Seagulls wheeled freely across a sapphire sky, a gentle breeze bringing calm to every heart.
A silver streak tore through the air, ripping sonic booms as it flashed past, beauty shattering the peace.
It was Illustrious racing toward Azure Island—activated three days earlier—Ayanami cradled in her arms.
"Admiral, I heard tons of Ship Girls are heading there—even Epic Ship Girls want the prize. Can we really win the purple silver heart and green silver heart?" Ayanami worried.
Illustrious smiled faintly at the concern. "Honestly, I'm not sure—but I won't flinch. No matter the obstacles, I'll break through and seize what I want.
"This world is full of danger; the Abyssals rampage everywhere. Humans respect us only because the Abyssals threaten them. Once the Abyssals are gone, Ship Girls will be next—after all, 'not of my race, their hearts must differ.'"
"Admiral, you think humans will turn on us? But we've done nothing wrong—we protect their homes!" Ayanami could hardly believe it.
Illustrious sighed. "Ayanami, you're too naïve. Humans don't care about that—they only see that you aren't human and wield power that could upend the whole order. Because of that, they'll never feel safe; sooner or later there'll be conflict, and one side will have to fight the other."
"Whether it's the war with the Sirens or the future clash between humans and Ship Girls, I need the strength to protect myself and everyone around me. So the purple silver heart and the green-silver heart are things I must obtain." Illustrious' voice was resolute.
Seeing Illustrious' fearless determination, Ayanami steeled herself. "Admiral, whatever happens, I'll walk through it hand-in-hand with you."
"Mm! Having you here, Ayanami, is wonderful." She wasn't alone after all; her own Ship Girl was marching beside her, and Illustrious smiled, relieved.
Of course, having once been human herself, Illustrious had no wish to fight humanity. She only wanted to keep her Ship Girls from harm, and strength was the only way to guarantee that.
"Admiral, look! That blue energy dome ahead—we've arrived!" Ayanami cried excitedly.
The small island was wrapped in a blue barrier that looked fragile, as though it might collapse at any moment.
Knowing they were almost at their goal, the cautious Illustrious halted at once. She dropped to the sea with Ayanami and switched to hydroplaning. After all, only Four-Star Legendary Ship Girls or Rulers could truly walk on air; even Four-Star Epic Ship Girls merely formed wings of Ship Qi to fly.
It would be bad if others saw her as some mighty being and ganged up on her. "Ayanami, we'll glide the rest of the way."
"A-aye-aye, Admiral! It's just… may I hold your hand while we go?" Ayanami asked, cheeks flushed, her voice trembling.
Illustrious chuckled. "Of course, but—Ayanami, you're all grown up and still want to hold my hand? Are you nervous about the crowd? Don't worry, your Admiral's here; I'll protect you.
In truth Ayanami wasn't afraid at all, but if she didn't pretend, she'd never get to hold the Admiral's hand, so she simply nodded.
Illustrious took Ayanami's slender fingers at once. The softness and warmth in her palm—so delicate, so pleasant—were these Ayanami's hands? She never wanted to let go.
Ayanami was even happier. She longed for the girls back at the Naval Base to see her strolling hand-in-hand with the Admiral—like sweethearts! They'd be green with envy.
Holding hands was only the first step; next came a kiss, then becoming one with the Admiral, and finally becoming the Admiral's Wife Ship.
Ayanami drew a slow, deep breath. The revolution isn't finished; I still have work to do. Go, Ayanami—you can do it!
And so the two Ship Girls, fingers entwined, hydroplaned toward Azure Island. The barrier was already so weak even a mere blue-rarity Ship Girl could slip through without being repelled, and a human Admiral could be carried in by any Ship Girl of blue rarity or higher.
They could have waited another hour for the shield to collapse entirely, but no one could hold back; they were afraid that arriving even a moment late would leave them behind.
Slipping through the blue film, the surface rippled and dented under the intrusion, then smoothed back into place once they were inside.
After skimming two hundred metres, Illustrious and Ayanami spotted several hundred figures gathered before the gate of some ruins. From a distance the chatter was only a murmur.
When they finally reached the crowd, the voices became clear. Not knowing what was going on, Illustrious asked a female Admiral named Yang Xue, who cheerfully explained.
A Five-Star Epic Ship Girl inside wanted the relic's treasure for herself, Yang Xue said; she had blocked the gate and ordered everyone else to leave.
"Of course you refused," Illustrious remarked.
"Exactly! We've struggled for days to get here—how dare she tell us to go?" Yang Xue fumed.
"Who does this Epic Ship Girl think she is? Can't we report her to the Governor-General's Mansion?" Ayanami asked, puzzled.
"The problem is we don't know where she came from. Probably a Free Ship Girl—only a Free Ship Girl would ignore complaints. Report a bonded Ship Girl and her Admiral gets punished, so they behave, but a free one has nothing to fear," Yang Xue murmured.
"Admiral, what do we do? That's a Five-Star Epic Ship Girl! We can't just leave after waiting three whole days!" Ayanami fretted.
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