Revisit Azur Lane

At this moment, Yuudachi was also very happy. She darted forward and waved to Zhou He from the side: "I'll go ask them right now."

"Ah."

Zhou He smiled and waved as he watched Xi Li leave. He then turned around and slammed his head against the wall, banging it against his chest. He told himself, "This is something I had to say and do sooner or later. You need to stay calm. It's just a ring. I might have to give away many more in the future... I hope there won't be that many."

As he continued, Zhou He suddenly lost his composure and realized something was wrong.

Once this starts, there will likely be a second and a third time. He should be secretly happy about it... Anyway, he's sincere and not afraid of anyone. Besides, given his status as a lifelong single, it's unlikely that many people would be willing to entrust their lives to him. Look at the thirty-odd ship girls, only Yuudachi is a freebie. The others don't seem to have any interest in him in this regard.

"..."

"Hmph, one is enough. I can't possibly love more than that."

Zhou He realized he had broken down in his own mind, so he simply put his head off the wall, took off his hat, dusted it off, put it back on, and started going downstairs.

It was still quite early, only a little past six o'clock. There weren't many people in the hall. Bismarck, Hood, Shokaku, and Yorktown, along with their respective destroyers, were sitting in four different positions. They locked onto Zhou He as soon as he came downstairs.

"The competition will begin at 7:30 a.m., with no restrictions on the scope, and will end at 4 p.m. The competition will be based on a comprehensive comparison of the edibility of the seafood, including the quantity, quality, and number of surviving seafood. I will provide fish storage equipment, which will be distributed to you before the competition begins."

Zhou He was used to this kind of scene and went straight to the point, announcing the start and end of the event and the rules: "It is forbidden to steal or destroy the catch of other factions during the competition. If any Sirens approach, I will warn them. Those around are responsible for fighting. That's all."

"Any questions?"

His gaze swept over the crowd, and after more than ten seconds no one objected, so he nodded: "Then it's settled. We'll go to the beach, and I'll distribute the equipment to you."

Zhou He led the way out. The sky outside was still hazy and not fully bright, but there were many people, almost all of them. Xi Li was among them. She was speaking, and a large group of people around her were listening. The scale was equivalent to a city-wide announcement.

"..."

Zhou He's stomach started to hurt, and he'll probably have to eat soft rice again this morning.

Chapter 157 Open and aboveboard!

Giving a ring is a matter that can be considered a big deal or a small deal. In Zhou He's opinion, it can be a big deal or a small deal, since Xi Li doesn't seem to mind it.

Therefore, he remained very calm, raising his right hand with an unchanging expression in the face of the different gazes of the crowd: "Personal matters can be handled privately. Today is the competition day. To win, you need to seize the right time, place, and people. You don't want all your hard work yesterday to go to waste, do you?"

"...Commander, have you been secretly reading books at home? Your way of speaking seems to be getting better and better."

When it comes to Zhou He's amusing affairs, Zuikaku is always the first to chime in. Usually, she could say a few words, but this time she was cut off before she could even open her mouth. She couldn't help but click her tongue softly. Standing on the roadside not far away, with her left hand on her hip, she felt an uneasy feeling. Her gaze shifted to Shoukaku, who was coming out of the back hall. She beckoned to Zhou He with her right hand and deliberately lowered her voice: "I'm not surprised about Yuudachi's situation, but Commander, don't you really like Shoukaku-nee? How do you explain this?"

"Are these two things related?"

Zhou He smiled and asked in return, quite frankly.

If you really want to say what he likes, there's nothing he doesn't like at the event, but saying that makes him seem perfunctory; it's better for him to just express his true feelings.

"Ugh?"

As expected, his candid question left Zuikaku bewildered. Shoukaku, who had come closer, looked at Zuikaku with a mixture of embarrassment and anger: "Zuikaku? Didn't I tell you not to say these things? It will only bother the Commander."

"Ah...no...that is, Commander, I'm sorry."

Faced with her older sister's lecture, Ruihe tried to explain, but couldn't think of any words for a moment because of her stare. After struggling for a while, she gave up thinking and walked to the side, tapping her stupid head.

"What's wrong? Everyone's looking at the commander like that."

The Yorktown group, who were walking a little slower, also came over. They were used to seeing meetings, but the atmosphere in front of them didn't seem like that of a proper meeting.

"Well... it was my decision to give Yuudachi a vow ring, and everyone is probably curious about my idea."

Zhou He's initial idea was to use this competition to delay the heat of the moment. He didn't expect everyone to be here so orderly waiting for the competition to start. After taking a few words from Ruihe as a buffer, he decided to lay his cards on the table. So he took two steps to the side and faced everyone present.

He smiled and waved to Chao Xili, then glanced around: "This is a decision I made after careful consideration. You can ask me anything you want to say. If you keep it to yourself during the competition, it will probably affect your performance."

"The oath between the Commander and Yuudachi, it must be the one I'm thinking of, right?"

Hood casually took a couple of steps in the crowd and came to Hermione's side, asking in a low voice.

"I think so."

Hermione entered with a blank expression, but inwardly she was wondering why Hood had come over to ask her.

She didn't really care about this matter, especially regarding Yuudachi. She had watched Yuudachi and Zhou He's relationship grow up, and there was nothing wrong with it; she approved of it.

Moreover, no matter how much Zhou He's relationship with someone progresses, it won't have much impact on her, unless Zhou He himself wants to resign from her job as his personal maid.

"So it seems the commander prefers girls who can be charming and coquettish."

Hood nodded and analyzed, which made Hermione's expression tighten. So why tell her?

"Excuse me!"

Few whisper like Hood. For example, Z23, standing behind Bismarck, raised his hand and asked earnestly, "The oath ring the Commander mentioned, is it a token for both parties to swear to spend their lives together?"

"Yes, to put it in simpler terms, it's a wedding ring."

Zhou He nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "However, in my opinion, the definition of a vow ring is broader than that of a wedding ring. Marriage is just the simplest meaning. In addition, it can also be a symbol of overcoming difficulties together and never betraying each other, as well as a symbol of the sublimation of friendship and a tacit commemoration, etc."

"I see! I've learned something new."

Z23 exclaimed in surprise, "This is knowledge that is very difficult to learn from books."

"Sigh, I didn't expect the Commander to be so knowledgeable."

In fact, most people at the scene either agreed with the matter or had no opinion on it. Only a few people had some opinions, such as Kaga BB. When she heard Yuudachi's story, her first feeling was that Zhou He was probably not going to make it in the future. But after hearing Zhou He's explanation, her most direct feeling was that he was not simply indulging in hedonism. That was interesting.

"boring."

Tosa snorted softly, his sharp gaze sweeping over Zhou He from head to toe: "You should know what I'm going to say."

"Prove it with actions."

Zhou He nodded. Of all the people in the port area, he understood Tosa's thoughts the best—he had been intimidated by him so many times that he had finally figured it out.

After several rounds of Q&A, the atmosphere gradually returned to normal. Cleveland even smiled and patted Zhou He on the shoulder, saying that the commander was also a normal person and would cheer him on. More honest and sincere people like Ashigara, Bush, London and others directly wished Yuudachi well. The person who was most envious was Royal Ark, and the person who was happiest watching the drama was Yi Bei.

The most confused was Xuefeng, who had just come out and approached.

……

Zhou He, who had dealt with everyone, appeared calm and collected, but in reality, he was drenched in sweat.

After finishing, he had to organize everyone to go to the beach, where he distributed fishing nets, square fish baskets with a diameter of more than three meters that could float on the sea, and his words of encouragement.

"Tosa and Kursk, just do your best and don't worry too much about winning or losing."

When the tools were being distributed, Zhou He learned that Tosa was going to be paired with Kursk. Seeing the cold and aloof duo that didn't seem like a team at all, he was so surprised that he didn't know what to say. He could only give the simplest instructions and then take the opportunity to ask Kursk what was going on.

"I don't know, she just suddenly came up to me and said she wanted to join."

Kursk appeared calm. Since she started showing up more often, most people in the port area were quite comfortable with her attitude. As for Tosa, apart from his somewhat clumsy tracking skills, he didn't have much of an impact on her. It wouldn't matter if they lent him a hand, and it was fine if they had other ideas.

"That's good too, it adds some unpredictability to the competition."

Seeing that Kursk could accept it, Zhou He didn't feel there was anything to comfort him with, so he said something positive: "Let's put more pressure on the other teams too."

"Ah."

Because of Zhou He's matter, there was a slight delay. Now that it was getting brighter and the start of the competition was approaching, most people had already begun their journey. Kursk stood with Zhou He on the beach by the tide. She first glanced at Tosa, who was talking to Kaga BB, and then her gaze fell on Zhou He: "Commander, you and Yuudachi..."

"I really enjoy the time I spend with her."

Zhou He replied with a smile, and Kursk nodded in agreement: "She's very good. Dogs are generally very loyal to their owners and have a better tracking ability than other animals, but they also need a lot of training and shouldn't be spoiled too much."

"..."

Zhou He almost couldn't keep his smile going. Kursk's thoughts were still so unfathomable to him. However, after a few seconds of hesitation, he understood. This was just Kursk's way of expressing himself; it sounded strange, but the content was easy to understand.

"This competition may be more intense than you think, Commander."

Without waiting for a response, Kursk finished speaking and strode away, his ship equipment materializing amidst flashes of blue light, and he rode the waves with his net on his back.

"Ha, it's time for us to get going."

Kaga, who was talking nearby, also shouted, and separated from Tosa to accompany the remaining Sakura Empire squad to leave the shore. Soon, Zhou He was all alone.

"call."

Zhou He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his steaming hair, feeling a sense of joy and accomplishment. What he and Yuudachi had done seemed to be just an agreement between the two of them, but because of his identity, it actually concerned everyone in the port area.

After all, if he, as the commander, were to act like a monarch who neglects his duties, the port would quickly descend into chaos, and the command of operations might lack the keenness to seize opportunities. More importantly, he needs to make the port feel more like a big family. If he favors one person too much, he will inevitably alienate others, and in severe cases, it might even affect the mental and physical well-being of the ship girls. If they become too negative, the port is doomed.

'What's going on? This isn't what I imagined—a position of great power?'

After taking a deep breath and exhaling, Zhou He rubbed the back of his head, closed his eyes, and walked a few steps toward the restaurant. Moreover, the fact that he gave Xi Li a ring was actually—well, he was simply overcome by desire.

Holding his sweet, soft, and adorable beast-eared sister in his arms every night, most people could resist, but he couldn't. He'd already transmigrated and become a commander, so why was she still going against him? It's not like he was incapable.

"Speaking of which, I think I saw Yukikaze just now, but where did she go?"

After taking a few steps, he opened his eyes, looked around, and then saw through the French windows Yukikaze fiercely attacking the steak with a fork. The meat was probably too tough.

In just a short while, Zhou He had finished his mental preparation, quickly walked into the restaurant, took the daily special menu handed over by Man Qiu, ordered a bowl of lean meat porridge and steamed buns, and sat down opposite Xue Feng with a smile: "I've had breakfast and I'm going out fishing. Do you want to go for a walk together?"

"Hmph, you really should go out more."

Xuefeng glanced at him, then lowered her head, picked up the plate, and stuffed the already crushed steak into her mouth, showing none of her usual quiet demeanor.

"Haha, for safety reasons, I rarely go out to sea. Since I came here, I've probably only gone out once?"

Zhou He could tell that Xuefeng was in a bad mood. If there was anything going on recently, it was the issue of his vow with Xili this morning. But he had no idea why Xuefeng was unhappy, so he could only pretend not to know and talk to her normally.

"?"

Yukikaze glanced at him: "Don't you get bored staying here all the time?"

"I wouldn't say I'm bored, but it's really hard to pass the time when you're alone. You'll see today."

Zhou He tapped the table with his finger. He wasn't lying. When everyone else was outside, he had nothing to do at home except look at the attack interface and the dock.

Ruihe said he was secretly reading? That's nonsense. He's not strong enough to multitask. When watching the game, he can't do anything at all. After eating, he sits by the window for hours with a cup of tea, just like a retired old man.

"Humph~"

Xuefeng wrinkled her nose and made a strange, girlish sound. After a while, she spoke: "Then I'll have to make do with being your bodyguard for the day."

"It helped a lot."

Zhou He smiled. Ship girls are truly amazing beings. Despite experiencing so many upheavals, Yukikaze still retains her original personality. Rather than a weapon of war, he prefers to call her a spirit of the sea.