Say what you will—maybe Tirpitz had thick skin, or maybe she just didn't care about anyone besides Hikaru and her sister—but either way, she rubbed her butt and looked extremely aggrieved.
"Commander, you pinched my butt really hard!"
Hikaru: ??? Wasn't that just a bit of playful fun between husband and wife? There's a guest here!
California clearly didn't consider herself a guest. She gave a loud "eww," then darted behind Tirpitz, as if worried Hikaru's wicked hand might reach her next.
I'm not a pervert, I swear!
Feeling wronged, Hikaru dove into the construction.
'We're heading straight into trouble'... Battleship HMS Prince of Wales, battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and four destroyers forming the Z Force sent to the Far East... Japanese bombers dropped their payloads... torpedo planes swarmed like wolves hunting two giant bears... "Prepare to abandon ship!"... One torpedo after another struck home. Before long, Prince of Wales followed Repulse into the abyss, sinking in a thunderous explosion... The dusk over Malaya marked the end of the Z Force!
Hikaru opened his eyes. Z Force—was it Prince of Wales or Repulse?
From within the blue summoning light, a small blonde loli with red eyes and a white nurse smock with red cross patterns stepped forward, looking lost and dazed.
"Huh? Why is it unremarkable me?"
Unlike Tirpitz's gem-like crimson eyes when she first arrived, this girl's gaze was a vivid, otherworldly scarlet.
One look, and you'd know—she wasn't entirely human.
Hikaru recognized her immediately and smiled. "Of course it's you—Vampire, British V-class destroyer!"
Vampire touched her face, then stepped up to touch Hikaru's, as if checking whether this was real. Confirming it wasn't a dream, she beamed with joy.
"You finally remembered me, Commander! This time, don't forget me again, okay?"
Hikaru felt a pang of guilt. Honestly, Vampire was kept around only because her art was cute. She was an ultra-rare drop he'd only gotten late in the game, and because her combat stats were weak, he never really trained her—just left her forgotten in the back of the dock.
For Vampire, that was the same as being erased.
Meeting her gaze, filled with longing, Hikaru spread his arms. "I won't. You're so adorable, Vampire. There's no way I'll forget you again."
Vampire leapt into his embrace, snuggling and nuzzling against him like a small animal, taking deep breaths of his scent. She clung tightly to his neck.
"Heehee, this is the second happiest moment of my life."
"Oh? What's the first?"
"Joining the base and forming Z Force with big sisters Repulse and Prince of Wales, of course! I was so proud to escort them. It's just... the invincible Z Force never even saw battle. But Commander, I can fight too!"
Hikaru gently held the petite girl in his arms. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance."
Vampire's lips brushed his neck as she gave him several soft kisses. Then she frowned.
"Commander, your blood feels too agitated. Let me bleed you a little, okay?"
As she said that, a comically oversized syringe—about the size of a human arm—materialized in her hands, its gleaming needle flickering in front of Hikaru's eyes.
"No bleeding, thanks," Hikaru said as he softly patted her back. "But from now on, you can handle everyone's health care."
Thanks to all the nights spent chatting with the shipgirls at the base, Hikaru had become quite familiar with many of them. Vampire, for instance, was a specialist in mystical medicine. And yes—she really was a vampire.
"It's too bad Glowworm isn't home, or she would've been thrilled to see you first thing."
After all, magician-types and occult researchers like them, being from the same nation, probably got along pretty well.
Vampire's eyes lit up. "I always wanted to play with her, but she never paid me any attention. Only us forgotten girls stuck together—Cushing, Mahan, and me. We'd play together. Then Cushing got a sortie, and then Mahan... They both became so strong. But I never got anything."
"Things will be different now. Speaking of which, there's another new face at the base. Cali, come say hi."
California, ever the lively one, came over and gave Vampire's cheek a playful pinch. Her eyes sparkled.
"That apron is adorable! I want one too!"
(End of Chapter)
[+50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]