𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙼𝚈 𝙻𝙰𝚆𝚈𝙴𝚁

Chapter 16

"Papa! Bye-bye!"

M/n waved his son goodbye from where he stood, watching as the little boy ran inside. "Good morning, S/n," a teacher greeted with a smile.

The little boy smiled back at her. "Good morning!"

She chuckled, feeling the happy and excited energy radiating off of the boy. "Go on inside. Sensei's telling a story."

His eyes shone and he nodded vigorously, heading inside. He'd grown even happier when he was greeted by his friends, walking with them to their classroom. The teacher then greeted M/n.

"Good morning, Mr. L/n."

"Good morning, sensei," he replied. "I hope you've been well."

"Oh, yes. I've been doing really well. What about you?"

"Good."

"That's great to hear," she answered. "I hope you're not working too hard."

They made small talk until M/n needed to go. With bids of goodbye, they went their separate ways, getting back to their respective duties. Once M/n was back at the office, he set down his briefcase and got straight to work. He still had other things to settle before Levi would stop by later that day.

As he was looking over some documents, he heard a knock at his door. "Excuse me," Hirano said from the other side.

Upon hearing his "come in," she walked into the room with (f/d) in her hand. "Good morning."

(Note: (f/d) = favorite drink)

He politely accepted the drink from her, returning her greeting. As he set it down somewhere it wouldn't spill, he took notice of Hirano's nervousness. He turned to her, arching an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" She replied in surprise.

"You seem nervous. Are you alright?"

"Uh... Well..." she started to say, looking down at the floor. "Actually, sir... Yesterday, I...got confirmation of a...pregnancy, so... I wanted to ask..."

"Hirano."

She directed her gaze toward him at the sound of her name. 

"Congratulations," he said, a small smile on his face. "I wish you and your husband the best. I'm sure you'll be great parents."

She was stunned at first but then cracked a smile in return. "Thank you, sir..."

"If you're asking for a leave, that's fine. I was worried when I heard you had been feeling sick lately."

Hirano shook her head. "I'd actually like to keep working for a little while longer. When I'm unable to do so, then I'd like to take leave."

M/n considered it, weighing all the possibilities. But, considering it was her wish, he had to respect it. He nodded his head. "As long as you take care of yourself, you're welcome to stay."

She bowed her head. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it–"

"But, the moment you feel really sick or you know you won't be able to do something, please stop."

"Yes."

With that, she turned to leave. But before she did, M/n called out. "Don't overdo it, Hirano. I'm serious."

"I won't," she replied, then closed the door behind her. "Thank you, again."

When she returned to her spot behind her desk, the woman beside her grinned. "I take it all's well?"

Once she saw Hirano's smile, her grin widened. "I told you, Hirano. Mr. L/n's an understanding guy. You had nothing to worry about. I'm surprised that you of all people were worried about it in the first place. You started shortly after I did."