“Um…”
Did I gain weight?
“Hmm…….?”
I felt like my body was heavier.
I definitely hadn’t actually gained weight or anything like that.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been experiencing lately.
“My belly fat… doesn’t seem to have increased, though…”
Something felt off.
It felt like my body was slightly different from before, perhaps.
I spent my mornings and afternoons constantly feeling that way.
The weather had suddenly warmed up, but considering our area is warm year-round, it wasn’t really a case of spring lethargy.
I honestly didn’t know why I felt like this these days.
“Hmm… Well, I’m not sick or anything.”
I decided to not think too much about it and began getting ready for work like usual.
A perfectly ordinary start to the day, just like any other day.
Oh, one thing that was different… I had reduced my coffee intake because I didn’t want to feel more exhausted than I already did.
“It might be better to just drink some cold water…”
Still, I needed to wake up.
Even though only five minutes had passed since I got up, it was best to prepare a bit earlier if I was going to wake the Commander.
These days, even though the Commander was getting up earlier than before, he could easily sleep in late unless I woke him up.
I had to put in the effort again today.
“Whuu…”
Anyway, I had woken up and taken off my clothes.
Time to wash up.
-Swoosh…
“Hmph…”
As the cold water touched my body, an involuntary sound escaped my lips.
By the way… it felt colder than usual.
The temperature was definitely the same as the water I normally used, so why did it feel so cold?
“Is my body really not feeling well…?”
Taking a cold shower was not just chilly, it generally made me feel worse than usual.
So I had to reluctantly raise the temperature.
It was better than getting sick and not being able to work.
Lately, I felt like my body was constantly unwell, and I was starting to feel cold even with water that was only slightly cold.
Instead of silently enduring it and catching a cold…
“…But am I really not feeling well…?”
At this point, I had no choice but to really worry about it.
Lately, my body had been fatigued, and I had been sleeping a bit more than usual…
“…I should probably stop by the health center.”
Anyway, I washed up with somewhat warmer water.
Afterward, I put on a shirt and a skirt.
I got dressed in my usual attire.
Even if my body felt slightly off, I could wake the Commander first, and then go to the health center afterward.
*
“Commander.”
“Ugh…”
“…It’s time to wake up.”
I casually woke the Commander while sitting on the edge of his bed.
I had come early, as always, so there was no need for an immediate wake-up, hence my laid-back approach.
“The sun’s already up.”
“I don’t wanna…”
“What are you, a baby? You do this every morning.”
“Uuuugh…”
It was quite amusing to see a grown man act like this… it seemed utterly ridiculous.
I thought he used to be nothing like this.
He was always a hassle and I just wanted him to wake up quickly.
I couldn’t believe how he’d changed.
“Ha…”
It was something that made me unintentionally laugh.
Just watching the Commander, still buried under blankets, hugging his pillow while half-asleep.
Even though I told him to get up, he didn’t seem to listen and was mumbling to himself.
At this rate… he might just fall back asleep.
“If you don’t get up, you won’t be able to have breakfast and work.”
“…Has time really gone by that quickly?”
“No, I was just saying that.”
“…Oh.”
It was funny how easily he believed my words.
It was meant as a joke, but seeing him toss the covers aside made me want to laugh inside.
Truly… the Commander had changed so much from when we first met.
He seemed incredibly untrustworthy at first, but surprisingly was more trusting and genuinely kinder than I had expected.
In many ways, I felt like I had been too cold towards him back when we first interacted.
Of course, he was to blame too.
Anyhow, I managed to wake him up.
He wasn’t out of bed yet, but a success is a success, right?
“Get washed up quickly. I’ll prepare some clothes until then.”
“Yeah, okay…”
The Commander grabbed a towel and some underwear before heading into the bathroom while I started getting his clothes ready.
I began with the shirt.
“Hmmm… should I match it with black today?”
I even took charge of his fashion coordination.
Well, I was just waiting for him as always.
Taking in the scent of the Commander’s clothes, I checked to see whether he was managing fine even without me.
After all, he wasn’t particularly organized most of the time.
“Lindera, what are you doing?”
“I was just checking if the laundry was done.”
“…Even so, the laundry is done properly, you know?”
“That’s a relief.”
Anyway, that was that.
Then we started getting ready for our morning shift together.
While drying the Commander’s wet hair, I casually went over what we had to do for the day.
“Hey, Lindera, should we take a vacation like Midori next time?”
“If the Commander and I are both absent, what will we do? It’s not just any rank, and if both of us are gone at the same time, won’t it be like losing half of the crew?”
“That’s true… ugh… can’t even take a proper vacation.”
“It can’t be helped, can it?”
“That’s true…”
Maybe it was because Midori had taken her vacation recently and genuinely enjoyed herself.
We often found ourselves wanting to take vacations and go on dates together.
Not that it was something new, but it seemed to have increased lately.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll have to settle for resting on the weekends…”
It was quite disappointing.
I wanted to have fun not just on weekends but during the weekdays too, but that felt a bit tough.
In reality, it wasn’t impossible.
We could technically take a day or two off with the agents aboard the ship, but there’d definitely be repercussions afterward.
It might be better to just rest comfortably on weekends.
“But Lindera, didn’t you have trouble sleeping yesterday?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t know, it’s just your complexion looks slightly off from usual. I thought maybe you didn’t sleep well.”
“Is that so…?”
Aside from feeling tired, I wasn’t sure about my complexion.
I wasn’t exactly one to notice things just by looking in the mirror.
“I do feel a bit heavy…”
“Hmm… you should probably get a check-up this morning, right?”
“I was thinking that, but… is it really that bad?”
“Yeah.”
“………”
To be that certain…
Was my complexion really that bad…?
Hearing the Commander’s words made me feel like I really had to go.
I had planned to go anyway, but the Commander looked genuinely concerned.
I didn’t want to worry him.
Going was probably the right thing to do.
*
After doing a quick daily check while at work, I headed straight to the health center where the healers were.
Of course, they all called me as they pleased.
“Ah, Lindera! What brings you here? Menstrual issues?”
“Not that. It’s just… I think I’ve been feeling a bit off lately, so I wanted a check-up.”
“I see…”
As soon as I entered, Mary greeted me with a bright smile.
Well, Mary had been working on the ship for quite a while, so I suppose her reaction was natural.
“Please have a seat here for now. Everyone else has gone to work… so I’ll have to take care of you.”
“That’s fine.”
“Hehe… but it feels like it’s been a while since you came here. I remember treating you before for menstrual issues, but you hadn’t come to this recovery room back then, right?”
“That sounds about right. I don’t usually come here.”
It felt a bit awkward.
Like… a very religious version of a school nurse’s office, perhaps.
It was calming in many ways.
“Is there anything you need support with regarding the treatment room? I haven’t received any reports about it.”
“Eh? Um… I don’t think so? Everyone seems satisfied with the current facilities and decoration.”
“Is that so…?”
Well, it was just a random question.
Anyway, Mary had started preparing for the examination.
I had no idea what she was doing, though.
“Please stay still for a moment.”
“Yes.”
As I followed Mary’s directions and stayed still… suddenly, a warm, pleasant light surrounded my body.
What can I say… it felt incredibly divine…?
I hadn’t experienced such a feeling when I was in pain from my period previously.
Was it a different ability this time?
It felt quite fascinating in many ways.
“I’ve been feeling a bit low on energy and colder than usual… is it a cold?”
“Hmm… let me check…”
I shared my symptoms approximately.
It wasn’t anything serious, but just that level of discomfort.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the Commander’s comments, I probably wouldn’t have come in this morning.
I likely would have slammed lunch into my busy schedule to fit it in afterward.
Of course, the fact that the Commander had begun to worry meant I had to come this morning.
“Ah… um…”
“Could it be a cold?”
I couldn’t come up with any other illness.
So I was pretty sure it was the closest thing.
It couldn’t be anything else making me feel cold or more tired than usual.
Though I hadn’t had a runny nose or cough or anything, it seemed like cold symptoms were the most likely.
“You’re pregnant.”
“Excuse me?”
…Huh?
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