A little time has passed, and things have definitely changed.
I may have looked the same before, but now… I could definitely feel those pregnancy vibes starting to kick in.
It seemed like about three months had gone by since I first realized I was pregnant.
“Hmm…”
“What are you staring at?”
“…Just? It’s amazing how different my belly looks now.”
“That’s true.”
During this time, I’ve been sluggish and dealing with a lot of morning sickness.
It’s been quite a hassle.
Personally, I’ve felt pretty uncomfortable, and honestly, I’ve been feeling more tired as time goes on.
Anyway, after a tiring few months, I’ve finally reached the point where anyone can tell I’m pregnant.
My belly had grown to a noticeable size.
“Is it going to get bigger from here?”
“Presumably. The baby is growing inside, and at this size, it’s kind of awkward, isn’t it?”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Of course… To be honest, it’s heavy and tough.”
But still, it’s the baby growing bigger, so I didn’t harbor any bad thoughts about it.
In fact, I was looking forward to it.
“…Lindera, what are you going to name the baby?”
“Uh…”
I really hadn’t thought about it much.
Choosing a baby name was definitely something that needed to be done, but with my tired body working hard recently, maybe I put it aside.
I was focusing on getting baby clothes and such, though.
“Hmm…”
“Mm…”
“We can take our time deciding, right? It’s not like the baby’s coming right away…?”
“That’s true.”
Anyway, I figured there wasn’t a rush to pick an actual name right now.
Before the baby arrives, we could at least decide on a placeholder name…
A placeholder name is practically a code name anyway.
“More importantly, what are you going to tell the boss?”
“………”
I had already agreed to inform the boss about my situation.
Of course, I was supposed to contact the boss and explain how things were between me and the Commander.
Yet the Commander had been deliberately avoiding contact.
It’s been three months now, and still no word.
“We agreed to tell them.”
“…I know.”
“You know?”
“…I feel like doing so might put my life at risk in too many ways.”
“…What are we going to do about this?”
“…Sorry.”
I understood where the Commander was coming from.
The boss wasn’t just your average parent; he was practically like a mafia don.
He was someone who ran a private military company.
That title of Agent hid it well, but it was basically that sort of business.
They had people with physical capabilities beyond normal soldiers.
Having a bunch of mercenaries under someone was, um…
Telling a mob lord that I got pregnant before marriage would definitely be scary.
“Let’s just deal with it cleanly. I’ll help you. You know… you probably won’t get killed.”
“…Isn’t that usually the response to say it’s okay?”
“…It should be fine. Maybe.”
I wasn’t too sure about it either.
After all, that was like facing a natural disaster.
“Still, it’s better to contact them quickly. If the belly gets any bigger before you do…”
“…That would really be dangerous.”
“Yeah…”
Right now, the belly was just slightly visible.
Still, people could definitely tell I was pregnant, and if it gets any bigger?
That would be truly hazardous.
Even though I knew I wasn’t his biological daughter, I knew the boss really cared for me like one.
It was hard to shake off that thought.
“Yawn…”
“…You’re really tired, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m always tired.”
“……..”
The Commander looked like he had made a decision after hearing me.
I had no idea what it was, but it felt like it might be something unnecessary.
Usually, the Commander was more normal when he wasn’t serious.
*
“Commander, are you really going to send the email?”
“…I have to. Doing nothing now would only cause more issues.”
“That’s true, but you seem to be rushing things a lot…”
The Commander suddenly started typing away as he began working on an email to the boss.
The subject, of course, was about my pregnancy.
I knew he intended to send it, but I hadn’t expected him to go for it this suddenly.
“…We should let the boss know. We need to inform our place too…”
“…This feels very abrupt.”
“What? You should have reached out a month ago, to be honest.”
“True…”
Still, it felt awkward to see the Commander sending a message now.
I had figured he would delay it a bit longer.
Anyway, that evening, while I was in my room, the Commander was banging away at the keyboard all on his own.
Since I got pregnant, we’d been living in the same room almost every day.
I guess it was due to my condition.
It was better if I rested a lot, and then the Commander would wake me up later.
My health wasn’t great after all.
“Hmm… Is this enough for the content?”
“…Maybe?”
“…It’s a bit vague.”
“Well, I’ve never sent an email like this before.”
I wasn’t so sure either.
But roughly speaking, he had covered the essentials.
That should be enough, right?
The email the Commander was composing for the boss contained a few tidbits.
How Lindera and he ended up dating, how their relationship crossed a line, and that I was pregnant. Also, asking if he could come by our area when he had the time.
Since I’d be quite exhausted traveling all the way to the headquarters right now.
A quite straightforward email.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would be fine.
“…Once you send it, I’ll text the boss separately.”
“How?”
“…I’ll say something important is going on. Just to not anger him, I’ll suggest he read the email…”
“…He seems likely to get angry though.”
“Well, maybe you should have used the condom better.”
“What was I supposed to do in that situation?”
Well, that was true.
In fact, I wasn’t blaming the Commander for this at all.
Honestly, it was partly my fault and partly his.
“…But what if someone gets sent to kill us after sending?”
“…Is the baby’s dad going to kill me? Seriously?”
“…I guess not, right?”
Even if he was a Commander, being scared of the boss was just natural.
I got that.
The sight of the baby’s dad looking a bit… well, silly was kind of amusing, but still, he was the baby’s dad.
“Lindera, how about this?”
“What now?”
The Commander showed me something on the monitor.
I had no idea what it was, so I turned my eyes back to it.
“…A dress?”
“Yup.”
“…Out of nowhere?”
“Yup.”
What appeared on the monitor were various designs of dresses.
I had no clue why he was showing me this all of a sudden.
But the Commander was just showcasing dresses to me without restraint.
Just a little while ago, he was all focused on writing that email, but now, dresses?
What a… strange mix-up.
Why was someone who was trying to send an email to the boss suddenly showing me dresses?
“Why are you showing me this? Are you planning to gift it to the boss?”
“Not really. It’s… Your belly is starting to show more, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So… I thought it wouldn’t be comfortable to wear your usual clothes anymore.”
“…Ah.”
So that was the intention.
I only understood once he explained.
It was natural to not get it when he suddenly flashed pictures of dresses without context.
I’m not exactly a genius at guessing.
“Well… It does seem like a good idea. The t-shirts I wear these days… they show off my belly too much, so I avoid wearing them.”
“Right?”
“Yeah, of course, it won’t be a problem, but… it’s a tad uncomfortable when they cling to my body.”
“Exactly. Let’s grab some clothes while we’re at it, that’s why I’m showing you this.”
“Hmm… Are there any prettier ones?”
As I looked at the dresses on the monitor, that slipped out.
Maybe they were designed a bit… matronly.
Though I was sure I wouldn’t look that way wearing them, I still wanted something a bit cuter.
After all, these outfits would be for when I was in front of the Commander.
“Shall I look for more?”
“That would be great, thanks.”
“Then I’ll look for more.”
“Yep.”
Anyway… that’s how it went.
I had no clue why he suddenly showed me maternity clothes while getting ready to send an email, but I figured it was because he was thinking of me, so I’ll just appreciate it.
“Now, can you send the email?”
“Oh.”
“…You’re not trying to delay this by showing me dresses, are you?”
“……..”
The Commander, silent.
It felt like he genuinely had nothing to say.
What a familiar scene.
Anyway, the Commander’s evasion had to stop here.
He had all the content for the email ready anyway.
So I snatched the mouse connected to the computer in my room and clicked send on the email.
Then, I sent off a text to the boss right after.
I had already prepared the text message, so that wasn’t an issue.
“Wait, Lindera? This seems too hasty…”
The Commander showed a manly side in the middle of this, but I sent off both the email and text without a second thought.
That was easy.
In hindsight, delaying this just made the Commander look foolish.
-Ding! Ding!
“Oh.”
Less than three minutes after sending the email and text, the Commander’s phone started ringing.
…That was faster than I expected.
But I trusted the Commander would handle it well, so I let him answer while I grabbed some ice cream from the freezer.
Lately, I’ve been craving sweet foods like the Commander, partly due to the pregnancy.
There was no helping it.
It definitely wasn’t like I was enjoying seeing the Commander in a difficult spot or anything.
Or at least I hope not?
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