Tirpitz scratched her head, unable to argue back.
She was feeling drowsy—perhaps because the Commander had been summoning German shipgirls one after another, stirring up his "beastly nature." For the past two nights, he had insisted on hugging her to sleep.
His embrace was comfortable, but the strange looks from Fletcher and California made it hard to ignore.
And of course, the Commander couldn't keep his hands to himself—constantly fidgeting, constantly troublesome, leaving her a bit exasperated.
Because of the lack of sleep, Tirpitz hadn't drawn a single illustration in days!
She gave a tiny yawn and was just about to lay down when, in front of where Hikaru sat, a burst of radiant light suddenly flared.
Rainbow colors—a six-star shipgirl!
Lexington and the others gave little gasps of surprise, and Tirpitz perked up too. After all, it was a fellow German, and she was curious.
Who could it be?
Graf Zeppelin's build time was six hours, and her rarity was only purple four-star.
The Scharnhorst sisters, Moltke, and Spee weren't six-star either. That left only Hindenburg and Von Hutten.
Tirpitz forced her eyes wide, staring with full concentration.
The rainbow light slowly faded, and in Hikaru's arms lay…
A black cat?
California shrieked as if she'd seen a ghost. "Commander, why did you summon a dumb cat?!"
The black cat bared its teeth at her with a hiss, as if it understood every word.
But no matter how you looked at it, summoning a shipgirl only for a cat to appear was far too strange.
"What nonsense are you talking about? That's Oscar. Come here, Oscar!"
Tirpitz snapped fully awake, reaching her arms toward the black cat.
Oscar nuzzled Hikaru's chin once, then without hesitation leapt from his arms into Tirpitz's embrace.
The two rubbed against each other, one large and one small, and Oscar's soft, babyish meows were so sweet they could melt a person's heart.
Instructor Ella pushed up her glasses, speaking gravely. "Commander, I suspect something unusual here."
Lexington mused aloud. "That's Bismarck's cat, isn't it? And the summoning time was exactly five and a half hours… could it be—"
"That's right. This time, it was me who was summoned."
Bismarck strode energetically into the construction hall.
Her expression was calm, but her face glowed with radiance, as if she had just encountered the happiest of fortunes.
Which, in truth, she had.
"When I saw those memories of steel earlier, I was puzzled—it was clearly the entire life of the battleship Bismarck," Hikaru said, pushing himself up on slightly numb legs, spreading his arms toward her. "Welcome officially, Bismarck."
A rare smile, faintly shy, curved Bismarck's lips—a sight nearly never seen on her usually stern face. Then she stepped into his embrace.
Hikaru squeezed her tightly. Hm. Her figure was in no way inferior to her sister Tirpitz's.
Tirpitz was a little fuller, with a soft, pleasant feel. Bismarck, on the other hand, was athletic—each with her own charm.
Like comparing plum blossoms and snow: the plum yields a little in whiteness, but surpasses the snow in fragrance.
California gawked. "So what's going on, exactly?"
Yat Sen explained gently from the side: "Previously, Bismarck was only here because the Commander appointed her as secretary ship. But today she's been truly summoned into this world, and that's why even her cat Oscar came along."
With that explanation, California nodded in sudden realization. "Ah, then that's incredible luck."
Yat Sen looked softly at Hikaru. "Commander, now that all three sisters are here, shall we celebrate tonight?"
With the past few days as preparation, she had already gathered enough ingredients and seasonings from the island and surrounding waters, confident she could cook a decent meal.
Hikaru didn't respond right away.
"Commander?" Lexington prompted.
Reluctantly, Hikaru released Bismarck from his arms.
The memories of steel he had touched during construction had deepened his affection for the woman before him even further.
Honestly, dear wife—couldn't you let me hold Bismarck just a little longer? Normally I don't get such a chance.
"…Alright then, let's have a buffet," Hikaru finally said after some thought. "But first, I'll appoint a new secretary ship. Bismarck, you don't mind, do you?"
Appointing a new secretary ship meant another shipgirl from the Naval District could be summoned here. Bismarck, of course, had no objection.
She nodded, then turned to Yat Sen. "We brought back a warship filled with resources and supplies. All sorts of seasonings, fruits, and vegetables are on board."
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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