Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Ch 143: The near scare
The dorm lady looked anxious, making Rika curious about the situation.

But Rika did not want to be a noisy bastard who could not read the room. So, she decided to keep her curiosity at bay and make her way upstairs calmly.

Her room door was locked, but it had been so for the past week. Rika had become accustomed to carrying her keys and opening the door.

The inside of the door was dark and damp. When the bathroom door was opened, the tub was filled with water.

Charon had fallen asleep in the bath, and Rika panicked for a minute before touching Charon’s still-warm body.

The water was also at an average temperature, which likely meant that she had not been in the bath for long.

“Shit! Should I call someone to help me out with Charon? I don’t think I can drag her to her bed alone.”

Rika complained, but even she knew that it was not valid.

Her training had prepared her for all kinds of situations. And Rika could even drag Damian if the problem was urgent enough.

Compared to that mass of muscles, dragging Charon out of her bath and back into the bed was not a difficult task.

But it did make Rika feel comfortable, as the wet skin and clothes touched her body, which also made Rika wet.

“So…that is done. What should I do now? More importantly, how did Charon even fall asleep in the bathtub? Does it even make sense?”

Rika asked herself but could not come up with an answer to her questions.

Rika did not want to jump to conclusions with the culprit asleep, so she shook Charon to wake her up.

Nothing happened at first. Charon did not show a hint of waking up, which scared Rika.

” W- What if something is wrong with Charon, and she is dying? What should I do? Should I wake her up by some other means? Should I call a doctor?”

When Charon’s eyes twitched, Rika picked up her phone and dialled the number for a hospital.

[Hello! How can I help you-]

Rika cut the phone off before the person on the other side could finish speaking.

Charon looked alright, and she was alive. This relief filled Rika, causing her body to lose all the tension building up inside it.

“You are alive! Thank god you are alive! Do you know how worried I was for you? I thought you drowned in the bathroom when I saw you unconscious in the tub. What happened?”

Rika asked without waiting to even breathe between her questions.

These rapid questions made Charon blink when, so she looked at Rika. But she somehow understood each work that came out of Rika’s mouth.

“Calm down, Rika. It’s fine. I fell asleep in the bathtub, too tired to do anything else. I had to go out in the afternoon, and before I knew it, I was exhausted. How about you keep this a secret from others, alright?”

Rika looked at Charon with a blank expression on her face.

She could not believe that Charon was trying to gaslight her into thinking that this almost-drowning incident happened because Charon was a little tired.

Did the older think Rika was naive enough to believe her words?

“Rika, I understand that you are worried. But we all have skeletons in our closets that we don’t want to share. Also, this is a one-time incident, and I assure you that this will not happen again. So let it go this time.”

Charon’s smile was radiating, and her expression was serene. It was clear that she would not take a ‘no’ as an answer from Rika.

Rika wanted to disagree with Charon but also realised that Charon was unstable right now. It was better to let her have her way until a solution was found.

“Fine! I am unhappy, but I can keep your secret for now.”

Rika made sure her reluctance showed on her face, but it did nothing to change Charon’s mind about coming clean to her or her other friends.

But for now, that was okay. It helped Rika buy some time and also be aware of the situation.

“I think I will go back to sleep now. Could you tell the dorm lady that I don’t want dinner tonight? I want to fall asleep.”

Charon waved off Rika, reaching for her pill bottle on the table.

Before Rika knew it, Charon had a sleeping pill in her hand, and she put it in her mouth.

Judging by her condition, this was not the first one she had that day. Her body was shaking, and her pupils were acting weirdly.

It all pointed to a slight drug overdose, and Rika’s training jumped into action.

Charon blinked as the pill was pried out from her mouth, and Rika quickly threw it into the bathroom bin before heading back inside the room and dragging Charon back onto her feet.

“First, get changed into fresh and dry clothes. You will catch a cold if you remain like this. Next, go to sleep and do not take the pill. I think you’ve had enough of these for a while. Everything else can wait for now.”

Rika commanded, and Charon found herself doing what the younger wanted.

Her actions were unconscious, but she was quickly dry and back in bed.

“I will be confiscating your pills for the time being. Ask me if you need them, and I will regulate your daily supply. Do you understand? Now go to sleep.”

Rika commanded, and Charon complied with her with a blank expression on her face.

The room was quiet once Charon fell asleep, and Rika breathed a sigh of relief once she saw Charon’s sleeping face.

Her rapidly beating heart also calmed down slowly, but it was a close thing.

“What just happened? I feel a headache coming on. I should skip dinner and go to sleep.

Rika was tempted to take a pill and fall asleep, too. But in the end, she decided to head down and have dinner with everyone else.