Laffey shook her head: "Saratoga said not to eat too much late-night snack… Hmm, you'll get fat."
"You Shipgirls also need to watch your figure?"
"Yes!"
Laffey answered with a firm tone.
Jack shrugged: "Alright, well, it's getting late now, are you ready for bed?"
"Laffey… doesn't want to sleep… Laffey wants to play with Commander~"
"Now you're not mentioning Saratoga?" Jack pinched Laffey's delicate nose: "Since she tells you not to eat late-night snacks, she must also tell you destroyers to go to bed early and wake up early!"
Laffey pulled away from Jack's fingers and looked to the side.
"No! Saratoga never said that destroyers who stay up too late won't grow taller! Never!"
Laffey's emotions were even more exuberant than usual.
And after saying that, she deflated, looking at Jack pitifully.
"Commander… Laffey, will she still grow taller?"
Laffey's words reminded Jack of Nahida and Qiqi.
How similar these two were to the destroyers in Azure Lane.
Both were older lolis who worried about their height.
The former two could grow through various forms of "eating" plant essences, while for destroyers, the only way seemed to be through retrofitting.
"As for growing taller, I'll discuss Laffey's retrofit plan with Akashi later, perhaps there's a way to achieve it… But, does Laffey really want to grow taller? Commander might prefer Laffey's current appearance, you know~"
Children always long to grow up.
But often, it's only after growing up that they realize it's not as wonderful as they imagined.
Indeed, upon mentioning Commander's preferences, Laffey hesitated.
In her mind.
Growing taller = getting bigger = more liked by Commander.
But if Commander also liked her current small appearance, then growing taller and bigger was indeed unnecessary.
In that case…
"Laffey doesn't want to sleep! Laffey wants to play with Commander!"
This time, her confidence was much stronger.
Jack smiled and stroked her twin tails: "Not afraid of Saratoga anymore?"
"Not afraid! Because… it's Commander who told Laffey to do this~"
She finally realized how adorable she was, and that no matter how willful she became, Jack would never get angry with her. She looked ready to play all night.
"Alright, I'll take the blame for you. Next time you see Saratoga and Laffey, you have to put in a good word for me."
"Saratoga is strict, but... she's very kind, so... no problem!"
"Mm! Laffey's guarantee is very reliable!"
The Commander's trust made Laffey feel very pleased, and even her rabbit ear decorations swayed proudly.
"Commander! Let's go... play in the sand first!"
Laffey was uncharacteristically lively, pulling Jack and running out the door.
Jack let her pull him along, and together, late at night, they built sandcastles on the beach.
...
A gentle sea breeze stirred their hair.
Under the moonlight, Jack looked at Laffey's bright and charming profile, a smile unconsciously gracing his lips.
"Laffey..."
"Commander?"
"The moonlight is beautiful tonight."
Laffey looked at the moon, then tilted her head to look at Jack, not understanding that "the moonlight is beautiful" was a confession.
But her puzzled expression was truly endearing.
Jack couldn't resist and picked her up, giving her a kiss.
This time, Laffey realized through actual experience the Commander's intense affection for her.
So she wrapped her arms around Jack's waist and softly said, "Commander also... the moonlight is beautiful?"
Jack was amused by her questioning confession and playfully flicked her little nose.
"Who confesses with a question? But if it's Laffey, it's perfectly normal."
Jack muttered, then looked at Laffey solemnly.
"Laffey!"
"Hm?"
"Tonight, do you want to try that?"
"Which one?"
"The one only a sworn ship can do."
"Yes~"
"Then... playing on the beach..."
"Laffey is tired... needs to sleep..."
"You little driver, you instantly understood what I meant."
"What is Commander talking about... Laffey doesn't know~"
On the beach, one large and one small set of footprints gradually faded into the distance.
Later, the small footprints disappeared, leaving only the large ones.
Pitter-patter sounds echoed on the beach.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"