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

Seeing his mentor, Junquan, hand him a piece of paper that looked like some kind of document, and noticing her cheeks, which seemed to have become somewhat rosy under the dim light, the puzzled young man put down his chopsticks and took the paper.

"What is this, Professor? Is it an application? Oh, could it be..."

The curious boy squeezed the document, which still carried a trace of the emperor's warmth, and asked the emperor's mentor, whose expression had gradually returned to normal, as he unfolded it. However, before he could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of a few words on the paper out of the corner of his eye, and the words that had just reached his throat were immediately swallowed back down.

As if he had seen the most unbelievable thing in the world, the boy stared wide-eyed and held the paper up to his eyes to examine it carefully.

Unfortunately, he was not mistaken, and it did not seem like a prank by his mentor on a whim. No matter how you looked at it, it was a very serious and meticulous resignation letter, which could be easily seen from the tone and attitude between the lines.

A resignation letter, yes, it was a resignation letter. Now that he was absolutely certain what his mentor wanted to see, Su Yuchen, who had just been speculating whether it was a promotion letter from the academy, couldn't sit still any longer. He put the letter aside and, looking at his mentor Jun Quan, who was still giving him a faint smile for some reason, asked loudly with utter bewilderment.

"Mentor? You're resigning? You're not kidding, are you?!"

He silently straightened his back, pressing his hands firmly on the tabletop, the hunger in his stomach completely washed away by his current anxiety.

This must be a joke, right? Why would our mentor want to resign from her position as a ship girl instructor at this time? I heard Yuan Ye say that she had already been selected as the honorary vice president of the Naval Academy. Moreover, in yesterday's deep-sea ambush, she led the ship girl instructors to buy so much time for the academy. Even though she lost Instructor Lin Xian, it was still a remarkable achievement... Now she wants to resign? Her brain must be fried.

Suspecting that his mentor might have suddenly lost his mind, the boy anxiously stared at the pretty face opposite him with a gentle smile. Seeing the calm expression on his mentor Junquan's face, as if he wasn't the one about to resign, a bold idea suddenly surfaced in the boy's mind.

Wait a minute! That expression on the mentor's face, plus the resignation letter! ...Could it be that she...she's found her admiral?!

Her expression grew increasingly surprised as she stared at the boy's gaping mouth, which seemed wide enough to fit an egg. Jun Quan, who had been silently watching him, chuckled softly. Her star-like eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of alluring blush appeared on her smooth, jade-like face. She gently curved her honey-like lips and nodded lightly to the boy opposite her, who was becoming increasingly restless.

"Looks like you've already guessed it, Su Yuchen. You guessed right, I've also found the admiral I wanted."

Since it was already done, Junquan was no longer as nervous as before. She reached out and propped her smooth, soft chin on her arm, looking at the expression on someone's face that didn't know what to say. She smiled and picked up a fried shrimp that the boy had almost finished eating and stuffed it into her mouth.

Just think, I'm a rare four-star battleship, the kind of ship that admirals would fight tooth and nail for in the entire navy. Even if I'm not as good as Illustrious, having a girl like me who can fight and is also warm... cough, is something no one could refuse! I was worried he might not be willing, which kept me up all night. Now that I think about it, I really lost out.

No way? Is it really true? Ignoring his mentor's seemingly matter-of-fact expression, after hearing his mentor's answer and discovering that his momentary thought had actually become a reality, the boy was shocked but also somewhat conflicted. He should be happy that his beloved mentor had found his admiral, so why did he feel a little strange?

Feeling that his only regret might be not being able to call Junquan "Instructor" anymore, Su Yuchen lightly scratched the back of his head, took a deep breath, and gave a wry smile. He glanced at the gentle look in his instructor's eyes as he looked away, and put those complicated thoughts aside. He asked Junquan with great curiosity, "Really, Instructor? Then the admiral you've taken a liking to must be a very capable person, right? What kind of person is he?"

She had been imagining how to explain to the headmaster after joining someone's naval base, and whether what she was doing would count as a teacher-student relationship. But when she heard the boy's seemingly oblivious words, and realized that she had already planned how to confess to Miss Radiant, her momentum faltered. She stared at the boy in disbelief, but seeing his curious and bewildered eyes, she realized that all the effort she had put into making lunch had been for nothing.

Dear Su Yuchen, have you ever seen a ship girl instructor go to great lengths to invite an admiral back to her residence, diligently cook lunch for him, and even show him her resignation letter just to tell him that she has found her admiral? Even a fool wouldn't be this oblivious, right?

Now he finally understood why Miss Radiant was always sighing alone. Junquan, rubbing his forehead, shook his head dejectedly. Should he just tell him directly? But that would be so embarrassing—a drill instructor being asked to become a ship girl for her students…

Under the curious gaze of the boy, Jun Quan's beautiful cheeks flushed slightly. She secretly glanced at the white admiral's hat that the boy had placed on the sofa, and then guiltily shifted her gaze to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

"Ah, him..." Jun Quan kept thinking about how to answer the boy's question, looking shyly at the colorful patterns on the curtains of the French windows. Suddenly, he thought of a pretty good idea.

She silently withdrew her gaze and looked at the boy's face, which had matured since he first arrived. Then, as if recalling something, she gently said to him, "He's actually a freshman who just enrolled this year, just like you. He's about your age. I met him because he happened to help me during the registration exam..."

"Oh, I see." Upon hearing the gentle voice of Instructor Junquan, the young man nodded in surprise. He hadn't expected that the admiral Instructor Junquan had found was also a trainee admiral, just like himself. This was truly astonishing.

Looking at his mentor's gentle expression, so different from usual, as if she only showed it when she had a sweetheart, the boy couldn't help but ask her, "So, what's next, mentor? How did you come to agree to become his ship girl?"

Book 1, Chapter 90: Pranks

After saying that, the boy continued to wait expectantly for his mentor's reply. Although he knew it wasn't appropriate to pry into his mentor's private affairs, it was practically a teacher-student romance plot. He really wanted to hear how that lucky bastard had managed to get such a gentle yet powerful ship girl like his mentor, Junquan, to agree to be his ship girl.

The oblivious boy didn't notice his mentor's slightly twitching lips. He smoothed his furrowed brows again, trying to appear calmer. He touched his cheek, composed himself, and continued speaking to him.

"After that? The next time I saw him was at the opening ceremony. I remember when I took him to participate in the freshman construction, everyone else easily built their own ship girls, but he waited for a long time without any sound. Looking at the pitiful expression on his face when he turned around and looked at me, I almost couldn't help but tell him, 'Let me be your ship girl.'"

"However, he still managed to create his own ship girl, a very powerful one. As for which ship girl it is, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. Thinking about it now, although I didn't have time to say those words at the time, it seems that nothing has changed now."

Didn't expect that lucky bastard had already won the mentor's favor back then? That's amazing. After listening to Jun Quan's words, the boy nodded again. However, for some reason, he felt a little bit of déjà vu in Jun Quan's words. But before he could say anything, Jun Quan continued.

"But none of that matters. What really made me miss him was that sudden attack from the deep sea. I was so anxious and flustered because I couldn't pinpoint the location of the deep-sea fleet, but then I ran into him while wandering around like a headless fly."

"He helped me. Although he was reluctant when I asked for his help at first, I can't blame him. After all, he and his ship girls were just new recruits. It would be too dangerous for them to fight against the deep sea."

"They helped me find the exact location of the Abyssal Fleet. I thought that would solve the problem, but before I could even get into firing position, I was blocked by the Abyssal carrier-based aircraft. Just when I was about to retreat, he and his ship girl appeared again. He helped me share the firepower, which allowed me to finally drive away the Abyssal fleet."

The mentor's reminiscent words slowly fell, but this time, the person who heard the mentor's voice, which contained unknown emotions, was no longer as relaxed as before. He was seen lowering his head and silently picking at his nails, as if everything the mentor said had nothing to do with him.

There's no way around it, it's just that the mentor's words felt too familiar. Speaking of the deep-sea attacks after we enrolled, apart from yesterday's battle, there was only the time when I and Radiant helped the mentor search for the deep-sea fleet! Since it was a message that only the mentor could receive, the only ones who knew about that deep-sea attack and could help the mentor were probably me and Radiant, who were called in to help halfway through!

Now, the boy dared not speak. He secretly glanced at the pair of alluring legs of his mentor, Junquan, which were as flawless as mutton fat jade, placed together under the glass dining table. Then, he continued to pretend to eat the food on the table, which was now as tasteless as wax.

However, even so, the opposing monarch had no intention of letting him off so easily for turning into a coward. A free-roaming ship girl is not like a manufactured ship girl, born with her own admiral. For such a girl to proactively say to an admiral, "I want to be your ship girl," would be no different from saying, "I like you!"

Having made herself lose face so badly, and almost blurting out "I like you," Jun Quan's resentful yet tender gaze revealed a hint of cunning. Pretending not to notice the boy's strange behavior, she continued talking to him about things that made both of them blush.

"Finally, what made me decide to become his ship girl was yesterday's battle."

"We were trapped in a sandbar far from the coast by the swarms of carrier-based aircraft from the deep-sea aircraft carrier. Everyone of us was bombed to some extent. After sailing for nearly a day, we were hungry and exhausted. The continuous high-intensity anti-aircraft fire also depleted our ammunition. Then we received the devastating news that Lin Xian had gone missing."

"Just when we thought we couldn't hold on any longer, he miraculously rescued us again with his ship girl and two other ship girls... Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part... But at that moment, I made up my mind... I want to become his ship girl."

"So, have you guessed who the bad guy I'm talking about is? Su Yuchen?"

Cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead. If it was just suspicion a moment ago, it was now solid evidence. He had somehow managed to sit up straight. The embarrassed boy shrank his head, not even daring to wipe the cold sweat from his nose.

Thinking that the person his mentor had been talking about for so long was actually himself, although he should feel happy, the thought of having curiously asked questions for so long made him feel so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Like a primary school student who has made a mistake, sitting awkwardly and silently in his seat for a long time, not knowing how to face his teacher, the boy suddenly felt as if something had brushed against his calf.

He shakily raised his head and saw his mentor's fair and delicate feet gently rubbing against his calves under the dining table. Along with this, he saw the mentor's beautiful face, flushed but happy as if he had successfully played a prank.

"So, Su Yuchen? What's your answer?"

Volume 1, Chapter 91: Mentor or

Under the golden afternoon sun, Su Yuchen, still slightly blushing, slowly walked into the academy director's office building with his mentor Junquan, who had a gentle smile on his face. Although there was still some time before the notified assembly time, because he had wasted too much time at his mentor's residence, when he arrived here with his mentor Junquan, who followed him like an adjutant, he was still honorably the last trainee admiral to arrive.

Silently listening to the group of fellow trainee admirals gathered in front of the dean's office, who, like him, had missed yesterday's medal-awarding ceremony, were excitedly discussing something, and seemingly hearing words like "Lexington" in their conversation that made one's head turn, the slightly embarrassed young man scratched his head and then led the very conspicuous mentor, Junquan, to the side.

The boy's arrival did not dampen the enthusiasm of his peers as they chatted amongst themselves. They gathered together to discuss the various interesting things that had happened at the academy the day before, and why a legendary ship girl like Mrs. Lek would appear at the academy's medal-awarding ceremony.

However, when someone noticed the academy's celebrity, Junquan, a rare four-star battleship ship girl, gently following an unknown young man into the office building, the once noisy corridor suddenly fell silent.

"Hey! Look! Isn't that Instructor Junquan? Isn't the academy on holiday? What's she doing here? And it seems she's with a trainee admiral?"

"Where? Oh, it really is Instructor Junquan! But who's that guy next to her? They seem to be very close?"

"Something seems off. Instructor Junquan has never been this intimate with a man before, has she? Could it be that she's taken a liking to that guy?"

"I say, how could that be? You're overthinking it, buddy. So many admirals who have made great contributions outside the academy have all failed and perished at Instructor Junquan's hands, let alone a mere trainee admiral. Instructor Junquan has always been so kind to her students; maybe they just happened to run into her."

"Even if he's amiable, this isn't the kind of amiable he is! Didn't you see that Instructor Junquan is practically glued to that guy? They look like they're having an affair! Ugh! Damn it, why?! I was planning to sneak away and listen to the instructors' lectures while the javelin training is all practical lately. I even managed to borrow their ID and lecture pass. Now it seems like I borrowed them for nothing!"

"Keep your voices down! Is it really okay for you to be talking about the instructor like this? She's still here!"

The atmosphere in the corridor suddenly became somewhat oppressive. Feeling the gazes filled with envy and jealousy, and listening to them whispering about his relationship with his mentor, seemingly completely underestimating the fame of the woman beside him in the academy, the somewhat weary boy leaned against the wall and touched his forehead.

Although I promised my mentor Junquan, and I was indeed happy to become her admiral, why, why did it turn out like this? The first time I had a powerful battleship ship girl, the first time I could receive a medal personally awarded by the academy headmaster, these two joys should have brought me a dreamlike happy time, but why did it turn out like this?

Putting aside how to explain to Glorious that I've gained another ship girl, I'm going to accompany my mentor to the Dean's office later! If she hears that I've taken away the only battleship ship girl in the academy besides her, is the Dean thinking of stripping me of my admiral status?

Once again, the troubled girl rubbed her temples, completely oblivious to the hunger of the starving. She slowly raised her head and looked at Jun Quan, who was resting with his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face. Perhaps sensing the boy's gaze, as if they were telepathically connected, she quickly opened her eyes and looked at the boy beside her, whose face was slightly flushed.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Su Yuchen?"

Completely ignoring the poor onlookers around her, as if she hadn't heard a thing they had said, Jun Quan asked the boy in a soft voice that was completely different from her usual tone. Looking at the face in front of her that had made her heart race since noon, she couldn't help but blink her azure eyes at the boy.

Jun Quan, the person in question, didn't understand just how destructive his current appearance was. He blushed slightly at the sight of his mentor, who seemed to have become a completely different person. Feeling uneasy, Su Yuchen quickly scratched his chin awkwardly and turned his face away. Although it was only natural for an admiral to acquire ship girls, he just didn't know why he had the strange feeling of having an affair behind Illustrious back.

Enduring the psychological torment, he gently shook his head, throwing those useless thoughts aside. Looking at the instructor in front of him, who seemed like a stranger, he gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"It's nothing, Professor. I'm just having a headache about how to tell the Dean later... Sigh... You've really given me a lot of trouble. I'm afraid the Dean will make things difficult for me after hearing what you say..."

The boy's words, which were enough to infuriate anyone, reached Jun Quan's ears. However, upon hearing them, she suddenly pouted, somewhat displeased, and swiftly reached out to grab the boy's unsuspecting earlobe. She whispered in his ear, "..."

"Dear Su Yuchen, didn't we agree that you shouldn't call me mentor anymore? What you're doing is like reminding me that I shouldn't be on my student's side, which is making me quite angry."

His ear was grabbed by his beloved instructor, and his head felt lighter. Before he could react, the boy winced in pain. Listening to his instructor's soft whispers in his ear, the boy suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if he had never seen a teacher who respected him so much. Yet, the teacher wanted to sleep with him. The boy immediately nodded in agreement.

It wasn't that he was a coward, but she was his most respected instructor. Even if she became his ship girl, she was still someone he couldn't afford to mess with. Besides, how could bowing down to his ship girl be considered cowardly?

Satisfied with the boy's unwavering nod, Jun Quan smiled again and slowly lowered her arm, which she hadn't used much force to begin with. But seeing the boy's pained expression, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him and gently rubbed his slightly reddened ear.

"Does it still hurt? Honestly, you should be happy that I'm willing to be your ship girl, right? Why are you acting like you've suffered some great loss? As for resigning, don't worry about it. I'll talk to the headmaster myself. Hmm, it seems like it's about time now."

Gently stroking the boy's ear, Jun Quan glanced at the door of the dean's office, raised her arm to check her watch, and realized it was getting late. She bent down to straighten the boy's tie, which had become messy because of her antics.

"Huh? Don't I need to say it? Guidance... Junquan? But didn't you say that the headmistress is very good to you? You must find it hard to say that, right?" Looking at Junquan's beautiful face so close to his eyes and feeling her gentle, radiant actions, the boy couldn't help but blush once again.

"Honorifics are also prohibited! But no need, just stay here and wait patiently. When I come out, you'll really be my admiral."

"Well, it's time. I'll go in now, my dear Admiral~"

The embarrassed boy nodded awkwardly, but what he didn't expect was that in the next second, his respected mentor, Junquan, raised his head amidst the incredulous expressions of the surrounding crowd and gently touched the boy's cheek with his alluring red lips.

Watching her mentor's slender figure walk towards the dean's office with her back to her, Su Yuchen, who was still covered in shock, didn't react for a long time.

It wasn't until much later, when he heard the group of poor peers around him barking sadly and in shock, lamenting that their mentor seemed to have become a completely different person, that the young man, who was unaware of his good fortune, let out a long sigh.

However, before the person who was sighing could even think about how to explain things to Glorious when they got back, not long after, Glorious Instructor, whom they had met at the dock yesterday, walked out of the academy director's office with a somewhat strange expression.

Watching her slowly scan the crowd before directly pointing to her name, Su Yuchen suddenly felt a strange sensation.

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

Volume 1, Chapter 92: Under the Lighthouse

With a soft creak, a tall woman with long, elegant blonde hair, dressed in a secretary's uniform, gently pushed open the door. She carried a stack of documents, the contents of which were unknown, and slowly walked into the spacious, bright, and elegantly decorated room.

A moist, refreshing sea breeze stirred the curtains and blew into the room. Looking at the red-haired woman behind the large desk in the center of the room, still frowning as she read some letters, the blonde woman slowly walked up to her.

"Dean, is that because those annoying politicians from Tsugawa City have sent another letter questioning the outcome of this battle?" Seeing the familiar postmark on the numerous envelopes, she couldn't help but frown and ask the red-haired woman.

A woman's voice broke the silence in the room. Hearing the voice of her secretary and adjutant, the red-haired woman slowly raised her head from the pile of documents on the table. Her beautiful face, devoid of any expression, glanced at the blonde woman's puzzled face. She rubbed her furrowed brow and then sighed wearily.

"Yes, because of our poor defense, some businesses in the city have suffered considerable losses. Those guys who only care about their own interests have come to us to demand an explanation as usual... Forget it, we don't need to worry about those people. If we don't teach them a lesson, they will naturally shut up."

As she spoke, she glanced at the clock on the wall, and as if remembering something, she continued to say to the woman standing in front of her, "By the way, Glory, is the list of trainee admirals who didn't attend the conference yesterday ready? I still need to arrange things for the trainee admirals who lost their ship girls yesterday, and I also need to go to the city to comfort the ordinary people who were affected. Time is a bit tight, so let's finish what we're doing first."

"Yes, everything is ready, Headmistress. There are about a dozen people, and they are already waiting outside." Upon hearing her words, the blonde ship girl called Glorious immediately pulled out a sheet of paper covered with names from her folder and placed it in front of the red-haired woman.

However, before she could even begin to browse the documents she had handed over, a crisp knock came from the mahogany door behind her. After a slight pause, wondering who would be looking for the headmaster at this hour, Glorious heard the woman in front of her frown and reply, "Come in."

A moment later, as the door opened and closed, another beautiful woman with long, flowing black hair entered the room. Upon seeing the newcomer's face, both Glorious and the red-haired headmaster expressed their confusion.

"Huh? Junquan? Weren't you resting at home today? What are you doing here?"

"Jun Quan? What brings you here at this time? What do you want with me?"

Hearing her friend and boss asking her questions, Junquan, who had just parted ways with the boy, straightened her formal collar with a slight nervousness. She sighed softly and, facing the dean who was frowning and wondering why she had arrived at this time, paused for a moment and then spoke to them.

"Ah, it's like this, Dean. The reason I've come to see you at this time is because I have a very important matter to ask you about, and I hope you can grant my request."

Seeing Junquan's unusually serious demeanor, which was completely different from his usual appearance, Glorious, who was already puzzled, became even more confused. However, looking at Junquan's somewhat nervous expression, the red-haired woman sitting behind the desk raised her eyebrows as if she had thought of something.

Gently smoothing the pile of letters in front of her, she slowly removed the gold-rimmed glasses from her nose and glanced at Jun Quan's somewhat hesitant gaze. "Is it something important that made you come to me at this time? If you don't mind, tell me, and I'll see if I can help you make a decision."

Although the red-haired woman's voice remained as gentle as ever, Jun Quan, standing opposite her, felt increasingly nervous and regretted leaving the boy outside to come in alone. She bit her lip hard and then handed the letter that had been troubling her until now to the headmaster's desk.

“I… I’ve come here to resign, Dean. I have some personal matters to attend to recently, so I’m afraid I can no longer serve as an instructor at the academy.”

Jun Quan's melodious voice echoed in the spacious office. Before the red-haired woman behind him, who was the academy dean, could react, Guang Rong, who had worked with Jun Quan for a long time, covered her mouth in disbelief. Looking at her friend's expression, which did not seem to be joking, she couldn't help but wonder if her head had been damaged in yesterday's battle.

"What are you saying?! Jun Quan! Didn't you just become the vice dean?! Why are you doing this now...?!"

However, before Glorious could finish speaking, the red-haired woman, whose beautiful face already showed a knowing expression, interrupted her. Looking at the surprised and incomprehensible expression on her adjutant's face, she spoke softly to Jun Quan, who was standing reservedly in front of her, with a smile that seemed to be both a blessing and a blessing.

"Is that so? Since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you. After all, this is something every ship girl goes through. I'll handle everything afterward, so don't worry. But... if you ever regret it, just remember to come back to me. The Naval Academy will always be open to you."

Jun Quan's elegant figure disappeared behind the office door. Looking at the red-haired woman with a slight smile on her face, Glorious, who had just been wondering why the academy headmaster would let a powerful battleship ship girl go so easily, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Knowing her friend's personality, even if she had important personal matters, she wouldn't possibly give up her duties as an instructor for that, right? Plus, what the headmaster said just now... Could it be... could it be that Junquan has her own admiral?! Thinking about it this way, it's not hard to understand why she's so determined to resign from her favorite job!

"Dean... Dean, could Jun Quan be...?"

As if wanting to confirm her own thoughts, Glorious, feeling quite surprised, couldn't help but ask the red-haired woman beside her. The other woman's response did not disappoint her. Looking at the headmaster's nonchalant nod, she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

Sigh, time really flies... Has that battleship girl who was once pursued by countless admirals finally found her own admiral? I wonder when I'll be able to find an admiral I'm satisfied with... Looking back at the place where Junquan disappeared, and brushing her dazzling golden hair over her shoulders, Glory sighed inwardly.

"Alright, Glorious, let's stop worrying about the monarchy. We still have a lot of things to take care of."