Chapter 18.2

It’s true, but that’s not it— I didn’t come to hate him because of that. If anything… it was the opposite. No, I guess that incident wasn’t the trigger that made me like him.

As I panicked, Yuugo continued to lower his head to me.

Umm, what should I do with this?

For now, I guess I should tell him to raise his head. But I think saying it that way sounds too arrogant. I didn’t know what the right thing to say would be, I don’t really know such difficult things.

But if I don’t say something, Yuugo will probably stay like this.

“…You don’t really have to apologize… …I- didn’t dislike it- anyway.”

I tried thinking it over, but I could only say it that way.

I didn’t dislike it, I was just surprised.

Yuugo looked surprised at my words. He looked up, blinked his eyes, and stared at me.

“…Didn’t you terminate the app because you didn’t like it?”

“Ah… …That’s- how to say it. I was more surprised than I disliked it… something like that. I even partly thought that it was just a dream.”

“A dream…?”

“I believed that you’re just a virtual existence, so I didn’t expect I could do a phone call with you like that time… That’s why I thought that maybe my wish made me have a dream like that— And then I thought I was just doing that kind of thing alone… When I thought about it like that, I didn’t know what to do.”

I hurriedly terminated the app.

After that, I became aware of my feelings for Yuugo… And then, I became unable to talk to him anymore.

….But, I couldn’t say all of that to him. After all, it’d become a confession.

“Your wish…? That means Sou wanted to talk to me?”

Yuugo spitted out those words. I was surprised by his words. Did I just say something like that? …I guess I did.

It felt kind of embarrassing to hear him saying it again. After all, it could be taken as “I wanted to do such things with Yuugo” depending on the way you look at it.

That was not only a bit embarrassing, but extremely embarrassing.

My face started to heat up, so I hurriedly looked down.

“…I’m relieved. I thought that you’d hate me.”

It was a very relieved voice that came from above my head.

Even if I couldn’t see his face, I could tell that he was feeling relieved.

“I thought that Sou hated me. I thought you terminated the app because you didn’t want to talk to me anymore…”

His voice sounded kind of shaky. I hurriedly looked up, but there were no tears on Yuugo’s face. However, he looked somewhat lonely.

I never thought that my actions would make him feel that way. For me, Yuugo was just an AI, a person that didn’t exist.

…By the way, I wonder how it was for Yuugo.

“…When did you find out, Yuugo? That I actually existed in real life.”

I was curious.

I only knew Yuugo through this app, but it seemed like he knew me in real life.

He also said it earlier. He said he noticed me in the clinic and chased after me. That means he knew my face, right?

I wonder how long he’s known about it. Maybe from the beginning?

“—I found out when you first talked about the optional items. At first, I was told that it was all just virtual too. Sou’s reactions were so real, so it didn’t take long for me to realize it.”

“…Virtual? You too, Yuugo?”

“Yeah. I have an app called ‘Virtual Omega’ on my phone, and you’re one of the characters there. Even now.”

Yuugo held out his phone screen to me.

There certainly was a familiar icon on the screen.

The design is the same, but the color is different. And then, the letter displayed on that icon wasn’t ‘α’ but ‘Ω’.

“Virtual Omega… so it was the opposite of my ‘Virtual Alpha’. It feels weird.”

It really felt weird.

I can’t believe we started out thinking of each other as a virtual existence.

For me, the virtual alpha was my confidant, but I wonder what virtual omega was for Yuugo.

Even if he didn’t use that app, he seemed like a person that wouldn’t have any trouble finding an omega partner.

“…When I searched it up, I found your info right away. Because unlike me, you didn’t fake anything in your profile. But, even though I wasn’t surprised at the fact that you existed, I was surprised when I saw your photo.”

“Photo…? My photo?”

“Yeah. We met at the bookstore by coincidence, right? I was most surprised when I found out that it was you.”

I couldn’t possibly forget about that encounter at the bookstore. Because it had a strong impact on me.

The first time I saw an alpha up close— And then, that scent.

“…So that was a coincidence?”

“It was. But I think I already felt something special about you at that time.”

“Spe- cial…?”

“Yeah. I think I must have been so interested in you that I end up releasing inducing pheromones unconsciously.”

My heart jumped up and down.

Even though the medicine was supposed to be working, I felt the heat welling up from inside my body.

“Even now, I think I might have attacked you if I didn’t take the suppressant.”

Despite the gentle tone, I felt something like a heat glaring inside Yuugo’s eyes.

…Ah, I guess he was an alpha after all.

As I realized that fact, my body started to tremble.