Chapter 71: Can I Pee on It?

(1)

November 17th, 2009, Tuesday.

“Choo, ah-choo~ah!!”

An Jing sneezed several times in a row, feeling as if even the blood in her veins was flowing faster.

Yesterday, she wet the bed, and her sister had just washed the sheets.

This morning, menstrual blood ended up staining the sheet again.

As a result, it had to be washed once more…

She wondered if she’d have any spare sheets left for tonight.

Holding her aching head, she couldn’t help but feel a bit irritable.

The troubles of being a girl—until you actually become one, you can’t even imagine them.

“Ah…huff…”

An Jing took a deep breath of the cold air, swept her gaze over the empty classroom, then fished out a manga from her desk drawer—the one Second Sister had just bought yesterday.

It was a story about fighting vampires.

The man on the cover looked very handsome, so Yu Mingfei must have thought it was one of those romance manga.

But actually, it was a story that barely brushed against romance at all—about humans battling vampires.

The handsome guy on the cover?

He was killed by the burly, muscular uncle of a male lead within the first few pages.

Second Sister had read more than half of it, but all she saw was fighting and killing.

She got so annoyed that she left it on the coffee table and stopped reading.

When An Jing set out this morning, she asked her a few questions and casually stuffed it into her own schoolbag.

Boys always loved these kinds of action stories.

An Jing was no exception.

She gently flipped open the cover with her soft, cute little hands and glanced at the prologue.

Suddenly, as if she’d just realized some world-shattering secret, she muttered, “No wonder vampires always go for young girls… Is it because young girls have more ‘volume’?”

Her period had just started yesterday, so naturally, it hadn’t ended yet today.

An Jing was starting to get used to the feeling of being wrapped in a sanitary pad.

To be honest, it even made her feel strangely secure.

Knowing there was still a big pack left in her bag made her feel even more at ease.

The main character in the manga was a man who could kill vampires without batting an eye.

No matter what reasons they gave to beg for mercy, he would never show any leniency.

Honestly, there were a few dazzling female vampires, and when she saw him chop off their heads in one swing, she actually thought it was a bit of a shame…

“This guy really doesn’t know how to show mercy to a beautiful woman…”

An Jing grumbled to herself.

She was halfway through when the classroom door was suddenly pushed open with force, and the sound of brisk footsteps echoed in.

“Yo, you’re here early.”

“You’re pretty early too…”

An Jing lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced at the tall Zhang Huangqi. Just as her gaze was about to drop to her empty chest, she pulled it back.

“You opened the door today?”

“You climbed in through the window again.”

“Well, you were late.”

“It’s cold. What’s wrong with sleeping a bit more?”

“You still have to get up, even if it’s cold.”

An Jing yawned.

“So, did you get the thing you promised to buy for me yesterday?”

“Hm?”

“Hey!”

An Jing protested, “You promised! The kind of pastries Zhu Ying loves the most—you said you’d bring me some!”

“Oh~ that. I forgot.”

“Hey!”

“Haha, just kidding. I got up early and went to check, but the old man hadn’t opened the shop.”

“Didn’t you say he opens really early?”

“Well, yeah, but lately he’s been not opening for several days in a row.”

Zhang Huangqi strode over to the seat behind An Jing and hung her bag on the chair.

“Huh? Is the old man not in good health?”

An Jing hugged the manga and turned around.

“Don’t tell me he’s never opening again?”

“It’s not that he’s unhealthy. He’s just made enough money and wants to enjoy life a bit. Lately, I heard he’s gotten hooked on fishing.”

“Oh.”

“But he’ll definitely be open on Friday.”

“Friday…”

“Why don’t you go buy it yourself? I’ll give you the address.”

“How early would I have to get up?”

“I suggest you get up early. Lots of people go there in the morning to buy those pastries for breakfast.”

“Well, it depends how far your place is.”

“So what time would I have to get there?”

“Five o’clock.”

“That’s way too early!”

“If you don’t get there early, the kind Zhu Ying likes will be all snatched up.”

“Friday, right…”

An Jing puffed her cheeks and nodded.

“Fine, give me the address.”

“Alright. It’s over by Beishan Park.”

“That far, huh.”

“You’re so troublesome. How am I supposed to remember the exact street number?”

Zhang Huangqi shot her a look.

“It’s across from Beishan Park, next to a big general store. The shop is called Da Ye Pastries.”

“That’s a pretty straightforward name…”

“Right? Those pastries aren’t even a local specialty—only that shop sells them.”

“So when I go, what do I say again? What’s the name?”

“Just ask Da Ye, say you want to buy xueyi red bean cakes. Zhu Ying’s appetite… two or three should be enough.”

“You sure know her well… but you two don’t seem especially close, do you?”

“Heh, remembering what my friends like is just a habit of mine.”

“Childhood friends, huh.”

“You’re a childhood friend too.”

“You’re the childhood friend!”

“See? Only childhood friends say things like that.”

“Hmph.”

***

(2)

They say being in love is a feeling you can’t get enough of.

But the way An Jing and Zhu Ying got along was very calm.

Yet that calmness didn’t feel uncomfortable.

On the contrary, it felt especially natural and familiar.

“Wanna go to the restroom?”

“Uh… I can’t go with you to the girls’ room…”

“I’ll escort you to the fifth floor, okay?”

“Come on—between two classes, you haven’t been to the restroom in ages. Go, hurry up!”

“Ah, okay?”

Zhu Ying didn’t care at all about what others thought.

Just like that, she dragged An Jing out of the classroom.

The quiet classroom instantly became lively again after a few seconds.

“Huh?”

“What’s the deal with An Jing and Zhu Ying?”

“No way, really?”

“Is that for real?”

“Hey, Huangqi, do you know what’s going on with Zhu Ying and An Jing?”

“Yeah, are you close with An Jing? Know what’s up?”

Zhang Huangqi propped her chin up, looking at the girls who were asking her for gossip, and replied casually, “They’re a couple.”

“Eh—? You’re not joking?”

“Really?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“She picked the least boyish guy…”

“So Zhu Ying actually likes that type?”

The students immediately started gossiping excitedly.

Compared to the boring grind of third year, this kind of gossip was way more interesting.

Meanwhile, An Jing and Zhu Ying, the people at the center of it all, had already reached the fifth-floor restroom.

A class had just finished their lab period and were trickling downstairs.

When they’d all left, the place became quiet again.

“Are you going to the boys’ room?”

Zhu Ying tilted her head at An Jing.

“Uh… I’ll try to go to the boys’.”

“No one’s here anyway, go ahead. I’ll wait outside for you.”

“Okay. Ah, right, should I change it again?”

“If it’s a lot, then change it.”

An Jing nodded and was about to go in when she suddenly stopped.

“Hey, by the way, what would happen if I peed on it?”

“…In theory, it’d absorb it, but are you sure you want to do that?”

Zhu Ying looked at her helplessly, her eyes drooping slightly.

“Ahem, I was just asking…”

An Jing coughed awkwardly and quickly walked in.

She was just wondering—if she was going to use her Superpower soon, could she put one on in advance?

That way, she wouldn’t have to scramble to find a restroom.

But that would feel just like wearing a diaper…

Inside the stall, she clumsily threw away the used pad, pulled the flush ring to wash it away, then put on a clean one.

She’d thought girls only needed one pad a day, but if you wanted to be comfortable, you basically had to change it three times a day. Including the one before bed, it was about four times.

There weren’t that many little packs in a big bag…

“This really is quite an expense…” she muttered, tearing open the package and carefully sticking it in place.

“Hope it ends by tomorrow…”

“How was it? Any leaks today?”

As she came out, Zhu Ying covered her mouth with her little hand, giggling.

“Nope.”

An Jing scratched her head.

“Do girls have to change this many times every day?”

“Some only use one a day.”

“Eh… is that even possible? It gets so uncomfortable when it’s wet, and feels gross.”

“If there’s not much, it’s fine. Some probably want to save money, so they just put up with it.”

Zhu Ying shook her head.

“As for me, as soon as I feel a bit uncomfortable, I change it right away.”

“I change pretty often too, at least it feels fresher.”

An Jing turned on the faucet, carefully tested the water temperature with her finger, and, finding it not too cold, washed her whole hand thoroughly.

“How do you feel now? Still uncomfortable? Are you cold?”

Zhu Ying clasped her hands behind her back and circled An Jing twice, asking curiously.

“I don’t really feel anything now. Just a bit weak, but otherwise I’m fine.”

“Looks like your body’s getting used to it. So, how does it feel, having a period as a boy?”

“It’s not good at all!”

An Jing rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Really? Haha… But when you’re on your period, you seem to have a faint, nice scent.”

“Huh? Blood smells count as nice? Are you a vampire or something…?”

“No, it’s… the smell of Traditional Chinese Medicine.”

“That’s probably because I took Traditional Chinese Medicine for a week before…”

“Maybe, huh?”

Zhu Ying smiled and took An Jing’s still-damp little hand.

“Come on, let’s go back to class.”

“Ah, but if we go back holding hands…”

“So what? This way, everyone knows we’re a couple.”

“Wow… I thought you’d want to keep it a secret. You never told anyone before, not even Zhang Huangqi.”

“I just didn’t think it was necessary to make an announcement.”

“Ahem… I feel like I’ll become the enemy of every boy in school.”

“Then can I become the enemy of every girl in school?”

“That’d only happen if Yang Lingfei showed up… I heard he started dating someone outside of school because he was worried about this sort of thing…”

“Du Shenfei, huh…”

Zhu Ying blinked, “I don’t like him.”

“Eh, why? He seems like a decent person.”

“Well…”

Zhu Ying lowered her head and thought for a while, then looked up with a bright-eyed smile.

“He’s just not pure enough.”

“You—you make it sound like I’m super pure. Listen, I’ve seen a lot of—uh—stuff.”

“What I mean by pure has nothing to do with whether you’ve seen a lot of that kind of thing, okay?”

“Then what exactly counts as pure?”

“Pfft… An Jing.”

“Huh, what do you mean?”

“If you don’t get it, just forget it.”