Fletcher stuck out her tongue.
"Those furniture and appliances… you're the one who set them all up for us, Commander. As for science, we shipgirls are the most unscientific beings there are. We don't even need food to survive. So what's impossible anymore?
Still, our base did have food. There were auto-producing fields and livestock pens, and the pantry was always full. But without you, even the best food tasted like wax. No one even felt like cooking."
The dormitory.
Hikaru finally remembered.
In the game, the dorm had been a feature, and you could unlock furniture from loot boxes to decorate it. He never expected that in reality, all that had materialized as well. The fields—he vaguely recalled there being an achievement tied to harvesting crops.
My naval base… really is something else.
Glowworm tugged on Fletcher's sleeve.
"Fletcher-nee, I want spicy sticks."
Fletcher had been the dorm babysitter, but only for her countless American sisters. She and Glowworm, a Royal Navy destroyer, hadn't been that close back then—by the time Fletcher arrived, Glowworm had already been benched from frontline duty.
But no one could resist such an adorable little girl.
Especially after living and fighting together these past days—and more importantly, after sharing the Commander's embrace—they had built a real bond.
"Sure, I'll make you all the spicy sticks you want when we get back," Fletcher smiled, reaching out to pat Glowworm's head.
"You know, Hipper really misses you. I wish I could at least let her know you're okay."
Hipper—the shipgirl embodying the spirit of KMS Admiral Hipper.
She had a special fondness for Glowworm, which made them an odd pair given the usual animosity between Royal and German ships.
Glowworm dodged Fletcher's hand.
"Stop patting my head! I won't grow tall if you keep doing that!
And you're a destroyer too! Stop acting like you're so grown-up. As for that pervy Hipper, I'm glad I got away from her!"
Fletcher bit her lip and pulled her hand back.
"Y'know what? I just lost all motivation to make those spicy sticks."
…
The days passed in a blink.
Determined to improve himself and become worthy of such a grand naval base, Hikaru buried himself in study.
It wasn't an exaggeration—he was obsessed.
Using Elizabeth's connections, he borrowed stacks of classified material from the academy, even managing to get a few marked Confidential.
According to Elizabeth, the library even had Top Secret documents, but those were off-limits to newbies like him. Even high-ranking Admirals had to go through extreme vetting to access them.
Why all the security?
Because Abyssals weren't humanity's only threat.
The world was rife with infighting—nations clashing, governments scheming, and even factions within the naval command vying for power.
Despite strict mandates forbidding shipgirls from taking part in terrestrial wars, that didn't stop the endless backroom politics between nations, the naval and army brass, and even within the fleet itself.
But none of that concerned Hikaru.
He hated political games.
He'd rather swing a sword than scheme.
In this second life, all he wanted was peace—watching the world drift by, living a quiet life.
So when various officials, Admirals, corporate reps, and rich kids showed up at his door over the month, Hikaru ignored every single one of them.
Some had heard whispers of his sortie with Elizabeth.
Some had caught wind of the rumors about Fletcher.
And some surely knew exactly what happened on Sanctuary Construction Day.
Dealing with them would require the acting skills of an Oscar winner and the political cunning of a seasoned diplomat.
Hikaru wasn't interested.
He didn't want their bribes or their bullets.
The result?
He was nearly broke.
Living in Windridge wasn't cheap, and new Admirals largely relied on external sponsorships. Hikaru had just cut himself off from that lifeline.
But that didn't bother him much.
What did bother him was Fletcher's bizarre cooking obsession.
As the start of the new semester approached, Fletcher's culinary experiments had become… unhinged.
At first, her food had been edible.
But then she became obsessed with recreating the "magical effects" of the base cafeteria dishes—like the spicy sticks beloved by destroyers.
Those snacks supposedly boosted their speed and energy.
Except… Fletcher's version had zero effect.
Hikaru had tried to explain that it was just visual effects—nothing real. But Fletcher wouldn't hear it. She was dead set on catching up to Lexington, the Perfect Wife of the base.
The sad truth was that every shipgirl had their own ceiling.
Each had their talents and weaknesses.
For example, Yixian was a master chef, while London was… culinary death incarnate.
It was practically written into their DNA.
Honestly, even the childlike Bluegill was probably a better cook than Fletcher.
She had the "Heart of a Chef" title, after all.
But Hikaru couldn't bring himself to stop her—not when her rivalry with Lexington was so obvious.
He'd just have to let his stomach suffer until Lexington arrived to restore order.
With a tear in his eye, Hikaru bit into another rock-hard slab of Royal Navy salt beef…
and endured.
…
The summer heat began to wane.
Though the sun still blazed mercilessly, August was finally coming to an end.
For Hikaru's stomach, it had been a month straight out of hell.
But he had survived.
Unlike Glowworm, who could eat literal dried salted fish and still grin like she'd just had a feast, Hikaru longed for deliverance.
That morning, waking up tangled in four limbs, Hikaru wished he could sprout wings and fly to the academy to summon Lexington—his salvation.
Save me, Lady Lex…
The roads to Windridge Academy were unusually congested, but Hikaru didn't mind.
He even started humming "Mo Li Hua" under his breath.
Meanwhile, Fletcher sat beside him, stealing glances at his face, lost in her own spiral of self-doubt.
I've shared his bed for a month… and I'm still untouched…
Does Commander not like me after all?
Even though… every morning… things are…
Fletcher flushed crimson.
But could I really make the first move? Push him down myself? No way…
Maybe only battleships have the guts to do that…
I… I just can't…
(End of Chapter)
[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]