It felt like I got scolded hard by my teammates, and then the Commander really gave it to me, too.
“Why didn’t you say that?”
I usually don’t do bad things, but I might have gone a bit overboard.
I wasn’t really angry, but… it was that kind of content.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No. You already said everything, right? No need to apologize again.”
“Still…”
“He said it’s okay.”
…I was still hugging the Commander from behind.
In fact, even while listening to the Commander, I stayed like this.
It made sense—I was too shy to face him.
It wasn’t even like it was the first time we were dating, so why was I so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at him?
I was so shy that I couldn’t even understand it myself.
To be honest, I was worrying so much I could call myself a complete idiot.
But the truth was, there wasn’t really a need for those worries; the Commander was a great person.
“Ugh…”
“…I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not like I’m angry or anything…”
“Still… I did something wrong…”
“No, seriously, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Even so, I couldn’t help but keep apologizing.
Because even though the Commander was not that kind of person, I got caught up in my own weird misunderstandings and worries.
“Uh… Lindera?”
“…Yes.”
“So, if it really happens, will I get a big belly and experience morning sickness… or something?”
“Um… wouldn’t that be the case? I don’t know much about it, but… I think it might.”
“Oh…”
Is that something to be that curious about?
As soon as the Commander heard my words, he showed a truly curious reaction.
Of course, when you’re pregnant… your belly gets big, and you feel nauseous and everything.
“A baby…”
“……..?”
“I just… can’t quite believe it. Does that mean I’m going to be a dad…? At this age?”
“Ah.”
Definitely… I couldn’t deny it.
The Commander and I were still in our early to mid-twenties.
It was undeniable that we were too young for this.
Having a baby at this age… it was definitely absurd.
But it wasn’t like I didn’t want it.
After all, it would be a child that came from the Commander and me.
“Are you finally letting go?”
“…I just wanted to see your face.”
I released my arms that were holding the Commander from behind and let him turn around.
I wanted to look at the Commander as I said.
It felt a bit awkward talking to him from behind like that, so I decided to let him turn.
“…Commander.”
“What?”
“…Are you really okay? Suddenly having a baby…”
“What’s so bad about it? It’s actually a happy thing, right?”
“Is that so…”
Hearing the Commander say that made me feel awkward, and I unconsciously lowered my gaze.
Before I knew it, my eyes were fixed somewhere around the Commander’s belly.
Just a moment ago, I was clearly looking at his face and eyes.
“Commander, how about we go to the treatment room together tomorrow?”
“Suddenly? Do you have a sore spot or something?”
“No, it’s just… I wanted to show you more clearly that I’m pregnant…”
“That sounds okay to me. Actually, it’s not that obvious yet.”
As the Commander said, my body didn’t feel like a real pregnant woman yet.
It was just normal.
There was really nothing different about my body.
Because of that, I really wanted to go with the Commander and show that I was pregnant.
In the health room, there would be more healers than just Maria.
Maybe they could show different ways of how this pregnancy thing works?
It might be a little embarrassing, but I really wanted to prove it to the Commander.
“…Thank you.”
“That was sudden.”
“Isn’t that a familiar phrase? You say it often already.”
“That’s true. Anyway, let’s check it out properly tomorrow.”
“That goes without saying… but I actually called you for another reason.”
“Huh?”
“…Well, since there’s nothing else to do, and you came to this room anyway…?”
“That’s true.”
“…So, how about we sleep together?”
Since the Commander really had nothing else to do after going back, and I wanted to be with him more…
To be honest, I was feeling a bit tired from worrying so much about various things regarding the Commander.
That’s why I wanted to spend some time together, so I made that suggestion.
It didn’t seem like the Commander would refuse that on purpose, either.
I felt a little lonely sleeping alone.
“Okay, let’s do that. It’s not time to sleep yet. Let’s chat a bit, and then we’ll sleep.”
“…Yes.”
Unlike a moment ago, I spoke while looking face to face with the Commander.
*
“Here…”
“What kind of game is being created by a weird baby?”
“I wouldn’t call it weird, though.”
“Is that so? I thought it was pretty fair to say that.”
The Commander and I were lying face to face.
My bed wasn’t that wide, so we couldn’t help but almost touch each other’s hands and thighs.
In fact, that made it nice, and it gave a cozy feeling, so it felt good.
“But if you think about it, Lindera, you’re honestly weird too…”
“I’m not.”
“…Are you embarrassed?”
“Anyway, no.”
I wasn’t weird.
It was only right to assume that it was the Commander’s fault that this situation arose… right?
“…When you’re pregnant, should you keep your belly warm?”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“No, there’s a saying, right? Men should keep it cool, and women should keep it warm. So I was just curious if that still applies when you’re pregnant.”
“Um…”
I wasn’t quite sure about this question either.
Normally, when it’s that time of the month, you’d keep your belly warm, but does that still apply when you’re pregnant…?
Since you wouldn’t have your period when you’re pregnant, would it actually be the opposite…?
“Hmm…”
“Let’s ask tomorrow. At least they should know better than us. I think we might have more questions than we thought.”
“Yes, that does sound right. Since I don’t know much, it’d be good to ask them something.”
We had this conversation while laughing.
Just a moment ago, I couldn’t converse comfortably because of my worries.
But now, it felt really nice talking face to face with the Commander, much more relaxed than before.
I found myself smiling unconsciously.
It was really different from when I couldn’t look at the Commander; this time, I felt at ease.
Looking at the Commander face to face, something that felt so challenging just a moment ago, now felt refreshing.
“…But wasn’t that the first time we did it without protection?”
“It was the first time we did it that way, yeah. I’ve never been completely without it.”
“…Still, isn’t this a bit too fast? It couldn’t have been that easy to get pregnant…”
“That… does seem to be true…”
The whole getting pregnant thing and having a child with the Commander was a separate matter.
No matter how you looked at it… it was downright ridiculous.
I mean, logically speaking, how could you confirm pregnancy after just a few times without a condom?
Even if it wasn’t a safe day, to succeed on the first go like this…
At this rate, the odds of winning the lottery might be higher than I thought.
“Lindera, can I touch your belly?”
“What’s the problem with that? It’s not like you’re pressing down hard, just touching it…”
That should be fine, right?
Since I had never been pregnant before, I didn’t really know, but it should be okay.
Besides, having the Commander gently touch my belly felt surprisingly nice.
So, I just let the Commander continue touching my belly without stopping.
“…You idiot.”
“Can we stop talking about that now…? Honestly, I can’t help but worry about it.”
“To call that just a worry sounds quite dumb of you…?”
“…I feel wronged.”
I had my reasons, you know.
Anyway… as we chatted about stuff like that, we ended up falling asleep.
By the time we slept, I was completely hugging the Commander.
*
“Well, you are definitely pregnant. You haven’t had your period recently, right?”
“Yes, I think it’s been over two weeks since I’ve had it.”
“And your body isn’t feeling energetic. You probably feel a bit heavier than usual.”
“Yes.”
I was chatting with an agent in the treatment room alongside the Commander.
It was a slightly bigger agent, not Maria.
After all, Maria wasn’t exactly specialized in matters like pregnancy.
There was another agent who was more suited for this sort of thing.
“The baby in your belly isn’t very big yet. In the early stages of pregnancy, people often think of a protruding belly image, but in the start, it doesn’t show. It usually takes about three to four months before your belly will grow much.”
“Uh… Is there anything to be cautious about during early pregnancy?”
“Of course! Well, since you’re probably feeling fatigued now, you’ll likely feel more tired as time goes on. After the initial stage, it might get a bit better, but I’m afraid you’ll continue to feel tired for a while. You might even have some morning sickness.”
“And?”
“And because of that morning sickness, if you don’t eat, you’ll feel worse instead.”
“Ah…”
There’s more to worry about than I thought.
I had just assumed morning sickness would just mean feeling unwell.
“And your breasts will also grow a bit. You’re getting ready to have the baby. After giving birth, your breast and milk ducts will develop, so you’ll feel different from usual.”
“…”
“Please don’t enjoy this too much… It’s a serious conversation, okay?”
“Oh. Um… I wasn’t thinking that way…?”
The moment those words came out of the agent’s mouth, I had to say it to the Commander too.
I could see the corners of the Commander’s mouth subtly rise.
I wasn’t an idiot; I wouldn’t be blind to that.
Anyway, after hearing all that, the Commander and I listened to the agent share several precautions while thinking about how we’d manage things, and considering what we needed to prepare.
“Ah. And avoid sex during early pregnancy.”
“”Ah.””
…Well, that’s something.
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