Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Ch 107: This unsettling feeling
When Rika returned, the dorm was quiet. It was late afternoon, and Rika no longer knew which day it was.

She knew the dorm leader was disappointed in her for not contacting her about what had happened.

Rika expected to be scolded and even hit by the dorm lady when she opened the door, but she did not expect a pair of warm arms to warp around her shoulder and pull Rika in a hug.

“Are you alright? I hope nothing is wrong this time. I know I gave you a hard time about staying out all the time, Rika. But it makes me so worried when you don’t return. It makes me think of the worst and-”

That hug felt warm. Rika did not remember ever being hugged like this in her life.

It felt soothing, caring…and a little tight…fuck! The hug was a lot tighter than Rika expected. It was hurting her back, and her ribs were protesting now.

“E-Excuse me, but I c-cannot breathe. C-Can you let me go now.”

Rika tapped at the dorm lady’s back, and the flushed female immediately let Rika escape her clutches with a blush on her face.

“Oops, I sometimes forget my strength. Now, you must be tired. Why don’t you go and rest in your room? I am sure that Charon would appreciate your company as well. She has not come down since the morning, but I am sure she is fine. She is a good girl, after all.”

The dorm finally let Rika go, and quickly walked up the stairs and toward her room.

She could not help but suddenly feel tired. The sight of her door room made Rika’s fatigue worse, and she opened the door and collided with Charon the first chance she got.

Coincidentally, Charon was also about to open the door when Rika entered the room, and the older female looked startled to see Rika.

Something felt…off about Charon.

Rika had never seen dark circles under her eyes, and Charon’s skin was never this pale.

Charon looked sick.

“Rika, you are back! Could you come inside now? Man! I was so happy to get a roommate after so long, but my one and only roommate kept ditching me for her friends. I see how things are.”

Charon’s words were spoken in a jesting voice. But Rika could not help but feel a little creeped out.

She did not know why, but looking at Charon made Rika feel sick.

“Where is my puppy, Charon? It usually greets me as soon as I enter the room.”

Rika asked with an almost uncomfortable look on her face.

The longer she spent with Charon, the more unstable, the older beta looked to Rika. It felt like she was talking to an unfamiliar figure, and Rika felt her heart skip a beat in fright.

“Hmm, your puppy is fine! Fey came into my room half an hour ago and took the puppy to play. Why did you think I did something to it? As if! It would be best if you gave that puppy a name by now. You can’t keep calling it a ‘puppy’ forever.”

Charon’s voice was joking throughout her monologue, but Rika did not know why she made her heart skip a beat, and her instincts also went out of control when she was with the older female.

“Ah fuck! Wait a minute, Rika. I need to head to the bathroom. Nature is calling my name, and I need to answer.”

Rika blinked as Charon pulled her hand up to her face. Although her long-sleeved shirt looked uncomfortable, it looked good on Charon.

Somehow, Charon was the only person who could wear long sleeves in the summer and make them look comfortable on her body.

When Charon disappeared from the room, Rika felt like she could breathe easier again.

Rika almost collapsed on the first bed she found, but she stopped herself in time. This was not her bed, and Rika felt a blush creep up.

‘I am sure Charon would not have minded if I relaxed on her bed. But I do not want to make her feel uncomfortable with me. Ah, now it makes sense.’

A red stain on Charon’s bed suspiciously looked like blood. It was a little higher than the usual stain during periods, but it was enough to make Rika’s tension bleed away from her body.

“So, both of us are on our cycles right now? What a coincidence. I should pretend that I did not see anything.”

Rika put the cover back and went to her bed to collapse.

Charon came out about ten minutes later, and she collapsed on her blood-strained bed.

Rika debated whether to speak up about Charon’s strained bedsheet but ultimately remained quiet and pretended she did not see anything.

A few hours later, Charon returned to her usual self, and Rika’s instincts calmed down, and she felt relaxed.

She spent time in her room until the twins’ door opened with a sudden bang, and one of them entered with the puppy.

That small thing wiggled in Fey’s hands before scratching her up and running behind Rika. People experiencing poverty looked traumatised after being forced to experience whatever Fey had moved them to.

“Aww, don’t run away from me, puppy! I promise I will take good care of you. So please, come back to me.”

Fey asked, but the puppy refused. It did not seem to like Fey much either, and Rika could not help but chuckle at the anti-social nature of this puppy.

‘How fitting. Most of the people I am close to are antisocial humans. I did not expect my puppy to join that trend, but it is so cute.’

Rika almost giggled but controlled herself, and instead, she petted the puppy in her arms.

Fey looked shocked and betrayed at the puppy’s actions.

“T-This is not fair! I fed you and took care of you. How dare you run toward someone else the first chance you get? This is betrayal! See if I feed you again!”

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Psss. If you gift me well a castle, I’ll instantly release a chapter. J-Just saying that this is an option