By now, it was nearing dusk, and Hikaru truly was feeling a bit hungry.
"Let's go together then. Maybe I can lend a hand."
Yat Sen's cooking was so impressive that even Lexington had praised it. The other shipgirls held her up as a culinary goddess. Hikaru had long been curious to witness her skills firsthand.
He and Yat Sen took the lead toward the dining hall, with Bismarck and the others following close behind.
Vampire and Glowworm exchanged a glance, quickly shoving aside their toys and snacks to catch up.
Yat Sen began introducing the restaurant as they walked.
"Our dining hall is modeled after a traditional Chinese tavern. All the chinese shipgirls helped out, and it has a strong classical aesthetic. Ping Hai has been practicing reciting dish names in the old style. I've also brewed quite a bit of wine—today's the perfect day for you to try it."
"That sounds wonderful. I love drinking," Hikaru replied with a smile. Just the thought of a good drink made his mouth water.
To be honest, building the Chinese tavern in the game wasn't easy—it required 3,500 popularity points to unlock, which meant preparing 3,500 special meals.
That was no small feat. Each shipgirl dish consumed resources like oil, ammo, steel, and aluminum, and some dishes could cost nearly a million resource units each.
What made it even tougher was the limit on making special dishes—only three per day.
So by strict calculation, earning enough popularity points would take about three years.
Hikaru had truly grinded this achievement day by day.
Now, he was full of anticipation. He wanted to see what it was like to have the in-game tavern appear in real life.
"Missouri's shell from earlier damaged part of the restaurant, but it's been repaired now. Mostly thanks to help from the shipgirls at the other base."
Yat Sen smiled as she pushed open the wooden door—only for her smile to suddenly freeze.
Her tone turned frantic. "Where's my wine? And the sausages, roast chicken, the ham... Where did all my ingredients go!?"
The tavern was completely empty.
The decor was charmingly classical—mostly brown wood furniture, a square-shaped counter, porcelain vases, wine labels, and dish signs.
But not a single ingredient was in sight.
Yat Sen began searching around in a panic. She checked behind the counter, then the kitchen, and even ran upstairs to the second floor, only to return empty-handed.
"Commander, I don't understand… all the ingredients are gone."
Seeing her so flustered, Hikaru didn't just stand there. He examined the restaurant and came up with a different idea.
"Don't worry. I'll go check the other base."
Yat Sen's eyes lit up. "You mean… there might be a mismatch between the two bases?"
"Exactly." Hikaru turned to Bismarck. "Support me for a moment."
It was Bismarck's first time seeing Hikaru enter a dream. From the outside, it looked like he'd suddenly collapsed unconscious. She was alarmed and rushed to catch his body.
If Tirpitz hadn't lazily explained the situation, Bismarck might've panicked even more.
And for not explaining it earlier, Tirpitz naturally received another round of punches from her sister.
The dream base was as lively as ever.
Using stone slabs to write or arranging patterns, the shipgirls there could communicate with those now at Hikaru's side.
The little destroyers had picked up lots of news from Vampire and Glowworm. Meanwhile, Fletcher's many sisters managed to fill in a few gaps about their big sister.
The girls were still abuzz with excitement, chattering in clusters.
Hikaru scanned the room and quickly found his target.
The moment he descended into the command room in his dream-ghost form, the shipgirls noticed him.
Looking like she'd been through a war, Missouri shoved through the crowd and rushed over, teary-eyed.
"Commander, please take me with you! It's terrifying here!"
Her clothes were tattered, practically in strips. One shoe was missing, her hair a mess. If she had some mud on her face, she'd look like a beggar straight off the street.
Hikaru was baffled. What the hell had happened in the dream base this afternoon?
"Missouri, how did you end up like this?"
As soon as Hikaru spoke, Missouri nearly broke down. It was like finding a long-lost relative—her tears streamed down in waves.
"Calm down, calm down," Hikaru said, glancing toward the crowd of shipgirls that had surrounded her. "If someone wronged you, just tell me. I'll make it right."
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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