"You didn't bring a swimsuit, did you?" Lu Chen asked. He clearly remembered Noshiro hadn't brought a change of clothes last night. Otherwise, even wearing a swimsuit would be better than a single shirt, and at least she wouldn't risk exposure.
"I didn't go home last night, so of course, I didn't bring a swimsuit," Noshiro's expression eased slightly at the thought. "It's a pity. You won't be able to see me in a swimsuit today."
Lu Chen regretted it. "That is indeed a shame."
Noshiro in a swimsuit—just thinking about it was exciting. Following black-stockinged JK Noshiro, boyfriend-shirt Noshiro, and the yet-to-be-seen maid Noshiro, he now had the chance to unlock swimsuit Noshiro. It felt like he was playing some kind of dress-up game and was rapidly marching toward a complete collection.
"We can go to the beach together sometime. It won't be too late to admire my swimsuit then," Noshiro comforted him. "It's fine to play volleyball without a swimsuit. What you need to worry about is yourself."
"What is my curriculum? Basketball, soccer, or track and field?" Lu Chen asked. In his memory, he was familiar with the rules of those few sports, and if he had to choose one, it should be from those options.
Noshiro's tone became strange. "Actually, it's not. Your role is similar to a Sports Committee member. Nominally, you supervise everyone's activities, but in reality, you can participate in whatever you want, without any restrictions."
A moment's thought made it clear. If the Commander participated in a fixed activity, everyone would inevitably rush to join in, which wouldn't be good for the Commander or anyone else. It was better to leave him free to choose based on his own interest.
"What surprises me is that I'm not surprised by this at all," Lu Chen felt that his nerves had thickened considerably as his memory recovered.
"Mhm, let's go together." Noshiro packed up her things and put her books into her school bag. "We'll head straight home after class."
Lu Su suddenly thought of something. "So, it wouldn't matter if I just skipped class?"
"No skipping! Yesterday was a special circumstance!" Noshiro stared seriously at Lu Chen. "I don't want to be blamed for leading you astray."
"Just kidding. I won't skip class," Lu Chen fantasized. "Young girls freely sweating it out on the sports field must be quite moving, right?"
"Indeed. Compared to them, I feel somewhat useless," Noshiro said, sounding a little envious.
As a relatively powerful Ship Girl, her main job was long-term combat against the Sirens. The less powerful Ship Girls could only stay safely at the base, accompanying the Commander and living a life like ordinary girls.
However, the Sirens suddenly defected, leaving Ship Girls like her facing a layoff crisis. Although getting laid off didn't matter—living the life of a Commander's Oath Ship, raising a family, was a great attraction for Noshiro—she found that when living as an ordinary girl, she was less experienced than those previously non-combatant Ship Girls.
Lu Chen only took her words as self-deprecation. Even if what Noshiro had shown him was everything she knew, in Lu Chen's eyes, she was already the perfect girlfriend.
"Don't be ridiculous. Excessive modesty is just arrogance."
Noshiro smiled faintly. "Since you think so, I will try my best to be a girlfriend worthy of you."
Lu Chen's favorability toward Noshiro increased.
The two packed their school bags and left the classroom. Taihou saw Lu Chen and waved at him but didn't come closer. It was class time, and Taihou couldn't violate the rule against skipping unless Lu Chen requested it.
"First, we need to go to the office to get an attendance and verification form," Noshiro said as they walked. "As for how to fill it out, that's up to you. It's not mandatory."
The office was empty except for the blonde female teacher, Implacable. She was sipping a cup of green tea. Seeing Lu Chen and Noshiro enter, she put down her cup and asked, "Can I help you?"
"It's P.E. class this afternoon, and we're here to pick up the Sports Committee member's attendance sheet," Noshiro smoothly found a folder, pulled it out, and handed it to Lu Chen. "Here. The pen and paper are inside. Fill it out if you want, or don't bother."
She had reviewed what needed to be done today last night. This was her personality; everything had to be done according to a plan. If there was no plan, Noshiro would become uneasy.
"Oh, that's what this is about." Implacable completely ignored Noshiro openly encouraging Lu Chen to slack off. Instead, she pointed to the cup on the table. "Would you like a cup of black tea?"
"No, thank you, Teacher. Wait," Lu Chen stared at the green, unidentified liquid. "Did you just say black tea?"
Implacable chuckled. "That's right. This is my proud creation. It also has some health-boosting agents added to it. Are you sure you don't want to try it?"
"No, I'm good." Lu Chen refused again. If the first refusal was out of politeness, this one was heartfelt. His intuition told him that after drinking this cup of 'black' tea, he would be seeing Nurse Hermione again.
Noshiro asked curiously, "Forgive my rudeness, but what does this tea taste like?"
She knew very little about this newly arrived Ship Girl teacher, apart from the fact that the woman was a succubus disguised as a nun.
"Extra spicy," Implacable slowly articulated the two words.
"Let's go," Lu Chen pulled Noshiro toward the door, feeling like he would be force-fed poison if they didn't hurry.
"Eh, well, goodbye, Teacher." Noshiro was also a bit surprised. Implacable, the new Sea Legend, seemed completely clueless about cooking. However, considering her Royal Navy background, Noshiro felt everything made perfect sense.
Implacable sighed in disappointment. "Goodbye. I hope you have fun."
I added a large amount of energy-boosting agent to the black tea. Just one sip, and the Commander wouldn't be able to resist doing this and that to me. Was it because the virtual space made it too easy to figure out? When the Commander wakes up, I must definitely treat him to a proper cup.
The reason Implacable dressed as a nun in reality was to enjoy the sense of sin, just as her role as a teacher in the virtual space was to seek excitement.
Shortly after she was commissioned—almost at the same time—the Sirens surrendered. Just like her historical counterpart, born late in the great war, her name only appeared in an inconspicuous corner of the victory annals. Therefore, she didn't believe she was built because the Commander needed a powerful Ship Girl.
The answer could only be one thing: her purpose was to be "used" by the Commander. As for how to be used, that depended on Lu Chen's preference. Given the Commander's current state, Implacable felt that both the surface nun and the hidden succubus persona would appeal to him.
Thinking this, Implacable picked up the black tea and drank it down, not even letting the residue in the cup go to waste. She slowly licked the cup clean with her tongue, not wasting a single drop.
"Commander, please wake up quickly."