How do I start a romantic relationship with a ship girl?

Page 10

Hu Teng asked the question with some nervousness, his breathing quickening slightly along with his heartbeat.

Normally, matters concerning the commander should be discussed after returning to the port area; it's inappropriate for me to bring it up now—it's too rash and blunt...

only--

She gently bit her lip with her silver teeth, leaving a faint mark.

Am I getting impatient? Or am I afraid the other person will run off to the Royal Family and never come back?

"It doesn't seem like it would do me any harm, does it?"

"Yes."

Xu Huan stretched lazily and snorted, "Then why not?"

For him now, ship girls are a collection of individuals with strong combat capabilities that he can win over, especially since there is also a threat on this planet called the Sirens, who are hostile to humanity.

Since I want to fight for it, and the other party needs my help, and I have plenty of mental energy myself, it doesn't seem like a losing proposition.

Most importantly, apart from having ship equipment, the other side is basically no different from humans.

Xu Huan has always had a favorable impression of humanoid beings.

"So--"

Upon hearing that Xu Huan did not object to his opinion, Hu Teng stood up abruptly, straightened his posture, and gave a very formal salute.

"I am Ulrich von Hutten, the Ironblood's former hope and regret... Commander."

"Well....?"

Xu Huan was caught off guard by the actions of the person opposite him, but judging from the salute and the serious expression on the other side, it must have been a very formal etiquette.

He quickly stood up and returned the greeting.

"...Xu Huan, please give me your guidance."

"Then, you will be my commander from now on."

Hu Teng successfully achieved her goal, her face still cold and aloof, revealing no emotion, except that her dark golden eyes softened slightly when she looked at Xu Huan.

"Then... acceptance?"

"I told you you were very strong, so I already passed the test when we first met."

As Hu Teng spoke, he extended his palm, and a slight smile finally appeared on his lips:

"Now, please give me your hand. I will guide you through the details of ship girl recognition and the specific process of amplifying mental energy. Once you are familiar with it, you won't need to go through all this trouble."

"Well, thank you for your help."

Xu Huan raised his hand and gently placed it on Hu Teng's palm.

The ship girl's palms were slightly cool, but her skin was very delicate, not at all like someone who had been through many battles.

Chapter Fourteen Connection

In contrast, Xu Huan's hands appeared somewhat rough, with many scars and calluses left from various training and battles.

It's not very aesthetically pleasing, but it has an indescribable impact.

It is a profound strength.

"Commander, now I understand the source of your immense power..."

Hu Teng looked at the hand resting in his palm, and his thumb couldn't help but rub the calloused knuckles gently with curiosity.

"I don't have time for skincare, please excuse the poor quality."

“There will be more in the future, but this is not bad either. However, I guess a lot of people will feel sorry for us when they see this…” Hu Teng finished speaking and slowly closed his eyes.

This was also the first time Xu Huan had seen Hu Teng's face at such close range.

Her eyes were upturned at the corners, her phoenix eyes were slightly narrow, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, constantly fluttering. The sunlight of the setting sun could even cast subtle reflections on them. Her thin lips were tightly closed, and her short hair reached her ears. She was a quintessential cold beauty.

"The Commander should be able to sense the mental energy within me now..."

The ship girl explained softly, and then a faint energy ball also appeared in Xu Huan's perception.

That is another dimension that does not belong to reality, a space belonging solely to psychic and mental energy.

"Hmm." Xu Huan nodded. "So what should I do now?"

"It's very simple... just input some of your mental energy into that place..." After completing the most basic connection, Hu Teng opened his eyes.

This is the most crucial step, directly determining the extent to which Xu Huan enhances the mental power of the ship girls.

"Sure, but how much do I need to enter?" Xu Huan asked.

He felt that the energy cluster over there couldn't possibly contain him entirely.

"Around one-tenth of the maximum control range, when we're in large-scale operations or on missions, a small team of about ten ship girls is the most common size..."

"One-tenth? Okay..."

Xu Huan nodded, and the mental energy within his body began to gradually surge.

The next second—

Hu Teng, who had maintained a cold expression, froze on the spot.

Her fair face gradually turned a deep crimson, and even her skin began to be covered with a light pink hue.

The ship's equipment began to deploy uncontrollably, and a look of pleasure flashed in its contemptuous yellow eyes.

"....What's wrong?"

Xu Huan frowned. Seeing Hu Teng's reaction, he immediately stopped inputting mental energy.

What a strange reaction... Is it because I'm doing something wrong?

"Ha...ha...ha...it's nothing...."

Hu Teng bent over, supporting himself on his knee with one hand, and took a long time to breathe deeply before slowly recovering.

She wiped her mouth, looked up, her face slightly flushed, and gazed at Xu Huan with an enigmatic look.

The golden vertical pupils carried a strong aggressiveness... or perhaps a kind of desire.

"So this is what it feels like to be a commander..." the ship girl murmured.

"Is something wrong? You seem to be having trouble controlling your emotions right now..."

Xu Huan spoke, already holding a tranquilizer in his hand. If the ship girl in front of him did anything irrational, he could immediately calm her down.

"It's okay... It's just that it's the first time I've been powered by you, so I'm a little unaccustomed to it... I'll get used to it."

Hu Teng forced himself to calm down, carefully sensed the energy within his body once more, and slowly spoke:

"I underestimated the strength of your mental energy, Commander... but it still feels pretty good, with a very noticeable boost..."

"But there seem to be noticeable side effects? Like what you just did... Are you really okay?"

Seeing that Hu Teng seemed to be alright, Xu Huan quietly put the tranquilizer he had just taken out back.

"The more active the mental energy within a ship girl, the stronger she will generally be... In other words, the higher her emotions rise, the stronger she will become." Hu Teng shook his head.

"It's a thrill that maximizes the release of inner emotions and allows for the unrestrained use of mental energy. It's easy to become addicted, and to some extent it does have some side effects, but ultimately it depends on each ship girl's personality..."

After explaining for a while, the ship girl remained silent before speaking again: "Commander, if you encounter Akagi Roon and the others in the future, don't readily provide them with supplies..."

“Akagi and Ron? I understand…” Xu Huan nodded.

Although I'm not entirely sure why, it's always good to write down the name first.

"Alright, this is the process of providing mental energy amplification for ship girls... If you become proficient in the future, you can supply mental energy remotely without physical contact."

“Thank you…”

After Xu Huan finished speaking, he looked at his hand, which was still resting on Hu Teng's hand, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should take the initiative to pull it back.

Looking up at the ship girl, he found that Hu Teng was also looking at him.

The two looked at each other.

a long time.

"Commander... you're being too polite."

Hu Teng spoke softly, slowly withdrawing his hand.

Just then——

The cabin door was pushed open, and Royal Fortune called out to the two people on the deck, "Dinner's ready, you two can go ahead for a bit—hmm?"

Just as the girl was about to continue speaking, she noticed that the two people at the bow of the boat were acting strangely and seemed a bit off.

Hu Teng's face was strangely flushed, her breathing was slightly rapid, and she looked as if she had just finished exercising, with steam seemingly rising from her head.

Xu Huan, on the other hand, appeared perfectly normal in appearance, except that his hand was inexplicably stretched out in mid-air and remained motionless.

The main issue is... the two of them are standing a little too close, aren't they? It's the kind of situation where a gentle push would send them kissing...

and--

The girl carefully sensed it and noticed a faint, lingering scent of mental energy in the air.