Whoosh!
With a single sentence, the Commander silenced the roar of the auditorium. The crowd held their breath, terrified of the possibility that he might vanish again. However, the effect seemed to backfire on Akagi. Standing before him, she was now clutching her own throat, seemingly determined to stop breathing entirely as if she wished to suffocate herself in a fit of passion.
"Cough, cough... Comma...nder..."
"Hey! Hey! Akagi! You can breathe! Stop it!"
The Commander pried Akagi’s arms away from her neck and immediately began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. To him, it was a necessary medical procedure; to Akagi, it was the touch of the lips of the man she loved. The momentum of her despair reversed instantly, and Akagi sank into a state of pure bliss.
"Aaah...♥ The warmth of the Commander’s lips...♥ Even if I die now, I have no regrets...♥"
Thud.
She fainted.
Wow, she really knows how to lean into the melodrama. Are all Sakura Empire shipgirls like this? The Commander was starting to feel a genuine sense of dread toward them. Still, the event had to proceed, so he took the seat Tirpitz offered. He then gestured for the shipgirls standing before him to do the same. After all, events were best run in comfort.
"Alright, everyone, please make yourselves comfortable and take a seat."
At his words, the shipgirls collapsed into their seats in unison.
Thud.
With over a hundred shipgirls sitting at once, a thunderous sound echoed through the auditorium. Every single pair of eyes was now locked onto him. Their stares were like lasers, piercing right through him. However, since those gazes were brimming with respect, love, and affection, he didn't feel particularly nervous.
"Now then, I’d appreciate it if you could ask your questions freely. One person from each faction, please."
Whoosh!
Immediately, every shipgirl raised her hand, staring at him in a heavy, expectant silence. Those eyes... they were filled with a fanatical devotion, certain that he would choose them. The pressure was becoming a bit much. After hesitating, he spotted a shipgirl from the Iris faction holding up a spear to get his attention. Since she was the most conspicuous, he decided to reward her enthusiasm.
"Uh... yes, you there with the spear! Tirpitz, could you pass her the microphone?"
Tirpitz descended the steps and handed the microphone to the indicated shipgirl. Ah, right. This shipgirl was the very first PR ship he had ever obtained! Yes, probably...
"Was it Saint Louis? It’s been a while, sister. Have you been well?"
"Indeed, my Lord. I thank the God who has descended among us after such a long time."
So now I've been promoted from officer to god. A god, huh? Even TenPuru wouldn’t go that far. Mother, Father, your son has become a deity here.
Saint Louis... she had been his first PR ship, and one of the easier ones to obtain. She was exactly his type: long gray hair, a veil draped over her head, and a white-and-blue uniform layered over a black bodysuit that emphasized her voluptuous figure.
And that big, beautiful spear! He had always wanted to try swinging it. If he asked nicely, maybe she’d let him? Spears were the height of romance. That was enough. Now, it was time for her question.
"Now then, sister, what would you like to ask?"
Saint Louis knelt, clasped her hands together, and looked up at him. It was a posture of absolute reverence, as if she were praying for divine grace.
"My Lord, your humble servant Saint Louis dares to ask. I ask because I have been driven to madness wondering why your return was so delayed, and whether some tragedy had befallen you."
Every word was spoken with such fanatical devotion that it was honestly a bit frightening. Was I really a god to them? Are all the Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion girls like this? When he looked over at the Iris and Vichya factions, he saw they were all in the exact same posture as Saint Louis, with the only difference being that the others had their heads bowed.
"I’ll answer that, sister. Demons invaded the territory where I live, and I had to wage war for one year and nine months. The reason I was able to see you all from time to time was that the fighting would occasionally lull. But the war has ended in victory. From now on, I’ll always be by your side, so please don’t worry."
He didn't feel like he was lying. That bastard demon pig Kim Jong-un had made him suffer for nearly two years. Since he'd even had to fight a demonic executive, this was a reasonable adaptation of the truth. If he told them the literal reality, they probably wouldn't believe it anyway, so he softened the details appropriately.
At those words, Saint Louis and the girls of the Iris and Vichya factions began to weep. Their god had promised to always be by their side. It was as if he had bestowed a single line of divine grace upon his humble servants! They were ecstatic, feeling as though they could now become angels serving their deity.
"Aaah... My Lord... Your humble servant Saint Louis... Please, just say the word. We are always listening..."
Leaving the weeping Iris and Vichya factions behind, the Commander was about to take another question when someone from the Eagle Union suddenly shot up her hand. When he looked over, he was delighted. The shipgirl was one of his absolute favorites.
"Big sis! Isn’t that Big Sis! Cleveland, biiiiig siiiis!"
Golden side-tails, red eyes, a small frame, but wearing a white cape that made her look dependable. And those shockingly revealing string panties—whew. Still, because Cleveland had such a great character, he called her "Big Sis" without a second thought.
"Big Sis! It’s so good to see you!"
"Commander, it’s me! Marry me!"
"Uh... Big Sis?"
"Commander, it’s me! Marry me!"
"Big Sis? That’s not okay, is it? I’m not a lolicon, am I?"
"Commander, it’s me! Marry me!"
Was this really Cleveland, the one shouting excitedly for marriage? The Big Sis he knew had always been so dependable! This was far too high-tension. He needed to calm her down first.
"Please calm down, Big Sis. I’ll talk about vows first, okay?"
"Then if you say that much, we’re getting married, right!? Right!? Ah! If that’s not enough, just say so! Let’s hold the ceremony with Montpelier too!"
"I-it’s not like I’m marrying you because I like the Commander or anything...! But if I’m getting married alongside Big Sis, then you should be grateful!"
Why are you acting like that too, Montpelier? And you’re in full heart-eyes mode, so there's zero credibility there. Still, this was a problem he needed to consider seriously. He was so poor that he had already given the only ring he'd won from an event to Enterprise, but perhaps marrying would boost morale. But did these girls actually feel that way about him? He decided to ask.
"Then, first question: who wants to marry me?"
He was an idiot for asking. The moment the words left his mouth, the auditorium exploded into chaos. It was like a wild party. He had truly become the most popular man in the room.
"Commander! Please vow with me! I’ll make sure you never have to lift a finger!"
"Get lost, bitch! I’m the one vowing first!"
"No! I’m first! Commander, I’ve already booked the honeymoon, so just say the word!"
Screaming and chatter filled the air.
Isn't this a bit too much fighting? He needed to quiet them down.
"Everyone! If you don’t quiet down, I can’t give you an answer about marriage! Please be quiet!"
The noise gradually settled, and the answer they craved hung in the air. What should he say? For now, a vague promise was best.
"If that’s how you all feel, then I will perform the vows... but I need to establish the criteria first, so I’ll announce them later."
What should I use as the criteria? Combat records? Level difference? There were too many possibilities; he'd need to think it over. He looked around the factions for the next question. A shipgirl from the Royal Navy raised her hand. Purple hair, a Unicorn plush in her arms, and wearing the idol Starlight outfit he had obtained from an event. Yep, that was her.
"Unicorn, hello? I’m really glad you like that outfit. It suits you very well."
"Uuuh... thank you, big brother."
Oh, how adorable. If he weren’t sitting here right now, he would have run down there to hug her immediately. For now, he focused on her question.
"Unicorn, is there something you’d like to say?"
"Um... big brother... could you maybe attend the Royal Navy tea party after this...? I want to drink tea together."
He hadn’t expected that. Behind her, Illustrious was smiling and waving. Still such a beautiful smile, Lusty. Queen Elizabeth and Warspite were staring at him too. Though their expressions were blank, the atmosphere clearly demanded his attendance.
"Yes, I’ll attend. But could you teach me proper tea etiquette?"
"Yes, of course, big brother...! Thank you so much!"
Unicorn’s eyes sparkled as she thanked him in a delighted voice. Ahhh, I’m being healed... The moment he agreed, the Royal Navy section erupted into activity.
"Now! Proud Royal Navy maids! Prepare tea and desserts worthy of the Commander! Do not disgrace this Queen Elizabeth!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Ohhh, so that’s a queen! And she didn’t call him a servant; she called him Commander. He felt a surge of happiness. It seemed everyone was doing well; Hood looked healthy, too.
"Hello, Hood?"
"Yes, Commander. I trust you are well? Heh, I’m looking forward to the tea party with you, Commander."
After greeting Hood, he decided to take one final question. He was starting to get hungry; lunchtime was approaching.
"Alright, I’ll take the last question now. Uh... you there from the Iron Blood fleet?"
Many shipgirls from the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood had raised their hands, but Iron Blood had been faster. The one he chose was Bismarck, who had shown a surprising "gap moe" side of herself this morning.
"Bismarck, I apologize for this morning. Of course, I think that side of you is cute, heh heh heh."
"W-what...! Commander! Don’t tease me!"
Bismarck was reminded of the morning's events, her face flushing deep red. Wasn't she adorable? Who would look at her and think she was the woman leading Iron Blood? To lighten the mood, Bismarck cleared her throat and asked her question.
"Ahem... ahem... Commander, I have something to ask. Will you... leave us... again...?"
It was the question he least wanted to hear, and the hardest to answer. It was true that he wasn't a permanent resident here. He had his own life and was a citizen of the real world where his parents lived. He still had no idea how he’d been dragged here, or how he was supposed to get out.
Everyone looked at him with pitiful eyes. It felt as if the hope they had finally found might vanish again, and they might just scuttle themselves into the sea this time. Should he tell them the truth? He didn't have the heart to deceive them, but he had to say something. Lies would only create greater despair later.
"I may disappear again someday. Of course, I may not be able to go back. But I don’t think it’ll be today."
"While I’m here, I intend to focus on all of you. Whether I’ll make many memories and leave, or stay here and live, no one knows. Not even me."
"So... I don’t really have much else to say. Take care, everyone."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned cold. Everyone? Please, say something. Then, he heard the sound of applause.
Clap.
Clap, clap.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
The thunderous applause made him feel a little better. Honestly, he had come prepared to be beaten up by the shipgirls, but it seemed they had accepted him. He didn’t know when he’d be able to return, but he’d do his best to get along with them.
"Thank you, everyone. I look forward to getting along with you all from here on out. Now then, let’s go eat lunch."
Just as the shipgirls were about to leave, he realized the Sakura Empire still hadn’t gotten their turn to ask a question. To be fair, he made a final announcement.
"Ah, and today I’ll be eating lunch with the Sakura Empire shipgirls."
Immediately, the Sakura Empire shipgirls rushed outside to prepare a feast for the Commander. Clatter, bang! Hey, everyone, please be careful!
"Eeeek! Mutsu! Hurry and follow me! This Nagato must prepare a delicious lunch for the Commander!"
"Okay, big sister!"
"Cough, cough... Kaga! Hurry and wake Akagi and bring her here! We can’t miss this chance!"
"Yes, Amagi! Akagi! Please wake up quickly! We can’t miss the chance to have lunch with the Commander!"
Clap, clap.
Akagi, still being slapped on the cheeks by Kaga, had yet to come to her senses. It seemed the mouth-to-mouth the Commander had given her had been interpreted as a passionate kiss.
Heeheehee, if the Commander wants, it’s fine to call the sisters and do it in front of everyone... heehee...
That thought suddenly crossed his mind. Had the three broadcast room girls already fought? He should go check before lunch. They probably hadn’t tried to kill each other, right? Ignoring the growling in his stomach, he took Tirpitz with him and headed up to the broadcast room.
Still, thank goodness. It ended well.
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