Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Even now, she still can't believe that she has really come to another planet.

"Ahem," Luo Tianming cleared his throat, then realized he still 'didn't know' her name, so he said:

"By the way, did you hear a voice when you came here? That... unknown lady?"

"..."

Nan Mengya realized that she had asked so many questions without introducing herself, and just as she was about to speak, her cautious girlish nerves started to doubt her again.

"Oh, do you mean the voice in my head?"

She carefully avoided the question about her name, saying, "I don't remember... I remember I was at the sluice gate, and suddenly I found myself here."

It seems she hasn't gotten the Dyna Wing yet and is still on her way to school when she was suddenly forcibly taken to the Nautilus.

Luo Tianming: "..."

Damn it, he knew it wouldn't be anything good!

Luo Tianming immediately opened his logbook and wrote: [Customer Service! You bastard, you schemed against me?!]

Customer service representative: [Dear customer, we do not accept returns for product quality issues.]

Luo Tianming: [This is kidnapping! Do you know that's the crime of kidnapping a young girl?!]

Customer service representative: [In terms of the outcome, you are an accomplice, since you placed the order and signed the agreement. If you must be convicted, you also bear some responsibility.]

Luo Tianming: [Nonsense—]

Customer service representative: [Who was it that kept saying they wanted to recruit a beautiful young woman? You should know that from the very beginning, you were already on the 'human trafficking' ship. If it weren't for your request, why would we be providing this service?]

"..."

Well, now even if he were to speak eloquently, he wouldn't be able to explain this matter.

The key issue now is that we need to get past Nan Mengya first.

Just as he was about to explain, Levi and the others happened to return from outside.

"Hey, Alo~ The new food I bought is in the warehouse!"

Her loud, carefree voice rang out, and then the worst thing happened.

"Huh? Who is this, a new crew member... He's too young, Alo, this is a 'crime'."

"..."

As expected, after being teased by such a terrible older sister like Levi, Nan Mengya, who was already as wary as a small animal, immediately went into 'hedgehog mode'.

"Who are you?" She stared at Levi's tattoos and the gun on her body, shrinking back warily.

"Huh? Doesn't this girl understand what happened yet, Alo?"

Levi looked at them with some surprise.

Luo Tianming slowly shook his head.

Revy smiled at her with ill intent:

"Hehe, little sister, you've gotten on a pirate ship."

“Levy!” Luo Tianming interrupted her wicked sense of humor seriously. “Don’t scare her.”

At this moment, Nan Mengya retorted, "I'm not a little sister, my name is Nan Mengya."

Levi said casually, "Oh, welcome, welcome..."

"Hey Alo, are you sure you didn't kidnap this?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

All he wanted to do now was for Levi to shut up.

Soon after, Lucy and Takemi Tae also returned.

Lucy: "Captain, when do we depart... Is this a new recruit?"

Takemi Taeya gave him a rather ominous look: "15...emmm, why don't you turn yourself in?"

As more and more women appeared, Nan Mengya gradually realized that they were crew members of the ship.

She then turned to Luo Tianming and asked, "Are there other people on this ship?"

Levi: "Of course! Did you think we were invisible?"

Nan Mengya: "..."

Only then did she truly realize that she might actually be on a planet called Europa, that the person in front of her couldn't possibly be a cosplay enthusiast, and that the captain was most likely real.

In an instant, a fear called 'strangeness' struck her.

She crossed her arms and said in a trembling voice, "Where is this? Can we go back? I want to go back first. It's been so long, my family..."

Nan Mengya suddenly thought of her parents, so she bit her lip and said, "My friends might worry..."

"..."

An unspeakable silence instantly enveloped everyone, even the usually carefree Revy fell silent and said:

"There's no going back..."

Nan Mengya: "!"

Levi: "Yeah, we can't go back. This is another world now. Didn't the guy who brought you here say that this seems to be a 'one-way ticket'? If we could go back, that nice-natured captain over there would have said so already."

Nan Mengya looked shocked: "...How could this be? We can't go back?"

Revy: "Ah...everyone probably already knew about this, right?"

"..."

Lucy chimed in, "Yeah, although the captain didn't say anything about it, for us, it's more like we don't want to go back. We might as well cut ties cleanly."

Wu Jianmiao: "I never said I didn't want to go back, but even if we really can't go back, as long as we ask that nice guy over there, even if it's as difficult as climbing to the sky, he'll probably find a way to help us."

"However, it's impossible in the short term. Given his tendency to keep everything to himself, we'll probably have to wait until he's willing to explain why he's so worried every day before we can discuss when he can go back."

"No..." Nan Mengya's lips, even colder than Bai Ying's, trembled uncontrollably. "No, no..."

She's still just a high school student, so it's too difficult for her to suddenly face such a cruel reality.

Luo Tianming suddenly realized: This seems to be troublesome.

Chapter 96 Jealousy

Considering the potential negative impact on Nan Mengya, the three of them, including Levi, were temporarily moved to another room.

"Tsk, that guy Alo is so heartless."

As always, Levi complained: "They left us behind as soon as they got a new girl and went shopping with that high school girl."

"..." This time, the two fellow tobacco enthusiasts in the same room did not agree with her. Instead, Lucy calmly said, "I think it's Revy's fault in this matter."

"I agree." Wu Jianmiao: "I agree."

"Levi: "Huh?"

"Looking through the rising smoke of her cigarette at the still 'unaware' Reverie, Lucy's violet eyes revealed a hint of mischief: "Hey, Reverie... didn't you notice?"

"...".

"Your expression right now looks exactly like that of a jealous woman!" Revy exclaimed, "What?!"

Upon hearing this, she immediately bristled. "I'm jealous...you mean I'm jealous of the new guy?!"

Lucy: "Otherwise, how do you explain it? The other person is just a young girl who just arrived here, yet you harbored such hostility towards her, even deliberately provoking her... This feels so familiar. You did the same thing when I first arrived, didn't you?"

"..." Takemi Tae seized the opportunity to add, "Yeah, it's not just you." "When I first arrived, she also pointed a gun at my head."

"Levi: "...It has nothing to do with this!"

Her wavering voice clearly betrayed her inner turmoil. Lucy: "Levi, admit it... you're just jealous because you saw the captain being affectionate with other girls."

"In psychology, this is called 'possessiveness' or 'territoriality'..." "Ah... damn it!"

"Levi shouted angrily, "If I were really jealous, that guy's brains and blood would have been spilled all over the place by now!"

"You're 'jealous' because you didn't do that—right?"

"Lucy, as always, touched the dangerous 'powder keg,' and calmly said to Revy's fiery expression, 'Because you care more about the captain's opinion, that's why you didn't take action. You're worried about being disliked by him, and you're also afraid of being rejected by him.'"

"You want the captain to care more about you... which means showing the 'newcomer' that you're on the same side and she's just an outsider."

"Levi: "...". "However, the captain's delay in introducing you has created a slight sense of crisis for you, so you need to act more 'tough' to prove that your relationship with him is better."

"Is that why you always target 'newcomers'... Am I right?"

"..." Faced with Lucy's nonchalant attitude, Revy replied with a sour face: "Thank you for your analysis... I know my emotions aren't quite right even without you saying it."

"Takemi Tae: "This kind of anxiety and fear of loss mostly stems from unhappy childhood experiences, such as being betrayed or sold out."

"…There are so many, I don’t even want to count them on my fingers~." "…Phew~" Lucy exhaled a beautiful smoke ring, "I think you don’t need to worry too much about this. Haven’t you noticed—the captain treats you and that 'newcomer' very differently?"

"Levi: "?"

Lucy: "Look where we are right now... in the innermost secure room of the ship, while that newbie is probably being shown around the site by him."

"What does that prove?" Revy: "What does that prove?"

Does he care more about the newcomer?

"Lucy was despairing of Levi's understanding. She shook her head and explained, "He would exclude all unstable elements from the ship first, and only allow things he considered 'safe' into the submarine."

"Haven't you noticed that the captain has a rather resistant attitude towards any outsider stepping onto his ship... We haven't taken on many transport missions so far, and the only time we transported people was when they were prisoners tied up."

"In other words, deep down, he already considers us like 'family,' so you don't need to worry about any change in your status in his heart."

"..." Hearing this, Levi finally seemed to notice these subtle changes... Luo Tianming wasn't indifferent to them, but rather cared too much, which was why he took care of outsiders in certain ways. His own people didn't need extra care... a simple action was enough to show their closeness. But Levi, like a 'blind person,' ignored this, instead indulging in nameless jealousy. "...!"

Feeling embarrassed, Revy started taking deep drags on her cigarette to hide her embarrassment. The other two knew when to stop; if they continued teasing her, Revy would probably shoot to cover her shyness. A long silence passed until their throats felt dry. They took out chilled beer from the refrigerator, and Lucy and Takemi Tae finally heard Revy's barely audible voice: "...Hey, teach me." Lucy: "What?"

"..." Levi's voice was too soft; Lucy only caught a whiff. Because Levi's initial shame had been shattered, she simply shouted out in despair, "How do you guys invite him when you're doing 'that kind of thing'... Teach me!!"

"...". With Revy's 'explosion,' Lucy and Takemi Tae simultaneously stopped holding their bottles. "What happened?!"

Can't I ask this kind of question?!

"Then, fueled by alcohol, started to go crazy, "If you don't answer me, I'm going to drag you all down with me and drink until you throw up."

"..." No one wanted to experience the hell that Revy went through, not even Lucy, who couldn't get drunk, wanted to take care of Revy who would end up vomiting like a geyser. Therefore, they quickly said, "No, we're just surprised... you haven't even done it yet?"

"Levi, we've been idle lately, haven't we? The ships have all been docked in the harbor."

"Didn't you ask him out?"

"I don't want to talk about that!" Lying on the bed, Levi said somewhat defiantly.

"That blockhead Alo, every time I have the chance to invite him, he acts like he's seen some kind of hell."

Lucy: "How did you invite him...?"

"Levi: "...". "I just invited him for a drink as usual, and he refused."

"By the way, how much did you drink last time?" Takemi asked.

"Levi: "Hmm?"

"Just two bottles of brandy."

The remaining half bottle of vodka

"Three liters of beer too..." Lucy: "Just...?"

"You're just getting him drunk at the bar?" Takemi asked.

"...". Levi, annoyed by the questions, said, "Stop asking me!"

I'm here to ask you some questions!

Could you give me some suggestions or advice?

"Hmm...it will happen naturally."

"...under the guise of an experiment?"

"..." Levi: "..." She regretted asking about it. The tomboy slurped down her drink in frustration. Although she and Luo Tianming were probably the closest in terms of relationship—they wouldn't even hesitate to share a toothbrush—sometimes being too close isn't good. They could even repair submarines together with wrenches, but they couldn't sleep in the same bed. Even if they forced themselves to sleep together, they were as still as corpses. "..." Faced with this situation, Levi felt somewhat helpless—she thought about getting him drunk and using that as an excuse... Their drinking habits were strikingly similar. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed and irritated she became... Just as she was about to back down again, Lucy, unable to bear it any longer, finally decided to give her a push. "Levi," Lucy said with a melancholy expression, "you've already been 'beaten out' twice, don't let a newcomer steal your 'next baton'..." "I don't need you to tell me!"

"." Revy secretly made up her mind. There would always be an opportunity. This period of free time was about to end, and she had to get things done before then. However, before taking action, Revy had one very important question she wanted to ask them. Revy: "That kind of thing... I know it feels very good. I've used fingers and stuff before... but specifically, what does it feel like?"