Omega Manual chapter 18

Bunnies Are So Cute

Irey burst out laughing.

“Don’t laugh!” Shelley raised his voice, unable to hide the blush on his face. “I’m shorter than you, and what if I accidentally provoke it—ah!”

The white horse suddenly shook its head, startling Shelley.

Irey couldn’t stop laughing. He reached out and grabbed Shelley’s hand, “Don’t pull its mane, it doesn’t like it.”

Shelley looked at him with his beautiful blue eyes, as if silently pleading, “What should I do then?”

“Give me your hand, I’ll help you down,” Irey said, still laughing.

Shelley had no choice but to give Irey his hand. Irey took his hand, reached his other hand under his arm, and with one strong pull, easily lifted Shelley off the horse like a child.

The next second, Shelley was firmly in Irey’s arms, his suit wrinkling under the pressure, his warm body enveloping him, and a faint scent of oolong tea filling his nose.

“Alright, boss,” Irey said, his breath visible in the cold air as it touched Shelley’s lips, “safe landing.”

They retrieved the sports car and arrived in Leisau before dinner.

Entering the city, Shelley almost didn’t recognize the checkpoint, thinking it was the entrance to another ruin.

The entire road was in ruins, piled high with construction debris and rotting garbage. Several skinny dogs, suffering from some unknown disease, were scavenging for food in the fly-infested trash heaps. Ahead, there was neither a city gate nor any buildings, just a makeshift canopy made of scavenged plastic sheets at the road’s end. Under this shaky cover stood the inspector, checking the necks of people entering the city one by one.

Irey stopped the car while they were still far from the checkpoint. “The car can’t go any further. You get out first, and I’ll find a place to park.”

“Where is there any place to park?” Shelley hadn’t yet recovered from his shock. “This place is basically a giant garbage dump!”

Irey didn’t respond and pointed to the right rear. Shelley turned around in the direction Irey indicated and saw a banner fluttering wildly in the wind not far away. He could barely make out the word “Inn” on it.

Looking closer, he saw a simple shack beneath the banner, with a few horses tied up in the stable, listlessly eating hay.

“It might be a bit dirty, but at least it ensures the safety of our property.” Irey pointed to the checkpoint. “Beyond that point, nothing is guaranteed.”

“…”

Shelley hated it when Irey used that tone and expression with him, but he also knew that Irey was often right in such situations.

He unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car. Irey turned the steering wheel to the left, made a U-turn, and drove towards the ramshackle inn.

The sun was completely obscured by thick clouds, and the north wind blew, causing the trash and fallen leaves on the ground to tumble together. Shelley shivered and looked towards the checkpoint at the end of the road.

The line to enter the city was very long, extending beyond sight. Most of the people in line were poorly dressed and filthy: elderly people dragging burlap sacks, unshaven middle-aged men, young women dressed garishly with cheap makeup, and mothers with five or six children in tow.

Just standing there, Shelley felt out of place. During the time he waited for Irey to return, almost everyone in the queue gave him a scrutinizing look as they passed by.

When Irey returned after parking the car, he saw his boss standing far from the line, using his coat to cover his head. The tailored coat was propped up by its shoulder pads, with the sleeves hanging down, making it look like he had grown a pair of ears.

“What are you doing, hiding here like a rabbit?” Irey walked over and pinched one of the “ears” from behind.

Shelley was startled. He turned around, coughed dryly, and looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Do we have to queue to enter the city?” he asked.

“What else? You planning to fly in?” Irey lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. “Leisau only has this one entrance, even the president would have to line up.”

Shelley frowned and hesitated as he looked at the diverse crowd. Before he could say anything, Irey had already put his arm around his shoulders, flattening one of the “ears.”

“Let’s go. With me here, no one will dare touch you.”

The queue to enter the city moved slowly and silently, like a gray giant snake crawling across the desolate land.

Irey walked behind Shelley in a protective manner, his tall figure shielding him from curious glances. Fortunately, the curiosity of these people seemed limited, and during the long wait, almost no one spoke. Everyone just dragged their feet forward, their eyes devoid of any semblance of life.

After a while, Shelley lowered his voice to a volume only Irey could hear and asked, “Leisau and Lansai are both considered lower districts, right?”

“Yes,” Irey replied.

“When I went to Lansai, there wasn’t such a long queue at the entrance.” Shelley frowned.

Irey flicked ash from his cigarette onto the ground and exhaled a puff of smoke. “Different districts have different regulations.”

“What?”

“For example, in Lansai, each person is limited to buying one pound of beef, five pounds of rice, and six pounds of flour per month. But in Leisau, the limit is one pound of beef, six pounds of rice, and six pounds of flour per month,” Irey explained.

Shelley frowned, still not understanding what Irey meant.

“This results in slight price differences between the two districts,” Irey said. “Rice in Leisau is about half a cent cheaper than in Lansai.”

Shelley widened his eyes in surprise, hardly able to believe it. “Just because of that?”

“Just because of that,” Irey confirmed. “For many people, that’s reason enough.”

After about an hour in line, they finally reached the checkpoint entrance.

The inspector seemed like a soulless stamping machine, mechanically asking each person their reason for entering the city and checking their documents. It wasn’t until Irey and Shelley stood before him that he opened his eyes wide and scrutinized them carefully.

After confirming that Shelley was a marked Omega, the inspector glanced cautiously at Irey. “Well… technically, Alphas can freely enter and exit without documentation, but out of curiosity, what brings you to Leisau?”

His tone revealed genuine confusion, likely unable to fathom why two well-dressed individuals would come to such a lower district.

Irey looked at Shelley. Perhaps to avoid drawing attention or simply forgetting, Shelley still had his coat draped over his head, the “ears” sticking up on either side.

“Rabbit performance,” Irey said earnestly.

Shelley choked on his own saliva and coughed for a long time.

The inspector was stunned. “What?”

“A magic show, haven’t you seen one?” Irey gestured with his hands. “Bunnies, cats, foxes, maybe a little dance or song, just for entertainment.”

The inspector stared at him for a long moment before suddenly realizing, “Oh—you mean you’re a street performance troupe?”

“Yes,” Irey confirmed with a nod. “What’s the word? We’re on a… yes, a tour. The next stop is Leisau.”

The inspector’s expression relaxed instantly. “I thought so. The way you’re dressed really fooled me. At first glance, I thought you were some big noble from Nantes.”

“How could that be? It’s all just props for the performance,” Irey said. “Bought these from a flea market for a few bucks.”

“Really?” The inspector tugged at Irey’s suit, amazed. “You can’t tell at all.”

“Of course.” Irey proudly straightened his collar. “If you could see through everything, how would it be a performance?”

“Halton!” Shelley couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Ahem.” Irey cleared his throat. “Well, there are still a lot of people behind us, and we’re in a hurry. Maybe we can chat more next time…”

The inspector finally took out his stamp and marked their passes. “Alright, you’re good to go. Wish you both a successful performance!”

After passing the checkpoint, Irey waved back at the inspector.

Shelley couldn’t help but think that this man named Irey Halton was a bit crazy.

“Enough. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?” Shelley couldn’t stand it and gave him a tug.

Irey laughed and reached out to ruffle the “ears” on top of Shelley’s head. Shelley blushed and quickly pulled his coat back on.

“Didn’t you notice that the hostile looks from those people reduced a lot?” Irey said. “In a place like this, it’s safer not to show off wealth.”

“Couldn’t you have used a different excuse?” Shelley was annoyed.

Irey turned to look at him, deliberately showing a surprised expression. “Bunnies are so cute, don’t you like them? Then what do you like, kittens? Puppies? Hamsters? Or maybe a little hedgehog would suit you—”

Shelley turned around and walked away.

Irey laughed so hard he could barely catch his breath, chasing after him while laughing. “I’m sorry, boss! Boss! Don’t run off on your own, hey! Boss!”