"Oh, I see," Yat Sen clapped her hands gently and smiled warmly. "If there's no way for Changchun, Chongqing, and the others to meet the Commander in person, I'll carry their share of the responsibility and make sure to cook properly for everyone in the base."
Changchun, Chongqing, Pinghai, and Ninghai… they were all part of the C-class shipgirls of the base and considered Yat Sen's younger sisters.
After all, in the shipgirl compendium, Yat Sen was known as the "National Mother" and possessed a certain "wifely aura" that the others of the C-class lacked.
It was something to shed a tear over. Due to China's weakness during WWII, most of the C-class shipgirls were only destroyers or light cruisers—small- to mid-sized vessels, essentially elementary or at best middle school-aged girls.
Yat Sen, although also a light cruiser, could at least pass as a high schooler if she dressed the part.
"Then I'll count on you to take care of the meals," Hikaru nodded to Yat Sen before turning to Ella.
Before he could speak, Ella puffed up her petite chest and declared, "Please leave all the tactical instruction to me! Torpedo strikes, artillery bombardment, anti-ship vigilance, echelon torpedo patterns, forward screening, large-angle evasions—any advanced tactic, I can teach them all."
Instructor Ella was clearly a special type of shipgirl. She had almost no combat ability of her own, but she was uniquely qualified to teach special tactics—something ordinary shipgirls could never comprehend on their own.
According to Lexington, special tactics weren't something one could simply "pick up"—they could only be learned from instructors. They were essentially divine-level techniques.
And in the compendium of shipgirls, there was no mention of instructors. Hikaru mused that this might be one of the unique advantages of his particular base.
Still, at the moment, Hikaru had no pressing need for anyone to be attending classes.
"I'm not assigning you as an instructor," Hikaru said, spreading his hands. "We don't have anyone to teach right now."
Ella looked nervous. "But if I'm not teaching, then I don't know how to do anything… Please don't send me away. I'll do any job!"
Any job, huh? Tsk tsk.
If Lexington weren't standing right there, Hikaru might've made a teasing comment or two. Ella just looked too sweet and easy to pick on.
"Let me think… for now, you'll be my liaison. Help me and Lexington handle some admin tasks."
Hikaru glanced around at the half-destroyed base and let out a sigh.
"We've got our hands full."
Realizing she wasn't going to be sent away, Ella lit up with joy. She straightened up proudly and stood by Hikaru's side, eyes full of loyalty.
Bismarck, with her military bearing, had already stepped into her new role and asked seriously, "Commander, why does the base show signs of combat? Were we attacked previously?"
"No, no, sis," Tirpitz—hanging playfully off Bismarck's shoulder—grinned as she tattled. "That dummy Missouri caused it. She wasn't used to suddenly being summoned here and panicked, so she blasted the Commander with her skill and nearly killed him!"
Bismarck pulled Tirpitz off and gave her a frosty glare.
"I don't know what you're so pleased about. Still, if Missouri was that reckless, she definitely deserves a proper punishment."
Bismarck knew full well how powerful Missouri's skill was. Nicknamed the "Flagship Killer," Missouri had racked up more decapitation kills than almost anyone else in the base.
If she had actually killed the Commander… Bismarck would've torn her apart with her own hands.
That said, it was Bismarck's skill that was the true "Flagship Killer"—though in terms of raw power, it fell short compared to Missouri's, and thus never made as big a splash.
"It wasn't entirely her fault," Hikaru waved his hand. "Anyway, now that we've materialized the base, our first task is to repair it."
California looked hesitant. Every time there was hard labor, she somehow got saddled with the biggest load.
"There's so much rubble… We're not construction workers. We won't be able to fix this."
She wasn't wrong—but Hikaru knew full well she just wanted to slack off.
He shot California a look and continued, "Of course I don't expect a full restoration right away. But we need to rebuild the essential areas and clean up the debris."
Places like the mess hall couldn't just be left lying in ruins.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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