Takao grinned and jabbed, "Thirteen reserve Admirals—one more than last year, in fact. And you, old man Kamizawa, are the last person qualified to call anyone 'unlucky.'"
As the saying goes, you don't hit a man where it hurts… unless you're close friends, in which case you go for the kill. Every word from Takao stabbed right into Kamizawa's sore spots.
Kamizawa's face flushed red. He tried to argue back with lines like "what looks black to the eye isn't always black," or "a gold-tier destroyer is just as good as a blue-tier battleship." Their exchange filled the air with raucous laughter.
Meanwhile, out in the plaza, the shipgirl summonings were wrapping up. One by one, the successful new Admirals entered the building with their newly-awakened shipgirls.
All eyes were drawn to a woman with a strong military presence, unmistakably a commissioned officer from the Defense Ministry's training program, walking almost drunkenly, blushing and light-headed like she'd won the lottery.
She was carrying a small girl in her arms—slender, doll-like, wearing a form-fitting black wetsuit. There was no mistaking it: this was the infamous Toire-zakana, the "toilet fish" Kamizawa had been gritting his teeth over.
Submarines were the most fragile type of shipgirls. A single well-placed depth charge could sink them. And yet, in critical missions, they were the ones tasked with assassination runs through the heart of enemy fleets—silent predators slipping underwater to launch deadly torpedo strikes at deep sea flagships, many of which lacked effective anti-submarine defenses.
That thought reminded Hikaru of his quest to complete a sortie. He turned to Kamizawa to ask, but the man was already waving him off and heading for the stage.
Takao leaned over, his eyes locked on the submarine girl, a mix of jealousy and awe on his face. "Did you know? That Toire-zakana even awakened with a 533mm Magnetic Torpedo—gold-tier equipment, +12 Torpedo, +4 Accuracy. It's stronger than almost anything a destroyer can carry."
Hikaru shrugged. "Yeah, but that's sub-only gear. A destroyer can't even equip it. Wait—did she come with the toilet, too?"
"She sure did. They asked all the usual questions during her summon interview. She's got the infamous toilet as well—purple-tier Kriegsmarine Naval Toilet, Luck minus five."
The two exchanged wicked grins.
A Luck -5 piece of equipment was basically a cursed item in fantasy terms—never mind that it was a literal toilet.
When shipgirls awaken, there's a good chance they'll come with innate, unique gear—anywhere from one to four items. Most only awaken with one or two. The "Toire-zakana" got her name from history: U-1206, a German sub outfitted with a cutting-edge deep-sea high-pressure toilet system. It was meant to reduce detection risk, but it was so complicated it required trained operation. A valve error caused a flood of wastewater into the sub, forcing the crew to abandon ship—three crew members died in the open sea. Thus the nickname "toilet fish" was born, and her in-game Luck stat was a measly 5.
The incident left such a lasting impression that shipgirl U-1206 had a chance to awaken with that exact toilet. Of course, it was brand-new and unused, but the urban legend persisted. Collectors would pay a fortune for it.
Despite the jokes, U-1206 was a supremely cute shipgirl. And that purple-tier toilet, if dismantled, could yield valuable resources—worth its weight to the right buyer.
Once the ceremonial music ended, the speeches began—same as they had for millennia. The leader on stage delivered a rousing address:
"You are the chosen ones! The stars of this era...!"
The new reserve Admirals beamed with pride. With only a one percent success rate on Sanctified Build Day, they truly were the chosen few.
Of course, none of them would ever admit it was luck. They'd say it was all their own effort.
Hikaru tuned out the platitudes. His thoughts wandered elsewhere.
A gold-tier 533mm Magnetic Torpedo? In reality, it was a barely reliable WWII-era magnetic-fuse torpedo used by German subs. Modern tech had long surpassed it. But in this world, technology no longer led the times. Shipgirls dominated the oceans. Any equipment imbued with supernatural elements outperformed conventional weapons—especially against abyssal monsters. And as shipgirls grew stronger, their gear did too.
Speaking of gear, Hikaru suddenly remembered—his own shipgirl's loadout wasn't half bad. Thanks to years of farming with his "Six Torp Team," he had full sets of rainbow-tier B-25 bombers and torpedoes.
He glanced at the girl beside him and patted her head. "Glowworm, what gear do you have on you?"
Glowworm made a face. "Commander, you're the worst! Making a little girl headbutt stuff every day—what if I go bald? It'll all be your fault!"
Hikaru blinked. Gear and baldness? Wait... no way. Oh god, he remembered now!
…
After the endless speeches, came the issuing of Admiral ID cards and the formal awarding of military ranks, followed by signing contracts with the Academy.
Hikaru followed Takao onto the stage. Glowworm clung to his pants and followed closely.
While the event sounded solemn, the mood was surprisingly light—mostly because the newly born shipgirls were all so lively.
The thirteen new Admirals lined up with their shipgirls. Takao and Hikaru were at the end of the line, with Takao still muttering under his breath.
"We all start as entry-level Admirals. With this badge, civilian law can't touch us anymore. We've got privileges now, baby! I'm part of the elite!"
Shipgirls and Admirals were the protectors of human civilization—they were granted wide legal exemptions and privileges. Hikaru glanced at the tray held by the ceremonial host standing beside the provincial governor: a blank silver-gray ID plate (5x7 cm), and a shiny new insignia.
The governor bent slightly to pin the badge onto the woman holding the submarine girl. His face was all smiles, and camera flashes lit up the entire auditorium like a starfield.
Every newly minted Admiral on Sanctified Build Day was a PR victory worth its weight in gold.
Takao sighed with satisfaction. "Damn, that badge is nice."
Every new Admiral who successfully summoned a shipgirl received a commendation from their nation's authorities. The Admiral ranking system was distinct from regular military ranks, but the benefits were even better.
Some wandering shipgirls who performed extraordinary deeds could be awarded ranks as well—but the shipgirls directly under Admirals didn't get ranks. They received medals for merit instead.