"There's no doubt."
After being invited into the house, the neighbor checked Josh’s condition and then ca down to the living room to have tea, declaring confidently.
"It’s a manifestation. My daughter went through the exact sa thing. This scent—it’s the scent of an Oga. During the initial manifestation period, the scent is especially strong. The pheromone sll is even stronger and lasts longer than during the heat cycle. Josh's pheromone scent spread all the way to our house, so I figured one of your kids must be manifesting. I can’t believe you didn’t notice. Haven’t you ever slled it before? Of course, Ogas and Alphas aren’t exactly common."
She concluded with a smile, having drawn her own conclusions.
"But Josh being an Oga... That’s a bit surprising. I assud if he were to manifest, he’d be an Alpha. I thought Emma was the one who’d manifest as an Oga. If Josh had manifested as an Alpha, he would’ve been a perfect match for my daughter..."
As she spoke, her voice trailed off and her expression grew gloomy, taking a sip of her tea. Emma and their mother silently exchanged glances before turning their attention back to her. The neighbor placed her teacup down, and their mother spoke up.
"Are you sure? So, what do we do now...?"
"Nothing."
She spoke definitively and continued.
"My daughter was sick for about three days, but I’ve heard that so people are sick for a week or even ten days. But it’s not like anything happens to their body. Your mother was an Oga, right? The others are all Beta?"
"Yes."
Their mother nodded and waited for more. The neighbor, providing information as best she could, continued seriously.
"The doctor who treated my daughter said that the weaker the traits, the longer the manifestation period lasts. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally, that’s how it goes. But even then, there’s no actual harm to the body. The scent might be weaker, or the cycles might not be regular, but there’s nothing to worry about. You can just take dicine to regulate it. Even without that, during the heat cycle, you’d have to take dication anyway, so nothing will really change."
After hearing that, their mother visibly relaxed, exhaling deeply. The neighbor smiled reassuringly, shared a few more words, and then headed back ho, not forgetting to offer so of the dicine and supplies she had.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
"You should definitely get checked. You’ll get so advice depending on the constitution. I have so supplies, so don’t hesitate to co over."
After her final piece of advice, their mother parted ways with the neighbor. When she returned ho, her expression was much lighter. Emma felt the sa way.
"Of course, Josh couldn’t possibly be sick."
Seeing her daughter complain more than usual, their mother just smiled. Later that afternoon, their mother called the school to inform them of Josh's situation and ask for understanding regarding his prolonged absence. She arranged to submit a doctor’s note later and hung up the phone.
Sigh.
As she sat back on the couch, feeling the fatigue of the past few days finally lifting, their mother closed her eyes. Now, all that was left was to wait for Josh to wake up. For the first ti, the faint fragrance that had made her anxious now gave her a sense of reassurance. She only wanted one thing: for Josh to successfully complete his manifestation and return to being her son.
@Funhap
...I’m thirsty.
Josh vaguely realized this through his hazy consciousness. His mouth was dry, and he wanted sothing to drink, but strangely, he didn’t feel any distress about it.
The next thing he knew, his eyes opened. Slowly, he lifted his eyelids and blinked a few tis before his mind started to co back to him.
His body, which had felt so heavy before, was now incredibly light. It felt as if he could float away, and he slowly sat up.
...Huh?
The strange sensation of weightlessness wasn’t an illusion. He felt as if his body was floating in space like an astronaut.
Am I still dreaming?
He slowly moved, stepping out of bed, but as soon as he did, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor with a loud thud. He heard the sound echo, but he didn’t feel any pain.
What the...?
Dazed, he blinked, but then, suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He barely noticed how close they were through his foggy consciousness. The door opened, and through his upside-down view, he saw his mother standing there.
"Oh my God, Josh! You’re awake!"
More relieved that Josh had regained consciousness than concerned about him lying on the floor, she ran over and hugged him tightly. Emma rushed into the room right behind her, gasping and then running to Josh as well. Caught between the two won, Josh could only blink in confusion, trying to understand what was happening.
After so ti had passed, his mother, having finally cald down, loosened her hold on him and looked at his face.
"Are you okay, Josh? Does anything hurt or feel uncomfortable?"
After a brief silence, Josh opened his mouth.
"Aside from being hungry... not really..."
Hearing his weak voice, his mother imdiately jumped up faster than she had ever moved before.
"Mom, I’ll help too!"
Shouting as she rushed to follow her, Emma startled Josh, who blinked in confusion.
"Wait, Emma..."
"I’m thirsty," Josh had said, but by that point, only he was left. Begrudgingly, he stumbled up and made his way to the bathroom. After filling his mouth with water from the sink, he finally looked at his reflection in the mirror.
...Huh?
A man with furrowed brows was staring back at him. The face was familiar, but sothing about it seed strange. Confused, Josh tilted his head and quickly realized.
I need to shave.
He applied shaving cream to his chin out of habit, but as he began shaving, he froze.
For so reason, he felt like he had shrunk.
His cheeks were hollowed, and his muscles seed a little smaller. As he stared at himself in the mirror, doubt started to creep in. He had felt like he had slept for a day or maybe even longer, but it might have been even more than that. His mother and Emma’s reactions, as well as his own more gaunt appearance, seed to confirm that.
"Josh."
As he pondered the situation, the bathroom door suddenly swung open, and Emma’s face appeared. Startled, Josh nearly cut himself with the razor.
"Damn it! What if I was naked?"
Without a hint of apology, Emma responded with an unaffected look.
"Sorry. I’ll help you down the stairs, it could be dangerous, so hurry up and clean up."
Josh, still irritated, focused on shaving again but stopped, confused.
"What’s dangerous?"
This was his ho, the place he had lived his whole life. Was there any reason stairs would be dangerous now? As Josh looked at her with confusion, Emma took a step back and answered.
"You’ve been asleep for almost ten days... I’ll explain everything once we get downstairs, but for now, just eat sothing first."
With that, she shut the bathroom door behind her, leaving Josh blinking in disbelief.
Reviews
All reviews (0)