At this moment, York still bore the traces of battle.
Although the ammunition used in drills wouldn't cause actual harm, it would still leave those hit messy and disheveled, especially since York had been fighting here all afternoon.
Her neatly styled bangs were now disheveled, the shiny crown headpiece had lost its usual luster, and her entire body was covered in marks from ammunition hits, with a faint smell of gunpowder detectable from a distance.
Getting dirty during a battle was perfectly normal, and York felt the same way, so she had no self-awareness of being a 'big calico cat'.
After quickly breaking free from Amagi's restraint, York remained unchanged.
Covered in dust and smoke, she directly pounced into Wang Yu's arms.
Wang Yu quickly reached out to catch little York, and the rising smoke, carrying the smell of burnt gunpowder, made his nose sting a little.
Wang Yu silently shed tears as he looked at his freshly laundered white naval uniform.
"Commander, Commander, did you see? York is super amazing now!" York said proudly.
"Eh, Commander, why are you crying?"
"It's nothing, the gunpowder got into my eyes.
I saw it all, York is great!"
Indeed, the 'white robes fluttering' look was too far removed from him; he wouldn't wear this again next time.
"Of course, it's mainly thanks to the equipment Commander gave me, and Gascogne Big Sister's teaching, and of course, my own strength is also very strong!"
After saying that, she excitedly wrapped her arms around Wang Yu's neck, leaned her face close, and rubbed it against Wang Yu's cheek.
Wang Yu guessed his face must be black now too.
However, the little girl had just won a big victory and was at her happiest, so as her Commander, he couldn't possibly dampen her spirits.
He could only hug York tighter, with all sorts of praises readily flowing from his mouth.
Some of his flattery even made him feel a bit awkward, but York listened with great interest, nodding in agreement from time to time, clearly enjoying it.
After being praised by her Commander, York's mood improved even further.
She jumped off Wang Yu and happily spun around, striking various chuunibyou poses, shouting obscure phrases like 'The Ship Way is eternal like a long night,' which drew strange looks from the surrounding Ship Girls and made Wang Yu incredibly embarrassed.
"Did you teach her all this?"
"It sounds, um..." Pennsylvania didn't know how to describe it.
"Very imposing, yes, very imposing."
After saying that, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I didn't teach her, I just said two sentences, she heard it herself..." Wang Yu felt a bit helpless.
"I understand, you don't need to explain..."
Wang Yu was on the verge of tears.
The foolishness he committed when salvaging Ship Girls back then was now the blood and tears he had to pay.
What goes around comes around, and his image in front of Pennsylvania was pretty much ruined...
Pennsylvania led Wang Yu through various checkpoints, quickly bringing them to the pre-arranged resting room.
The place arranged for Wang Yu to rest was a simple, detached attic, like the common farmer's houses from the 80s and 90s.
The mottled concrete exterior looked very old, but the interior decor was complete and arranged very warmly.
It also came with a small, but not too small, courtyard.
Along the bluestone path, various flowerbeds were scattered, with white, red, and blue flowers.
Vines climbed over the mahogany trellises, and in an open space not far away, several swings swayed gently in the summer breeze.
Around the pale stone table, a few log-shaped tables and chairs were casually placed, making the whole scene appear exceptionally tranquil and cozy.
Wang Yu hadn't expected to find such a house in such a generally strict military base.
"These rooms are specially prepared for Commanders like you.
Occasionally, some Commanders will come here to carry out missions, and then their rest becomes an issue.
After all, Commanders don't want to be separated from their Ship Girls for a moment, and Ship Girls feel the same way.
So, these independent small houses are specifically prepared for these Commanders!"
After bidding farewell to Pennsylvania, Wang Yu slumped weakly onto the sofa.
From leaving the port in the morning until now, he had been shuttling between Headquarters and the city hall, almost non-stop all day!
It was another day full of running and exhaustion.
The Commander's life was simply too hard; he couldn't live without a Secretary Ship!
"Commander, your expression is so strange now, and your face, it's so ugly, like a big calico cat, not handsome at all," York said with a giggle.
"Hmm?"
York picked up a mirror from the nearby table and pushed it towards Wang Yu: "Commander, look, a big calico cat!"
Wang Yu took the mirror and saw that his face was patchy with gray and white, his originally handsome features completely obscured by the soot, looking as if he had just crawled out of a coal factory.
He playfully pinched York's little face: "This is all your doing.
You knew you were dirty and still insisted on coming over for a hug.
Now you still won't get off me.
Look how dirty you are now; if Glorious sees us, she'll scold us both to death."
"This isn't dirt, it's merit!
This is the beginning of Wave Bringer conquering the stars and the sea, Commander, I'm about to become invincible!"
"Right, right, right.
Before becoming invincible, you should look in the mirror first.
If you make all the enemies laugh themselves to death, then you'll truly be invincible."
Wang Yu forcefully put the mirror into York's hand, making her look at herself.
York picked up the mirror, glanced at it, and then threw it aside with a 'pah': "The path to growth is always full of thorns.
It's just a mere facade; how can it hinder the journey of Lady York!"
"Cough cough, My Lord, your plan to dominate the four seas can be put on hold for now.
It would be better to wash up first."
Amagi, who had already finished inspecting the entire room, gracefully walked into the living room.
On this trip, she bore the responsibility of a guard, and even in Headquarters, she still needed to maintain due vigilance.
"The rooms here are quite fully functional, My Lord.
I took a look, and there's a nice bathhouse in here, the kind where many people can bathe together," Amagi said with a narrowed-eye smile.
A bathhouse, Wang Yu's heart stirred.
His own port also had many large bathhouses, but they were all arranged within the independent dormitory areas of each faction.
After all, bathhouses were one of the essential buildings, incredibly important.
It was said that soaking in them could even heal the body and mind of Ship Girls.
And for the Ship Girls of Sardegna Empire, this was even more true; they couldn't live without bathhouses, as even their Flagship relied on bathing to display her prestige...
However, currently, the number of Ship Girls in his port was not large, so the independent dormitory areas for each faction's Ship Girls had not yet been opened.
Therefore, finding a place to bathe was out of the question.
After all, everyone rested in the Command Center building, and a private bathroom was sufficient for daily washing.
The Command Center arranged so many rooms, but no large bathhouses.
Was it worried that Commanders would host pool parties in the Command Center building?
Couldn't they have a little more faith in Commanders?
How could they do such a thing?
At most, they'd take a bath together when tired to deepen their feelings or something.
Of course, none of that was available now; there was always a lack of trust between people...
But now there was actually a bathhouse here.
Amagi walked over to Wang Yu, pulled York from his arms, and walked to the end of the hallway.
Amagi suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled softly: "My Lord, would you like to join us?"
