I was going about my day as usual.
Of course, it was a day that was quite different from my past routine.
Anyway, I was spending it incredibly normally.
On weekdays, I would relax at home alone or get checked on the baby’s condition at the hospital.
On holidays, I would chill out with the Commander, enjoying such an ordinary life.
“Linhera.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to go out?”
“…Huh?”
While I was resting on the holiday, the Commander suddenly brought this up.
Out of the blue, he suggested going outside.
…What’s going on?
“Why so suddenly?”
“Huh? Just felt like it… nothing serious.”
“…?”
What was this?
The Commander was definitely not the type to suggest going out like this all of a sudden.
I was wondering what was up with him.
Anyway, I’d usually spend my holidays playing games.
“Do you want to go out?”
“Um… I don’t mind, but…”
“Then let’s go.”
“Aren’t we supposed to get ready first? I can’t just go out in these dolphin pants and a t-shirt without underwear.”
…It would have been quite unreasonable to go out in my current getup.
So it was better to get ready first, especially since the Commander was only wearing shorts and a regular t-shirt.
“…How about we wash up together in the bathroom first?”
So I asked that without any other intentions, just thinking of getting ready.
*
“Your hair has definitely gotten longer than before.”
“Right? It didn’t use to fall much below my shoulders when tied up.”
“Well, Linhera, you’re pretty anyway.”
“Don’t say weird things.”
We were chatting in the car.
Although I hadn’t heard where we were going, we were driving somewhere.
But seriously, where were we heading?
Even though we were having a conversation, the Commander wasn’t telling me where we were going.
I figured he had his own reasons for wanting to go out.
He wasn’t someone who would just wander around without a reason.
“Hmm… we’re almost there…”
“Where are we going? Why are we going out on a weekend?”
“Umm… it’s a secret.”
“…?”
This was truly unusual for him.
The Commander was definitely not the type to suddenly suggest a date like this on weekends, and I was really curious.
Even when I asked, he wouldn’t answer.
At this point, I was beginning to wonder if he was just teasing me.
But at least I was sure we were going somewhere…
“Hmm…”
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not a weird place at all.”
“…Fine, I get it.”
I wasn’t trying to get mad; I was just too curious.
We continued driving down the road.
And when we arrived at our destination…
“…A department store?”
“Yep.”
“…Did you come here to buy clothes or something?”
Why on earth did we suddenly come to the department store?
I already had enough clothes.
Plus, the weather in this area was pretty consistent year-round… so there was no need to change every season.
“Let’s just go in. It’s hot.”
“Okay…?”
I didn’t really understand what was going on, but I followed the Commander into the department store.
We had parked, and honestly, it was hot, so…
I started walking around with the Commander.
Starting from the first floor… slowly.
“Linhera, don’t you need any cosmetics lately?”
“Cosmetics? I don’t really use them. I didn’t do much makeup back then either, and these days I don’t really go out for work…”
“I thought so.”
We passed a section selling cosmetics and talked like that.
“Oh… a Styler.”
“Is it for real?”
“Isn’t it cool? If it takes care of clothes just by putting them in, it would be pretty convenient after work, right?”
“Hmm… that’s true. Especially since it’s formal wear…”
“Should we buy one?”
“Hmm… I guess I won’t need it anytime soon since I’ll be wearing other things rather than suits, so I don’t think it’s necessary right now.”
We already had plenty of shirts for the Commander at home.
There didn’t seem to be an urgent need for a Styler at the moment.
“Then let’s check it out again later. We have a different purpose today anyway.”
“…?”
Is it really clothes?
If it’s not about clothes, then what else could it be…?
Anyway, we were still wandering around the department store.
I really had no idea what it was, but I was just assuming it was a date.
“Commander, come here for a second.”
“Huh?”
While we were walking around, I stopped the Commander.
It wasn’t anything special; I just thought the watch looked nice.
“How about buying a watch?”
“A watch?”
“Yes. You don’t usually wear one, do you?”
Neither of us really cared much about luxury items.
Still, I thought it would be nice for him to at least wear a good watch.
Now that he had become the boy of a big CEO’s daughter, it would seem odd to not care at all.
Even if I knew what kind of person the Commander was, I figured some ignorant people would talk nonsense if we looked too shabby.
I wanted to prevent that image from surfacing somewhere before it became an issue.
“How about treating yourself to a watch? Since you often wear formal attire for work, it wouldn’t hurt to wear a watch too.”
It was rational enough.
Yeah.
Even if there wasn’t any hidden intention behind it, a watch would be fine.
Watches were often used as fashion items too.
Besides, the Commander had visible veins on his arms… he’s been working out lately, so it would probably suit him well.
“Since you said so, I think it’s okay to take a look at least. But what kind of watch? I’m not really interested in watches…”
“…Don’t worry about that. I’ll pick one out for you.”
I knew the Commander well, so I was confident in what would suit him or not.
There wouldn’t be any problems.
*
“What do you think? Is it uncomfortable on your wrist or anything?”
“Nope. It fits just right!”
“Then that’s a relief.”
After choosing a watch and paying with my own money, we started wandering the department store again.
It was fine for the Commander to buy it, but I wanted to treat him at least once.
So, I bought it for him.
It was a luxurious watch, so it was quite an expense, but… the CEO had taken care of all the money issues… um.
So I thought I’d just splurge a little for once.
I said I was on leave, but since I officially took maternity leave, money would come in anyway.
So I decided to just think of it as spending money I normally wouldn’t use.
And since the Commander seemed to really like it, that made me happy.
“So where to now?”
“Hmm… I think it’s about time. So we can just go now, I guess?”
“So… I’m not asking where we’re going.”
“Sorry. Just hang tight a little longer, okay?”
“…Alright.”
Honestly, I was tempted to bang my head against a wall at this point, but I decided to hold it in.
From what the Commander said, it sounded like he needed some time.
I figured there must be some special menu available only at a specific time or something.
Just thinking about that, I held his hand and began moving again.
“Commander, please be clearer about things next time.”
“Really?”
“What do you think I’ve been asking multiple times for something I don’t know?”
“Yeah, I get that. But if I say it outright, it’ll probably ruin the fun, don’t you think?”
“…Huh?”
Honestly, just what was he hiding?
I couldn’t believe he would go to such lengths to keep something as simple as a restaurant menu a secret.
Even if he liked games and had a childish side sometimes… still.
“…?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, so just follow me.”
“Okay…?”
I chose to stop asking more questions and follow the Commander.
By the way, he was kind of… manly and cool a moment ago.
Hmm.
Anyway.
“But Linhera, thinking about it, we…”
“Yes?”
“With the baby on the way, there’s been a lot going on, right?”
“That’s true, but why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”
The Commander was a lot to handle all of a sudden.
I really wanted to know why he was suddenly mentioning this.
“Just saying. There’s been a lot of things happening, yet it feels like we haven’t done much.”
“…?”
What was he trying to say?
What were we lacking?
The only thing that came to my mind in response to the Commander’s words was…
…Positions…?
“…?”
That couldn’t be it.
The Commander wasn’t the type to say such strange things in public.
“So I thought I’d make it official this time.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Since there were many things we couldn’t do right now, I thought it might be nice to settle it properly.”
“…Huh?”
The floor we were walking on was filled with jewelry and accessories.
I was just walking to the escalator, thinking we’d head up to the next floor, when the Commander unexpectedly pulled me into one of the stores, still holding my hand.
“Commander? Why are we here…”
“I told you, I’m going to do this properly.”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, he exchanged a few words with the store staff…
“Linhera, I wanted to do something a bit nicer for you, but I felt bad keeping you waiting too long.”
“…Wait.”
The atmosphere suddenly changed…
“So I started saving my salary since last month to prepare something special.”
“No, um, Commander?”
The store staff handed the Commander a little box.
It was a box small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand.
But despite its size, the luxury of the box was clear to see.
Moreover, the Commander suddenly knelt on one knee…
Wait, is this…
“I did happen to receive a watch today, but I wanted to give you something too.”
As he said that, the Commander opened the box, revealing a ring inside.
A beautifully crafted silver ring with a small, pretty blue gemstone right on top.
It looked like it would fit perfectly on my finger…
“Why are you giving this to me now…?!”
“If I wait any longer, it might get awkward, right?”
In response to my question, the Commander gave a silly answer.
It wasn’t about the timing being too early or late.
The reason I was asking why he was giving this to me was simply…
“No, in here… in the store, isn’t that kind of inappropriate?!”
“Oh?”
“Y-You really… are you foolish?!”
Who the hell proposes in a store…
Let alone to a pregnant woman…
“Seriously… you must be an idiot…”
I could tell that people around us were definitely staring at us, but I couldn’t look around.
I was too embarrassed, my face was feeling hotter, and at the same time, my mouth kept wanting to curve upward uncontrollably.
So… all I could do was slightly, very slightly nod my head.
Just enough for the Commander standing in front of me to notice.
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