I'm in Heat?
"Me, I'm in heat? 'Nyaa?'"
"S-sorry. Ilisha. Don't joke around like that, please. I'm serious."
"What's wrong? Do you hate it? Me, so pretty? Your comrade-in-arms who crossed the line of death with you?"
Ilisha couldn't focus at all throughout the entire class, wondering what on earth the problem was.
And as soon as lunch break hit, she latched onto Ern and started doing all sorts of weird things.
Acting like she was a cat or something with those bizarre gestures, rubbing up against him for no reason.
"That's why I'm asking you to stop, Ilisha. Please, I beg you. Yeah...? Why are you suddenly like this?"
"Even if you ask, I don't know either~ Hehe. You're so stiff."
"H-hey, hey!"
He was already a guy I didn't like because Ilisha seemed to favor him, and seeing him push her away even now just made me more annoyed for some reason.
Of course, I was somewhat grateful too.
If he were the type with his dick on his head, it wouldn't be strange for him to take advantage of the momentum and pounce on her—but he wasn't.
If he'd tried, I would've grabbed him by the hair and smashed his face into the floor.
"Hng. Why are you staring like that, Reinhardt? Jealous? Want me to do this to you?"
Ilisha grinned broadly at Reinhardt and approached, but he blocked her by pushing her head away with his hand.
"Ack."
"Haa. Lucia. Do me a favor. Can you go to the temple and figure out what's wrong?"
"Eek, nyaa!"
Frustrated at being blocked, she flailed her hands weakly in the air or thwacked Reinhardt's pants with her tail.
"I was planning to anyway... Hey, Dorothea. You come too."
"Eh, m-me? Why?"
Dorothea, who had been walking while reading a book, looked flustered, not understanding why she was being called.
"Why? Because she might be acting weird because of you!"
It was just a possibility, but maybe something had gone wrong when Dorothea crammed knowledge into her head with magic.
If that was the case, then Dorothea was probably the only one who could fix Ilisha.
At least, that's what I thought.
"B-because of me?! Did I break Ilisha?!"
"No, it's not that you did—but you might have. So, you coming or not?"
Dorothea glanced at Ilisha, then her jet-black hair fluttered as she hurried over to me.
"I-I'll go!"
"...We have to bring Ilisha too."
"B-but. Ilisha's stronger than me..."
Sigh.
This girl was utterly useless outside of magic, really.
I slipped my hand under Ilisha's armpit as she flailed uselessly against Reinhardt's grip and pulled her toward me.
"Ueek?"
"Seriously, not even a cat..."
She did look a bit like one from this angle, though—sorry, Northern Duke.
"Hey, hold on. Come here a sec."
"Where are you dragging me...? Gasp, don't tell me you're taking me somewhere to roughly...?"
"Ah, just shut up! What the hell did you eat wrong? Why are you suddenly like this?!"
"Hik."
Was she getting a kick out of messing with everyone around her? Even as I dragged her limply along, she grinned slyly, eyes crinkled in amusement.
"You're acting weird today!"
"Aw, come on. I've always been weird, haven't I? Weirdly sick."
"No, not that kind of weird! You're really weird, I said!"
Something was definitely seriously wrong. Otherwise, the usually sweet girl wouldn't be this broken.
Though if I thought about it, she wasn't entirely without her suspicious quirks.
Ah, whatever. I just wanted to smoke some mana herb. What the hell was I suffering through because of this crazy girl?
...What could I do? I'd been properly bitten by a tiger with not long left to live. I'd just take the loss and help her out.
As I dragged Ilisha toward the temple, the guys followed as if it were the most natural thing.
"...Why are you guys coming?"
"Well. It might be partly our responsibility. Teaching her could have put too much pressure on Ilisha."
Ern said something reasonable.
"The woman we're announcing as a hero in a few days is acting like this."
His Highness the Crown Prince spouted something political.
"Ah, yeah. Do whatever."
I didn't like it for some reason, but I'd think positively.
For now... they were Ilisha's friends.
——
Half-dragged to the temple, Cecilia spoke up.
"What did you hurt this time?"
Seeing her so naturally assume I was the one hurt made me feel a bit wronged.
I wasn't someone who got hurt just to come to the temple, after all.
…
Was I?
Yeah, up till now—but I just wouldn't from now on.
Yeah.
So, forgive me.
"It's not her body—it's her head that seems hurt...!"
"Her head, you say?"
Cecilia responded to Lucia with a hint of bewilderment.
"Yeah! She's been doing weird stuff since morning! Sticking to people for no reason, giggling, rubbing up against Ern... Her head must be messed up! Hey, Dorothea! Say something!"
"W-well. When I was teaching her, I touched her memories a bit with magic. Maybe something went wrong then...?"
Ah, so that's what was bugging her?
Whether it was that or not, it didn't matter to me—I just grinned and asked.
"Lucia. Are you jealous? Want me to rub up on you too?"
"See!!! She's doing it!"
Cecilia sighed at the sight, then quietly approached me.
"Excuse me for a moment, Ilisha."
Her hand touched my forehead, wrist, and nape in turn.
Holy power soon seeped in, flowing through my body.
With my hand over hers, I pressed gently, savoring the faint power.
…I want to grope the holy power pouch.
But she'd get mad if I did.
No, Cecilia might not get mad. She'd just be disappointed? Or flustered.
I didn't like that. Yeah. So, hold off.
As I did that for a bit, Cecilia gently removed my hand.
"What? What's wrong? Is it so bad she can't even speak...?"
"No, nothing like that. And it's not weird either. It's just a normal heat cycle."
Lucia gaped at Cecilia's calm declaration.
Ern and Dorothea stared at me with wide eyes.
Only Reinhardt looked at me like this was a headache.
"Heat cycle? Isn't that just for animals? Why would Ilisha have that?"
Lucia stared at me like she couldn't comprehend.
As Cecilia started to answer, I cut in first.
Because it seemed fun.
Propping my chin with a relaxed posture, I pondered how to tease Lucia.
"Well, 'cause I'm half animal?"
I pointed to my ears and swished my tail.
"And a heat cycle means... for us..."
"Ilisha."
Cecilia called my name, sensing something ominous, trying to cut me off.
Sorry, Cecilia.
But it seems fun.
"My body's ready to get pregnant~"
Lucia's face turned beet red at that.
"W-what the hell?! She says anything, really!!! In front of the Saintess, what kind of...!"
"Ung? Cecilia. Was that a problem? Against doctrine? Blasphemous?"
"Well... no. But it's not something a girl should say so casually."
Cecilia fanned herself, embarrassed.
Ern was rolling his eyes, unsure where to look.
Dorothea had pulled her brimmed hat low, flushed.
Ung, total success.
But something felt off.
Heat cycle...
"That's weird..."
Lucia was still red-faced and huffing, while Cecilia eyed me like she'd noticed something.
"Why now?"
Lucia asked, and I said very slowly,
"I shouldn't be having something like this."
This time, Cecilia's expression truly hardened.
But it was true.
I'd never had a heat cycle in my life.
Because my body was like that.
Not a proper one.
For a girl, it was like being born deformed, never having periods her whole life.
And now, suddenly, heat?
Hmm.
"Does that mean... I've finally got a body that can make babies?"
I asked, lips curling up.
Lucia nearly screamed.
"You crazy bitch, is this something to say smiling?!"
Cecilia said nothing.
Dorothea still clutched her hat, but her hands trembled faintly.
Eavesdropping on her mutter, she seemed to be wondering if a proper child could even be born from me.
Hmm, who knows. If a baby did happen, it probably couldn't use strength.
If the womb froze by accident, then...
Ew.
Don't think about it. Horrifying.
Of course, I had zero intention of making a baby.
Not even with Ern—that'd be too much.
I was a guy, first off. And I didn't want to make a kid who'd lose their mom young.
I could confidently say I knew how heartbreaking that was.
Lucia looked lost for words too.
Everyone just stared at me blankly.
So in the end,
They all fixed their dumbfounded gazes on me, the only one giggling.
Oh no.
The mood had totally soured.
I couldn't enjoy this tasteless atmosphere.
"Oh, right. I found something weird under my bed. Maybe that's the cause."
"...Something weird?"
To spark Lucia's curiosity, I mixed half facts with half imagination.
"Some... bundle of herbs. Maybe that's making my body weird?"
Herb bundle? Yeah. Body weird? Yeah.
Did that make my body like this?
Dunno?
"What? There was something like that?"
"Yeah. Weird, right? It definitely wasn't there before my friends visited my room, but it appeared after."
I already knew who did it.
But I didn't say.
I didn't know her name.
And I didn't particularly want to snitch.
...It's fun this way?