My Body's Starting to Prepare to Become a Mom
Time flew by in the blink of an eye. During the day, I trained in swordsmanship with Rita. At night, under the pretense of stamina training, I was caught and ravished by her every single day.
"I love you, Miss."
"Nnghiiiuuugh!!♡"
The nightly stamina sessions continued. If you asked whether they were actually effective... I really hated to admit it, but they were. Just as Rita said, sex was an incredibly effective full-body workout. I could feel my stamina growing with each passing day, especially during our spars. The sword still felt a bit heavy, but my movements were lighter overall. My endurance had improved too—I could keep clashing blades for much longer.
Of course, it was still laughably short compared to my days as a man, but the steady progress was what mattered.
First, I have to survive if I want revenge.
Demon hunters earned good pay, but the job's danger matched it. With half-baked skills, you'd just end up dead. At minimum, I needed enough strength to take down mid-level demons. So I poured every waking hour into training for a full week.
"Ugh..."
My body ached all over. Unlike my usual refreshing mornings, today I just couldn't bring myself to get up. It felt like lethargy was crushing my entire body. I wondered if I'd overdone yesterday's training, but no—that wasn't it. Rita had cut our spar short because of piled-up chores.
"And why's my stomach hurting too...?"
But then my stomach started hurting for no reason, which just made me depressed. Or was it irritation? My mood was all over the place today.
Gurgle—
Suddenly, my stomach growled, demanding food.
"This is driving me insane...!"
Was I hungry or in pain? I wished it was just one or the other, but both at once made my blood boil.
"Aaaah!!"
"Miss, are you awake?"
I was kicking the blankets in frustration when Rita, who'd gotten up early to handle the chores, approached. She looked concerned, like something was wrong.
A surge of pointless irritation hit me. There was no reason for it.
"Yeah, I'm up."
"You seem a bit on edge this morning. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Nowhere hurts. I'm fine."
Rita stared at me for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Ah..."
"Why are you laughing? What's so funny? Is there something on my face!?"
"No. It's just... I think it's that time of the month for you, Miss."
Her words made my body freeze. She wasn't just saying that because I was in a bad mood. This was the worst.
"Don't even joke about that!"
"Then let me ask you, Miss."
Rita, still smiling, gently stroked my lower belly and continued.
"Does your stomach suddenly hurt, but at the same time, you feel ravenously hungry?"
"...Yeah, kinda."
"You don't want to do anything at all. And out of nowhere, you get super irritable even though that's not like you."
"......Yeah."
"And do you find yourself craving foods you don't usually eat?"
I wanted to deny it. I desperately wanted to. But every symptom she listed... matched exactly what I was feeling.
"...Can't you just tell me it's not?"
"Pfft..."
Rita smiled as she replied.
"It's your period, Miss. Your body's starting to prepare to become a mom."
"Nooooooo!!!"
It didn't take long to accept and resign myself to it. At first, I denied it over and over—maybe it was something else. But once I saw the bright red stain on the sheets, denial was impossible.
It was my period. One hundred percent, without a doubt.
"Haha, hahahah..."
Hollow laughter escaped me uncontrollably. With no room left for argument, all that was left was empty despair.
"Take a shower first, Miss. You must feel sticky."
I took the towel Rita handed me and tried to get up, but my lower belly throbbed heavily again.
"Kuh...!"
Tears welled up out of nowhere. It hurt, it was uncomfortable, and above all... this was all so unfamiliar and unfair.
"This body is the worst..."
As I muttered that, Rita, who was preparing the bathwater, came over and said,
"Periods are really tough, aren't they."
"Thinking I have to go through this every month makes me want to die, Rita..."
"If it's really bad, I can help delay it for you."
"Really?"
I was so miserable that I grabbed her hand eagerly. But her response crushed my hopes flat.
"Yes. About ten months or so. If you want, I can do that."
Ten months. Exactly the time from pregnancy to birth for a woman. Delaying it that long was just code for knocking me up.
"No way! Absolutely nooooo!!"
"Hm. I was asking sincerely because you seem to be suffering so much."
Disowned from my family after becoming a woman. Forced to live in this tiny shack instead of our grand mansion. And now this woman's body with periods too...
...Why was my life like this?
"...I seriously want to die."
Whether she'd heard my mutter, Rita hugged me and patted my back.
"Your emotions get sensitive when your body's weak. Don't push yourself too hard, Miss."
Her comfort made me feel a little better. From wanting to die to just this fucking sucks.
"...By the way, do you get periods too, Rita?"
"I'm... congenitally unable to bear children, so no periods for me."
"Aaaaaah!!"
I wanted to die again.
"Ughhh..."
It had been about three days since my period started. My mind felt utterly drained. No wonder—irritation would surge out of nowhere, then plunge into depression. Hunger pangs came with pain as a bonus, leaving my mood shitty all day.
I should've lost some weight, but I'd been eating so much from the ravenous appetite that my belly was starting to poke out a bit.
"Fuck..."
"Are you in a lot of pain?"
"You think I'm not?"
Irritation boiled over. I pulled the blanket over my head, not even looking at Rita.
"My stomach hurts, my back feels like it's breaking, my insides churn all day... And even though my appetite's exploding and I've been stuffing my face, now I've got a gut."
I rubbed my lower belly. It was slight, but definitely there—a little pouch of fat.
"Is this any way for a person to live, Rita...?"
Rita sat quietly beside me, pondering, then spoke.
"But your period starting regularly means your body's healthy. Why not think of it positively?"
"Does positive thinking make the fat go away?"
"...Of course not. You'll have to exercise it off yourself."
"Then positivity can go fuck itself!!"
I was so pissed I kicked the blanket off. But in that instant, a sharp zing of pain stabbed through my lower belly.
"Aaaah!! Fuck!!"
As I yelled curses, Rita slipped her hand under the blanket and gently rubbed my stomach.
"Be careful when you move. Sudden motions stimulate your body and make it hurt more."
"This shitty body's the real fuuuuck!!"
My voice came out almost like a sob. I'd been furious just moments ago, but now I was suddenly sad. Naturally, I wanted to die.
"Fuck...!!"
The word wasn't just profanity—it was a scream from how agonizing this all was. It hurt so much, was so uncomfortable, so unfair. And the reality that I couldn't escape or quit made it even worse.
"I swear, I just wanna say fuck it all and die..."
My throat choked up as I said it. My eyes burned again, and this time tears really threatened to fall.
At that moment, something warm settled over my belly.
"...Rita?"
"Stay still. This helps ease the pain a bit."
Rita placed a warm, damp towel on my stomach and gently straightened my hair. Her movements were quiet and soft, like an older sister caring for a sick child.
"Getting too angry will only make your body feel worse. Just relax and sleep a little today—no thinking."
"No way. If I rest because of this..."
"A short break won't erase all your hard work so far. And rest is essential to move forward, Miss."
Rita kept stroking my hair as she continued.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay by your side and help you."
"Because you love me?"
"Of course. Because I love you, Miss..."
"That's why you fuck me every night too?"
"You know it."
"Bullshit."
"Ahaha."
With Rita's laughter, we fell into a quiet moment. Only the occasional distant birdsong broke the silence. As I listened, Rita carefully lay down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"...Rita?"
"I just... thought this might make you feel a little better."
"Well... it is warm."
"Among the maids, I'm famous for being warmer than a thermos."
"Dunno about the thermos part, but yeah, you're warm. I'll give you that."
I leaned into Rita's embrace, clutching my belly, and closed my eyes. The pain lingered, my mood still sucked... but her body heat soothed a corner of my heart just a little.