Revisit Azur Lane

"Where do Z23 and the others live?"

Hu Teng's gaze swept across the warehouse, removing the bedding from Zhou He's arms. Apart from some tools and tables used for storing things, the warehouse was completely clean.

"The other side has just been repaired, so they're all staying here for the time being."

Zhou He spoke frankly, and Hu Teng nodded in agreement: "Then I'll stay here too."

Zhou He naturally had no objection to this. He took Hu Teng up to the second floor, where they ran into a large group of people taking clothes to soak in the hot spring. The destroyers were all fine, politely and curiously making way for them. However, when Zuikaku and the others blocked their way, they were teased with "Want to go for a bath together?" and no one stopped them. Even Shoukaku and Bismarck watched the show with great interest. After seeing them off, Zhou He was drenched in sweat.

"Go out the back door, there's a hot spring pool over there. Hu Teng, you can go soak in it too, it's quite relaxing."

Pretending to remain calm, Zhou He looked at the numerous room numbers with names on them and led Hu Teng to the last two empty rooms to choose from—there were only 24 rooms on the second floor, and because Ming Shi chose to stay downstairs, there was one extra room upstairs.

He didn't know whether the system considered 24 ship girls a big or small goal for him. In any case, the daily necessities given by the system were all given away within a few weeks of his arrival, and he would have to spend money to buy them from now on!

"I understand, thank you for showing me the way, Commander."

Hu Teng hummed in response, without saying much. After a brief thank you, he chose a room to clean and furnish. The room sandwiched in the middle only had one window at the back. Although the room was predominantly white and didn't feel oppressive, Zhou He personally felt that the living conditions here were not suitable for the pretty girls. Therefore, he chose a new dormitory that was relatively better in terms of space and lighting.

However, the specific apartment layouts will only be known after the purchase and release of the units the day after tomorrow.

As for the location, he planned to put it a little behind the command building, in a place where it wouldn't be shaded from the sun. Then, he would put a convenience store or a garden square behind the restaurant, connecting the command post, the restaurant, the new dormitory, and the Iron Blood Manor.

In his plan, the port area was already a thriving scene.

"Then I'll go down first. If you encounter any problems here, you can come to me and I'll try my best to help you find a solution."

After exchanging a few words with Hu Teng, Zhou He strode downstairs. Facing Count Spee, who seemed to be engrossed in his book, he decided to strike up a conversation, leaning against the other side of the sofa: "Spee, did you see Kaga today? That guy caught a wild fox yesterday. I'm a little worried about Manjuu at the restaurant."

"...Kaga probably went to the forest."

Count Spee paused for a moment, then tilted his head and looked at Zhou He with his blue eyes: "Yesterday she caught a fox and brought it back. It smelled very pungent, so she gave it a bath. The fox became stressed and it was very bad. It wouldn't eat and looked like it was about to die, so Kaga released it again."

"They actually let them go?"

Zhou He was quite surprised. According to Kaga and Tosa's philosophy, shouldn't they have forced the wild fox to adapt to domestication, and its death only meant that it had a weak will to survive?

"Perhaps seeing that fox reminded him of an acquaintance, and he felt compassion for it."

Yesterday, Kaga made a big fuss. Count Spee was also curious about the wild fox, so he observed it. At first, Kaga didn't care that the fox wasn't eating or drinking, but in the end, he stared blankly for a while, muttered to himself, and carried it away.

"I hope Akagi won't be angry if she finds out about this."

Zhou He's lips twitched. From the perspective of the battleship Kaga, only Akagi would be in such a miserable state. After all, even when Amagi was far away in the deep sea, it appeared so calm and composed. Battleship Kaga probably couldn't imagine that Amagi would suffer such a miserable defeat.

However, he was still quite looking forward to when Amagi would come to his port. As for the battleship Akagi, which was never implemented in the game, his system was formed in accordance with most of the game's rules, so he personally felt that the battleship Akagi was unlikely to appear.

If that really happens, with two Kaga, two Akagi, and also Amagi and Tosa, he would truly have achieved a grand slam in the fox clan.

It’s quite exciting to think about it.

"Thanks."

After bidding farewell to Count Spee, Zhou He strolled out of the command building to go to the coast to greet Kursk. However, he bumped into the smiling Hood and Jarvis, who was temporarily acting as a maid. He waved happily and said, "I'm back."

“Welcome home~”

Hu De's smile was warm and gentle, like a spring breeze. As she spoke, she came to Zhou He's side, reached out to help straighten his slightly disheveled collar, and finally patted his arm lightly: "Although the Commander may not care much, it's best for the Commander to let everyone in the port know that he is safe while staying out overnight, so that we can feel more at ease."

"Uh, sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

Faced with Ms. Hu De's sudden, motherly pronouncements, Zhou He couldn't fathom what was hidden in her smile and decisively chose to back down.

"Ah."

Hu De was very satisfied with Zhou He's attitude, so he omitted the overly long teaching words he had prepared and simply asked about the road conditions and discoveries he had made. He then let Zhou He go, allowing him to wipe the non-existent sweat from his forehead and go to the beach to enjoy the cool breeze.

After waiting for almost half an hour without Kursk showing up, Zhou He decided to make a video call through the system.

The video shows Kursk climbing a steep cliff.

It appears to be located in the northwest of the island.

Chapter 101 The Importance of Clothing

Kursk was doing extreme sports. Zhou He glanced at her but didn't disturb her. After informing her that it might rain, he ended the video call.

"If it's going to rain, then it's not a good time to launch an attack."

Zhou He looked up at the distant sky. He didn't really understand celestial phenomena, but since Tosa said that, there must be something going on. Considering that the rain would lower the temperature, it shouldn't be necessary to activate the winter suit, right?

After turning his attention away, having nothing else to do, he wandered around the dock area and inspected the industrial workshops that were in operation. He found that the tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles he had delivered to the two research contestants had been disassembled down to just the tracks, and the upper parts had been broken into many pieces. At this moment, Lingmin was inputting instructions into the machines in the workshop, and new components were being assembled on the corresponding workbenches. Another green cat was also lying on a nearby table, writing furiously, seemingly drawing blueprints.

"These two are working together quite well."

Zhou He didn't know much about these military machines and had no intention of disturbing the two of them while they were working. As he turned to leave, he thought of Minsk, the more famous scientific research candidate of the Northern Alliance. As time went by, his family's scientific research ship girls would increase more and more.

We're still tinkering with modern stuff right now. Once we have more people, we can start working on some high-tech gadgets.

He's counting on his port area to achieve self-sufficiency in living and food, so the Homeland Coin plays an even more important role.

Humming a lighthearted tune, Zhou He strolled back to the command building and saw the busiest scene in the first-floor bathhouse—it was the only place in the entire building with a washing machine, and it was a bit of a burden to carry clothes for more than a dozen people.

After all, not everyone is as skilled in life skills as Hermione, who can even hand wash things.

Zhou He also washes clothes by hand, but he's not foolish enough to offer to hand wash his ship girls' clothes. So, seeing everyone gathered in the hall, he happily went up to the third floor, took a shower in his room, and hung his clothes on the small balcony extending from the bathroom.

Before they knew it, it was past four o'clock. Zhou He, who had only eaten breakfast outside and climbed a mountain, felt a little tired and hungry after taking a shower. Thinking that it was almost time to get off work, he didn't bother to wear his military uniform anymore. Instead, he changed into a set of loose casual clothes with black pants and a white shirt and went downstairs.

The second floor was still quite lively. Several rooms were being cleaned. Zhou He glanced at them and went downstairs. In the hall, people had also changed into their own clothes. Bismarck, with her long golden hair draped over her shoulders, was drinking tea and talking with Hood. Count Spee was still reading a book. The liveliest place was by the back door, where Kaga's smug voice could be heard from a distance.

Just then, Xianghe walked over from that direction with a slightly conflicted expression. Zhou He waved him over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"?"

Shoukaku was startled by the call, then realized it was Zhou He, and looked quite surprised: "So it's the Commander."

She turned to the side and pointed to the back door: "It's all Kaga-senpai's doing. I heard she released the fox and was going to go and comfort her, but it turns out she released the fox this morning and just caught it again."

"..."

Zhou He was a little confused. Release them in the morning and catch them in the afternoon? What kind of new animal taming technique is this?

"As expected, I cannot understand the thoughts of the seniors on the first and second routes."

Xianghe sighed softly, acknowledging his lack of wisdom.

'This Kaga isn't even from the First Carrier Division.'

Zhou He wanted to remind her, but thinking that in Shoukaku's eyes, Kaga was simply Kaga, without distinction between her earlier and later stages, he smiled and said, "Talented people all have their own ways of thinking and acting. Shoukaku, you don't need to understand them. You and Zuikaku are in no way inferior to the First and Second Carrier Divisions, and have even surpassed them."

"Heh~ Commander is surprisingly good at sweet-talking people."

Upon hearing this, Shoukaku smiled in surprise. She had reviewed the life history of the prototype ships and felt that Shoukaku and Zuikaku had done their best. Therefore, she felt a little resentful that her nominal predecessors had died young but still enjoyed great fame.

Hearing from Zhou He that she and Xianghe had surpassed their predecessors in the First and Second Carrier Divisions, receiving this 'official' recognition, the resentment hidden deep in her heart quietly dissipated. The joy brought by the sense of recognition was overflowing. Her bright, gentle smile, mixed with a woman's heroic spirit, made Zhou He's heart pound. He wanted to look away but couldn't bear to, resulting in him being stunned.

Fortunately, everyone was busy with their own things, and not many people paid attention to what was happening here. Zhou He still remembered his plan and raised his hand to cover his eyes and look away: "It's just a feeling, don't take it to heart, and please don't tell Akagi and Canglong."

Both of the two on the second route can still understand human speech: Akagi and Kaga. Kaga is one thing, but Akagi is truly a troublemaker. He doesn't know if she'll become a yandere when she comes to his port, but if she knows he said something like that, she'll definitely come over and pester him to correct his statement. She might even challenge the Shoukaku sisters to a duel.

He didn't want his own family to fight amongst themselves, and he lacked the confidence to handle the aftermath.

"Of course~"

Looking at Zhou He's shy expression, Shoukaku found him rather cute. His eyes darted around, and he raised a finger to his lips: "This is a secret between the Commander and me, isn't it~"

"...And please don't tease me."

The subtle yet familiar words made Zhou He's lips twitch. Before he transmigrated, he watched Japanese anime and had seen similar lines at least nine or ten times. They were so clichéd that it was almost painful, but they were still effective. Even if a pretty girl said those words, he couldn't resist. He could only retreat helplessly, using polite language to avoid Shoukaku's 'attack range' and trying his best to look more serious.

Unfortunately, when he was wearing a military uniform and cap, he did look rather serious with a stern face. But when he was in casual clothes, he looked like a college student who had just finished military training a few days ago, completely lacking in authority.

Fortunately, the group that had been entangled at the back door also came in. Tosa remained expressionless, while Kaga arrogantly chattered beside Tosa, completely destroying his persona. Zuikaku followed behind, shrugging helplessly, but when he looked up and saw Zhou He's casual clothes, he became interested again. He bypassed the two big foxes and came to Zhou He, almost pinning him against the wall on the stairs.

"Could you please not approach me like you've discovered something new?"

Zhou He smoothly dodged Zuikaku's wall slam. He had already realized that he seemed a bit weak in his casual clothes and needed to change into his military uniform to keep his ship girl in check. But if he went up to change now, he would look silly, so he simply walked across the hall and out of the command building.

"Only now do I realize how young the Commander really is."

Hood, holding the black tea Jarvis had poured, simply followed Zhou He's figure for a moment, and the topic of conversation with Bismarck smoothly changed.

"..."

Bismarck naturally noticed Zhou He's casual clothes. It was precisely because of this contrast in her persona that she always wore casual clothes when going into battle and military uniforms at home to avoid attracting too much attention.

With her gaze lowered, she calmly hummed in agreement: "The commander is highly adaptable. At least for the next twenty years, there shouldn't be any problems in the port."

"You don't have high hopes for the commander?"

Hu De raised an eyebrow slightly: "If things continue like this, it'll take at least forty years, right?"

Bismarck glanced sideways and quietly met Hood's gaze: her prototype ship had only been built for five years in total, and twenty years was already a huge number for her. She never expected that Hood would double that. No wonder it was the world-renowned Royal Glory.

"Am I wrong?"

Ms. Hood seemed to realize something, and asked Bismarck with a smile, her eyes narrowed. The latter naturally understood that one could not joke about a lady's age, and nodded slightly in agreement with Hood's statement, then shifted the topic to the battle against the Sirens.

……

The first thing Zhou He did after arriving at the restaurant was to go to the kitchen and replenish the food inventory according to the list given by Manjiu. With his precise control and selection, he spent twelve Home Coins to satisfy Chef Manjiu's needs, while also instructing them not to go out recently, to be wary of the wild foxes that Jiahe brought back.

Incidentally, the restaurant's warehouse contains self-defense weapons specifically for Manju. Theoretically, Manju have the ability to defend themselves, but not many.

Turning back to the dining area, Zhou He had just sat down to order when Xi Li came over with her plate and sat down next to him. She had eaten meat and her mouth was full of oil, so Zhou He had to take out a tissue to wipe it off for her.

"So the Commander also has clothes like this."

Not only was Yuudachi in the restaurant, but several members of the White Eagles were also dining there. It was the first time they had seen Zhou He in his private clothes, and they all came over to see him, as it was a rare sight. Bush only asked a few questions, while Cleveland went around behind Zhou He and parted his bangs to the left and right with his hands, revealing his eyes and eyebrows, which were now parted in the middle.

"It's a little weird."

Montpellier observed her eldest sister's masterpiece, resting her knuckles on her chin as she commented, "It doesn't look bad, but it's not very suitable for the Commander. The Commander would look much better if he cut his hair shorter."

"...Is that really how it is?"

Influenced by anime and comics, Zhou He always had unusual expectations for growing his hair long. But once his hair grew long, putting aside how to manage it, he became gloomy. Almost every time he cut his hair, he would receive a lot of praise from others.

Perhaps this is the difference between reality and fantasy.