London didn't really care what ship Hikaru was about to bring out. Her thoughts had already wandered elsewhere. She glanced at Masaki, who was currently trying to help Novgorod find her bearings in the square. "Because of what happened today, so much of our finest work didn't get tasted. Commander…"
"I'll finish it all," Takeshi gently caressed London's cheek. "As long as it's made by you, I love all of it."
London shyly lowered her head. "Since you say that… then tonight, let me cook for you again. I recently discovered a new dish—Cockroach Soup, supposedly a housewife's invention from Sakurajima that slows aging. I'm thinking of adding my own touch. Remember the boy egg we had last time? I plan to boil the cockroaches in that broth. It wasn't easy to collect. I had to visit two or three elementary schools to find the cutest, purest…"
"…Actually, I have said things I didn't mean before… but never mind. I love all your cooking," Takeshi laughed softly, sealing her lips with his finger. "London, you'll never know just how much I love you."
The two were basking in their romantic moment when suddenly a wave of wailing erupted.
Takeshi's heart tensed. Hikaru must have come out with his shipgirl.
Judging by the cries, it was a capital ship.
He squinted toward the warehouse door.
It was unmistakable—walking hand-in-hand with Hikaru was a new face, radiating power from head to toe. That outfit with the Teutonic cross left no doubt about her identity.
A shipgirl from Germany!
The crowd surged forward.
"Big bro, sell me your construction blueprint!"
"Big bro, how are you so amazing? Can I touch you?"
"Kuramoto-san, we're from the same hometown! Show some love!"
A glint of red flashed in Tirpitz's eyes. Her face turned cold as she let out a sharp shout: "Get lost!"
A wave of icy air spiraled out from her, freezing the entire crowd in place. The air itself seemed to shatter with crackling sounds. Behind her, three massive cannons materialized, their black muzzles aimed as if pressing against everyone's skulls, making their hair stand on end.
California and Elizabeth were the closest. Even though Tirpitz wasn't targeting them, both of them were visibly shaking.
The difference was that Elizabeth trembled in pure awe, while California's fear was tinged with admiration.
It wasn't Hikaru's first time seeing a high-level shipgirl assert dominance. The last time had been Yamato.
"I really don't have any more blueprints," Hikaru shrugged smugly. "If I had more, I'd sell them to you first thing. As you can all see, I'm not lacking shipgirls."
He gave a nod to Takeshi. "Takeyama-san, one hundred thirty million. The Suisei is yours."
Takeshi waved his hand. "One hundred sixty million. I admit defeat. I acknowledge you as the eternal lucky emperor."
Hikaru laughed and gestured to Fletcher to hand over the Suisei dive bomber.
At his command, Tirpitz retracted her rigging.
Knowing the situation was getting out of hand, Hikaru pocketed the bank card Takeshi handed over and made a clean exit with his group.
No one dared stop them under North Queen's glare. All they could do was swarm Masaki, squeezing and pinching him in a frenzied attempt to absorb his luck while speculating whether Hikaru's new shipgirl was Bismarck, Tirpitz, Hindenburg, or another legendary German vessel.
Any one of those names would make the entire Naval Command sit up and take notice.
Even after leaving the academy gates, Fletcher was still in a daze.
She was counting on her fingers. "One hundred sixty million… Commander, we just made one hundred sixty million today."
Elizabeth, who had just come to her senses, heard the number and spaced out again, imagining all the food she could buy with that money.
"Relax," Hikaru smiled. "This is just seed money for my bigger plan."
Lexington, curious, squeezed his other hand. "Commander, you've never told us what your plan is."
"One—establish the world's most powerful and glorious naval district. Two—make sure everyone in the district is filled with joy and happiness every day."
It sounded like a lot, but divided among all his shipgirls, it wasn't even 1.6 million yen each. It was a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of developing an island base or renovating a "glorious and radiant" naval district.
Tirpitz snorted. "Doing this to atone for your sins?"
Lexington happily leaned closer. "That's wonderful. I'll help you make it happen, just like we did before."
Carrying the resource crate, California couldn't help but ask, "Tirpitz-senpai, uh, what rigging are you using?"
"I'm curious too," came a voice from the shadows. A white-haired woman with a cigarette in her mouth stepped out, hands in her black trench coat pockets, raising an eyebrow. "What I'm more curious about is how someone like you keeps casually pulling top-tier shipgirls like they're nothing."
Tirpitz's eyes narrowed as her rigging flared again, eight barrels locking onto Yamato. "Ya-ma-to!"
Hikaru quickly stopped her. "Calm down. She's an ally."
"She's probably just overreacting from beating up Yamato too many times," Hikaru 'gently' explained as he lifted their interlocked hands. "Let me introduce you—this is Tirpitz, my wife."
A silver ring sparkled on Tirpitz's left ring finger.
Yamato's eyelid twitched. "Is every shipgirl your wife now?"
Hikaru shrugged. "You didn't come here just to make small talk, right? What's the real reason, Eastern Fleet Commander Yamato? You're not just here to mooch off my cooking, are you?"
Yamato flicked away her cigarette and squinted at him. "Construction blueprints, development blueprints… they're real?"
"Absolutely."
Yamato sucked in a breath. "You're telling me this is abyssal tech? Don't joke around. If they can mass-produce this stuff, we might as well surrender."
Hikaru put on his most sincere expression. "I got these from a special abyssal supply ship. Only I can detect it, and it produces exactly one construction and one development blueprint every month. Look at my honest face—do you believe me?"
Yamato clenched her jaw.
"Honestly, you're nothing but a massive headache. Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out?"
Hikaru thought to himself, With Lexington on my left and Tirpitz on my right, the world is my playground. But outwardly, he flattered her, "I trust you. I trust all of you, especially you. Shipgirls are all good people."
Yamato let out a dry laugh and leaned in. "You're really telling me they can't mass-produce these?"
Thinking about the hundreds of blueprints stored in his inventory, Kuramoto answered confidently, "They absolutely can't."
Yamato seemed to be convincing herself. "If they can't mass-produce them, blaming it on the abyssal… might actually be acceptable?"
Hikaru instantly caught on. "Exactly! This is the abyssal's conspiracy! We need more resources, more support, or else when they do start mass-producing these blueprints, we're all doomed!"
It was political posturing—perfectly understandable. After all, the Naval Command needed resources, achievements, and propaganda.
But Yamato wasn't done yet.
"From now on, for every blueprint you sell, you must sell another to us at a 20% discount. Deal?"
Hikaru was all too happy to agree. "Let's make it simpler. I'll sell directly to you in secret. You get the fame and fortune, and I get peace of mind."
It was a temporary arrangement until his fleet grew strong enough to monopolize the market. But for now, partnering with Naval Command was the smart move.
Yamato thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine. Contact Elizabeth or Yat Sen when you have something. They'll get in touch with me."
Elizabeth stuck out her tongue, knowing she was just a glorified errand girl.
"Alright, back to the real question—what exactly is Tirpitz's rigging?"
Hikaru whispered something to Tirpitz, who reluctantly answered:
"Prototype Quadruple 41cm Main Gun, Prototype 48cm Twin Gun, Long-Barrel 46cm Twin Gun, Type 1 Armor-Piercing Shell."
Yamato stood there in shock. "All Japanese gear?! You're a German shipgirl! That's outrageous! What about justice?!"
These three guns were some of the best five-star gear available, boasting firepower boosts of +28, +27, and +27 respectively. But their real value lay in their bonus attributes—combined, they added 18 points of anti-air, had extra-long range, and a 30% anti-air buff.
In battle, this meant Tirpitz's anti-air bonus wasn't just 18—it was nearly 24, comparable to equipping two top-tier six-star AA guns.
Historically, both Germany and Japan were notorious for their weak anti-air capabilities. But with this loadout, Tirpitz's AA rating was pushing 90, turning her supposed weakness into a strength.
Of all the shocking things Hikaru had done—producing miracle blueprints didn't faze Yamato, but seeing this rigging made her genuinely jealous.
After all, blueprints were meaningless to her, but powerful gear was every shipgirl's dream.
[End of Chapter]
[50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]