Johanne sensed the presence approaching and turned to us, his face breaking into a warm smile when he saw me.
“Leon,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of surprise. “You didn’t have to come. I know you’re probably wiped out.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to see you,” I said. “That’s why I’m here. By the way, I noticed someone leaving, and it seemed like she was on her way to visit you?”
“Ah, yes. That’s Tris. She’s my fiancée,” Johanne replied.
Huh? I didn’t know Johanne had a fiancée.
“Well, our marriage will mostly be for political reasons. But even with that in mind, I think we’ll end up falling for each other naturally. She’s a genuinely good woman.”
He spoke with an air of clarification, as if trying to ease my understanding.
“Though I do feel sorry for her being paired with someone like me,” he added.
It was a tough situation. When you’re aware of your own flaws and you’re matched with someone who’s genuinely good, the guilt can weigh heavily. But from what I knew, Johanne wasn’t a bad person. Far from it—he was genuinely decent. I wouldn’t label him as someone who deserved to be called a bad person.
“Are you alright now?” I asked.
Johanne offered a strained smile. “Yes, I’m feeling better now,” he said. “When something like that happens in the middle of something important, well, sometimes it’s just unavoidable, isn’t it?”
There are things beyond our control, like changing the future, for example. Even if Hertrude could see what was coming, the future would unfold as it’s meant to, no matter how hard she tried to prevent it. There was no avoiding it. This situation was similar to what happened to Johanne—an unfortunate case of bad timing. No matter how much we wanted to change things, some outcomes were simply unavoidable.
Johanne’s stomach ache was a prime example of such bad timing. It was a tough situation to deal with, and while it might have affected his performance, it was entirely understandable.
“You know, Leon,” he said suddenly, his voice tinged with an unsettling calm. As he sat on the bed, staring out the window, he looked almost as if he were facing a terminal illness. “I think I’m dying.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because for the past few years, I’ve been enduring this relentless pain in my lower stomach,” he explained. “It happens every month, a dull, throbbing ache that radiates through my lower back and creeps toward my groin. Sometimes it lasts for days or even weeks, and there are moments when the pain is so severe I can hardly move.”
“Huh?” Titania suddenly blurted out.
“Is something wrong?” I asked her, noticing her reaction.
“N-Nothing. It’s just… nothing,” she stammered.
It seemed like Titania had connected the dots but was reluctant to voice her thoughts.
“Have you seen a doctor about this?” I asked, trying to offer some help.
“I have,” Johanne said, his frustration evident. “But they couldn’t pinpoint what was causing it. Most doctors gave up and speculated that it might be a rare illness, or perhaps I’m the only one with this condition—essentially, the first case ever.”
“I know a good doctor,” I suggested. “Maybe you should get a consultation with her.”
Johanne’s eyes widened, and then he gave me a smile so radiant it almost lit up the room. “Thanks, Leon,” he said.
***
Titania and I walked across the academy grounds, the cool evening air brushing against our faces as we made our way toward our dorms.
“You noticed something about Johanne, didn’t you?” I asked, remembering her earlier reaction to his explanation.
She’d seemed particularly unsettled when Johanne described his illness. Her reaction suggested she’d recognized something.
“Yes, his description was eerily similar to what I experience every month,” she said.
“You’re experiencing it too?” I asked.
“Yeah, but it’s not an illness,” she said. “At least, not as far as I know.”
“What is it then? If you can clarify, we might be able to help Johanne,” I said.
“But that’s impossible,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, there’s no way Johanne could have that condition. He’s not a girl, so it’s physically not feasible. That’s why I brushed it off earlier.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
I felt like I was getting closer to understanding something crucial. Titania had mentioned that Johanne was not a girl, but strangely enough, it seemed possible to dominate him. He had a penis, without a doubt, which confirmed he was male. Yet, after realizing I could dominate him, doubts began to creep in.
Initially, I believed my skill could dominate males too. I thought it wasn’t limited to just females. But when I discovered I could dominate Johanne, I started questioning why Raymond and Duncan had never been affected by my skill. If my skill could dominate males, why didn’t it work on them? Unless, of course, Raymond and Duncan were just playing me for a fool and didn’t really see me as a friend. But I was convinced they considered me one.
So, I started to think maybe Johanne was disguising himself as a female. But that didn’t make sense. He had a distinctly male organ hanging between his legs (admittedly, quite large but not bigger than mine). His body was clearly masculine, built with a solid, ripped physique. As far as I could tell, he was all male.
His gender was becoming increasingly confusing.
“What’s happening to him… is something that shouldn’t be happening to a guy. It’s a condition exclusive to females,” she said, her tone playful as she wagged her finger. “Basically, it’s a girl’s issue, Leon. That’s why it’s impossible for it to be that. Maybe it really is a terminal illness,” she added, a hint of sadness in her expression.
“What is this condition you’re talking about?” I asked, hoping for clarity. Understanding her own experiences might help me determine whether Johanne was a girl or a boy.
“It’s a bit rude to ask a girl about that, Leon, but whatever. It’s not a big deal, and I actually like how serious and cool you look when you’re focused,” she said with a toothy grin. “Now, listen up. It’s something us girls refer to as ‘that time of the month.’ It’s something we experience every month. Basically, it’s…” She leaned in and whispered the word.
Now it was starting to make sense.
“You get it?”
“Yeah,” I said, understanding dawning on me.
Now everything fell into place.
Johanne… was gender-bent.
Now every thing made sense. Gender bending exists in this world! Meaning, there’s no Yaoi, guys!
