Chapter 124: The Thoughtful System
An Han was in a bad mood.
The “period debuff,” plus the confusion of suddenly becoming a woman, made her even more depressed. But right now, the most important thing was to buy a pack of pads.
Walking out of the dorm building, An Han went straight toward the small shop nearby. But after a few steps, she hesitated and changed her destination to the big supermarket on campus.
She knew the small shop owner quite well, and he often chatted with her when she bought things. She was afraid that if she bought pads there, he would give her a strange look.
Becoming a woman didn’t feel that special, just a weird sense of emptiness between her legs.
Since this change had just happened, she wasn’t confident in herself. Every time someone looked her way, she felt the urge to cover her face, worried they might notice something off about her.
The supermarket was in the campus food street, and it was just past 8 p.m. The busiest time of night. Students were everywhere: picking up takeout, buying snacks, getting haircuts, or shopping.
An Han tried to keep a calm face, hiding her nervousness, and walked straight into the supermarket. She stopped in front of the shelf for women’s products.
Looking up at the rows of sanitary pads, the cold mask on her face slowly turned red, and her eyes showed a bit of confusion.
So many brands... which one should I use?
And why are there so many types?
Night use, day use, that’s easy enough to understand, but what do “soft,” “cotton,” and “dry” even mean?
Which one should I buy?
And what’s this—tampons? What are those for?
Her head was full of questions, making her even more lost. She hesitated, picked up one pack, but then suddenly heard footsteps coming her way. Startled, she quickly put it back and turned her head aside, pretending to look elsewhere.
The passing girl gave her a curious glance, then walked away. An Han sighed in relief. Then realized that, with how she looked now, no one would think she was some pervert buying pads. As long as she didn’t run into someone who actually knew her, she could confidently say she was a woman.
“An Han~”
Just as she relaxed, a familiar female voice reached her ears, making her freeze.
“Thanks for earlier this afternoon!”
A light scent of perfume drifted over as the girl came right up next to her, smiling and looping her arm around An Han’s. An Han looked down and realized, it was An Kexin.
What are you thanking me for?
Thanking me for letting you and Su Peng run the three-legged race together, huh?
She didn’t show her frustration, but her nerves tightened. She stiffly asked, “Why are you here…”
“Picking up a package. Thought I’d buy a few things while I’m here.” An Kexin raised the small parcel in her hand, then asked curiously, “What about you?”
“I…” An Han blurted out without thinking, “I’m buying pads for my girlfriend.”
“Oh, that explains why you were standing here staring for so long.”
So you noticed me this whole time, huh?
An Kexin let go of her arm and mumbled softly, “Didn’t expect you to have a girlfriend… I really couldn’t tell.”
“Really…”
“I actually thought you might like guys.”
“......”
When An Han didn’t respond, An Kexin quickly added, “Just kidding.”
“It’s not funny at all.”
“Sorry, sorry. Then how about I help you choose? You’re a guy, you probably don’t know which kind to buy.”
An Kexin’s eyes moved across the rows of sanitary pads as she mumbled, “Didn’t your girlfriend tell you which one she uses?”
“N-no, she didn’t.”
“Then get the antibacterial type. Girls are really sensitive during this time... Hmm, this kind is very breathable, I usually use this one myself…”
An Han was so nervous that her head felt dizzy. She didn’t really hear most of what An Kexin said and just mechanically took the two packs of pads from her hand.
Even though she had felt a bit annoyed with An Kexin that afternoon, she had to admit, this girl was pretty helpful.
At least she didn’t have to worry about buying the wrong product from random online advice. If something went wrong with the ones An Kexin recommended, she could always blame her later.
Feeling a bit curious, An Han pointed at the tampons on the shelf and asked, “What about these?”
“Huh?” An Kexin followed her gaze, her cheeks turning slightly red as she explained awkwardly, “I’ve never used those, but I heard they’re pretty good…”
“Oh... and at night, I should use the night ones, right?”
“Yeah.”
An Han nodded like she understood, but suddenly noticed the strange look in An Kexin’s eyes. She realized she had said too much and tried to change the topic, but An Kexin was already looking at her suspiciously.
“Why are you asking so many questions? Don’t tell me… you’re the one using them?”
“N-no, of course not.”
An Kexin’s eyes dropped to An Han’s chest, slightly hidden under her jacket, but still showing some curves. She remembered that the last time they met, it was also in this same aisle for women’s products.
Enduring her sharp gaze, An Han just held the two packs tightly and walked straight to the cashier.
Whether she had been exposed or not didn’t matter for now, what mattered was figuring out how to use them in the dorm without being found out.
“Remember to change them every two hours during the day~” came a teasing voice from behind, like the whisper of a devil.
An Han walked even faster, head down, handing the pads to the cashier.
Change every two hours? Then what about when I’m in class? Should I use the public restroom?
And how do I carry them? Take a few and put them in my pocket?
Wait, did An Kexin notice something? Maybe she’s already starting to suspect I’m actually a girl?
It hasn’t even been two hours since I turned into one, how could she figure it out this fast?!
After paying, An Han forced herself to stay calm and waved goodbye. “I’ll head back first, bye.”
“Bye-bye~”
Carrying the store’s opaque shopping bag, she quickly turned a corner and went toward the nearest public restroom.
Luckily, the bag wasn’t see-through, so bringing it back to the dorm wouldn’t raise suspicion. The only problem was where to hide it, somewhere private but easy to reach when needed.
This wasn’t like her old girl clothes or chest wraps. Those she barely used and could hide deep inside her drawer, the wraps especially were tucked between folded clothes where her roommates would never notice.
Inside the women’s restroom, she followed an online tutorial to stick the pad properly on her underwear. Only then did she walk back toward the dorm, full of worries.
“Damn it, I just turned into a girl and now I already have my period…”
“Good thing the system didn’t make me a girl all at once. I’d already been slowly feminized before this, so changing gender just added new ‘parts.’ It doesn’t affect daily life that much…”
Thinking about it that way, maybe the system was actually being… kind?
“Kind, my ass! Stupid damn system!”