episode_0041

The excruciating menstrual cramps had significantly eased up after just one day. Whether it was because they usually get better after a day or thanks to Lager’s remedies, I’m not sure.

Anyway, it was bearable after a day.

Entering the morning class and checking yesterday’s attendance status, I found out that it was marked as sick leave. Apart from the hassle of the disciplinary team coming to check on me, everything else was in order. It was a moment that revealed Dakota’s personality of strictly separating work and personal matters.

At first, I wondered what the point of attendance was when there’s no grade system, but later I learned that class participation also affects moving up to higher tiers, so it was good to manage it carefully.

Usually, theory classes are in the morning, followed by practical sessions in the afternoon. The theoretical education here includes things like ‘Behavioral guidelines during urban combat’ or ‘Rules for normalizing city functions after combat.’

Indeed, the academy in this world felt more like the military than a university.

One thing that puzzled me was the absence of a history class, which seemed like a rule in academy-themed stories. When I asked about it once, the author who created this world personally replied.

– I didn’t bother writing that.

Ah, I immediately understood.

‘A world without a foundation.’

After learning theory in the morning, as well as practical and case studies, it was time for lunch. Just as I was about to finish the class and leave the lecture hall.

“Oh, there’s a civil support event next week. Anyone willing to volunteer?”

I doubted my ears for a moment. Civil support event. I never imagined encountering this word after entering the academy-themed world.

Civil support. Whether it’s farming or disaster recovery, it’s a ‘military gacha’ where you sacrifice a day’s labor in exchange for skipping work. The profit and loss calculation varies depending on the daily labor task and the day’s work.

However.

“No one? We need some volunteers to help with harvesting crops, just three people.”

No one raised their hand. In this world, such profit and loss calculations were meaningless.

Whatever you do outside, staying at the academy was overwhelmingly more comfortable than going out to volunteer.

Theory classes were always in the morning, and sometimes if it rained in the afternoon, indoor classes replaced practical sessions. Even without actual practice, sharing know-how on close combat and long-range combat for each field for an hour or two was easy.

Moreover, work ended around 3-4 o’clock, and the rest of the time was free time. After dinner, whether you lounged in the dormitory, exercised, or went to the store, it was time to do whatever you wanted.

In short.

‘Whatever you do here, staying is much easier than going out, so why bother going out?’

However.

“Oh, Lager Godin.”

That guy again… A bad feeling crept in coldly like a dagger.

As expected.

“Hey, you too. Raise your hand quickly!”

Seriously.

Although I didn’t understand English, seeing him urgently urging like that made me think there was some kind of mission involved. I raised my hand slowly with a bug-eating expression.

And just like a needle following a thread.

“I want to go too!”

Even Lina raised her hand.

Seeing the three of us suddenly volunteering, the instructor chuckled ambiguously and nodded his head.

“Well, that’s good. Then make sure to come down to the command control room next Monday at 8 a.m. prepared and don’t forget. That’s all.”

And so, after finishing the morning routine, it was time for lunch.

I immediately approached Lager, tapped his shoulder, and asked.

“Explain. What’s up this time?”

*

Before heading to the restaurant, I stopped by the smoking area with a beer. I asked Lena to go ahead and save a spot for us. Of course, it’s not something we can discuss together.

“Are there demons there?”

“Humanoids.”

“Just them?”

“No. There are a few others as well.”

“It seems like the difficulty level is increasing.”

“Because we’re getting stronger.”

“What are you talking about? ‘We’?”

I flicked my golden-colored ID tag hanging around my neck and smirked.

“It’s not ‘we,’ it’s ‘I’ who’s getting stronger. Now I’m even higher tier than you.”

“Oh really.”

“Keep training diligently, Jjamjji.”

“Jjam… what?!”

“…What.”

“Hey, how can you call someone that word?”

As I hesitated to respond to Lager’s doubtful look, I let out a short sigh.

Living among terms like missions, command control rooms, and civilian support, it felt like I had just re-enlisted, and the military jargon slipped out unintentionally.

When it was just us guys, there was no room for misunderstanding, but using that word in front of someone who used to be a woman made the situation quite delicate.

“That, it’s not the vulgar word you’re thinking of. It’s short for ‘Jjam Jjikkegi.’ I hope that clears up any misunderstandings.”

“Interesting experience.”

“I’ll continue to teach you various words in the future, so keep them in mind.”

“Not necessary.”

With Lager’s firm statement, the conversation ended. As I flicked the cigarette butt with my finger, a sudden curiosity arose.

“By the way, how’s your mission to protect the world going? How many points have you accumulated?”

Lager took out his phone and showed me his current score.

968 points. He must have earned quite a lot of points by obtaining all three additional rewards last time.

“If you do well this time, you might break into the four-digit range.”

“You have four question marks as well. Maybe some hidden information will be revealed this time.”

“Hmm.”

[If you fail to achieve more than ???? points]

[You will not qualify for ?? in ??]

I understand that the first question marks represent points, but what does ‘?? in ??’ actually mean?

“Since your goal is to save the world, it must be a condition related to that, right?”

“Probably.”

“Any clues?”

“If I had any, do you think I’d be sitting here scratching my head?”

Right. As I muttered to myself, I put my hand in my pocket and prepared to leave the smoking area.

“Ale.”

Lager called me and pulled something out of the inner pocket of his uniform jacket.

“Take this.”

What came out of his pocket was a small pink box. It looked like the size of a pain reliever, but when I glanced at it, I immediately rushed towards Lager and grabbed him by the collar. Lager, who was caught off guard, frantically explained with his arms raised.

“Damn it, I didn’t give it to you in that sense!”

“Do you take birth control pills for reasons other than sex? Why are you giving this to me? What’s your motive? Huh?”

“No, I really take it to alleviate menstrual cramps!”

Seeing Lager genuinely upset, I let go of his collar and took out my phone to search. If this guy knew some obscure folk remedy, I was ready to kill him, but just by searching for ‘birth control pills menstrual cramps,’ a lot of related information poured out.

Surprisingly, it seemed like common knowledge among women.

“…I’m sorry. I should have known that you take birth control pills.”

“Menstrual cramps can last for over 5 days for some people. It’s okay to take this when it seems to be getting better but then hurts again.”

“Thank you.”

As I accepted it without much thought, suddenly, the words Dakota told me yesterday came to mind.

– Usually, to draw a stricter line, isn’t it common to refrain from being too kind to avoid any misunderstandings?

– No matter how you look at it, he now likes you.

So, while taking the contraceptive pill, she asked.

“Are you not embarrassed to buy these things?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I’ve been buying them all along.”

“It’s not a common sight, you know?”

“Why?”

Naturally, she asked, leaving me speechless. After a brief awkward laugh, I explained softly.

“Think about it. Yesterday it was sanitary pads, today it’s the contraceptive pill. These are items that men have no use for.”

“But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be sold.”

“What use does a man have for such things?”

Was it because I genuinely didn’t know and asked? A completely unexpected answer came back, and I found myself looking a bit dumbfounded.

“It’s when you buy them for your girlfriend. Pregnancy tests aren’t only bought by women, and condoms aren’t only bought by men…”

“Hey.”

This, this isn’t right.

…Is this my misunderstanding? Am I still stumbling over my lingering feelings?

But regardless, the fact remains that I brought up the topic with a high potential for misunderstanding.

I crossed my arms and opened my eyes wide.

“What are you trying to say?”

I need to make sure I understand what’s going on, no room for misunderstandings.