NOVEL WEB Chapter 158
Chapter: 158
“…sigh.”
I was already feeling pretty miserable since yesterday after school.
And then, of course, it had to get worse…
“Ugh…”
This morning, my mood took a total nosedive.
That familiar, unpleasant sensation in my lower abdomen.
Before I even realized it, I was frowning as soon as I opened my eyes due to that damned uncomfortable feeling.
“Of all days, today…”
I hadn’t really been paying attention to the cycle, but I certainly didn’t expect today to be the day it would hit me.
I knew it was coming any day now, but…
“Rize… Can you bring me a warm tea?”
“Is it okay if you skip breakfast and just drink it…?”
“Period today. Not hungry.”
“Ah…”
“So… can you hurry and add some milk to the tea and bring it to me?”
Normally, I would’ve been chatting away with Rize over breakfast, but that was far from easy today.
Even back when I first started my period, that annoying discomfort was unbearable.
Today, even simple words were laced with a hint of annoyance.
That persistent, hot irritation in my lower abdomen…
“Ugh.”
Being a lady, still, I tried my best to hold back on any curse words.
But no matter what, this period was really making me feel terrible… I found myself swearing under my breath.
“Ugh…”
If it were up to me, I would’ve taken a sick day and skipped the academy for just one day.
Just like those girls from my past life who used their periods as an excuse to skip gym class… or those kids who left school early.
“Ugh… It’s so uncomfortable…”
I was slowly raising myself from bed, but it felt so wrong.
I had a feeling I needed to change my underwear too.
Plus, since I got out of bed, I was still feeling nauseated… I kind of wanted to throw up, but nothing was coming up.
“Young lady, here…”
“Thanks.”
Anyway, even given the situation, the thought of skipping the academy hadn’t crossed my mind.
Sure, I was feeling uncomfortable, and my mood had been off since yesterday, but it was just a normal period.
I could… just go.
Better than letting Rosalyn hear I was absent due to feeling unwell.
Even as I prepared to head back to the mansion, I still had some time to kill.
There was still time left until the finals… and I wasn’t leaving right after the finals ended either.
But still, I knew Rosalyn would definitely worry if she heard that I missed class because I was feeling unwell.
She’d be concerned in letters too, and once I returned to the mansion, it was painfully obvious she would fret over it.
“Sigh…”
Better than letting Rosalyn worry for no reason… I thought.
Even while drinking the tea, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.
*
“When are you going to keep lying there? It’s break time now, are you really going to just stay down like that?”
“…….”
Nothing felt different from usual.
Just the same routine of sitting in class, either sort of listening or napping.
Ella was nagging me just like she usually did.
“Next class is Mana Studies. Want to go buy a drink at the store?”
We used to sit together and chat all the time in class, so this wasn’t a big deal…
“Are you even listening?”
“Ugh…”
“Why are you suddenly sighing like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t even be bothered to respond.
Plus, sitting in the chair was uncomfortable, and my stomach hurt so much… I was just feeling terrible.
Without realizing it, I was giving vague answers to Ella sitting right next to me.
I really shouldn’t be acting this way…
“…Just go by yourself.”
“Are… are you sure?”
“I’m fine. Just go buy something and come back.”
“Okay…? Got it…”
“Yeah.”
After speaking to me, Ella headed out of the classroom alone.
Even after Ella left for the store, I still felt terrible…
“Ugh… damn it.”
I was really going to have to apologize later.
Ella hadn’t done anything wrong, and I felt guilty for treating her so differently than usual.
I hadn’t even treated Rize like this while getting ready for school in the morning.
After Ella left, I remained seated, still not moving.
It was uncomfortable to sit, but getting up and doing something else felt like it would only make me feel worse.
“Ugh…”
This period, it seriously sucked.
Like, really, it was so awful I had been digging my nails into my arm to cope.
The discomfort in my lower abdomen had been going on since morning, and if I didn’t do something, I felt like I might actually scream.
It was just the start of a day that felt terribly off.
Especially after thinking about Grace yesterday…
“Tsk.”
I had initially thought about asking Grace why she kept avoiding me.
I mean, it was pretty obvious she was avoiding me, and I wasn’t comfortable with it either.
But now, in this state… I just didn’t want to deal with it.
I was already irritable, and if I opened my mouth, I’d probably just end up spouting whatever horrible feelings I had bottled up inside.
Not just with Grace, but with anyone else too, I was just trying to stay quiet.
“…Ugh.”
*
I had clearly planned to get through today quietly, without any incidents.
Even during lunch, I intended to stay quiet and not say a word.
After regular classes, I thought I’d head straight back to the dorm and skip club activities for at least a day.
Yeah, that was the plan.
“…What’s going on?”
As I was exiting the classroom headed for the dorm, out of nowhere, Grace grabbed my wrist.
…Seriously? What’s this all about?
She’d avoided me for days, no, over a week.
So why was she suddenly grabbing me like this?
“Uh, no… it’s just that…”
“…….”
Still holding onto my wrist in the hallway.
But Grace wasn’t even answering my question.
“Um… just wanted to say something…?”
Her response was still different from usual.
Typically, she’d say something quickly, pulling me along with her in that flicky tone of hers.
But now she was still reacting similarly to how she had last week.
What is she trying to do…? I barely held back a sigh but kept looking at Grace.
“Uh… let’s go somewhere else and talk…”
I had originally intended to head straight to my dorm and lie down, trying to ease this damned discomfort.
But without a choice, I was led into a classroom by Grace.
Even while we walked, she still held onto my wrist, and it stayed that way until she closed the door behind us.
Thanks to her grip, there were slight marks left on my wrist.
“So, what’s going on?”
“…Are you mad?”
“…Huh?”
An empty classroom.
With the lights off, the only light came from the window, and in that space, Grace said that.
Mad?
Me?
“…What are you talking about?”
“Aren’t you mad…? You’ve been so quiet today, not talking to anyone else…”
“Sigh…”
“Y-You really are mad…?”
Grace was looking me over anxiously.
Honestly… it was almost comical because she seemed so different from usual.
“Sigh…”
And thanks to that, yet another sigh escaped me.
As if having my lower abdomen feeling awful wasn’t enough, seeing this version of Grace was just awkward.
So many thoughts were racing through my mind, and I could easily spill all that out with just a few words.
But… I really didn’t want to do that right now.
“Um… sorry for dragging you into this… I know it’s annoying…”
“……..”
Ah, damn.
Is this period messing with my brain?
I really shouldn’t be joking around, especially when Grace is being so sincere and watching my every move.
Even though I knew I shouldn’t, my thoughts were leading in that direction.
“I’ll try not to do that again…”
Grace was watching me closely, still repeating the same line.
She looked cuter than I expected.
I got the impression she was a bit more assertive than her sister Karen, but in this moment, she seemed even cuter than Karen.
“…Why aren’t you responding?”
“Ah.”
Mhm.
Although I had a million thoughts, I hadn’t even said anything to Grace.
“I’m just feeling off because of my period. It’s not that I’m mad at you or anything; it’s just the period.”
“…Huh?”
“I tend to have it pretty rough… So I’ve just been uncomfortable since this morning. I was really tired and wanted to go back to the dorm.”
“…….Huh?”
That clueless response.
She looked wide-eyed, staring at me with a silly expression.
I almost felt the urge to pinch her cheeks or mess with her in some way.
“…You should’ve said something sooner…!”
“You didn’t ask. You’ve been avoiding me from the get-go.”
“That’s!”
“Ha ha…”
My stomach still hurt, and I was feeling awful, but Grace just looked so amusing with her reactions.
She was puffing up her cheeks in frustration, and it was downright charming.
Seriously…
“Ha ha…”
“You should have said it sooner!”
“Ha ha…”
“Don’t laugh…! This is ridiculous… ugh…”
Grace had dragged me into this empty classroom.
Yet in this space, the only thing I found was Grace sulking, and it was really making me change how I felt about her from the first moment I saw her.
Maybe it was just that she was unexpectedly cute compared to what I thought.
“Damn…”
And just like that, I was kind of relieved that I seemed to have sorted things out with Grace, who had been sulking just yesterday.
Though many thoughts swirled in my head, for now, I just decided to clear my mind and keep talking a bit more.