Today was a rare day of leisure for Ruben. Mayuna did not disturb his sleep, nor did she ask him to cook. Even when he had lunch ready, she had not emerged from her room. Though Ruben found it strange, he did not think much of it. He buried himself in the laboratory, only coming back to his senses from work at midnight. When he went up to the first basement level, he found the food on the table untouched. Only then did he think to check on Mayuna.
"Human boy, are you really going in like that?"
Just as Ruben placed his hand on the doorknob, Dragon suddenly spoke. Human boy was Dragon's name for Ruben, because he thought Ruben's name was stupid and did not want to call him by it.
"Hm?"
"Tell me, how long has that white-haired girl been here?"
"Twenty-one days, eighteen hours, and eight minutes."
"Fu@k, who asked you for such an exact time? Is there not a single trace of ** in that brain of yours? At your age, you should be sniffing a girl's discarded clothes while (beep---) and then (beep---)!"
Dragon angrily blurted out a classic curse from another world. Although he always resided atop Ruben's head, he could never tell what Ruben was thinking, and he frantically tried to educate him.
"What are you trying to say?"
"That white-haired girl suddenly stopped eating. Could it be because that came? Girls are more delicate creatures. Pay proper attention, damn it."
Although Dragon was the embodiment of **, he was undoubtedly male at heart and possessed an innate protectiveness toward women. Seeing Ruben be so slow on the uptake, he cursed him in disappointment. After thinking for a moment, Ruben opened the door and went in anyway.
"Why did you come in?"
Mayuna was sitting on the bed hugging a cushion. Her hair was a mess, faint dark circles lay beneath her eyes, and her complexion was terribly pale. She had probably not slept well since yesterday. Dragon's guess had been correct—Mayuna's good friend had indeed arrived right on schedule.
But Ruben did not understand. Could someone become that haggard just because a good friend had come?
That involved Mayuna's childhood memories. After Yura took her in as a disciple, Mayuna had grown up relatively happily. Then one day, when her body developed to the point where she could bear children, Mayuna saw blood coming from her lower body for the first time and cried in terror for an entire day. Though Yura was a Saint Mage, she could not explain this sort of biological knowledge clearly. She could only keep comforting Mayuna, telling her that every girl went through this.
Because she feared the unknown, Mayuna remained terrified no matter how Yura tried to reassure her. From then on, whenever her period came each month, Yura would stay by her side and coax her to sleep. But one day, Yura disappeared. Having grown accustomed to her teacher's company, Mayuna simply could not fall asleep. The magic called Memoir was merely a temporary comfort. Every visit from her good friend became a source of anxiety.
"Not eating?"
"I don't feel like it."
Mayuna buried her face in the cushion and answered in a muffled voice. Ruben's arrival left her unsure what expression she should wear around him. This was when she was at her weakest. She did not want Ruben to see this side of her, especially since he was a man.
"I'll be outside. Call me if you feel unwell."
Ruben did not force Mayuna. He merely prepared to leave the room.
"Ruben, I'm scared..."
Mayuna's weak voice reached Ruben's ears and forcibly stopped him in his tracks. With the halo of a God Mage stripped away, Mayuna now looked like a crying child. The light in her eyes reflected the unease and terror in her heart. Ruben thought for a moment, then walked out. Before long, he returned with some cotton. He sat on the edge of the bed, placed what he held on the bedside table, and began working.
"Dragon, appliance configuration Number 31. Play Tom and Jerry."
Perhaps feeling that it was too quiet, Ruben simply had Dragon make himself useful. Dragon had spent years immersed in the culture of other worlds, and in his free time had studied many structural blueprints. Due to Dragon's special ability, Ruben had simply assigned numbers to those things. Dragon did not refuse. By the time he descended from Ruben's head, his body had turned into a rectangular liquid crystal screen, which floated over to hang on the wall.
"Wh-what is that? There are things moving inside it."
Mayuna's eyes were completely drawn to the images playing on the television. This thing seemed somewhat similar to her Memoir, but the images shown by Memoir were 3D holographic projections, utterly incompatible with the two-dimensional style of animation.
"A television. Just shut up and watch."
"Oh."
Mayuna quickly became engrossed in the absurd comedy. Tom and Jerry might not have been the most brilliant cartoon, but it was certainly one of the most relaxing. It knew no borders or races. Anyone could be amused by that big cat's stupidity. Mayuna was no exception; even she did not realize how many times she had smiled without noticing.
This feels so safe.
Mayuna looked at the television, then at Ruben's busy back, and inexplicably felt that way. She had thought she would spend this time alone again, but she had never expected him to help her once more in such a simple way.
"It's done."
After a series of efforts, Ruben finally finished what he had been working on. After giving it some thought, this was all he could do to help Mayuna.
"What is that?"
Mayuna looked at the rectangular unidentified object in Ruben's hand with a bad feeling. It was the same feeling she had when he had taken out a syringe before.
"A sanitary pad. The way to use it is..."
Ruben held the sanitary pad out before Mayuna and explained in great detail how to use it.
"W-wait! Why can you say such embarrassing things without changing expression? Stop, quickly!"
Mayuna's face grew redder and redder at words like "put it underneath" and "stick it on," and she wanted nothing more than to cover Ruben's mouth.
"There is no need to be afraid. This is something every normal woman experiences. Now, I'll explain in detail what menstruation actually is."
"No, no, no! You embodiment of **, I don't want to hear you talk!"
Mayuna immediately covered her entire body with the blanket, using that action to resist Ruben. She had already reached her limit after hearing those words just now. Who knew what else he might say?
"This is necessary guidance."
Mayuna was still a little too weak. Ruben pulled her out from beneath the covers and forced her to listen to his explanation. At first, Mayuna unwillingly pretended to be deaf. Later, seeing Ruben's serious expression, she had no choice but to properly listen to what he said and gained a deeper understanding of her own body.
"I-is that how it is? That really is unfair. Why do we have to suffer if we aren't even getting pregnant?"
Mayuna puffed out her cheeks and complained unhappily. At that moment, she was a little envious of Aqua. Was this body structure designed just to cause trouble? It showed no consideration for women at all.
"Now that you know, hurry up and use it. It's more convenient than washing your own underwear, isn't it?"
"I can use it, but next time you..."
"Next time, I'll make extras for you too."
"That's not what I meant!"
In the end, because she was too embarrassed, Mayuna still did not ask Ruben to stay with her next time as well.
PS: Please bookmark and recommend.
PS: Now that the good friend has come, can having children be far behind? (laugh)
Before you continue