Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

It's not that I don't care about Jing Su, it's just that I've already done everything I could on the way here and on the cruise ship. I have no regrets about my life on the ship. Now that I'm at the front lines, of course I want to visit my good friends!

"Javelin, it really is you! I thought it was someone else. I was wondering when the port got a purple-haired ship girl." After carefully observing Javelin, Z23 said in a teasing tone.

"Ah, haha, cough cough." Hearing Z23's teasing, Javelin scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed, and quickly changed the subject, "You're finally up again, aren't you? We should celebrate this reunion properly."

“Yeah, it’s been a long time.” Z23, the most shrewd of the four, obviously saw through Javelin’s intentions. He immediately smirked. How could he let her get away with it so easily? “Javelin, you’ve really changed a lot. None of the three of us noticed anything, but looking at you now, the difference is really huge.”

"Ah, cough cough, what's changed? We're still the same as before, the nose is the nose, the eyes are the eyes. We're ship girls, you know, unless we're retrofitted, it's usually hard for us to change, right?"

Javelin clearly didn't understand Z23's implied meaning, or perhaps she did but chose to ignore it—how could she respond to such a topic!

"Elegance~" Before Z23 could speak, it was the dazed Laffey who took the lead.

"Huh?" Javelin was stunned, unsure whether it was because it was Laffey who spoke or the topic she brought up.

“Yes, that’s right,” Z23 agreed. “Javelin, your demeanor has changed so much. How did you do it?” Z23 took Javelin’s hand, her eyes darting around.

"Ah, haha, cough cough, hey, is that Bismarck? She seems a bit troubled, let's go see her." Obviously, Javelin was completely stumped by Z23's question. After all, she was no longer the innocent and cheerful girl she used to be. What Z23 just said wasn't just a hint, it was practically stating the topic directly. How was Javelin supposed to respond?

Change the subject decisively.

"Eh, it's true, it's rare to see Bismarck looking so troubled." If it were any other ship girl, Z23 might not have paid any attention, but the person the javelin was pointed at was her own big sister, so she had to go and check on her out of both courtesy and reason.

Following the direction the javelin was pointing, a blonde woman wearing a black short skirt, a black cape, and a black military cap was seen leaning against the wall, looking around and frowning. When a ship girl passed by, she would turn her head away, appearing uneasy and nervous.

The four little ones were no exception. When they saw someone walking towards them, Bismarck, just like before, turned his head away, put one hand on his chin, and pretended to be thinking.

"Stare~"

Faced with Bismarck's state, the four little ones were very experienced. They all stared at Bismarck in unison, without even needing to communicate. They had played together for so long that they had developed a tacit understanding, and they knew how to cooperate with just a glance.

"Uh, cough cough, is there something on my face?" Faced with four pairs of eyes of different colors, even the Valkyrie, who was full of heroic spirit on the battlefield, was defeated. Bismarck spoke in a deep voice.

"I noticed you have a long face," Ayanami said first.

“We were also wondering if you, Bismarck, would be as serious as usual at the dinner,” Javelin added.

“I don’t think my expression is any different from usual. So, is that how you see me?” Bismarck answered Javelin’s question seriously without changing his expression upon hearing Javelin’s comment.

The ship girls in the port are diverse, with all sorts of personalities. Bismarck is a very typical Ironblood ship girl. She is serious and earnest about everything, and correspondingly, she always shows an expression that makes it hard to tell what she is thinking. Although this makes her more efficient in her daily work, it also makes others feel that Bismarck is not easy to get along with. After all, who wouldn't be intimidated by someone who always has a stern face?

However, if you really understand Bismarck, you'll know that she just doesn't know how to get along with other people, or more precisely, she's not good at speaking. If you can ignore the invisible pressure she exudes, she's actually quite easy to get along with.

"How could that be?" Javelin quickly waved her hand. After all, Bismarck was the leader of the Ironblood faction and the highest-ranking ship girl she had seen so far. Although Javelin had a general idea of ​​what kind of ship girl Bismarck was through Z23, she still felt a lot of pressure when she actually met her. "We just thought that Bismarck seemed to have something on her mind, so we came to check on her."

Javelin wouldn't dare say she came over to distract others, but it's not wrong for her to say she came to help, since Bismarck did seem to have something on her mind when you got closer.

"This? Cough cough. Actually, it's nothing." Hearing Javelin's words, Bismarck blushed, coughed twice, and changed the subject.

"It's related to the Commander, isn't it?" Laffey blurted out, his words so startling that Bismarck's previously closed eyes widened in surprise.

"Cough cough, how could that be? Don't talk nonsense." Bismarck quickly picked up Laffey, covered her mouth, and looked around. Seeing that no one was looking in their direction, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Hiss, Laffey, what are you doing?"

Just as Bismarck thought everything was fine and was about to put Laffey down, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Whew, pillow, so soft and comfortable Zzzz," came Raffi's murmur.

It turns out that after Laffey was lifted up, he naturally moved closer to Bismarck's large and imposing bridge. Being so close and tired, it was only natural for him to climb up and sleep.

So, Laffey simply rested his head on the bridge and drifted off to sleep.

This completely stumped Bismarck. She was a formidable warrior on the battlefield and had seen all sorts of grand scenes, but this was the first time she had ever encountered such a situation, and her brain almost shut down!

After a flurry of activity, it was nearly impossible to get Laffey down. Bismarck was terrified by the scene and didn't know what to do. She wanted to get Laffey down but didn't dare to use force. It can only be said that Bismarck is gentle at heart and subconsciously ignored Laffey's identity as a ship girl. With a ship girl's physique, let alone pulling her down, even if she were to be hit by a few missiles, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Zzzz"

After pulling him down, Bismarck carried Laffey to a chair and settled him down, while also pulling off his cloak to cover Laffey with it as a blanket.

"So, Bismarck, are you struggling because you don't know how to invite Tirpitz to dance? Wait, shouldn't you be inviting the Commander?"

After calming Laffey down, Bismarck recounted all the troubles he had been going through, leaving Javelin completely bewildered.

It's true that Bismarck would be troubled by not knowing how to invite someone to dance. However, while everyone else is struggling with how to get along with the Commander, is Bismarck actually his sister?

“It’s not that I don’t want to be with the Commander.” Bismarck hesitated for a moment before finally speaking her mind. “It’s just that tonight’s banquet was too rushed and the preparations were inadequate. I don’t want the Commander to see my shortcomings.”

Moreover, the Ironblood faction has already gained too many benefits today; asking for more would be too greedy.

So, forget it, I won't get involved in the competition tonight, anyway...

Finally, Bismarck lowered her eyes, gently touched the sparkling ring on her left ring finger, and revealed a happy expression.

Bismarck's meaning was simple: he was unprepared for tonight and had no desire to compete, because even if he won, he wouldn't be able to show his best side. Bismarck didn't want his first time with Jing Su to be imperfect.

Moreover, according to news from Eugen, she has already taken over the commander, which means that the Ironblood faction has already gained too much today. If they were to compete with other factions, it would provoke public anger and be detrimental to their future development.

As the leader, Bismarck had to consider issues from the perspective of the camp, rather than simply thinking about his own selfish interests.

Of course, she dared to say this because she had her own confidence—her identity as the leader of the Ironbloods, the married ship, Bismarck was confident that she could definitely win over the commander, regardless of any favoritism, it was pure confidence.

Because of their confidence, they didn't care who the winner was tonight. After all, the Ironblood faction had already announced their withdrawal from the competition. After receiving news that Eugen had taken Jing Su, Bismarck held a small meeting within the Ironblood faction to express her idea of ​​not competing tonight. Apart from Roon being somewhat dissatisfied, most of the Ironblood ship girls expressed their approval of Bismarck's statement.

Since it has nothing to do with their own camp, they might as well take this opportunity to practice their dance for the banquet.

As a synonym for seriousness and earnestness, the Ironblood faction rarely holds banquets, and even rarely participates in banquets organized by other factions, let alone dancing.

But the fact that such events were rarely held did not mean that Bismarck did not yearn for romance. Under the hazy moonlight and to the accompaniment of melodious music, dancing gracefully with Jing Su and pouring out their hearts to each other was something Bismarck had been looking forward to for a long time, so practice was essential.

So after the meeting, the Ironblood ship girls on the front lines began to look for their dance partners, and Bismarck naturally chose her sister, Tirpitz.

They had agreed to meet at the entrance of the hall, but now the banquet was about to begin and Tirpitz was nowhere to be seen. Bismarck hadn't even changed her clothes yet and was now debating whether to go and change them first. She was also worried that if she left, Tirpitz would appear, and it would be very awkward if they happened to miss each other.

"Oh, I see." Javelin nodded quickly after hearing Bismarck's explanation, indicating that she understood.

“Actually, we encountered Tirpitz on our way here.” Just as the scene suddenly fell silent, Ayanami suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? When?" Javelin exclaimed in surprise.

“We encountered it on our way to find Gabelin,” Ayanami replied.

"Where is she? What's the situation now?" Upon hearing Lingbo's words, Bismarck's expression first lit up with joy, then her face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Tirpitz had prepared everything, but as expected, they are sisters."

“Sisters? What do you mean?” Bismarck was taken aback by Ayanami’s words.

“That’s right, actually, Tirpitz is just like you, Bismarck, struggling with how to meet you and how to invite you to dance.” Z23 chimed in.

She had been wondering why Tirpitz had said he didn't know how to meet Bismarck, but now she realized that was the reason.

"She...she's like this too?"

"Ahem, so, Bismarck, how are your preparations going?" Javelin pressed his advantage.

"Prepared? Me? Actually, I have prepared a dress, but I'm just waiting, afraid..." Bismarck subconsciously blurted out what was on her mind, but she didn't see Javelin giving Laffey, who had woken up at some point, a meaningful look.

"So, leave everything to us!"

"Hey, wait, don't pull!!!"

Chapter 226 Commander, I'm Here

Wow, wow~ That's really good~

The Ironblood faction's uniforms have always been known for their simplicity and elegance, and with the help of four destroyers, it didn't take long for Bismarck to change into them.

After Laffey dragged the stammering, flushed Bismarck out of the room, Javelin exclaimed and began to dance with joy.

"No, I just..." Faced with everyone's compliments, Valkyrie Bismarck rarely showed an embarrassed expression, which made the group of destroyers feel like they had just gotten some juicy gossip.

So this is what the seemingly powerful and domineering iron-blooded leader is like in private.

It has to be said that Bismarck's figure is truly terrifying. I already felt it when she was leaning against the wall earlier, and now that she's changed into her formal dress, half of the bridge is faintly visible, giving people an extremely strong visual impact.

Seeing this, Javelin involuntarily looked down at its own. Actually, in terms of size, Javelin's figure is quite good; if you look at it in human proportions, it's a hidden gem.

But when placed in the port area, Javelin said that, not to mention compared to the back row ship girls like aircraft carriers and battleships, even among the four smaller ships, she wasn't the biggest, despite having already been modified.

Thinking of this, Javelin glanced silently at Z23 standing beside her, who was looking down at his phone, and immediately showed a frustrated expression.

'I lost! Damn it! I tried so hard, but I still couldn't beat them. It's so unfair! Everyone else is being expelled, why are you the only one being treated differently?'

"Javelin, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I've noticed you haven't been looking well since earlier." Perhaps it was Javelin's exaggerated movements, or something else, but in any case, it didn't take long for others to notice.

"I won't speak to traitors who have been expelled!!" Javelin was completely lost in his own mental world.

"?" Z23 was stunned, not knowing what Javelin was saying for a moment.

"Anyway, Bismarck, Tirpitz is standing right outside the door. Hurry up and go over there. We need to give him a proper invitation this time." While Javelin and Z23 were talking in riddles, Laffey and Ayanami pulled Bismarck along, pointing to the doorway directly opposite them, and said seriously.

"Yes, I will. Um, thank you all." Bismarck smiled and thanked them sincerely.

Despite her tough and authoritative demeanor, she is actually not very good at expressing emotions. This makes others who don't know her well think she is a very serious and rigid ship girl, and they are afraid of her and dare not approach or interact with her.

Because he is not good at expressing his emotions, Bismarck has always been troubled about how to interact with others. Now he is being urged by the four elementary school students in the port area to interact with others. To be honest, this feeling is quite strange.

However, Bismarck stated that he did not particularly dislike this.

'This was probably training I did to get along with the Commander back then. But honestly, could I really get along well with the Commander like this?'

Actually, this is the real reason why she gave up shining at the banquet today. It's not that she was unwilling, but that she lacked confidence. It's not just Jing Su who feels nervous when she's near home. Many ship girls also get nervous when they're with Jing Su, worrying about what they might do if they say something wrong and hurt her feelings.

Bismarck is one of them. She is well aware of how bad she is at expressing her emotions. Bismarck has tried to change, but each time the result is not pleasant. It usually ends with scaring people half to death. After all, Bismarck is the leader of the faction, and ordinary ship girls are easily intimidated when facing her.

After watching Bismarck leave, Laffey and Ayanami ran to find Javelin and Z23, who were saying some strange things.

"Javelin, Z23, what are you talking about? You seem to be having a very intense discussion." After listening for a while, Ayanami was a little confused by the talk of expelling traitors and the teacher putting on a show. Why would she suddenly be expelling traitors? Was the teacher just playing around? Putting on a show? Anyway, what did that word mean? It probably wasn't what she was thinking.

"Laffey, you're here. Perfect timing! You be the judge for us. Did what I said earlier make any sense?" Seeing Laffey and Ayanami arrive, Javelin felt like she had seen a savior. She had been utterly defeated in the debate just now.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. She's a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) girl, and being lively and cute is her defining characteristic. However, debating isn't really her forte, especially since her opponent is Z23, who's a teacher. You know, Z23 is the one who teaches destroyers in the port area. A teacher's mouth is incredibly sharp.

After rambling on for a while, Javelin was no longer in a state of defeat; in fact, she felt that Z23 had said a lot, as if she had committed some unforgivable sin.

That's why Javelin was so overjoyed when she saw Laffey and Ayanami; her savior had arrived!

"Well, after listening to your conversation, Laffey has something to say." Ayanami had only overheard a small part of what was going on, and since she herself didn't like to talk much, she stood quietly to the side, watching the show.

Lafite, on the other hand, raised his hands and expressed his opinion expressionlessly.

"I think, Javelin, a very unpleasant barrier has already formed between you and us. Javelin, you are a traitor!"

"Yeah, there's a barrier between us, sigh!!!"

When Javelin saw Laffey stand up and speak, she assumed that Laffey was on her side. She put her hands on her hips and proudly repeated Laffey's words. But after simply repeating a few words, Javelin was stunned.

"Hey, hey, what traitor? What estrangement? There's none of that!" Javelin, having realized what was happening, sat on the ground with her legs turned outwards and shouted loudly.

"As expected, he's already a traitor."

After a moment of silence, Laffey, Ayanami, and Z23 stared intently at the javelin for a long time before speaking in unison.

"Eh!??"

......

"Ding~ Dong~"

Ding-dong

Just as the four children were joking around, a rhythmic and clear ringtone suddenly sounded in the room.

"This is?"

The javelin, which was being attacked by the others individually, seemed to have found a savior and quickly diverted everyone's attention; otherwise, it would turn into a denunciation meeting.

"Time's up." Z23 took out his phone, glanced at it, and said softly.

"What time is it?" Javelin was still a little confused.

“The dinner is starting at exactly eight o’clock now,” Ayanami continued.

It turns out that Z23 had been looking down at his phone repeatedly because he noticed it was almost 8 o'clock and had started to look forward to it. But then Javelin came over and started chatting with him, saying things that made him furious: "You're the traitor! What's wrong with me having a good figure?"

There are way more outrageous ships than mine on destroyers, why don't you go find them?!

Of course, Z23 knew it was just a joke between friends, but it was precisely because of the joke that Z23 was so upset.

Because, Javelin herself probably didn't even realize that she was showing off! Showing off how she and the Commander were doing, all that physical intimacy, and then coming over to say, "I'm in great shape?"

You're awesome, you're so amazing! Is this exactly what the Commander likes about you? Ugh, I'm so angry!

This is why, after listening in for a while, Lafite joined the criticism meeting without hesitation. He got the benefit but acted innocent, so he deserves to be criticized.

"Eh? Is that so? It's already eight o'clock." Javelin blinked her big eyes, revealing a cute, bewildered expression.