It had been a month of happiness like something out of a dream—taking care of the Commander, serving him food, washing his clothes, massaging his feet, and sleeping in his arms every night. Not even in her dreams had Fletcher experienced such bliss.
But Fletcher was a greedy little girl—she wanted even more.
Hikaru noticed her gaze and gently held her hand. "Fletcher, your face looks a little off. Are you feeling carsick?"
Without using her rigging's support, shipgirls were physically no different from normal girls. They were just harder to injure, but carsickness? That could still happen.
Fletcher turned to look at the rows of palm trees slipping past the window. "I… I wish this road never ended. I wish time could stop at this very moment. I want this happiness to last forever."
Hikaru blinked, then gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It will last."
Sitting in the middle seat, Glowworm puffed up her cheeks in protest. "Hmph! I'm writing this down in my little notebook! Commander, I'm telling Lexington everything you two have been doing behind her back this past month!"
Fletcher and Hikaru exchanged glances. Fletcher quickly let go of Hikaru's hand, wrapped her arms around Glowworm, and said, "Commander, I'm taking Glowworm out for ice cream. We'll meet you at the academy later. Driver, please pull over."
Glowworm yelped. "No! Commander, save me! I'm gonna end up on the street as a beggar child!"
Hikaru turned his face away, guilt heavy in his heart. Sorry, Glowworm… I love you dearly, but you know too much.
At the academy gates, they met up with Yuji and entered together.
The new students were gathered in the academy's largest plaza to line up. It wasn't until 9:30 AM that the crowd settled down. Then, Academy Head Yat Sen began her opening address.
As beautiful as Yat Sen was, her speech wasn't particularly moving. Most students were just starstruck by her beauty, barely hearing a word she said. Many would spend the next few days dreaming of someday recruiting Yat Sen to their fleets.
Hikaru offered them a moment of silent sympathy. Lucky me—I already have Yat Sen.
The academy liked to keep things efficient. Once Yat Sen finished her speech, the Chief of Student Affairs, HMS Argus, took the stage to emphasize a few key points. Then, without delay, they officially announced the start of the mass construction event.
Upperclassmen on the sidelines began to howl excitedly—they had waited all morning just to watch the newcomers gamble on construction. As soon as the announcement was made, student organizations swarmed the plaza, setting up stalls, grills, and even starting a food festival. Under the trees, some had already opened betting pools for the upcoming shipbuilding.
Hikaru's sharp eyes caught Elizabeth sneaking off to place a bet—on him. She even pointed at him while the organizers took notes, their faces showing genuine surprise.
So much for the academy's dignity…
This place is way too relaxed about gambling.
Yuji, on the other hand, was hyped. "I think I'm falling in love with this school! A little gambling never hurt anyone. I'm placing a bet on myself. What about you? Also, the Leopard Prize event has free registration. Might as well join for fun!"
Hikaru was still processing all of this when Elizabeth hurried over.
Shooting Yuji a glance, she leaned in and whispered into Hikaru's ear, "I've bet everything I have on you. As long as you pull a four-star shipgirl, I'm golden. Don't make me eat dirt."
That jolted Hikaru to attention. He leaned in closer to her snowy white ear and whispered back, "Split the winnings with me."
Elizabeth firmly shook her head. "Five dinner dates, max. You still owe me nine."
Hikaru sighed in defeat. Fair enough.
He held up four fingers. "Four. Final offer."
She squinted at him, mulled it over, and said, "Seven. Deal. Now go build that ship!"
While Yuji scurried off to place his bets, Hikaru joined the line for the construction chambers.
The reason this was scheduled so early was simple—it helped students select their elective courses. Beyond the core curriculum, students needed to tailor their learning based on their shipgirls' types. For example, destroyers needed to study torpedoes, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-air tactics, while carrier commanders would focus on aircraft control.
As Hikaru waited in line, an upperclassman wearing glasses approached with a betting form.
"Care to place a bet on yourself? Take a shot at greatness."
Hikaru glanced at her. "You guys are running this betting thing right under the academy's nose?"
She adjusted her glasses and smiled. "Is there any gamble more thrilling than shipbuilding? Besides, we're completely non-profit. No rake, no fees. Only students can participate, so the money just circulates among the gamblers. We do it for the thrill."
Makes sense, Hikaru thought. Still, not my thing.
He shook his head to decline.
Not giving up, she seemed to eye him with mild interest. "How about joining us? Our association is full of talented people who are super fun to hang out with. As long as you don't have any four-star or higher shipgirls, our doors are open."
"I'll think about it. I have to head in now."
She clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. "Tch. No sense of adventure. What a boring sardine."
Ignoring her, Hikaru signed in and received his number, heading toward his assigned construction chamber.
Unlike the Saint Build event, where anyone with Admiral qualifications could succeed, the academy had prepared private, soundproofed construction rooms to maximize student concentration.
Unlocking the door with his assigned key, Hikaru entered and found three neatly stacked piles of resources.
Seeing there were no cameras, he locked the door and placed his hand over the first stack of 1++ resources.
Just for show. He activated his ability to absorb resources, converting the pile into misty energy that flowed into his body.
[Main Quest: Materialize the Naval Base]
Phase 1 Progress:
Fuel: 1100/10000
Ammunition: 1000/10000
Steel: 1100/10000
Aluminum: 1000/10000
Complete Phase 1 to unlock the next base feature.
Perfect. He planned to use two of the three stacks to advance the quest, and the last stack to summon Lexington. Flawless strategy.
As Hikaru approached the second pile, ready to repeat the process, a thought suddenly struck him.
Come to think of it… Both Glowworm and Fletcher were summoned from my old base. I've never tried awakening a shipgirl from scratch, from the raw steel.
Should I give it a shot?