I really don't have money for the ship girls.

"The Prince of Wales!"

Lost in her memories, the Prince of Wales was awakened by the Duke of York's deliberately raised voice. She recalled that she was having a meal with her sisters and friends in the harbor canteen, and had fallen into her reverie while eating.

The Prince of Wales calmly pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, glanced at his sisters and friends who were all looking at him, and said, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

“Of course I’m fine, it’s you who’s in trouble.” The Duke of York narrowed his pale blue eyes, his red lips glistening with the moisture of wine. “Have I been spacing out a bit too often these past few days?”

The Prince of Wales, without changing his expression, asked in return, "Is that so?"

"Have."

“Yes, there is,” Hood said. “Last time when I was having afternoon tea, you suddenly spaced out, and you didn’t even react when Belfast poured you more tea.”

Hao was eating her dessert cookies. She had bright, glamorous eyes and long, white-stockinged legs that were pressed together. She was an elegant royal young lady. She said, "I think I've seen you, Sister Wales, stop walking a few times before. But you weren't daydreaming. You were smiling happily, just like you were just now."

The Prince of Wales said, "I laughed?"

Guanghui nodded vigorously: "You really smiled."

Did I really laugh?

"You actually smiled."

Feeling the gazes of the crowd, the Prince of Wales stretched out his right hand and pretended to rub his temples: "I guess it's because I've been taking stock of supplies and fighting the Sirens too frequently lately, so I'm a bit tired."

Hao said with concern, "Sister Wales, you need to take care of yourself and get some rest. You are now an important pillar of the naval base."

“I don’t think you’re lacking rest, Wales,” the Duke of York said bluntly, tossing his long, pink hair over his shoulder. “You’re just lovesick.”

"No."

As the Prince of Wales spoke, he turned his face away shyly, a gesture that was tantamount to admitting his thoughts.

"Is the Commander really that good?" Hood tried to keep her voice calm and maintain her ladylike elegance, but she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Actually, it's not good. As I've said before, the Commander is a man who doesn't understand romance, has no sense of fun in life, and isn't very gentlemanly. He always has to wait for women to take the initiative. As for being too frugal, lying that he doesn't like sugar and giving his milk tea to the women, that's really..."

The Prince of Wales' words came to an abrupt halt as she saw the Duke of York's cold smile and realized that her words seemed somewhat Versailles-like.

The Duke of York narrowed his eyes and said, "Go on, I love to hear it."

"Well, the Commander is alright. Being with him makes you feel very safe. It's hard to describe the feeling, but it's like having white clouds drifting across a clear blue sky. It's an ordinary scene, but it makes you feel happy..."

The Prince of Wales fell silent again, because she saw the envious yet sorrowful look in Glorious's eyes. She couldn't say yes or no, so what should she do?

The naval base's canteen is very large, as it needs to accommodate hundreds of ship girls from the entire port area. Even if not everyone eats at the same time, there must be enough capacity. Especially recently, with ample resources and frequent sorties at the naval base, the canteen is open 24 hours a day, and ship girls returning from missions are almost always available for meals.

"Sister, what are you looking at?"

Sitting in another corner of the cafeteria, Noshiro looked at the almost untouched beef curry rice in Agano's bowl across from her. She already had a premonition that Agano would insist that she stay and finish the meal with her. Her plan to go to bed half an hour earlier to prepare for the mission the next morning would be postponed again. The feeling of her plans being affected made Noshiro clench her toes and rub her fair, white silk legs together, feeling helpless and resigned.

The lead ship of the Sakura Empire Agano-class light cruisers was, of course, the older sister of the second ship, Noshiro. She looked away, pouted, and said, "I was looking at the Prince of Wales. She was smiling like a rose just now, as if she was afraid that others would not know that she had met the Commander."

“She didn’t emphasize it, and she did meet with the Commander.” The dignified girl opened her thin lips and uttered calm words, simply stating the facts, so there was no change in Noshiro’s fair face.

The more Agano saw his sister's stern expression, the more he couldn't resist teasing her. The beautiful girl extended her delicate right finger, lifted Noshiro's fair and delicate chin, and said with a smile, "My sister is so beautiful... Prince of Wales has indeed met with the Commander. So, little Noshiro, would you like to meet the Commander?"

"I was thinking of doing that." Noshiro was already used to her sister's flirtatious actions. She pushed aside Agano's left hand, which was holding a spoon. "Also, sister, please don't secretly put the green peppers you don't want into my bowl."

When Agano saw that his attempt to feign an attack on one side had failed, he said sullenly, "What does it matter? I'll eat whatever I can for you."

"It's important to maintain a balanced diet; green peppers are rich in vitamin C..."

Eat more green peppers.jpg

"Okay, I understand." Agano ate the green pepper in her spoon, then stuck out her tongue cutely. She saw Atago and Takao eating on the other side. The sisters had already made two attacks in three days, especially Atago, who was incredibly brave.

"Speaking of which, Noshiro, do you really want to see the Commander?"

"I've already said it, I've thought about it."

While eating, Agano said, "That's great. I'm different. If I could see the Commander, I would be a little scared."

“I understand how you feel, sister.” Noshiro pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly. “But whatever your thoughts are, you can only decide after you actually meet with the Commander.”

"That's true... I still can't eat. Can you eat the green peppers for me, Noshiro?"

"No."

"Oh, how heartless."

at the same time--

Outside the cafeteria, Taihou hurried past with a piece of bread in her mouth. She had read the Prince of Wales' report about the Commander countless times, once before and after bed, and once before and after meals. She had even searched and pasted the Prince of Wales' name, replacing it with her own, but she still couldn't ease her longing. So, Taihou recently decided to make herself a wedding dress. When she met the Commander, she would wear it and embrace him. The Commander would definitely fall for her!

Inside the dormitory, the bunny-eared little girl Raffi tossed and turned, not because of the javelin and unicorn talking beside her, but simply because she couldn't fall asleep.

Inside the church, the slender Cardinal Richelieu prayed all night, but even God could not give her the answer she wanted.

On the vast ocean, a figure was riding the waves, frantically slaughtering the mass-produced black Sirens. Ron's pretty face, stained with black oil, wore a smile that seemed to indicate he was broken.

"If I kill you all, I can see the commander."

"So die! Die! Die! Die!"

"Die for the Commander!"

……

"commander."

"commander?"

"Commander~"

"commander!!"

Countless voices, both spoken and unspoken, seemed to converge, as if possessing a power that transcends time and space.

In another world, Ying Tian suddenly sat up in bed, his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

He had a nightmare in which he was dismembered.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Thank You, Shoukaku

I touched its head; it's still there.

The hand can touch the head, so the hand is still there.

Ying Tian breathed a sigh of relief, looked out the window and saw that it was still dark outside. He lay down again, closed his eyes, and the details of his previous dream resurfaced in his mind.

At first, it was fine; it was just normal, youthful, and pure, but slightly erotic, diffused beautiful dreams. What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. It's normal to have happy dreams at night after seeing such beautiful women during the day and touching their slender bodies. No matter how you behave, your testosterone levels will continue to be secreted as usual.

But then things started to feel off. More and more characters appeared in my dreams, some of them seemingly carrying resentment. In the end, I would slash them with my knife. All the other places were just temporary residences; formalin was my final resting place.

Ying Tian lay in bed and thought about it. He guessed that the reason he had such a dream was because of the letter Da Feng wrote yesterday.

The beginning was alright; you could see the different writing styles between paragraphs. It was probably sentences that the passionate yet sensitive girl had copied from various magazines. After that, it was a genuine outpouring of emotion, like wanting to become your bed sheet, your duvet cover, so you could lie on my body and be held by my side forever; wanting to have countless versions of myself, so I could caress every inch of the Commander's skin at the same time, but then I would be jealous of the other versions of myself... and so on.

Well, although one can feel the intense emotions conveyed in those delicate words, and even though such emotions seem to have been deliberately suppressed, this sudden intensity easily makes one feel a little strange.

Of course, even so, Ying Tian still carefully packed the letter and placed it under his pillow. Regardless of whether it was real or fake, receiving a cyber love letter that had traveled through time was really a cool thing. It was so cool, and it perfectly matched a science and engineering guy's imagination of the future.

That's right, it's just imagination.

Even though he had mentally accepted what had happened, Ying Tian still felt it was somewhat unreal. He thought of countless possibilities, such as The Truman Show, where the Prince of Wales and Shoukaku were all stooges; or that he was actually the illegitimate son of a tycoon, and it was all part of a plan; or that Azur Lane was actually a brand-new brain-computer interface game independently developed by the Yellow Chickens, and that he was still in the metaverse, all of which was the Yellow Chickens' conspiracy, the rise of the Chicken Planet, and their desire to dominate the world...

It wasn't until Ying Tian got up and washed up that he finally realized something: compared to these guesses, it seemed more logical that they really were ship girls.

"What was the first class again?"

"Classroom 2103, Analog Electronics."

"Damn, this is the class I hate the most. Yingtian, you're going to the cafeteria, right? Bring me three custard buns."

"What class don't you hate? Call me Dad and I'll teach it for you."

"father!"

Ying Tian and her roommates walked out of the dormitory building chatting and laughing as usual. The noisy crowd on the stairs was just as usual, the same familiar routine, the same familiar feeling.

It wasn't until his roommate Liu Wenlong said, "Dad... no, Yingtian, it looks like you won't be able to go to class today."

"What the hell?"

After hearing her roommate's words, Ying Tian looked up and saw a woman standing out from the crowd outside the dormitory building. Xiang He had tied her long silver hair into a high ponytail at the back of her head. Her white shirt, which looked like a sailor uniform, was obviously not very fitted, and the buttons were bulging and seemed to be about to burst open at any moment. Underneath her skirt were long legs encased in white over-the-knee socks, and the silky fibers could not completely conceal her fair and delicate skin.

At this moment, Shoukaku stood gracefully with a basket in her hands. Although she was a gentle and refined woman, her youthful and beautiful attire was perfectly fitting. It just goes to show that being beautiful really does allow you to do whatever you want.

Upon seeing Ying Tian emerge, the serene Xiang He smiled and waved in Ying Tian's direction, making it impossible for him to slip away quietly now.

“Sure, Yingtian.”

"Ahem, as I told you yesterday, as everyone knows, I'm an orphan, so I often encounter some kind-hearted people from society..."

"Stop talking, I don't believe a single word you say now."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Ying Tian walked up to Xiang He under everyone's gaze and said, "Why are you here?"

“I told you yesterday, from now on I will be responsible for your food and daily life.” Xianghe took a small lunchbox out of the basket and handed it to Yingtian, saying, “This is freshly made sushi this morning, it’s definitely nutritious enough, eat it while it’s hot.”

"I……"

Before Ying Tian could answer, Liu Yang poked his head out and asked curiously, "Is handmade sushi the same as rice balls?"

"Almost there. I added beef and fish paste to it." Xianghe said, then took three plastic bags out of the basket and handed them to Yingtian's roommates, saying, "I'm quite confident in my cooking skills. You should try it too. Thank you for taking care of Yingtian these past two years."

"Where."

"No, we all help each other."

"Thank you, Yi..."

Shoukaku looked at Liu Yang warily, a dangerous smile on his face: "If you tell him, you won't get any sushi."

"Thank you, sister." Liu Yang immediately realized his mistake. That's how college students are; they always forget that they are already adults and still think they are young.

"That's right. I've also prepared hot milk; you should drink it while it's hot."

Xianghe's gentle approach was incredibly effective; Yingtian's three roommates were instantly captivated and kept thanking their older sister.

Under these circumstances, Ying Tian naturally couldn't refuse. He took the still-warm lunchbox and milk and said, "Thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for." Xianghe blinked, waited a moment and seeing that Yingtian didn't react, "Is that all you're going to say?"

"Um... thank you very much?"

"Pfft—" Shoukaku narrowed her beautiful eyes, smiled, straightened her delicate body, and trembled on the spot. "Didn't you notice that I changed my clothes?"

Ying Tian truthfully replied, "I see it, it seems a bit small."

"I borrowed it from Rui Die. It is indeed a bit small... After all, we are at school, so it's better to dress younger so as not to be conspicuous."

Ying Tian hesitated, then said, "With Xiang He's figure and looks, you stand out no matter what you wear."

Shoukaku tilted her head slightly and said, "Is it... not good-looking?"

"Beautiful!" came the affirmation from her roommate Liu Wenlong. "You're especially beautiful, sister!"

Xianghe completely ignored him, her bright, beautiful eyes fixed on Yingtian.

Ying Tian took a breath and said honestly, "It's exceptionally beautiful."

"The addition of adjectives shows your sincerity."

Xianghe stepped forward and helped Yingtian straighten his collar: "You look much more energetic now. Okay, if you're in a hurry to go to class, I won't bother you any longer."

"Okay, I'm going to class now."

"Take care on your journey, and remember to come for lunch!"

With her hands covering the hem of her skirt, Xianghe bowed slightly to Yingtian by the roadside, looking every bit the virtuous wife and loving mother.

"I'm so envious."

"what?"

"I'm so envious, so envious, so envious, so envious—"

Faced with his roommate's erratic behavior, Ying Tian said irritably, "Envious? You can become an orphan too."

“Then I don’t want her,” Liu Wenlong said. “But seriously, is she really a philanthropist? I’d believe you even if you said she was your childhood sweetheart. She’s beautiful and gentle, just like a girlfriend.”

Ying Tian also felt that things might have gotten a little too intimate, but he still stubbornly said, "Your mind is full of women, can't you act like a mother?"

Liu Wenlong retorted, "Do you even have a mother?"