"What are you doing?"
I couldn't help but ask.
Startled!
The group clinging to the doorframe jumped in perfect unison.
"Well, um, you see—"
Maybe from the excitement, one of the likely culprits—face flushed—started to stammer some incoherent explanation, flailing their hands around.
The two beside them simply put a finger to their lips.
"Sigh... fine, I'll pretend I didn't see anything. Now, back to work."
I let it go with a sigh. I'm technically still young myself, but working in the reproductive department gives me a decent amount of authority—especially with my boss backing me from behind.
I waved them away, urging them to scatter.
"Sorry…"
Mumbling their apologies, they quickly left the scene. I watched them go with another sigh.
"Phew…"
I let out a breath, trying to calm myself.
Knock knock.
"Is now a good time?"
Given how the others were acting earlier, there was a decent chance something was going on in there, so I called out just in case.
"Yes, it's fine!"
The reply was more composed than expected.
"Then, pardon the intrusion."
With that, I opened the door and stepped inside.
As soon as I entered, a warm, musky scent—more than just 'a man's scent,' definitely his scent—tickled my nose.
(Wouldn't most young women fall for this instantly?)
The thought crossed my mind. Girls tend to be sensitive to smell.
Not that I'm immune, either—my heart was fluttering. But thanks to the, um, direct exposure the other day, I'd built up a little resistance.
Inside the room, Hisui was lying on the bed, slightly disheveled but looking okay, with his bodyguard Hachikuma-san sitting beside him. Both of their faces were a little red, so… yeah. Something probably did happen.
Around Hachikuma-san's neck was a platinum chain, glittering with a jade ring.
She wasn't wearing that yesterday. So…
"Congratulations."
The words just came out.
"Thank you."
Hachikuma-san blushed deeply at that. Looks like I was right. I couldn't help but feel a bit proud of myself.
She's a big woman, but so graceful and pretty—it's hard not to be a bit jealous, even from one girl to another.
"Anyway, getting to the point—based on the sample you provided last time, the numbers were too good, so they're being flagged as potential errors. We'd like to collect another sample, just to be safe."
My boss, Kusuri Usada, said that with a slightly flushed face. Since the data was highly confidential, it would've been inappropriate for me to speak out of turn—hence I brought the boss along.
"I don't mind, but… I just got a mountain of vaccines earlier. Wouldn't that mess with the results?"
Hisui tilted his head, looking concerned.
"Let's see… this, and this, and this…"
I double-checked the chart, reviewing the vaccine and medication data through my handheld terminal. Most were safe unless they were aggressive chemotherapy types, but you never know where a medical mishap might come from—better safe than sorry.
"Okay, all clear."
We both breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, thank goodness it was vaccines. If it had been something like a wild strain of mumps, it could've led to complications like orchitis and infertility. That kind of thing would be a huge problem for us. Same goes for wild strains of corona, HIV, and more.
This round of immunizations probably saved more lives than we can count—not just now, but well into the future. Tens of thousands, maybe even millions.
It sounds like a wild exaggeration, but for those of us who've seen the preliminary data, it's deadly serious.
For reference, Hisui's predecessor, Kohaku-sama, had millions of descendants—if you count the unacknowledged ones. That's not a joke. Only those in our line of work know about it.
"But like… wouldn't the real issue be his physical condition right now?"
I couldn't help but check. The monitor didn't show any acute reactions yet, so he should be fine, but I had a feeling he'd start swelling or running a fever by tonight.
Probably not the best time to be taxing his stamina.
"I think I'll be okay. Just not up for any strenuous activities, you know?"
He was remarkably laid-back about it. Honestly, too laid-back—it's almost worrying.
"So, what kind of 'error' are we talking about, exactly?"
Hachikuma-san's sharp gaze cut in. As expected of a top-tier bodyguard—she had serious presence.
"The first sample had a fertilization rate of over 90% for IVF. It's suspiciously high, so we need to verify."
My boss answered before I could even decide how to phrase it.
"90%…"
Hachikuma-san was speechless. She instinctively rested a hand over her belly.
"If ovulation timing lines up, natural conception would also be extremely likely."
"Right…"
She clearly had something on her mind.
"Congratulations."
I offered the words again.
"It's a little early for that."
She smiled bashfully and tried to deny it, but the glow of happiness was already creeping into her expression.
"Just a little, huh?"
I couldn't help but grin. The atmosphere was so heartwarming. Pregnancy is almost always a cause for celebration.
"And what's more, based on current projections, he's likely to be classified as a provisional new S-rank. That'll probably mean more guards as well."
"More guards?"
"Yes. Once the rank is official, it's guaranteed."
"He always said he'd at least be ranked A, but I guess he's surpassed that."
The fact she could estimate that based on intuition alone—yeah, that's pure mythical-tier talent.
"Oh, he's surpassed it dramatically…"
It was almost beyond belief.
"Well, this exclusive period has been amazing… but I guess it can't be helped."
She sighed, looking a little disappointed. From the outside it might seem like she's a workaholic, but to her, spending time with Hisui probably felt like a date.
Even though it was only their second meeting, I kind of understood how she felt.
Meanwhile, Hisui just looked completely bewildered, like he had no idea what was going on.