"Commander Kenji Hayashi, in my capacity as acting director of this newly established Azur Lane base, I hereby appoint you as Chief of Logistics. You will be responsible for overseeing the storage, allocation, and all matters related to supplies and resources. What do you say?"
In the command room of Azur Lane's newly founded base, a tall, golden-haired woman with a proud, shapely figure extended her hand toward the young man standing before her. It was the dignified battleship of the Royal Navy, HMS Prince of Wales, personally issuing the invitation.
"It is my honor."
Kenji took her hand. The touch was smooth and soft.
Prince of Wales gently tightened her grip and showed a polished, cordial smile.
But her heart was far less calm than she appeared on the surface.
Not long ago, when Javelin brought this mysterious young man into the command room, she had never imagined she would hear such a staggering story...
A human who had been swallowed by a black hole and somehow survived. A man who claimed to be a Commander capable of leading shipgirls. And what was even harder to believe, he could create Coins and Oil out of thin air.
"Black hole..."
The term echoed in her mind.
As a shipgirl who understood the laws of the universe more deeply than ordinary humans, she knew perfectly well what a black hole meant... a cosmic prison from which not even light could escape.
To come back alive from such a place was, in itself, a miracle that overturned common sense.
What concerned her even more was the strange aura emanating from this young man, a subtle pull that made one want to get closer, an inexplicable attraction.
She noticed that Javelin beside her was also clearly suppressing the urge to edge nearer, her expression a mixture of confusion and anticipation, like a cat unable to resist the scent of catnip.
Prince of Wales had forced herself to calm down quickly at the beginning, quietly weighing everything in her mind.
Through the shipgirls' unique mental perception, she could confirm that Kenji was not lying.
Even more rare, although she could sense that he harbored strong interest in shipgirls, as well as desire, that desire was completely different from the filthy greed of human power-brokers... there was no scheming for authority, no intention to treat shipgirls as mere tools.
She was not worried that Kenji would become a threat to them.
Leaving aside the fact that even a single shipgirl possessed the overwhelming combat power to crush an entire conventional fleet, their mental perception alone was enough to sense any malicious intent long before anything happened.
Since that was the case, keeping a talent who could create endless resources within the base was clearly a choice where the benefits outweighed the risks.
At the very moment Kenji accepted the appointment, a pleasant chime rang out in his mind.
[Ding. Commander's first step complete: approach the shipgirls. How can you build ships if you do not get close to them??]
[Reward obtained: Time Stop.]
A simple interface unfolded before his eyes.
At the top were his name and a status bar. Most of the middle area was still greyed out, locked modules, with only two sections lit up.
[Resource Production] (per hour)
Oil: 500 (accumulates automatically, no storage cap)
Coins: 1000 (accumulates automatically, no storage cap)
[Skill List]
Adept at Undressing LV1 (Proficiency 0/100)
*Active effect: Dexterous hands that excel at removing clothing, and by extension, ship rigging as well.
Time Stop LV1 (Proficiency 0/100)
*Active effect: Consumes the user's stamina to halt the flow of time for 5 seconds.
*Passive effect: When suffering a fatal blow, automatically activates and stops time for 5 minutes.
Another new skill had appeared. The sight made him genuinely pleased.
After being thrown into this world of Azur Lane, delivered to this new base by a black hole, then encountering Javelin, he had deliberately revealed part of his abilities. All of it had been for the sake of staying here and fulfilling his dream of "pulling ships."
His original skill, Adept at Undressing, sounded anything but serious, yet according to the system, it was a conceptual ability that could even remove ship rigging.
Shipgirls were terrifying beings whose armored barriers could endure even nuclear blasts without shattering. But once their rigging was stripped away, their combat power would drop drastically.
To ordinary people they would still be overwhelmingly strong, but at least they would no longer be untouchable.
He instantly focused his thoughts and activated the skill.
In that instant, the entire world fell silent and still.
Prince of Wales remained frozen in her elegant stance. Her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her voluptuous, graceful figure stretched her Royal Navy uniform into proud, perfect lines.
Her eyes were like gemstones, her face immaculate.
Beside her, Javelin was frozen in a pose full of energy, her purple ponytail suspended in midair.
Her bright green eyes sparkled with life, her petite body radiating vitality. Between her over-the-knee socks and short skirt, a band of pale, flawless skin was revealed, that legendary "absolute territory" caught in the moment of stillness.
Kenji stepped closer and gently brushed his fingers across the cheeks of the two shipgirls.
Prince of Wales's skin felt like the finest silk, smooth and cool to the touch.
Javelin's face, by contrast, was warm and soft, full of youthful elasticity.
His fingertips slid lightly across their lips as well, feeling the delicate curve and softness there.
Sensing that the five seconds were almost up, he quietly withdrew to his original spot.
This thing was incredibly useful.
As time resumed its flow, Prince of Wales and Javelin both reached up, almost in unison, to touch their own cheeks, bewilderment flickering over their faces.
"That is strange..." Javelin muttered softly. "It felt like someone just touched my face..."
Prince of Wales also frowned slightly. She glanced at Kenji, still standing where he had been, then immediately dismissed the thought... there had been a considerable distance between them.
Kenji took the opportunity to change the subject. "Since I have officially become Chief of Logistics, I would like to familiarize myself with the base as soon as possible."
Prince of Wales turned to Javelin, her tone returning to its usual gentle warmth. "Javelin, I will leave it to you to show Commander Kenji around the base and make proper arrangements for his quarters."
"Yes! I will complete the mission perfectly!"
Javelin straightened her back at once and gave a very proper salute, her smile bright as the sunlight outside.
...
A little later, Javelin eagerly took on the role of guide, leading Kenji around the base and toward the living quarters assigned to him.
"Commander Kenji, look over there! That is the training zone. We usually carry out live-fire drills and coordination exercises there!"
She pointed at a wide field in the distance, where the faint rumble of explosions could be heard. Her voice was full of excitement as she introduced each area.
"That side is the repair dock," she said, pointing toward another harbor lined with massive mechanical equipment. "If any shipgirl gets hurt in battle, she receives careful maintenance and repairs there."
Following the direction of her finger, Kenji silently took note of the position and purpose of each functional area.
"Commander, in the past... what kind of shipgirls have you commanded?"
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Javelin turned and gazed up at him, her green eyes shining.
Kenji smiled slightly, a hint of nostalgia in his expression. "A lot of them. All kinds, really.
"Destroyers as brave and agile as you, light cruisers, heavy cruisers, battleships with overwhelming firepower, even aircraft carriers that dominate the skies."
"Really?"
Javelin's eyes went wide in surprise, admiration written all over her face. "Then Commander must be a very, very amazing Commander!"
"I have simply been through a lot."
Chatting as they walked, they soon entered the residential area.
The atmosphere here was noticeably more relaxed.
"Look, this is the supply station. We can buy all kinds of daily necessities here, and there are tons of snacks too!" Javelin said, pointing to a brightly lit building ahead, shelves inside lined with all sorts of goods.
"Mm..."
Kenji nodded, his gaze sweeping across the luminous shop windows.
Once they stepped in front of the shelves, Javelin's expression immediately became serious and focused.
She tilted her head, fingertip lightly tapping her chin as her green eyes carefully scanned rows upon rows of colorful products.
Before long, her eyes lit up, as if she had discovered some peerless treasure.
She hurried off with quick little steps, took a particularly fancy box of exquisitely packaged candy from the far side of the shelf, then ran back and held it out to Kenji with both hands, smiling so brightly it was as if she were the one being gifted.
"Commander Kenji, this is for you! Take it as a welcome present to celebrate you officially joining Azur Lane!"
Her voice overflowed with pure joy, as if giving the candy away made her as happy as receiving it.
Kenji lowered his head, looking at her slightly flushed cheeks, and something stirred faintly in his heart.
This shipgirl was always like this, radiating her energy and kindness in the most straightforward way.
"Thank you, Javelin."
He accepted the rather hefty box of candy with both hands, then deftly opened the packaging and took out two translucent fruit drops.
He gently placed one of them into the warm, waiting palm that Javelin had already subconsciously held out.
"You should have one too..." He paused, then looked straight into her clear green eyes. "You are the first partner I have made here."
"Pa... partner..."
Javelin held the round piece of candy between her fingers, the tips of her ears flushing pink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The word seemed to make her a little shy, yet she could not suppress the happiness rising inside her.
She lowered her head, lips curving in a small, uncontrollable smile, then repeated it in a soft but firm voice. "Mm, partner!"
Just then, a series of hurried, somewhat disgruntled "chuu, chuu!" sounds came from the counter nearby.
They turned to see a round, surprisingly hefty-looking mechanical Manjuu standing there. One of its stubby mechanical arms was set akimbo on what could only generously be called its hip, while the other arm pointed straight at the half-opened box of candy in Kenji's hand, chirping away.
Red light flashed in its electronic eyes. Clearly, it was sternly protesting this behavior of opening goods before paying.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry, we will pay right away!"
Pulled back from the warm haze of being called "partner," Javelin hastily apologized, her face filled with embarrassment.
She quickly fished a few Coins out of the small pouch she carried, and placed them into the mechanical Manjuu's waiting arm with practiced ease.
"Sorry about that, we were just too happy and forgot to pay first."
The Manjuu counted the Coins with brisk efficiency. The light in its eyes shifted from red to green, apparently satisfied.
It chirped twice more, as if saying "do not do that again," then turned and hopped away, its round body wobbling comically with each bounce.
Watching this amusing scene unfold, Kenji could not help but chuckle.
His behavior just now had indeed been a bit impolite.
But looking at Javelin's still-bright smile, unmarred by any shadow, and at the Manjuu's adorably smug little gait after getting paid, the faint sense of unfamiliarity and distance he had felt as a newcomer seemed to be washed away by this small, heartwarming episode.
A new world, a new beginning... it did not seem so bad after all.
"Commander, next I will take you to the Logistics Department! You should get familiar with your workplace!"
Having finished her candy, Javelin seemed even more cheerful. Her spirits soared as she made the suggestion. "And your dorm is not far from there either."
"All right, I will be in your care."
Kenji nodded, carefully putting the box of candy away, then followed Javelin's light, energetic steps onward.
Watching the lively figure of the girl walking ahead, feeling the lingering sweetness of the candy melting slowly on his tongue, a thought naturally surfaced in his mind.
This world might be far more interesting than he had imagined at first.
At the very least, the first "partner" he had met here was incredibly cute.