Uninvited Guest
Rustle—
An unfamiliar sound pulled Elise from a shallow sleep.
Through her still-blurred vision, she sensed movement from her roommate's bed.
When did she get back?
She must have collapsed straight into bed last night, too exhausted to stay awake after burying herself so deeply in her alchemy experiments. She had slept so hard she hadn't even noticed Yeon returning.
…Have I let my guard down too much?
Elise scolded herself.
The other person was Yeon Bennet. A villainess who might already know the greatest secret of Elise's family. Roommate or not, she was a dangerous woman who could do anything while Elise slept — and yet Elise had already gone soft sharing a room with her.
Then again, Yeon had turned out to be a surprisingly decent roommate. Aside from that first-day threat about cleaning, she hadn't caused any real trouble. She was quieter than expected, the type who kept to herself and focused on her own business.
Outside the window, dawn had yet to break, but the room was slowly brightening. Elise carefully turned her head toward Yeon's bed.
Yeon was already up, sitting there.
She's up early today. That's unusual.
It was about time anyway. Instead of trying to fall back asleep, Elise quietly got out of bed and began preparing for class. She washed up, changed clothes, and smoothed down her tangled hair. Through it all, Yeon remained perched on the edge of her bed, not moving an inch.
As Elise finished getting ready and reached for her bag, something about Yeon caught her eye.
Something was off.
It wasn't her usual cold, indifferent expression. Her face was flushed redder than normal, and her eyes looked unfocused, almost dazed. Her breathing was slightly ragged, and even sitting still, her shoulders seemed to tremble faintly.
And… for some reason… she was giving off an intensely… suggestive atmosphere. Like someone intoxicated.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The words slipped out before Elise could stop them, worry overriding caution.
Was she sick? Or was she plotting something again?
At Elise's question, Yeon slowly turned her head. Then, without a word, she began staring fixedly at Elise's chest.
It wasn't simple curiosity or observation. That gaze held something hard to name — something sticky and damp, like desire.
"……!"
A chill ran through Elise's entire body. Unpleasant. Revolting. Somehow insulting. She hurriedly crossed her arms over herself.
In Elise's mind, Yeon's already rock-bottom reputation plummeted straight into the basement.
That woman… don't tell me…?
A hideous suspicion flashed through her thoughts. The reason Yeon had forced them into the same room — it couldn't possibly be for something that filthy… could it?
Haa… I'm seriously going to die.
I sat on the edge of the bed, clutching my lower abdomen. My mind was strangely clear and brimming with energy, but inside my body an entirely different kind of storm was raging.
In my past life, I'd occasionally seen women who claimed they wanted to die every time their period hit. Doubled over, rolling around clutching their stomachs, or pale-faced and moaning that even several painkillers did nothing.
Back then I'd just thought, Huh, that must hurt a lot, and moved on without much concern. Other people's pain is always like that. You never really understand how deep it goes until you feel it yourself.
But now that I was experiencing it firsthand in this body… it was beyond anything I'd imagined.
Ah — of course, I wasn't actually feeling "pain" right now. Masochist converted even this vicious agony into twisted pleasure without exception.
But the intensity of that pleasure was the problem.
This was on a completely different level from getting slapped or breaking a finger. It felt like someone was pressing a red-hot branding iron deep into my lower belly while simultaneously carving it open with a sharp knife. If I reverse-engineered the scale of the original pain from the insane pleasure I was feeling now, I probably would have fainted — or gone into shock and died.
And on top of that… was it because of the "curse" I'd absorbed last night? This felt different from a normal period. It wasn't just that the pleasure was stronger — my head felt hazy and drunk, and every sensation in my body seemed several times more sensitive.
The hot, sticky pleasure rising from my lower abdomen went beyond mere stimulation. It felt like it was riding every nerve in my body, melting me from the inside out.
"Hoo…"
A hot breath escaped me before I could stop it.
Haa… this is getting dangerous.
Could I even make it through the day like this? I was starting to worry. If I walked out in front of people in this state, there was no telling what kind of spectacle I'd make of myself.
Guess I'm skipping class today too.
I'd already missed morning classes yesterday. Skipping again today would definitely push me over ten demerits. That meant a one-way trip to the punishment room.
Normally I might have looked forward to that… but if I got dragged there while this pleasure had me barely holding it together…
I'd put on a truly disgusting display I didn't even want to imagine.
No. Absolutely not.
If anyone found out I was a masochist, the sheer humiliation might actually make me want to kill myself…
Which left only one option: manufacture a "legitimate" excuse to skip class. And at the Academy, the most airtight excuse was always…
I opened the drawer and pulled out a familiar item.
The finest sanitary pad released by Lapellasia, the continent's premier trading company.
◈ Effect: Virtually unnoticeable when worn. Enchanted with Clean Magic — never soils.
I quickly cleaned myself up in the bathroom and put the pad on. After nearly two years living in this body since the transmigration, using these still left me with a faintly awkward feeling I couldn't quite shake. Still, as a top-tier product, its performance was rock solid. The Clean Magic kept it spotless at all times, and the fit was so comfortable I barely felt it at all.
Once I was ready, I straightened my uniform neatly. Destination: the Headmaster's office.
If I told Master I wasn't feeling well — especially that it was "that time of the month" and my condition was a wreck — she'd understand. No, she'd probably worry and tell me to rest properly.
…And while I'm at it.
I hesitated for a moment. My condition today was definitely different from usual. The period was part of it, but the curse I'd absorbed from Elise last night seemed to be playing a role too. The intensity of the pleasure was on another level, and my body's sensitivity had become abnormally sharp.
I should ask Master to take a look at me.
My steps toward the Headmaster's office were still unsteady. My legs trembled from the relentless waves of pleasure rising from my lower belly, but I kept my back straight and walked as if nothing were wrong. I clenched my teeth, tightened my core, and forced my shaking legs to hold. Chin slightly raised, eyes fixed forward — so that anyone watching would see the usual arrogant, self-assured Yeon Bennet.
I did not want anyone catching on to this bizarre state of mine.
Once I entered the main building, there were more students around. I could feel their stares. On any other day I might have savored those looks of contempt and curiosity, but not now. Every scrap of my focus was locked in combat with the pleasure in my abdomen; I had no bandwidth left for anything else.
I started climbing the grand central staircase. With every step, pleasure surged up from my lower belly like a wave.
Almost there… just a little more.
My breathing grew short. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. My grip tightened on the handrail.
Maybe I should have just taken the elevator.
Part of it was not wanting to share a tight space with someone and risk them seeing me like this — but there was a bigger reason. Even with the pad on, the pleasure rising from below had left me feeling slightly… damp down there. I didn't want to risk any strange mix of blood and that other scent lingering in a narrow, sealed space.
Climbing the endless stairs, I ground my teeth inwardly.
This damn period cramp.
At last I reached the door to the Headmaster's office. Normally I would have felt the powerful magical barrier on the door — but there was nothing. Strange. I didn't have the luxury of dwelling on it, though.
…Busy again today?
I took a light breath and knocked.
Knock. Knock.
No answer came from inside. Ordinarily she would have opened the door at once, or at least called for me to come in. The Headmaster's office held only a hollow silence, as if no one were there at all.
Maybe she didn't hear me?
I knocked again, a little harder this time.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Still not a single sign of life from within. Unease began to creep past simple strangeness. Had something happened to Master? Or had she simply stepped out for a moment?
I was hesitating over whether to try the handle when—
BANG—!
The Headmaster's office door suddenly slammed open from the inside, and a fierce, razor-sharp surge of mana crashed over me like a whirlwind!
"Ghk—!"
Before I could even raise a defense, an invisible force struck me square in the chest and sent me flying backward. My back slammed hard against the corridor floor. The breath punched out of my lungs; light exploded behind my eyes.
"Cough— cough."
With the coughing fit, a sharp jolt of pleasure flooded through my entire body. I barely managed to push myself up and look toward the door.
Inside the open doorway stood a woman with a frigid expression. Sky-blue hair. Sharp eyes. Emilla Gale — the Academy's health professor, and one of the witches closest to my Master.
Why is she in the Headmaster's office?
A health professor being in the Headmaster's office wasn't strange in itself. But with Master absent, and her attacking me with that murderous intensity…
A strong, ominous feeling told me something had gone very wrong.
Emilla looked down at me sprawled on the floor with cold eyes. Contempt and loathing filled her gaze.
"Trash like you, of all people, showing up at the Headmaster's office at a time like this."
Her voice was ice. Threatening mana still coiled at her fingertips.
"What are you scheming? Trying to pull something while the Grand Elder is away?"
Her terrifying eyes bored into me as if they meant to pierce straight through.