Hikaru snuggled closer to Tirpitz's swan-like neck, nibbling on her ear as he whispered, "You know, my favorite game is called Conquering Tirpitz. Why? Because my favorite character in it… is you."
Tirpitz's voice trembled, weak and soft. "You're ridiculous… I've already put on the ring you gave me…"
Her ears flushed red. Hikaru couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or heat.
Possessed by some devilish impulse, Hikaru gave her earlobe a playful lick, then quickly rubbed their cheeks together before she could get too angry.
"Even if I've forgotten the past, what matters is the days we spend together from now on, right? I want to hold your hand, and walk this road with you."
Tirpitz's face turned bright red, heating up like a furnace. "You're awful."
"Between husband and wife… there are far worse things than this."
A thought crossed Hikaru's mind, making him laugh softly.
Tirpitz lowered her head. "What's so funny?"
"I'm laughing at myself," Hikaru replied while gently running his fingers through Tirpitz's pink hair to keep it from getting tangled. "I used to think I was a cold person. I believed it was better to drift apart than to cling to meaningless relationships. When I went to high school, I cut ties with my middle school friends. After college, I treated it like a brand-new life. I thought I didn't need anyone. I even used to look down on people who acted all clingy. I never imagined I'd turn into someone like this… I sound like a lovesick puppy."
Tirpitz replied seriously, almost too seriously, "If I weren't your marriage ship, I would've broken your hands already. You're not a puppy—you're a creep."
Hikaru lowered his head to look into her eyes. "But I do love you, Tirpitz. After seeing all those memories of steel, I only wanted one thing—to make sure you, my lonely Queen of the North, are never alone again."
"They always say a Commander has to resonate with the steel's memory, but really… what memory does steel even have? All these feelings… they're just your own imagination."
"But isn't it that same imagination that brought you to me?" Hikaru smiled. "We're fated, you and I."
Tirpitz fell silent again, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"If I didn't truly love you, why would I act like this? Tirpitz… I want to be your fool forever."
"Stop… it's embarrassing."
Hikaru gently stroked her ear again and whispered, "So, my dear wife… do you want me to be your fool?"
Tirpitz whimpered softly, closing her eyes as her body stiffened.
Hikaru trailed his hand down her ear, to her neck, and stopped just short of her lips. His breath tickled her skin as he whispered, "May I kiss you?"
Tirpitz opened her eyes in frustration. "You've already done so much… and you're asking now?"
"Cuddling, kissing, whispering… they're all ways to grow closer. I've been away for too long… so let me make it up to you with a thousand kisses. This is the first one. Let's start with an hour-long kiss."
Hikaru wrapped her tightly in his arms and kissed her tenderly.
Tirpitz stared blankly, her mind melting into sweetness and warmth, feeling like she was floating. She couldn't tell where she was anymore.
She was completely inexperienced when it came to kissing. This was her very first. Meanwhile, Hikaru had already become skilled thanks to all the time he'd spent with Lexington. As soon as their lips met, Tirpitz quickly surrendered, letting out soft little whimpers through her nose.
An hour later, Hikaru gently pecked her lips again. "That's one down… nine hundred ninety-nine to go. It's a promise."
Tirpitz, dazed and blushing furiously, nearly broke down in tears. "Let go… my clothes are all damp now."
Hikaru shamelessly touched her again, making her shiver. "They're already dry enough. No need to change."
"Take your hands out of my shirt…"
"No way. You're too cute. You're my wife, and I'm never letting you go."
As he spoke, he mischievously squeezed her again, making her tremble all over.
"…Fine. I'm going to sleep now," Tirpitz muttered as she nestled into his arms. "You're really not leaving?"
"I'm not leaving."
Tirpitz softly hummed and closed her eyes.
A moment later—
"Let go of me. I can't sleep like this."
…
The next morning, Hikaru woke to the sound of knocking.
"Commander, time for training! You promised!" California's voice came from outside.
Tirpitz was still peacefully asleep in his arms, looking like an angel.
Hikaru had made a promise last night, just like he'd promised to kiss her for a full hour—and he kept that promise.
He carefully pulled his hand out from under her pajamas, twirling his fingers and sniffing them like a pervert. They still carried her warmth.
He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm going for morning practice with that dummy. I'll be back in an hour for breakfast. Be good and wait for me."
After quietly getting dressed and slipping out the door, Tirpitz opened her eyes.
She touched her lips, still feeling the lingering warmth.
It was real. Her Commander, her husband, had truly returned to her. She'd never felt so close, so real.
He'd stolen her first kiss the moment they met again… and kissed and touched her all night.
It was shameless and indecent—but her heart felt so full it could burst.
Tirpitz flushed again, pulling the blanket over her head.
…
Hikaru jogged out of the house with California, today's exercise being running.
He was starting to think these morning sessions were pointless. He should be snuggled up in bed with his wife, not wasting an hour running around like an idiot.
Before he could voice his protest, California proudly announced, "Commander! Thanks to our training, I've gotten stronger again!"
"Oh? What did you improve?"
Shipgirl self-training was hard. The quickest way to improve was through actual combat, but there wasn't much fighting outside of frontline bases. That left personal training as the only option.
California held up two fingers proudly. "Two points! One in evasion, one in armor!"
Hikaru nodded in approval. "That's impressive. Not easy at all."
According to the manuals, even a single point of improvement took months of effort—especially for high-level ships or battleships. California's progress was almost unbelievable.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to you, Commander. You trained me."
Though Hikaru knew most of the credit belonged to Lexington and the others, it still felt good to hear. He smirked. "Alright, out with it. What do you want?"
California pouted. "You make me sound so selfish! I'm not just asking for things all the time."
Hikaru snorted. "If you don't say it now, I'll pretend I never heard anything."
California's expression shifted to one of fake pleading. "It's just… like I said last night… I really, really want to try out Tirpitz's gear. I feel itchy all over just thinking about it."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Fletcher already explain this to you? Once Missouri arrives, you'll have your pick of top-tier cannons."
California grabbed his arm, swaying like a spoiled child. "Please, Commander~"
Hikaru couldn't resist when girls acted cute—especially when California, a textbook blonde beauty, looked at him like that.
He cleared his throat. "Alright, but only if you agree to two conditions."
California puffed out her chest proudly. "Name them!"
"First, once we have our own base, you're going to open a 'California Inn' there and be the boss."
"…What kind of weird idea is that?"
"It'll be fun."
California thought about it. "Okay, but you have to be the bartender. Or maybe a cowboy."
"I'm the one making the demands here, you know?"
"Fine, fine. What's the second?"
"Call me big brother."
California blushed. "I treat you like a little brother, and now you want me to call you big brother?"
Hikaru adjusted his pace and gave her a sly look. "I'm sure Fletcher is rubbing off on you."
"Liar," she muttered under her breath, then mumbled, "…Big… Brother…"
"Louder! I can't hear you."
California glared. "Don't push your luck. I said it."
"I didn't hear it, so it doesn't count."
"Well, I did say it, so too bad!"
While they bickered, several men in black suits appeared from around the corner.
Hikaru stopped and grabbed California's arm. "They're here for us."
California looked confused—she was only a month old, after all, with no real-world experience.
The men in black approached quickly, surrounding Hikaru as if to block any chance of escape.
The leader was a middle-aged man with a square, honest face.
"You're Commander Kuramoto Hikaru?"
"I am. What, you waited here all morning just for me?"
The man gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm just following orders. I'm Wakayama Shogo, Central District Commander. Because of the 'construction blueprint' you promoted yesterday, higher-ups have sent us to investigate."
He flashed his ID—LV97 Commander. "So, how about it? Care to cooperate?"
"Pretty sure only the Shipgirl Military Police have the authority to arrest me."
"This isn't an arrest—don't get the wrong idea. We're just inviting you to come with us." Wakayama gestured behind Hikaru. "Besides, this is a joint investigation."
Hikaru glanced back to see a small girl wearing a military police officer's cap. She looked familiar. On closer inspection, he realized it was Ying Rui, the C-class light cruiser shipgirl he'd seen back at the harbor when he first arrived.
Ying Rui's face was emotionless, unreadable.
Wakayama smiled warmly. "She's cute, right? I've always wanted to recruit her. Actually, I should thank you. If not for yesterday, I wouldn't have gotten this close to her."
Hikaru replied with exaggerated sincerity, "I heard she's a famous yandere. Be careful not to break her heart—if you do, you'll regret it."
"Thanks for the advice," Wakayama replied, still smiling. "Alright, let's get going. The sun's about to rise."
It was just past six in the morning. The horizon had already begun to brighten with the first light of dawn.
Hikaru and Wakayama stood face to face, in the darkness just before the day began.
[End of Chapter]
[50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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