23. This Is Why I Hate Hospitals (1)
Three days had passed since the outing with Park Won.
"Ugh..., ah. Ughaaa...."
Monday. A morning when I had to drag myself out of bed no matter how rough it felt.
I groaned before I even opened my eyes when I woke up.
Part of it was despair that the round sun had risen again, but the throbbing in my body bothered me even more.
Starting from my lower belly, to my shoulders, neck, and lower back. Even my armpits and shoulder joints.
Every corner of my body ached, so I barely managed to sit upright and grimaced.
"Is it the Egg-Laying Season...? No, but I laid one not long ago."
When I slowly swept my hand down over my lower belly, it was definitely sore.
It didn't feel swollen, but when I pressed lightly with my hand, the area below my navel felt dull.
A chill ran down my spine.
It felt exactly like sensing the signs of a cramp about to seize me in my sleep.
"No way...."
Growing more concerned, I slowly got out of bed.
When I finally stood up and stretched lightly, a stinging pain rose up.
Especially in my shoulder joints. Like knees with growing pains, they throbbed every time I moved.
It was bad enough that I was afraid to move....
Why was my whole body sore, not just my lower belly?
I was perfectly fine up until the day I went out with Park Won.
But since yesterday my body suddenly... A cold? Or body aches?
I hadn't even done anything that would count as overexertion, so why?
[Throb—!]
"Eek...?! Ow, it hurts...?!"
The more I woke up, the more sensitive my consciousness became to the pain.
I was absolutely not okay. Something was definitely wrong.
Should I tell Park Won? We had agreed to report it if anything went wrong with my body.
No way..., it couldn't be that a second Egg-Laying Season was coming, right?
Amid the anxiety creeping in more and more, I moved as slowly as possible while getting ready.
When I put on my underwear and dress shirt, I couldn't help groaning like someone who'd been worked half to death.
Just drying my wet hair took forever.
In the end, even lifting my arms was too much, and I reached the point of shaking my head in front of the dryer.
"It's not the Egg-Laying Season.... It can't be. That's ridiculous. I hate this."
It absolutely couldn't be that.
In just a few more days, I had to stand in front of the broadcast station reporters and announce, "I'm Peregrine."
And of all times, my body had to start aching right before that schedule.
If an incident broke out while announcing that I was a Magical Girl, Peregrine would be finished that very day.
I couldn't make that kind of mistake after swearing I wouldn't drag this name through the mud.
I really had to open up to Park Won about this at least once.
If I messed up, it would be over both socially and biologically.
Please, just not that....
───
And so I arrived at the Association with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
Inside the small meeting room were three familiar faces.
Yun Ha-ram explaining various documents, and Park Won listening to her explanation. And Albatross, sitting quietly.
When my eyes met the three of them, I forced the corners of my mouth up.
"Um, so.... Good morning...?"
From among the three watching me from a distance, Park Won tilted his head.
"You look like hell again today."
"Ugh. Is it that obvious...?"
"I can tell at a glance. Is your stomach hurting? Or is it your whole body?"
"If I had to pick, my lower belly and.... My shoulder joints, and my lower back too."
"Good grief."
After Park Won left me with that ominous one-liner, I found an empty seat and sat down.
From the seat next to Park Won, I glanced curiously at the documents, and Yun Ha-ram spoke up.
"The reason your shoulder joints hurt is probably because of your wings. As for your lower belly hurting...."
"Don't tell me it's that?"
"It hasn't been long since your Egg-Laying Season ended, but... there are exceptions."
"No way..., I have to make an announcement soon. It's something the Director ordered, so I can't back out...."
"You really should get another examination."
Here it came. The second examination.
That humiliating examination where they stripped me completely and even measured the circumference of my lower belly.
I wanted to decline going through that again.
"Haa...."
"First, turn your back toward me."
"Huh...? Fine, I'll turn my back since you're telling me to. But why...."
"Because I need to check."
"Whaaat...?!"
When I turned my back to Park Won and sat down as instructed, my collar was promptly rolled upward.
I instinctively moved both hands to grab my collar, but Park Won pulled my clothes up anyway.
Before I could even demand to know what he was doing in my bewilderment, I suddenly lifted my head.
The sound of Park Won's palm striking my back rang out.
"Kk, aauugh...!"
"Hold still for a moment."
"Ow, ow. Aaah..., ugh. Ow. Ughaa...."
I'd never been hit before, and on top of that, this guy.... He hit someone who was already aching all over....
With all kinds of question marks floating in my head, I just clutched my collar without saying anything.
It hurt so much I couldn't even get a word out.... Isn't something wrong here...?
"Aauuugh...."
"Relax a little."
"Someone here is in so much pain they can't even speak..., aaah, fine, I get it...!"
When Park Won raised his hand once more, I shut my mouth and shrank back hard.
I didn't want to get hit again. If I got hit any more here, I might actually cry.
Thinking I'd made a mistake leaving this to him, I closed my eyes and barely managed to sit up straight.
Like it had been rubbed with alcohol, my struck back burned hot.
"I'm going to press a little."
"Ugh, kk—...?!"
A high-pitched moan.
The moment the sound came out, I reflexively raised both hands and clamped them over my mouth.
That sound just now came out of my mouth, didn't it?
Unlike Albatross, who was actually blushing, Yun Ha-ram was calm....
Wait. Why was Albatross watching while blushing?
"Wh-where exactly did you press...?!"
"Your shoulder."
"Ow, it hurts. Don't press so hard...."
"Then, how about here."
"Ugh, ugh...! Th-that spot's sore too. It hurts like I sprained it...."
"Here."
"Haa, mm. Mm...! There too...! No, would you stop doing this in front of other people?!"
"Ah! Don't mind me and Albatross."
"That's not the problem?!"
Park Won paid no attention and reached out, starting to press my shoulder joints over and over.
When the tip of his thumb touched the knot in my shoulder, the flesh compressed beneath it.
The situation—being pressed by my Partner's hand—and the atmosphere itself made my body tense up.
From the moment I registered that, every nerve focused on Park Won's fingertips.
When they touched and then lifted away, I was on edge wondering when they'd touch again, and when they did touch, my whole body tensed again....
I stared endlessly at the floor, chewing over the unfair feeling that welled up for no reason.
How did I end up baring my back in front of these people like this....
"It hurts, Partner.... I'm not joking, it really throbs...!"
"You're going to keep hurting for the next few days."
"Aauuugh.... You're not doing this on purpose to torment me, are you...?!"
Wanting to hide the twitching of the tuft on top of my head, I wrapped both hands around my head instead of my clothes.
Another person's thumb traced circles, pressing into my sore shoulder and pulling away over and over.
At first it hurt, but when the hand lifted away, the slight burning feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant either.
Maybe I should set aside the immediate humiliation for now.... The thought crossed my mind briefly. Just very briefly.
Was this a good feeling or a bad feeling?
If I kept enduring it, it did feel kind of refreshing, so it wasn't bad....
"Didn't Peregrine get a little more docile over the weekend?"
"Excuse me...?"
"No, up until last week she was practically frantic to tear someone apart──..."
"Th-that's not exactly how it is.... For now he's my Partner, so, ugh...! It hurts...!"
Park Won was still someone I couldn't fully trust. For now, I was just trying to judge him without letting the rumors color my view.
He was such a sly, lazy good-for-nothing that I had no idea how far off the rails he'd go without me.
So I was holding on to him.
"Anyway, since he's my Partner, I do intend to cooperate. It's just that he has a bit of a lazy side...."
"You."
"Yes, Partner...?"
"Aren't you being pretty demanding for someone who's getting help?"
Park Won clicked his tongue at that.
And then, he gradually started putting in more strength.
Huh. If he pressed there with that much force without holding back....
"Ugh, oouh...?"
It felt like something was going to break, so I collapsed forward onto the desk in an instant.
My fists clenched on their own. He was pressing right on the painful spot with his hand, so I couldn't even speak.
S-stop. Stop....
"Ow, it hurts. It hurts.... S-stop, please. Partner...! Hey...!"
"Take a good look, Yun Ha-ram. At my age, I'm going through this much trouble."
"The one going through trouble right now──, is me──.... Hhk...! It feels like it's going to break...! Please, haa. Aaahh...."
I pounded the desk with my trembling fist over and over—thump thump thump—and even tapped out, but Park Won pressed down on the knotted shoulder joint with the tip of his thumb to the very end.
Squeeze.
He kept rubbing at it, then pressed down hard again.
Pressing hard even around the edges of the knot was cheating.
I dug my nails in and scratched at the table—scritch scritch—and only when his hand finally lifted away could I let out a breath.
"Haa. Haaa...."
"Try loosening up the spots you can reach on your own too."
"Who loosens knotted muscles like that...?! Haa. That was abuse just now! I'm going to sue...!"
"Still, it probably loosened up a bit."
I glared at Park Won as he calmly looked at me and tidied his hands with a wet wipe.
Loosened up or not, I thought I was going to die from the pain....
Huh.
"Oh...? It does feel a little better, actually...."
"It's similar to growing pains. When a Magical Girl's wings are about to grow, the muscles around there tend to knot up."
"...How long does it take?"
"Who knows. It's different for each person. Anyway, you should go get examined. You said your lower belly hurts too."
"Ah, that's...."
Ugh.... No, I don't want that.
Couldn't I just loosen up my lower belly like usual? Like my shoulders just now?
"Uh, now that my shoulders are loosened up, it feels a little better? I'm fine...?"
"I'll go with you, so let's go together."
"I'm fine.... No, honestly. That...."
I averted my gaze for no reason and started tapping the table with my nails.
When you tried to take animals to the vet, they always pretended not to notice....
Now I felt like I understood that feeling. This really felt like being stripped bare.
Beyond the shame, I now understood feeling fear too....
"Yun Ha-ram, thanks for the regulation documents. I'll read them over carefully and return them soon."
"Ah, if you're grateful, buy me a meal. Do you know how burdensome it is looking after a senior colleague everyone curses at?"
"Sure. I'll buy you dinner sometime. You, come along."
"Peregrine, and Park Won. Take care on your way!"
Please, just let me go.
I screamed silently as Park Won grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and lifted me up.
Held by him, I kicked and flailed my arms and legs trying to shake him off, but he never put me down.
Ugh, I really don't want to go....