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

He sat on the comfortable wooden chair and silently took out a cigarette from his pocket. Although he might have to kneel on the washboard for several hours if Kawauchi found out, he still lit the cigarette with a melancholy look on his face, put it in his mouth, and then coughed incessantly from the smoke.

"Cough cough... You're asking me? How would I know? I'm panicking just the way I am. I even bragged about it in front of Brother Su, and I don't know how I'm going to handle this!"

"And... this might just be life, Yang, this is life."

Having spent so many years working his way up in the Governor's Palace, he had never exchanged a single word with Miss Seattle. Yet, a newcomer who had just arrived at the Governor's Palace and was unfamiliar with even some of its policies was now having tea with the dazzling Miss Seattle in a coffee shop. Compared to her, he felt as if he had been abandoned by the world.

Life is always full of drama, and ups and downs are not uncommon. Didn't manage to get your dream ship girl? No problem, don't be sad. After all, everyone's in the same boat, and being rejected is nothing new. But it seems God still finds this world, which is already quite unfriendly to those with bad luck, a bit too boring, and sends someone like this into the world...

"I successfully struck up a conversation with Miss Königsberg the day before yesterday, and I thought my luck was finally about to change. Today, I ran into Miss Leipzig at the Governor's Mansion. The moment I saw her, I felt like I was in love all over again. I was facing her, and she was looking at me happily. Even when she had to decline my invitation to have coffee because she had something to do, she looked so regretful. For a moment, I felt that I could finally use the third dormitory for ship girls in my naval base. My first fleet was only a short distance away from being fully formed."

"That's really going too far, Brother Su. I thought you were one of my comrades. When I enthusiastically sold you the figurines made by the Legion and promoted the doujinshi to you, I only mixed in a little bit of my own personal opinion. I thought we were really destined to meet. I seemed to see my past self, who was completely clueless when facing ship girls, in you."

"But what is this? This is too much! Is this bullying?"

Lian Hao looked weathered, as if he had suddenly grasped the true meaning of life. Yang Xiao remained silent, too embarrassed to further discourage this senior who only cared about his AC (account) score. What did he mean by "looking at you happily"? How did a polite smile towards a stranger become happiness? And what about that regretful expression? Miss Leipzig's face clearly showed her annoyance and disdain for his persistent pursuit.

No, I have to rant. If I keep holding it in, I'll end up with internal injuries. How did I end up with such a Hercules-less predecessor?

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Anyway, it's all in the past. It's his good fortune that Brother Su was able to get the boat. We can be envious, but it's none of our business to interfere. Let's not talk about this anymore. Hey, Yang, look over there in the kitchen. Isn't that Miss Springfield?"

"Oh my God! Look at that beautiful long brown hair, that gentle and graceful temperament just like Mrs. Leigh's, and that tall and voluptuous figure under the apron, oh! By the Virgin Mary! Young man, I feel like I've fallen in love all over again!"

However, before he could even complain, Yang Xiao, whose eyes lit up at the sight of his senior standing beside him, turned his gaze toward the kitchen in the back of the coffee shop, unable to resist the urge to kick him to the ground.

Volume 1, Chapter 294: Springfield

After noting down Seattle and the boy's order in the front, the silver-haired waitress, notebook in hand, went to the back of the coffee shop. Listening to her own crisp footsteps, she muttered, "Where is this? I feel like I've heard this ordering method somewhere before, but I just can't remember." She quickly walked to the kitchen door.

The noise of the outdoor air conditioner unit was a bit annoying. She put her fingers on the doorknob and pushed the door open. In addition to smelling the delicious aroma of desserts, the girl saw a familiar and beautiful figure squatting between the oven and the cabinet, silently taking inventory of something.

"Springfield, what are you doing?"

The girl, holding the plastic tray in her hand, asked curiously, and subconsciously moved closer to the person behind her. In front of her, the person turned around and looked at the girl's face.

"Ah, I wonder how many coffee beans are left in the coffee shop, and the special flour used for making desserts seems to be running out too."

A gentle smile is like a clear stream flowing through the heart, stirring a tender tremor within. A beautiful woman's fleeting glance is enough to captivate the heart in an instant. Her fair, radiant face, delicately elegant eyebrows, and clear, light green pupils reveal a captivating kindness and gentleness within her.

Her long, flaxen hair was tied into a thin ponytail with a hairband. A white shirt covered her proud breasts, and dark blue skinny jeans accentuated her enviable hip curves. She also wore a dark gray apron, which added a touch of approachable nobility and gentleness to her excellent figure.

With her petite and tall figure, elegant and gentle demeanor, and the air of a tender, wifely woman, even the young girl couldn't help but admire Springfield, who, like her sister Lexington, was called "Mrs." Setting aside the tray that was in her way, she peered into the cupboard in front of Springfield, where flour and other materials were stored.

“Really, it seems it’s time to order another batch of our special flour from Ms. Akashi.”

After roughly calculating how long the remaining flour would last, the girl nodded. But as if deliberately waiting for her to say this, before she could finish speaking, the mature and beautiful woman beside her slowly shook her head.

"No need, 57. Don't order any more flour for now. I plan to close the café for a while after we run out of this flour."

Springfield's words were somewhat unexpected to 57, but upon closer reflection, they made perfect sense. She had long anticipated that Springfield, who had lost interest in continuing to run the coffee shop, would eventually close it down, but she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

"Is Chuntian going to close this place down?"

"Well, it's only temporary. I don't want to keep waiting aimlessly here. After I close the café, I plan to meet up with Lexington and the others and go find him together. As for 57, I'd appreciate it if you could come and keep an eye on these coffee beans for me from time to time. I don't want them to go bad."

Springfield smiled gently, lightly touched the hair on the side of her face, and then looked at 57 with her light green eyes.

Lexington was her best friend. Because they were best friends, they shared the same personality, the same temper, and even the same love affair. Although her own love affair was just hearsay, she had been listening to Lexington tell her about her experiences in great detail every time. From her words and her imagination, she had unknowingly fallen in love with the man she spoke of.

Shipgirl romances always seem to come out of nowhere. Even though so many admirals appear in front of her every day, strangely enough, she not only doesn't feel anything for them, but in the end, she still falls for an admiral who only exists in other people's stories.

But a ship girl is still a ship girl. Even though she hasn't joined his naval base yet, and is nameless and without her ship equipment, she can't give him the same help as Lexington. But even so, she can't and is unwilling to give up her nature as a ship girl.

The reluctance to leave the admiral is the most important part of a ship girl's nature. After hearing that he had gone missing, she hadn't slept well for more than a year because of her worries. Even if she went there, she wouldn't be able to help Lexington. However, even so, she was unwilling to continue waiting in the governor's mansion.

“Hmm… I understand, Haruta-nee. We’ll close the café in a couple of days, but I’d like to go with you then. We already agreed that once we find him, I’ll join his naval base with you. Since that’s the case, I feel it’s my responsibility to go with you too.”

The girl understood Haruta's determination and didn't intend to stop her. However, she would rather go out with Haruta than help her manage those boring coffee beans.

Having trained for so long at the Governor's Mansion to get used to firearms, she occasionally wanted to go out for a stroll and relax. As for Springfield's admiral, well, since even the mature and steady Lexington and Springfield liked him so much, he couldn't possibly be a person that people disliked.

"Huh? Is this really alright? 57, you haven't even met him yet, have you? Such a hasty decision..."

"It's alright! It's alright! I'll definitely like the admiral that Haruta-nee likes too! And I'm so cute, he'll definitely fall for me quickly after he sees me! Besides... I don't want to be that jerk FAL's assistant anymore, joining the naval base will be a good way to get rid of her~"

The silver-haired girl shook her head happily. Although she made it very simply, she didn't make the decision as hastily as Haruta-nee said. If she wasn't really interested in the admiral that Haruta-nee mentioned, who was so trusted and cherished by Lexington-nee, she wouldn't have agreed to join his naval base!

As for whether he wants her or not? That's not even a consideration. A girl as youthful, cute, confident, and clever as her is someone others would be scrambling to have but don't even have the chance to have!

"Sigh...you little rascal."

Springfield shook her head. With her keen observation, she could see the reason why the girl made this decision. The number of ship girls an admiral has is never within the scope of a ship girl's evaluation. Rather, an admiral who has more ship girls will be more favored by a group of free ship girls. After all, the fact that so many ship girls are willing to join the same naval base is enough to prove that the admiral is excellent.

As for whether having many sisters would bring emotional troubles, such as fighting over men or dividing the admiral among themselves, at least before joining the naval base and falling in love with their admiral, they wouldn't care about these "irrelevant" issues.

"Really? Since you've already made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you otherwise. How about preheating the oven? A customer just ordered something."

"Hmm! Springfield-nee, you might not believe it, but Seattle-nee actually brought an admiral with her for coffee today! Seattle-nee ordered a coffee milkshake, and the admiral who came with her, surnamed Su, ordered a coconut milk tea, but without coconut jelly, and a cheese egg..."

"What did you say? 57? Came with Seattle? Is his last name Su?... No way, could it be... Where is he? Is he still out there?"

Volume 1, Chapter 295: Surprise

"What did you say? 57? Came with Seattle? Is his last name Su?... No way, could it be... Where is he? Is he still out there?"

However, before the girl could finish speaking, Haruta-nee, who was so surprised that she lost her composure, grabbed her arm. FN57 opened her mouth in confusion and bewilderment, staring at the eager, light green autumn eyes so close to her. Her mind was in a mess, and she subconsciously nodded.

No way?! The admiral I just saw in the lobby really was Lexington's admiral! Although, upon closer inspection, it is indeed the same name as the one Springfield always mentions, hasn't he already become a full-fledged admiral? Why is he still saying I'm a freshman?

"Hmm! He's still in the lobby. Haruta-nee! ...Could it be him?! But when he was ordering, he told me he was a trainee admiral who just enrolled at the Naval Academy this year..."

Realizing that her current behavior was somewhat damaging to her image as a "wife," Chuntian paused and withdrew her palm. Her cheeks, flushed with urgency, were slightly flushed as she breathed heavily, letting out a long breath to calm her suddenly rapid heartbeat and breathing. Hearing Xiao 57's questioning words, she frowned slightly and went to the kitchen door, looking towards the front hall where there were still quite a few customers.

"Well... I don't know if it's really him. I don't quite understand why he said he just enrolled, but if he's with Miss Seattle..."

Springfield didn't have time to finish her sentence because when she saw the familiar figure sitting by the window talking to Seattle, a stinging feeling welled up in her eyes and made her throat tighten. It was as if everything in front of her lost its color. She pressed her hand against her pounding chest, ignoring FN57's curious questions about the result behind her. The next moment, she turned around abruptly and grabbed the old-fashioned telephone on the wall next to her.

"Hello, this is operator number 0057 from Tsugawa City. How would you like to...?"

"Hello, please connect me to Naval Base No. 183, thank you!"

As the operator's voice slowly and deliberately came through the receiver, Chuntian anxiously and frantically waited for the other party to connect. Listening to the beeping notification sounds from the receiver, Chuntian realized for the first time how long those tens of seconds could feel.

FN57 held her breath and dared not speak. From the first time she met Springfield, to working as a waitress in her café, and up until now, this was the first time she had ever seen such a mature and composed Springfield so flustered. But if that was the case, then it meant that the guy outside with Seattle was really the admiral of Springfield and Lexington!

I always hear Springfield and Lexington talking about him over and over again when they talk on the phone, but he doesn't seem that great in reality. From his appearance, he's just an ordinary boy like you would see anywhere else. Is this what they call beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Well, for me, he's above average. At least I don't dislike him.

"Hey?"

The agonizing wait finally ended, and anxious Springfield finally heard a clear voice on the other end of the phone. Amidst the static, she heard a voice say, "Missouri! Is that your brother-in-law calling? Let me hear it! Let me hear it!" Unable to contain her excitement, she eagerly spoke into the receiver the message she so desperately wanted to convey.

“Miss Missouri? It’s me, Springfield, the Springfield from the Governor’s Mansion. Quickly, give the phone to Lexington, I have something very important to tell her!”

A slightly jarring static crackled through the receiver, followed by a response from Missouri. Shortly after, a familiar voice, tinged with amusement, came through the receiver once again.

"Long time no see, Springfield! How have you been? You seem to be in such a hurry, so you must have seen him. How was it? Surprised?"

A gentle voice brushed past his ear, and he heard his friend's sweet and gentle laughter on the other end of the line, showing no surprise at his sudden contact. Springfield's body stiffened slightly, and then he sighed helplessly.

"What? You already knew... And what surprise? I was almost scared to death! When did you find him? Why didn't you tell me you found him? I was worried for so long for nothing, and I was even thinking of closing the coffee shop to help you look for him."

"Hehe, isn't this a surprise enough? I thought you were really looking forward to seeing your darling! Actually, I only found him in Tsugawa a few days ago. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn't tell you on purpose~"

Of course I want to see him, but seeing him so suddenly is really hard for my heart to handle. Besides, I haven't had a good night's sleep for so many days, and I just quickly washed my face after getting up today before going to see him like this...

"Sigh... I really don't know what to do with you. I'm so flustered and don't know what to do. I didn't even have time to get dressed when I got up this morning... By the way, why is he a student at the Naval Academy again? When Little 57 went to talk to him just now, he told her that he was a freshman at the Naval Academy..."

"Ah... this..." The voice on the other end of the line hesitated for a moment, but after a brief pause, hearing Lexington sigh softly, she slowly explained the reason. "Actually, my dear lost his memory when he went missing... The reason we were able to find him is because after losing his memory, he returned to Tsugawa and retaken the admiral exam... The details are a bit complicated, I'll explain it to you in detail in a couple of days when I have the chance."

"Wait?! You mean he has amnesia? Is he alright?! Is he injured?"

"Hehe, don't worry, I've already taken it to the vet. There are no external injuries. The vet said the amnesia is probably caused by stress or other external factors. As long as it doesn't encounter any more mental problems and rests well, its memory may recover in the future."

"Phew... Oh, I see. Honestly, why didn't you explain more clearly? I thought something had happened to him!... Hmm?"

"Oh my~ Your husband has amnesia, but you're still so happy even though you usually spoil him rotten? You call him 'darling' so familiarly, and he's usually so guarded around me, but now he's given me such a big 'surprise.' Could there be something fishy going on? Is it with him...?"

Volume 1, Chapter 296: Teasing

At the garrison headquarters in the distance, in her husband's office, Lexington listened to her friend's teasing words over the phone, and a delicate blush involuntarily appeared on her gentle and beautiful face.

As mentioned before, before she joined her husband's naval base, she had always shared a dormitory room with her in the governor's mansion. In the governor's mansion at that time, she and her husband, who were also called "Madam," had similar personalities, and she was also her best friend in the governor's mansion.

If the person who understands me best in this world is my silly husband, then I can say that apart from the sisters I spend every day with in the naval base, she is the only one who understands me best. What's more, she is also influenced by me and shares the same pure and deep love with me.

"Hehe... I knew I couldn't hide it from you. That's right, the night before last, my darling finally took advantage of me and Jiajia, but it took a lot of effort to win him over~"

Standing to one side of the wall, Springfield paused slightly. Although she had a rough idea, it still felt somewhat unreal to have Lexington herself admit it.

The girl who used to complain to herself about why her husband wouldn't touch her and whether she wasn't attractive enough is now a "wife," while she is still... She sighed helplessly and gently twirled a strand of flaxen hair that fell across her face.

"I knew it! That's truly something to celebrate! By the way, haven't you always said you wanted children? How many are you planning to have?"

"Ah... well... that depends on my darling's mood~ I'm naturally fine with it, but he doesn't seem ready to be a dad yet~"

"Of course! You always say you want a baby, but don't you think about how old he is now? If you two had a child now, wouldn't the child be able to call him brother?"

"How could that be! Besides, even if I were to give birth, I'd prefer a daughter, hehe~ Once I have a daughter, you'll be her aunt, so you'd better hurry up and try to get pregnant together, then I'll have someone to keep me company during my postpartum period~"

Lexington's words made Springfield's cheeks flush instantly. Although the imagined scene was quite appealing to her, just as Lexington had envisioned, however...

"Pah, come on, I haven't even agreed to join your naval base yet, so don't drag me into this... Besides... even if I were willing, what could I do? There are so many powerful ship girls in your naval base, and countless ship girls like you who like him, while I'm just a guy who doesn't even have ship equipment, so even if I were willing, what could I possibly do to help him..."

"Springfield..." Lexington's voice trailed off. Ship girls, ah, they're such foolish creatures, blindly regarding their admirals as everything they possess, and blindly regarding their ability to protect their admirals as their dignity as ship girls. Without their ship equipment, without the ability to help their admirals, they even lose the courage to approach their beloved admirals. But...

"What nonsense are you talking about, Springfield? So what if we don't have the ship's equipment? As long as we have you, that's enough. By the way, ever since he lost his memory, my dear has suddenly become so shy. Don't tease him too much. Alright, I won't waste your time anymore. I have another surprise for you in a couple of days, and you can't refuse. Well, I still have some matters to attend to at the naval base, so I'll hang up now."

"Wait a minute, line..."

The cool air gently caressed Chuntian's flaxen hair. Listening to the intermittent dial tone after the call ended, Chuntian slowly placed the microphone back on its base. The bright glass reflected the sunlight streaming in from outside. With her arms resting on the clean sink, she squinted her light green eyes and let out a long sigh.

What a surprise! It's more of a shock than a joy. While I do want to see him and talk to him, now isn't the time. For so long, my mind has been preoccupied with worrying about him and trying to gather information about him at the Governor's mansion. As for dressing up… I'm a girl, and women dress to please their lovers. Since he disappeared, I haven't touched any of my bedroom cosmetics!

After suffering from insomnia for so many days, I didn't take a proper shower when I got up this morning, and I just grabbed two pieces of clothing from the closet without considering whether he would like them. How could I possibly go out to see him looking like this?

Once again, she touched her forehead with a mixture of helplessness and worry, a slight smile appearing on her rosy lips. She turned to look at 57, who had been silently waiting for her to finish her call.

"57, there should be a few apples left in the cupboard, go get them for me and wash them while you're at it. I'll go prepare the oven."

"Hmm? Could it be that Springfield is making apple pie?"

"Of course, after all, apple pie is my specialty! Hehe~ It's rare for him to come to our cafe, so we should definitely treat him properly~"

………………

In the café's lobby, the atmosphere remained peaceful and pleasant. The two girls and the boy sat alone in a corner of the clean café, feeling a special warmth and tranquility. Looking at the boy's face, without the disturbance of others or the annoying admirals who always surrounded them, the girl's radiant smile became even brighter.

If she had previously harbored some minor complaints about having to help her sister Canden, now her heart was filled with nothing but gratitude for her older sister. She pursed her pink lips shyly, fiddling with the cute braid on her chest, and gazed at the boy's face, a subtle blush spreading across her graceful features.

"Sister Lexington hasn't visited the Governor's Mansion in a long time. I heard that in order to find you without any worries, she temporarily canceled your garrison's staff. Now that you're back, when do you plan to resume your post?"

Her gentle voice was as refreshing as the fragrance of flowers. Although the person sitting in front of him was an angelic ship girl, the poor boy still felt a little lost under her expectant gaze. Even now, he still found it hard to believe that he could run into a ship girl who knew him just by wandering around the governor's mansion. Moreover, it seemed that she had a rather special feeling towards him.

"Well, I don't know either, but... we should probably wait until everyone's back... By the way, Miss Seattle, are you familiar with that waitress from earlier?"

Volume 1, Chapter 297: Nature

"Well, I don't know either, but... we should at least wait until everyone is back... By the way, Miss Seattle, are you familiar with that waitress from earlier?"

In any book or magazine, mentioning another woman, especially one whose looks are no less than a girl's, when dating a girl is an indisputable taboo for most men. Ship girls are also girls, and they possess emotions as diverse and profound as those of human women. Therefore, in a sense, this also applies to the ship girl ladies around young men.

Upon hearing the boy suddenly mention FN57, who worked as a waitress at Springfield's café, Seattle's delicate eyebrows involuntarily furrowed slightly. No ship girl wants her admiral to have his attention diverted by other ship girls while they're talking, even if she's not currently his ship girl.

Although the gentle smile on her lips did not disappear, when she heard the boy curiously asking about the lively, clever, and lovely girl who was like a ferret, and played with her long braids, a hint of worry appeared in the corners of the girl's soft eyes.

"Miss 57? I'm not particularly familiar with her..."

As the most advanced and important comprehensive supply ship in the Governor's Mansion, she was always responsible for the logistics of the Governor's Mansion and the fleet in peacetime and important battles. There was no reason why she wouldn't know the free ship girls in the Governor's Mansion. Beautiful girls are attracted to each other. As a free ship girl who was harassed by countless admirals every day, she naturally got along well with FN57. She would occasionally come to Springfield's café for a cup of coffee. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she and FN57 were friends. However, even though she knew that she and Miss 57 had a good relationship, she still couldn't help but lie to the boy and say that she didn't know her.