Some time had passed.
The Commander knew about the pregnancy and, having undergone another examination in the Treatment Room, the other agents must have figured out that I was pregnant too.
Basically, everyone on the Ship must have found out.
“Then, doesn’t that mean Lindera will be taking a vacation pretty soon?”
“Ah.”
“That’s… right?”
“……..”
And during lunchtime, while everyone was gathered in the Office, that conversation came up.
Maternity leave.
Of course, it had to happen.
But… given the suddenness of both the pregnancy and everything else, everyone was rather aloof about it.
It was only now that they realized it needed to be addressed.
“Commander, what do we do?”
“Um…”
“What do we do without Lindera?!”
“Um…….”
“……..”
What should we really do?
Both the Commander and I were at a loss for words regarding each other’s questions.
But the problem was that I still didn’t feel very normal, and the longer we waited, it would surely become a hindrance to work.
If I continued to work in this state without taking a vacation, it would definitely cause issues.
And that would… undoubtedly affect the baby in my belly.
“Um… So about this vacation… what should we do?”
“…Are you asking me?”
“No… what can I do… I don’t really know what to do in a situation like this either.”
“Well… but…”
That wasn’t wrong at all.
In fact, the situation was… quite ambiguous in many ways.
“…But taking a vacation immediately is a problem, isn’t it? I mean, it would be tough for all of you to do everything I usually handle.”
It was true that my workload had decreased since earlier, but there was still a lot to do.
If I suddenly quit working in that situation…
It was certain that many things wouldn’t run smoothly.
Even if we split the work into three parts… it would still likely be awkward.
“…Is there anyone who can take Lindera’s responsibilities when she is on vacation…?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Neither do I.”
Before I knew it, the three of them, excluding me, had started a discussion.
The topic was naturally about what to do after I took a vacation.
It was tough to distribute my workload within a day, and bringing someone in to cover my tasks was more challenging than I thought.
…Suddenly, I felt amazing.
“Um… for now!”
“For now?”
Suddenly, Midori stood up from the sofa as if she had something significant to say.
What is it?
“Let’s have a celebration party first!!!”
“Ah.”
…Is that what this is about?
“Sure… that seems necessary. It is definitely a reason to celebrate. Although it’s only been a week, we haven’t actually celebrated at all.”
“Exactly! Let’s throw a proper party! Just us! Of course, we’ll drink… just the four of us!”
“…Well, that sounds fine.”
Yeah, I thought it would be better to enjoy the moment.
After all, it wasn’t like I was going on vacation right now, and I would be working for a while.
And speaking to Headquarters…
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong? Did the Commander do something weird again?”
“No, it’s not that…”
…This was a slightly serious crisis.
In fact, it might not feel like a crisis for me, but for the Commander, the things on my mind could definitely be considered a crisis.
Still… this wasn’t the kind of conversation to have in such a cheerful atmosphere.
It would be better to discuss it when it was just the two of us.
So, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself for now, intentionally pushing them aside.
How the Commander would take it, I wasn’t sure, but honestly, it seemed more amusing than worrisome.
After all, it was clear that the Commander had it harder than I did.
*
After we wrapped up our tasks, we entered the area and went into a suitable Bar.
“But Lindera, are you feeling nauseous?”
“I probably will be. I haven’t yet, but it will come soon.”
I didn’t want to be nauseous, but that was what I had heard.
Although it didn’t feel like true morning sickness yet, my body wasn’t feeling the best, and I did have a bit of unease in my stomach.
But for now, it was just a feeling.
I figured that after a little while, morning sickness would start for sure.
“Ugh… that sounds tough…”
“There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t control everything.”
“Still, morning sickness isn’t great, right? I don’t know exactly how it feels…”
“I don’t know how it feels yet either.”
Anyway, we were casually talking.
While the Commander was in the bathroom, it was just the girls chatting.
Honestly, discussing these topics is easier among women.
“Um… So, Lindera, I think it would be best to avoid strong-smelling foods from now on during lunch. It might be better to eat more meat and such…”
“Really?”
“Yes. Once morning sickness hits, mild-smelling food will be better for you. You’ll probably eat more fruits than usual too.”
“Oh…”
Indeed, a maid.
She seemed knowledgeable about these things.
Now that I think about it, even though Dolores wears her maid outfit to work daily, she hasn’t really shown much of a maid-like demeanor.
When I first started working in the Office, she would serve coffee or tea and was very maid-like in various ways.
There was something… more relaxed about her now.
Of course, this was nice.
It’s just not ideal for colleagues to act like actual maids.
“…Your expression seems odd.”
“It’s not a strange expression.”
“It’s not…”
“By the way, Dolores, why do you always wear a maid outfit?”
“…Now you’re asking?”
“I was just curious…?”
Now that I think about it, I had never asked Dolores that before.
Honestly, I had wondered since the first time I saw her in that maid outfit every day.
The other agents wore whatever they wanted, so I hadn’t paid much attention, but I still thought, couldn’t they wear something more ordinary?
…Maybe it’s because of the Commander wearing a shirt or suit that it stood out more when we were all together.
“Hmm… it’s just pretty…?”
“Pretty?”
“I wear it because it’s pretty!”
“…Oh. That… um…”
What should I say in response?
I was sort of taken aback, not knowing how to respond.
Of course, it wasn’t that I thought the maid outfit was unattractive…?
“So you wear it every day?”
“You remember, right? The reason I became a maid?”
“You said you had done it since you were little. I heard that.”
I recalled when Dolores was sharing her heartache with the Bartender after getting dumped by a date.
There were certainly deeper reasons behind it.
In terms of livelihood, and the effort she put into being a maid that led to some body modifications, thus leading to failure.
“In fact, before that, I also thought about where I could work and wear pretty clothes, and found out that maid outfits were prettier than the suits that secretaries wear!”
“Ah…?”
“Honestly, maid outfits are more diverse and cuter than suits, don’t you think?”
“That seems… dependent on personal taste.”
“But I think maid outfits with frills look cute.”
“That is true.”
They are definitely cute and pretty styles of clothing.
I understood how Dolores felt.
When I think about it, isn’t there really not much difference between that and my wearing a suit?
Certainly, there could be slight differences, but a maid outfit isn’t that far off.
At least it’s not like I’m walking around in swimwear or underwear.
I just let it go.
“Have you placed an order for the menu?”
“Ah, not yet. I was talking too much.”
“Eh.”
Anyway, just as that conversation was happening, the Commander returned from the bathroom, and we decided it was time to start ordering.
After all, we were supposed to have ordered by now, but somehow, we had gotten more into the conversation.
From morning sickness to suddenly discussing the maid outfit, it had been more entertaining than ordering.
“What do you want? Sausages? Chicken?”
“I’m good with anything.”
“Hey! Today is Lindera’s day to shine! You have to decide!”
“Eh?”
“That’s right. It’s a celebration for you, Lindera. That seems correct.”
“…Eh?”
What is happening.
I was just thinking of sitting quietly and waiting for others to order.
But suddenly, Midori and everyone began pressuring me to order.
Even the Commander!
“Why the sudden rush…?”
“We came here for you, Lindera. It makes sense to do this.”
“Commander, why are you joining in…?”
“Hey! Hurry up! Order!”
“I’m sure the Commander will be paying for everything today anyway. It all seems fine.”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
Did that conversation happen?
I didn’t remember…
“Am I paying today…?”
“Yup!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…Did I say that?”
“Nope?”
“…Then…?”
“We decided amongst ourselves!”
“……..”
The Commander and I both exchanged an incredulous look at each other, bewildered by our comrades.
Honestly, it was absurd.
Though…
“Then let’s start with two chickens, a platter of sausages, and maybe…”
“Lindera?”
“Oh, how about a pizza? If it’s loaded with cheese, gorgonzola would be just perfect…”
“Lindera? That seems like an awful lot of orders from the start…?”
As I was listing off my order, the Commander looked at me with worry in his eyes.
But… I didn’t mind.
After all, today was the day the Commander was treating us, right?
Of course, I didn’t actually mean he would do so; I just wanted to ride the wave of this playful atmosphere.
Ignoring the Commander’s concern, I continued listing off my orders.
“Oh, I’ll have soda, and the rest should definitely be beer; that sound great!”
“Lindera…? For the first order, let’s keep it a bit reasonable…”
“Commander.”
“Uh-huh?”
The Commander stopped speaking the moment I did.
And then, intending to propose something that the Commander wouldn’t be able to refuse, I said,
“The baby in my belly says they want it.”
“Ah.”
“Wow…”
“Is that a problem…?”
“……..”
Upon hearing my words, the Commander ultimately granted his permission.
Of course, he never truly intended to let me take the bill.
It was just to tease the Commander, to see his reaction, that I made such a statement.
“…If the baby wants it, I guess there’s no helping it… okay…”
Even after saying it was fine, the Commander continued to react in a way that was… honestly, quite cute.
It was amusing too.
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