A Helping Companion
The morning sunlight filters through the window. Mom must have already left for work. ...Ah...... The realization that I'm in an unfamiliar place brings back the horrific nightmares from yesterday. Haah......
"......I wish it had all been a dream."
I voice my hopeless wish. At the same time, I open my eyes to find warm morning light pleasantly illuminating the room. Morning comes regardless of whether terrible things happen to me or not.
".....What time is it?"
Habitually, I reach above my head to feel for my phone. ....It's not there. Ah, "It was broken anyway... Shit...."
I'll have to get the phone fixed at some point. Naturally, today's tasks are decided. I heard I need to register for classes soon. After all, I'm a university student, so I have to attend lectures. ....Not that I wanted to go to school in the first place.
"Huu.... Time to get up."
I sit up abruptly on the bed. To fix my phone, I'll need to go out. ....Surely there's a phone repair shop somewhere on campus? There's a big department store too, so maybe something like that exists?
Rustling the blanket aside with my hands, I swing my legs off the bed to stand. "Seriously.... Fixing the phone will cost money again...... Huh?!"
Thud. Huh? What's wrong? There's no strength in my ankles. A sharp, tingling sensation and slight pain shoot from my heels. I topple forward. Reflexively catching myself with my arms, I avoid injury.
"Ah... shit... What the hell, I must be too tired...."
Thud. "Huh?" Thud. My feet have no strength at all. I try planting them on the floor and pushing up, but keep failing. Thud. I keep collapsing, lightly bruising my tailbone over and over.
"W....what.... What's going on?"
Twitch... Twitch... I rotate my ankles while seated. .....They only twitch slightly; my ankles won't turn fully. I can't move them as I intend, as if they're completely paralyzed. ......
"Huu..... Haaah.... Haaah..... Huuup!!!!"
Thud. My breathing grows ragged. Sweat breaks out all over my body. Something is wrong with me. The peaceful morning has turned into something hellish. For about thirty minutes I tried every possible way to stand. I must have bruised my tailbone countless times by now. I even tried using my arms to push up from the bed. I even punched my ankles a few times, wondering if I had cramps. I can't stand. Why? Why is this happening? Suddenly? What's wrong with my body?
Swish, swish. I rub my ankles with my hands. Sensation remains in my hands. If it were paralysis, I shouldn't feel anything there either, yet the feeling is normal. There's a strange, tingling pain though. Is that the cause? Did I sprain my ankle? No. I don't remember spraining it, and a sprain wouldn't leave me completely unable to stand. Why is this happening?
"Huuu....."
Thud. Still seated on the floor, I lean back against the bed and rest for a moment. Facing an unprecedented situation, I try to analyze it as calmly as possible despite my shock.
"Not just one foot..... Both of them, of all things...."
If it were only one, I could at least hop around. But like this, there's really no solution. A chill spreads through my chest. Following yesterday, I'm feeling this sensation again. This cold feeling that comes when things have truly gone to shit.
"Haaah..... Shiiiiiiit!!!!!!"
I scream out my frustration and rage at this absurd situation. But my mood doesn't improve, and my ankles don't return to normal.
"Huuu..... Seriously...."
Now past anger, I feel only sorrow. Tears blur my vision. Ever since my face and body changed, my mental state seems much weaker. I probably wouldn't have cried over something like this before.
"Huu..... Kuuu...."
Tears keep flowing. No one could mock me for "a man bawling over something this small." Even as a discharged soldier and adult male, waking up unable to walk would naturally leave anyone emotionally overwhelmed.
"Huuu....."
I take deep breaths to steady myself. "Sss.... Huuu....." It seems fairly effective. I feel a little better. Right, think rationally. Crying won't solve anything. I'll go to the hospital. Surely the hospital can fix my ankles.
I wipe both eyes once with the long sleeves of my pajamas. "Yeah..... I'll ask for help."
Suddenly, the person who kindly escorted me to the dorm yesterday comes to mind. Senka...? Senka-san, yes. She would definitely help me. ...........
"Ah shit, the phone." Damn it. With the phone broken, I can't even contact her first. What do I do? There's really no answer in this state. Go outside and ask someone to borrow their phone? ....... That thought makes fear creep back into my heart. Asking for help from random women who go crazy at the sight of men? How many of them would be as kind as Senka-san? And going outside in this condition is impossible anyway. I could crawl out, but should I just sit here waiting? Waiting until someone comes to the dorm? What if that someone is those crazy bitches? The thought alone is terrifying. Thanks to the president intervening and keeping Koharu away, they probably won't act freely, but if they find out I can't walk, they'll use "helping me" as an excuse to drag me off and do whatever they want. It's obvious. What am I supposed to do? ........There's no answer. ......
How much time has passed? Clinging to the faint hope that my legs might suddenly work again, I kept trying to stand every ten minutes, but it was useless. Nothing changed; I still couldn't even rise from my spot, let alone walk. My mind seems to have accepted this ridiculous situation to some degree, so I stopped trying. It only drains my stamina. Extreme anxiety and tension, plus all those attempts, had left me drenched in sweat, but after sitting blankly for who knows how many hours, the sweat has dried. Now lying on the bed, I think with a somewhat cooled head. Why did this suddenly happen? Can ankles just become like this for no reason? Why did I change the world into this mess in the first place? That damn demon bitch. So what if I'm a lifelong single? Living as one in the original world would have been far more comfortable than this. Shit, a world where women rape men. It's been a while since I just sat alone thinking without touching my phone. It reminds me of my first night in training camp after enlisting, standing guard and lost in thought. Of course, the current situation is far worse.
"........."
My body has completely adapted to the quiet room. Aside from the occasional bird chirping outside, the room is utterly silent. ....By the way, I think I read somewhere that when the five senses receive no stimulation for a long time, they become sensitive to even the smallest input. Thud, thud. Like the faint footsteps I'm hearing from the hallway right now. Thud, thud. "?" Thud. The footsteps are growing louder. At first I thought it was my imagination. Probably just another resident on the fifth floor leaving their room. But the sound keeps getting closer. This isn't my imagination. ........... What if it's those crazy bitches? Should I even ask them for help? "........" Lying still on the bed, I stay silent and prick up my ears, directing all my attention toward the door. ....The footsteps have stopped. If they've stopped, it means they've reached their destination. Knock, knock. A dull thud echoes through the room as someone knocks on the heavy metal door.
"........"
My first choice is silence. It's highly likely those crazy bitches. I'm also scared to answer. I don't have the confidence to stay composed if I see their faces again. Knock, knock, knock. This time they knock three times. Then the person who came to my dorm speaks to me inside.
".......Um.... Siwu? Are you in there? It's me, Senka! I tried calling, but your phone kept being off...."
..........Thank goodness! It's not those crazy bitches. I feel my heart, which had been racing from tension, return to its normal pace.
"J.....Just a moment..... Aah!!"
Crash. Without thinking, I tried to get off the bed and stand on both feet, only to tumble forward the moment I left the bed.
"W...what was that? I heard a noise. Siwu, are you okay?!"
"Ugh... Y-yes.... Just... a moment...."
My knees hit the floor hard when I fell, sending sharp pain through me. Both knees throb. At least I don't seem injured. Ignoring Senka-san's touching concern, I press flat against the floor and begin crawling forward slowly using my elbows and knees. ....Who would have thought the individual combat crawling I learned in the military would come in handy here? I can't reach the front door quickly, but at least getting there isn't a problem. It's just exhausting.
"Haa.... Haa....."
After crawling diligently, I reach the door in about fifteen seconds. But why am I this out of breath from just that? Did my stamina worsen because my body got smaller? Or is there a basic difference in stamina between men and women? The opposite meaning, of course.
"Haaah..... Seriously... This is killing me."
Still on my knees, I stretch out my arm and press the door lock button. Thankfully, the lock isn't positioned too high. Even with my reduced height, pressing it isn't an issue. Beep. The door lock chimes cheerfully and unlocks. Why does that sound so welcome today? Click. I turn the handle and open the door. And there I reunite with a very welcome face. Senka-san, a sane woman unlike the others!!
"Siwu.... Huh? Why.... are you on your knees?"
The moment I see Senka-san's face, a smile forms naturally. But hearing her question, that smile quickly turns into a bitter one.
"Haha.... Well...."
......
"You can't use your legs since this morning?"
"Yes....."
Inside Siwu's dorm room, Siwu sits facing Senka across a desk, explaining everything that happened.
"Hmm...."
Senka has never heard of such a case before. It's not cramps, and the bones aren't broken. She had just carefully examined Siwu's ankles, but there were no signs of external injury. Siwu sits with a tearful expression, head bowed, responding to the conversation. That appearance stimulates the protective instincts of the women around him even more than usual. Senka feels it too. Her expression is quite subtle. A serious, almost expressionless look, as if deep in thought. But inside, Senka's mind is in turmoil from her boiling protective instincts and motherly feelings toward Siwu. A kitten is cute even when still, but in this pitiful state where it can't walk, that cuteness doubles. Siwu doesn't know. His current appearance is far too stimulating. Because of this lethal cuteness, Senka is doing her best to suppress her dirty desires. The intense lust is even making her slightly irritated. In fact, Senka had masturbated all night in her own dorm yesterday. She had lost count of how many times she imagined violating Siwu. She couldn't endure without it. She thought masturbating had somewhat quelled her surging desire for Siwu, but the moment she saw him again, that desire returned to its original level. No, it seems even stronger.
"So, I think I need to go to the hospital..."
"......."
"Senka-san?"
".....Huh?"
"Are you okay? You look a bit pale."
Without realizing it, Senka had been frowning. Is it really this hard to hold back? "Ah.. It's nothing. H...hospital?"
Panicking that Siwu might have noticed her state, she stammers.
"Yes, so if you could help me..."
"Of course I'll help!!"
Before Siwu even finishes speaking, Senka answers loudly with a big smile, readily accepting his request for help. Her voice is so loud that Siwu looks slightly startled.
"Besides, the president told me to help you. We'll be seeing each other often from now on, so of course I should help."
That's right. The person the president designated as Siwu's helper is Senka. She doesn't know why the president chose her, but for Senka, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A golden chance to get closer to Siwu. When she received the president's request to help the academy's first male student, Senka, who had been quite starved for men, had been excited wondering what kind of guy he would be, but she never imagined he would be such a cute and charming boy, not an ordinary one at all. She hasn't seen that many men, but Siwu is exactly the type that matches her preferences among all the men she's seen so far.
"R...really??"
The moment Siwu hears Senka's words, the corners of his mouth lift, coloring his beautiful face with an adorable smile. From Siwu's perspective, it's probably because he thinks Senka is at least a safe woman. What Senka is thinking while seeing that smile..... Siwu might be better off not knowing.