After the first class ended, Taihou tiptoed to the doorway of Lu Chen's classroom, poked her small head inside, and called out, "Lu Chen-sama, Lu Chen-sama~ Your cutest Taihou is here to play with you! Huh? Where's Lu Chen-sama?"
Lu Chen's seat was empty. Taihou looked around in disbelief. She had been watching outside the window; Lu Chen definitely hadn't left this floor, so where did he go?
Noshiro was copying notes. Due to a well-known accident, Lu Chen once again failed to take proper notes. Although Lu Chen might never use this knowledge in his life, Noshiro was stubbornly of the opinion that you might not use it, but you must have it.
Seeing Taihou, Noshiro couldn't help but reveal a knowing smile. She was very fond of this Ship Girl, who was also from the Sakura Empire—it was a kind of same-sex friendship. The reason was simple: Taihou's deep love for the Commander.
Ship Girls' values were vastly different from those of humans. Most Ship Girls' affection for others depended on that person's attitude towards their Commander. Of course, their attitude toward themselves was also a factor, but its weight was not as significant.
However, there were exceptions. Some Ship Girls wanted to monopolize the Commander, which was impossible to achieve, but it didn't stop them from thinking that way. When competing for Lu Chen, their relationships with the other Ship Girls around them were not exactly friendly.
"Did you come to find Lu Chen?" Noshiro asked softly. "You won't be able to see him during this break. Because he was caught looking at Teacher Z23's swimsuit photos in class, he is currently being lectured by Teacher Z23 in the office."
Taihou knew exactly what the photos were about; she had a set in there, too, and their revealing nature ranked among the top tier of all the photos.
To help the Commander become familiar with them faster, and also to provide a "point of doubt" in this world, every Ship Girl in the base had uploaded their personal photos to Lu Chen's phone. In other words, his phone currently held private photos of hundreds of Ship Girls.
That was the official explanation. Privately, the Ship Girls all treated it as a rare opportunity to show off their bodies or unique features to the Commander. Think about it: as long as they introduced themselves in front of the Commander, he would likely search for their photos on his phone, which would then spark curiosity or desire—in short, it was easy to capture the Commander's attention.
It seemed Z23 encountered the ideal situation, but the timing was bad, which embarrassed her.
"Hmm, well, please tell Lu Chen-sama that my photos are very cute, too," Taihou instructed. Seeing Noshiro nod in agreement, she returned to her classroom and played dead by lying on her desk.
If the Commander isn't around, the break might as well be over.
At the end of the hallway was the teachers' office, where all the teachers instructing on this floor returned during breaks or when they weren't teaching.
In one small partitioned area, Z23 sat in a chair, holding a thermos, lecturing Lu Chen, who stood before her. "I know at your age you like looking at these things. The teacher isn't saying you can't look, but you need to distinguish between appropriate times to play on your phone. Everyone else is in class…"
Lu Chen withdrew his previous thought that Z23 was unqualified to be a teacher. Although she looked a few years younger than him, she delivered the speech with such earnestness that it reminded him of the fear of being dominated by his homeroom teacher in middle and high school.
On the other side of the office, Purifier leaned against the partition, asking curiously, "What did Lu Chen do?"
"I don't know." Implacable seemed uninterested in anything, asking drowsily, "Lu Chen, what did you do wrong?"
"Playing with my phone during class," Lu Chen replied. The teacher in front of him was named Implacable. She had arguably the best figure in the office and was the one whose age most matched the teaching profession.
Although her demeanor seemed very lazy, Lu Chen keenly sensed that her aura was off. Her expression when looking at him felt like a predator, but it could also be his imagination, as who can really judge a look?
"Playing with your phone?" Purifier said teasingly. "What were you looking at that made her blush and her heart race?"
"Stop asking!" Z23 had to interrupt her questioning. Although the Ship Girls in the classroom all knew about it, the news would probably spread throughout the entire base by noon, as Ship Girls were very attentive to the Commander's every move. She wanted to delay this as much as possible.
Purifier suddenly shouted, "Someone posted on Juus! 'Lu Chen caught looking at Nimi-chan's swimsuit photos in class,' and there's a picture!"
"Who posted it?!"
Purifier said, "Let me see. Hmm, this person is called Javelin☆. I don't know them."
"Javelin!" Z23 gritted her teeth. Hearing that familiar name, she wasn't surprised at all.
Lu Chen stood quietly on the side. Your teacher image is quite approachable, even adding students on social media. But it seemed he was in trouble. The purple-haired girl named Javelin had enjoyed spreading the gossip, but he was going to bear the brunt of Teacher Z23's ignited wrath.
Z23's chest rose and fell dramatically with her heavy breathing. She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, opened them, and said, "Lu Chen, the teacher believes you realize your mistake now. This time, let's leave it at that. I hope this kind of thing doesn't happen to you again, okay?"
?
Lu Chen had a face full of question marks. "That's it?"
"What else?"
Lu Chen deliberated for a moment, then said cautiously, "I was looking at your photos during your class. Don't you care where the photos came from, and won't you deal with them?"
"That won't be necessary," Z23's tone was a bit shy. "I know you have my photos. That's fine. I just want you to know that you shouldn't lose focus during class and affect your studies."
"How is he unfocused? He was very seriously admiring Teacher Z23's figure, wasn't he?" Purifier, who loved drama, chimed in. Anyway, her photos weren't on his phone; after all, she was a Siren, not one of those love-struck Ship Girls.
Implacable, who was sitting next to her, revealed a mysterious smile. "Lu Chen, you didn't know this, but when you enrolled, the higher-ups of the academy asked all the students to give you similar gifts. However, there is one exception: Teacher Purifier joined halfway, so her photos are the only ones missing from your phone. Don't you want to collect the complete album? Just ask her. She will definitely give them to you."
Purifier scoffed. "Why should I give him something just because he wants it? Who is he to me…"
Mid-sentence, Purifier's expression drastically changed. She remembered who the man in front of her was—the sole Savior.
Although she didn't know how he achieved it, precisely because she didn't know how he achieved it, she couldn't, dared not, refuse any of his requests. If a butterfly effect caused by a small matter led to a catastrophic consequence, she would be the biggest sinner.
To save the world, I have to offer my sexy pictures? This world… I have to save it, even if I don't want to! Purifier thought bitterly.