pertwk Page 1347
Page 1347
"No." Mutsu shook his head.
"Huh? Aren't you going back?"
"Didn't I already tell you, Sister Goddess of the Hearth?" Mutsu nodded, winking at Mutsu and Shiro. "My relationship with that child is that of former colleagues."
"Former colleague? Didn't she mean to resign from the mercenary group?" The Goddess of the Hearth and Little White looked at Lu Ao curiously.
"Yes... but not entirely." Mutsu smiled sheepishly at Shiro and the Goddess of the Hearth, and said flippantly, "Actually... I also resigned from the mercenary group~"
"Huh?!" Little White and the Kitchen Goddess stared wide-eyed.
"Actually, after that child's accident, I had some conflicts with the mercenary group's management," Mutsu said slowly with her eyes closed. "Our mercenary group lacks meticulous management of the ship girls' equipment status and also lacks care for each ship girl... I reported this problem to the higher-ups several times, but unfortunately, they rejected it with reasons like insufficient budget. This time, when that child came to Kyoto to find the goddess of the hearth, our mercenary group was preparing to take on a big job and urgently needed combat power like mine. As soon as they heard I was leaving, the mercenary group put a lot of pressure on me, so all the old and new grudges came together to settle scores... I ran away in a fit of anger!"
Mutsu stuck out his tongue and spoke in a cheerful tone, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
"They...they ran away..." Xiaobai and the female stove god stared at each other, then looked at Mutsu with complete bewilderment. "So, Mutsu, what are you going to do next...?"
"Hmm... Actually, I've saved up quite a bit of money over the years through hard work. I don't need to worry about money for the time being." Mutsu thought for a while, glancing at the sky outside the window, and slowly said, "However, running away from the mercenary group this time was indeed an impulsive act. I hardly thought about what would happen afterward... But things will work themselves out, and I should be able to find another job soon... If all else fails, I might go and join that kid, and through connections, I could get a job as an extra or something, which wouldn't be bad?"
"A background actor... is this really okay?"
"Hmm... the days ahead might be quite boring." Mutsu sighed with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion). "But the treatment I'm receiving now is all my own choice, and I have a clear conscience, so I have no regrets. As for the future... let it be boring if it is."
As Mutsu finished speaking, he swayed leisurely from side to side, giving the goddess of the hearth and Shiro a cute expression.
Xiaobai stared blankly at Lutsu.
Judging from what Mutsu just said... it seems that Mutsu has now left his previous mercenary group and returned to single life?
Single ship girls...
A lone ship girl?
Mutsu has become a lone, wild ship girl?!
Ok?
Why did a strange yet familiar impulse suddenly ignite in my chest...?
"Then... then Miss Mutsu, would you like to..." Shiro swallowed hard and asked Mutsu.
"Since you haven't found a new home yet, why don't you try joining our naval base?" The female hearth goddess spoke to Mutsu before Shiro could even arrive.
"Hmm? Naval Base?" Mutsu looked at the female hearth goddess.
"Hmm...you resigned from your previous mercenary group because of me, right?" The Vestal Goddess said to Mutsu. "Since that's the case, I'm practically a party to this, so I can at least do something to help...Look, I just joined a naval base. It might be a bit small, weak, and a little poor, but thankfully the admiral is quite nice, and the ship girls there...at least the ones I've met are pretty friendly. More importantly, it's a legitimate naval base! It's on a completely different level from those weird mercenary groups! It's something to be proud of. Why don't you try working here?"
"Hmm... Do you work in the same place as the Goddess of the Hearth?"
"Hmph, I don't just invite anyone out of nowhere," the goddess of the hearth said with a proud expression.
"What an honor."
"But don't get too excited yet. In the end, I'm just a newcomer to the naval base. I don't have the right to decide whether the naval base should take you in. You still have to submit an application, wait for review, and then take a written test, an interview, a second interview, and so on."
"That's a great suggestion." Mutsu raised his hands to his chest, interlaced his index fingers, and smiled happily at the goddess of the hearth. "If you don't mind, could you tell me how to submit an application?"
"Ah~ Well, it's both far away and right in front of us." The goddess of the hearth smiled and turned to look at the little white dog beside her with its mouth agape. "Isn't our admiral right here?"
The goddess of the hearth and Mutsu looked at Shiro with smiles.
"...Eh?" Little White opened his mouth, pointing at himself, "Uh..."
"Little sister... I wonder if there are any vacancies in your naval base?" Mutsu asked Shiro kindly. "I will work very hard to repay you, little sister."
"Uh……"
"Look, a ship girl who can fight and infiltrate has come knocking on our door." The Vess tugged at Xiaobai's sleeve and said, "Although our naval base might be quite crowded, she's still a battleship, so she's got some prestige. Why don't we give her another chance since she lost her job because of me, Admiral?"
"……"noob.
Xiaobai silently watched the eager female stove god and Mutsu, who was smiling and clasping her hands together.
Is it my own illusion?
I had just wanted to invite Mutsu to join the newbie naval base.
It feels like... things have suddenly turned into Mutsu and the female hearth goddess begging him to make an exception and let her join his naval base...
"How is it, Admiral?" The female hearth goddess tugged at Xiaobai's sleeve with some concern when she saw that Xiaobai hadn't spoken for a while.
"Well... of course, no problem." Xiaobai smiled wryly.
-
About an hour later.
night.
"Admiral, you're finally back~" At Yubari's house, when Shiro pushed open the door, Nagaharu, who had been waiting for a long time, ran out of the living room, waving and greeting Shiro. "Admiral, where have you all been today? Why have you been all day... Eh? And who is this lady...?"
Changchun paused when he saw Mutsu carrying a suitcase, following behind Xiaobai and the female god of the hearth.
"Nice to meet you, please take care of me." Mutsu smiled and bowed to Changchun. "I am Mutsu, who has just joined the naval base. I will work harder with everyone to build the naval base and contribute my strength to it. It's nice to meet you!"
"Huh? Huh—" Changchun stared blankly at the three people at the door.
My own admiral... he really did manage to snag a ship girl just by not watching her closely enough...
Chapter 1733 Yubari Excitement
"Changchun, this is Mutsu." Xiaobai quickly raised her hand to introduce Mutsu to Changchun, then turned to Mutsu and said, "Mutsu, this is Changchun, who is also my ship girl."
"Ah...it's Sister Mutsu!" Changchun bowed politely to Mutsu in front of the door. "Hello, Sister Mutsu, my name is Changchun."
"Hello, Changchun." Mu'ao, carrying her suitcase, gave Changchun a friendly smile. "The last time I saw you was at the house of the Goddess of the Kitchen God. I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Mutsu... she's a ship girl who was asked to protect Vestal. When we first met her, she was working as an undercover detective at Vestal's house. Later, she lost her job for some reason, so Vestal and I took the opportunity to introduce her to work at the naval base." Shiro explained to Nagaharu apologetically. "Well... that's about it. For more details, Nagaharu, you can ask Mutsu."
"Oh, I see..." Changchun suddenly realized. Upon hearing that Mutsu had previously helped Shiro, a delighted smile immediately spread across Changchun's face. She stepped forward, took Mutsu's suitcase, and said to Mutsu, "Mutsu-neechan, welcome to our naval base!"
"What? What? What? A new ship girl?!" Yubari's loud voice rang out from the living room. Accompanied by thumping footsteps, Yubari, wearing a sleeveless shirt, poked her head out from the living room door, looking at the doorway in surprise. "Admiral, you've gotten another new ship?"
As Yubari spoke, he approached the door and stared intently at Mutsu, who stood there. His gaze lingered on Mutsu's chest and long legs, as if he were examining a work of art, nodding occasionally.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm... well... this newbie is alright." Yubari rubbed her chin, her gaze fixed on Mutsu's ample bosom. "Hmm... this newbie's ship equipment level is quite high, she doesn't seem like a pure newbie ship girl at all. In terms of combat, her overall strength should be pretty good, right?"
"...Yubari, you can tell just by looking at him?"
"Haha, after all, this is what I do." Yubari smiled at Shiro, then extended his hand to Mutsu. "Hello, my name is Yubari. From now on, we're family. Nice to meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you." Mutsu and Yubari shook hands.
"Sister Mutsu, I heard about your situation from the Admiral yesterday. Thank you so much for your help yesterday... Um, it's not good to just stand here at the door. Let's go into the living room! I'll get you some tea! Also, is there anything you'd like to eat, Sister Mutsu? I bought a lot of ingredients today..." Changchun put Mutsu's suitcase aside and then warmly pulled Mutsu towards the living room.
"Thank you for the hospitality. I won't stand on ceremony then."
Mutsu smiled and let Changchun pull her towards the living room. They chatted and laughed all the way through the door and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Phew..." Yubari put one hand on her hip, watching Nagaharu and Mutsu walk into the living room. She turned around, looked at Shiro and the Kitchen Goddess, and gave them a knowing smile. "Looks like you two had a pretty exciting day, Admiral."
"Uh...yes, is there?"
“Yes.” Yubari’s gaze shifted to Vestal. “And today when I was at the Ship Equipment Research Center, I heard that Vestal submitted her resignation to the security team leader? What happened?”
"Actually, the goddess of the hearth has also joined our garrison."
"I see." Yubari nodded, but her expression didn't show much surprise, as if this was already expected. "So, Admiral, you've successfully achieved your goal in coming to Kyoto this time?"
"Mm." Xiaobai nodded with a smile.
Xiaobai's original purpose in coming to Kyoto was to find the female hearth goddess and try to recruit her into the newbie garrison, thereby ensuring the uniqueness of the newbie garrison's deep-sea aura shielding device technology.
Now, not only has the matter come to an end, but the goddess of the hearth has also taken the initiative to throw herself into his arms, and even brought along a mature battleship girl named Mutsu. This achievement is not just a simple success; it is a mission accomplished beyond expectations.
The three of them walked into the living room.
In the living room, New Jersey lay sprawled on the sofa like a corpse, his tall figure taking up the entire space.
Changchun and Mutsu knelt on the heated floor beside the coffee table. Changchun chatted enthusiastically with Mutsu about Xiaobai's affairs from yesterday while her hands continued to work, brewing a pot of the best tea for Mutsu. The two women wore warm smiles, as if they were sisters who had not seen each other for many years.
Leaving aside the fact that Mutsu is the kind of person who is very good at building good relationships with those around him.
Any ship girl who has helped Xiaobai or stood by Xiaobai's side will instantly gain maximum favorability in Changchun's heart. Facing Mutsu, whom she has only met twice, this reason is enough for Changchun to let down all her guard and treat her sincerely.
Sometimes, the bond between ship girls can develop that quickly.
It seems that Xiaobai doesn't need to worry. Mutsu, as a civilian ship girl, is having difficulty integrating into the newbie naval base.
"Speaking of which, Yubari, has the police station closed the case yet?" Shiro asked Yubari, relieved that he had turned his gaze away from Nagaharu Mutsu.
"Yes, the evidence is overwhelming. The case was basically closed this afternoon. Because I helped them a lot yesterday, they also told me the results." Yubari nodded to Shiro and slowly said, "The former head of the finance department was arrested last night. After a night of interrogation, he confessed everything he needed to. He'll be facing legal consequences in court—well… as for his sentencing, although I'm not a law student, I heard from people at the police station that he has a lot of shady past. Once that's all investigated, we'll settle the score. If nothing unexpected happens, he probably won't be getting out for the rest of his life."
"What about the one we arrested before?" Xiaobai asked.
"Is the admiral referring to the current one?"
"Ah."
"Well... the police investigation shows that the current finance director hasn't actually embezzled much in the past few years."
"...Does that mean you're going to let him go?"
"That's not necessarily true. He got his position by clinging to the nepotism of the previous finance director, and he continued to embezzle the salary of the female kitchen god during his tenure. So he was definitely stripped of his position. Given his good attitude in admitting his guilt and his willingness to be a witness for the prosecution, he might just spend a few years in prison and be released."
"I hope he can turn over a new leaf," Xiaobai sighed.
"Let's not talk about that for now. The ship equipment research center has been in chaos these past few days." Yubari waved his hand and smiled helplessly at Shiro.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"The head of the finance department is no small position; the entire institute depends on him for their salaries. We've sent such a high-ranking person to the police station, and now everyone in the research center knows about it," Yubari said with a wry smile. "It's fortunate you didn't come to the Ship Equipment Research Center today, Admiral. You wouldn't believe it! Today, the area outside my Ship Equipment Research Center was packed with onlookers and paparazzi from who-knows-where. As soon as I stepped outside, a ton of flashbulbs went off around me, and a bunch of reporters swarmed around asking me about yesterday's events. I couldn't get rid of them. If you had gone to the Ship Equipment Research Center today, you would have been in the news again."
"Uh... well... luckily I didn't go..." Xiaobai shrank his neck, feeling a little scared.
"So, where are you planning to go next, Admiral? Are you going to stay in Kyoto for a while longer? Or are you going home?" Yubari asked Shiro with a smile.
"Hmm... I'll probably stay in Kyoto for another two days, and then go back to the naval base." Shiro glanced at Nagaharu and Mutsu, who were having a girls' tea party at the coffee table, and said to Yubari, "After all, I still have a mission with the top ten admirals."
"Huh? A mission?" Yubari tilted his head.
"Yes, it's quite important." Shiro nodded to Yubari. "I don't think I've had a chance to tell you before, have I? This time I've taken on the mission to explore the eighth chapter."
"Huh? Chapter 8?" Yubari was taken aback.
"It's like this..." Xiaobai explained to Yubari about the depletion of leveling spots in Chapter 6 and the urgent need for another high-level leveling spot for the admirals before the generation of admirals changed. "The task was initially assigned to Admiral Haoding, but the difficulty of clearing Chapter 8 seems to be very high. It would be very difficult for Admiral Haoding to handle it alone, so he asked our naval base for help and hoped that I would go and help him."
“Oh… Chapter Eight…” After hearing what Shiro said, Yubari’s eyes flickered. She nodded thoughtfully, covered her chin and thought for a while. Her two thin eyebrows danced nimbly on her face like willow leaves.
Judging from Yubari's expression, he seemed to be considering something.
"Yubari?"
"Ah? What's wrong?"
"what are you thinking about?"
"Me? Uh...no, nothing." Yubari paused, shook her head, then her gaze wandered as she rubbed her hands together, giving Shiro a distracted smile. "Opening Chapter 8...hmm, hmm! Very good! You can make money and gain fame, it's a good thing that benefits future generations and makes you famous! Admiral, keep it up! Anyway, Admiral, you continue, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room to rest!"
Done.
Yubari shouted "Yahoo~" and for some reason became quite excited. Then she couldn't wait to run out of the living room and rush back to her room. She slammed the door shut, and strange cheers came from inside.
Shiro looked at the tightly closed door of Yubari's room with a puzzled expression.
"……Um?"
Little White tilts its head.
Chapter 1734 Me, and Little White Stick Together
Mutsu truly lives up to her reputation as a ship girl who can quickly integrate into the Kyoto community. Her smooth interpersonal skills remind Shiro of Missouri, who is thousands of miles away. After arriving at Yubari's house, Mutsu gets along very well with Nagaharu and Yubari.
the next day.
As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains and into Xiaobai's bedroom, Xiaobai woke up from her sleep. She slowly sat up in bed and stretched comfortably in the sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains.
"Hmm... a new day."
Xiao Bai lowered her hands, looked at the azure sky outside the window through the gap in the curtains, and sighed.
Today is the second day since Mutsu and Vesta officially joined the newbie naval base.
It was also my last day in Kyoto.
As Xiaobai combed her long hair behind her ears, she looked to her left and right.
To Xiaobai's left, Changchun, dressed in white cartoon pajamas, was half-lying in bed, fast asleep.