Yamato remained utterly resolute.
"There's no chance, Indiana. Official business is official business, personal feelings are personal feelings. Right now, I'm representing the shipgirl headquarters on an official mission. And you? If you come with me, it'll only cause confusion and misunderstanding."
With things said so bluntly, Indiana knew in her heart that the goal of her journey had just gone up in smoke.
Even if she claimed to be acting solely on her own, no one would believe her.
Not even she could fully believe it herself.
Once a shipgirl has a commander, it's like a knight having a king, or a sword becoming bound to its wielder. The bond between a shipgirl and her admiral is closer than that between parent and child.
And her admiral, Gorou, was currently considered the mastermind behind Hikaru's expulsion and framing.
Yamato had all but openly accused her of harboring ill intent—Indiana had no way to refute it.
She let out a heavy sigh. "Yamato, if he can be brought back—no, he must be brought back!"
"I'll do my best," Yamato replied, casting a pitying look at Indiana's haggard face. "Why didn't you go to the East China Sea with Gorou?"
"He... sigh."
Indiana trailed off, then let out another long sigh.
She'd been sighing an awful lot today.
Whenever people talked about her and Gorou, they always assumed theirs was the ideal relationship—lovers walking hand-in-hand through life.
Two centuries of marriage. Compared to their time together, even silver, golden, or diamond anniversaries seemed trivial.
But people change.
Two hundred years were enough to turn a passionate, idealistic young man into a dull and brooding old relic.
And with such a man now at the helm of the nation's navy, where would it go from here?
In the southern seas, the gathering of Abyssal forces had triggered devastating storms. The same storm winds now reached this area as well.
The wind howled louder over the sea. Indiana shivered against the biting cold carried in the air.
—
After dinner, it should've been time to tell bedtime stories to the little girls, with a few cheek pinches handed out as payment.
But today, the little shipgirls who normally clung to Hikaru's stories had suddenly changed their tune.
"I'm gonna make super-awesome custom torpedoes! I'll make the Abyssal flagship cry for its mama!"
The vampire girl raised her tiny fists and declared with gusto, then turned and bolted away—arms full of test tubes filled with red, blue, green, and black blood.
A string of decapitated fish bodies dangled from her waist, slapping against her legs as she ran.
This was the vampire's fishing haul for the day.
As a vampire healer—or more accurately, a blood alchemist—she was a specialist in blood-based potions.
Her plan was to use fish blood as the base material and apply blood magic to enchant torpedoes with various powerful effects.
Things like tenfold expansion, blinding flashes, corrosion against enemy gear—she had all kinds of ideas for enchantments.
Up until now, vampire had always been a background character in the naval district, never getting involved in any actual Abyssal combat.
But this time, it wasn't just a battle—it was a full-scale defense against a major Abyssal assault. Even if she wasn't level 10 yet, she still desperately wanted to make her mark.
With even vampire so motivated, the little magician Glowworm certainly wouldn't let herself fall behind.
She hugged Hikaru's neck, gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, and said she was off to craft stone golems, animate statues, and other magical constructs—no time for stories today.
Even Fletcher, who secretly wanted to listen, couldn't bring herself to ask. After all, she fancied herself a mature grown-up now. She couldn't act childish like the others.
Left high and dry by all the little ones, Hikaru felt quietly disappointed.
Yat Sen was cleaning up the dining room. After some thought, Hikaru stepped out. He decided it was time to take a proper walk around his naval district.
After all, this was going to be his home for life.
—
Behind a magnolia tree, Lexington sat at a stone table, smiling brightly.
Standing in front of her was California, twisting her hands nervously over her clothes, clearly flustered and uneasy.
That's right—Lexington was laying down the rules for California.
Laying down the rules—it sounded just like the "main wife" using her status to suppress the concubine.
Or like a senior officer using their seniority to bully a newcomer.
But Lexington felt this was something that absolutely had to be done. Someone had to play the bad guy here.
California lacked any sense of propriety. Her casual attitude toward her elders might have been forgivable...
But the real problem was how she clung to Hikaru all day long. That simply couldn't be overlooked.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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