“Lindera.”
“Yes?”
“…How about telling the boss to go back?”
“…That’s something I can’t really do either.”
Now, I was slowly nearing the end of my pregnancy.
It was truly a situation where I needed to be careful.
My belly had grown so much that it was incomparable to the early days.
Of course, that was expected, but it made moving around quite uncomfortable.
“Ha… Lately, there have been constant discussions coming from headquarters…”
“Well… it’s not something I can do anything about.”
“The boss came here because of you, Lindera. Can’t you do something about it…?”
“…Even if you say that…”
There was nothing I could do.
I had never said to go back even once.
In fact, I had spoken enough already.
But still, he insisted he wouldn’t go back until he saw me give birth…
I felt quite helpless in many ways.
“…Why don’t we just change it up?”
“Change what?”
“…How about the boss works on our ship…?”
“…Is that possible?”
“…I don’t know.”
But still… wouldn’t it be better to try something?
It seemed the company could be in various kinds of danger if things continued like this.
“Since I’m pregnant and staying in Zone 07… I think they might accept the request, right?”
“That definitely seems like a possibility…”
“At least it’s better than not trying anything at all.”
“That does seem right. Just like you said, Lindera… it might be worth a shot.”
Anyway, we were having that discussion.
It had been a while since I came to Easter’s cafe and had a little chat with my sister.
It was a bit of an awkward combination, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well… it’s uncomfortable.”
“Is it just me, or does your belly look even more pronounced than before?”
“There’s no helping it. That’s proof that the baby is growing well…”
Though it was uncomfortable, I didn’t have any bad thoughts about it.
Honestly… I had been feeling pretty uncomfortable lately.
“And the commander is taking good care of me, so no problems there.”
“He’s taking good care of you…?”
“Well, I haven’t fainted from pain, have I? So I think it’s fine.”
“…That’s true.”
The commander, who had been quietly beside us, finally chimed in, but it was true.
He took good care of me when I woke up in the morning and before bed, so it was natural.
Anyway, with my pregnancy nearing the end,
I was being careful and taking my time.
Sometimes the commander would massage my arms or legs before bed…
…Honestly, I felt like I should exercise after giving birth.
After all, my belly was growing, and I figured my body wouldn’t be as good as before after giving birth.
“Then let’s ask the boss next time. Lindera.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. If we keep staying here like this… they really might come looking for us from headquarters and it’ll be a hassle.”
We reached a rough conclusion.
Umm, honestly, I didn’t think he would accept.
But wouldn’t it be better to at least try?
“Ugh, I don’t want to…”
“…They keep contacting from headquarters.”
“Hmm…”
“…If the boss doesn’t handle the affairs at headquarters, someone will definitely come our way, right…?”
It was something I had to say unwillingly.
I felt that if I didn’t say anything, he might really not do it.
I didn’t even know how to say this.
“…Then it might have a bit of a negative impact on my delivery too.”
“………”
“Isn’t that true…?”
“…That is a point.”
“I know you understand it’s a bit hard to go back to headquarters, so at least…”
“…Fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I was planning on taking a relaxing vacation for a while, but… I can’t help it.”
“Oh…”
Really?
Just like that?
Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to fold so easily on this one.
I thought I’d have to negotiate a bit more.
Fortunately, the boss was more agreeable than I expected.
Of course, considering the boss’s somewhat free-spirited nature, it wasn’t too surprising they would understand this much.
I was thankful though.
It must have been bothersome for him.
“So, you should hurry up and enter the house that was bought for you…”
“Oh.”
“Ha… no matter what, it’s late in the pregnancy now; it’s tough to spend time in a private room, isn’t it?”
“That’s… true.”
“Or should I send the commander on vacation with you?”
“…That would…”
I was a little tempted.
Of course, the commander moving away for long periods was still not allowed anyway, and we were going on a vacation together in a few months, so I decided to reject the suggestion.
But if we could take vacation together and rest… it sounded nice.
But asking for that was too much.
“That’s how it is.”
“…So the boss will be working in the office?”
“Yes.”
I said it clearly.
That was that.
“Why the office, though?”
“There’s no helping it. He isn’t the type to work alone, plus our equipment is in the office…”
“…That’s true, but…”
“You might find it uncomfortable to have a superior, but isn’t it a relief?”
“What do you mean?”
“At least he won’t come here from headquarters and cause chaos.”
In many ways, this was actually better.
Of course, the commander might get tired, but…
“Oh, and… let’s go check out our furniture.”
“Furniture?”
“Yeah, furniture.”
I had planned to delay it as long as possible, but I had no choice now.
Of course, I thought I’d move in a little later, but the boss’s requirement was that we do this now.
So I reluctantly decided to move into the house.
Actually, I had only properly seen the place once.
We hadn’t prepared any furniture yet, and all that was ready was the house itself…
So this was the perfect chance to go furniture shopping with the commander.
“Hmm… I guess we really haven’t prepared anything at all…”
“We should delay for a few days and prepare the furniture we’ll bring home.”
“Then let’s do that. Honestly, I’ve wanted Lindera to move in sooner.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Hey, it’ll be good! It’s way bigger and better than the private rooms on the ship.”
That was true, but it felt like such a bother to move from home to the office.
So I wanted to delay it as much as possible.
But everyone seemed to feel like I was the one being a bother for wanting to stay away from the office.
Of course, that wasn’t because they hated it; they were just worried about my condition.
“Anyway, let’s start by getting a bed. For today… let’s keep it simple. How about tomorrow evening after work?”
“If you’re okay with it, I’m always fine.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Anyway, I had already finished work.
I had completed dinner, so I really felt worn out.
Plus, it was probably better to go tomorrow rather than wandering around here now.
Honestly, I was tired.
Especially considering my body felt more tired than before, it was quite natural.
“Now… is it three months left?”
“About three months, yes.”
“Wow… I’m worried.”
The commander rubbed my belly and said that.
Well, I was still worried too.
It was quite awkward and strange, considering we didn’t talk about it much any longer.
Of course, every time I received treatment at the clinic, they assured me it would be fine,
And the baby occasionally kicked my belly, letting me know it was doing well.
“…Let’s get a really big bed.”
“Definitely. For when we’ll sleep with the baby.”
“Well, considering we’ll have a lot of rooms, we might not need it immediately, but let’s definitely make that room a big bed.”
“That sounds good.”
Sleeping alongside a baby would undoubtedly be wonderful.
Yeah.
Though we still had some time, we were having fun talking about all this.
Talking about the baby turned out to be more enjoyable than I had thought.
“So, Commander, do you still hope for a girl?”
“Of course.”
“Really…?”
“I’ve always said that, haven’t I?”
That was the case, but I was just curious.
To be fair, it wasn’t that hard to guess the gender of the baby in my belly.
But we had purposely requested they keep the baby’s gender a secret.
Not because of anything in particular… just thought that knowing when it was born would be more touching… ?
I figured it would be more fun that way.
Honestly, it was a little silly, but as long as we were happy, that was what mattered.
“A boy will probably be a hassle later. He might get into fights at school.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
I understood how that felt.
Boys generally tended to grow up getting into fistfights and such.
Nevertheless… I still thought a son might be better than a daughter.
“Hmm…”
“A son would be better?”
“That’s how I feel.”
“Hmm…”
“Mhm…”
Well, we probably all have preferences.
Thinking about having a daughter… I figured she might cling more to the commander than me.
So I thought a son would be better.
Anyway, it just was.
Honestly, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to care about the baby’s gender when giving birth due to pain.
But spending time talking about that certainly was enjoyable.
“By the way, if the boss is working in the office…”
“What about it?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“What do you mean?”
Suddenly the commander said something strange.
What is he saying?
“Seems like… he isn’t just a regular boss.”
“Right? He is the boss.”
“…And technically, he’s my mother-in-law…”
“Oh, that’s what you mean?”
“Uh…”
It could indeed be a challenging situation.
I was worried about that as well, but it wasn’t just anyone, it was the boss, after all.
Surely, he wouldn’t treat the commander poorly.
If he did, I would definitely be uncomfortable.
The boss would probably realize that as well.
“It should be fine. Probably…?”
“…That was a vague answer, wasn’t it?”
“Well, if the boss treats you poorly, just tell me. I’ll… shed some tears in front of him.”
I really wonder if I could act it out.
Of course, I wouldn’t genuinely cry.
“…No, not to that extent.”
“…Tsk.”
I thought a fun situation could unfold.
I was slightly… a little disappointed.
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