Clip-clop~
Clip-clop~
The wooden clogs collided with the stone path, making a crisp sound.
Shinano accompanied Jack, and the two walked up the steps along the shrine's approach.
"You just said this was a dream, but why was it a question?"
"Because I often enter dreams while awake; reality and the ephemeral have no clear boundary."
"Is that so? With such a characteristic, life must be quite difficult."
"Hmm? Why do you (そなた sonata) make such a judgment?"
Shinano's pair of fox ears twitched twice, seemingly interested in Jack's upcoming answer.
"Think about it, if you constantly fall into such realistic dreams inadvertently, isn't it easy to confuse reality and dreams, and accidentally leave behind a lot of embarrassing moments?"
"I'm a bit confused. What do 'embarrassing moments' refer to?"
"Like mistaking a pillar for the Commander and then acting spoiled towards it; or perhaps attacking thin air, suddenly firing a shot at the port saying, 'Siren, don't run!' or something similar?"
"Ugh..."
Shinano was speechless, her cheeks slightly flushed.
She would never do such strange things!
"I just feel... you are a bit different from before, becoming... more lively~"
Although she was teased, the aircraft carrier mom's magnanimity was well-known, and Shinano didn't mind these things.
However, looking at Jack's face, which was clearer than ever before, she wanted to get a little closer.
She wanted to carefully observe the Commander's appearance, preferably to settle the oath kiss that she had received a ring for but hadn't gotten yet.
"You can, look all you want!"
"Eh?"
The clip-clop sound stopped.
Shinano gazed at Jack with some doubt.
Just now, did the Commander answer her internal monologue?
"That's right, I was answering… And, isn't it strange that there are psychological activities in a dream, Shinano?"
"You mean…"
Jack gently placed his hand on Shinano's fox ears.
Having already raised two fox wives, Jack knew very well how to make them more comfortable, so he skillfully stroked the fur along her ears.
"Ying~"
Shinano let out a delicate cry, somewhat losing her composure.
She covered her mouth and looked at Jack.
"I know a little about dreams. This space is stable, but it's not as free as a real dream. To describe it in my words, it's more like a 2.5-dimensional space you inadvertently created when you were half-asleep."
"Can I… do such a thing?"
"Who knows, the Mind Cube is amazing, right?"
"Hmm… Indeed, so far, we haven't fully deciphered its secrets."
Jack nodded: "By the way, where are we going?"
"There's a shrine on the mountaintop. Before waking up from the dream, besides occasionally strolling on the beach, I mostly stayed in that shrine."
"It sounds like a tranquil beauty, like water."
Subsequently, the two, like an old married couple who had been together for many years, naturally linked arms and walked towards the mountaintop in unison.
...
"The shrine is a bit simple, I hope you don't mind."
In front of the courtyard.
Shinano knelt beside Jack and poured him a cup of green tea.
The fragrance of the tea spread with the heat, giving a refreshing feeling.
Jack picked up the teacup and took a small sip.
"It really doesn't feel like a dream anymore, and this tea has Shinano's taste~"
Then he took Shinano's small hand and sniffed her fair, delicate arm.
"Hmm, that's the smell. It's very fragrant, with an elegant, orchid-like feeling."
When Jack took her hand, Shinano's heart trembled violently.
As soon as he said that,
she felt as if her body was going to melt, about to fall onto Jack.
"Bang!"
Jack embraced the big fox who was tilting towards him, and leaned his face against hers.
Shinano only felt continuous breaths against her neck and collarbone, ticklish, but not unpleasant.
"Shinano, you… lied before, didn't you?"
"Hmm…"
"Haha, although your nature is world-weary and you appear calm, the sorrow in your eyes hadn't completely dissipated the moment we reunited. The Commander saw it clearly."
"I…"
"Lick~"
"Ying!"
Shinano shivered all over, her eyes seemingly turning rosy.
"No need to explain, I know… Because of my unannounced departure, the Shipgirls of your major factions lost their connection, so they separated. I know all this."
"So… you, who had been dreaming for a long time after I left, intercepted me while I was traversing the world's seams?"
"I'm sorry, I… am a bad woman…"
Her lie was exposed.
Shinano became somewhat helpless.
Her timid and fearful eyes truly made one unable to feel angry, only wanting to embrace her and dote on her.
"I don't mean to blame you. After all, you merely sent an 'invitation.' What truly made me agree to come to this 2.5-dimensional space was your incredibly sincere love."
Jack left a kiss mark on Shinano's neck, then straightened his back and held her head against his shoulder.
"So, in response to your love, in this 2.5-dimensional space without the concept of time, whatever Shinano wants to do, the Commander can do it with you."
"Boom!"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was no less than a thunderclap in Shinano's sky.
But this thunder was a spring thunder, bringing forth vitality and symbolizing the arrival of spring.
"Hmm… You…"
"Still using 'sonada' as a form of address?"
Shinano blushed for a moment, then changed her address: "anata~"
"Hmm, that sounds much better."
Jack changed his posture, letting Shinano lie flat on his lap, giving her a reverse lap pillow.
"Ah! anata, this is…"
"Ear cleaning, can't you tell?"
"No! I didn't mean that, anata, as the master, cleaning my ears…"
"I know, your Sakura Empire Yamato Nadeshiko image is deeply ingrained, but occasionally going against tradition isn't also quite exciting?"
Jack, as if by magic, produced a goose feather stick in his hand.
It was actually something made from a combination of certain herbaceous plants.
In this 2.5D fleeting dream world, his Grass Elemental Power was not restricted.
"Alright~"
Shinano accepted Jack's words, shyly turned her body, and exposed her right ear.
Jack did not immediately start cleaning.
Instead, he first straightened her disheveled silver hair, strand by strand passing through his fingers, as if enchanting some high-grade silk.
Jack picked it up and sniffed it in his hand.
Just this action alone,
Shinano's eyes became moist, looking shy and on the verge of tears.
"Cough cough, I'm sorry, my wife is truly too fragrant, I couldn't help myself, couldn't help myself, haha…"
Jack chuckled and tried to gloss over it.
Shinano was not annoyed, allowing the man to do as he pleased.
Only her skin, from her neck downwards, turned completely red.
"Phew~"
Jack exhaled a turbid breath, his eyes becoming resolute.
"Swish!"
His ten fingers held eight different types of ear cleaning tools.
He was always very serious about flirting with his wives!
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