves together. Their expressions. The emotions they try to hide. Which is why..."

 

Suno's smile wavered, his tone dropping slightly as a shadow crossed his features.

 

"That's why I knew. I knew Aoi didn't feel anything for me."

 

"......"

 

"But now we talk like normal friends. He even trusts me enough to let me look after Shion. And I can look at Yuto and see him for who he is—a good kid. I think I've grown a little, and that makes me happy too."

 

"I see... You've got Kotaro to thank for that, don't you?"

 

"Absolutely. Of course, I'm excited for this little one growing inside me too, but... I just can't help how ridiculously cute Kotaro is to me. I adore him. Though if I ever said that out loud, he'd sulk immediately—he's so proud, that one."

 

"Heh. Sounds like a good match."

 

"And you're the same, right? Mikado's like a loyal puppy. He's adorable."

 

"A puppy, huh... Yeah, I guess he is sort of dog-like."

 

"Right? He sees you and it's like his tail starts wagging, and he comes bounding over like a big, eager mutt. And on top of that, he's a total looker. So dreamy... Oh! Should I not say that around Kotaro?"

 

"...No, it's fine. I'm seeing him tonight anyway. I'll tell him myself."

 

"Kotaro's gonna flip!" Suno giggled with glee. "With everyone gathered tonight, I bet we'll get to witness some real good stuff."

 

Despite himself, Ren couldn't help but laugh too. His heart fluttered with a warm, ticklish affection just thinking of Mikado.

 

And so, for a little while, he let himself be carried along by Suno's bubbling curiosity.

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