"Arte, you really don’t have to come..."

"What? But..."

Seeing her droop her head so sadly broke my heart.

I appreciated her coming to meet me every day because she missed me. I really did, but...

"It's just... your belly is getting bigger. It could be dangerous, you know?"

"Don’t worry about that. I always have someone protecting me."

"Hello."

Laira looked at me nonchalantly, a cold sweat running down my back.

If this continued, I’d be overwhelmed by Arte’s logic.

I had to do something.

"But... Laira is already considered dead, right? If someone finds out she came to the academy..."

"Don’t worry about that. I’m wearing a hat, and my appearance has changed a bit since my abilities improved. No one will recognize me."

"...."

I knew.

It had been over a month since Arte had started coming to pick me up after school.

If someone had recognized her, they would have done so already.

Was it because of the werewolf genes? Or the slightly sharper features?

Or maybe it was because everyone firmly believed she was dead?

Seeing how no one recognized her despite the stares we got at the academy gates, it seemed safe enough.

"The others aren’t suitable for protection, so I can slack off and it’s not a bother. Don’t worry too much."

"O-Okay..."

I was in trouble.

I couldn’t think of any more reasons to convince Arte not to come.

I thought I had to say it properly today, but...

Looking around, I heard whispers from students pretending not to look at us.

"Is that her?"

"Wow, I thought it was a lie, but she’s really pregnant..."

"How tough it must be at her age..."

Ugh...

Here we go again.

I appreciated Arte coming, but the pitying looks from the students directed at her, and the judgmental looks at me as if I had done something wrong, were...

Hard to describe.

"Do you not want me to come?"

"N-No, it’s not that..."

Of course, Arte noticed my reaction.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, she really cared about me.

As Arte’s face darkened, the people around us reacted more intensely.

Naturally, not in a good way.

"O-Of course, it’s fine. Haha..."

In the end, I couldn’t stop Arte from visiting today either.

...Damn it. I’m going to be teased again. She should be here any moment now.

"Oh, Arte. Hi. Here to pick up your husband again?"

Speak of the devil.

Sometimes I cursed my intuition.

Couldn’t it be wrong just once?

"He’s not my husband yet..."

"Our dear Siwoo is too scared to go home alone, so he asks his pregnant girlfriend to pick him up, huh?"

"...."

Amelia’s constant teasing made me angry, but I couldn’t say anything to her.

My instincts warned that retaliating would only make things worse.

In this case, not reacting was the best option.

Knowing Amelia’s nature, she’d get bored soon enough.

"Geez, you’re no fun."

As expected.

Losing interest in teasing me, Amelia soon focused on Arte’s belly.

"It’s so amazing. People’s bellies get this big."

"You know how many times you’ve said that?"

"What am I supposed to do? It’s amazing every time I see it. Aren’t you amazed? Your daughter is in there."

"...It is amazing."

Well...

Amelia was right.

The fact that there was a child that Arte and I created inside her was incredible.

Especially since I had never imagined having a child until last year.

I could understand why she found it amazing every time she saw it.

"Aren’t you tired of that topic?"

"I’ll never get tired of it. I could talk about it every day."

"Good grief. I wonder what you’ll think when the baby is born."

...A baby.

It still didn’t feel real.

The fact that I was going to be a father.

That Arte and I were going to have a family.

"Enough chit-chat. Shall we head back now?"

"...I suppose so."

"Yes. We need some time to ourselves without interruptions, right?"

Arte’s smile as she held out her hand was mesmerizing.

Time alone, huh?

Thinking about it, having time alone might become rare soon.

Once the baby is born, the child will always be between Arte and me.

Arte had mentioned feeling bored when alone recently...

Even that boredom might be a luxury soon.

In a few months, our child would be born.

I had heard that raising a child was quite exhausting, even though I hadn’t experienced it myself.

If that was true, then enjoying a peaceful walk home would become a rare event.

"Are you going to hold my hand or not? Mmph..."

Impulsively, I stole a kiss from Arte.

Her hand in mine, I smiled brightly.

"Alright, Arte. Let’s enjoy our time together."

"...Really, kissing me in public like that? It’s embarrassing."

"Haha, sorry."

I suddenly realized there were other students around us.

Lost in thoughts of Arte, I hadn’t paid attention to their reactions.

Looking around, I saw many surprised faces.

They probably hadn’t expected such a public display of affection.

I felt good, as if I had delivered a blow to those who whispered about us.

"Shall we go?"

Feeling good, I decided to do something I rarely did in public.

I wrapped my arm around Arte’s, making it clear to everyone that we were a couple.

"What’s gotten into you? You don’t usually do this."

"Just felt like it today."

"...Hehe, I don’t know why, but it makes me happy."

Looking around, I noticed some people’s expressions darkening.

Probably wishing they had a relationship like ours?

The envious looks confirmed it.

I didn’t feel guilty.

The constant whispering had been annoying.

"Shall we go, Arte?"

"Yes, let’s."

Giving a final smile to the teasing Amelia, I strolled away slowly.

Soon, I heard the sound of grinding teeth behind us.

"Could you do that at home, at least?"

"Seriously. Does the boss and Siwoo not feel embarrassed?"

Haha.

Serves them right for teasing us.

Take it as your just deserts.

"Okay, this is good."

I tasted the food I had prepared with the ingredients we bought before heading home.

Thankfully, it didn’t taste bad.

I hoped Arte would enjoy it.

As I was thinking that, I heard a grumble from the living room.

"I can cook too, you know..."

"Oh no."

"You must be tired from the academy..."

"Sigh."

"...."

I stifled Arte’s complaints.

I had no intention of making a pregnant Arte cook.

I could cook, after all.

Although my skills weren’t as good as Arte’s, thanks to my time living alone, I could cook well enough to serve others.

"It feels like I’m always just receiving..."

"That’s not true."

I knew why Arte always wanted to do something.

She felt indebted to me.

But there was no need for her to feel that way.

"You don’t realize how much you help me every day."

Siwoo didn’t think he was in a superior position in his relationship with Arte.

But Arte was different. Maybe because Siwoo had helped her?

It seemed she had a compulsion to do something for him.

I appreciated it and found it cute, but if it made Arte stressed, that was a different story.

"What do you mean..."

"Arte. I help you because I love you and care for you. You don’t need to feel that way."

"But..."

She was more stubborn than I thought.

Arte sometimes showed this side.

"And you’re giving me a huge gift soon."

"A huge gift?"

Did I prepare something like that?

Her puzzled look was adorable.

I gently rubbed her belly as I spoke.

"Yes. The huge gift of our child."

"...."

"So, don’t worry and enjoy the meal. Okay?"

Though I said that, I was cautious as the quality seemed a bit lower than Arte’s cooking.

Arte, who had been looking at me with teary eyes, smiled.

"Haha, if only you hadn’t said the last part."

"Is that so? Sorry."

"...It’s really good. Thank you."

Her heartfelt compliment made me smile, and she smiled back.

It was a time of tender moments with my beloved, something I had never imagined before.