"That's wonderful," Yat Sen's eyes lit up with delight, then she turned to Hikaru. "Commander, if it's the secretary ship, I still recommend Changchun."
She never forgot her own sisters. The moment the secretary position opened up, she reminded Hikaru to fulfill his promise.
Hikaru hesitated slightly. Truth be told, Missouri should have been next in line before Changchun.
Seeing his indecision, Yat Sen bit her lip, clung to his arm, and shook it gently, pleading in a soft, pitiful voice:
"You promised me~"
Uhh…
That delicate, tender act of coquettish pleading nearly melted Hikaru's heart.
Even a man of steel would soften into a puddle when faced with Yat Sen like this.
"Alright, alright—I'll summon Changchun over. She does spend all day hugging that panda doll; she must be lonely."
Hikaru swore solemnly. As for Missouri? Since his wife hadn't spoken up for her, forget it. Best to just erase that woman from mind.
Leipzig gaped slightly. Watching Yat Sen sway the Admiral with just a few words left her entire worldview shaken.
Tirpitz stroked Oscar in her arms and consoled her: "The Admiral is very biased toward Yat Sen. I think it won't be long before she gets a ring. After all, last night he said she's completely grown into his ideal type."
Yat Sen quickly let go of Hikaru's arm, her ears burning red.
Tirpitz's voice had been soft, but every shipgirl had sharp hearing—they all caught it clearly.
Glowworm and Vampire, who had been clinging to Tirpitz to pet Oscar, both turned around to look at Yat Sen with envy written all over their faces.
Hikaru could only sigh inwardly. Who would've thought Tirpitz would repeat even their private pillow talk? Best to pretend he hadn't heard anything. Biased? Absolutely not.
But Leipzig's thoughts weren't about jealousy at all.
What she saw was opportunity.
Yat Sen's one sentence had been enough to make the Commander decide to summon Changchun. If it were another shipgirl, who knew what price they would be willing to pay for such favor—likely emptying their fortunes or sinking into debt without hesitation.
To Leipzig, Hikaru was just such a treasure—an investment with limitless returns.
Seeing Leipzig still lost in thought, Tirpitz bit her lip, held out Oscar like an offering, and said, "Here, you can pet him."
Leipzig reached out, but Oscar immediately slipped free and darted into Bismarck's arms—back to her true master.
Meanwhile, Hikaru, stirred by Yat Sen's words, decided to strike while the iron was hot and appoint Changchun as secretary ship immediately.
It was just a matter of willing it, but Hikaru followed his usual good habit of first announcing it in the dream-world meeting.
When he emerged from the dream, Hikaru let out a long sigh, looking faintly dejected.
After all, Missouri had been wronged so badly—and he'd just stood her up again. Though… honestly, he didn't feel too guilty.
He shook his head and stretched out a hand. "Come forth, Changchun!"
Everyone looked expectantly at the empty spot before him—but nothing happened.
"Eh? No way… what's going on?"
Hikaru scratched his head awkwardly.
"She's probably in the office—or in the dormitory," Lexington said with a smile. "Most secretary ships stay there."
"Then, Commander, I'll go find her."
Yat Sen offered and quickly hurried off.
Leipzig curled her lip in secret.
What's all this about pitying Changchun? Truth is, any shipgirl who hasn't been by the Commander's side is just as pitiful as an orphan.
And Changchun was hardly suffering. In the Chinese line, she was treated like the moon surrounded by stars—Chongqing, Ping Hai, Ning Hai, they all gave her the best treats first. As a missile destroyer, Changchun was their pride.
The truly pitiful ones were others: Tirpitz; Fletcher's younger sisters; even Glowworm, forever lacking the protection of her knight-Commander. Which of them wasn't more miserable than Changchun?
Tsk. Leipzig had seen the truth: in this Naval District, the most precious treasure was the Commander's favor. Gain that, and there was no treasure you couldn't have.
Her hand slipped quietly into her pouch.
Inside was a scroll of paper—one of ten "Companion Play" contracts Hikaru had signed long ago. By luck, Leipzig had secured one.
Even though other sisters had tried to bribe or threaten her, she never handed it over.
And when Hikaru later switched to "cross-world companionship" instead, Leipzig dismissed it with disdain.
No. She wasn't in this for holding hands with the Commander.
She was in it for something far greater.
Leipzig made her decision in silence.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]