SWNOVELS Chapter SIDE STORY: 21ST EGO
AKI
PAGKATAPOS malaman ng mga magulang ni Chihiro na kambal ang magiging anak namin ay hindi na sila nakapagpigil at namili kaagad sila ng mga damit pambata. We didn't even know the genders of the babies and yet they insisted on preparing ahead. And Chihiro and I couldn't stop them from being too excited.
"Aki-san, tingnan mo itong ternong damit na nabili ko kahapon. Ang cute, 'di ba?" pagmamalaki ni Chidori-san sa isang damit na kulay baby blue.
"Mas maganda itong nabili ko," pagyayabang naman ni Hiromi-san sabay pinakita ang terno na may army design.
"Hiromi, dapat light colors lang kapag baby pa. Saka na ang ganyan kapag medyo malaki na ang mga apo natin," sita ni Chidori-san sa asawa.
"Huh? Ano namang masama kung ganito?" angal ni Hiromi-san at nagsimula silang magtalo.
"Ma-chan, Tou-chan... tama na po iyan," natatawang saway ni Chihiro sa mga magulang.
"Pero, Hirocchi, ang pangit ng taste ng ama mo," giit ni Chidori-san.
"At sobrang simple naman ng sa 'yo!" katuwiran naman ni Hiromi-san.
Tinapunan naman ni siya ni Chidori-san ng matalim na tingin. "May sinabi ka, honey?"
Awtomatiko namang lumambot ang aura ni Hiromi-san at kaagad itong nagpakumbaba. "Nagbibiro lang ako, honey."
Napabuntonghininga na lamang si Chihiro sa pagkadismaya. Tinabihan n'ya akong umupo bago masuyong hinimas ang tiyan ko. "Aki-san, mukhang lumulusog na ang mga bata kasi lumaki na ang tiyan mo simula noong nagpa-monthly check-up ka na at uminom ng karagdagang vitamins."
"Mukha nga," sang-ayon ko naman. Sa totoo lang, para nang sumisikip ang hininga ko minsan habang lumalaki ang tiyan ko. Nagsisimula na ring gumalaw ang kambal mula sa loob. Pareho silang makulit.
Maselan pa rin ang pagbubuntis ko dala na rin ng edad ko. Nakakadismaya pero ang isang malaking dahilan talaga ay isa akong Alpha at hindi rin ganoon ka-dominant ang Alpha traits ko kaya naman hirap na hirap ako. Laking pasasalamat ko na lang talaga at may mga nag-aaruga sa 'kin.
Chihiro quit his job at the construction site. In order for him to take care of me while still making a living, he decided to stop pursuing college and instead, his dad offered him a new job nearby. Natanggap siya sa isang local restaurant and when the owner knew that he was expecting twins, kada uwi n'ya ay may dala palagi itong pagkain mula sa restaurant mismo. The owner would cook the food exclusively for me because they want me to have a healthy body when I give birth soon. It's really generous of them at nahihiya na rin minsan si Chihiro so to compensate for his owner's kindness, pinagbubutihan n'ya lalo sa trabaho.
"Ah, Aki-san, gusto mo bang sumama ngayon sa restaurant?" biglang tanong sa akin ni Chihiro.
"Huh? Why?" I asked in confusion.
"Naalala kong may special menu sila ngayong araw at minsan lang ito. Gusto kong ipatikim sa 'yo ang special menu, Aki-san," aniya.
"Well... If you want to then I'm fine with it. Isama mo na rin mga magulang mo."
Tumango naman siya. "Okay!"
.
And so, we've arrived at Chihiro's work place.
This is my first time seeing him on action on a restaurant. This place was designed to be more like that of a family restaurant and aimed to bring people the luxury of eating good food while enjoying the company of their loved ones. Chihiro is the family oriented type of person so quickly got fond of the idea of bringing joy to other people by serving them food. Napaka-simple minded n'yang tao talaga but that's what makes him strongly attractive.
"Aki-san, maupo muna kayo dito. Ipapaalam ko muna kay boss na nandito kayo para mai-serve ko sa inyo ang special menu," aniya Chihiro habang sabik na nakangiti.
"Sige, anak. Maghihintay kami," sang-ayon ayon ni Hiromi-san sa anak at pagkatapos ay pumunta na si Chihiro sa kusina.
Mula dito sa kinauupuan naming tatlo, sinilip kami ng may-ari nitong restaurant. Isa siyang matandang lalaki. May pagkapandak ito kaya naman kapag kausap n'ya si Chihiro ay nakatingala ito nang husto. Ngumiti ito sa aming tatlo at kinawayan kami bilang pagtanggap n'ya sa amin. Saglit silang nag-usap ni Chihiro at nakangiting tumango lang ang matanda hanggang sa magsimula na silang magtrabaho sa kusina.
While waiting for our food, naisipan kong ituon ang atensiyon ko sa mga staff nitong restaurant. What I've noticed was that they all had similarities - they seemed like people who are comfortable to talk to. Most of them are plain looking too but they surely had this gentle auras around them. I don't know if the owner was an Alpha but if he really was and still accepted Chihiro who's an Omega then he must be the not the scum type of Alpha.
Good-natured Alphas are incredibly rare. Because of our high rank in society, most of us tend to see everyone else around us as low beings. That was how most Alphas were brought upon by parents who were either strict or just plain Alpha bastards themselves. Alphas who have at least an Omega parent are likely to turn out good compared to others but there is still the risk of superiority.
"Aki-san, ayos lang ba sa 'yo kung lalabas lang muna kami saglit?" biglang paalam ni Chidori-san sa akin na medyo nahiya pa.
"Huh? Sure. It's fine," pagpapahintulot ko.
"We're sorry to do this but I saw this souvenir shop across the street. Iche-check lang sana namin," pagpapaliwanag ni Hiromi-san.
Awtomatiko akong napatingin sa maliit na building sa kabilang babagi nitong restaurant - at meron ngang shop. Hindi siya ganoon kaagaw-pansin pero marami ang pumupunta rito.
"It's fine, really," pagsisiguro ko at tahimik silang umalis at naiwan akong mag-isa sa table namin.
Pinasadahan ako ni Chihiro ng mabilisang silip para tingnan kung okay lang ako pero bumakas sa mukha n'ya ang pag-aalala nang makitang mag-isa lang ako. Kinawayan ko siya at sinenyasan na nasa kabila lang ang mga magulang n'ya upang hindi na ito maistorbo sa kanyang ginagawa. Bumalik din si Chihiro sa kanyang trabaho nang masigurong okay lang ako.
"He's really cute when he worries over me like that," natatawa kong kausap sa sarili. Just when I was about to avert my eyes towards the scenery outside ay may lalaking naupo sa kabilang side ng table kung saan ako kasalukuyang nakapuwesto.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa pagtataka. Alam naman siguro n'yang may nagmamay-ari na nitong table pero bakit siya umupo nang walang paalam? Napatingala ako sa naturang lalaki at lalong nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang mamukhaan ko siya.
"Oh, by any chance, you are not alone?" he casually asked, totally ignoring the fact that he didn't ask for permission before crashing into my space.
"Shouldn't you have asked that bago ka umupo sa tapat ko?" sarkastiko kong baling sa kanya. He just ruined my mood, to be honest.
Inayos ng lalaki ang suot nitong salamin bago siya nagsalita, "My bad. Am I disturbing you?"
[Ano'ng klaseng tanong 'yan?!] Sigaw ko sa aking isipan.
Sasagot na sana ako nang magsalita siyang muli, "Do I know you?"
Mabilis namang nagbago ang mood ko at tinitigan ko siyang maigi. "I could ask the same to you," pabalang kong tugon.
He chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you are Izumi Aki, right?" he guessed though his face told me that he was certain that he got the right person. Tumalim naman ang tingin ko sa lalaki bago ako ngumisi. "If it isn't Shimada Kazunari."
The man sitting across chuckled in total amusement. "Still angsty, as always. Kailan kaya darating ang araw na hindi mo ako titingnan na para bang gigil na gigil kang patayin ako?" he sarcastically asked. "You're smirking at me but your facial expression is sending me a killing intent."
"I despise everyone who hurt and criticized Kicchan," I quickly retorted. This man right here was no doubt Kicchan's younger Alpha brother, Kazunari. I don't know much about him but I do know that he did nothing when Kicchan was kicked out from their house and when he suffered for 14 years, I've never seen this guy show care at all. They had no fucking idea how broken their brother was!
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"I see," he said. "I won't argue with you on that but you can stop hating me now, you know?"
"Why? Nagpakita ka na ba kay Kicchan at humingi ng tawad? Arrogant Alphas like you has their ego on a pedestal. You will never bow down to defeat."
"Aren't we the same?" he exclaimed before smirking.
"Don't lump me in with you," gigil kong saad.
Napunta naman ang tingin n'ya sa ibabang bahagi ng katawan ko. After my health started to improve, kahit ano'ng suot ko na ng maluluwag na damit ay hindi ko na maitago ang lumulubo kong tiyan. It's not that I hated it or ashamed of it. It kept getting too much attention.
"Is your Omega with you?" pag-iiba ni Kazunari ng usapan.
"What?" I frowned.
[Why is he suddenly bringing up Chihiro? And wait! How did he know that I was with an Omega?!] Naguguluhan kong wari sa isipan.
"You... How...?"
"Oh, did I mistake you for another 'Izumi Aki'?" he said. "I was pretty sure that the Omega guy told me that he was madly in love with an 'Izumi Aki'." "Huh? Make yourself clear. Damn it!" Inis kong buska sa kanya.
"I am though?" pilosopo nitong sagot. "Did you mark your Omega lately?" Muli ay iniba na naman nito ang usapan. May sayad yata sa utak itong kausap ko.
"Mark? What do you mean?" Naguguluhan kong baling.
"You know, temporary mark?" he clarified. "We Alphas do have that ability. So... how did your temporary mark go?"
"I have no fucking idea what you're blabbering about," inis kong turan.
"Hmm... So you weren't really aware of it, huh?" mangha n'yang bulalas.
"Just go away! Ang gulo mong kausap!" Pagtataboy ko rito pero hindi man lang n'ya ininda ang iritasiyon ko.
"What's holding you back from biting your Omega's neck? You went as far as marking him temporarily but won't bite his nape." I guess this guy has a loose screw in his head. Kanina ko pa siyang pinapaalis pero putak pa rin ito nang putak. "Stop talking and leave. Don't butt into people's business when they're not asking you to," I told him.
"You're afraid of your feelings, aren't you?" he continued without a care about how annoyed I was. "You really can't read the mood, can you?" I was starting to lose my patience towards this psycho. "Am I invading your privacy?"
[You're asking that now?!] I exclaimed in my mind. What a total jerk!
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"Whatever nonsense you're talking about, wala ka pa ring karapatang manghimasok sa buhay ko. I don't like talking to you so get lost."
"You will only make things worst if you don't become mates with your Omega. You almost lost him, didn't you?" When does he intend to stop?!
"How-?"
"So, it was the right 'Izumi Aki' after all, huh?" he said in a puzzling way. Kanina pa akong pinagmumukhang tanga ng lalaking ito. "If I got the right 'Omega' that I was talking about earlier then I must say that I was his boss back at the construction site that he used to work for," he declared.
"What...?" hindi makapaniwala kong ani.
[So the Alpha that rescued Chihiro when he went into heat was this asshole? What a ridiculous coincidence,] I thought.
"Forget it," paglilihis n'ya ng paksa at muling inayos ang suot n'yang salamin. "It was fancy meeting you here, Izumi Aki."
"Oh? How come I don't feel the same?" I sarcastically responded with a monotonous tone.
Natawa si Kazunari bago tumayo pero may pahabol pa ito bago tuluyang umalis. "Think about what I've said. You can't keep that Omega around forever. You know yourself that you have to let him go if you can't fulfill his wishes." “Bakit hindi mo muna atupagin ang sarili mong problema bago ka magbigay ng payo sa iba?" Inis kong asik sa kanya.
He just scoffed. "I will talk to my brother when the right time comes. I heard he has a mate now and a son. That is enough to make me feel at ease." Kung kanina ay mukha itong tanga, sa mga sandaling ito ay nakikita ko sa mukha n'ya ang sinsiredad at pagiging kampante na nasa mabuting kalagayan na ang nakakatanda n'yang kapatid.
Well, at least he cared a little for Kicchan but he was still an Alpha at heart. He would always have that ego within him that Alphas should not show weaknesses no matter how hard things got.
Supposedly, an Alpha's existence was for the purpose of protecting Omegas in need but because of this huge difference between the two distinct existences, Alphas forgot that what they made them this strong-willed was because of their desire to protect Omegas.
Pagkatapos n'yon ay umalis na si Kazunari. Saktong bumalik na rin sina Hiromi-san at Chidori-san galing sa souvenir shop. Hindi ko alam kung napansin ni Chihiro ang naging usapan namin ng former boss n'ya pero tatanungin ko na lang siya mamaya tungkol dito. I didn't want today to be ruined. He took the effort of bringing us all the way here para lang ipatikim ang masasarap na pagkain nitong restaurant. The least I could do was set aside unnecessary things and enjoy the moment.
And besides, hindi na lang katawan ko lang ang kailangan kong ingatan. I am feeding two more extra mouths and they are getting more and more stronger by each passing day. Chihiro must be really proud and anxious, at the same time. The best way to match his eagerness at nourishing our babies was to protect myself from stress and become stronger myself for Chihiro's sake and for our babies' sakes.
"Aki-san, may binigay si Teruma-san na special dessert para sa 'yo!" Masayang saad ni Chihiro pagkabalik n'ya sa table namin. May dala na itong mga pagkain at sabik n'yang nilapag sa mesa ang mga iyon.
"Teruma-san? Is that your boss' name?" I asked.
Tumango siya. "Oo! Sinabi ko sa kanya ang magandang balita na magkakaroon tayo ng kambal kaya ayon!"
[Ang daldal talaga ni Chihiro kahit kailan,] I thought to myself while massaging my temples.
"Mukhang masarap ang mga ito, anak!" Kumikinang ang mga matang komento ni Chidori-san.
We enjoyed the food that day. Chihiro was incredibly happy. I could see it in his eyes that he was contented.
And starting tomorrow, I must free myself from all my doubts by facing all of my fears. Until then, I will finally decide whether to become mates with Chihiro or not. Whatever my decisions will be, I hope Chihiro accepts it with a smile on his face. TO BE CONTINUED...