Fated to Die to the Player, I’ll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!

Unlike Formula 1 Grand Prix, or NASCAR, Pit Stops for space races mainly focus on rapid repairs—but of course, no matter how fast they move, it would still take a few minutes to complete the process of fixing a battered ship.

Since ships don't need tire changes or fuel top-ups, pit stops are reserved solely for emergencies. Like what happened with Eden's ship.

The damaged wing was rendered completely inoperable, so instead of repairing it immediately, they simply switched to another ship and continued racing, while the broken one underwent full repairs in the meantime.

Though just the act of switching ships brought them to the bottom of the race immediately.

"We'll take a pit stop."

It was currently the 30th lap for us, roughly 90 minutes in. Grand Hellsing, the team in second place, was moving just as predicted, finishing up their 10th lap. But that wasn't the real concern right now.

"Why are we stopping?" Eva asked, brow raised in confusion.

She quickly scanned all the displays and sensors, checking for anomalies. Yet, there were no error messages or warnings. That's because the ship wasn't the one acting up—I was.

"I need rest," I said, letting out a soft sigh. "Out of nowhere, my stomach started aching..."

"You mean... a toilet break?" Eva asked to clarify.

But I wasn't sure myself. I shook my head slightly, my eyes fixed on the endless zigzags ahead. "No... It's more like a crawling pain. Like there's a snake slithering around inside my stomach. I can't really explain it—it's my first time feeling something this strange..."

"Stomach pain... crawling, you said?" Eva muttered to herself—before her eyes widened in realization.

She turned toward Cassandra, who also glanced back at her. The two exchanged looks and nodded at the exact same time.

"Sorry, Arthur... I forgot it's that time of the month for me..." Cassandra said, her voice low and laced with concern. "We'll go with you to the restroom. Just... don't freak out when you see what's happening, alright?"

"Huh? W-Wait, what do you mean? The way you're saying that is kinda terrifying..."

"Anyway, leave this to us. We're more than familiar with the issue you're experiencing right now." Eva added with a resigned sigh. "Just shut up, keep your eyes closed, and follow our instructions. Capiche?"

"..."

Ever since I ended up inside Cassandra's body, these two acted like it doesn't belong to me—well, it really wasn't but you know what I mean. I wasn't even allowed to look, despite the fact that technically, I'd already seen everything there was to see.

"Ugh..."

But the pain was steadily getting worse, clouding my ability to think clearly. I had to ease off the throttle a bit, completing the 31st lap in exactly 5 minutes—before steering left and gliding over to the designated pit stop.

Of course, we didn't have a dedicated pit crew. The area was controlled remotely, with robotic arms operated by Percy from the Range Falcon.

The moment we arrived, the mechanical limbs activated, securing the ship in place as the cockpit visor lifted open, granting us a seamless exit from the craft.

Once I was no longer strapped in my seat, the pain intensified dramatically. I nearly doubled over, instinctively curling up. Cold sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes, and I felt the strong urge to rip off my helmet and wipe them dry.

"Let's go!"

Eva and Cassandra flanked me, grabbing me from both sides before dragging me toward the small restroom installed at the pit stop. Though I say "small," it was at least 5 square meters inside—plenty of room for all three of us to fit comfortably.

Midway there, Cassandra broke away briefly, leaving me alone with Eva in the slightly cramped enclosure.

"We're removing the spacesuit." Eva warned, her tone firm. "I highly suggest keeping your eyes shut until we're done."

Her hands moved swiftly, pressing the purge button on the suit. In seconds, the tight outer layer hissed and popped open, its volume expanding rapidly before each section slid away one by one.

As the outer layer peeled off, my eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of the inner suit—the basic white one designed to absorb sweat and, well, other bodily fluids... But what caught my attention was the streak of deep crimson staining it.

"...!"

My heart skipped a beat. My limbs started shaking. I was—bleeding?!

The blood had already trailed downward—from the abdomen, down the thigh, and even stained the foot. For a brief moment, the pain vanished from shock, only to come roaring back with even greater intensity.

"WAAAH!"

"H-Hey, stop! Quit flailing!!!"

Eva quickly grabbed my hands as I panicked, trying to press against my abdomen. I struggled to break free, but thanks to the difference in our physical strength, I didn't stand a chance...

'This is bad! I'm bleeding badly—was I injured? Stabbed?! I need to seal the wound—Eva, let go! Dammit!'

My thoughts were in chaos, but my mouth remained tightly shut. I trembled from fear, lips quivering, but Eva held her ground, pushing me gently down onto the toilet.

"I told you to close your eyes!" she muttered, gritting her teeth.

Just then, someone entered—the real Cassandra, now in Eva's body. She carried a silver suitcase, marked with the same insignia as the spacesuit that had just been removed.

"Arthur, stay calm. We're going to change your clothes and apply first aid," Cassandra said as she knelt before me. "You're not in any danger, I promise."

"B-But I'm bleeding! There's so much blood..." I stammered, my vision fading as dizziness took over—

*SLAP!*

"Hey! Don't pass out on me!"

—Eva slapped my cheek, snapping me back to full awareness. "We'll lose too much time if you faint here!" she added.

Cassandra, paying no mind to what was happening above her, focused solely on her task. She carefully peeled off the inner suit, revealing my—or rather, her—body completely. The twin peaks, trembling with every convulsion, and everything below, stained with a vivid splash of red.

"I'm dying...!"

"Bastard, stop overreacting! Stay still already!"

Without wasting a second, using a special cloth and spray, Cassandra began wiping the blood away, even reaching down to clean my most sensitive spot. Her movements were methodical, not hesitating in the slightest.

Then, on my abdomen, she slapped something onto the skin. The moment it made contact, it released a spreading warmth that eased the pain—some kind of medicine, maybe?

"Eva, make him look up!" Cassandra ordered, holding something in her hand that looked like a small cloth plug.

Without waiting for my agreement, Eva reached for my chin and tilted it up, locking eyes with me. "Alright, no peeking!"

The words had barely left her lips when—

*Slip!*

I... felt it. Something just slid inside me... It felt strange. Unfamiliar. And also... lacking. Lacking? I don't even know what I'm saying anymore...

"Alright, done! Now we just need to get you suited back up."

Everything else went quickly after that. They helped me into a new inner suit—this one a deep red—followed by a fresh spacesuit. The color scheme matched Eva more than Cassandra, which made me think... were these hers?

Once I was fully suited up again, and the pain had lessened enough to breathe normally, the panic that had overtaken me finally began to fade. I glanced between the two of them, still confused.

"What the hell just happened?"

"It's a woman's monthly trouble."

"Period."

They both answered simultaneously, though Cassandra used more words while Eva went straight to the point. Even as a man, I'd at least heard about this stuff before.

"...Ah."

I felt embarrassed. All that screaming and panicking over something so... natural? Just seeing blood had me losing my mind? When I lost an arm before, I was way calmer than this!

Maybe, just maybe, my mental state is being affected by Cassandra's body, too? There was that earlier incident, after all—when I felt... happy watching people die. It's hard to say for sure, but the possibility is becoming more real by the minute.

"Anyway, let's get moving."

I forced myself to stand, though I moved stiffly. There was a weird feeling between my legs. That thing I felt slide into me... No need to guess what it is.

It's probably that item they call a "Tamp*n." Whenever I closed my legs together, it gave off an odd pressure, so I tried walking with a bit of a strut—keeping my thighs apart to minimize the sensation.

"Stop that, it's embarrassing. Walk properly!" Eva barked, face turning red.

"What? It feels weird when I try to walk normally!"

"And you look even weirder walking like that! Like someone who just got fucked crazy in bed and can't walk straight!"

"Fu—?!" Cassandra turned bright red, caught off-guard by the banter.

"You're a man, right?! Man up, and act like nothing's wrong!"

"Ugh..."

In the end, I was forced to walk normally. It was beyond uncomfortable. Though, thankfully, once I sat back down inside the cockpit, the feeling became a bit more manageable.

I checked the lap timer. We'd spent roughly 7 minutes back there. A costly delay, but a necessary one all the same.

"Let's make up for the time we lost!"

Even though we stopped for 7 whole minutes, the other racers were still 19 laps behind us. There was absolutely no risk of falling behind. Honestly, we could've taken a nap and still stayed ahead by over 15 laps.

Still, this unplanned stop ruined my perfect time. Fortunately, it wouldn't affect the bet. The lowest threshold on their 1,000x counter was 300 minutes—so we had plenty of buffer to work with.

"...Hmm?" That's when I noticed something wasn't right.

I reached up and patted my neck, feeling around—but came up empty. The necklace chain that held Cassandra's key... it was gone. Before I could check my chest and confirm it, Cassandra spoke up.

"Ah, the key is with me." She waved it casually in her hand, dangling the chain and letting it glint between all of us. "I figured it'd be better if I held onto it for now..."

"I see..."

I turned to look at the key, noting the faint, rainbow-like shimmer glowing from its center. Eva, too, was watching it—her gaze fixed, trance-like.

Then Cassandra followed suit... and the second strange phenomenon occurred.

"...Uh?"

My vision suddenly warped—blurred for a heartbeat—before snapping back to clarity. But what I saw wasn't what I expected.

The familiar view in front of me, from a slightly higher angle than before, showed the cockpit interior. I could see both "Eva" and "Cassandra" sitting in front of me.

"This is..." I muttered, listening to the rough tone that came from my throat. "...my body?"

Our troubles were far from over.