After dinner, Friedrich suggested that Lu Chen could continue to hang out at her house, whether chatting, watching TV, or being dragged into the room by Hutten—whatever Lu Chen wished.
Lu Chen indicated he should return to his own home. If he stayed there for the night, Hutten might show up pregnant in front of Noshiro to fight for him later. He had confidence in his self-control—confidence that he would fail to maintain his boundaries.
Lu Chen vaguely felt he wasn't that kind of person, but he easily lost self-control when facing them. He couldn't find a reason, so he could only attribute it to being a vigorous young man and the girls being too exceptional, making him instinctively want to possess them.
Although Friedrich and Hutten were a little disappointed, Noshiro was undoubtedly pleased with the outcome. Even though she wouldn't get jealous, she wouldn't refuse the temptation of time alone with Lu Chen.
After helping Friedrich clear the dining table and tidy the kitchen, Noshiro and Lu Chen left. Only after closing Friedrich's door and entering Lu Chen's house did Noshiro sigh in relief. The pressure from the two sisters was truly immense.
On the other side, Hutten lay semi-reclined on the sofa, eyes comfortably squinted. She was in a good mood.
"What did you do with the Commander this afternoon?" Friedrich sat beside her, placing a bowl of sliced fruit in front of them both, asking with interest.
"What an Oath Ship should do," Hutten said casually. "I honestly didn't expect that sort of thing could truly be achieved in this virtual world. Siren's black technology has reached this level."
Friedrich shook her head. "It's not just the Siren's power. Shinano was also involved. Her power over dreams and the Siren device formed a harmonious whole, resulting in a virtual space that is almost identical to reality."
"Will doing that affect the Commander's body in reality?" Hutten asked another question. After speaking, she smiled sheepishly. "Ugh, I'm getting very lewd, as if the Commander has corrupted my core."
"That's what you brought upon yourself," Friedrich said. "This is a deep dream state. The Commander is virtually disconnected from reality. Whatever happens here won't affect his physical body in reality. In other words, he can have unlimited stamina here."
Hutten sat upright and asked, "Then wouldn't he not achieve true satisfaction? The Commander is human, and his desires are regulated by hormones, but the dream can't regulate the hormones in reality."
Friedrich's expression became slightly helpless. "Hutten, our primary goal is to restore the Commander's memory, not to focus on that kind of thing. Haven't you become strange?"
"Because the emotion the Commander projects onto me is desire—pure desire for now—and I'm already subconsciously drawn into it," Hutten's tone was flippant, carrying a hint of obsession. "I dare not imagine what will happen when the Commander falls in love with me later. I might truly break then. But that's not important; answer my question."
Friedrich looked like she wanted to speak but stopped. If it was an emotional projection from the Commander, she wouldn't stop it. No one was more important to her than the Commander, not even her comrades. Although she would go through fire and water for her comrades and sacrifice herself for them without hesitation, when it involved the Commander, it was a different matter entirely.
In other words, if doing that sort of thing with Hutten made the Commander happy, even if Hutten disagreed, Friedrich would hold her down. Unconditional spoiling—that was Friedrich's defining characteristic.
"The Commander is no longer purely human. Since the day we found him, his body has undergone dramatic changes, which are benign. We speculate that his amnesia is also related to this; his mind couldn't adapt to his physical changes until today."
Friedrich picked up a piece of apple. Even though she could conjure anything she wanted with a wave of her hand in the virtual space, she still preferred to do things herself, finding a sense of spending an ordinary daily life with Lu Chen, portraying herself as his kind, friendly neighbor.
Hmm, the neighbor who plots to claim Lu Chen's body.
Friedrich smiled and continued to explain, "Simply put, the Commander is gradually becoming an existence similar to us, becoming more idealistic. You can certainly satisfy him, but it depends on whether you have the ability to do so."
"That's enough. If I can't satisfy the Commander, there's always you, isn't there?" Hutten licked her lips. "Trust me, once you taste the Commander, you will crave him just as much as I do. This is our constant destiny as his Ship Girls."
"Although I dislike fatalism, this time is an exception," Friedrich narrowed her eyes and smiled. She knew her destiny was to care for Lu Chen, her lifelong love. For that, she was willing to give everything she had.
...
"Ah—" Lu Chen let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the sofa. "Finally back. Although it doesn't feel entirely real to live here, I genuinely feel a sense of safety like home."
Here, there were no inexplicable disciplinary committee members, no delinquent girls plotting for his body, and no bizarre sister. There was only his official girlfriend, Noshiro. Even if anything happened, it would be legitimate.
Noshiro sat down beside him, lifted both of Lu Chen's legs onto her lap, and chuckled. "What's with that reaction? We just went out for dinner; we didn't eat you."
"It's close enough," Lu Chen moved his legs away. He was still unaccustomed to such intimacy with the girl.
Noshiro looked confused. "Don't you want me to give you a massage?"
"No, you've been busy all day. Why don't you find a place to lie down and rest for a bit?" Noshiro must have made the lunch bento, and after returning home in the afternoon, she helped Friedrich diligently, even refusing to let Lu Chen help with the dishes. Her 'ideal wife and loving mother' personality was on full display.
Noshiro glanced at Lu Chen's chest, her face faintly red. "Do you want me to lie in your arms? Isn't that a bit too fast? But, if you want to, I guess it's not impossible."
"No, I just… Okay, can you lie in my arms?" Lu Chen felt that if he held his girlfriend, experiencing the warmth of her embrace, his resistance to the 'bad women' outside might become stronger. Moreover, he genuinely wanted to be closer to Noshiro.
Noshiro's fair, pretty face flushed a few shades redder. She placed her hands against Lu Chen's chest and slowly bent over. Her beautiful black-stockinged legs lifted and rested on the sofa, overlapping with Lu Chen's legs. Her movements were gentle, careful not to let the small horns on her forehead poke Lu Chen.
She met Lu Chen's gaze for a second, then shyly buried her head in his shoulder. She mumbled, "You are allowed small, localized touching, but don't go too far. If you cross the line, you have to comfort me properly until I forgive you, understood?"