Even in the world of Kancolle, I want to drive a robot!

The sea breeze blew, and a brilliant smile bloomed on the pretty face of the black-haired girl, and her eyes showed her seriousness without any deviation.

"..."

The emotion in her eyes was so passionate and overflowing with love, but it was precisely because of this emotion that Xia Bai felt embarrassed and silently turned his eyes away.

"Whatever you want...You can do whatever you want. I've already lost anyway."

"That's not enough. I want you to acknowledge me in person, not this random answer!"

Looking at 03 who suddenly became emotional, Xia Bai was stunned, and then he said very seriously: "If this is really your choice, then I will gladly accept it."

"I will try to change my feelings towards you, but it may be a long process. I'll give this to you first... Akashi made it, and I don't know if it will be useful."

"If you have really decided, just hand over the affairs on Sprain Island."

Handing the box in his arms to 03, Xia Bai turned and left the beach. He now needed to calm down for a while to calm his violently beating heart.

After Xia Bai's voice disappeared completely, RX-03 looked at the small box in his hand and smiled with success.

She and Zero shared the same information, and the reason why she launched the offensive today was because Zero sent her the Ring of Promise, so 03 rushed to the beach.

The Ring of Oath may not be as important to her as it is to the ship girls, but it is a legitimate answer, and its symbolic significance is greater than its practical meaning.

"...Is it my turn to help Observer Zero with this next step?"

Recalling the content of her alliance with Observer Zero, RX-03's expression turned gloomy again. She was not sure what the Siren leader was thinking, even though the other party was "sincere" enough.

The two sides are still in a hostile position, and the so-called help is all Zero's words. 03 really doesn't dare to use Xia Bai's safety to gamble whether the observer Zero's feelings are true.

03 has thought about going back on his word at the last minute and destroying the bridge after crossing it, but it depends on who the target is. If he is facing an ally of Zero-chan's level, then forget it, as he will die miserably.

"My preliminary plan is complete. Next is Zero's preliminary plan... Tsk, why can't you finish my side first and then help her?"

Even though she was very unhappy, RX-03 decided to find a reason to test Xia Bai, so she just had to wait for the son of Prometheus in the sky to come down, and then she would be free once she handed over the affairs.

As for who will be the new leader after his abdication, RX-03 already had an idea.

......

On the other side, after Xia Bai escaped from 03's "relentless pursuit", he hurriedly walked to the football field where Kewei and Peter had competed before and lay down.

Because most of the ship girls were still on the beach watching the exercises of the Sons of Prometheus, and the few who did not come here at this time, the football field seemed particularly quiet, which coincided with Xia Bai's desire for quietness.

Originally, he decided to wait for time to pass and for 03 to calm down before talking to her properly. But he didn't know what medicine she took. From that day on, she no longer concealed her feelings and was like a completely different person.

Maybe someone instigated him, or maybe 03 could no longer tolerate it, but who knows? Xia Bai didn't want to think about how to deal with his relationship with 03, nor did he want to discuss the relationship between the two.

Pressuring him too hard would only make him feel upset.

"Alien God, Embers, Helena MATE... What is the purpose of that stone, and what is the meaning of the picture he showed me? Could it be that that guy is really from the future?"

After thinking about it for a long time and still unable to figure out the connection, Xia Bai blocked the sunlight with his arms and sighed helplessly.

After all, the ones who should care about these things are Siren and Observer Zero. It has nothing to do with him or this world. If Qian Gong hadn't come here so many times, he wouldn't bother to guess these complicated things.

...After Shinano returns, I will just be a mascot commander. Using my brain is not for me.

Chapter 156 Are you feeling sad?

"When the seven virtues converge into one, all the light in the world will gather here, and you... will become a god comparable to me..."

"Bring down holy wrath upon the sinful world, and then... all darkness will be wiped out by you, burning to the end of eternity."

"God, what should I do to cleanse myself of my sins..."

"Betrayal only takes a moment. Join me."

......

"Can I really be called virtuous in this state? God, please tell your confused believers."

"Appearance is not important. After losing your dirty soul, your life form will rise again... Devour them."

"Your brothers and sisters, your compatriots, the butterfly of the future...will be devoured together, and you will become the original sin, carrying the sin, and turning into--"

"arrogant."

"..."

"I'm sorry, this is the last time."

......

"Xia Bai...Xia Bai?"

"!?"

The crisp sound reached his ears, causing Xia Bai to open his eyes suddenly. However, the afterglow of the setting sun made him uncomfortably block his eyes with his arms.

After wiping his dry eyes, Xia Bai shook his head, which was not yet fully awake, and looked at the girl who woke him up.

Her long blue hair, as clear as the sea, sparkled in the afterglow, her eyebrows were slightly curved, and her beautiful face had a warm smile, but there was always a deep sadness in her purple eyes.

"Helena MATE..." Xia Bai murmured as he looked at the girl in front of him.

"No, I'm Helena."

The clear voice came out again, and the blue-haired girl bent down, put the back of her hand on Xia Bai's forehead and said in a rather reproachful manner: "It's not hot...

"It's easy to get sick from the sea breeze if you sleep on the football field. If you want to rest, go back to the dormitory."

"I'm not a human and I won't catch a cold... Are you always so gentle to everyone?" Xia Bai asked, feeling the warmth of the other's soft palm.

Helena realized that her actions were a little too intimate, her pretty face turned red, and she quickly withdrew her hand, hesitatingly saying: "No, it's not like that... I just saw that Xia Bai was not in good condition."

"Not in good condition..." Xia Bai muttered, patted his face, and his confused brain became clearer. He asked, "Forget it, what time is it now? Has the exercise of the Son of Prometheus ended?"

Lowering her head shyly, Helena said in an inaudible voice: "Well, it's over a long time ago. It's about six o'clock in the afternoon now... I just came out for a walk after dinner and saw you lying on the football field."

"Is that so..." Covering his face with his hands, Xia Bai lay back on the ground, "It seems that I slept for quite a long time, probably to replenish the loss of mental energy."

"Loss? But didn't Miss Mingshi say that Xia Bai, your mental strength is normal?"

With a complicated expression, Xia Bai explained: "It's normal, but using your ability to communicate with the Mecha God always consumes mental energy, just like when you use your own abilities. Although it's not a big deal, you will always feel tired."

"To replenish the lost mental strength... the best way is to rest."

Although everyone joked that Xia Bai was a steel robot with unlimited energy, physical fatigue was different from mental fatigue. He would still feel sleepy after depleting his mental energy, so it was normal for him to fall asleep on the football field.

Helena pushed down the hem of her skirt with both hands and sat on the grass next to Xia Bai. She whispered, "You didn't look tired at all when you were teaching... Are you trying to be brave?"

"You're overthinking it. I'm not going to act tough right now. Teaching and lying on the lawn and being lazy are two completely different concepts."

"So Xia Bai is admitting that he was just showing off before?"

"Before, there was nothing I could do. I had Splan Island behind me. If I fell and showed weakness, she would be in a difficult position... Now that my brother is back, it doesn't matter anymore."

"But it doesn't matter to the Sakura Empire now, does it?"

Hearing this, Xia Bai was stunned for a moment, and looked sideways at Helena beside him. He thought to himself that this girl had a sharp mind and was not at all dull like when they first met. He just didn't know what she meant by saying this at this time.

Noticing Xia Bai's alert look, Helena waved her hands and quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I'm just curious about why Xia Bai is crying here. If you don't want to tell me, just pretend I didn't ask."

"Wait, Helena, which eye of yours saw me crying...?" Realizing that his chest was wet and tears were still dripping, Xia Bai swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

No wonder Helena talked so much today, asking all kinds of questions and saying that she was not in a good condition. It turned out that she had been crying since she woke up.

What are your tears, what is your expression, can these tears save the world?

Although he didn't know why he was crying, thinking of Teacher Seven's advice, Xia Bai, who was born strong-willed, immediately took out a tissue to wipe his eyes.

But for some reason, the tears seemed to be impossible to wipe away, and they kept coming more and more until Xia Bai's vision was blurred, and a deep sadness suddenly rose in his heart.

It's like...something's gone.

But what exactly is it? What is the reason that makes me so sad?

After thinking it over and over, Xia Bai still couldn't get an answer. He could only let the tears flow. He gave a thumbs up to Helena who looked worried, and said with a hearty smile: "It may be because of the loss of mental strength. I'll go find Akashi later."

"By the way, don't tell this to other ship girls, especially Belfa and the others."

Sure enough, this man always tries to be strong and doesn't want those close to him to worry about him.

Seeing Xia Bai trying to act like he was fine, Helena lowered her eyes and nodded silently: "Well, I won't tell anyone, but please take care of yourself."

"If you fall here, everything will return to the way it was before."

Patting his chest vigorously, Xia Bai said, "Don't worry, I'm a cockroach with strong vitality... But you suddenly look a bit like that guy."

“Sometimes I can’t really tell who is who among you.”

Hearing Xia Bai mention the ship girl who looked like her again, Helena asked curiously: "Is Xia Bai talking about Helena MATE?"

"Can you tell me about her? After all, she looks like me. Maybe we are connected."

It was clearly a joke, but it made Xia Bai silent.

He now really suspected that there was a close connection between the two Helenas.

Chapter 157 Showers

"...That's about it. In fact, I only met her once in a dream."

After quietly listening to all the information about Helena MATE, Helena said thoughtfully: "So... except for our clothes and temperament, everything else is exactly the same?"

"No wonder you, Xia Bai, mistook me for me when we first met and reacted so strongly..." At this point, Helena was very embarrassed. It was too embarrassing to act like a righteous hero when they first met but end up being taught a lesson.

"It should be that apart from the clothes, you two are almost identical."

Xia Bai added, closing his eyes, feeling the sadness that suddenly welled up in his heart, and said slowly: "Sometimes Helena, you give me the same feeling as she does to me, and I even guess that you two are the same person."

"She is so sad because her world is destroyed. Why are you so sad?"

"I?"

Pointing at herself, Helena tilted her head and thought for a while, then answered very gently: "Sister St. Louis also said that there is an indelible sadness between my eyebrows."

"But I don't have such emotions. I am very happy with everyone in White Eagle...Is it just my appearance?"

Because White Eagle's companions often say this to her, Helena is very aware of this. She has a deep self-awareness and knows exactly whether she is happy or sad.

"Yeah, innate temperament doesn't mean anything." Thinking of Yixian, whom he had met once, Xia Bai agreed with Helena's statement.

The leader of Donghuang was the same. Although the communication was normal, he looked resentful and self-pitying. But how could someone who was truly sad say such jokes as "three books and six ceremonies" and "marrying in a formal way"?

Seeing Helena's worried look, Xia Bai comforted her: "Whether it's you in the future or you in another world, there's no point in talking about her now. Helena, just be yourself.

"By the way, is that strange stone still there? If it is, can you show it to me? That thing may be the key to solving the mystery."

Nodding, Helena replied: "I left it in the room without moving it. I should be able to find it when I go back. I'll come back to find you then..."

After a pause, Helena looked at the tears flowing down Xia Bai's face and asked hesitantly, "Is it really okay? You're still...crying."

"It's okay, I'm in good health. The tears will stop naturally when they dry up." Waving his hand, Xia Bai stood up and stretched.

"I gained a lot from chatting with you. I need to think about it carefully. That's it. I'm going back first."

After saying goodbye politely, Xia Bai turned around and left the football field, leaving a long shadow in the setting sun.

Why on earth did he secretly shed tears here? What was he thinking deep in his heart? Looking at Xia Bai's back, such doubts lingered in Helena's heart.

......

Covering his face, Xia Bai quickly returned to his room, closed the door, and fell straight onto the soft bed, breathing deeply.

That strange sadness came again, more intensely, making him a little breathless. But no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't find the source of this sadness.

Why on earth is this happening, and what on earth have I lost that makes me burst into tears unconsciously.

‘Boom——’

The weather in the sea area changes suddenly. It was a sunny sky on the football field just now, but now there was suddenly lightning and thunder. Judging from the windows creaking in the wind... a rainstorm is coming soon.

It's too outrageous that it rains heavily when you are sad. It's like a third-rate love tragedy. The sadness is like a river.

Complaining about the unpredictable weather in his heart, Xia Bai slowly walked to the window, closed it, and closed the curtains. After doing all this, he went back to the bed and lay down.

"Huh, this kind of sadness of worrying about gains and losses... Could it be that the core is broken again?"

Thinking of this for no reason, Xia Bai's mouth twitched and he quickly denied this guess. Lingjiang was still very reliable. If he said he would not let him die, he would not let him die.

Even if we take a step back, in Honglian's consciousness space, if there was any problem with his body, it would have jumped out to warn him long ago.

So it turns out that this is the aftereffect of the mental depletion caused by connecting to multiple mechas at once, but where does this emotion come from?

"Ahhhh, I'm hungry and don't want to think anymore!" Xia Bai rolled over and over in bed and shouted at the ceiling.

Then he raised his arm again, found Belfast in the communication list, and sent a voice message.