'No! I—' Lin Zhentian's son still wanted to deflower both sisters; how could he settle for one? But Hood's death glare said try it and die.
'N-nothing! I—I was just saying the sun's bright today!' He frantically changed the subject to stay invisible.
Though the bodyguard his father gave him usually obeyed, on matters that threatened his life she overruled him. If the girl detonated she'd be done for, so he had no choice but to agree.
With her goal met, Shokaku canceled the self-destruct, letting Hood breathe again.
Shokaku walked up and extended her wrists; Hood sealed her rigging with Ship Qi and bound her upper body with chains of the same. 'There—only a Three-Star Epic Ship Girl or higher can break those chains; you can't escape.'
'As long as you keep your word, I won't try,' Shokaku said disdainfully.
Hood waved a hand. 'I keep my promises. I'm no demon—before we go, say goodbye to your dear sister.'
'Sister, no—don't! I won't allow it! You go—leave me, I'll stop them!' Struggling with all her might, Zuikaku trembled as she tried to rise, then collapsed and coughed up more blood.
Shokaku was about to help her up, then thought better of it; a little sister who couldn't act might be nice—at least she couldn't do anything reckless.
Shokaku knelt and gently ran her right hand through Zuikaku's soft hair.
"From now on, when I'm gone, you must take care of yourself. Don't keep bumping into pots. Don't kick off your blanket when you sleep. Don't just eat meat—eat vegetables too. And don't act spoiled; you're grown up, learn to stand on your own. Don't be so careless all the time, a girl should…"
"Uuu… Shokaku-nee, please don't leave me! I can't live without you!" Remembering her sister's daily care, Zuikaku burst into tears.
"Sorry! Sister doesn't want to leave either, but there's no choice." Eyes also moist, Shokaku dabbed the corners with her slender fingers.
Seeing others in pain always lifted Hood's mood; building her happiness on their misery was irresistible—ah~! It almost brought her to—
That Lin Zhentian's son really did bring her so much joy. Being summoned by the Admiral to play nanny wasn't bad at all—far better than the dull routine of fighting Abyssals all day.
"Enough, let's go!" Hood hauled up the still-babbling Shokaku and, with Lin Zhentian's son, headed for the port and straight back to the Naval Base, leaving Zuikaku thrashing on the ground, shouting helplessly: "Let go of my Shokaku-nee, you bastards—!"
"Admiral! She's so pitiful! Even if you won't help, why stop me from rushing out to save them?" Azuma complained to Illustrious.
"Tch! What good would charging out do? Could you beat a Three-Star Epic Ship Girl? You'd only get yourself killed." Illustrious scolded Azuma for being reckless.
"But we can't just stand here and watch! Are you going to help or not?" Azuma couldn't understand Illustrious anymore.
"Help! Of course we'll help! If my money power fails, we'll have to fight—houses will topple, walls will collapse, the whole city will be ruined!"
Illustrious sighed. "But we'd have to pay for the damage! Selling us wouldn't cover the bill!"
Why pay? Fifteen years ago, after the four-ocean Governors formed the Ship Girl Alliance and drove the Abyssals from coastal waters, the defeated Abyssals fled to the black, uninhabited depths. Humanity finally knew peace.
Smarting from defeat, the Abyssals—too weakened for open war—devised another revenge: they secretly founded the Deep Sea Cult within human society, a poisonous growth that preached the Abyssals were humanity's saviors and Ship Girls the root of all disaster.
At first people paid little heed, but the Cult never relented, luring followers with money and favors, doing good deeds everywhere, and so won hearts and swelled its ranks.
By the time the Governor-General's Mansion took notice, the Cult had become a colossus; some mayors were members, shielding it, so whenever the Military Police raided, they found nothing.
The Cult used hypnotic potions to control certain Ship Girls, set two of them fighting in the streets, and the battle raged, devastating people and buildings; casualties were heavy, the streets left unrecognizable.
Only then did people embrace the Cult's claim—Ship Girls were the calamity and should be destroyed.
Radical humans rallied at government offices, shouting: "Ship Girls, get out of our homeland!" and demanding local governments stop funding the four Governor-Generals.
Thus the four Governors refused to waste words on the deceived masses.
Unaware the Cult was behind it, and to keep the Ship Girls' image from worsening, the Governors ordered their girls to avoid fights—if you break the streets, you pay.
The two Admirals whose girls had wrecked the streets were bewildered; their Ship Girls were usually obedient—why had they fought? Yet they could only scold them harshly, promise it wouldn't happen again, and pay the damages from their savings.
That was why Illustrious stopped Azuma: smash things and you pay—selling them wouldn't cover it!
"All right, it's time! Let's go save them!" Seeing Hood heading for the port, Illustrious judged the moment ripe. Once on the open sea, there'd be no worries…
Thinking of her sister about to be defiled by that lecher, Zuikaku hated her own helplessness—if only she had power, no one could hurt them.
Zuikaku clenched her left hand into a fist and slammed the ground. "Damn it! Anyone—anyone who can save my sister, I'll do anything!"
"Lovely maiden, do you need help?" Black high-heels and alluring white-stockinged legs stepped into Zuikaku's sight.
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