Elder brother's garrison

"Are you still sleepy?" Xiaobai walked up to New Jersey and asked him with concern.

"It's okay... I'm not sleepy anymore." New Jersey shook his head, paused for a moment, and continued, "I haven't been very sleepy since yesterday."

"That's a good sign." After hearing what New Jersey said, Xiaobai smiled with relief, as if he had heard good news. "Before, New Jersey, you always felt sleepy because your body had to resist the deep-sea energy in your stomach, which required a lot of energy. Now that you don't feel sleepy, it should mean that the scale of the deep-sea energy in your stomach has been weakened again."

"Well."

“It’s time to check your runes, New Jersey. Show me your rune status,” Xiaobai said to New Jersey.

"Hmm." New Jersey nodded, stood up from the sofa, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and deftly lifted it up for Xiaobai, revealing her flat stomach and a pair of fair and shapely thighs. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, that's fine," Xiaobai nodded in agreement.

A young girl lifting her skirt is always one of the most beautiful images in the anime and manga world, an image that will inevitably be etched into the memory of everyone who sees it.

Especially a high-quality beauty like New Jersey, with her perfect figure, eyebrows, and temperament, if she were to act like a lovesick fool towards strangers, there would probably be very few people in the world who wouldn't be terrified by her actions, first losing their minds, then becoming obsessed, and finally yearning for her day and night...

However, Xiaobai is different. As New Jersey's healer and admiral, Xiaobai has completely regarded New Jersey as her family. Xiaobai only has eyes for the righteous characters on New Jersey's lower abdomen. She would never have any strange thoughts about her family's body.

Little White carefully examined the runes on New Jersey's lower abdomen—these runes were drawn on New Jersey by Little White the day before the female hearth goddess came to the Yubari family. Three days had passed, and the originally dazzling light on these runes had dimmed considerably. Moreover, because they were close to New Jersey's skin and not protected, the runes near the outer thighs, where they would often rub against the clothing, had been worn away in many places, leaving only a small patch of slightly dark, faint pigment.

"New Jersey, don't you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" Xiaobai asked New Jersey hesitantly, looking at the wear and tear on the positive characters.

"No."

Not even a little bit?

"Ah."

"Oh..." Xiaobai nodded, then reached out and placed her palm on New Jersey's lower abdomen. The Admiral's Network then spread out, burrowing into New Jersey's body through her belly. After sensing inside her body for a while, she looked up in surprise, "Ah! Sure enough! New Jersey, the deep-sea energy in your stomach has been almost completely digested!"

"?"

"I knew the runes were worn down so badly, New Jersey, why hadn't you reacted yet... No wonder you said you haven't been feeling very sleepy these past two days, because the deep-sea energy in your stomach has been almost completely erased by the runes. It can no longer threaten your body like before, and it won't drain your energy anymore!" Little White smiled at New Jersey with delight. "Congratulations! Although there's still a tiny bit of weak deep-sea energy left, which will take some time to dissipate, you're no longer affected by it! You're healthy, New Jersey!"

"Admiral, didn't you say before that it might take a few more days..."

"Uh...yeah, based on the previous progress, it should take a few more days to achieve the current effect..." Xiaobai stared curiously at New Jersey's belly button and muttered a couple of sentences, "Hmm...by the way, New Jersey, have you been accompanying Yubari for ship equipment testing these past two days?"

"Ah."

"Could it be that high-intensity training accelerates the rune's digestion of deep-sea energy...?" Xiaobai muttered thoughtfully.

at this time.

With a loud bang, the door opened.

The female Kitchen Goddess stretched and yawned as she walked out of Changchun's bedroom.

"Mmm—! That was a good sleep..." The goddess of the hearth rubbed her shoulders, muttering as she entered the living room. Upon seeing New Jersey and Little White there, she waved warmly to them and greeted them, "Yo ho! You two are up so early today? So you're also forced to start your corporate slave life because the weekend is over... Huh?!"

The goddess of the hearth stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed the strange posture between Little White and New Jersey.

In the living room, New Jersey stood in front of Xiaobai, her skirt hem lifted high, revealing her private skin to Xiaobai without any restraint, even her snow-white panties were exposed to the air, while Xiaobai sat on the sofa as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her hands placed on New Jersey's exposed lower abdomen, facing New Jersey's panties, looking as if she was about to do something naughty with New Jersey.

In particular, the goddess of the hearth discovered that under the hem of New Jersey's skirt, her lower abdomen was covered with wickedly drawn tally characters...

"Huh? So that's how you two are?" The goddess of the hearth widened her eyes and asked Little White and New Jersey in the living room.

"Ah! Miss Vessel Goddess..." Little White quickly withdrew her hand from New Jersey's stomach, then pressed down on New Jersey's hands and pushed down the hem of her skirt. "No, it's a misunderstanding, actually we are..."

Honestly, writing tally marks on a girl's belly is a very common and misleading act if it's not explained. It's also incredibly complicated to explain, and even I'm tired of explaining it myself.

However, the female hearth goddess didn't seem very interested in this. She just awkwardly turned her head to the side, rubbed the tip of her nose, and muttered something under her breath.

"Okay, okay... I know, I know... It's a misunderstanding, right? No need to say anything, I understand, I understand. Honestly, next time you guys do this kind of thing, just do it in the bedroom..."

"……"noob.

Although the goddess of the hearth understands him and he no longer needs to go through the trouble of explaining his relationship with New Jersey, why does Xiaobai suddenly feel a sense of damage to his reputation...?

I hope it's just my imagination...

Xiao Bai watched as the female Kitchen Goddess walked into the living room.

"Miss Kitchen Goddess, you're up so early today too..." Xiao Bai greeted the Kitchen Goddess.

These past two days, the female Kitchen Goddess has been spending most of her time squatting at the computer desk in the bedroom, fiddling with something in front of the computer screen, rarely coming out alone, let alone getting up early.

"Yes, the weekend is over, and I have to go to work today." The female Kitchen Goddess quickly forgot what had just happened. She shrugged at Little White and said with a hint of helplessness.

"Does 'going to work' mean... working as a security guard at the ship equipment research center?" Xiaobai asked.

"Hmm." The goddess of the hearth nodded, looking around the living room. "Um... I'm a little thirsty, is there any water?"

"If you don't mind, there's a Coke over there," Xiaobai pointed to the bar counter in the living room.

"Oh! Thank you!" The goddess of the hearth skipped over to the bar, opened the transparent refrigerator, took out a can of ice-cold cola, pulled the tab, and gulped it down in one go. Touching her face, she revealed a happy smile. "Ha! This drink is so refreshing and sweet, it's really delicious!"

The goddess of the hearth held up a can of cola, looking as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Can I have another can?"

"Well, of course."

"Thank you! — Glug glug — Ah! It's so delicious!"

Xiao Bai stared at the female Kitchen Goddess and pondered for a while.

“…Um, Miss Stove Goddess,” Xiaobai called out.

"Hmm? What is it?" The goddess of the hearth looked over.

"Speaking of which... today is the day the Goddess of the Hearth works... may I follow you to your workplace for a short visit?" Xiaobai asked the Goddess of the Hearth as cautiously as possible, keeping his tone as normal as possible.

"...The security room?" The female hearth goddess blinked, glancing at the empty Coke can in her hand. "Hmm... Sure?"

Chapter 1696 Being cute means you can do whatever you want

"Really? Thank you, Lady Stove!" Xiao Bai was pleasantly surprised that the Lady Stove had agreed to his request so easily.

"I don't care... Besides, you're Dr. Yubari's admiral, right? With that connection, if you say you want to visit the Ship Equipment Research Center, who in the entire Ship Equipment Center would dare to disagree?" Vestal said to Shiro, crushing the two empty Coke cans in her hand. "Speaking of which, why did you suddenly want to visit the security room?"

"Ah... I'm just a little curious..." Xiaobai said with a smile.

Xiao Bai's reason for wanting to see the security room wasn't just simple curiosity; she was actually there to explore the mysteries surrounding the Goddess of the Hearth. However, she couldn't reveal this reason to the Goddess of the Hearth for the time being.

"You rich people are so boring..." The female kitchen god didn't doubt Xiaobai's words at all. She stacked the two flattened empty Coke cans on the coffee table and smiled at Xiaobai, "But I've received a lot of help from you these past two days, so if there's anything I can do to help during the tour, just let me know."

"Thank you, Lady Stove Goddess... Oh, right." Little White clasped his hands together, then, remembering how he had impersonated a relative of the Lady Stove Goddess the day before yesterday, he said somewhat awkwardly to her, "Um... there's something I need to tell you, Lady Stove Goddess..."

"what is the matter?"

"Well... on Saturday, in order to find your address, Miss Vessel Goddess, Changchun and I went to the security room of the Ship Equipment Research Center and asked the person on duty... In order to get them to tell me your address, I told them that I was your relative, Miss Vessel Goddess..." Xiaobai said to the Vessel Goddess shyly.

“…Uh.” The goddess of the hearth paused, “A relative?”

"Hmm... the kind where friends come from afar."

"Oh ho... no wonder." The female kitchen god nodded and laughed along with Little White. "I was wondering how you suddenly knew where I lived."

"...Miss Kitchen Goddess, aren't you angry?"

"Angry? Why?"

"That... because I told other people I'm your relative..."

"Ah... about this." The female hearth goddess nodded, shrewdly observing Xiaobai for a while before shaking her head dismissively. "You're the admiral of Yubari, your family is rich, and you're cute. Being related to someone like you is a win for me, isn't it?"

"……"noob.

"Haha, I don't care," the goddess of the hearth said with a wave of her hand.

"Pfft..." Xiaobai chuckled, feeling a bit relieved.

As he was laughing, Xiaobai suddenly felt New Jersey behind him tug at his sleeve.

"Hmm? New Jersey, is there something you need?" Xiaobai turned around and found New Jersey staring at him intently, looking like he had something to say.

"..." New Jersey nodded slightly, pinching Xiaobai's sleeve with two fingers and tugging gently, "I want to go too."

"New Jersey, would you like to come with us to visit where the Goddess of the Hearth works?"

"Ah."

"...Then, what about the ship equipment testing at Yubari..."

“…The test was completed yesterday.” New Jersey stared at Xiaobai, exuding an air of anticipation. “I want to go too.”

"Uh... I see..." Xiaobai looked at New Jersey with curiosity.

New Jersey has always been a ship girl who prefers to stay in bed as much as possible, so it's quite strange that she's suddenly asking to go out with me.

—Could it be that the deep-sea energy within New Jersey is finally being exhausted, and the ship girl is beginning to regain her vitality?

If that's the case... it's rare for New Jersey to take the initiative to go out, so it's a good thing for her, and I don't have any reason to refuse New Jersey.

Thinking of this, Xiaobai smiled and nodded at New Jersey.

"Um, okay."

-

The goddess of the hearth works as a security guard. Due to the nature of her job, she starts work much earlier than regular researchers like Yubari. Before Yubari even wakes up from her sleep, the goddess of the hearth has already packed her things and is ready to leave for work.

The goddess of the hearth had told Xiaobai that Xiaobai didn't actually need to go to work with her. She could come to the ship equipment research center to see her at any time. However, after Xiaobai insisted, she left a note for Yubari that she was going out to accompany the goddess of the hearth first, and then left home with Changchun and New Jersey following the goddess of the hearth.

The ship equipment research center is located right at the entrance of Yubari residential area. The commute isn't too hectic, and people can chat leisurely on their way to work.

"Speaking of which, Miss Vestal, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you: why are you working as a security guard at the Ship Equipment Research Center?" On the way, Xiaobai took advantage of a break to ask Vestal the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

"Huh? Me?" The goddess of the hearth looked at Xiaobai with some surprise upon hearing his question. "Is it strange that I'm a security guard?"

"Yeah... didn't you notice, Miss Vestal, that all your colleagues who are also security guards are human...?" Xiaobai said to Vestal, "And you're a ship girl who got a recommendation letter from Ella's grandfather... You should at least have a formal research job, right? Why did you end up as a security guard here?"

"Uh...human? Letter of recommendation?Researcher?" The goddess of the hearth stared blankly at Little White, looking completely bewildered. "This...actually, I don't even know how I became a security guard..."

"It's fine if you don't know..." Xiaobai said helplessly, "Then what did you experience when you came here to look for a job twenty years ago, Miss Kitchen Goddess?"

"Hmm... I don't remember much about what happened twenty years ago." The female hearth goddess squinted and pondered for a moment, then tapped her lips with her finger. "However... I remember an old man told me that I could find a good job here, so I came here with his letter of recommendation..."

“That old man must be Ella’s grandfather,” Little White said to the goddess of the hearth.

"Is he very powerful?" the goddess of the hearth asked curiously.

“It’s not a matter of how powerful he is, he really is the kind of…” Xiao Bai gestured as he explained to the female Stove Goddess, but halfway through, seeing the female Stove Goddess’s confused expression, he paused slightly and lowered his arms, “Um… very powerful.”

It seems that the goddess of the hearth completely regarded the Ella family as just a relatively powerful minor clan back then...

“I see… No wonder his letter of recommendation was so useful here.” The female hearth goddess nodded, recalling with some emotion, “I remember… when I came here with the letter of recommendation, I think I went into a small room. There were a few people in the room. After I went in, they first asked me a lot of questions I didn’t understand, and then asked me if I had any skills or achievements… In the end, I was completely confused, so I simply told them that I didn’t know anything, that I had nothing, but please give me a job that would allow me to support myself. In the end, they discussed it for a whole morning and gave me the job I have now.”

"..." Little White stared blankly at the Goddess of the Hearth, "Uh... could it be that what you just said, Miss Goddess of the Hearth, was... an interview?"

What is an interview?

"...It's...a process to determine what kind of job you're suited for...I don't really understand it either..." A hint of understanding flashed in Xiaobai's eyes as he looked at the female Kitchen Goddess.

If that's the case... it seems that during the interview twenty years ago, the Goddess of the Hearth was so frank and unpretentious in her frankness that she didn't hide her lack of academic knowledge from the interviewers, leaving them no room for back channels. That's why she was relegated to the position of security guard... How should I put it... it feels a bit of a pity.

"Miss Goddess of the Hearth, you failed the interview... and can only be a security guard now."

"I see..." After listening to Xiaobai's explanation, the female kitchen god nodded, but there wasn't much disappointment in her eyes. She crossed her arms and rested her head on her back, gazing at the blue sky for a while. "But being a security guard isn't bad either. Although I earn less, think about it, I've protected this land for twenty years, haven't I? It's all good."

At this point, the female stove goddess even bared her teeth at Little White.

"For example, yesterday, Dr. Yubari organized an event at the artificial lake, and all the staff in the building went with her. So I was temporarily in charge of protecting the property in that building. My job is still very important, right?"

"Hmm...it is indeed important..." Xiaobai nodded.

"That's good!" The goddess of the hearth skipped and hopped, pointing to the entrance of the ship equipment center they had arrived at. "Ah, never mind, I've arrived!"

There weren't many people at the ship equipment research center early in the morning. But there were already quite a few security guards changing into their uniforms in the security room. When the female god of the hearth led Xiaobai and Changchun New Jersey to the gate of the security room, they saw the two young security guards who had given Xiaobai directions the day before yesterday sitting at the gate chatting with hot water kettles, just like that day.

"Hey! Aren't these the two young ladies from the other day? Did you find the way we gave you go smoothly?" The two security guards, seeing the female stove goddess and Xiaobai, immediately put down their teapots and greeted them familiarly, "Good morning, female stove goddess!"

"Good morning to you too!" The female Kitchen Goddess stopped where she was, bowed slightly to the two security guards, patted Xiaobai's arm, and said to the security guards, "They want to come here for a visit today."

"A visit?" The security guards were all taken aback. They looked at Xiaobai, and behind him, at New Jersey and Changchun. "Today?"

"Yes." The goddess of the hearth nodded.

"Well..." The two security guards exchanged glances, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Well... you should know about the Vess, outsiders aren't allowed into the ship equipment research center. Even if they're your relatives, rules are rules, and this..."

"As expected." The female guardian wasn't surprised by the two security guards' reply. She glanced at Little White beside her and said to the two guards, "Actually, they and Xi..."

"Ah, I'll take care of this, Miss Stove Goddess." Little White quickly grabbed the Stove Goddess's arm and whispered to her.

Xiaobai didn't want to reveal his relationship with Yubari so soon. After all, Yubari had a huge reputation in the entire ship equipment research center. If he exposed his relationship with Yubari, the security guards would definitely be hesitant to deal with him, and he might not be able to get the information he wanted to know later.