In the past few days, he had met many different Ship Girls; although they each had their own personalities, they generally appeared innocent and carefree.
But when those eyes looked at him, Wang Yu felt that they carried an inexplicable meaning, full of worry and confusion.
The Essex-class is also known as the Dumpling-class; compared to other aircraft carriers that only have a few sister ships, there are 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers of the same type, which became the backbone of the White Eagle Navy during the Pacific War. Everyone jokingly said that the launching speed of the Essex-class was like dropping dumplings, which is how the nickname 'Dumpling-class' originated.
In the game, Shangri-La was also known as 'Fragrant Dumpling,' and he still had a deep impression of her; after all, she was a gold-tier aircraft carrier, so she definitely had that much standing. He quickly overlaid the image of Shangri-La from the game with the girl in front of him.
However, in his memory, Shangri-La didn't seem to be a melancholic girl. What was with that look just now? Was he seeing things?
“Do you like the sea?”
After Shangri-La introduced herself, she didn't wait for Wang Yu's response and asked again, lost in her own thoughts.
Her voice was clear and refreshing, flowing through his heart like spring water in a stream; although it wasn't loud, it reached his ears distinctly.
Wang Yu had previously met Hornet and Essex at the Headquarters, but this was his first time meeting Shangri-La.
You ask me if I like the sea? Yes, of course I like it. The sea here is as blue as the sky. Even if I didn't like it before, now, I definitely do. Wang Yu looked up at the horizon, where the sun was slowly setting. It was almost dark, the bustling beach had grown quiet, and the waves had gradually subsided.
He could barely hear the sound of the waves, and at this moment, the wind also became gentle. If he didn't smell carefully, he wouldn't even detect the unique salty smell of the sea. Looking into the distance, the seawater, like black jade, was slowly receding. Unconsciously, his feet were once again on the sand.
Wang Yu just didn't understand why Shangri-La would suddenly ask him this question. Shouldn't she be asking me what I think about the Headquarters? Or what my plans are for the future? But he quickly answered.
“Of course I like it. No one who has seen the sea doesn't like it.”
In the game, Shangri-La had a very serious character design, compared to the other Essex-class Ship Girls in the game. She was normal to an extreme degree.
She would help the Commander record various events, liked to share all sorts of stories with the Commander, and would remind the former Commander to rest and take care of his body. In short, she was a good candidate for a Secretary Ship. She was also an insect collector and an archaeology enthusiast.
Her other sisters, however, were different. As the lead ship of the Essex-class, Essex's dialogue was very serious; she was a junior striving to surpass her seniors, but her in-game chibi model was too silly, completely ruining her serious character design.
Intrepid's chibi model was just as silly. Wang Yu once put her on the stage to sing, and after that, his perception of Intrepid changed.
Bunker Hill's personality was too aloof, the type who was fierce and spoke little. Wang Yu only paid a little attention to her when he obtained her, and because he wasn't very fond of her illustration, he didn't know much about her.
So Wang Yu felt that he still needed to play it safe and answer others' questions normally, without being too erratic.
Shangri-La didn't respond; it seemed she didn't care how Wang Yu answered.
Neither of them spoke again.
Wang Yu felt that this Shangri-La seemed a bit aloof. She was a little different from his impression of her in the game, but people come in all types, and it's not strange for the same Ship Girls to have different personalities. Seeing that Shangri-La had no intention of speaking, he quietly admired the sunset with her.
Soon, the sun plunged into the sea. The sky grew dim, and scattered lights gradually lit up all around.
After a while, Shangri-La recalled her roaming carrier-based aircraft, watching them fly back into Shangri-La's rigging and disappear. Wang Yu couldn't help but silently grumble in his heart, 'Are you specifically out here to walk your planes?' It looked just like walking an over-energetic dog at home.
Seemingly noticing Wang Yu's gaze, Shangri-La smiled slightly: “I come to look at the sea once in a while. I don't have many opportunities to go out to sea now, so I have to rely on these little guys to help me get a good look.”
Not many opportunities to go out to sea? Wang Yu understood somewhat. Was it because her status at the Headquarters was higher? So there were almost no opportunities for sorties, only the daily work of commanding remained?
He quickly ran through a series of conjectures in his mind, quietly listening as Shangri-La continued to speak.
But Shangri-La didn't say anything else: “You probably haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's go eat together.”
The sudden invitation made Wang Yu pause, and he instinctively wanted to refuse. He didn't have the habit of eating with strangers. Even if this was a rather beautiful girl—well, perhaps precisely because she was too beautiful, Wang Yu felt even more uncomfortable.
As strangers, he could interact with them normally as if they were characters in a game, but to eat together like friends, or to get to know them more deeply, made him feel anxious.
It seemed he hadn't fully adapted to this world yet; everything before was probably just him feigning composure.
“Grumble.”
Just then, his stomach rumbled at the opportune moment. Although the sound wasn't loud, the beach was exceptionally quiet at this time. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know if it was because of the late hour, or because of Shangri-La's arrival, but it seemed like everyone else on the beach had left a long time ago.
Coupled with the possibility that Ship Girls naturally have good hearing, Shangri-La clearly heard Wang Yu's stomach rumbling.
“Let's go eat together. Being hungry is not good for your health. As a Commander, you should care more about your own body. This is also being responsible for your own port.” Shangri-La's voice was soft and gentle, sounding like she was talking to an old friend, expressing concern so naturally.
Wang Yu certainly didn't think this was because she was talking to him; he wasn't that narcissistic. It was more like a habit. Could it be that she often said such things before? So she was used to this tone. Wang Yu suddenly realized something, lost in thought.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Wang Yu could no longer refuse. So he followed Shangri-La towards the dining area.
Before, someone had always brought him food. This was his first time going to eat. It was rare to have someone lead the way, and he was happy to get familiar with the environment. Soon, they arrived at a place similar to a large cafeteria.
Perhaps because it was late, only a few scattered people were eating. It felt like getting food in a cafeteria in his previous life. After getting their meals, they found an empty spot and sat down.
Wang Yu tasted the food and felt that the taste wasn't bad. Plus, he was already hungry, so he didn't bother with gentlemanly manners. He quickly devoured his meal. Living is for eating. If there's anything else, it must be to make the food taste better. Now, there was one more purpose for living: Ship Girls.
Wang Yu had originally thought that Shangri-La would have some other questions. He was already prepared to properly mislead—oh, to honestly answer about his glorious achievements as a Commander. But he didn't expect Shangri-La to ask any other questions. Instead, she asked how his interaction with York was.
Speaking of York, Wang Yu also felt a abdomen full of confusion. If his guess was correct, this should be White Eagle territory, so why was there a Royal Ship Girls? If he didn't understand, he would ask, so he directly inquired Shangri-La about his confusion.
Shangri-La had no intention of hiding anything. As she spoke, Wang Yu gradually understood what was going on. York was salvaged about two years ago during a mission where she defeated the Siren. Since then, she had been living at the Headquarters. Because as a newly born Ship Girls, her strength wasn't strong enough, she had few opportunities for sorties, and not many Commanders came to the Headquarters, she had never thought of finding a Commander. So currently, she had been staying at the Headquarters.
Wang Yu was thoughtful; it solved a long-standing confusion of his.
Returning to his residence, Wang Yu recalled today's experiences and his conversation with Shangri-La, the melancholic eyes from their first meeting constantly resurfacing…
It seems there are still some things I don't understand. I always feel like Shangri-La had something she wanted to say but held back; perhaps that is the key to my current situation…
“Do you like the sea?”