Revisit Azur Lane

"Commander, how should we handle this?"

In the kitchen, Hermione, dressed in her own clothes but wearing a white apron, humbly and diligently asked Zhou He for advice on the various ingredients he had taken out of the refrigerator. Her obedient appearance even made Zhou He, the 'educator,' feel a sense of healing. He patiently used his limited cooking knowledge to explain things to Hermione.

At the same time, Zhou He also found it very interesting. From Hermione's knife skills and food handling techniques, it was clear that she could cook. However, what she could cook was the renowned 'royal cuisine'. Could there be anything more interesting than educating royal maids to resemble the people of Donghuang?

"Wow, the atmosphere is amazing."

Outside the kitchen, Yuudachi and Zuikaku leaned together, watching the two laughing and talking inside. Zuikaku whispered to Yuudachi, "I only took a nap. What happened in between?"

"I'm asleep too!"

Yuudachi replied matter-of-factly, "More important than that, when can we eat?"

"Are you already that hungry? That's great, you have such a good appetite."

Unable to find the reason, Zuikaku didn't bother to investigate further. She sat back down at the table, resting her chin on her hands, and said, "When will the Commander be able to bring Shoukaku-nee over? Shoukaku-nee's cooking must be full of the taste of happiness."

"Does Shoukaku-neechan cook? Is it delicious?"

When the topic of food came up, Yuudachi immediately became interested and sat down at the table with Zuikaku to ask her seriously. Zuikaku smiled proudly and said, "Of course, that's Shoukaku-neechan. Her cooking is definitely not inferior to the Commander's!"

"Oh!"

Yuudachi blinked, her voice full of anticipation.

"...Although I don't know what you're talking about, if you have time, could you please get the bowls and chopsticks for me?"

With help, Zhou He's cooking speed actually slowed down. After a while, he came out and saw the two chatting, and casually made a comment.

"Yes~"

As if receiving some signal, Yuudachi jumped off the chair and ran into the kitchen. When Zhou He and Ruihe entered, they saw Yuudachi sticking out her tongue after burning herself while secretly eating the finished dish. Hermione kindly brought her a glass of water.

"It seems like he'll be a formidable competitor."

Ruihe's evaluation left Zhou He wondering, but he didn't take it to heart. He simply explained a few things and continued cooking. Although the gas stoves here were free, the heat was still a bit lacking. He planned to build a smaller wood-fired stove next to the command post in the future.

After a flurry of activity, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner amidst laughter and conversation. After dinner, Yuudachi and Zuikaku went upstairs early, leaving Zhou He and Hermione to clean up the mess.

After finishing his overtime work, Zhou He stretched and looked at Hermione, who had folded her apron into a square and put it away neatly. The girl under the light looked somewhat unreal, which made him pinch his brow and smile, "You've worked hard today, get some rest."

"The Commander too."

Hermione bowed slightly to Zhou He upon hearing this, a faint smile on her face: "Good night."

"See you tomorrow."

Zhou He hummed in agreement, waved, and left the kitchen first—perhaps it was evening, a more relaxed time, and his mind had relaxed as well, so leaving was the best option.

Then, he saw Yuudachi humming a little tune as she made her bed in the hallway outside his dorm room. His eyes twitched slightly: "Yuudachi? Aren't you going back to your room to sleep tonight either?"

"what."

Yuu-da paused, sat on the bedding, turned around and looked up at Zhou He, chuckling cutely, "I forgot."

Zhou He was charmed, but one thing at a time. He rolled up his sleeves and beckoned to Yuudachi to stand up: "Let me help you tidy up. This isn't a wooden house, and there aren't any tatami mats. What if you get cold sleeping on the floor?"

Yesterday, it was just Yuudachi, so it didn't matter if he was casual. But now that there are more people, we have to be careful. What if other people find out that Yuudachi and he are sleeping on the floor together upstairs and want to come and join in the fun?

He didn't want a bunch of beautiful girls of all kinds to constantly gather at his doorstep for pajama parties; he'd suffer so much when he tried to sleep.

"Ah~"

Yuudachi pouted and reluctantly stood up: "What does it matter? I'm a ship girl, I won't get sick so easily."

"...Even ship girls need to take care of their health."

Zhou He didn't consider himself a perceptive person, but even he could tell from Xi Li's expression that she really wanted to sleep at the door of his bedroom.

But he wouldn't actually let Yuudachi be his watchdog. Thinking about it carefully, Yuudachi was probably sleeping here out of a protective instinct towards him or for some other reason. So there were many ways to deal with it. He shook his head: "No, as the commander, I have a responsibility to be responsible for your health."

As he spoke, he squatted down to tidy up the blankets for Yuudachi. Although Yuudachi was very unwilling, she did not stop Zhou He and obediently followed him back to her room on the second floor.

Zhou He first made the bed, then turned to look at Xili who was staring at him expectantly. He chuckled softly and walked to the table by the window to sit down: "Xili, the view from your room is really nice. I forgot to prepare something, so you don't mind if I work here for a while, do you?"

"what?"

What kind of scenery can you see so late at night? This completely disjointed statement made Yuudachi feel strange, but she felt at ease being able to stay with Zhou He, so she agreed without thinking: "Sure."

"That's annoying."

Zhou He said something and shifted his attention to the Home Mall. After searching for a while, he found what he needed. He raised his right hand and made a grasping motion, and a professional book on 'Civil Engineering' appeared out of thin air. He then began to read it.

This system shop sells almost everything you need for daily life. Although he spent 1 Home Coin, it was a necessary expense. He had to learn what he didn't know, and he needed to acquire more skills while there were still few ship girls in the port.

"Ah, it's something I can't understand."

Yuudachi had intended to come and take a look, but she backed down as soon as she saw the book title; such complicated things were not suitable for her.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between Zhou He and the bed. In the end, Yuudachi climbed into bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, and lay on her side, looking at the figure in a white military uniform sitting upright by the desk. Her mind gradually calmed down, and with the sound of pages turning, her breathing slowly became even.

A moment later, Zhou He rubbed his temples, got up, glanced at the sleeping Xi Li, carefully turned off the light, and left the room.

Chapter Fifteen: Penniless

"Ugh."

It was still morning, and Zhou He had already woken up while it was still dark outside the window. His lower back and legs were a little sore, making him a bit stiff. After getting up, he stood by the window and stretched his lower back. Regardless of the reason for his back pain when he was squatting at home, the reason he felt this way now must be because he took Hermione too far yesterday and the bed was too soft.

Well, that must be the case.

With this personal opinion in mind, he looked into the distance. The bedroom window also faced the bay at the entrance of the island, and the natural scenery was very pleasing to the eye. The figure running on the bay water made him feel refreshed.

"Zuikaku is here too. Do all ship girls have the habit of morning exercise?"

Zhou He rubbed his side, wondering if he should exercise too. He eventually concluded that it was possible but unnecessary, and lazily dressed, washed up, and went out.

Upon arriving on the first floor, Hermione, now dressed in a luxurious black and white maid outfit, was mopping the hall. She stopped when she saw Zhou He come down and greeted him, "Commander, how are you?"

"Morning."

Zhou He leaned against the stairs, looking at Hermione, who seemed more like a young lady in her boudoir than a maid. He asked Hermione curiously why she added "Sir" when addressing him. Hermione paused slightly, tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Because adding 'Sir' makes it sound more formal. I respect Commander very much."

"Respect... Hmm, I understand."

Upon hearing the unfamiliar term, Zhou He awkwardly shifted his gaze and changed the subject, looking towards the bay outside the door: "Yuudachi and the others really enjoy spending time in the bay, Hermione, why don't you go and stretch your legs a bit?"

"Well, I'm more interested in cleaning the house to make it tidier than exercising in the morning."

Hermione's honest answer made Zhou He feel even more ashamed. The ship girls he had awakened all had clear goals and the ability to act, while he, the leader, was lazy and had accomplished nothing. This would not do!

Within seconds, Zhou He finished his self-reproach, and in a relaxed tone, he parted ways with Hermione and came to the outside of the command post. The air, free from industrial pollution, was fresh, with a slight coolness and saltiness. Unfortunately, the area outside the command post was just a large, empty lawn, lacking any of the key elements of an island port area.

"Renovate the port area as soon as possible → use the Home Coins from the mission to buy finished products → increase the number of ship girls, otherwise you have to wait → sortie to fight the Sirens and complete the mission."

A series of formulas popped into Zhou He's mind. He was very familiar with this feeling of having empty pockets. In short, he would do what he could first.

He strolled around the Homestead Shop and found the split road from the Manor Set—1 Homestead Coin could buy a 10-meter-long, 1.5-meter-wide road made of cement or other materials, which could be directly superimposed on reality, but he needed to dig the hooks beforehand, otherwise it would directly cover the ground.

"Is this cheap, or really expensive?"

Looking at the product descriptions in the store, Zhou He didn't know how to evaluate them. He turned around and looked at the road he had walked. It was at least 100 meters from the command post to the bay, which meant it would take more than 10 Home Coins. The road to transformation was long and arduous.

Or should we pave the road ourselves? But we don't have the materials.

Zhou He looked down at his empty hands and could only say that his system was kind enough to give him a destroyer; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to use any of its functions.

"Commander? What are you worrying about so early in the morning?"

Zhou He felt a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw Zuikaku and Yuudachi, who had stopped drifting at sea and appeared behind him at some point. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "We were just thinking about the port's development."

After giving a brief answer, he looked at the two of them: "Yesterday you fought a battle with the Sirens, and many Sirens from further away have been attracted here. Today, Zuikaku, you will accompany Yuudachi to explore the sea area around the command post."

"oh!?"

Zuikaku immediately became interested, glanced down at Yuudachi, raised his right fist and excitedly asked Zhou He, "What do we do when we encounter Sirens? Do we just defeat them?"

"No, your goal today is only to survey the sea area around the command post. Yuudachi, do you remember the areas we planned yesterday? Zuikaku can send out planes to take a look, but he can't get close to them himself."

Zhou He denied it without hesitation, and then gave Xi Li some instructions.

Zuikaku's role as an elite naval commander is not just about fighting the Sirens. In the current situation where the map is completely dark, Zuikaku's reconnaissance ability is more important than her combat ability.

After Yuudachi nodded in agreement, Zhou He looked at Zuikaku again: "It doesn't matter if the reconnaissance plane is discovered and destroyed, but you must not reveal your position. Our port is still in its early stages, and all battles need to be planned with strict... well, in short, they must be approved by me. If possible, I will have Hermione come to support you."

"Ah~ Is that so? That's very much in the Commander's style."

Zuikaku raised an eyebrow and winked at Zhou He: "Then how are we supposed to contact the commander at sea?"

"Please do not discuss this based on the premise of encountering enemies at sea."

Zhou He grumbled and pressed Ruihe's hand down: "I can observe the situation after your attack and I can contact you. I will warn you if any Sirens approach—but don't let me see you actively approaching the Sirens."

"Just like yesterday? The commander is really reliable."

Zuikaku chuckled, patting Zhou He's shoulder as if to cover her guilt: "I'm an aircraft carrier, you know. Even if I'm an elite, I wouldn't be so arrogant as to willingly enter the enemy's shelling range, would I?"

"It's not ideal. If you want to engage in close-quarters combat, there will be opportunities in the future."

Zhou He didn't know if Zuikaku had held back, but he only felt his left shoulder go numb from the slap. He retreated out of Zuikaku's attack range and added, "Let's have breakfast before we set off. Is there anything you want to eat?"

Rice! Grilled fish! Eggs! Meat!

Suddenly, Yuudachi made a loud noise, which made Zuikaku move several steps to the side. Looking at Yuudachi, who was excited about food, she thought for a moment and said, "Commander, do you make tempura? I want to try it."

"..."

Zhou He suddenly fell silent. He did know this dish was very famous in Sakura Empire, but that was all he knew. After all, he wasn't so idle as to learn about foreign cuisine.

However, judging from the appearance of tempura, it is obviously fried shrimp coated in flour. The shrimp is coated with flour and egg, and then some vegetables are added on top. That should be about right, right?

Thinking about it, it didn't seem too difficult, and since Yuudachi could try the dish, he nodded and said, "I understand."

"The commander is indeed very reliable."

Zuikaku revealed a dashing smile. The main reason she wanted to eat this was that it was a common dish in Sakura Empire. If Zhou He could make it, Shoukaku, who would join in the future, would definitely be able to make it as well. This would make it easier for her to compare and see whose dish was better.

"Then I'll go back and prepare."

Zhou He waved and turned around, seemingly nonchalant but actually having a headache. When would he be rich enough to directly exchange homestead coins for ready-made dishes? He hoped it wouldn't be after he was honed into a master chef by cooking three meals a day.