I was just doing my usual work and spending time with Charlotte.
A few days later, the Boss arrived.
“…So, what brings you here really?”
“Lindera.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“I… I’m taking a break from work.”
“Excuse me?”
As soon as the Boss stepped into the office, that bombshell dropped.
I mean, talk about sudden news!
What on earth does this mean?
Suddenly taking a break from work?
For a moment, I doubted whether I had actually heard correctly.
It felt off, no matter how I thought about it.
“…Why are you suddenly taking a break?”
“If the Boss says to take a break, you just take a break.”
“…?”
This was a head-scratcher. After months away, what kind of talk is this?
It was clear we had never discussed such a thing before.
All of us, including Corbin and the other colleagues, were just shocked by the Boss’s sudden proclamation.
It was indeed quite unexpected.
“And Commander, you take a break too.”
“…Huh?”
“I don’t get why you both look so surprised. Don’t regular employees like getting days off?”
“That’s true, but… this is a bit sudden.”
“Tch… I say you should take a break, and yet here you are not taking one.”
“…Why exactly are you telling us to take a break?”
I really couldn’t understand this sudden request from the Boss. It felt especially weird since we weren’t just regular employees; we held significant positions on this ship.
“Ah, and where’s Charlotte?”
“Charlotte is at Kindergarten…”
“Hmm… I think it’s time to see Charlotte after a long while.”
“…Excuse me?”
Without even acknowledging my response, the Boss threw that out there and headed outside.
Everyone sat there in silence, minds blown by the unexpected situation.
Out of nowhere, the Boss had come in, said all this, and just walked out again.
“…Huh.”
“…What…”
“……..”
“Corbin, how about we follow the Boss first…?”
“…Should we?”
“…Yeah.”
We didn’t get what was going on or why this was happening, but we decided to head outside together.
I really hadn’t anticipated this kind of news from the Boss when they contacted me about visiting.
When I heard that sudden announcement, my mind was stuck in neutral.
Anyway, I followed the Boss outside.
What on earth is happening…??
“Granny!”
“Charlotte, have you been well?”
“Yep!”
“……..”
At the daycare, the Boss was greeting Charlotte, who they hadn’t seen in a while.
It had been some time since they last met.
I thought about asking the Boss what was going on, but seeing them chat happily with Charlotte made me hesitate.
Their interaction was too precious to interrupt.
It had been months since they’d last met face-to-face, only video calls in between.
“Aren’t you just playing games and ignoring me, Dad?”
“Uh?”
“Good to hear that’s not the case.”
“Daddy play too!”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Granny too!”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep!”
I had originally intended to press the Boss for details, but seeing the joy on Charlotte’s face made me change my mind.
Instead, I returned to the office with Corbin.
The Boss wasn’t responding now, but I figured they would provide answers later.
“…But why suddenly, I wonder?”
“…I have no idea.”
Though curiosity remained.
*
After lunch, I had wandered away from my colleagues.
It was definitely something related to both Corbin and me, whatever the Boss was talking about.
We sat together at a cafe, placing our orders and waiting for a while.
“Seems like the ship has been lively lately.”
“We’ve recruited quite a few new agents.”
“Tch… I keep saying, but that last commander was utterly useless. I wonder how they managed so poorly.”
“At least the current Commander is doing well, right?”
“Is the current Commander really doing that well? Hmm…”
“…Isn’t it?”
Corbin hesitated, startled by the Boss’s question.
Honestly, I thought Corbin was managing well enough.
At least, they weren’t incapable.
After all, I’d seen progress while I was away.
“I’m just joking. Relax, why are both of you so serious?”
“…Boss.”
“Lindera, why are you glaring like that? Can’t you joke around with your husband?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Sigh… Tch.”
Anyway, just as we were chatting, our drinks arrived.
The Boss and I had espresso, while Corbin had soda.
“So, Lindera. You’re curious why I told you and the Commander to take a break, right?”
“Of course! You showed up out of the blue and demanded we take a break.”
“I mentioned this before, but it seems you forgot.”
“…Huh?”
What is that supposed to mean?
I genuinely didn’t understand what the Boss was trying to say.
It was quite odd for them to suddenly drop such strange words.
In fact, the one who unexpectedly revealed news of an unplanned pregnancy was actually Corbin and me…
“You remember how I told you to travel together when Charlotte was born?”
“Oh… that?”
“Right, I told you back then. Did you forget?”
“Well… that was two years ago! Surely, forgetting is understandable…”
I hadn’t expected him to still remember that at all.
It had been two years since that conversation, and we hadn’t mentioned it at all since, so why was he bringing it up now?
Honestly, that conversation was back when Charlotte was still in my belly.
We hadn’t spoken about it in the past two years, so it was no wonder I’d completely forgotten.
Sure, we’d discussed it a few months ago because of Corbin, but I definitely didn’t expect the Boss to stop by for that reason.
“…Boss.”
“Yeah, Commander. What’s up?”
“So… Are you saying we should take a trip, which is why you want us to take a break?”
“Did you not get my point? What other reason would I have to tell the Commander and Vice Commander to take a break?”
“Ah… I see now.”
“After having Lindera and the baby, you’ve never gone on a trip. If there hadn’t been any accidents… I might have let you go sooner.”
“…Ahem.”
“You’re right…”
That was the truth.
Neither of us could contest that fact.
It was indeed out of the blue.
Corbin and I had been pretty shocked since it wasn’t something we had planned.
Of course, the most surprised was probably the fallen Boss.
“Tch… Anyway, this is a chance for the two of you to go on a date. You can enjoy yourselves, so don’t take it too weirdly.”
“…Boss.”
Honestly, I thought the Boss would have forgotten about this.
I never imagined they’d remember it all this time.
It was an unexpected revelation that shocked me.
But…
“But if you intend to drop this information, why didn’t you just tell us right away when you got here?”
“Huh? Oh, that?”
“Yes. Frankly… I don’t get it.”
“It’s just a surprise? Of course, if you two had remembered, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
“…….”
Hmm.
One thing’s for sure—the Boss isn’t completely normal, quiet, or typical.
Honestly, someone who walks around with a gun in their pocket and wears sunglasses indoors can’t be categorized as normal, right?
…It’s definitely bizarre to wear sunglasses indoors when you haven’t even injured your eyes.
Charlotte even laughed about it sometimes.
“So… how long can we take this vacation?”
“Huh?”
“…You told us we could freely take time off, didn’t you? It wouldn’t make sense for us to just take a year off. How long can we rest?”
This was a sudden travel announcement, but there were key points we had to clarify.
We surely couldn’t take time off just because we wanted, right?
And the person to decide that was standing right in front of us.
I figured the Boss’s visit was… largely due to us.
They had likely come to help out like they did when I was pregnant.
“Well… if Lindera wants, taking six months off should be fine. You can go on a trip and even take your daughter along to visit elsewhere!”
“…That’s too long.”
“Well, a month should be okay, right?”
“A month…”
“Of course, during that month, I’ll be watching Charlotte.”
“…I’m sure that’s not the main objective, right?”
“Hmm.”
…Hmm.
There really was no one else to look after her.
I felt a bit sorry for leaving Charlotte with the Boss, but they had insisted, right?
Taking care of a baby isn’t an easy task, but if they wanted to do so…
Moreover, Charlotte adored referring to the Boss as “Granny.”
I figured it should be alright.
At least… it was the Boss, after all.
I imagined they would solve most problems with their unique money power.
Given the Boss’s personality, they probably wouldn’t hire a babysitter, but I trusted they would manage well enough.
After all, they run the company.
“…If you’re okay with it, we are too. I think Corbin would agree.”
“Really.”
“Um… by the way, about that travel…”
I remembered hearing about it before, but we hadn’t actually made any plans.
There were quite a few things to consider now.
I’m sure Corbin, who was next to me, was also deep in thought about where to go and what to prepare.
“Ah, by the way, I’ve already reserved the travel destination.”
“Huh?”
“The flight should arrive within a few days, so hurry up and pack your bags?”
“”…Huh?””
Corbin and I stared at each other, dumbfounded by the Boss’s unexpected announcement.
Indeed… the power of the Boss was astonishing in so many ways, huh?
After so long since the time I dealt with that obnoxious guy who flirted with me… it was refreshing to feel the strength of the Boss once again.
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