"Hey, Zee."
Min Lin pressed her backpack against her stomach, curling slightly forward. Her face looked pale, browed tightly drawn together.
Zee didn't ask what was wrong. He already knew—it was that time of the month again.
Without a word, Zee Zhou stood up, slipped out of the classroom, and returned a moment later with a hot-water bottle in his hands.
"Here."
From behind her seat, he gently tucked it against her abdomen. Min grabbed it immediately, pressing it to her lower stomach like a lifeline. The warmth spread slowly, easing the pain. She finally felt well enough to lift her head.
Just as she turned to thank him, all she saw was the back of Zee's head.
He fell asleep already?
Is sitting next to me really that boring?
She said nothing and lowered her head again, letting the warmth do its work. Her thoughts drifted on their own.
She couldn't remember when she had gotten her first period. But she remembered clearly the first time Zee found out. He hadn't reacted at all.
That was normal, she supposed. How could a boy understand this kind of pain? The kind that made you swear ridiculous things in your head—If this pain would just stop, I'd gladly get zero on every exam.
Periods hurt. A lot.
Back then, she had looked at Zee's blank expression, heard his calm "Oh," and for no reason at all, anger had surged inside her.
"Go get me a hot-water bottle."
"…Huh?"
"Now. Go to the infirmary and get one."
Her voice hadn't been loud, but it was low and sharp. With her messy hair and hollow stare, Zee had run off instantly. It was probably the first time he had ever seen Min look so terrifying.
After that, something changed.
Whenever Min entered her period week, Zee noticed almost immediately. Her silence, the way she moved more slowly—he caught it all. And soon after, a hot-water bottle would appear on her desk.
"It's only because I scared him back then," Min muttered softly.
"If only… you actually wanted to help me."
This kind of thing probably only happened to girls a boy liked, right?
What am I even thinking?
Zee turned slightly, catching bits of her murmuring, completely confused. He was helping her sincerely—just as a friend. A childhood friend.
When Min first got her period, he hadn't even known what menstruation really was. He didn't know it could hurt. But when he saw her pale face back then, he understood—this was serious.
At first, he had been afraid. Afraid that one night, she might come after him with a knife.
But slowly, that fear turned into something else. Something harder to explain.
He didn't like seeing her look so helpless, so drained, while he could only sit there.
Getting her a hot-water bottle no longer felt like something he had to do.
Zee kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to think too deeply about where this feeling came from.
It was probably because Min was important to him. Close. Like family.
Yeah. That had to be it.
She wasn't Yuexin. She wasn't his goddess.
If it were Yuexin who was unwell, he'd definitely feel something different—panic, frustration, sadness.
That answer satisfied him.
Still, he didn't open his eyes.