I found myself standing on a small theater stage, bathed in a spotlight.

“You are Largo. You were born male. The memory that you were born female as Forte is fake. Join forces with Sharp and bury Forte.”

Something spoke those words in my mind.

I knew exactly what it was. This was Nightmare Magic from Edge Shadow Corporation—an attempt at brainwashing me.

But I refuse to give in. I’ll pretend to be brainwashed so I can infiltrate the depths of their organization.

Then, I’ll expose the truth and get closer to my mother Eric’s true feelings.

I was being nursed back to health at Largo’s house. I asked why they’d go out of their way to take care of someone like me, but they wouldn’t say. Thanks to them, though, I feel a lot better. Seems like when my body glows red like that, it uses up a ton of stamina and mental energy. But I guess it’s the sort of fatigue that goes away if I get some sleep.

Even so, wearing a skirt still makes my heart race. Something about being separated from the outside by just one thin piece of fabric really gets me going—maybe that’s dopamine or something. Whenever I wear it, my brain feels flooded with excitement hormones.

But for some reason, my stomach feels off today. I feel kind of faint and sluggish. Maybe I should head to the bathroom.

“What the—what is this?!”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Forte rushed over and opened the door at my shout. Damn, I forgot to lock it.

“Wha—whoa. There’s blood coming from…down there.”

“Ah, that’s your period.”

“My period? As in, getting ready to have kids?!”

“Yup, exactly. Let’s see if we have any pads in the house… Found some. Here, I’ll show you how to put it on. Looks like your flow is pretty light.”

She’s so calm about it. Watching her, I’m starting to calm down too. Like she said, maybe my period is on the lighter side. I’ve heard girls who exercise a lot often have lighter periods—maybe I fall into that category.

Still... “You sure know a lot,” I said quietly, voicing my honest curiosity. She froze for a second, thinking hard.

“Yeah, you’re right. Why would that be? I’ve been a man my whole life, but it’s almost as if I used to be a woman or something… No, it’s probably just my imagination.”

I felt like some kind of darkness was closing in around us, though maybe that was just in my head.

“B-blood is coming out…down there?”

The moment I realized it, my mind went totally blank. My body swayed, and I nearly collapsed. A wave of dizziness washed over me—probably anemia.

Lala, alarmed, came rushing up to me.

“Oh no! It’s your period. That’s rough, right? Are you okay?”

“The once-a-month thing? Ugh, is it always this awful…?”

The pain welling up from deep in my abdomen was unlike any normal fatigue. My lower back felt heavy; my entire body felt like lead. Do all women go through this? They must be incredible.

Lala supported me and gave me a gentle smile.

“By the looks of it, Forlorn, you might have a heavier flow. Periods can be light for some girls, and heavier for others. Mine’s heavy, too, so I totally get how you feel. Even among girls, it’s hard for those with light periods to understand how rough it can be for someone with a heavier one—let alone for guys. We’re in the same boat.”

Something in my chest stirred, like I was finally being included among the girls. I’d been feeling so isolated in this world, but suddenly I felt a little less alone.

“Want some hot water? Just warming up your stomach helps a ton. I’ll get it ready.”

With that, Lala deftly set about preparing it. When I wrapped my hands around the cup of warm water she offered, the steam touched my face, and a gentle warmth spread through me. It was only hot water, but somehow it soothed me to my core.

“Thank you… Lala, thank you so much.”

My eyes brimmed with tears. It was more than just the pain of my period—I was overwhelmed by her kindness.