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

Page 25

"Miss Glorious?"

Belfast thought of her companion with a gentle, water-like temperament, and recalled the time when they fought the Sirens at sea.

Xu Huan arrived just as Guanghui was about to collapse.

"Yes, didn't the Commander help her before? She wants to take this opportunity to properly thank him..."

"Hmm... I'll find an opportunity to talk to Master about it. Given Master's personality, it shouldn't be a problem." Belfast thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Seeing Belfast's somewhat reluctant expression, Warspite chuckled and teased, "But if that's the case, won't you be able to slack off for a while? I think Illustrious is quite caring..."

"Serving my master is my duty, and there is no such thing as being lazy. Moreover, as long as my master is willing, everything will be based on my master's wishes."

"Really?"

"Okay, let's skip this topic."

Belfast glanced somewhat helplessly at Warspite, whose gossip-loving nature was burning brightly.

She and Xu Huan have a normal master-servant relationship, and she has only been in the port area for less than two days. How can it be said that the two of them have some special relationship?

"Has Ironblood made any moves lately?"

"Speaking of this..." Warspite's expression turned serious as he got down to business, picking up the documents on the table and saying, "Ever since learning of the Commander's situation, I've instructed my comrades currently on missions near the Sangvis Ferri waters to keep a close eye on the Sangvis Ferri's movements..."

Belfast was well aware of the reasons why war-weary did this.

Among the ship girls who came with Xu Huan, apart from those like Royal Fortune who posed little threat, there was also Hu Teng, a ship girl from Ironblood, who was the most difficult to deal with.

Judging from the timeline, Hu Teng should have been in contact with Xu Huan several days earlier than their royal family. If the Iron Blood faction knew about this, they would definitely take action.

"But strangely, according to the intelligence that was transmitted back, everything seems normal on the Ironblood side."

"Where's the submarine?"

The underwater ship girls of the Ironblood faction are simply not in the same league as those of the Royal Navy.

"We really can't control the intelligence on submarines... However, the enemy can't do anything big with just submarines, unless they can submerge all their surface ships at the same time like the Sirens in this attack. But based on what we know, Ironblood doesn't have any ship girls with that special ability yet."

After expressing his war weariness, he then came to a conclusion that sounded rather strange but, upon closer examination, made perfect sense:

"So I guess Hutten probably didn't inform the Ironblood Port about the commander."

What's strange is that Hu Teng didn't report any information about Xu Huan to Tie Xue. What's reasonable is that if Hu Teng were in their position, they might do the same.

Or rather, something similar is being done right now.

“It’s good that Ironblood hasn’t made any moves. Let’s buy as much time as possible… By the way, how many of our comrades in the port know about the Commander’s situation? How’s the information control?” Belfast then brought up one of her most pressing concerns.

The commander's arrival at Royal Navy was kept strictly confidential. Apart from the few ship girls he met at sea that day and those who often frequented the reception area, the entire Royal Navy was in a peaceful atmosphere, just like usual.

Those who know the information keep it to themselves, while those who don't carry out their tasks as usual.

Why keep the news a secret, even from their own people?

Naturally, this was to prevent the news from getting out and letting ship girls from other factions know about it; making money like this definitely had to be done secretly.

The royal family was aware of Xu Huan's special status and importance, and therefore took ample precautions.

"It's basically the same. His Majesty doesn't seem to be acting strangely... but Royal Fortune and Hutten frequently request to visit the Commander." Warspite thought of the two 'insiders' staying at the hotel and felt a headache coming on.

If this were a crime movie filmed by humans, the best solution would be to secretly get rid of the two of them.

However, the ship girls are far from being ruthless to each other, and this method cannot be hidden from Xu Huan.

"Royal Wealth should be alright; it doesn't have Ironblood backing it, and its own strength isn't that great... but the other one would be a bit more difficult to deal with."

"We can grant their request."

Belfast furrowed her beautiful brows, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Royal Fortune can't cause any trouble. I heard that she still hasn't changed her address for 'master' to 'commander'... As for Hutten, strictly speaking, she should be on our side now."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?" Warspite asked, somewhat curious.

"She hasn't told Ironblood about the master yet, has she? And just a short while ago, Dido told me that she saw Hu Teng secretly reading a book."

“If I’m not mistaken, her current thinking is probably influenced by what she’s read in books.” Belfast’s lips curled into a smile.

"That book is called 'A Study of Human Emotions,' which I left in the hotel. I know most of its contents."

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The young man sat at the dining table, completely relaxed, even his posture exuding a hint of laziness.

Smelling the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen and listening to the sizzling sound of hot oil, Xu Huan looked at the cross-stitch painting hanging on the wall in front of him. The throbbing pain in his brain caused by the reagent seemed to disappear at this moment, and his consciousness gradually flew back to the leisure time at home before he joined the army.

His favorite thing is to find a sunny afternoon, open the curtains, and then lazily lie on the sofa to welcome the warm evening sunlight, his nose filled with the scent of the sun, and then fall asleep without realizing it.

It wasn't until his parents had prepared the meal and the aroma of the food filled the entire house, reaching his nose, that he rubbed his eyes amidst laughter and scolding, got up, and went to enjoy the steaming dinner.

These scenes kept replaying in his mind for a long time after he joined the army.

Then, it was gradually replaced by high-intensity training and life-threatening tasks, filling my entire body and leaving me no time to rest.

"commander?"

Hearing a soft call in his ear, Xu Huan snapped back to reality, somewhat dazed.

Before him, a delicate face was now very close, so close that he could almost see the texture of the smooth skin. The pale green eyes, like crystals, looked at him with concern, and the young man could even see his reflection in them.

"Time to get up and eat!"

The girl had arched eyebrows and squinted her eyes.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Mapo Tofu

Xu Huan had heard his elders say that the aroma of Mapo Tofu is a mouthwatering complex fragrance, like a poem that passionately narrates the charm of Sichuan cuisine.

The rich aroma of fermented soybean paste blends with the deep fragrance of garlic and ginger, carrying a slightly salty and spicy flavor and a unique savory aroma, creating an irresistible and tempting scent. This aroma is also mixed with a hint of the numbing spiciness of Sichuan peppercorns, which, although not strong, is enough to trigger a slight tingling sensation on the tip of the tongue.

The plate of Mapo Tofu placed in front of me is a perfect example.

Aurora said that she doesn't actually know how to cook many kinds of Donghuang dishes, but they are all very presentable. As the saying goes, quality is more important than quantity, and today's table only has very ordinary home-style dishes.

“Commander... this is one of my specialties.” After serving the rice, Aurora rested her chin on her hands, sitting opposite Xu Huan, watching him intently.

"Considering the commander said he can handle spicy food quite well, I'll make it exactly as it is. Give it a try..."

Xu Huan scooped a spoonful into his mouth, chewed it lightly a few times, and then immediately ate a mouthful of rice.

"How about that...?"

"Uh-huh!!"

Xu Huan, ignoring the rice he hadn't yet swallowed, quickly nodded.

Starfish cans, roast meat, and the like couldn't compare to the plate of Mapo Tofu in front of him at that moment. It tasted very similar to what he remembered, but with slight differences. However, for Xu Huan, it was a long-awaited delicacy.

"Eat slowly, there's still plenty..." Aurora smiled sweetly and scooped a spoonful into her own bowl.

Savoring the burst of numbing sensation on her tongue, the tofu melts in her mouth with its delicate texture, smooth taste, and slight elasticity, like dancing on her tongue. The ship girl nodded in satisfaction.

Looks like my cooking skills haven't gotten worse...

For diners, sometimes a simple "mmm" is more genuine than a thousand words of praise for how delicious it is.

"I'm happy that the Commander likes me, but this dish is a bit different from what the Eastern Huang ship girls make. We don't have such good spices here, so I can only grow some myself..."

"Plant some? Aurora even has her own little vegetable garden?"

"I guess you could say that. I just tend to the garden after I finish tending to it every day... I grow a lot of the vegetables myself. Commander, you're welcome to come over often if you have time."

"Definitely, I won't leave even if you try to kick me out."

Xu Huan, shameless as ever, decided to come here often to freeload after finishing the Mapo Tofu.

The ship girl hadn't expected Xu Huan to agree so readily. She had only instinctively intended to exchange a few polite words, after all, the port was so large, and the commander must be very busy...

Because she has to take care of her own garden, her residence is relatively secluded, and she rarely interacts with other Royal Navy ship girls except when she needs to go out on missions.

However, if Xu Huan is willing, Aurora thinks it would be good if the house were more lively.

"Then the commander can come whenever he wants... Just treat this place like your own home. If you can't find me in the garden or at home, I'm basically out on a mission. And there are supplies at home—"

The girl was about to continue speaking when she suddenly hesitated for a moment.

"Why don't you continue talking?"

Xu Huan finished another bite of rice and looked up with some confusion.

"It's alright. If there's anything the Commander wants to eat in the future, you can tell me."

Aurora had considered giving Xu Huan the spare key to her house, but upon reflection, she realized that being too enthusiastic upon first meeting might bother him, so she decided against it.

"Ahem... To be honest, there are quite a few." Xu Huan scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Although he didn't know the specific reason, he felt very relaxed while he was with Aurora.

Not only can the body relax, but the mind that has been tense can also be relieved.

"It's alright, I'll try my best to meet the Commander's requests... Ah, Commander, don't move yet." The ship girl seemed to have noticed something.

"What?!" Xu Huan didn't know why, but he still subconsciously stopped what he was doing.

Aurora stood up, leaned forward slightly, and leaned her whole body toward the direction where Xu Huan was sitting.