How long had I been walking with Yui? Before I knew it, a gigantic cafeteria came into view. No, not just gigantic—it was absolutely enormous. I’d never seen a cafeteria this huge in my life. I stood there, staring with my mouth hanging open, and Yui laughed before explaining it to me.
"Husband, didn’t you build all of this? Didn’t you say that if the ships’ welfare was taken care of, it would help with the development of the seas? Have you forgotten that every building here was paid for out of your own pocket?"
"Oh, is that so? I never imagined it would be built this beautifully, though. Haha."
So that was how it worked. When I leveled up in the game, the building expansions I’d completed to remove the cap on resource gains had been applied here as well. Thank goodness I’d maxed everything out. Still, were the girls missing anything? I hoped not.
"Then, Yui, were there any inconveniences the other ships felt?"
"Well... when I tried to tell you, you disappeared, so I couldn’t say anything. I’m truly sorry..."
"Huh? No, no, that’s not something you need to apologize for. It’s my fault. You don’t need to be sorry. Once I’m officially assigned to work later, please let me know. I’ll do everything I can."
I comforted Yui, who had grown gloomy, and stepped into the cafeteria. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior had suggested, but it still felt different from what I’d imagined. Bustling voices, savory aromas, a clean interior design, a spotless kitchen, round tables for eight, and meal ticket counters. Ah, right—since ships from multiple factions lived here, it made sense that the food would vary by faction. This was a real bargain; I’d get to eat food from all over the world right here.
Seeing the ships eating happily made me feel genuinely proud. I really had taken care of their welfare after all. Thank goodness. As I looked around for the Sakura Empire ships I’d promised to eat with, I heard someone running toward me from a distance.
"Commander♥"
Taptaptaptap—tap!
I looked to see who was rushing over. Was it her? As expected, it was Akagi. Nine brown tails, pointed fox ears, glossy black hime-cut hair, ruby-red eyes, and that sweet, refined voice that could only be described as the perfect image of a proper lady. She wore a black coat embroidered with dark flowers, and her white outfit with a red skirt emphasized her voluptuous, sensual figure while reflecting her fiery personality.
She was charging straight at me. I was wondering whether I should accept her hug or not when Yui stepped in front of me, blocking Akagi from throwing herself at me. Seeing Yui obstruct her path to the Commander, Akagi began radiating a palpable killing intent. Yui responded in kind.
"What is this insect? Heh... To think you’d dare try to stop me from approaching the Commander? I was willing to overlook you because you’re his first oath, but what is this behavior? Move aside while I’m still speaking nicely, insect. Or would you like me to send you to join your sisters?"
"Shut up, you fox temptress. How dare you openly stand beside my husband and encourage adultery? Go back and guard your own place, you fool. Or would you like to be sunk by me again?"
"Uuuhuhu... AHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU BITCHHHHHHH!"
It looked like Akagi and Yui were about to deploy their rigging. Behind Akagi, red foxfire began transforming into aircraft, while Yui nocked an arrow and aimed it squarely at Akagi. Hmm, if I ate in this atmosphere, I’d probably lose my appetite. Just as I was about to intervene in the icy tension, reinforcements arrived.
"Akagi-nee. Please stop there. We cannot afford to waste any more time. The more time passes, the less time we have to spend with the Commander."
"Calm yourself, Akagi. Would you have the food we prepared with such care for the Commander go cold? Now, you should calm down as well, Enterprise."
It was Akagi’s older sister, Amagi, and her sworn sister, Kaga.
Both were foxgirls like Akagi, but while Amagi resembled Akagi, she was the complete opposite of Kaga in every way. Amagi differed from Akagi primarily in her neat kimono and purple eyes, whereas Kaga was the inverse of Akagi in every respect: white tail and ears, white hair, a white coat, a blue skirt, and blue eyes.
Amagi was her biological sister, but apparently, because of her condition, she never received the aircraft carrier retrofit; those parts went to Kaga instead, turning her into a carrier. What a faithful adaptation. Still, I had to be grateful; it was beyond my current ability to stop those two on my own.
"Thank you, Kaga, Amagi. Have you both been well?"
I had used them the most back when I played Azur Lane, and I was especially fond of them. Akagi and Kaga had taken me over 300 tries on 3-4 to finally obtain, so they meant more to me than just units. As for Amagi, her sickly-girl trait had hit me right in the heart, so I remembered using her constantly in my second fleet.
"Aaaah... Commander. It has been so long. I, Amagi, am overjoyed to see you again, heh heh heh."
"It’s been a while, Commander. I’m truly happy to meet you again, heh."
The two women greeted me warmly. I could clearly feel the happiness and joy in their smiles. *Krrr, they really are like the ideal Japanese ladies—are all Sakura Empire ships like that?* Honestly, I’d been most fixated on the fox ears, but this wasn’t bad either. I then greeted Akagi again.
"Hello, Akagi. It’s been a while."
When I called her name, Akagi instantly dispersed the killing intent she’d been emitting and looked at me with a wide, delighted smile. But there was also a faintly seductive air to it. As expected of a certified yandere! I. Love. Yanderes. So. Much.
"Aaaah! Commander! I, Akagi, have been waiting for you day and night! It was worth waiting in the belief that you would come! I’ve been waiting for this day all along. I’ve been waiting for the day you’d finally take Akagi, heh♥"
Was she really that happy? Watching Akagi twist her body in excitement made me feel a little sober. And beside me, I could feel Yui’s killing intent rising again. I needed to sort this out fast.
"All right, everyone, let’s go eat. I’m hungry."
"Yes! Please enjoy the proud cuisine of the Sakura Empire that we prepared for you!"
Akagi grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward the table where the food had been prepared. Sure enough, the table was full of what looked like Japanese food from my world, and more importantly, it all looked delicious. But... please, let Akagi not have put anything weird in it!
When I looked to the side, I saw familiar faces. Starter ship Ayanami, Nagato, Mutsu, Takao, Atago, Mikasa, Zuikaku, Kawakaze, and more. All the Sakura Empire ships I’d built were gathered here.
"It’s been a while, everyone. Have you been well?"
At that, they all started talking over one another. *Please, one at a time. There are too many of you—I can’t even tell who’s speaking.*
"Welcome back, Commander. Ayanami is very happy."
"Ohhh! Welcome back, Commander! I knew you would return! Was it not you who brought me here? Hurry up and take responsibility!"
"Commander, hello! I’m so happy!"
"Welcome back, Commander! At last, I can become the blade that protects you. I am truly overjoyed!"
"Ufufu, Commander? You kept this big sister waiting for so long. Later, I’ll make sure to punish you properly, okay?♥"
"Welcome back, Commander. This Mikasa will devote herself body and soul to serving you!"
"Ahaha, Commander, welcome! Let’s have some fun together later, shall we?"
"Allow me to congratulate your return, Commander. Would you care to go fishing with me later?"
The rest of the Sakura Empire ships must have been eating further back. Were they pushed out by the crowd? *Sorry, girls. I’ll come see you later, krrgh!* Once I sat down and looked around, I noticed ships from other factions staring at us with obvious envy. Their eyes looked ready to burst into flames. *Girls, let’s make time to eat together later too.*
After I sat down, the other ships also took their seats. Naturally, Yui sat on my right. And on my left, of course, sat Akagi. It felt like they both had some kind of scheme in mind, but I was too hungry to care and just wanted to eat the food in front of me. The steaming dishes looked like they were practically begging me to eat them. Fine, I’ll take the bait!
"Master, I shall taste the food first to check whether it has been poisoned."
Before I knew it, Belfast had appeared in a spotless uniform and offered to taste the food first. Akagi, sitting beside her, widened her eyes and started talking as if this were the most outrageous nonsense imaginable.
"Oh? What is this insect maid saying? Are you seriously suspecting that I put something harmful into the food the Commander will eat?"
"No. I suspect that you’ve put your filthy impurities into the food Master will eat, and I intend to sacrifice myself so that they do not enter Master’s mouth and contaminate him. You filthy, repulsive fox woman."
"Now, now, calm down, Belfast. There’s no way Akagi would put anything weird in it, right? Right, Akagi?"
I soothed Belfast, who was about to make the atmosphere even more hostile, and asked Akagi again. She really hadn’t put anything weird in it, right? Even asking made me uneasy. I was genuinely afraid I’d experience something horrific in real life.
"Yes♥ I’ve filled it with Akagi’s infinite love for the Commander♥ Please don’t listen to the words of that insect maid and enjoy your meal♥"
I’ll believe you, Lady Akagi! Then—
"Thank you for the meal."
"""""Thank you for the meal."""""
At last, it was time to eat. I was starving. First, I scooped up some of the delicious-looking miso soup with my spoon and put it in my mouth. The moment I did—
"It’s... too salty?"
It was far saltier than I expected. Was it always like this? After a few more spoonfuls, it was clearly way too salty. Had they messed up the seasoning? But there was also a faint metallic taste. It wasn’t like they’d put spinach in it, either... Curious beyond reason, I asked Akagi.
"Um... Akagi...? The soup tastes a little salty. What did you use as seasoning?"
Please, let it not be what I’m thinking! But there was no god to save me. Hearing my question, Akagi flushed red, cupped her cheeks with both hands, and spoke in a sultry voice.
"I added a part of myself? Aaaah, Akagi’s blood is flowing into the Commander’s body! Now the Commander and I can become one. Aaaah, I’m so, so happy, Commander♥"
Oh my God. I really hadn’t expected her to actually do it.
The lunch roulette starts now.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register