Jun Hao's words made the tension between them disappear instantly. The two women exchanged a glance and started a silent conversation with their eyes.
'Belfast, am I really seeing this?'
'Miss Akagi, you aren't mistaken. It's Master himself! He's actually come out of the office!'
In that moment, what they felt wasn't mere shock, but a kind of ecstasy, like stumbling upon a rare treasure, mixed with the bashful flutter of a young girl catching sight of her beloved.
Noticing her improper behavior, Belfast resumed her perfect maid etiquette. She took an elegant half-step back, lifted her skirt, bent her knees, and bowed.
The maid's salute came out perfectly, executed with practiced elegance.
"My deepest apologies, Master. We lost our composure. The reason is that your appearance today is worlds apart from how you looked before."
"Worlds apart?"
Jun Hao subconsciously touched his own face, growing even more confused.
He was a pretty handsome guy before transmigrating. So why did Belfast make it sound like he'd turned into a whole different being?
"Yes, Master," Belfast answered with a respectful bow. "Before today, or rather, before you walked out of this door, your image in our eyes was merely a construct of lines with an overly simplistic outline."
"What the hell?" Jun Hao's lip twitched at her words.
"Pardon me, Master. In simpler terms, you resembled a stick figure, what some refer to as a stickman."
An apologetic smile crossed her face as she explained.
Jun Hao went completely still, struck by a sudden realization. Everything made sense now.
No wonder Akashi had drawn his portrait like a stick figure in the game. That crude image had even found its way into numerous fan-made videos.
He hadn't expected that in the girls' eyes, he actually appeared that way. But of course, Jun Hao wasn't angry about it, and Belfast continued her explanation.
"Not only that, but in the past, you would only execute simple instructions, such as clicking the tactical panel or sliding the screen to issue sortie orders. Occasionally, you would emit fixed voice clips, and these were the only proofs we had of your existence."
After saying this, a hint of loneliness flashed in Belfast's eyes.
"But we were never able to... truly see you like this."
"Exactly! That's it! Commander!" Akagi, who was nearby, finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She'd been staring at Jun Hao without blinking earlier, as though attempting to memorize every detail of his face down to the pores.
Jealousy, petty arguments, even physical fights—none of it mattered to her anymore.
Her heart and eyes were now entirely consumed by this ultra-high-definition version of her beloved Commander.
"Even though your previous image had its own charm, there's a world of difference between that and the real thing!"
The destructive hunger and crushing pressure in her roaring voice from before were completely gone, along with the terrifying aura emanating from her body. In its place was a bone-meltingly sweet coquettishness.
Pink bubbles seemed to float around her as two vivid blushes bloomed across her cold and elegant cheeks.
This was obviously a natural reaction born from the combination of first love's nervous excitement and the eruption of profound affection that had been bottled up for far too long.
Belfast observed Akagi's appearance, which resembled that of a young girl in love, and a subtle, barely perceptible smile flickered in her eyes.
She sadly couldn't act the same way because as the Head Maid, if she expressed it too obviously, it would damage her image in her Master's eyes.
Belfast gave a slight shake of her head and directed her attention back to the young man standing before her.
His features were striking, his temperament gentle, nothing like the cold figure who usually issued orders.
-JUN HAO-[1]
More than a Commander who governed the port, he seemed like the boy next door, someone who naturally drew others in, making them want to approach him, care for him, and claim him as their own.
This sudden change left these two veteran Oath Ships, who had weathered countless battles and worn the Promise Ring for so long, feeling a sense of panic they hadn't experienced in ages.
Their hearts raced, and their thoughts were a complete mess.
As Jun Hao listened to them explain, he gradually started to understand what was going on.
Basically, to the girls, their 2D stick figure husband had turned into a living person standing before them, which caused their strong reaction.
Just as he was racking his brains to think of how to use this sudden change to explain his transmigration, that unreliable system prompt sounded in his head again.
[Ding! Detected that the host's image has been refreshed, greatly satisfying the Ship Girls' visual needs and emotional expectations. Port Harmony Level successfully repaired!]
[Current harmony index: 60/100.]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden novice task: 'First Repair of the Port Harmony Level'.]
[Obtained Novice Reward: 60 Bond Points.]
[Would you like to collect it now?]
'Yes, collect it right now!' Jun Hao yelled frantically inside his head.
Although he didn't know what they were for, anything produced by the System had to be at least somewhat useful.
"System, what are Bond Points actually used for? Can I exchange them for resources or use them in the gacha?"
[The host only needs to know that Bond Points are very powerful. As for the specific effects, please interact more with the Ship Girls and explore through physical contact and emotional exchange.]
After leaving behind this provocative message, the system fell silent and played dead once more.
'Hey! Be more specific! What do you mean by physical contact? How far does it go?' Jun Hao demanded, but he was met only with absolute silence.
Then he remembered that Akagi and Belfast were still right in front of him.
Even though his exchange with the system happened entirely in his mind, his face must have gone blank for quite some time.
'Do they think I'm weird or something?' Jun Hao looked at the two Ship Girls before him with some nervousness.
However, he found that the two of them were in an even worse state than he was. Their eyes were wandering, and they didn't dare look in his direction at all.
Akagi's tails were wagging so fast they looked like propellers, while Belfast stared at the carpet pattern like she was trying to find an actual flower in there.
But what they shared in common was the delicate flush of pink creeping up their pale necks.
They were probably lost in their own sweet, intimate fantasies about the future and didn't even notice him spacing out for a second.
Jun Hao let out a quiet breath of relief at having gone unnoticed.
'Hmm, if earning more Bond Points means I need to "interact" more with the Ship Girls, then...'
Looking at things now, the Harmony Level was at 60, but that wasn't really enough.
The fact that Akagi and Belfast's argument could make the Level drop so quickly meant he couldn't let his guard down.
Since his appearance worked so well in his favor, why not capitalize on the momentum and push the Harmony Level even higher?
Perhaps he could unlock some hidden achievements or tasks and gather more Bond Points.
Plus, getting close to his own Ship Girls was something he'd always wanted to do in his past life. Now that it was actually happening, he wouldn't back down
Thinking about it, a knowing grin appeared on his face without him realizing.
That need for control as a Commander, mixed with raw masculine instinct, rushed through him all at once.
So taking advantage of the moment while the two were still shy and dazed, he suddenly took a large step forward and opened his arms.
Before Akagi and Belfast realized what was happening, he caught them both, one on either side, his hands firmly claiming their slender waists.
One hand touched the silky smoothness of a maid outfit, the other felt the cozy warmth of kimono fabric.
"Ah! Commander!"
"Master?!"
The two of them simultaneously let out short, panicked cries. Their bodies instantly tensed up, and their fingertips felt a bit numb.
They never expected that the seemingly gentle Commander would suddenly launch such a bold surprise attack.
Jun Hao offered no room for resistance or second thoughts. He guided them into the spacious and bright office.
Then he gently kicked the heavy door shut with his heel, cutting off all sight and sound from the outside world.
-+ + +-
-> To have access to more than 15 extra chapters, go to:
[-p -a -t -r -e -o -n . com/DysFiction.]
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-+ + +-
Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
-> Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives! (Translation)
-> Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White. (Original)
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[1] IMAGE