I was about to give up.

Ever since Alex mentioned my round belly ten days ago, I was beating myself over it, often getting lost in thoughts. After saving my life, she gave me this amazing body, although I still couldn't comprehend what happened to me back then. Everything happened so fast, and things got hazy.

She transported me into this strange new world, with endless possibilities but also took me away from my old one. My family thought I died, and my friends... Well, I didn't have that many, but I did okay for myself and had solid plans.

I survived puberty and looked forward to a programming career. Then the Goddess came in like a hurricane and moments after I saw her, our lives became interconnected. After all this time I was still split between being happy about it and cursing that fated moment.

Sure, I wanted to be with her, and if things played out differently, I might have followed her into this world on my own but wasn't expecting to become her. And yet, I wouldn't want it to happen in any other way now. Maybe it was because her shell affected my thinking or since I didn't remember my old body much.

After all, I didn't like change. I developed habits over time and could no longer diverge from them. I wanted an easy life in a simple but comfortable environment and never expected to end up in a world of magic. While it was exciting, it was also scary. I lacked the knowledge to make solid plans for the future, and to top it all off, I found myself in the thick of it. How did my previous life compare to this?

After less than three weeks since my arrival, I barely remember anymore. What did I even achieve back home in my eighteen years? Probably a lot less than here. The biggest change wasn’t even the fact that I used to be a guy. Everything felt strange and new now, but sure, the guilt that I didn't take good care of her body weighed heavily on me. The thought that Alex would think less of me because of that... Although I wasn't sure she even thought about me at all...

She was a Goddess after all, and I was just Nati. A random stranger she saved simply because she felt sorry for me. I planned to train and eat less to impress her but quickly ran into the faults of this theory. The chieftain’s hut provided no privacy, and the second blow came in Lambert’s form.

Even if I told Hana, that their cooking was better, this guy was too good. He must have used magic for seasoning because the simplest dishes tasted much better if he made them, and maybe he wasn't even aware of it. Eating his meals became addicting...

Besides, things kept happening. I spent way more time perfecting the crossbow than anticipated. Now it was my duty to train the hunters to use them as if I were a shooting expert.

On top of that, the village experienced an immigration boom, and we had to keep changing the plans and priorities for expansion. The bathhouse was almost done, but it had to be expanded twice before it was finished. Since I was adamant about including showers and a sauna in it, the craftsmen kept asking me questions at the most random moments.

But now I had my room with a nice bed, and enough space to start the mornings with some exercises. Except... That bed was way too comfortable, and nobody woke me up anymore, at least not early enough. Once Mabel visited me to do my hair, it was too late.

Still, I decided to start running. That was the very least I could do, considering there were plenty of dangers to run from. I wasn't strong and still couldn't do magic, feeling useless, so it was worth practicing.

From the fatigue and being worn out, or maybe because of homesickness, I became depressed. The fact that I got sore after the first day of exercising didn't help, and almost as if mocking me, my belly looked even bigger than before. I felt like crying...

"Look at what we managed to take down." The leader of the hunters bragged about a scary-looking monster. It was roughly twice my size, and I couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, but it sure looked tough. "I aimed for its skull from twenty yards, and the bolt went right through."

"Wow, just how thick is that forehead?" It filled me with pride that I gave them such an effective weapon. The hunters were already better at handling the crossbows than me, and the cast bolts worked amazingly.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"One of my men reported that he took down a large game from as far as a hundred yards yesterday." He added, and the line between praise and bragging became blurred. "We brought back nearly twice as much meat since we started using these."

"And it won't damage their hide as much either." Hana joined in. They also requested a piece worthy of their size. The parts were standardized for ease of manufacturing and maintenance, but the draw strength was adjustable to a degree. "It's very popular with the merchants who brought us bread and other foodstuff."

"Oh no..." Was all I could say, shaking my head. "I must have already overstuffed myself, and now there will be more to choose from?"

Even if I always stopped way before eating myself full, the weight piled up. To add to that, my stomach started cramping badly after lunch. I wanted to go on another run, but a headache quickly followed my abdominal pains. I could almost blow up, nothing seemed to come my way. This world must have had some sort of painkiller too.

"Go, check yourself out with Gitaut," Charlotte suggested when it got so bad that I had to talk to someone about it. "He is the healer of the tribe after all. If you get sick, he'll have the spirits patch you up quickly."

"Ugh, I don't want to go near him," I claimed, rolling my eyes. It was probably unfair, but he creeped me out. "The way he looks at me... I feel like something's crawling under my skin. What about Omerta?"

"Well, she's a potent magician but not a healer..." The chieftain shrugged. "Lambert on the other hand specialized in anatomy..."

"Oh no, the other creep!" I yelled, a bit louder than I meant to. Somehow just hearing his name made me angry. "The first thing he did when we met was to attack me. Now he's always trying to follow me around like some puppy. He makes me sick."

"Hmm... You do act a bit different than usual..." She pondered. I felt offended by that statement. Sure, I didn't know what was wrong with me, but did she have to put it so bluntly? "In that case, I'd suggest you seek out Fenna. She's a girl, even the same species as you... If my hunch is correct, she will help with your problem."

"My problem? What is my problem?" I fumed, but Charlotte disarmed me with a patient smile. I had to calm myself down somehow. "Sorry... I... Don't know what is wrong with me..."

I took her advice and visited the fox girl right away. She was in the embassy as usual, becoming attached to that place, even if there was not much to do yet. Especially since negotiating about trade was still mostly Charlotte's duty. She must have liked the atmosphere and could make herself feel important here. She was adorable in her ornate kimono and fluffy red tail, so I didn't mind. She was like a kitsune straight from an anime, I wanted to fluff her ears and tail right now.

"Hmm, let me brew you some herbs for that..." She offered helpfully after I filled her in about my symptoms. She took me to the kitchen first to light a fire. She poured some water to boil, then dragged me upstairs to her room. "Here, take this too, before it's too late."

It was a tiny pillow by the looks of it. Flat but squishy, and I examined it with suspicion. Looking at her kind smile, it shouldn't have been anything bad, but I was at a loss. I tried sniffing it.

"W-what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, running out of ideas. If anything, it smelled like dry moss in a fabric coating.

"It is to soak up the blood." Fenna looked a little puzzled.

"I'm going to bleed?" Now I started to panic. "Just what kind of disease is this? You seem to know something about it..."

"Disease?" She looked even more curious, sizing me up suspiciously. "Hmm... Could it be... That this is your first time?"

"First time of what? What is happening to me?" I held up the little pad she gave me. "Am I supposed to eat this, or what?"

"Hahah, no, silly. You put it in your underwear." She giggled. I was too confused to appreciate her fox-girly cuteness.

"Wh-why would I put it in there?" She tried to stop laughing, but apparently couldn't take me seriously. "I'll bleed there?"

"Yes, Nati, like every one of us." She nodded, calming down a bit.

"Every beastmen?" I asked, rather scared about my prospects.

"No, like every single woman, I mean." She let out one last giggle.

"Wait, do you mean..." I felt incredibly dumb. Now almost as if a thick veil was lifted from me, it suddenly all made sense.

"Yes, you are having your period." She announced. "Oh, but you came from another world, so... Women there don't struggle with this?"

"Oh, they do... I guess... I just..." I decided not to make a secret about me coming from a different world. Alex was fine with it, and Charlotte thought it was a good idea since I often asked strange questions. This was the perfect explanation, but I kept quiet about being a man before. Since my introduction two weeks ago, I still felt embarrassed about that conversation with Hana in front of the whole tribe.

"It's okay, drink this tea and you'll feel much better." She offered once we got back to the kitchen. "I guess we beastmen work a bit differently than other races. We grow up fast, then stay the same until we die. It might be different from your previous body..."

"Oh, it is very different, for sure," I confirmed, trying not to reveal too much. The tea she made was quite bitter, but I felt its calming effects immediately. Now it all made sense why I felt and acted strange all day... I had to go back and apologize to a few people.

"If you still feel pain, and don't want to go to the wizard or the shaman, I'm sure even Omerta can help you with this." She offered, smiling. I was thankful that she put up with me. Now in every meaning of the word, I became a real girl...