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

"Are you alright?" The little girl, who was already in Su Yuchen's arms, was momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the unfamiliar man's face. She stared blankly at the gentle smile on the boy's youthful face for a while before realizing that she was being carried in a princess carry by a strange man.

Seeing the girl's face turn red rapidly in her arms, Su Yuchen smiled and gently put her down. Luckily, she hadn't gotten too engrossed in her book; otherwise, it would have truly been her responsibility to let such a cute little girl fall.

The little girl, now back on the ground, was blushing deeply. She lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, and secretly glanced at the boy before quickly looking down again, as if she wanted to say something.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?" The boy asked, puzzled, seeing the girl's strange expression. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have let her bump into anything when he caught her.

"No... I'm fine..." the girl finally spoke weakly, clenching her fists and blushing, as if she had finally made up her mind. "...Thank you, brother!" She quickly looked up at the boy's face, and unable to contain her shyness any longer, she left these words behind and turned to run away, leaving Su Yuchen behind.

Watching the little girl run away quickly, Su Yuchen suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She hadn't done anything wrong, and she wasn't a perverted lolicon like Yuan Ye, so why was she being avoided by a cute little girl like a prehistoric beast? It really hurt!

"Sigh..." The boy let out a long sigh and shook his head. Isn't this just another part of life's experience? After comforting himself, he returned to his spot and continued reading.

…………

Volume 1, Chapter 12: Admission

After spending two days holed up in the library reading, the day finally arrived for Su Yuchen to take the Admiral selection exam. He left the hotel early that morning and headed to his assigned exam room.

Perhaps because she had registered by cheating, Su Yuchen's exam room was in a good location, in a teaching building within the Naval Academy that was not yet in use, instead of having to be scattered among various branch exam rooms in Jinchuan City like most other candidates.

The area outside the examination hall was already crowded with candidates who had come to take the exam. Most of them were gathered in twos and threes, chatting and discussing something, seemingly not nervous at all. Of course, there were also people like Su Yuchen, who were quietly standing to the side, recalling the knowledge points. Judging from their clothes, most of them were probably like Su Yuchen, candidates who had not participated in formal admiral training.

At 8:00 AM sharp, the exam began. A naval academy staff member in a white uniform entered the examination room and distributed seven or eight exam papers, each about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, to all the candidates. He neither read out any exam rules nor checked whether any candidates had secretly brought in any papers. He simply handed out the papers and left the examination room immediately, leaving behind a group of bewildered and helpless candidates.

As the examiners left the examination room, a group of candidates who were not very confident in their abilities immediately started to get busy. They would secretly make hand gestures or pass notes, and the examination room suddenly became quite lively.

However, they may not know that when they decided to cheat to complete the exam, they were destined to never become an admiral, because they did not even have the most basic element of becoming an admiral - integrity. How could such people possibly gain the approval of the ship girls?

The commotion in the exam hall didn't bother Su Yuchen. He simply buried himself in his exam paper, frowning as he pondered the answers to any questions he was unsure about. The exam consisted of eight pages and lasted nearly four hours. Although the majority of the questions were multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank, it wasn't exactly easy.

There were many simple questions, but some were difficult. For example, what methods can be used to effectively slow down the erosion of cannon barrels? Although he knew that chrome plating was a relatively common method, Su Yuchen was still a little confused. Ship girls' equipment clearly have self-repair capabilities, so erosion is not an issue. What is the point of asking such a question?

For example, this question: How to reduce the chance of a destroyer faking a crash while out at sea? When Su Yuchen saw this question, she almost dropped her pen. A destroyer faking a crash is a completely mystical issue! Can it be prevented by human intervention? Just think about a certain six-star destroyer after its refit!

However, what really bothered Su Yuchen, compared to these seemingly normal and problem-free questions, were those questions that had absolutely nothing to do with the exam content. For example, questions like: Please write down your favorite food and briefly explain why you like it; If a shopping mall had a massive sale, with prices less than half of usual, would you rush to buy it? When you look at someone, do you look at their head first or their feet first? Or, if A wants your help, but B doesn't want you to help A, what would you choose to do? Please briefly explain, and so on—questions that seemed completely baffling.

However, this perplexing question was followed by a warning marked with an asterisk: "Please answer according to your true thoughts, otherwise you will bear the consequences." This forced Su Yuchen to take it seriously and carefully answer according to his inner thoughts. As for why such a question appeared on the exam paper, that was none of Su Yuchen's concern.

Four hours may seem like a long time, but once you get into it, it only takes a blink of an eye. After handing in her exam paper and leaving the exam hall, Su Yuchen felt a little uncomfortable and went to the place where she had agreed to meet Yuan Ye. The other person was already there, waiting for her with a smile on his face.

Although Su Yuchen felt that he had performed well enough, he still felt a little nervous when he thought about the questions that he was not sure about. After all, this was an exam that would determine his future. If he was not admitted, what would happen to him and Xiaorou?

Seeing that his friend's expression was not good, Yuan Ye thought that Su Yuchen had failed the exam. He immediately suppressed his smile, patted the boy's shoulder with a serious expression, and then comforted him.

He told Su Yuchen that, according to what he heard from his brother, the admission process for the Admiral of the Naval Academy has always been very mysterious. Sometimes, no matter how well you do on the exam, you may not be admitted. On the contrary, many people who do poorly on the exam, or even fail, receive admission notices from the Naval Academy. So there is no need to be sad now.

Su Yuchen wasn't really sad; he was just a little nervous, like most people. He still had some confidence in his true abilities.

In the days leading up to the exam results, Su Yuchen stayed alone in his hotel room. With little money left, he gave up on the idea of ​​going out. Yuan Ye, on the other hand, frequently came to visit, saying he'd take him out to relax, but really he just wanted Su Yuchen to accompany him to familiarize himself with the terrain of Tsugawa City. On the last day before the results were released, the two of them even visited the naval base of a senior admiral, where they received a warm welcome from the port's only ship girl, the light cruiser Isuzu.

That day, just as Su Yuchen was about to go to dinner, a hotel employee brought him a package. When he opened it, he found a beautifully wrapped letter and a brand-new white naval academy uniform inside...

Volume 1, Chapter 13: Enrollment

Lying on a large, sea-blue bed, staring blankly at the unfamiliar checkered ceiling above him, Su Yuchen was lost in thought. This was neither the roof of his familiar home nor the simple ceiling of the hotel where he had stayed before. The novel environment left him momentarily disoriented, having just opened his eyes.

It wasn't until quite a while later, when he saw the envelope on the bedside table, that he suddenly remembered that he had finally received the long-awaited admission letter from the Naval Academy yesterday afternoon. Along with the letter, besides a set of naval academy uniform that looked very much like a formal admiral's uniform, there was also a set of keys. These keys were the keys to the academy dormitory where he was currently staying and had been assigned.

After getting dressed, Su Yuchen walked out of his bedroom. Just like last night, he stared blankly at the excessively luxurious living room in front of him, looking completely at a loss.

Although it's called a school building, the naval academy's dormitories are far too luxurious. There are three bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a study, and a huge living room, along with all sorts of high-end furniture. He really couldn't believe that this was just an ordinary dormitory in the academy, and not a luxurious house specially customized by some tycoon.

It's important to understand that in the urban area of ​​a megacity like Tsugawa, even the most ordinary apartment can cost enough to keep an average working-class family busy for over a decade or even several decades.

The young man slowly walked over and sat on the sofa, so soft that he didn't want to get up. He had always heard how good the treatment was for an admiral, but only now did he seem to have a real understanding of it. With such treatment, it was no wonder that so many people would try their best to get into the Naval Academy every year.

Of course, it's impossible for him to live in such a large house by himself. After becoming a trainee admiral and participating in the first construction, his ship girls will also move into his dormitory and live with their admiral.

The relationship between admirals and ship girls is a complex topic that could be explained in several pages, but everyone knows that it's more than just a simple contractual relationship. A ship girl will only have one admiral in her lifetime. Once she has her own admiral, this emotional being will wholeheartedly dedicate all her trust, and even her everything, to him.

No matter what they do, they always think of their admiral first. When their admiral encounters difficulties, they become like protective mother hens, doing everything they can to help him overcome them. Loyalty is their defining characteristic. Under this special relationship, a ship girl can easily develop feelings for her admiral, eventually marrying him and becoming his wife, remaining devoted to him for life.

Therefore, for the ship girls, living with their admiral is simply a matter of course, not only because they need to protect their admiral, but also because they don't want to be too far away from their admiral.

Admirals have to live under the same roof as their ship girls. Some people have questioned this system of the academy, because most of the trainee admirals admitted to the academy are hot-blooded teenagers. What if they do something that hurts their ship girls in a moment of impulse?

Strictly speaking, this isn't even a problem. Those who successfully pass the admiral selection exam are rigorously selected individuals with positive qualities. How could such people possibly harm their ship girls? Even if they are at their worst, given the ship girls' abilities, could an ordinary admiral force them?

So the reason why the school buildings in the academy are built to such a high standard is mostly because of the ship girls. They are the greatest heroes who saved humanity from the shadows of the deep sea. They have sacrificed too much for humanity. Even if they are given such treatment, it is only a drop in the ocean. Humanity still has too many debts of gratitude that cannot be repaid.

However, some people have raised this question: the academy only has three bedrooms. What if a trainee admiral acquires more than two ship girls during his time at the academy? Wouldn't there not be enough beds?

However, the person who raised this question was immediately proven wrong by harsh reality—since the Naval Academy was founded, no one has ever been able to acquire two or more ship girls during their studies. This demonstrates just how difficult it is to obtain ship girls in this world.

Well, since the problem has already been raised, it can't just remain unresolved. So the academy issued a notice stating that if any student actually owns more than two ship girls, they can apply for larger housing for themselves and their ship girls. However, to this day, this new rule has never been used...

After tidying himself up in the bathroom, the somewhat hungry young man went into the kitchen to prepare something simple to eat. However, looking at the brand-new coffee machine, toaster, and empty refrigerator and other kitchen utensils, Su Yuchen was once again amazed by the high-end atmosphere of the place. Then, he suddenly remembered that he had only moved here last night and hadn't even had time to buy food or other personal items.

Reluctantly leaving her residence, Su Yuchen made a mental note to buy plenty of groceries at the market outside the school after class. She then hastily ate breakfast at a cafeteria on campus. Since there was a kitchen, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it? Besides, after honing her skills for over a year, she figured she should be pretty good…

As he walked along, lost in thought, the boy found himself on the wide and beautiful main road of the academy. Accompanying him was a group of neatly dressed, spirited boys and girls in naval uniforms. Directly in front of them was the academy's auditorium, where the entrance ceremony was about to begin.

Seeing this scene, a smile involuntarily appeared on the boy's lips. He was about to become a trainee admiral at the naval academy, and his future life was quite something to look forward to.

Book 1, Chapter 14: The Ritual

As Su Yuchen joined the crowd into the newly painted, pristine white auditorium, which resembled a cathedral from a movie, she discovered that its interior was not as cramped as it appeared from the outside. The high dome, the seating for nearly ten thousand people on both sides, and the wide aisle in the center draped with a red carpet—even from a distance, it was a truly magnificent sight.

The boy's gaze followed the steps to the already packed audience seats. The students were all wearing the same bright white school uniforms as him, but they had one or two more stripes on their shoulders.

They are all senior students from the college who came to attend the freshman enrollment ceremony. As a tradition, they come to watch the freshman enrollment ceremony every year and offer their blessings to the new junior students.

Slowly descending the steps, the somewhat wistful young man arrived at the central aisle where the new students were gathered. There, a group of boys and girls like him were intently searching for their classes. In front of the red carpet, a row of college instructors in professional suits were holding up signs for their respective classes, providing directions to the students in their classes and helping them find their classrooms.

Su Yuchen took out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was the admission notice that had been handed to him yesterday afternoon, and it contained information about his class.

After looking down carefully and confirming that he belonged to Class 7, Su Yuchen looked up and began searching for the Class 7 sign among the long row of signs. Soon, he found his class's gathering place in a relatively secluded spot.

Pushing himself away from the crowd and squeezing under the sign, the boy found that many unfamiliar classmates were already there, chatting and getting to know each other. He stood in a not-so-inconspicuous corner, glanced at his classmates, and then curiously turned his gaze to the figure directly below the sign. However, his face quickly showed an unexpected expression of surprise.

Could there really be such a thing as fate in this world? He stared blankly at the beautiful figure in the gray teacher's uniform, with a familiar and warm smile on her face.

That little joke made when we parted ways has unexpectedly become a reality. Although the naval academy's class divisions were only for management purposes, and after the specializations were assigned, the boy might only see his current class advisor a few times a year, it was still quite a surprise for him.

Perhaps sensing the boy's dazed gaze, the beautiful woman, in a casual turn, also caught sight of Su Yuchen staring blankly at her from a short distance away. Her eyes, as clear as dusk, widened in surprise, and a smile immediately spread across her face—a smile that would make most men unable to look away.

She subconsciously took a step forward, seemingly wanting to come over and say hello, but then remembered that she still needed to provide instructions on finding the meeting point for her students, so she had to withdraw her high-heeled foot and shake her head apologetically at the boy.

Seeing her apologetic smile, Su Yuchen couldn't help but feel a little excited. He hadn't expected that after so many days, she still hadn't forgotten him. Subconsciously recalling the jokes Yuan Ye had made to him before, and the blank expression he had just shown, he felt his face getting a little hot amidst his happiness.

Just as the boy was lost in thought about something, someone patted his shoulder. He thought it was only his only friend Yuan Ye who was there who would do that, but when he turned around, he saw a strange young man with side-swept bangs.

"Hello, you must be a classmate of ours in Class 7 too. Let's get to know each other. My name is Du Wei, and yours is Du Wei?" With a not unpleasant smile, the young man named Du Wei greeted Su Yuchen.

"Ah, hello, my name is Su Yuchen." Putting his chaotic thoughts aside, the boy quickly replied. He couldn't possibly ignore his classmate.

So, Su Yuchen, who had been standing alone to the side, started chatting with Du Wei. After exchanging some basic information about each other, the two became acquainted.

"By the way, bro, why are you standing here all alone? Why don't you join the others and chat with them?" From life ideals to short-term goals, and from views on money to views on choosing a partner, the two chatted for who knows how long. Dewey, who had become quite familiar with the group, pointed to the crowd around him and asked the boy.

"Hmm?...No need." The boy gently shook his head at Dewey's question. Although building good relationships with classmates was important, as a former homebody, he really didn't want to join in such a crowd. "I don't really like chatting with a bunch of strangers, so let's just forget it."

"I see." Upon hearing the boy's answer, Dewey suddenly raised an eyebrow. He glanced around nonchalantly, then asked the boy with a strange expression, "Hey bro, you don't know our class advisor, do you? I think I saw her smile at you when you came over!" He stared wide-eyed at Su Yuchen, who was a little confused by his question, as if trying to glean something from his expression.

Perhaps it was because the name "Jun Quan" carried such a heavy weight in the Naval Academy that before Dewey could even finish his cautiously worded conversation, several boys who had "accidentally" overheard their exchange immediately cast curious glances their way. Whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt those gazes on his back were like needles, scraping painfully.

"Um... I guess we know each other." The boy scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"What?! You actually know our class teacher? What's your relationship with her? Could it be..." Upon receiving the boy's answer, Dewey's mouth dropped open in astonishment. He had only asked on a whim, but he hadn't expected his new acquaintance to actually know their teacher, Jun Quan! She was the only four-star battleship girl in the academy. Regardless of how she remembered him, his luck was truly incredible!

"No, don't misunderstand." Seeing Dewey's increasingly astonished expression, Su Yuchen quickly shook her head. Although Yuan Ye had always told her how famous and admired Instructor Junquan was in the academy, she had never truly grasped it until now, being surrounded by such a group of people with strange looks...

"I just happened to help her when she was registering, that's how we met, there's nothing special between us." Seeing the atmosphere around him getting more and more strange, the boy quickly explained.

"Really?" The boy's words spread, and Dewey and the group of guys around him breathed a sigh of relief. Listening to their not-so-happy murmurs, Su Yuchen let out a long breath.

"Oh, it turns out we met by chance. That gave me quite a shock."

"I knew it! How could a powerful and beautiful battleship ship girl like Monarch possibly fall for a freshman like us who seem to have nothing?"

"Even if we're just acquaintances, it's fine. Maybe there will be opportunities in the future? If I really get noticed, I can save myself half a lifetime of hard work!"

Listening to the murmurs around him, Dewey, the instigator, looked embarrassed and apologetic. Although he, like many others, admired the mentor of monarchical power, it was just admiration. He knew what was more important.

"I'm sorry, Yu Chen, I've caused you trouble." He touched his hair and apologized to the boy with a helpless expression.

"It's alright." The boy nodded understandingly, but before he could speak again, music suddenly came from the stage. It seemed that all the new students had gathered and the entrance ceremony was about to begin. He could only shrug helplessly and then gave Dewey a look that said, "We'll talk about it later."

As a melodious tune began, the students who had found their classes gradually fell silent. They consciously returned to their respective class positions and lined up, waiting for the official start of the entrance ceremony. Soon, a woman holding a microphone and dressed in a nun-like outfit walked to the center of the stage.

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, as if attending a mass, the ceremony's host, filled with reverence, read aloud the solemn speech from the Naval Academy. There was no formalism, no tedium or dullness, only blessings and expectations for the young man and his fellow new cadets. After the speech, the inspired young men and women solemnly raised their right fists and, guided by the host, solemnly swore their oath to the solemn strains of the naval march.

As they finished their oath, a deep bell rang out in the auditorium, and at the same time, a flock of peace doves flew overhead. From that moment on, they officially became members of the Naval Academy.

Volume 1, Chapter 15: The First Construction

"Hello, Su Yuchen, what a coincidence! I never thought that just a casual remark would actually lead to you being assigned to my class!" Walking along a quiet side road of the academy, Instructor Junquan, who was regarded as a goddess by countless freshmen, was chatting leisurely with Su Yuchen, who was walking beside her, while chuckling. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to completely ignore the large group of Class 7 students behind her with unfriendly expressions and exuding a miasma like the deep sea.

"Haha...maybe..."

Sweating profusely, the boy touched the back of his head and responded with a dry laugh. Feeling the icy gazes coming from behind him, he couldn't help but shiver even in the warm and pleasant weather.

He hadn't done anything wrong, so why was he being subjected to such torture? Thinking about everything that had just happened, the boy gave a bitter, helpless smile.

Originally, she was just chatting with Dewey at the back of the line when she came out of the auditorium. However, who knew that Instructor Junquan would suddenly come over and talk to her? This can't all be blamed on me. Looking past Junquan's seemingly soft shoulders, who was smiling at her, Su Yuchen glanced at Dewey, who was grinning at her, and sighed quietly.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" Seeing Su Yuchen suddenly shiver, she glanced at the boy's clothes and couldn't help but ask with concern, "The weather is very warm today, are you not dressed warmly enough?"

Perhaps in ordinary times, having such a gentle and beautiful woman care about you would indeed be a pleasant thing. However, with the increasingly sharp gaze behind him, Su Yuchen, who had already deeply experienced how popular the women around him were, had absolutely no desire to experience that feeling now.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a chill... But, mentor, where are we going?" In order not to further agitate the sensitive nerves of the guys behind him, the boy had no choice but to change the subject.

"I see... As for where we go now? What do you think? Of course, it's the place you all want to go right now."

…………

After passing through various buildings and following in the footsteps of the monarch, the group finally arrived in front of a two-story domed building. Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, she stopped, then turned to the group of boys and girls behind her, whose joy was already palpable, and said, "Alright, we've arrived. You're lucky to be assigned to the first batch, unlike the later classes who had to wait for most of the day."

"Can we go participate in the construction now, mentor?" A group of excited teenagers immediately responded. When they heard that what followed was the long-awaited, sacred first construction of their lives, they were so excited that they forgot about the person they had just been glaring at with righteous indignation. Su Yuchen was still shaking her head helplessly.

"Of course, but I need to remind you again beforehand that you only have a total of 2000 base units of resources. Please use them wisely and don't waste them. I don't need to go into detail about how to build them, right? Once you enter the construction room, don't touch anything randomly. Finally, I want to emphasize one more thing: no matter what kind of ship girls you build, please treat them well." After saying that, she took out a document. "Then let's start by student ID number. Those whose numbers are called, please follow me. Those whose numbers are not called, please wait patiently here. So, first one, Li Yun..."

The first lucky girl called followed Jun Quan, and amidst the excited chatter of the surrounding crowd, Su Yuchen walked to Dewey's side, who was also almost unable to contain himself. Although he was about to undertake his first construction since arriving in this world and obtain his initial ship, he felt no great excitement at the moment.

Anyway, in this world, rare and powerful warships are so hard to obtain. With my luck all along, I'll at most start with a one-star or two-star destroyer girl, just like most people. But that's fine, because besides my sister, I have another person to care about in this world.

"Dewey, please don't build a beautiful, fair-skinned, long-legged battleship girl!" Dewey, who was practically a friend, kept muttering something. When Su Yuchen finally understood what he was fiddling with, she glanced at him with surprise and confusion. Everyone else was praying desperately to build a powerful battleship girl, but he seemed really unwilling. Had he fried his brain from nervousness? "Hey, what are you doing? You don't even want to build a battleship girl? Could it be... you're a lolicon too?!"

"What?! You don't understand? This is a method to increase the drop rate, called 'anti-buffing'!" Startled by Su Yuchen's suddenly disdainful gaze, Dewey jumped up and quickly turned around. To prove his innocence, he hurriedly explained to the boy, "According to the incomplete statistics of our predecessors, as long as you 'anti-buff' yourself before construction, saying you don't want a certain type of ship girl, you can increase the drop rate of that ship girl to a certain extent! So Yuchen, you also have a ship girl you want, right? Come on, let's 'anti-buff' ourselves!"

Someone raised an eyebrow helplessly. "Uh... this method is really just a kind of mystical practice, don't actually believe it! It's not even certain if it will work..."

"No! You have to believe me, Yu Chen!" Before the boy could finish speaking, Dewey, who had already fallen into a state of frenzy, interrupted him with an unquestionable expression. With that unknown aura, he pointed to a group of people next to him who had somehow gathered in a circle and were still dancing some kind of strange dance.

"Don't believe me? Look at them! Don't think they're performing some kind of unknown cult ritual. It's actually a method summarized by countless predecessors to increase the drop rate of your favorite ship girls! And it's said to be very reliable! It's just that I'm too embarrassed to do such a shameful thing, so I had to settle for second best!"

Looking at the group of boys writhing like worms, Su Yuchen's lips twitched involuntarily, as if she had swallowed a fly. There were actually people doing something like this! Wasn't this all just superstition? Were they really going to such lengths to increase that tiny, intangible drop rate?

But it seemed that fate wasn't satisfied with just that one person was surprised. Just as he was struggling to process what was happening, a person dressed in a sailor uniform, with pigtails, who seemed to know Dewey, slowly walked towards them.

Seeing Su Yuchen's utterly dejected expression, he glanced at Dewey to the side, then sneered at him with utter disdain, "Hmph, Dewey, all you dare to do is pathetically gloat here? You don't even dare to do the Dance of the Untamed or cross-dressing, what right do you have to compare yourself to me? It seems you can only end up like your father, an ordinary, nameless admiral." After saying that, he gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.

He, yes, it was him. Looking at the back of the guy who had just shouted those words at Dewey, Su Yuchen, who was covering his eyes, was too shocked to speak. He had heard Yuan Ye say that there was a way for admirals to get construction bonuses by dressing as women, but when he actually saw a cross-dressing master like this, wearing a sailor uniform and having twin ponytails in front of everyone, and still so calm, he still felt that something very important in his mind had collapsed.

Beside him, Dewey, the person directly involved, also rubbed his forehead in despair, shaking his hand weakly. He said to Su Yuchen, "It's okay, Yuchen, you don't need to care about that guy. He's just a pervert... Ha... I really don't want to admit that someone like that is my childhood sweetheart..."

"Ah! Li Yun is back!" At this, a shout came from someone nearby, and Su Yuchen, Du Wei, and the other students all stopped talking and looked towards the stairwell. There, beside an ordinary-looking black-haired girl, a little girl with short green hair and cat-ear-like decorations on her head was skipping and hopping behind her…

Volume 1, Chapter 16: That Ray of Light