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Kou had been taught about periods while she was hospitalized, but back then she had not quite come to terms with everything that was happening. As a result, having to learn about it made her feel too awkward, so she barely paid any attention. But now she wished she could go back in time to punch herself in the face.

Yeah…I really am a girl now.

She could still feel some stinging pain around her stomach, coming from an organ she had not possessed before, and which she was now painfully aware of. All she could do was massage that area while knowing that her life was going to get more difficult because of it.

“…Still, I can’t continue relying on others for everything forever.”

This would continue happening each month, and thinking of having Hijiri do everything for her each time made her feel pathetic. So she had to make up her mind about it.

“Umm…Kou…”
“Subaru?”

With hesitant steps, Subaru entered the living room and spoke to Kou, returning from his exile to the kitchen with Sora.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t do anything to help.”
“I mean…it’s not your fault.”

Kou tried to force a smile, seeing Subaru’s guilty look, and tried to put him at ease.

In modern times, it was common to learn more about menstruation and periods in school, even for male students. But since both of them had only recently graduated from middle school and used to both be boys, they had never really paid attention to that information.

Usually, only those with multiple family members who ran into issues on a monthly basis, or who had developed faster and already had a girlfriend, actually knew what having a period entailed.

Kou did have her mother who went through that, but she was hardly home, and her neighbors, the Furuya family, Akane and Hijiri, did not really struggle with it. That meant that periods were more of a taboo topic for Kou and Subaru, and as neither had a girlfriend, they never had a reason to properly learn what it was about.

“Being a girl sounds tough…”
“Yeah…”

It was hard to believe they could endure that every month. And so the two friends sighed collectively.

◇◇◇

“Well, I’m off to drive Hijiri and Subaru to school. Amari should be here soon, so just take it easy and rest until she’s here.”
“Mhm, thank you, Dad.”

After tidying up everything, that hectic morning came to an end. By that time, classes had already started at school, so Sora was going to drive Hijiri and Subaru there before heading off to work.

Those two were already waiting in the car, having picked up what they needed from their home. Sora was the last one to leave, and when Kou heard him lock the door behind him as he left, she opened the NLD’s messaging app she usually used.

“Hijiri, thank you for helping me, and sorry I kept you from getting to school on time. Subaru, sorry for making you worry.”

She apologized to the twins in their group chat.

“Don’t worry about it~ I’m actually glad that you thought of me first when asking for help!”
“Don’t get all sappy now. You need to get some rest.”

Both of them replied instantly and sent some stickers, making Kou chuckle. Then she reclined on the couch, her body feeling drained of strength, and she fell asleep.

……
…………

She woke up a bit past noon, changed out the pad like Hijiri had taught her, and then returned to the couch to sleep. Some time later, she was woken up again, this time by a sweet scent. She could also hear footsteps in the kitchen, which was visible from the living room. Someone was cooking there. It was someone short, with white hair just like Kou…

“…Mom?”
“Hm? Ohh, you’re awake. How are you…well, I doubt you’re feeling alright.”

Amari then commented that she also had a rough time her first time, though she laughed loudly as she mentioned she had forgotten how many centuries ago it had been.

“But what about work…”
“All my assistants insisted that I come back when I mentioned it’s your first time, so I had no choice even if I wanted to stay.”
“…Well, it’s also about time you take a break, I guess.”

Amari had a high position in the company and was in charge of a lot of people, so Kou was a bit baffled that she never took breaks even when her schedule would allow it.

“So…what are you making?”

Kou looked at her for a while before asking that, and Amari replied in a rather laid-back voice.

“Well, it’s obviously the red rice to celebrate tonight.”
“You always like to start everything with outward celebrations, huh…”

Kou heard that in the past they would make red rice to celebrate a daughter’s first menstruation, though that custom was considered antiquated now. But somehow Amari seemed delighted to do it.

“I’ve been wondering for a bit, but is that really something that should be celebrated?”

Kou felt atrocious about the whole experience, so she was nearly grumbling as she posed that question. In response, Amari went to a chair in the kitchen, sitting on it backwards, hugging the backrest and resting her chin on it as she looked at Kou.

“Well, I know it’s not something you’re happy about, it’s painful, cumbersome, and brings nothing of benefit to you.”

Then she laughed a bit as she jokingly added that it was probably even harder for Kou since she had only turned into a girl later in life. Kou had not expected that Amari would agree with her, so she just stared blankly in shock for a while. In response, Amari’s eyes softened into a motherly gaze as she looked at Kou.

“But you see… What you’re going through, everything that happened, it tells us parents that you’re growing up, that we’re doing a good job. You might not like it, but it’s something that brings us joy. So I hope you can let us celebrate.”

“I see…I understand.”

Giving that short reply, Kou reclined on the couch again. Amari smiled, seeing that, then got up and resumed her preparations for dinner.

Soon Kou once again felt the salty-sweet scent of soy sauce and heard the sound of a knife cutting something rhythmically. She could only assume Amari was chopping some root vegetables and tofu for a stew. Since Kou could not eat chicken, she would often eat stew on important dates.

Those sounds turned into a comforting lullaby, which felt like a warm blanket wrapping around Kou’s suffering body, and she closed her eyes again.

Afterword:

All the talk about blood should end here ⌃⌃;