Revisit Azur Lane

Eliminating these executors who fled to the South Second District should be enough to complete mission ①.

Zhou He thought to himself.

……

Based on the distance between his ship girls and the port area, Zhou He estimated that they would arrive at the port area in two hours. So he went to the restaurant to tell Manjuu to prepare more hot food for more people (he specially ordered several faction-specific dishes). After glancing at the food that was being cooked, he turned around and went back to the command post to call people to eat.

Akashi chose a room on the first floor that was relatively far inside. Although it was surrounded by walls on three sides, the afternoon sunlight would shine in through the window. When she opened the window, she could see the green lawn and the hot spring garden, so it wasn't exactly secluded.

only…

"Could it be that the animal-type ship girls of Sakura Empire all retain some animal characteristics?"

Looking at Akashi, who was curled up in a ball and sleeping soundly on the newly made bed, Zhou He thought that Yuudachi was indeed similar, and that Tosa and Jintsu's secretive personalities were also due to their fox genes.

As for Zuikaku's characteristics, perhaps it's its beautiful legs. He really didn't notice anything else. Words like "elegant" are perfectly applicable to Shoukaku, but they are somewhat inappropriate for Zuikaku.

"You can pet real cats all you want, but Akashi, let her keep sleeping."

Seeing Akashi sleeping so peacefully that he was almost snoring, Zhou He finally couldn't bear to wake him and gently closed the door, declaring the plan to polish Kursk a failure.

Kursk herself came down from upstairs when Zhou He arrived at the front hall. Perhaps feeling that short sleeves and shorts were not suitable for the current weather, she put on a trench coat, but only buttoned up the top and bottom, which highlighted the proudness of the northern hemisphere of the deck, and her long white legs were no longer visible but were now only vaguely visible.

"Is something wrong with Kursk, or am I acting strangely?"

Zhou He pinched the bridge of his nose. He could remain calm and collected when facing a group of ship girls, so why did he start to waver when he was alone?

"Where is Akashi?"

Kursk scanned the front hall. She hadn’t seen Akashi since returning to port, and hadn’t even left any trace of her activities. She was very interested in this method of concealment. Was it a feline instinct?

"It seems she was too tired from making the bed and had already fallen asleep."

Zhou He shrugged. That's how cats are; they sleep all over the house.

Kursk was not surprised. Upon hearing this, he walked straight out of the command post. Zhou He followed him in a few steps and explained to Kursk on the way to the restaurant the magical creature called 'Manjiu'. As for their origin, Zhou He simply described them as special products of 'Cube Energy's biological research', which could help with household chores and logistics.

"You must not catch them as prey. Every single one of them is an important source of labor for the port."

In light of Kursk's identity as a 'hunter,' Zhou He gave a few extra instructions, even saying things like that the soup made from wild chicks wouldn't taste good.

"I don't know how to make chicken soup."

Kursk listened for a while and gave Zhou He a definite answer, but this statement inexplicably tickled his funny bone, and he laughed twice under Kursk's '?' look.

After a brief exchange, the two walked through the restaurant's front yard and entered through the main entrance. Manjiu, who had been waiting for a long time, stood by the door holding a sign and diligently guided Zhou He and his companion to their dining table. Only after the two were seated did Manjiu rush to the kitchen to deliver a message.

"..."

Kursk stared at the actions of the Manjuu, seemingly lost in thought. This prompted Zhou He, sitting opposite him, to explain that the Manjuu's kitchen work was actually not difficult, and that they, like the ship girls, possessed power far exceeding their appearance. Even though they were small, they could still be of great help.

"Does the commander care about the difference in strength?"

Kursk still remembered what Zhou He had said yesterday, expressing his envy of their superhuman physical abilities and strength.

Faced with Kursk's questioning and surveillance, Zhou He pondered for a moment, shrugged and smiled, "Hmm~ it would be a lie to myself to say there was nothing, but it's alright. Even if I'm just an ordinary person, I can manage to run this port area with ease. It's enough for me."

Contentment brings happiness; this is the state Zhou He hopes to reach. Although contentment has many meanings, he sincerely hoped that his future would be more comfortable than his present.

This is a prayer for a better future.

"Yes, you've done a good enough job."

Kursk felt a sense of wonder as she watched Zhou He reveal different emotions. She was not good at communicating with people, but her discomfort disappeared when she was with Zhou He, and she could even say words of encouragement to others.

"—"

Her words almost made Zhou He freeze. He looked left and right, then embarrassedly scratched the back of his head, finally managing to stammer a thank you after a long while.

This reaction was quite unexpected for Kursk. She stared at Zhou He and realized something: her commander seemed to be shy.

As for the slightly awkward atmosphere between the two, she thought it was like a gentle, coquettish breeze, not worth mentioning. She sat calmly and composedly until one after another, the wild chicks carrying plates full of dishes lined up from the kitchen.

The meal was for three people, consisting of five dishes, rice, and an optional staple food of corn. Kursk reached out and placed the dishes on the table, while Zhou He took the two small bowls of staple food and placed them beside him.

At this moment, Zhou He was beginning to regret not waking Akashi up. Looking back, the only time he had ever dined with Yuudachi was when they were alone. At that time, he had no other thoughts about Yuudachi. But now, facing Kursk, who had no idea what he might suddenly say, he became nervous.

However, this tension didn't last long, because Kursk people respect the ingredients and are quite serious when eating. Zhou He picked his toes for a while, then relaxed and began to appreciate the dishes prepared by Manjiu:

The four servings of Donghuang stir-fry plus a bowl of pork rib soup are very classic. The fried rice tastes just right, at least for Zhou He. Those who prefer a lighter taste won't find it too strong, while those who prefer a stronger taste can add flavor with chili and other ingredients. It's quite good and up to the standard for a restaurant.

Pork rib soup is even more classic; a sip of the soup warms you up from head to toe, and the aroma of meat fills the air.

"..."

Zhou He finished three small bowls of rice, put down his chopsticks, and exhaled a puff of hot air: "I lost."

"?"

Kursk glanced at him briefly, then picked up his bowl and continued eating.

……

"Manjuu is really amazing."

After finishing his meal, Zhou He felt refreshed, having no need to wash the dishes. He stepped out of the restaurant and embraced the sun, taking a pleasant stroll in the restaurant's courtyard, admiring the beautiful flowers and sighing with delight.

Kursk sat in the aisle on either side of the restaurant entrance, rubbing her belly. She rarely ate during normal mealtimes, and accidentally ate a few extra ears of corn. Looking at Zhou He, who was having a good time, she guessed that the others should be back soon, so she got up and quietly left through the lawn on the side of the restaurant.

By the time Zhou He came to his senses, Kursk was already gone.

Zhou He could only look helplessly at the sky, thinking that Kursk was probably the kind of person with extremely strong focus? He was more focused on his own actions than on distractions or communicating with others.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why they would avoid crowds when they could communicate normally.

If that's the case, he might be able to adjust the number of people to allow Kursk to briefly interact with others, thus preventing her from truly becoming an urban legend in the port area.

After calming his mind, Zhou He rested briefly and left the restaurant area. He went to the dock platform, sat at the far end of the ship pier, and looked down at the white bubbles that kept bubbling as the waves washed over the foundation support. His thoughts gradually became simpler.

As expected, at 2 p.m., when the sun was at its highest, Bismarck and his party crossed the bay entrance and returned to the port area.

Subsequently, some people looked at the massive ship port platform with expressions of surprise and doubt, while the newly joined ship girls such as Long Island and Javelin reacted more normally—after all, as a naval port, it is very normal to have a platform of this level.

The only abnormal situation in a port area is when there is only one command building standing alone.

"Ah, Commander has spotted them!"

While most people were observing the platform, Yuudachi had already spotted Zhou He lying on the dock sunbathing. She excitedly left two splashes on the sea, then slowed down, slowed down again, stopped next to Zhou He, reached out and supported herself on the dock surface to climb up the ship's equipment, and then lay down in Zhou He's arms with lightning speed. Before Zhou He could even react, his left hand had already been captured.

"Yuridashi? Welcome home."

Zhou He yawned, rolled over and hugged Xi Li tightly in his arms, gently stroking her hair with his right hand, and smiled as he smelled the familiar scent of the sea.

"Hmm~"

Yuudachi made a peculiar sound like a cat purring, snuggled against Zhou He's chest, and squinted her eyes.

Because of Yuudachi's actions, the others also noticed Zhou He's presence. However, the familiar embrace between the two caused a variety of reactions from the group. The veteran members were used to logging in on their own, while the new members, Javelin and Harman, were shocked and covered their eyes with their hands, peeking at the two of them as they followed them in.

"Owner-owner relationship? It seems to be even deeper."

Jean Bart glanced at the two of them. Although it was a short time, she sensed that Yuudachi's intuition was quite strong. The fact that she could rely on and be so obsessed with Zhou He meant that, regardless of his abilities, he was at least a reliable guy.

"Commander, what's going on here?"

After Cleveland landed, he looked at the platform, squatted down next to the two, and poked Zhou He's cheek, who was still squinting, with his finger: "Could it be that you saw the Sirens' base and got inspired to use up all the resources?"

"The first half of the sentence is correct."

Zhou He lazily opened his eyes. Luckily, Cleveland was wearing pants, otherwise he would have gotten another freebie.

After patting Yuudachi to help her up, Zhou He sat up, snapped his fingers, and laughed, "Actually, this is the attitude our port should have, it's just that I wasn't able to materialize this area before."

"Hey~ is that so?"

Cleveland withdrew his finger, turned to look at the massive complex of buildings, and agreed with Zhou He's statement.

After all, what port area has only a lone command building?

Chapter Sixty-One: Differences Between Sister Ships

Yesterday at the Siren base, Zhou He's many ship girls had a good tour. Now that he's back home, there's an even more luxurious and solid one. Zhou He, who was originally drowsy, was pulled up and became a part-time tour guide.

As it happened, the tour guide didn't really go inside to take a look. Instead, he chatted with the crowd and wandered around the spacious corridors, tall work sheds, warehouses filled with steel and other materials, and decorative plazas and gardens, as well as the unattended houses.

The platform is fully equipped, and with the materials left over from the Siren destroyers and light cruisers that Zhou He dismantled, it could even begin shipbuilding—of course, his family doesn't have the manpower or resources to do so.

"If you're interested, you can move here too."

After a quick stroll, Zhou He found that there weren't many people around him anymore. Yuudachi and his group of kids were playing hide-and-seek with Cleveland, and Bismarck, Hood, Tosa, and a few others were also with him.

His ship girls can be divided into two types: one type is like Yuudachi, who has a carefree personality and lives her own life without caring about anything else; the other type is like Hood, who has a strong sense of management and is interested in the port's development strategy and personnel arrangements.

"Hmm, this place looks pretty good."

At this moment, Hu De picked up on Zhou He's words, lightly resting his slender fingers on his smooth chin as he glanced around and said with a slight smile, "But the style here is more industrial. If you really want to move in, you'll have to do some decorating, otherwise it will be too plain and you won't feel satisfied with life."

"Makes sense."

As Zhou He walked around, he felt that something was missing. Hearing Hu De's words, he nodded in realization: "Indeed, you guys are more meticulous. I don't notice these kinds of details. If I have the opportunity in a while, I will purchase some materials to do a simple renovation here. I will need your guidance then."

"We are happy to be of assistance to the commander."

Hu De responded with a smile.

"...Is this how high-end people communicate?"

Zuikaku, who was at the back of the group, asked Tosa in a low voice, and also brought along Jintsu, a new Sakura Empire companion who looked very smart.

"Can't you see? The commander is playing along with Hood's conversational style. Royal nobles like this kind of thing, don't they?"

Tosa didn't really like this flippant way of speaking either. She had a pretty good grasp of Hood's status and position in the royal family, but it was just their way of life, and she didn't have much to say about it.

"No wonder the commander didn't speak to us so pleasantly."

Zuikaku suddenly realized, and Tosa couldn't stand her slow-wittedness. Speechless, she moved away from her. She really hoped that there were strong people with similar temperaments to Bismarck in the Sakura Empire, otherwise she might switch sides and become a nominal Ironblood ship.

Jintsu, seeing Tosa move away with a look of disgust and Zuikaku following with a smile, roughly understood the relationship between the two and felt that he had gathered quite good information.

Soon after, Zhou He and his group arrived at the edge of the shipyard platform. Looking into the distance, they could clearly see the new restaurant to the left of the command post. Zhou He took the opportunity to introduce the restaurant and Manjiu, saying that they could adjust their dining time according to their own preferences in the future.

It would be nice if everyone could eat together at the same table like a big family, but Zhou He's abilities were limited and he couldn't support an ever-increasing number of diners, so this was the only option.