"Built for me?" Lu Chen joked. "I don't recall having a family wealthy enough to own a country to afford all this. I'm an orphan."
"Couldn't it be because of your own efforts?" Taihou said with a hint of distress. "You must have suffered a lot when you were little, but don't worry. With Taihou by your side, you will forget all your troubles."
"No, actually, the orphanage director was a very kind elderly person, and the orphanage received a lot of donations, so my childhood was very happy," Lu Chen replied. "So, what did I do afterward? Did I save the world?"
Taihou recalled what Purifier had said and smiled. "Something like that."
"Stop joking," Lu Chen waved his hand. "I vaguely remember my experiences: ordinary schooling, graduating from high school, and then going to university—hiss, which university was it? Why can't I remember the crucial details? Anyway, I'm at most twenty years old now. I don't have time to save the world. Staying home and playing video games is what I should be doing at this age."
"Since you know, why bother asking Taihou?" Taihou leaned toward Lu Chen, reaching out her fair hand to gently stroke his chest. "Time is short. You should hurry up and cherish Taihou, or do you want me to take the initiative?"
Ding-a-ling!
Lu Chen truly couldn't handle the aggressive Taihou. He had little experience dealing with intimate relationships. Hearing the class bell, Lu Chen grabbed it like a lifesaver and quickly backed away from Taihou. "Class is starting. We should both go back to our classrooms."
Taihou wanted to press further, but remembering the flagship girls had explicitly forbidden doing anything beyond the rules—threatening to seal her account otherwise—she reluctantly stopped the tempting thought.
Hmph, abusing their position while the Commander is incapacitated and taking advantage of their roles. She was one of the Ship Girls the Commander cherished the most! Her combat power wasn't outstanding among the Ship Girls, yet she became his Oath Ship soon after he built her. Wasn't that proof enough?
"Then, after school, Taihou will…"
"No, I have plans today," Lu Chen hurriedly ran back to the classroom. "Next time."
Taihou froze in place, then stamped her foot in frustration. One step slow, every step slow. Damn it.
Back in the classroom, a petite girl with wavy green hair was writing and drawing on the blackboard. Seeing Lu Chen enter, she complained, "Late for class? Are you even a student? Get back to your seat quickly. I'll call on you to answer a question later."
"Sorry, sorry." This feeling was too familiar, familiar enough to make Lu Chen a little afraid.
Back in his seat, Noshiro whispered, "What happened? You were out for so long?"
"I was held up by a girl named Taihou. Do you know her?" Lu Chen asked.
"Of course, I know her. That child is quite fond of you," Noshiro chuckled softly.
"You know she likes me?" Lu Chen asked in surprise. "Aren't you jealous?"
"Jealous? Why would you think that? Besides her, is there anyone else who would be jealous because a girl is close to you?" Now it was Noshiro's turn to be surprised. "If I were to get jealous over that, how many times would I have to be jealous over every girl in this entire academy?"
"You are truly generous," Lu Chen said with an ambiguous tone.
"That's because I'm your girlfriend," Noshiro's eyes curved into crescents. "If I didn't have this kind of resolve, how could I become your girlfriend?"
Lu Chen wanted to say more, but the petite girl on the podium suddenly erupted with an intimidating aura: "You two over there, outside! My class does not welcome disruptive students!"
Noshiro was stunned. This was the first time she had violated a rule, whether in reality or the virtual world. Her image as an honor-student Ship Girl, maintained for several years, had ended today.
Outside the classroom, Lu Chen and Noshiro stood side-by-side, separated by a fist's distance. Luñ Chen scratched his face and said sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I caused the teacher to get a bad impression of you."
He could tell Noshiro was a typical good girl—studious, diligent, a good child to her parents, and a good student to her teachers. Such people usually valued their teacher's opinion highly.
"Teacher Langley is like a completely different person during class; she becomes quite scary," Noshiro said in a gentle tone, gazing at the distant, boundless blue sky. "But actually, in private, she's a very delicate girl. If you are slightly pushy, she'll agree to anything you ask."
Lu Chen asked curiously, "Really? What about the two teachers this morning?"
"The first class was Purifier. She's a bit arrogant. I originally thought she was a villain, but later I realized she's just endearingly foolish. The second class was a teacher named Implacable. As for her…" Noshiro fell silent for a moment. The person was a succubus known as a nun, and Noshiro couldn't find the right words to introduce her—plus, she was the Commander's newest favorite. "As for her, you'll have to explore that yourself."
"?" Asking your boyfriend to actively get to know a beautiful, blonde, big-chested teacher? Your girlfriend's approach is way too unconventional. Lu Chen asked, "As students, do we need to get that close to our teachers?"
"That's up to you," Noshiro smiled carelessly. "This afternoon class seems to be a bust. Hmm, never mind, there's no point overthinking it. What would you like to eat tonight?"
Lu Chen thought about it. "Just make something simple, don't make it too complicated."
"Then, after school, come with me to the mall. You can pick out things you like to eat," Noshiro suggested.
Lu Chen looked at the classroom, then looked around. "Can we leave now?"
"You want to skip class?" Noshiro's expression instantly changed.
Lu Chen said, "It's pointless for us to stand here being punished. We might as well go home early and come back early tomorrow to study more. I'm sure the teacher will understand."
"...Teacher Langley will be angry."
"Didn't you say she's soft-hearted in private? If we admit our mistake and soften her up, maybe the matter will pass."
Noshiro asked, "Were you like this before you lost your memory?"
"What, you don't know what I was like before?" Lu Chen teased. Then he saw a somewhat panicked expression on Noshiro's face, and his expression changed. "You really don't know? Are you serious? You're my girlfriend."
"B-Because the lessons I received from a young age were not to pry too much into others' affairs. Some privacy between a couple helps maintain marital harmony," Noshiro's eyes drifted away.
Lu Chen couldn't help but say, "It's lucky your family has good luck and didn't run into a scumbag, or you'd be cheated and still counting his money for him."
"There are only my two sisters and me in my family. Apart from me having you as a boyfriend, neither of them has ever dated, so you don't need to worry," Noshiro replied.