Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Ch 173: Running Away
Rika reached home in a state of shocked awe.

The words of confession she heard from the alpha pair continued to swim around her head, and they did not leave Rika alone for even a second.

“Huh? What is this weird feeling I am getting? I should be beyond happy that I got confessed to by the people I liked. Then why am I feeling this particular feeling of doom in my heart? This situation…just does not feel real.”

Rika finally addressed what she felt as she clutched her heart.

Once she addressed her problem, Rika immediately recognised what was happening to her- she was feeling nervous and afraid.

The happiness gushing in her heart was too much for Rika to handle. From personal experience, she knew these happy times were often short-lived.

Maybe that was why Rika did not jump at the opportunity to date the people she liked the most in the world and, instead, chose to run away like this.

‘Fuckkkk! I should have stayed behind and figured out this situation. I am sure I confessed as well. Or did I confess at all? I can’t remember! It’s all a haze in my head. Maybe I am still being affected by my heat!’

Rika sighed as she opened the door to her dorm house.

She had finally reached home, and it was time to head inside. There was only so much Rika could do while standing outside and wallowing in her self-pity.

“Welcome back, Rika. Did you have a relaxing time with your friends? I saw your message and…are you alright? Your face…and your neck. Rika, did something happen? Do I need to call the police? Are you wearing perfume?”

The dorm lady asked in a worried voice as soon as she noticed Rika and her abnormal silence.

Rika felt her face flaming red at the rapid questions. She could not answer a single one of them.

She did not want to answer them. It was a private matter involving Rika’s personal life.

“I am fine! It was fun to stay out, but I don’t want to do it too regularly. I-I should head to my room now.”

Rika was not running away from this situation of having to answer the form lady; she was just making a tactical retreat. There was no shame in doing that.

Even if it did feel like she was running away, that was not the case.

“Ah! I don’t need to ask again if you are sure you are alright. But do let me know if you need anything. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable living in this house. I want all my tenants to be happy and satisfied with life.”

Rika suddenly felt guilty as she looked at the dorm lady’s-tired face. It looked as if she had not slept the night before, and it was understandable.

But as much as Rika wanted to reassure her that she was a friendly landlord, her voice was not cooperating, and her body was beginning to feel sour.

“I’ll go and rest in my room now. I will let you know if I need anything.”

Rika promised before she headed upstairs and opened her door.

It was dark inside, and Shuu was not even there to greet Rika. By now, the pup had all but been adopted by Fey and Flourite, and they cared for it more than Rika was.

Rika entered the dark room and was about to turn on the light when her eyes turned to look at Charon.

She had not seen the older female ever since she got admitted to the hospital, and Rika’s heart suddenly skipped the beat.

She let go of thoughts of embarrassment and confession as her eyes took in the gnarly, tired face in front of her.

“Hey…”

Rika did not know what to say to Charon, so that was all she could do. It did the job, and Charon turned to look at Rika with her blank look.

“You are back! Did you have an excellent time while being out? Don’t look at me with that worried look; I am alright. I just had a little accident yesterday, but I am fine now. Even I don’t know when I overdose, so you don’t have to feel bad about it.”

Charon tried to sound cheerful, but she was forcing herself.

Rika had not felt guilty until now, but Charon’s words startled Rika.

“In hindsight, it was likely a spur of the moment. I was just too tired, but sleep was hard to come by. So, I chuged a couple of sleeping pills. And the next thing you know, I am in the hospital, being treated for an overdose. Talk about being careless. But you don’t have to worry anymore. It’s fine now.”

Charon was babbling now. But Rika neither pointed it out nor stopped Charon from speaking these words out loud.

It was clear that the older beta was a victim of depression, but she did not seem to know about it.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you feel uncomfortable. But I would like to listen to you if you have something to say to me.”

Rika promised as she sat on her bed and maintained distance from Charon’s side.

She did it because she felt it was appropriate for Charon to have as much space to get comfortable as possible.

But Rika had never been great at following social cues, and Charon’s eyes flashed with disappointment as she settled down a little bit.

“Something to say, huh! Well, I don’t know where to start or what to say. I don’t even know if I want to express my worries. They feel so small compared to people’s worries when I think about them. But they still overwhelm me sometimes.”

Rika somewhat understood what Charon meant.

However, she could not advise Charon to air her laundry and feel better.

After all, Rika ran away from her situation the most. She even ran away from a confession because she was too nervous to face her friends afterwards.