LIGHTNOVELSTORY “Um.”
Time seems to be passing by way faster than I expected.
It feels even quicker than when I was pregnant with Charlotte, making things a bit awkward.
Honestly, I’ve been living a normal life until now, but lately, it feels like time is just flying by.
My belly is getting closer to full term, and my hair, which I had trimmed a bit before getting pregnant, has grown so long that it’s a hassle if I don’t tie it up.
Sure, I’ve been tying it to one side for a while, but now it’s like I have no choice but to tie it properly.
“I’m so bored.”
Anyway, aside from all that, I am in a really dull situation right now.
I mean, I have nothing to do.
I’m seriously just lazing around at home with absolutely nothing to do… it’s so boring.
Corbin went to work, and Charlotte went with him on the ship, leaving me all alone.
It’s comfortable, sure, but boredom is unavoidable.
“Hmm…”
By the way, I really need to do something about my hair.
It’s just getting too long.
It has grown past my waist and is nearly covering my rear.
Both Corbin and Charlotte like my long hair, but still, it’s inconvenient.
“When should I cut it?”
That said, I didn’t intend to just chop it all off.
I’m not a hairdresser, and I don’t have any proper scissors at home.
Using kitchen scissors isn’t exactly ideal, right?
Anyway, it’s really uncomfortable, and I can no longer avoid tying my hair up.
“Ugh… what should I do?”
I’m so bored.
Being home alone is nice, but sitting still is dreary.
Of course, I only said it was fine to be alone, so here I am.
Everyone except me and Charlotte is worried about my well-being as a pregnant woman.
I don’t mind their concerns, but when I compare it to when I was pregnant with Charlotte, I’m way more comfortable now… which makes their worry a tiny bit annoying.
But hey, what can I do? It’s really comfortable.
“Ah… should I just make a phone call…?”
Sitting comfortably on the sofa, I thought about it while relaxing, but I didn’t actually call anyone.
After all, it’s working hours.
“If I do call, it might be a bit of a hassle.”
Hmm…
“…sigh.”
I really want to work.
It’s a pure desire to just work on something, and it feels a bit strange considering I’ve been pregnant all this time, but it’s how I feel.
After all, I’ve been off work for about nine months.
I could manage some work in the early stages of pregnancy, but it was hard to ignore the constant urging from those around me to rest.
“…Should I do some other work?”
I can’t do my office work, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything at all.
There are simple household chores, and I could look into documents related to the baby and the schools Charlotte will attend later—might as well consider that work, right?
Of course, if Corbin knew about this… he’d definitely tell me to rest.
But doing something is also my way of resting.
“Elementary school…”
Charlotte might only be four years old, but eventually, she’ll have to go to school.
Looks like it could be good to do some research.
Unless something extraordinary happens, we’ll probably spend a long time in Zone 07, so checking out nearby schools shouldn’t be a problem.
Yeah, Corbin would probably think it’s fine, too.
Anyway, I entered Corbin’s gaming room and switched on the computer all alone.
With nothing else to do and being bored, what else could I do?
Surfing the internet isn’t wrong, right?
So, while tinkering with Corbin’s computer, I started searching for schools in Zone 07.
Even if it’s a desert area, of course, there are elementary, middle, and high schools.
In fact, there are plenty of other ordinary places, too?
“Hmm… Pia Elementary School… Bellphi Middle…”
There weren’t tons of options, but there were quite a few schools.
There were small schools at the academy level, big ones, and even those for gifted students.
But one thing’s for sure…
“…They all seem to be places where students have to study quite a lot.”
Most of them aren’t the kinds of schools that allow kids to easily drop in and play around.
They’re definitely schools where studying is quite serious.
While they aren’t schools for elite students, there are discussions about consequences like expulsion if there are issues related to exams or grades.
“Hmm… that’s not great.”
Is it because I lived in a country where children were pushed to study too much?
I didn’t quite like the vibe of those kinds of schools.
Of course, I don’t know how Corbin and Charlotte would feel about this, but personally, I’m not a fan.
I feel like it would be better if kids could just be kids in school, you know?
Of course, such schools aren’t easy to come by, but I still hope there’s at least a little bit of that somewhere.
“Should I check other zones…?”
…since I have nothing else to do.
Plus, it’s for looking into schools Charlotte might attend later.
As a mom, it’s definitely good to care about these aspects.
A mom who doesn’t take an interest in her child’s future is surely not as good as one who does.
*
“…Lindera.”
“…Yes?”
“You know Charlotte still has four years before starting school, right? So why…”
“Well, that’s true.”
Um.
I felt a little unfair.
I wasn’t doing anything weird; I was just intensely browsing the internet when I opened one of those files.
Honestly, isn’t it more of a problem that Corbin saved those weird files in the first place?
“Isn’t it Corbin’s fault from the beginning?”
“………”
“It’s my fault for using Corbin’s computer without permission and rummaging through his files. But if Corbin hadn’t saved such things…”
Isn’t that reasonable?
I thought it was a pretty rational argument.
Corbin couldn’t easily refute what I said either.
At first, I was just surfing the internet.
I was looking for schools and other places for when Charlotte gets older, and that’s how I spent my time.
Then, around lunchtime, I stopped surfing, had lunch, and relaxed while watching some videos on the computer… and somehow.
I just happened to find a folder that was tucked away in the corner of the desktop.
The folder didn’t even have a proper name but looked like a random collection of characters.
I just went in because it seemed odd.
“…Did I accumulate too much while I was pregnant?”
“…….”
“Still, I didn’t think you’d download videos or anything.”
“No.”
“Even so, I did help out occasionally, and physically… well…”
“………”
“I didn’t expect it to pile up so much… um, that…”
I couldn’t really think of what to say.
From Corbin’s perspective, it was a tough choice he had to make, and, well, I was the one who dug it up.
Um…
Of course, Corbin’s fault is much bigger than mine, but still, the origin is…
“…The cause is still with you, Corbin. If you hadn’t done that while traveling, it wouldn’t have piled up like this.”
“Ah…”
“After all, the truth sometimes hurts. And… well, you’ve saved quite a bit.”
“…….”
The suspicious folder on Corbin’s computer contained several zip files.
The issue was what came out when those files were unzipped.
The results revealed adult videos, images, and other kinds of things that aren’t exactly educational and are quite indecent.
I was a bit surprised initially, too.
“…That. Um.”
“…Would you rather I just curse at you?”
“No, it’s just… Corbin couldn’t help it, right?”
Thinking about it more, I felt somewhat sorry for him and said that.
In reality, it’s not a problem for an adult to watch adult content; it’s better than cheating, right?
Of course, I didn’t like that he was watching those peculiar videos and pictures while I was around.
But completely blocking or controlling him wouldn’t be good either.
This situation is just what it is, and there’s nothing I can do.
What could have been done was months ago; now, we have rules to avoid certain activities due to my pregnancy.
After all, my belly is visible now, and the baby inside me has grown significantly, so there’s not much time left until childbirth.
Corbin had already discussed being careful with my body, so really…
“…If that’s the case, why didn’t we just do it?”
“But soon…”
“Regardless of how uncomfortable my body is, I’ve never heard that we shouldn’t do it at all.”
“…….”
Of course, it might be a bit of a stretch considering the baby inside me.
But what about Corbin’s mounting desires?
I stumbled upon this through a casual internet search, and I was surprised, but I knew it must be harder for Corbin.
“…Um.”
At the very least, I didn’t like the idea of Corbin watching other women and doing those things.
Of course, I understand that those videos aren’t watched with any romantic feelings, but still…
It feels a bit like he’s turning his attention to someone else instead of me…
There’s no avoiding that feeling.
“…Corbin.”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Um… never mind. I’ll delete the folders here.”
“Eh?”
I informed Corbin about my decision.
Yes, letting him keep those was definitely something I disliked.
These folders are getting deleted for sure, and any complaints or grievances from Corbin… I’ll figure those out somehow later.
Not immediately, but maybe after a few days of being home alone and trying a bit?
“Anyway, I’ll delete them now.”
“…Alright.”
“You’re looking good while listening properly.”
“…Sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? I didn’t ask you to.”
“No, it’s just… I’m sorry.”
“Hmm…”
Seeing him apologize without me even mentioning it made me feel a little better.
At least it was much better than discovering Corbin’s secret folder, so I couldn’t help but smile a little.
Now that I deleted his secret folder, I guess it’s time to create a new secret folder for Corbin.
Of course, I need to think about it a bit…
But I’m confident that I could resolve this matter by myself.