Revisit Azur Lane

Kursk didn't quite understand this, but since Zhou He didn't get angry, it meant that this was his unique way of getting along with Hermione—just like Zhou He and her.

"Oh, right, Lingmin is also quite curious about you. You two are both from the Northern Alliance, so if you have time, go and say hello to her, 'before things get complicated'."

After finishing his business, Zhou He stopped paying attention to Kursk's cleavage and white skin, stood up to leave, and suddenly reminded Kursk of something, emphasizing the last few words.

Lingmin isn't the type like the Tosa sisters who believe in their own strength. Right now, she doesn't have time to think about Kursk because of the modification of the coastal defense gun. Once the research is completed, Lingmin's resources and technical capabilities will definitely be several levels higher. She doesn't want to wake up to find the entire port area covered by a large number of drones; that sight makes her feel uncomfortable.

"Ah."

Kursk knew that Zhou He wouldn't let her contact people for no reason, especially not with such serious words—that his fellow Northern Alliance member was probably not someone to be trifled with, and that it was better to end her suffering quickly than to prolong it.

"Thanks a lot."

Having reassured Kursk beforehand, Zhou He got up and left her room, followed closely by Hermione and Raika. The entire second floor fell silent once again.

"So? Kursk isn't as mysterious as you all thought, is it?"

Zhou He returned to his office on the third floor, turned around, and asked the two men with a smile.

He had only guessed that Kursk was at home, but it turned out to be true. It seems that Kursk and he think in a similar way – avoiding trouble.

"Yes, Commander, you've become quite mysterious."

Zuikaku stood by the door, looking at Zhou He: "So, the Commander actually prefers 'subordinates' who will unconditionally obey orders?"

"What kind of statement is that? Aren't you the same in this respect?"

Zhou He propped himself up on the table with one hand. His original intention was to make Ruihe and Hermione understand that Kursk was not so difficult to get along with. Ruihe seemed to have figured out some other points.

"Ok?"

Ruihe was taken aback. After thinking about it for a moment, it seemed that this was indeed the case. Although she had tried to refuse, she had never completely rejected Zhou He's orders and arrangements.

"That's a chest, sob sob..."

She was about to point out Zhou He's eccentricities when Hermione quickly covered her mouth, nodded to Zhou He, and dragged her out of the office.

"..."

Zhou He is neither stupid nor deaf; by considering the context, he can guess that Ruihe meant he liked broad-minded and obedient subordinates.

That's utter nonsense. Zuikaku herself is quite busty, you know.

But Zuikaku is acting strangely today. Why is she noticing all this mess? She doesn't seem to be infatuated with him; instead, she seems to be looking for trouble.

Is it simply because he mentioned that Kursk is excellent?

Really? Zuikaku shouldn't be that childish, right?

Chapter Ninety-Three: An Unfamiliar Experience

After becoming the system-named commander, Zhou He has been thinking about how to get along with his ship girls. He is still only at the beginner stage, but he can figure out the problems that can be solved.

For example, Zuikaku's sudden change in mood just now most likely stemmed from his attitude towards Kursk. It might simply be because he praised Kursk's excellence, or it might be mixed with the negative gap that Zuikaku discovered after comparing himself to Kursk.

More importantly, he just remembered that his ship girls were essentially new life forms that had only recently been born. Their diligence, calmness, belligerence, maturity, and obedience all came from 'instinct'.

"I'd almost forgotten."

Zhou He looked up and tapped his forehead, closing his eyes and sighing that he was really just an ordinary person, so easily deceived by appearances.

It's normal for Zuikaku to exhibit such childish, sulky behavior.

After all, who doesn't want to be praised? Who doesn't want to be more special and receive more attention than others?

Outside the door, Hermione, who had just coaxed Zuikaku away, returned to find Zhou He sighing and shaking his head. She blinked and quickly walked to Zhou He's side, gently placing her hands on his shoulders and kneading them lightly, soothing him in a gentle voice: "Commander, don't worry. Zuikaku is just a little tired from running errands. She'll be back to normal after a short rest."

"I think so too. Hermione, go and get ready. We'll be leaving when I get back from the outing."

Zhou He naturally knew Ruihe's personality. Negative emotions such as dissatisfaction, anger, and annoyance would only bother her for a short while, and she would recover to normal in a short time.

But since the atmosphere had reached this point, he had to respond to Ruihe at least once. If Ruihe had forgotten their previous conversation, then his response could be considered a pleasant surprise.

"Ah."

Hermione glanced at the travel roster. Of the royals, only Javelin would be going—Hood wasn't, so she didn't need to make too many preparations and could travel light.

After a short rest, Zhou He bid farewell to Hermione and left the third floor. He walked through the bustling first-floor lobby, where a crowd had gathered, and found himself strolling in the courtyard outside the restaurant. He would occasionally stop to observe the flowers at his feet, his demeanor exuding a gentle aura, like a young lady from a painting.

"Shokaku, have you seen Zuikaku?"

Although it may seem a bit out of place, Zhou He genuinely likes women like Shoukaku, who are gentle, charming, and have a bit of an older sister vibe. Even in Azur Lane, where there are plenty of potential wives, Shoukaku is a top choice.

"Hmm? As for Zuikaku, didn't she just excitedly run off to find the Commander?"

Shoukaku, who had been spoken to, turned around, her blue, watery eyes fixed on Zhou He, her eyebrows slightly furrowed: "Could it be that the child brushed past the Commander and missed him?"

"No, Zuikaku has already reported it to me."

Zhou He felt embarrassed and quickly explained that he hadn't been careful with his words and had upset Ruihe, and now he wanted to apologize to Ruihe.

"Is it really?"

After listening quietly to Zhou He's explanation, Xiang He was not very convinced. Even when Rui He was acting up that morning, Zhou He hadn't said anything harsh. How could he suddenly say something that would anger Rui He? Without even thinking about it, she could guess that Rui He's competitive nature had kicked in, and she had noticed something inconspicuous in the conversation and was being unreasonable.

"That's it."

Zhou He affirmed firmly, spreading his hands: "Zuikaku is the second important member to join the port after Yuudachi, but I always overlook her thoughts when assigning tasks. I should have noticed this earlier and paid more attention to her feelings."

"..."

Looking at Zhou He's serious expression, Xiang He seemed to be not protecting Rui He. Could it be that Rui He was deliberately making trouble and causing trouble because Zhou He was in the wrong first?

I can't imagine it, but judging from the conversation between Ruihe and Zhou He before, Zhou He was quite inexperienced when the port area first started operating, and he made the wrong arrangements at that time.

After a moment's thought, she smiled and said, "Commander, there's no need to worry. In my opinion, Zuikaku likes you quite a bit. As long as you find the reason why that child is angry and apologize, she will definitely forgive you, Commander."

"I didn't see her come out of the command building, so she's probably in her room. It's inconvenient for the commander to go alone, so let's go together."

No matter how you look at it, Zhou He seems to be full of sincerity. Although it would be good for Ruihe to reflect on her own, since Zhou He is willing to take the initiative to apologize, it would be a good thing if the two of them reconciled when they had a disagreement.

"Ah."

After responding, Zhou He turned around and glanced at the scene. He was slightly disappointed and somewhat surprised: he had thought that Ruihe would come to Xianghe to beg for comfort as soon as possible, but after he came down and finished talking with Xianghe, Ruihe still hadn't come down.

If Zuikaku could hear and see his speech from a third-person perspective, he would probably feel much better.

Pity.

"..."

"what are you doing here?"

As Zhou He and Xiang He walked towards the main gate of the command building, Tosa, who had just returned from a stroll in the forest, poked Zuikaku in the waist with his scabbard while she was peeking out from behind the wall of the command building. Zuikaku cried out "Eee-yah!" and turned around nimbly. Before she could even complain about Tosa's behavior, she hurriedly slipped through the back door.

"So impatient, so young."

Kaga, standing beside Tosa, commented on Zuikaku's behavior—"I remember an old senior often saying something like that, and now it's her turn to say it. It feels pretty good."

"He probably got into some trouble with the Commander, and when he tried to ask Shoukaku for help, the Commander beat him to it. He's probably panicking."

Tosa tilted his head and looked at Kaga, who was trying to appear old-fashioned but was actually full of energy: "Zuikaku is enough for someone as stupid as her. Don't try to get close to her."

"There is no one in this port area who can call me stupid."

Kaga composed himself and regained a touch of his aloofness.

If it weren't for the presence of the Tosa in this port, she wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly like this. The world-famous Bismarck and Hood, as well as Jean Bart from a foreign land, these battleships and battlecruisers that are clearly formidable enemies, are all excellent whetstones!

Of course, she felt that it was good to wander around with Tosa every day. As for looking for Kursk or something—if you really wanted to find someone in the port, would it be that hard?

Tosa merely raised an eyebrow at his older sister's sudden seriousness and paid no further attention. He strode into the back door of the command post, walked through the corridor to the front hall, and happened to run into Zhou He, who was walking in with Shoukaku. His gaze swept across the bustling hall, but Zuikaku was not among them. The only one in Sakura Empire who seemed relatively intelligent, Jintsu, was already mixed up with the destroyers. She was indeed very clever.

"Commander, can we talk about the arrangements for the camping trip now?"

Glancing at Shoukaku, who was the complete opposite of Zuikaku, Tosa went up to talk to Zhou He. She wasn't interested in exploring the island, but she was worried about letting Zhou He, who seemed well-prepared at first glance but would be exposed as soon as he went out, wander around in the wild.

"Hmm~"

Zhou He quickly clapped his hands and walked to the center of the hall. He looked at everyone present and smiled, "Welcome everyone to the port area's 'first camping trip'. The trip is expected to last for 1 to 3 nights, so please prepare some changes of clothes. I will be in charge of the other equipment, and Ruihe will be in charge of the route. If you see any nice places to stay along the way, please let me know."

To put it simply, in addition to the above remarks, Zhou He also gave some basic science education on wilderness safety, which is not exactly popular science. These included not thinking about capturing cute wild animals, not hunting wild animals that look delicious, drinking less untreated water, and eating less wild fruit.

Despite his very amateurish explanation, everyone's high spirits earned him a very enthusiastic round of applause. The enthusiastic participation made Zhou He realize that his ship girls were really bored staying at home, and he had to find a way to keep everyone active during the time when there were no sortie schedules.

Events like 'sports meets', 'food festivals', and 'fireworks displays' all need to be brought up and used as soon as possible.

"We're still short on Home Coins."

With that thought in mind, Zhou He waved goodbye to everyone with a smile and went upstairs first. He happened to run into Ruihe, who was going back to her room. Ruihe had just opened her room door when Zhou He caught her. Seeing that Zhou He was about to speak, Ruihe raised her hand to stop him: "Wait! I lost my composure just now, but if the commander came to praise me, then I'll pass."

Zhou He's lips twitched. For some reason, he felt a little like laughing at Ruihe's appearance, but he held it in and beckoned her over: "You should have heard what I said earlier, right? Have you prepared the route and clothes?"

"Don't worry, it'll be ready soon."

Ruihe glanced at her room, gently closed the door, and closed the distance between herself and Zhou He. When she didn't see Xianghe, she glanced at the stairwell and breathed a sigh of relief when she was sure that Xianghe hadn't come up.

"Are you worried I'll complain to Shoukaku?"

Zhou He saw through her thoughts at a glance. Ruihe wasn't stupid. Although she was angry, she would probably realize later that she was in the wrong if things really came to a head. She would go to Xianghe to complain and then come back to confront him, which would expose her in an instant.

That's why he was able to find Shoukaku first.

"That's what I'm thinking, but Commander, you wouldn't do that, would you?"

Ruihe leaned against the stairwell, her tone assertive, but she was inwardly panicking. Before, she and Zhou He had only been bickering, but this time it had escalated into a serious argument.

"That's for sure. Even if there are complaints in the port area, it's you who come to me to complain about other people."

Zhou He cracked his knuckles and smiled. He was the manager of this port area and the nominal boss of his ship girls. In addition, the existence of his ship girls all originated from him and the system within him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a parent.

What kind of boss (elder) complains to his (junior) subordinate?

"Of course, that's not the point. Take two steps down."

Zhou He remembered that he hadn't come to see Ruihe to show off. Looking at the stairs, he gestured slightly backward. Ruihe, with a question mark, obediently took two steps back. Then she saw Zhou He step forward, raise his hand, and place his warm palm on her head—

"!!!"

Zuikaku stumbled back several steps as if electrocuted, staring wide-eyed at Zhou He: "Commander, let's talk this out."

"It seems like Yuudachi and the others quite like it."