Chapter 1

[01] I started the Virtual Alpha app

—Virtual Alpha?

During one of my regular bi-monthly checkups, at the verse clinic where I go to get my suppressants, I found a strange flyer.

“Virtual Alpha…?”

I said out loud what I had already read in my mind. Actually, because clinic hours had ended already, there was no one else in the waiting room but me.

Even if I said something out loud, no one would hear me.

“Sou, are you interested in that?”

No, there was someone here.

Dr. Kazuki was the director of this verse clinic. He was also my older sister’s husband.

This person was also an omega like me.

I think it’s really amazing for an omega like him to be a Doctor. It’d be absolutely impossible for me.

“Not really, what’s this anyway?”

“As you can see, it’s ‘Virtual Alpha’, an app developed for omegas who aren’t comfortable yet interacting with a real alpha. It’s designed to make omegas who are going through their heat alone feel less lonely. How about it? Would you like to try it, Sou?”

He said that and pushed the flyer at me.

Even if he hadn’t done that, I could see the flyer just fine.

“‘Virtual’… huh. So, in short, it’s an app that lets you talk to an AI, right? What’s the point of using that?”

“There are other features aside from chatting, too. Come on, you should try it once. Ah, I’ll even lend you all the optional items and other stuff that I have.”

He said as he pulled out some kind of small paper bag from the back.

What is that… What the hell is that?

“Huh, hold on. The ‘optional items’ you have? What is that?”

“The developer of the app is a classmate of mine. He asked me if he could put up some flyers here for advertising. He said that if there’s someone interested in the app, I could rent them the optional items he gave me along with the flyers. It’s just perfect for you, right? You can take them with you.”

“No, wai— hold on.”

In the end, he pushed me into taking them. No, I think he might have forced them onto me.

Even though I had no intention of using that kind of app. I mean, normally, no one would use this kind of app anyways…

After all, on top of it being quite suspicious, it was just to talk to an AI during a heat, right? Who has the time to do that kind of thing in the middle of a heat?

“Heats are so troublesome…”

Even if I said that, my heat would still come in a week. My heat has never missed a date. That means, I’m a super-healthy omega.

That doesn’t make me happy at all, though. Even I wanted to say that my heat hasn’t been coming for half a year.

“I wonder if I’ll feel better after using the app…”

If something like this could make me feel better, then I wouldn’t have any problems.

However, now that it’s been given to me, it didn’t feel right to return it without using it even once. I have a troublesome personality, if I do say so myself.

I guess, I’ll just have to try it out on my next heat.

*

I installed the app. The initial setup was done and the configuration was complete.

Virtual alpha was a surprisingly full-fledged app. As soon as I started it up, I was asked to enter a lot of information: my profile, preferences, even my favorite food, and allergies to medication. What was this? Some kind of health management app?

And then… even things like ‘the usual condition of one’s heat’ were asked in detail. Seriously, I wouldn’t have used this app if the developer wasn’t Dr. Kazuki’s acquaintance.

After all, this app asked some really private questions, like if we used a toy when we’re in heat or how many times we ejaculate in a day and the amount of it…

…isn’t this a bit too much? Is all this information really needed for an app like this…? While thinking that, I almost stopped using the app several times.

Seriously, I couldn’t just use this app casually.

“…Then, will the app start if I push this button?”

In the middle of the screen, there was an easy-to-understand button that said “start”.

I hesitated for a moment, but it didn’t matter now that I’d come so far. I pushed the button before I could think too deeply about it.

“…Wait, huh?”

I thought something was about to begin, but nothing happened. Instead, the screen of the app closed. What is this? A bug?

Just to be sure, I tried to launch the app again.

“…Hmm, there’s nothing but a close button?”

This time, in the middle of the screen that looked the exact same as before, there was only a button that said “close”.

So, does that mean the app is working? …I don’t really understand it.

I got tired of thinking and threw my phone away.

I slumped down on the bed I was sitting on, and plopped my face on the pillow. My breath felt hot as I exhaled. That’s right, my heat had started.

“Ah… what a pain.”

The first day was always like this. My body felt heavy and my stomach hurt. As my stool started to soften, it felt like my body was preparing itself to receive an alpha in there. It’s depressing.

I think my heart leans more towards the male gender than the omega gender.

That’s why I’m a bit uncomfortable hearing words like ‘receiving’ or ‘impregnated’. It’s complicated.

“…?”

While I was thinking about such things, my phone vibrated softly.

An incoming call? It rarely vibrates like that.

Because I didn’t like being disturbed, my phone is usually set to ‘Do not disturb’. I turn off most of my notifications, so it was very rare for my phone to ring like that.

I picked the phone back up from where I threw it. While still laying down in bed, I turned on the screen.

“…What? Who is this?”

The vibration from earlier was an incoming message from a chatting app. The sender’s name was “Yuugo”. It wasn’t a name I recognized.

I was sure none of my classmates were called that.

Is it spam? What a pain.

For now, I’ll try opening the chatting app where the notification came from.

“Ah, this is…”

As I launched the app, I immediately realized who it was; the virtual alpha.

That was what I received.

With that easy going manner, asking about my heat… it could only be the Virtual Alpha.

“I did choose an alpha with classmate settings after all.”

It wasn’t real, though.

There was no alpha in my school. Even omegas were so rare that having even one in class was uncommon. Because my school was for betas.

Normally, alphas and omegas also had their own separate schools as well. The reason I didn’t go to one was because I didn’t want to admit that I was an omega.

That’s why I dared to enroll in this school. It’s true, lots of things are inconvenient, but I think this school is the right place for me.

I don’t really want to be so conscious of the fact that I am an omega…

“Anyway, isn’t this… a guy?”

The alpha’s gender rate in the app was about 50/50 for male and female. That’s why I thought I would get a female Virtual Alpha to be my partner.

“Did I make a mistake somewhere in the settings…?”

Well, whatever. I’m not going to use this app enough to worry about it.

It was just a way to pass the time while on my heat.

“…right. I should probably reply, right?”

I was thinking about so many things that I almost forgot to answer. Well, it doesn’t really matter though.

But it seemed like it would be a good distraction anyways, so I sent a quick reply to the other person.

I said ‘other person’, but it was just an AI. Well, I guess talking to an AI is much easier.

[Yes, it’s here, what a pain. You should swap places with me.]

Ah, I wonder if an AI could understand this kind of text. I just realized after I sent it.

If an incoherent reply came back, it would be such a turn-off, I thought. Well, there’s nothing I could do about the message that was already sent.

Surprisingly, a normal reply came back. It sounded so natural.

If anything, it felt a little creepy. What was this?

[I did. But my stomach hurts. I’ve been going back and forth to the bathroom for a while now.]

[My family will scold me.]

[I know, right?]

Ah, what was this?

It’s just a trivial conversation, but it’s kind of fun. Rather than fun, I guess I just felt at ease.

[It seems they don’t. They said that this was also an important part of the preparation… I don’t get what’s so important about it.]

I couldn’t help spitting it out. After all, I didn’t want to receive an alpha in my body.

And yet, my body was preparing for it on its own. And not just my body, but the people around me as well.

No matter what I wanted, the process for me to live as an omega had started.

I didn’t really like that for some reason.

“…What?”

An AI suddenly apologized to me.

I don’t know why he apologized though.

[What are you apologizing for?]

“…..”

My heart jumped wildly at the long reply that came back. What is this?

Along with it, deep inside, my body felt tingly. It was a different kind of tingling than the stomachache from earlier.

I felt something sticky overflowing from my butt, and I was flustered at the sudden change in my body.

“No way, what is this?”

I couldn’t have been wishing for it.

My body is reacting to those earlier words. My heat’s fever was rising with the words that were clearly said to me.

I don’t want to believe this.

I shook my head to the side.

I don’t want to become an omega. No matter how many times I’ve been in heat, the feeling of not wanting to acknowledge it has always prevailed.

And yet—

“Why am I like this…”

Fearfully, my fingers touched the space in between my butt cheeks, which was covered in a copious amount of thick and transparent liquid.