“What the hell, who’s using child labor here?” This thought had just popped into Wang Yu’s head before he dismissed it.
These were clearly not normal humans!
Those elementary school-aged girls were carrying huge boxes, moving as fast as flying, all while playfully chasing each other, full of boundless energy. Everyone else along the way kept their distance, afraid of being intimately collided with by the frolicking little angels, especially since they didn’t seem to be watching where they were going or walking in a straight line…
With such absurd strength, these little girls must be Ship Girls, Wang Yu thought with a hint of confusion. But do Ship Girls really need to do hard labor at the docks? Where is their Commander?
He turned his head and looked around, spotting a young man not far from them. He was wearing a black shirt and dark blue jeans.
The man had short, slightly wavy flaxen hair, and his rather handsome features were full of sunshine when he smiled. He was cheerfully waving at the little lolis who had just finished moving the cargo.
Beside him stood a tall, yellow-haired girl, surveying her surroundings with a scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes lingered on Wang Yu and York for a moment before quickly moving on.
On the temporary public benches at the dock, several watermelons, neatly sliced, were placed. The sun was already quite high, and the red-juiced slices made one’s mouth water.
Wang Yu watched as the little lolis, having finished moving the cargo, happily rushed over. After greeting the man in black, they picked up watermelon slices and began to eat them with gusto.
The young man in the black shirt gently stroked the head of each little loli, his eyes full of encouragement, speaking to them occasionally. The scene was quite heartwarming.
“Gulp.” Wang Yu seemed to hear a swallowing sound beside him. After a moment of hesitation, he thought that since there was nothing else to do, and he was just wandering around anyway, it would be good to get to know another Commander he happened to meet.
He pulled the little York beside him and strode directly towards the man in black.
The man had already noticed Wang Yu’s presence, alerted by the Ship girl behind him. After all, Wang Yu’s white naval uniform, even without rank insignia, was conspicuous enough on this busy dock.
Furthermore, Wang Yu himself was very handsome, and he was accompanied by the equally adorable little York. His unhurried demeanor as he looked around the dock made him stand out significantly compared to the busy crowd.
Therefore, when Wang Yu actively walked towards him, he quickly noticed.
“Hello.” He waved friendly, smiling as he glanced at the little York held by Wang Yu’s hand. Her attire allowed him to immediately identify her as a Ship girl: “Are you a Commander too?”
Wang Yu was just wondering how to start a conversation. Seeing the other party’s question, he immediately replied, “Yes, I only became a Commander recently. This is my Ship girl.” He shook his tightly clasped hands with York.
The man carefully scrutinized Wang Yu’s face, secretly guessing his age, then nodded with an understanding look: “You’re not a Commander from the academy, are you? Did you become a Commander on your own? No wonder you look a bit unfamiliar; after all, I can recognize some of the juniors from the academy in this district.”
Wang Yu thought about it; he indeed couldn’t be considered a Commander from the academy, and becoming a Commander was entirely due to his Ship Girls’ efforts, so saying he became a Commander on his own was not an exaggeration. After all, his Ship Girls’ achievements were his own achievements, so he didn’t refute and simply nodded, agreeing with the other party’s guess.
Once the man confirmed Wang Yu’s identity as a Commander, he became even more enthusiastic, a sincere smile blooming on his face.
He invited Wang Yu and York: “Come over and have some. It’s quite hot at noon in this weather. Quench your thirst. This is a rare commodity; I specially exchanged it from the supply fleet. Regular merchant ships don’t have this kind of thing right now.”
After being in the sun for a while, it was indeed quite hot, and watermelons were not usually on the supply fleet’s regular supply list. It probably required a special request, just like his order for brandy.
He glanced at the little York beside him, who was eagerly staring at him, and nodded.
York cheered, pounced over without ceremony, and immediately picked up a slice of watermelon to start eating.
The other little lolis had no objections to this slightly older sister joining them. They very kindly made space for York, and soon they were all happily playing together.
Children are wonderful; a few words are enough to become familiar. Seeing the little lolis playing happily together, Wang Yu also felt his heart lighten.
Looking at the Commander opposite, he seemed to have the same thought.
The man smiled and said to Wang Yu, “Did you also come from somewhere else, specifically to find work?”
Find work? What does that mean? Wang Yu was a bit confused, then suddenly remembered how those little lolis had worked hard to move cargo earlier. He tentatively asked, “Did you come here to accept a mission from Headquarters? Was moving cargo earlier for this purpose?”
“Otherwise?” The man chuckled and retorted, “Didn’t you receive a commission from Headquarters?”
Wang Yu shook his head, and the young Commander immediately understood, adopting a seasoned demeanor as he advised: “Even if you’re not a Commander from the academy, as long as you’re registered with Headquarters, you can still receive commission missions. The reason you haven’t received any missions is probably because…”
He glanced at the little York, who had successfully integrated with the destroyers: “It might be because you currently have too few Ship Girls, and your fleet’s strength isn’t strong enough, so you haven’t reached the level to access certain missions.”
He hadn’t considered that Wang Yu might have other Ship Girls. How could a Ship girl without a port not be by the Commander’s side, as there was no need to garrison a port? So, this Commander probably only had the one Ship girl in front of him.
“Don’t be discouraged. A year ago, when I first graduated, I only had one Ship girl under me, but now I’m close to assembling an entire fleet.” He patted Wang Yu’s shoulder in encouragement.
Wang Yu was a bit speechless. Did he mean an entire fleet consisting of one big sister in the back row and five or six little loli vanguards? This formation was quite strange…
Wang Yu looked at the several destroyers under his command, feeling somewhat confused by his so-called “entire fleet.”