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The diamond ring on the knuckles that were holding the katana sparkled, and Hipper saw the stern look in Noshiro's eyes, but soon the JK ship girl that passed by her dropped four torpedoes, blocking her route completely, and made a huge arc, approaching at high speed from the flank.
That graceful and agile figure, as if it were circling a heavy tank, was no worse than a destroyer - but while it had high maneuverability, its firepower was not to be underestimated.
"Why can't I hit it?? Huh?"
With a loud bang, Hipper jumped up from the sea with "joy" - Noshiro's torpedo directly hit her torpedo protection belt, causing her severe damage on the spot, and she almost collapsed on the water like a duck.
"The engine room can provide mobility and evasion, sister - don't rely solely on the main guns. Although it's only six kilometers away, throw the mines first -"
"I, I seem to have been eliminated, Commander... Ugh - Commander, I can't come to find you!"
"...Ah, you're only so frank after you lose."
Look at the golden-haired, loser, tsundere, and stubborn older sister...she's dropping little pearls. Eugen feels sad but also a little funny, but she doesn't want to be the next older sister, so she fires the torpedo tubes on both sides at the same time, hoping to force Nodai to move a little.
But this guy relied on his high maneuverability, stepped on the water with his paddle boots, and slipped through Eugen's thunder gap like a figure skater, and swung a knife at her.
"I am still very confident in my own protection - Little sister -"
But Noshiro's feint was not aimed at her. She flipped the back of the knife and hit August's neck who was protected by the Hipper class.
This iron-blooded witch who liked to play the role of a fake maid was knocked limp by Noshiro on the spot - even an aircraft carrier with heavy cruiser-level protection would be slightly insufficient to deal with the firepower after being approached by a light cruiser, not to mention that Noshiro used a more direct and brutal attack method.
Sparks burst out from the neck, and the aircraft carrier that Eugen and Blücher had been protecting for a long time was destroyed.
"It's a feint!" Blücher almost fired at the unconscious August, but before that, Noshiro had already moved away quickly, leaving an afterimage behind, like a ghost.
"...The commander's preference for you is truly enviable - Noshiro!"
Eugen, who hadn't been angry for a long time, seemed a little irritated. He loosened his lips that were holding his index finger, unfolded his skill shield, and poured the accumulated barrage towards JK who had transformed into Shura.
"Prince Eugen, you are obviously closer to the commander than I am. How dare you say such a thing?!"
Like a Jedi Knight, Noshiro actually used her katana to cut off Eugen's barrage of bullets and rushed towards her with sparks and lightning.
"Boom!!"
The light cruiser's active approach to the heavy cruiser was an act of seeking death, but Eugen's firepower all fell on the afterimage behind Noshiro. Every time he calibrated his shot, he could not keep up with her speed as she twisted like a flower.
"This is all the result of my hard work!! Because I love him more than you do!"
The back of the knife cut Eugen's shoulder hard, and the light cruiser actually succeeded in shaking the enemy ship with a larger tonnage.
Eugen's eyes turned pale, but he didn't faint yet.
"I have been training day and night, and I have not neglected my martial arts and tactics even after the war ended, all for the sake of being able to stand by his side again one day!"
In the dim light, she saw the stubbornness and seriousness in Noshiro's eyes. That will had been sublimated. It seemed that she was not like most sisters, hoping to help the commander and renew their relationship with him at the same time.
Even if the commander no longer needs her, it probably won't be able to shake Noshiro's will.
"...I admit that you love him more now."
"Sister, sister?"
Before he fainted, Eugen held the bewildered Blücher's shoulders and said, "It's okay, Blücher. Let Noshiro go and try. With this kid's personality, he shouldn't cause any trouble for the commander."
"Eh, eh?"
Blücher, who was still trying to fight back, was stunned when he heard Eugen's relieved words.
But Eugen fainted immediately afterwards, and it seemed that she was unable to catch up with Noshiro who had already fled far away.
Blücher could only remain silent for a moment, raised his hand to look at the equally shiny diamond ring on his hand, and with a bit of regret, he picked up Eugen and Hipper and hung them on his shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.
"...There must be a chance to get to the commander's side, a chance to decide the outcome without using force..."
Noshiro didn't want to devote more energy to the Hipper class that had already lost the will to fight - the 1st and 5th Carriers had just fought each other with all their strength, and now both sides had become ship sticks. But they just couldn't swallow this humiliation and they all drew their samurai swords and started close combat on the aircraft carriers. The scene was so abstract that even the knowledgeable Kongo class had to frown when seeing it.
"Damn it, Senior, don't you know how to give up?"
"Shut up! How do you know how I have survived all these years without the Commander? My tail! The hair on my ears - it used to rely on the Commander's care to keep it smooth! Now I am just a piece of dried fur!!"
"Why can't you learn from Lady Shinano? She keeps her tail very clean by herself—"
"That's because she has erotic dreams every day and there's a certain chance that she'll dream about the Commander!!"
Really, Noshiro thought that after this fierce exercise, if the commander could not come back and reunite the port area, the worst that could happen would be a split.
All kinds of gossip and secrets were poured out at once, and some of the impolite words ignored the relationships between superiors and subordinates and relatives, which showed how uncomfortable everyone was.
She knew that during this long waiting period, every ship girl had a hard time and many girls had gone to Akashi to order life-size dolls to entertain themselves at night. But she never expected that those guys who were used to a peaceful life would have such a different mentality from hers.
On the way back for reinforcement, Noshiro watched helplessly as the First Carrier and the Fifth Carrier used their foreheads as headbutts to hit each other four times, and then they all bubbled and spread out to the sea. Suddenly, four walls of water rose up, announcing that the chaos on the eastern battlefield had a simple outcome.
It seems that it will always be a luxury to keep the ship girls rational.
Even Noshiro had just managed to calm down.
It was as if the endless struggle was coming to an end. She had lost one of her propellers, the mast was broken, her pantyhose was full of holes, and her flesh was bulging out, but no one could appreciate it anymore.
She looked back tiredly at the battlefields in the west and north, and found that there was not a single woman who could stand and speak on the Northern Alliance side - the brutality of their fight was even more brutal than here. She seemed to see Kronstadt fall silent after being hit by the axe of Majesty.
Before she knew it, the only ones still standing on the battlefield were her and the USS Kilsach, an aircraft carrier that could be considered a newcomer among the commander's wedding ships.
The main reason why she became the only child of the White Eagle was not because she was good at fighting or smart, or even lucky, but simply because she had been in the marriage ship circle for a relatively short time, had no deep grudges with the women around her, and had not done anything particularly excessive.
There were widespread rumors about this guy being dull on the surface in the port area, like a robot, even more inorganic than the Champagne - or maybe she habitually adjusted her parameters to be less close to humans... In some ways, she was similar to Noshiro, so she didn't receive much direct care, but was only hit indirectly a few times.
Even so, she had almost lost her energy now. Her eyes opened and closed, blood was slowly sliding down the corner of her forehead, and her arms seemed to be weak.
"…We are the only ones left who can codename."
Kilsagi has no intention of giving up yet.
"Energy consumption exceeds expectations. Resupply is required through the contact circuit - without the commander, the contact circuit cannot obtain enough energy..."
She closed her other eye slightly, and when she opened it again, an aggressive pink light slowly lit up, and the only remaining gun mount turned towards Noshiro: "...but I won't give up. Noshiro, I must get this position!"
"…out of respect for you, Miss Kilsach."
Noshiro shouted softly—the scabbard was turned upside down, facing vertically toward the sea, and he grasped the hilt with his hand and pulled it upwards.
"Please let me use this knife to escort you out!"
After the sword shadow passed through Kirsaji's unsupportable body, Noshiro's shadow finally solidified.
The sword was still in the same position as before it was drawn, but it was actually sheathed. After this ultimate secret technique, the blade's light was completely covered by the sheath, and Kirsaji finally collapsed under the heavy burden.
"...In the end, I still came in second...I'm sorry, Commander."
"You have done nothing wrong to the Commander, Miss Kilsach."
Noshiro, who had exhausted the last bit of his strength, knelt on the water. The demon horn on his head had turned red like a ball of flame due to excessive blood flow:
"We can all get to him...but forgive me for going first."
【The winner is——Noshiro! 】
A large group of barbarians suddenly rushed into the battlefield, showering Noshiro with petals and firing salutes - ribbons and flowers covered her head, hanging on her horns and black hair...
The solemn atmosphere finally dissipated, and she threw herself forward as if relieved, her face submerged in the water.
The moment she fell towards the no longer clear sea, she seemed to see her own reflection crying with joy.
245. For the happiness of everyone in Hong Kong!
In the restored canal that had not been used for a long time, Noshiro had half of his face submerged in the water, blowing bubbles.
The excitement shattered the meditation-like state of mind she had maintained for the past few decades, giving her a sense of being reborn.
The source of her joy was victory, and her renewed life was the long-lost return of her expectations for life as a girl.
The KanColle's way of thinking and concept of time are different from those of ordinary people, so even after waiting for decades, she can still feel her heart beating fast at the thought of reuniting with her loved one.
Submerging in the water and blowing bubbles is considered a slightly disrespectful act for the more sophisticated bathing beaches of the Sakura Empire, but just like the date itself, this mischievous, rule-breaking behavior may be Noshiro's subconscious attempt to dilute his rationality and vent his years of obsession.
"I wonder if the head maid of the royal family has taken good care of the commander's life? If she is too busy to handle it alone... should I also remind the commander to pay attention to his schedule like a housekeeper? No, even in a new environment, the commander should have gathered a lot of like-minded people."
Calm down, Noshiro. You finally got the chance to meet him. If you still maintain your overly serious personality, you will definitely not be liked. Befa is the only one in charge - all you need to do is be a good guard and show the commander as much as possible that his companions in the port care about him...
…Although they were more or less unhappy, everyone in the port district acknowledged the result of the match, and invested their thoughts and love for the commander that they had nowhere to express on the final winner—
When Noshiro got up from the canal and prepared to change clothes, she suddenly found that there were already more than a dozen ship girls waiting for her in the locker room.
The somewhat confused Noshiro received extremely enthusiastic service - Shinano presented her with the new ship equipment developed by Akashi and Buri, and Akagi, who had just woken up, dressed her up. The two had just finished an exercise and had not had time to repair the minor injuries on their bodies, but they came to serve her, which made her somewhat flattered.
Not only the sisters from the Sakura Empire, but also Richelieu of Iris and Yixian of Donghuang sent high-end perfumes and incense, Royal Navy and Sardinia sent decorative flowers and jewelry, White Eagle sent special clothes with adjustable colors, and performed a secondary design on the spot according to Noshiro's figure, striving to perfectly set off her figure, and the Northern Union and Iron Blood pulled a carload of various liquors and drinks, determined to fill up the space on Noshiro's ship.
This wasn't a bribe to get Noshiro to say a few good words for her faction... It was simply to allow this outstanding cruiser, which represented all the ship girls in the port, to have enough impact on the commander, and thus make him recall the "goodness" of life in the port.
"Did you bring your health supplements?"
"There's no need for that. The Commander and Noshiro are already close."
While chatting, everyone dressed Noshiro up to make her look more glamorous.
In addition to the exquisite dress, everyone also gathered the best equipment for Noshiro.
Shimakaze took out his colorful torpedo stick with tears in his eyes and handed it to Noshiro. Seattle removed its 57mm Bofors and replaced Noshiro's inefficient 20mm anti-aircraft gun. For a time, Noshiro became the most valuable girl in the entire port area.
The horns are polished to a shine, the hair is jet black like a waterfall, the eyes are bright and lively, the eye makeup is cherry pink, the sailor suit has just the right coverage, slender but not too thin, the ups and downs are just as charming, the gold-plated pattern on the hem highlights the luxury of its owner, the paddle boots are bright red and attractive, and the long legs in stockings have a bit of black oily sheen in the afterglow of the sunset.
Perfection is a beautiful opponent that even the most conceited shipgirls of their beauty and figure have to take seriously with a comparative eye.
Today's Noshiro is a super ship girl created with the resources of the entire port district - she has truly become the embodiment of Minato's thoughts and is ready to go to Sora's side.
"Wait, it seems like there's something missing."
"Eh?"
"Click."
Shokaku and Zuikaku fastened two steel leg rings on Noshiro's thighs, one on each side, and installed a pair of 100mm gun mounts on her.
"An additional equipment slot. This is experimental equipment. It has no effect on the overall displacement. Your previous leg ring is broken, so use this as a replacement."
"Why must the equipment be designed in the form of leg rings..."
Nozomi herself couldn't fully understand why she pointed her toes. The marks left by the leg rings made her feel a little shy, but at the same time, she felt as if her legs had become much better looking.
"Think about where the Commander used to stare at you."
Shokaku pointed out.
"Ah, that's it!"