Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

"Waaaaah, Commander, come save me! Help!"

Not long after they got close, Jing Su heard a cry for help. Startled, she quickly walked forward.

Parting the bushes, one could see a purple-haired girl in a green swimsuit, holding a baseball, fiddling with a watermelon tied with a rope.

"Haha, I told you not to worry, Antonioto, I'll definitely hit the watermelon accurately, you just lie there quietly~"

"No! Commander, help me! Waaaaah~ Help me!" Upon hearing the voice, Antonio began to struggle violently, but after trying for a long time, his struggles were in vain.

Because the girl known as Antonioto was buried deep in the sand, with only her head with twin ponytails and two cute little hands exposed.

As you can see, Antonioto's hands are opening and closing, and his little face is flushed. It's clear that he's struggling very hard, but to little avail.

Before the sand buried her, there was a watermelon, placed right on the raised sand dune.

"What are you doing?" Jing Su exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the scene.

"Hey, Commander, you're here~" The girl holding a baseball bat saw Jing Su and quickly ran to his side, shouting, "We're playing a watermelon-hitting game! It's the Sakura Empire's watermelon-hitting game. Apparently, it's a blessing ceremony there. Commander, come help! I can't seem to get this watermelon set up right, it's so frustrating!"

"Niccolò Dalecco, that's not a blessing ceremony! What blessing ceremony involves hitting this thing? Commander, pull me out of here! Waaaaah~" Upon hearing the ponytail girl's words, Antonioto immediately shouted loudly. It was clear that she was indeed trying very hard to avoid being attacked by the baseball bat.

"Huh? Isn't this a blessing ceremony?" Upon hearing Antonioto's name, Nicoloso Dareco was slightly taken aback, his expression somewhat embarrassed. He looked at Jing Su with pleading eyes.

"Ahem, although I don't know the specifics, hitting watermelons is definitely not a blessing ceremony. Strictly speaking, it's a game that Sakura Empire players play on the beach. As for the specific meaning, we'll probably have to ask the Sakura Empire's ship girls." Jing Su's words ruthlessly shattered Nicoloso Dareco's fantasy.

"Is that so? Haha~" Nicoloso Dareco scratched her head, her pretty face slightly flushed, but she quickly seemed to remember something and exclaimed, "It's okay, it's okay! Donghuang seems to have a blessing ceremony called 'Breaking a Stone on the Chest'! We can play that too! Anyway, it's all about smashing things, smashing watermelons is fine too~"

"Eh!?" Antoniotto let out a sharp, explosive sound.

"Well, actually, breaking a boulder on one's chest isn't a blessing ceremony," Jing Su said with a smile, stroking Nicoloso Dareco's hair.

"Is that so?" Nicoloso Dareco looked frustrated, like a child who had done something wrong, his mood somewhat disappointed.

"Yes, yes, it's not a blessing ceremony! Pull me out quickly! The tide is coming in, I don't want to be flooded!" Antonioto didn't have time to care whether Nicoloso Dareco had done anything wrong; all she wanted now was to get out as quickly as possible!

"Well, although neither smashing watermelons nor breaking rocks on one's chest have any blessing function, playing these kinds of games occasionally is a good experience. These kinds of things symbolize the trust between companions~" Jing Su noticed that the atmosphere was not right and had an idea.

"So!?" Nicoloso Dareco's eyes lit up.

"Eh!??"

"Ahem, while this kind of thing reflects the trust between comrades, it can only be done if the other party is willing, you know. Nicoloso Dareco, you don't want to scare Antonio, do you?" It's clear that Antonio is really panicked. Just Nicoloso Dareco alone is enough to make her tremble all over. If Jing Su gets involved too, then there really won't be a single ship girl in the entire port who can save her.

“I see.” Nicoloso Dareco nodded, somewhat dejected, and walked over to Antonioto, saying to her, “I’m sorry, Antonioto, I scared you.”

"Actually, it's not that scary~ It's just that the way you looked just now was really terrifying~" Antonioto felt a sudden tightness in her chest when she heard Nicoloso Dareco's words. They were all good friends, and essentially just playing a game together. She was actually a little disappointed.

"Hey, really? Antonioto, is that really what you think? Can I try it? Please, I really want to try it, to see what it feels like to hit a watermelon." Upon hearing this, Nicoloso Dareco's expression immediately brightened, his eyes lit up, and he squatted down next to Antonioto, holding a baseball bat, excitedly asking.

"Ah, this, I, you, no, okay, alright~" After stammering for a while, Antoniotto finally gave in, but quickly added, "Only, only once, whether I hit it or not, I won't play anymore!"

"Yes, yes, don't worry, Antonioto, I'll stake my captain's honor and glory on hitting the watermelon!" Nicoloso Dareco was excited and jumped up, quickly continuing what he hadn't finished, which was to put the watermelon on the sand on Antonioto's stomach.

Seeing this scene, Jing Su felt very gratified. Although it might seem like moral blackmail, it was clear that the two children had a very good relationship. Despite Antonioto's constant shouting, she had never actually opposed Nicoloso Dareco.

If you really don't want people to hit your watermelon, it's not difficult for a ship girl to crawl out of the sand. Just unfold your ship equipment. No matter how deep you are buried, once the ship equipment is unfolded, the nearby sand will be pushed open, and you can get out of trouble with ease.

Antonioto had been shouting, but deep down she had already agreed; she was just a little scared, as she had shown earlier.

"Hey, wait a minute!?" Just as Nicoloso Dareco was about to swing his bat, Jing Su suddenly noticed the problem and quickly stopped him.

"Huh? What's wrong? Commander, do you want to hit a watermelon too?" Although puzzled, Nicoloso Dareco immediately stopped the baseball bat he was about to smash down.

"Didn't you notice that the process is wrong?" Jing Su was sweating profusely, thinking that Nicoloso Dareco really didn't understand anything. He probably just heard from others that there was such a thing in Sakura Empire, and then he excitedly dragged Antonioto over to play with it.

"Hmm, something's not right..." Nicoloso Dareco fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly slapped his forehead. "That's it! Blindfolded! I heard from the Sakura Empire ship girls that you have to be blindfolded to hit a watermelon! If you can see, it's not difficult at all!"

Having said that, Nicoloso Dareco removed the leg rings that were tied around his thighs, preparing to strap them over his eyes.

"Eh!??" Antonioto panicked. The reason she agreed to Nicoloso Dareco's request to hit the watermelon was because she thought there wouldn't be any problems with it. Even if it was absurd, Nicoloso Dareco was a ship girl after all, and her skill level was there. She wouldn't miss no matter what. Now that she closed her eyes, that was no joke!

"Ahem, that's not the point!" Jing Su called out again. Clearly, from the very beginning, these two little ones had never really understood the whole "breaking a watermelon" thing. However, considering that they could treat "breaking a boulder on their chest" as some kind of blessing instrument, Jing Su wasn't surprised.

"what?"

"If I remember correctly, the watermelon to hit is to be placed next to Antonioto's head, and then Nicoloso Dareco, you are blindfolded, spin around in place, and follow Antonioto's instructions. Of course, you can also hit the watermelon by feeling. That's the correct procedure."

"Now, you put the watermelon directly on Antoniotto's stomach. If you hit him, Antoniotto will get hit too; if you miss, the game is over," Jing Su explained the rules to the two of them in a serious tone.

"Oh, I see. That explains why I couldn't get the watermelons arranged properly earlier. Hehe, Captain Darreco, let's go!"

After saying that, Nicoloso Dareco placed the watermelon next to Antoniotto's head, then ran away, blindfolded himself, and started spinning in circles.

"Wait, no, why is this happening? I... I don't want to!" Antonioto started struggling again.

However, this time, Nicoloso Dareco was clearly faster.

"Ugh, I'm so dizzy, the world is spinning, ugh, I can't find my way, oh well, First Mate Antonioto, please give me directions, I'm coming right away!" With that, Nicoloso Dareco staggered toward the sea.

"Hey, hey, wrong, wrong, wrong direction, I'm behind you!" At this point, Antonioto had no better idea and quickly started giving instructions, "Passed, passed, turned your head, to the right, no, a little to the left, yes, yes, right direction, move forward, don't sway, you're veering off course again!"

Jing Su stood to the side, watching the two little ones. One was giving instructions with a flushed face, while the other, dizzy and unsteady, approached little by little. She smiled with satisfaction.

'This scene is wonderful!'

"I'm here!"

"Wow!"

A scream, a clear sound.

"How was it? Did you hit him?" Nicoloso Dareco heard the scream and quickly pulled off her leg ring and blindfold. At this moment, she was also a little worried, afraid that she had really hit Antonioto's head. When she saw it, she saw that there was blood everywhere.

“Wow, Commander, so many, so many red ones!” Nicoloso Dareco exclaimed.

This sound startled Jing Su, who was deep in thought. Just as she was about to ask if anything was wrong, she heard...

"Hehe, Commander, come and eat some watermelon! It's such a red watermelon~"

"Haha, here they come~"

So, this scene is really beautiful~

Chapter 262 Saving the Autistic Girl

After the watermelon was smashed, Antonioto said he was dropping the pretense and coming clean.

Antonio sprang out of the sand pile, grabbed a slice of watermelon, and started munching on it.

"Hey! Antonioto, you can come out now~" Nicoloso Dareco was very surprised to see this scene and shouted loudly.

"But it's just buried so shallowly in the sand, there's no reason it can't get out, right?" Antonioto's face was flushed, not from anger, but from eating watermelon.

"Could it be!" Nicoloso Dareco was moved. In just a short while, she had already imagined an entire adventure story in her mind: two good sisters, braving the wind and waves, sailing in a small boat, searching for the legendary treasure in the sea.

Seeing this scene, Jing Su happily took a slice of watermelon and found a shady spot to rest. The beach, the sun, and the seawater made it quite hot in the area.

But to Jing Su's surprise, the place he had carefully chosen had already been taken by someone else.

Wearing a sun hat and a school swimsuit, a petite and adorable figure lay on the beach, seemingly digging in the sand, her long hair covering her completely.

Beside the girl, several lively little creatures seemed to be playing with her; one was holding a watermelon in its mouth, another had its eyes drawn on, and it was making a monster-like face with its teeth bared and claws outstretched.

"Hmm, who?"

"Ahem, it's me~" Seeing that she had been discovered, Jing Su coughed twice and quickly walked to the other person's side. Just as she was about to ask the other person's name, she saw that there were totem-like patterns on the girl's body, like tattoos.

Among the ship girls, there are indeed quite a few who retain their historical paint schemes, forming patterns similar to tattoos. There are not many of these ship girls, maybe two or three at most, and that's just the Baltimore tennis dress-up.

Baltimore, a capable and passionate figure in the port area, knows nothing about fashion and often seeks help from her sister, Bremerton. Bremerton is a well-known trendsetter in the port area, known for her unrestrained style. So, once when Baltimore was playing tennis with her friends, Bremerton had Baltimore covered in temporary tattoos before going out.

According to Baltimore, that tennis match had an unusually cold atmosphere.

Of course, the more crucial factor that made Jing Su notice this was that there weren't many ship girls with patterns on their bodies in the port area, so it left quite a strong impression.

As for the one in front of him, with such a large area and such a unique pattern, Jing Su could only think of one ship girl.

"Is it Z46?" Jing Su asked instinctively.

"Commander, it's me, I'm Z46." Upon hearing Jing Su's voice, Z46 put down her shovel, looked up at Jing Su slowly, and then sat up, looking quite dejected.

'Damn it!' As the commander, Jing Su could clearly sense the change in the ship girl's emotions, and even if he wasn't the commander, anyone with eyes could tell that Z46 was quite frustrated at the moment.

Only then did Jing Su belatedly realize that she seemed to have inadvertently touched a taboo of Z46.

Z46, a Type C Z-class destroyer of the Ironblood Navy, built in 1936. It was included in the construction plan along with its four sister ships, but only Z46 and Z47 were actually built. Due to slow progress and bombing attacks, it was never completed before the end of the war…

What bothers Z46 the most is that, according to Ironblood's historical planning, or rather, according to the management of world shipbuilding history, a ship should be named when it is launched. However, Ironblood has not had its own names since the outbreak of the war, or more precisely, since the first Type 1936A destroyer Z23. All Z destroyers, including it, have not had their own names and have only been referred to by numbers.

Some ship girls don't care about their names, but Z46 is clearly not one of them.

In particular, the Z46 in history did not even survive to sail on the high seas; it was a ship that never even had a beginning.

'The ship girl who was dismantled before she was even born, that's me.'

I look forward to the day when you stop calling me Z46.

These are Z46's self-introduction voice messages. It's clear that this young girl cares a lot about her existence and name, to the point that she mentions them in almost every sentence.

Because its predecessor was never completed, it possesses sufficient "intellect" but is extremely lacking in "experience," making it naive in another sense.

Z46 is full of curiosity about the world, but her perspective is different from that of ordinary people. Her speech is full of artistic flair, and she seems to be an artistic girl. Jing Su has heard Z23 complain more than once that it is difficult to communicate with Z46 and that she often does not know what the other party is saying.

"Ahem, long time no see, let's play games together~" The mistake has been made, and no matter what Z46 calls himself Z46, Jing Su absolutely cannot read it aloud, not even apologize. Doing either of these things would be equivalent to touching the sensitive heartstrings of a young girl.

At this point, the best option is to subtly explore other methods to eliminate the girl's connective tissue.

"A restless beach, a joyful seaside... I don't dislike this unique summer I'm experiencing for the first time." Upon hearing Jing Su's voice, Z46 uttered words that left him utterly bewildered.

No wonder Z23 always complains that communicating with Z46 is exhausting. After what she just said, Jing Su is scratching her head. Does she want her to play games with her, or does she not?

Fortunately, Jing Su has a knack for observation. When interacting with girls, you should never look at what they say, but rather what they do, especially their subtle body language, whether intentional or not. Just observe.

The people who care about you are trying to attract your attention with every glance and movement. This kind of subtle scene, where I see through it but don't say anything, and I pretend not to know, is a unique kind of romance for young girls.

Although Jing Su didn't understand what Z46 said, she saw Z46 sitting upright with his hands on his knees, muttering something, but his eyes kept glancing at her.

'This, I guess, means I should sit down there.'

Mustering her courage, Jing Su walked directly to Z46 and sat down. As soon as she sat down, she felt something touching her.

It turned out that the thing that had been holding the watermelon was touching him. He hadn't been able to see it clearly from where he was standing, but he noticed it when he got closer.

"Mmm, I really like the Commander~" Z46's emotionless voice rang out.

"Mmm, is this the little guy?" Jing Su asked, touching the small ship beside her.

"Ah."

At this moment, Jing Su remembered that the ship equipment of different factions had their own characteristics, or rather, their own tendencies. Among them, the Ironblood faction was dedicated to biotechnology, and the ship equipment they produced had a certain degree of intelligence. In particular, the second-generation ship equipment developed by the Ironblood faction could already be regarded as an intelligent organism.

Of course, the consumption of second-generation ship equipment is much higher than that of the first generation, so some ship girls still choose to use the first generation ship equipment. In addition, the port is still in the research and development stage of ship equipment, and Jing Su can't say for sure how it will develop.

Seeing the reactions of the ship's equipment, Jing Su suddenly felt a sense of sadness.

What Z46 cares about most is her name. She has given names to all the people close to her, but she has none for herself. When referring to herself in public, she always calls herself Z46.

What one cannot obtain in youth will ultimately trouble them for life.

Jing Su knew she had to do something.

So Jing Su reached out and rubbed back and forth on Z46's thigh, both as proof and because there were beautiful patterns there. Z46 had similar totem-like patterns on many parts of his body, such as the back of his hands, the back of his feet, his thighs, his sides, and most embarrassingly, his lower abdomen.

However, at this moment Z46 was wearing a school swimsuit, along with a jacket and gloves, so all that could be seen were the patterns on her thighs and the insteps.

Jing Su had to admit that he was drawn to the patterns. He didn't know if the patterns had some magical power or if the girl's body was too soft. In any case, Jing Su felt that his mind was unusually clear when he touched the girl's thigh.

"commander?"

The girl was clearly confused by Jing Su's actions; her expressionless face flushed slightly, showing that even an artistic girl like her wasn't completely devoid of emotion.

Ultimately, if it's not a lack of emotional support, then there are still ways to address it.

"Can you feel this touch? Do you know what being touched means?"

Jing Su organized her thoughts and said softly.

"Being able to be touched is proof that it truly exists." Z46 nodded, stating his feelings in a serious tone.

"So, how do you feel now?" Seeing that it was working, Jing Su lifted the girl up with a forceful movement, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear.

"This, this is insignificant, but I still want to commend your kindness." The girl's voice was still devoid of emotion, and even her expression didn't change much, but her slightly trembling body and flushed neck gave Jing Su a clue.

As mentioned before, when interacting with a girl, never listen to what she says, but observe what she does or how her body reacts.

Clearly, Jing Su's idea was correct. To deal with a slightly withdrawn literary girl like Z46, the best approach is to use the tactic of "you say your thing, I'll do mine."