The Divine Throne of Shipgirls

Hikaru slid his seat back a little and leaned toward Lexington. "What a perfect soap opera setup. Too bad the roles should be reversed."

Lexington rolled her eyes at him and whispered back, "I think we're the real youth drama. Yamato and this Marshal Shun… sunset romance, huh?"

Crack!

Yamato crushed a chunk of wood from her chair with her bare hand—but that was all. She didn't even bother turning her head to scold them.

Shun smiled meaningfully. It seemed this Kuramoto was no ordinary officer. Gossiping about one's superior at this range? Not afraid of future payback?

Hikaru was speechless. He gave his wife's delicate little hand a gentle squeeze. Damn, she had a surprisingly sharp tongue.

Yamato… she'd obviously been in this world a very, very long time. Someone who could dare pursue her had to be a seasoned, powerful man like Shun. Anyone lower simply wouldn't have the qualifications. Sure, the Senior Marshals and even the Fleet Admiral had the power—but most of them were already old and frail, no longer in their prime.

Still, calling it a "sunset romance" was pretty savage. This wife of his really needed some discipline.

Holding her soft hand, Hikaru sighed a little. They'd be living aboard ship for a while, clearly without the luxury to bully her properly… what a shame.

At some point, Wakayama Shogo had strolled over and clapped Hikaru on the shoulder. "We're supposed to be saving the world here, not flaunting your love life. Try to act serious."

Looking around, Hikaru had to admit he had a point. Lexington was dazzling, and his Mid-Captain insignia was too eye-catching. The two of them holding hands and chatting like this really did look like a couple showing off. It was a bit much.

"Saving the world, huh? Once is enough," Hikaru smiled. "Haven't you gotten tired of it yet?"

Wakayama shrugged. "Ask me again once I make it to Marshal."

This was the second time Shun found himself surprised by Hikaru. Even Shogo could casually joke around with him? There was no way this kid's status could be explained by just being a Mid-Captain. Not a chance.

Could it be that his shipgirl was exceptionally rare and powerful?

The girl sleeping in his arms—who was she? The one with the cat ears beside him was clearly a light cruiser, but could that gentle beauty wearing a wedding ring be the one? Absolutely stunning, sure, but she didn't look like a top-tier shipgirl.

There were only a handful of true six-star shipgirls: Shinano, Missouri, Wisconsin, Lion, Hindenburg… each with distinct presence and aura. None of them were the soft, delicate type like that woman.

If she was a five-star shipgirl… well, most of the veterans in this hall had high-level five-stars. A Junior or Mid-Captain might own one, but how far could he realistically train her? He was still twenty years away from catching up to their level.

Before Shun could dwell on it further, Wakayama stepped up and struck up a conversation with him.

Lexington elbowed Hikaru and winked.

He thought it over and got it—ah, so that was it. These two men were both interested in Yamato. Both wanted to recruit her, one openly and one in secret.

Was Yamato that desirable? Hikaru glanced at her a few times. Well… body-wise, at least, she was a perfect ten.

Yamato turned her head. "What are you staring at? Look at your wife."

Lexington immediately hugged him. "Ooh, our Commander's getting bored of me already. I'm not enough for him anymore~ Yamato, why don't you join us? I'll even let you be the First Concubine."

Yamato's face darkened just as a jarring, static-filled voice crackled through the hall.

"…To all citizens: With the heaviest of hearts… we must announce… the failed strike against Abyssal Barbarossa… skies dyed in blood… though we take some small comfort…"

It was an official message to all military and civilian personnel.

Such a catastrophic operation required an explanation—and fast. Otherwise, panic and rumors would spiral out of control. The coastal regions were already on edge from the recent Abyssal assault, and things could quickly devolve into large-scale unrest.

So the announcement needed to do more than clarify the facts. It had to bolster morale, emphasize the operation's partial successes, and remind everyone not to lose faith in ultimate victory.

But the brutal truth of a defensive war was this: if you lost your naval supremacy, there might be no turning back. That was how Africa and Australia had already fallen.

Calling this battle a fight for the fate of the nation… was no exaggeration.

[End of Chapter]

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