It's time to give out the rings, Admiral!

Startled by her reflection in the mirror, the beautiful woman closed her eyes in distress, savoring the oppressive bitterness in her mouth. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was fixed on the bright, silvery moon in the sky outside the window. She had heard from Lexington that the Admiral's whereabouts had been discovered, but this only intensified her anxiety, fearing that all the good news was merely a mirage, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Sigh..." She let out a long sigh, stood up, and went to the window. Looking at the silvery sunlight streaming through the windowpane, she murmured softly, leaning on the window frame, "Admiral... I wonder where you are now? Are you well? Do you know that many people still miss and long for you?" Sigh... I finally waited for you, this blockhead, to finally understand, but before I could even ask you for anything, you suddenly disappeared before all of us sisters... If only I had been able to cast aside my pride and ask you for a ring, perhaps it would have offered some solace, and I wouldn't be so anxious now...

As the beautiful woman was lost in her melancholy, the door behind her creaked softly. She turned to see a woman with silver hair styled in a bun, wearing a green cheongsam, and possessing beauty and figure no less striking than her own. The woman placed the porcelain plate she was carrying on the square table beside her and softly spoke, "Sister Yixian, are you missing the Admiral again?"

"It's you, Chongqing. Hmm, a little bit." Seeing her familiar sisters, Yixian turned her gaze from the window and gave a gentle smile. As the eldest sister, she couldn't let her younger sisters worry by showing a vulnerable side. "Are they all still in the kitchen? Has Zhao and that little rascal run off and caused trouble again?"

"Ninghai, Pinghai, Yingrui, and Changchun are still busy preparing meals in the kitchen. It seems there are quite a few guests today, so they might have to wait a while before they can eat dinner. As for Zhaohe… I just saw her in the kitchen, but I don't know where she's gone now." As usual, Chongqing arranged the bowls and chopsticks in order, then walked to Yixian's side and placed his hands on her soft, fragrant shoulders. "Sister Yixian, I heard from Princeton that Lexington and the others found a clue about the Admiral?"

Looking at Chongqing's pretty face so close to hers and her expectant orange eyes with some surprise, Yixian sighed inwardly. She had intended to keep it from them for now, but it seemed they had found out anyway. She nodded, confirming Chongqing's question, "However, don't tell those kids yet. Whether this news is true or not is still unknown. If it turns out to be just wishful thinking, it will only make them more disappointed."

"Yes, I understand, Sister Yixian." Chongqing's face lit up with a joyful smile after receiving confirmation from Yixian. She tugged at the blue shawl wrapped around her arm, her expression becoming wistful. "Sister Lexington's news shouldn't be false, right? Does that mean the Admiral will be back soon? Even though we're so weak, he treats us all the same. I really hope to see him soon... Ah, let's do our best together, Sister Yixian!"

Hearing Chongqing's words, Yi Xian's face inexplicably flushed, and she quickly glanced at her. "I almost forgot, you little girl, you're one of my rivals too. Back then, the Admiral went to great lengths to take us, the weak ones, to exercises in low-intensity waters, and even strengthened our ship equipment, making us stronger. Besides Pinghai and Ninghai, you were the one she valued most back then. Speaking of which, you secretly fell for that fickle Admiral much earlier than I did..."

"La la la~" A cheerful humming sound came from outside the room. Following a series of light footsteps, a girl dressed like a boy appeared in Yi Xian and Chongqing's sight. She had a long braid, and her still-childish face held a touch of boyish mischief. If someone were here, they would immediately recognize her as the girl who had been staring at them in the hallway, the one they had mistaken for a boy.

"Zhaohe, how many times have I told you not to run in the hallway? It's dangerous." Seeing Zhaohe rush towards her and Chongqing as soon as she entered, Yixian bent down and gently wiped the soup dumpling juice still on her lips. "You didn't go and steal Pinghai's steamed buns again, did you? Those were made for the guests. How could you do that?"

Upon discovering his crime, the mischievous Zhao scratched the back of his head nonchalantly. "Hehe, sorry. But never mind that, Yixian-jie, I just saw a guy downstairs who looks exactly like the Admiral! They're practically identical, it's so funny! If you hadn't said the Admiral wasn't in Tsugawa, I almost would have pounced on him thinking he was the Admiral, hehe!"

"What?!" Zhaohe had thought Yixian would be interested in what he said, but to his surprise, her expression suddenly changed drastically, and she grabbed his shoulder tightly. A bewildered Zhaohe looked at the anxious Yixian and heard her ask, "Really? Zhaohe?! You really saw someone who looks a lot like the Admiral?! Where is he now? Is he still in the restaurant?!"

"Huh? Hmm..." Zhaohe nodded, still confused, watching Yixian hurriedly run out of the room. He muttered to himself, "What's going on? Didn't they say the Admiral couldn't possibly be in Tsugawa?..."

………………

She rushed downstairs, completely ignoring the astonished and mesmerized expressions of the diners. Having utterly lost her composure, Yi Xian anxiously scanned the restaurant for the figure she couldn't forget. She grabbed a hired waitress, disregarding the waitress's surprised expression, and frantically asked, "Did you see a guy around this tall, with short hair, who looked like a governor, in the restaurant just now?"

"Hmm...hmm..." The waitress who had been grabbed by Yixian thought carefully for a moment, then said to her somewhat uncertainly, "There was a guy like that sitting here eating with some naval academy students...but they just paid and left..."

……

Volume 1, Chapter 48: A Sensual Accident

After saying goodbye to Yuan Ye and the others who wanted to continue partying at the bar, Su Yuchen, carrying the tiramisu cake she had specially bought for Guanghui, returned to the Naval Academy alone. Unlike those carefree guys, as a self-proclaimed responsible admiral, he wouldn't allow himself to leave Guanghui alone at home for too long, lest she worry about him or overthink things.

It was past eight o'clock in the evening and there were few people around in the college. Following the bright streetlights, the young man quickly returned to his dormitory building without delay. Standing in front of the familiar door, he had just opened the door with his key when he saw Guanghui, dressed in casual clothes, standing in front of the bookshelf with his arms crossed over his chest, supporting his large breasts, looking somewhat troubled.

"Ah, it's Admiral! Welcome back!" Seeing the reassuring figure appear out of the corner of her eye, Glorious, who had been feeling a little melancholy for some reason, immediately flashed a bright and sweet smile like pearls at her newly returned Admiral. "Did you have fun outside, Admiral? If you're tired, Glorious will go and get you some hot water."

"Um, sorry, I'm a little late." The young man skillfully closed the door behind him and walked into the living room. Looking at the warm smile on her radiant face, he suddenly felt like a happy husband who had just returned home from get off work and was being showered with tender care by his beloved wife.

His face flushed slightly without him realizing it. The boy reached out and handed the cake box he was carrying to Guanghui, who had already brought him a pair of slippers. "I had a lot of fun outside, so don't worry about me. Oh, and Guanghui, I also brought you some desserts."

"This is... Thank you, Admiral! I'm so happy!" Seeing the beautifully wrapped box the boy handed her, Hikari, though surprised, was overjoyed and carefully placed the cake on the coffee table. This was the first gift her dear Admiral had ever given her; she couldn't let it go to waste...

If he hadn't already known that the box contained only a tiramisu cake, seeing Guanghui's solemn expression, he probably would have thought it contained some rare treasure. The boy felt a little helpless and sorry for her. A small cake could make her so happy. Had he been paying too little attention to Guanghui?

"Admiral, while you were away, Glorious tidied up a bit here. I wonder if you're satisfied?" Lost in thought and feeling guilty, the young man heard Glorious's words, who wasn't in a hurry to taste the cake. He suddenly noticed that the living room's decor seemed to have changed. The sofa had been moved further in, and the bookshelf that had been by the window was now on the other side of the living room, its books neatly categorized and stacked.

Seeing that the living room was brighter and tidier than before, the boy nodded subconsciously, making Guanghui's smile even brighter. However, after a short while, as if he remembered something, Guanghui frowned. "Ah! I almost forgot, Admiral, could you do Guanghui a favor?"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Glorious?"

"Actually, it's like this, Admiral. While I was cleaning, I accidentally dropped my handkerchief under the bookshelf, so, um, could you help me pick it up...? I'm a little unsteady if I bend over..." A little embarrassed, Mitsui explained the favor he wanted from the boy. Although he could usually bend over slightly without a problem, bending down to pick something up made it easy for him to lose his balance and fall...

Glancing furtively at the unusually large breasts on Radiant's chest, the boy, realizing why Radiant had lost her balance, unconsciously swallowed. "Oh, I see!" Some inappropriate scenes from before were about to resurface in his mind. After answering Radiant's question, the boy, wanting to hide his blushing face, quickly squatted down to help her pick up the handkerchief that would seem easy for an ordinary person to pick up.

Slowly pressing his face to the ground, the boy saw a white handkerchief lying quietly in the gap between the bookshelf and the floor. He reached out and grabbed a corner of the handkerchief, trying to pull it out, but even with some force, he found that the radiant handkerchief was stuck and wouldn't budge.

"What's wrong, Admiral?" Hearing the boy's puzzled voice, Glorious, who was standing next to him, asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing... Wait a moment, Glorious..." The boy shifted to a more convenient position and grabbed the handkerchief. As an admiral, if he couldn't even help Glorious with this small matter, how could he be a competent admiral, and how could he earn Glorious's approval? He gritted his teeth and put more force into his hand.

However, as the boy loosened his grip, the radiant handkerchief was successfully pulled out, but along with it, countless books fell from the bookshelf...

........................

Because he used too much force when helping Guanghui pick up the handkerchief, the books on the bookshelf fell down with him, leaving a small but noticeable wound on his forehead. The boy, lying on the sofa like a salted fish, was enjoying Guanghui's gentle bandaging.

I wanted to prove to Glory that I, as an admiral, was still somewhat useful, but alas... I still made a huge blunder because of my carelessness. Now, forget about proving anything; Glory will probably think I'm just a burden even more now...

"Does it still hurt, Admiral? Illustrious has bandaged it up for you." Gently disinfecting the boy's wound with antiseptic and carefully applying a band-aid, Illustrious, looking slightly distressed, gently stroked the soft hair on the boy's head. "I'm sorry, Admiral... If I hadn't asked you for help, you wouldn't have gotten hurt..."

"It's okay, Glorious. It's not your fault. It's all because I was too reckless that I ended up like this." As if he had given up on treatment, the boy waved his hand weakly at the self-blaming Glorious.

"But... Your Excellency, you look very disappointed..."

"Ah... Glorious, don't worry about me, I'm just a useless nobody anyway..." Trying to help his ship girl only resulted in such a huge mess, and now Glorious has to worry about him and bandage him up... I'm practically a useless nobody now, Glorious, just leave me alone... Ah, my future looks bleak...

"Admiral, please cheer up!" Seeing Su Yuchen increasingly deflated like a punctured balloon, Gentle Radiance grew even more anxious. How could such a gentle and handsome admiral be a lazy bum! He had to find a way to get the admiral up! Right… as if suddenly remembering something, Radiance's face flushed slightly. "How about… admiral… you try… a soft landing too?…"

"No, no, Guanghui, just let me be quiet for a while... what's with the soft talk?!" Feeling like he'd heard something incredible, the boy's eyes widened in disbelief. Looking at Guanghui's charmingly shy face, he involuntarily swallowed. At this moment... should he... should he refuse? But how could he refuse?! I'm a boy, after all... "Is... is it okay? Guanghui..." Afraid his answer would upset Guanghui, the boy asked tremulously.

"Hmm... as long as it can cheer up the Admiral..." After saying this shyly, Glorious gently hugged the boy's head and pressed him against her full chest.

Feeling the back of his head immersed in a soft and warm space that brought him peace and tranquility, it was as if he had entered a paradise. The boy, who had been feeling sorry for himself, immediately forgot the pain from his wound and all his troubles.

Slender fingers gently pressed the boy's temples. After an unknown amount of time, hearing the breathing so close to his ear gradually become melodious and even, he realized that the Admiral, who was most important to him, had fallen asleep. A maternal smile appeared on Glorious's face. "The Admiral is asleep, just like a little child." Reluctant to wake Su Yuchen, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, Glorious gently picked up the boy in a princess carry and placed him on his own bed in his bedroom, covering him with a blanket.

"Radiance..." Just as he was about to leave, he heard the boy call out his name in his sleep. Radiance knelt down and lovingly placed a soft kiss on the boy's head. "Goodnight, Radiance's favorite admiral..."

Book 1, Chapter 49: Washington

After breakfast, Su Yuchen and Guanghui went to the Admiral's Classroom as usual. They found seats near the corner and sat down to listen to today's lesson. However, compared to the increasingly profound knowledge and skills being taught by the professor on stage, the boy's mind had already wandered off somewhere else.

Ah... why did I fall asleep while sitting up last night? What a pity. A radiant chest pillow, that's an extremely rare event that I don't know when I'll encounter again... Bored, he propped his chin up, recalling the unforgettable touch from last night, and sighed with regret.

"Admiral, what's wrong? Why are you sighing?" Guanghui's gentle voice came from beside her. Turning around, she saw the delicate face that was now right in front of her. Somewhat surprised and a little embarrassed, Su Yuchen quickly shook her head.

"No, it's nothing, Guanghui. It's just that I didn't sleep very well last night and I'm a little sleepy..." He waved his hand awkwardly, feeling a little guilty. He chuckled dryly, lowered his arms, and sat up straight. He hadn't actually enjoyed Guanghui's chest pillow enough yet, so how could he possibly say such shameful things to Guanghui's face?

"Didn't you get a good rest last night, Admiral?" Hearing the boy's words, Glorious tilted his head in confusion. He remembered that the Admiral had fallen asleep in his arms very early last night and slept soundly until dawn. It had taken him quite a bit of effort to wake up the still drowsy Admiral... However, since the Admiral said so, there must be some other reason.

Trusting his admiral completely, Glorious looked at the boy's feigned sleepiness with a hint of affection. He moved his chair back and straightened his clean skirt. "If you don't mind, Admiral, would you like to rest your head on Glorious's lap for a while? Lack of sleep can really affect your condition."

Knee pillow?! Almost thinking she'd misheard, Su Yuchen, captivated, couldn't help but glance at the pair of long, white legs beneath the radiant skirt—legs that, for leg fetishists, were no less alluring than drugs for addicts. Her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

A beautiful girl's lap pillow! Could it really be happening to me, something I only ever saw in anime?! Overwhelmed by this sudden happiness, the euphoric boy couldn't help but recall the various enviable perks he'd received from Radiant these past few days. Last night there was Radiant's signature soft landing, and this morning there was the lap pillow… Could it be that he was about to become one of those people he once hated most?!

Having discreetly observed her surroundings, and knowing that she and Guanghui were in such a prime location that they were unlikely to be caught by the professor who was focused on lecturing, Su Yuchen ultimately couldn't resist the immense temptation of Guanghui's lap pillow.

"Then...then I won't be polite, Glorious..." After saying this with a dry mouth, under Glorious's seemingly encouraging and doting smile, the boy turned around, wanting to rest the back of his head on Glorious's thighs that looked full of elasticity and softness.

But fate had other plans. Before the boy could even savor the wonderful feel of Guanghui's fair thighs, a girl, blushing with excitement after discovering their intimate actions, hurriedly interrupted them.

"Yes, I'm sorry! Excuse me! Are you Su Yuchen?... Professor Junquan asked me to call you to her office. It seems she has something to discuss with you..."

..............................

Until the very end, she never experienced what it felt like to have radiant lap pillows. Su Yuchen, who had been summoned, took radiant to Junquan's office with great heartache.

Just a tiny bit more, just a tiny bit more! I could be resting my head on those incredibly smooth and soft thighs of Glorious! Last night! And now! Why can't I just properly enjoy Glorious's special services?!

Although saying this might damage her image as an admiral, it was a lap pillow for a wife-level carrier like Glorious! Who knows when she'll have another chance... Ugh, so unwilling! Lamenting her bad luck all the way, Su Yuchen lowered her head in regret and shuffled forward. Such a precious experience had just vanished without a trace. She felt like her heart was bleeding.

Little did the boy know that his regretful expression had been noticed by Illustrious, who was always by his side. As someone's initial ship and secretary ship, Illustrious, who had been watching the boy closely, saw the regretful look on his face and pursed her lips with a mixture of helplessness and affection.

Could it be... that Glorious's lap pillow is really that attractive to the Admiral? Because he hadn't even had a chance to experience it, the Admiral had been sulking since the very beginning. "Don't be like that, Admiral. It's just a small lap pillow. Whenever the Admiral needs it, Glorious's legs are always available for you to borrow." Glorious, with her arms demurely at her sides, spoke in a gentle tone, like a mother soothing a child.

"Is it okay, Glorious?" Upon hearing Glorious's words, the boy, who had just been feeling depressed, immediately stopped complaining. Suddenly, a huge pie fell on his head. Even though he didn't show the excited expression of a child receiving a favorite candy in order to maintain the image of a competent admiral, the corners of his mouth that he couldn't control grinned still clearly revealed his current mood.

"Yes, of course! As long as the Admiral is happy!" Having received such a radiant promise so casually, the happy boy felt as if he were still favored by Lady Luck, and his steps became much lighter.

As a model young man from the 21st century, although he's not really the kind of guy who's always thinking wildly, I believe that any normal man, no matter who he is, would find it hard to resist the temptation of a radiant lap pillow.

Seeing Su Yuchen's bad mood completely gone, Glorious, who increasingly felt that his admiral was actually just a child who hadn't grown up yet, shook his head affectionately, though he was quite cute.

Not long after, the boy finally arrived at Junquan's office and gently knocked on the door. A familiar voice came from inside. The boy and Guanghui gently pushed the door open and saw Junquan, the tutor, sitting in the elegantly decorated office preparing his lessons.

"Oh, it's you two. Good morning, Su Yuchen and Miss Guanghui." Hearing the door open, Jun Quan put down his pen and looked up at Su Yuchen and Guanghui, who were curiously looking around the office.

"Ah, good morning, mentor." "Greetings, Instructor Junquan." The two greeted the office occupant, and under Junquan's warm welcome, the boy and Guanghui sat on the luxurious leather sofa in the office.

"By the way, Su Yuchen, before I take you to get the reward we agreed on, may I ask you a question? ...Do you know a five-star battleship ship girl named Washington?"

Volume 1, Chapter 50: Taking the Blame

Seeing the seemingly unbelievable question posed by the emperor, Su Yuchen, who had just sat down on the high-end sofa and hadn't even had time to warm up, was stunned for a moment, then shook her head inexplicably.

Washington? Sakura Axe? Wasn't that one of the main battleships I used most often in the game? I've only been in this world for a little over a year, and I haven't even seen many ship girls yet. How could I possibly know a high-speed battleship girl who has reached six stars after being remodeled? But... why is my mentor asking me such a question?

"Master, are you talking about Washington, the second ship of the North Carolina class? You're not kidding, are you? I'm just a lowly trainee admiral, not some veteran admiral with outstanding achievements. How could I possibly know such a powerful and rare legendary ship girl?"

"A mere admiral? Don't you have an SSR-class ship girl sitting right next to you, no less powerful than Washington? And a rarer aircraft carrier at that." Hearing the boy's words, and inwardly cursing the ungrateful fellow, Jun Quan, still puzzled by what had happened in his office an hour earlier, continued to ask the bewildered Su Yuchen, "I'm not joking. This morning, a battleship girl named Washington came to me asking if there was a trainee admiral named Su Yuchen in the academy, and she even said that after finding him, she would definitely teach that despicable heartless man a lesson..."

"Su Yuchen, she must be talking about you, right? Could it be that you abandoned her after starting something, and now she's come looking for you? If so, you'd better go apologize quickly. After all, she's your ship girl, and she'll forgive you if you apologize sincerely."

Shocking! A naval academy student with the same name as me actually seduced and then abandoned a legendary five-star ship girl during his time at the academy. Is this a moral depravity or a distortion of human nature...? After hearing the words of Instructor Junquan, Su Yuchen, who had just been wondering what had happened, was suddenly shocked.

What?! A powerful five-star battleship girl is coming to teach me a lesson? But I don't even know her... Wait, since Instructor Junquan said that guy knows a legendary ship girl like Washington, then the Su Yuchen she's talking about can't be me, right? Maybe there are other trainee admirals with the same name as me in the Naval Academy?

After carefully confirming that he didn't recognize Washington at all, except in the game, and had never even met her in real life, Su Yuchen quickly breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. He was about to tell Junquan that she had mistaken him for someone else when he saw her gaze, which had somehow turned into one of disgust as if she were looking at scum, and the surprised and somewhat bewildered expression on Guanghui's face beside him. "Is this...is this true, Admiral? Admiral actually abandoned another sister after starting a relationship with her..."

"No, no! Glorious! You have to believe me! I don't know any Washington at all! And I never abandoned her!" Stimulated by Glorious's uneasy expression, Su Yuchen, who almost thought she was about to become the scapegoat, immediately grabbed her shoulders and denied her idea. She was determined to become an excellent admiral, how could she do something like toying with the feelings of ship girls?

"Of course I believe in the Admiral! But, but if the Admiral really has other ship girls, you should go and apologize to her as soon as possible. Even if I am no longer the Admiral's initial ship, I won't mind."

Ah… Glorious, you are truly an angel, but your admiral really doesn’t recognize Washington. Where am I supposed to go to apologize to her? Seemingly convinced she was a heartless man, Su Yuchen burst into tears.

"Ahem... Su Yuchen, do you really not know Washington? I checked the list of trainee admirals in the academy, and besides you, there is no other person named Su Yuchen." With a few dry coughs, Jun Quan successfully attracted the attention of the two admiral ship girls on the sofa. After reviewing the list of trainee admirals still in school, Jun Quan still couldn't find a second trainee admiral named Su Yuchen.

Although this outcome was expected, she still couldn't believe he would do such a thing after having had quite a bit of contact with the boy and roughly understanding his temperament.

Seeing the boy nod firmly and without hesitation, Jun Quan frowned and pondered, "Since you don't know her at all, could it be that Washington mistook her for someone else?... Never mind, she's already gone back anyway. Because she came in a very imposing manner, carrying a big axe, I was afraid she might do something unexpected to you, so I didn't dare tell her that there really was such a person in the academy."

"But the world is a vast and wondrous place, and there are truly all sorts of strange things. How could anyone be willing to abandon a five-star legendary ship girl? Shouldn't any admiral with a sound mind cherish her dearly?"

Seeing that Mentor Junquan and Guanghui finally believed her innocence, Su Yuchen, relieved that she had escaped unscathed, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mentor Junquan and Guanghui didn't continue the misunderstanding, otherwise all her efforts would have been in vain.

Tsk, who was that despicable guy who abandoned the cute ship girl and almost made me take the blame? I curse that your future children will never have a little xx! He cursed that jealous, no, despicable bastard viciously, but Su Yuchen suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine from the soles of his feet, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

........................

In an apartment building on the other side of the city, Washington, dressed casually, pushed open the door and entered the apartment where they were temporarily staying. Watching Lexington emerge from the kitchen as she prepared breakfast for her ship girl sisters, she shook her head wearily at the expectant Lexington and the anxious Saratoga rushing out. "I went to the academy to see the headmaster, and she said that admissions are always handled by the Imperial Authority. So I went to ask the Imperial Authority, but she said there's no one in the academy who meets the criteria I mentioned… I'm sorry, Lexington."

"Ah...yes...I see...thank you for your hard work, Washington." Lexington, her hand holding the rice-washing basin trembling slightly after hearing Washington's words, almost spilling the entire bowl of rice onto the ground, forced a smile at Washington. The expectation in her eyes turned into deep disappointment, and she turned her face away to secretly wipe her slightly moist eyes.

"No! Impossible! I definitely saw my brother-in-law at the Naval Academy! There's no mistake! Washington, did you not ask clearly?!" With red eyes, Saratoga, standing behind her sister, clenched her hands and shouted in disbelief. She believed that her glance was not wrong. Although it was only for a moment, the feeling that the figure gave her was undoubtedly that of her brother-in-law whom she had been longing for.

"Alright, Jiajia, stop being so stubborn."

"But it's my sister!"

"Let Washington rest for a while. We can discuss your brother-in-law's matter later, okay?" Lexington stopped her sister, who was getting a little out of control again, and pulled Saratoga back, letting Washington, who hadn't slept all night like herself, go to the bedroom to rest for a while.

Watching Washington stagger into the bedroom, Lexington sighed, stroked Saratoga's hair as she sobbed with her head down, and gently pulled her into his arms. "Don't be sad, Saratoga. It's just that we haven't found anything yet. Washington did ask, but maybe your brother-in-law just happened to be away from the academy? Actually, I've had a feeling since last night that your brother-in-law will be reunited with us soon, I'm sure of it."

“…Sister?” Saratoga looked at her smiling sister through teary eyes, but a sudden knock on the door interrupted her before she could say anything.

"Is Lexington there? It's me, Yixian. I have news about the Admiral!" Upon hearing the familiar voice from outside the door, both Lexington and Saratoga trembled involuntarily.

Volume 1, Chapter 51: Rewards

"Mentor, where is this? Why did you bring us here?" Curiously observing the surrounding environment, so different from the academy, quiet and solemn, Su Yuchen and Guanghui, who were told they were being brought here to collect the promised reward, were led by Junquan to a huge, bunker-like building far from the academy's teaching area.

Seeing that Junquan and his group had been stopped by two guards carrying submachine guns, the somewhat bewildered boy asked her with great curiosity.

Without any panic, Junquan pulled out his instructor's badge and a document with black and white text. After the guards at the gate verified and checked his documents, Junquan, who had finally been allowed to pass, led the boy and Guanghui into the building. At the same time, he began to explain to the two bewildered people why he had brought them here.

"This is where the academy stores various resources and equipment for the ship girls; it's roughly like an armory. We need to find Leipzig, the logistics officer; your rewards are currently stored with her."

"I see." The boy nodded, listening to the three different footsteps that seemed unusually loud in the empty corridor. After turning a corner, he saw a small ship girl sitting at a desk, organizing something.

Hearing footsteps approaching, the blonde ship girl with an Iron Cross cap put down what she was doing and looked at Junquan, who was now standing in front of her. "It's you, Junquan. Oh, so this is the trainee admiral you mentioned who helped you repel the Abyss and build a five-star aircraft carrier? He looks quite ordinary, nothing like what you described."

Leipzig glanced at Jun Quan, who was much taller than herself, pursed her lips, and looked at Su Yuchen standing to the side without any expression.

“Whether someone is ordinary or not can’t be judged by their appearance alone, Leipzig. That’s quite rude of you.” Jun Quan crossed his arms, flicked the stack of documents in his hand, and then placed the permission he had obtained from the academy dean in front of Leipzig with a wry smile. “Let’s not talk about that now. Have you prepared everything I told you? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”

"Ah, how did you know I forgot again... Okay, okay, I'm not kidding anymore. Sigh... I don't get a raise for doing this, why should I work so hard?" Seeing Jun Quan give a forced smile, Leipzig wisely gave up on joking with her. Lacking any motivation, she stood up and took a golden key from her drawer.