SPICY Chapter 1

I’m an Omega.

Society is harsh toward us, and it’s said that life is tough for Omegas. That’s why I pretend to be a Beta instead.

Most Omegas can’t keep up the Beta act for long before they’re found out. Their bodies struggle to build muscle, their voices are higher-pitched even if they’re male, and then there’s the telltale sign: the heat cycle that comes every three months.

It’s impossible to hide forever, and once you’re exposed, it’s like rolling down a hill—there’s no stopping it.

But for the past 18 years, no one has ever suspected I’m an Omega.

My first heat hit me during school, right after the entrance ceremony, and I was completely panicked. But even then, no one noticed.

In fact, right now, during math class, I’m in the middle of a heat.

Yet, no one around me has a clue.

“Yo, Karasawa, did you spill something again? It reeks in here.”

“Uh… yeah, I knocked over some mustard.”

“Man, you really love spicy stuff, huh?”

The Alpha sitting next to me chuckled quietly. I forced an apologetic smile to match his.

Apparently, my pheromones smell like spicy food.

In this world, aside from the chromosomal differences between male and female, there’s another classification: Secondary Genders.

There are three types: Alpha, Beta, and Omega.

Alphas, the natural ruling class, are often exceptional individuals who naturally accumulate wealth, power, and influence. They’re rare.

Betas make up the majority of the population. They’re, well, average—ordinary in every way. Most Betas marry other Betas.

Omegas are even rarer than Alphas. They’re often seen as the subservient class.

Male Omegas can get pregnant, and their three-month heat cycles have earned them the label of “existing solely to bear children.” Discrimination against them is deeply rooted.

When an Omega goes into heat, they release pheromones to attract Alphas.

Without suppressants, an Omega’s pheromones are said to be overwhelmingly potent—so much so that Alphas can’t resist their allure.

Once an Alpha bonds with an Omega as their mate, the pheromones will only affect that specific Alpha.

There’s also talk of “fated mates,” where an Alpha and Omega are genetically so compatible that they can recognize each other at a glance. But considering the world’s population, the odds of meeting your fated mate are astronomical. I don’t believe in it.

Generally, Omega pheromones are said to be sweet and pleasant, designed to attract Alphas.

But my pheromones? They smell like habanero, chili sauce, mustard, and chili peppers.

In other words, no one recognizes them as pheromones.

Since my pheromones don’t give me away, I’ve never once felt my chastity was at risk, which is rare for an Omega living at the bottom of society.

During my first heat, when someone said, “Something smells spicy,” I blurted out, “I spilled a bottle of chili sauce in my bag.” Everyone bought it without question.

I was also lucky that my pheromones aren’t very strong to begin with.

That flimsy excuse worked so well that I started carrying spicy condiments and seasonings regularly.

I’ve always liked spicy food anyway, so I didn’t deny it, and now everyone just thinks I’m a spice enthusiast.

Still, if I let my guard down, I could be exposed as an Omega.

So, I’ve made an effort to eat a lot of spicy food, study it, and become an expert.

I’ve also worked hard to build muscle, exercise, and even excel in my studies to avoid suspicion based on my appearance.

While many Omegas degrade themselves, flattering Alphas and resigning themselves to their “role,” I’ve managed to carve out a place for myself as an unremarkable Beta through luck and effort.

If I can make it through school without incident, I plan to find a job with minimal human interaction and live a quiet life alone.

As an ordinary Beta, I have two friends.

One is Kijima, whom I’ve been close to since our second year of high school.

We became friends because our seats were next to each other in class.

The other is Amami, who’s been my classmate since middle school.

Back then, we only knew each other by name, but when we ended up at the same high school and shared the same class for three years, it was inevitable we’d grow closer.

Kijima is the life of the party—loud, cheerful, and constantly getting rejected by girls.

I think he’d have better luck if he went for girls who match his personality, but he always falls for the quiet, shy, cute ones.

A pushy high school boy from another class who doesn’t even know them well? Of course, his confessions never work out.

Kijima openly identifies as a Beta and often talks about his dream of building a warm, peaceful family with one son and one daughter. It’s a simple dream for someone with such a flashy, carefree appearance. Sometimes I wonder if I should praise him for having such a humble dream or scold him for not matching his looks to his aspirations.

Still, I admire his straightforwardness and his earnestness in pursuing his dream, even if it’s a bit heavy for his age.

As for Amami, despite our long history, I feel like we don’t know each other very well.

While I bring curry bread for lunch every day, he’s into melon bread and cream bread.

When we go out to eat after school, we often swap foods we don’t like because our tastes are complete opposites.

Amami hasn’t publicly stated his secondary gender, but with his excellent grades, athletic prowess, good looks, and tall, well-proportioned build—he’s clearly an Alpha.

He’s neat, loves animals, and seems like he’d be popular, yet he’s never hinted at having a romantic partner since our first year.

Either he’s been in a long-term relationship this whole time, or he’s single… Kijima and I once tried to bet on it, but we both picked the former, so the bet fell through.

He’s the epitome of an Alpha.

Having an Alpha like Amami so close to me, an Omega, is probably not ideal. Kijima, being a Beta, is one thing, but Amami? That’s another story.

However, even Amami seems to think my pheromones smell like condiments, so I’ve stopped worrying about it.

If I haven’t been found out so far, there’s no way I’ll be exposed in my final year.

“Hey, Karasawa, did you do the pre-reading for classical literature?”

“Yeah, but Kijima, you didn’t do it again, did you? You’re terrible at it.”

“Yeah, I know~ I might get called on today. Let me copy yours later, please!”

“How many times is this ‘please’ of yours this month? Seriously…”

We were eating lunch at a desk in the corner of the empty classroom.

Kijima, despite being a Beta—or maybe because he’s a Beta—has zero motivation to study seriously, and his grades are worse than mine.

I wonder if it’s okay to have that attitude during exam season, but he always says, “I’m just gonna get a job,” and steals my pre-reading notes.

I always scold him, but at this point, I’ve given up.

Meanwhile, Amami, the Alpha who’s so good at studying he doesn’t even need to do pre-reading, watches our exchange with a smile.

Today, he’s nibbling on a French baguette stuffed with cream.

As someone who never eats sweets, just looking at it makes me feel heartburn.

“Karasawa, you had a mock exam recently, right? How’d it go?”

“My target school is still a bit out of reach. The others are mostly A or B grades.”

“Huh~ Keep it up. What about you, Amami?”

“My target school is an A, but it’s dangerous to get complacent now.”

“Ugh… overachiever.”

I responded while squeezing an excessive amount of mustard onto my plain bread roll.

This is just a normal lunchtime scene, so neither of them says anything about it.

Kijima, who’s supposedly not involved in exams, asks about my results out of consideration.

Maybe all his social skills are maxed out because he doesn’t study.

If he showed this side of himself to girls, it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one of them reciprocated his feelings. Sadly, he has a habit of sprinting to my seat during breaks, so it’s unlikely the girls will ever see his good side.

“Oh, right. Karasawa, didn’t you say you wanted to try that new ramen place near the station?”

“I did.”

“I got a free egg coupon. Wanna go today?”

“Yes! You’re the best, Amami. What about you, Kijima?”

“Ah, sorry, I’ve got work! You two go ahead. If it’s good, I’ll check it out too.”

Kijima has been working part-time a lot lately because he wants to buy a motorcycle.

As a result, I’ve been spending more time alone with Amami these past few months, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable.

Amami isn’t like most Alphas who flaunt their privileged status or look down on other secondary genders. In fact, he’s unusually humble and gentle for an Alpha.

Me, an unremarkable Beta, and Kijima, a lazy, study-hating Beta.

I don’t know why Amami spends so much time with us, but if he enjoys our company, I’m proud and happy to call him a friend.

The ramen place near the station was delicious.

I especially liked the spicy dipping noodles.

As a rule, I avoid “extremely spicy” foods. That’s just pain, not flavor.

My preference is medium-spicy, like in curry.

The dipping noodles here were perfect for that.

I was ready to unleash the bottle of shichimi pepper I always carry if it wasn’t spicy enough, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

“Did you like it?”

“It was amazing! Let’s bring Kijima next time.”

“Sure.”

“I ate too much, so let’s take a break before heading back.”

“That’s because you couldn’t resist ordering fried rice…”

He sounded exasperated, but I couldn’t help it. The fried rice the guy next to us was eating looked so good.

Amami was smiling, seemingly satisfied with the delicious ramen.

As we walked toward the station, the handsome guy with a smile seemed to attract everyone’s attention. It wasn’t just my imagination.

Amami looks like the type who’d be super popular, but strangely, I’ve never seen him surrounded by girls or approached by Omegas.

Maybe because I was staring, he looked back at me with a puzzled expression.

“What? Is there something on my face?”

“Amami, you’re popular, right?”

“Where did that come from…?”

The park we arrived at was quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling station area.

It’s small, has no playground equipment, and there’s a bigger park on the other side of the station, so people probably go there instead.

We sat on one of the benches, and I pulled a water bottle out of my bag to drink.

Spicy food makes me thirsty, so I always carry extra water.

Amami was drinking canned coffee he bought on the way.

It’s annoying how he can casually drink black coffee without batting an eye.

I brought up the bet Kijima and I tried to make but couldn’t settle.

“Betting on someone else’s love life… what’s wrong with you two…?”

“That’s how little we’ve seen of your romantic life! So, what’s the answer? You’ve got an older, glasses-wearing, busty girlfriend who’s great at her job, right?”

“What kind of specific image is that?”

Amami sipped his coffee with a visibly disgusted expression.

As a healthy high school boy, I think this kind of talk is just the beginning… but is Amami pure-hearted to the core?

Surely he’s not that pure, right?

Feeling guilty, I glanced at Amami from head to toe, which seemed to annoy him as he let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t want to be misunderstood, so I’ll say this… I’m in love with someone. That’s why there’s no one else.”

“Y-You’re in love!?”

I almost shouted, “You, an Alpha!?” but stopped myself just in time.

It’s taboo to discuss someone’s second gender when they haven’t publicly stated it.

Still, I couldn’t let this topic slide without digging deeper.

“Is it… because of their status? Or their second gender…?”

It’s common to hear about students falling for their teachers, leading to painful, unrequited love. I thought such romances only existed in manga and novels, but apparently not.

Or maybe the person is already married. That would truly be an impossible love.

It’s rare after a certain age when secondary genders are determined, but love between Alphas and Alphas, or Omegas and Omegas, isn’t unheard of.

Amami is an Alpha, so maybe he’s in love with a higher-ranking Alpha. In that case, there might be no way to get close except through an arranged marriage.

“Haha, no. It’s not like that.”

“Oh… okay…”

“The person is… my fated mate. Have you heard of that?”

I was utterly shocked.

Amami had just mentioned something so fantastical that I didn’t even believe in it.

“You mean when an Alpha and Omega are instinctively drawn to each other? You believe in that?”

“I was skeptical too, until I met them. It sounds ridiculous to say you can tell just by looking. But it’s true.”

“Huh…”

Amami’s expression was softer than I’d ever seen.

When his gaze turned toward me, even as a fellow guy, I felt a strange allure.

Gentle and kind, yet with a hidden intensity—like the end of summer.

He said it was unrequited, right?

Even though he knows it’s fate, the frustration of not being able to bond must be why he has such a complicated expression.

“But it’s unrequited?”

“Yeah. At the entrance ceremony, I knew instantly, but they didn’t feel the same way.”

“Entrance ceremony? Middle school or high school?”

“Middle school.”

“What!? So you’ve been in love since middle school? Do I know them?”

“Of course you do, Karasawa.”

“Huh~”

I tried to imagine who Amami’s unrequited love could be, now in its sixth year.

If it was at his middle school entrance ceremony, it’s not a junior.

I was in the go-home club in middle school, so I don’t know much about the seniors, and if Amami says I know them, it’s probably not a senior either.

So, a classmate?

Middle school had a decent number of students, and while I can’t remember everyone’s face, I do remember the standout ones. Omegas tend to stand out.

Was it one of the petite, cute girls? Or the beautiful, serious Omega girl? Or maybe the quiet, bookish class president?

Wait, if the person is an Omega, it could be a guy. There were only two other male Omegas in my class besides me, so it’s easy to narrow it down.

I smirked inwardly, thinking I’d have a great story to tell Kijima later.

“When I first heard about fated mates…”

“Yeah?”

“I thought it was so animalistic and disgusting.”

Amami’s profile was turned away from me, as if he was watching the fallen leaves swaying in the wind at the end of the bench.

“Secondary genders are already so animalistic, aren’t they? They prioritize innate traits over individual qualities, classifying people into superior and inferior species, and those at the bottom are scorned. On top of that, Alphas can ignore an Omega’s rights if they want to. It’s not something a modern, developed society should do.”

“Ah… yeah, I guess so.”

“So, when I found my fated mate and my body uncontrollably desired them, I wanted to scream in disgust. I’m not an animal. Can’t I even choose who I love?”

I was surprised again. This was the first time I’d heard Amami speak so deeply and painfully about his secondary gender.

I’ve been sad about being born an Omega, but I’ve never given up.

I believe that with effort, even if I can’t reach the level of an Alpha, I can live a life no less than a Beta’s, and I’ve managed to do that so far.

But I’d never considered that Alphas might have similar struggles.

In terms of being ruled by instinct, Alphas and Omegas are the same.

“Amami… I had no idea you were struggling like this.”

“You’re a Beta, so it’s hard for you to understand, right?”

“Well… yeah. But I know about it intellectually, and I think I can understand why someone as serious and kind as you would suffer.”

“───Thank you. But it’s not that painful anymore.”

The tension in Amami’s expression eased, and he looked up at the sky.

I followed his gaze and saw a fading contrail stretching across the pale blue sky. It would soon be time for the orange hues of evening to take over.

“For me, the fact that they don’t realize I’m their fated mate is a blessing.”

“A blessing?”

“Because I know they’re my fate, I can’t help but watch them… but if they don’t feel the same, I have time to get to know them, to fall in love without secondary gender getting in the way.”

“I see. That’s one way to look at it.”

“Yeah. There are plenty of fated pairs who don’t get along because of personality clashes, so it’s good to have time to cool off those fleeting feelings of fate.”

I wondered how much anguish it took for Amami, just starting middle school, to come to terms with this.

Back then, I only knew Amami as a standout Alpha and wasn’t even friends with him, but imagining a young Amami struggling alone made me inexplicably frustrated.

I was also angry at myself for assuming Alphas, as the ruling class, had no troubles.

“So, what about them? Did you cool off and decide not to bond because you don’t like them anymore?”

“Hmm… No. Getting to know them made me like them even more. I love them so much I want to lock them up and never let them out.”

The change in Amami’s tone made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I reflexively looked at him. His gaze was still fixed on the sky.

“But they still don’t see me as their fate. Before we can even think about dating or being together, I’m not even sure if we’re close enough. I want to get to know them better, and I want them to know me too. Naturally, without secondary gender getting in the way.”

Him. He just said “him.”

Amami’s fated mate is a guy. There were only two other male Omegas in my middle school class.

One, according to rumors, found his mate and went abroad instead of continuing his education. I don’t know what happened to the other, but I didn’t know he and Amami were that close.

Or maybe I was wrong about the age, and it’s someone from the school staff? A teacher, or a parent I saw at the entrance ceremony…?

But from the way Amami was talking, it didn’t seem like he’d answer if I asked directly.

I decided to dig out my middle school yearbook when I got home and turned back to the conversation.

“Seriously, Amami, you’re so thoughtful. No one would feel bad being liked by someone like you. secondary gender doesn’t matter. Maybe if you confess, they’ll say yes right away?”

“…You think so?”

“Huh? Well, it might be presumptuous for a Beta like me to guess how they feel.”

There was a time when I believed I was a Beta until my secondary gender was determined.

When I found out I was actually an Omega, my world turned upside down, as if the colors I saw had completely changed.

Fortunately, my parents were understanding, and there was no family breakdown or rejection, but it still left a mark.

That day, I learned about the struggles of being an Omega, something Betas can only imagine.

Anyone would be happy to be loved so sincerely, regardless of fate.

I tried to recall the male student Amami might be talking about, but I couldn’t remember his face.

“Be confident. You’re still in touch, right? I’m sure you’ll become mates, not because of instinct, but because you genuinely like each other.”

“…Yeah. I was planning to confess after getting into my target school. But if you say that, maybe I should act sooner.”

“Ah, if you get carried away like that, you might trip up. If that’s the case, maybe you should wait until graduation instead of the acceptance announcements?”

“Haha, maybe. After we graduate, when there are no more barriers… I could just kidnap them, lock them up, and make them my mate.”

“Whoa, where did the nice guy from earlier go!? You just got super intense!”

“Just kidding.”

I teased Amami with an exaggerated reaction as he suddenly said something terrifying. Amami laughed and denied it, and I laughed too.

But my heart, racing from the adrenaline, refused to calm down.

When Amami said, “Kidnap them, lock them up, and make them my mate,” his voice was so cold it didn’t sound like a joke.

When he leaned toward me, his lips close to my neck as I stared at the sky… even though I knew he was just messing around, I felt something rising from the pit of my stomach.

A sensation that made me think my suppressed heat pheromones might overflow.

A fleeting joy, like the illusion of being desired by an Alpha, something inherent to being an Omega.

To prevent the cold air from returning, I changed the topic as naturally as I could.

Amami didn’t bring up the mate topic again.

I probably won’t tell Kijima about this conversation.

I felt guilty for trampling into a part of Amami that shouldn’t be touched. It’s not something to casually chat about with others.

When we graduate high school and Amami inevitably gets into his target school, and when he finds his fated mate… our relationship will surely change.

A premonition-like certainty, accompanied by loneliness, raced through my body.

“By the way, Karasawa, you smell especially good today.”

“Does it really smell that strong? Sorry, I’m just a spicy guy.”

“It’s fine. It’s a really… nice smell.”