"He's truly handsome, our Commander."
"Indeed! I-19 feels like she can't leave the Commander anymore!"
"Ah, speaking of which, I-19, you also have a ring. Wuwu, I'm so envious."
Among the submarine squad huddled together.
Everyone expressed envy for I-19, who possessed front armor comparable to that of a heavy cruiser big sister.
They couldn't help but wonder if they, too, had such a good figure, would they also be given a ring symbolizing love and eternity by the Commander.
Coincidentally, the gathering areas for cruisers, battleships, and carriers also discussed the topic of rings.
Even the blue rarity ships whom Jack had not particularly cared for when he played the game, whose affection levels were only "Friendly" or even "Stranger," expressed their longing for the Oath Ring.
Jack stood high above, observing everything.
He came to a conclusion.
Just as Taihou's "Stranger" affection voice line was "Anything related to Commander, Taihou wants to know all of it~ Because Taihou only has Commander in her eyes."
The starting point of Shipgirls' affection for the Commander was the purest longing of a maiden for her ideal partner.
Even without the game system, conquering the hundreds of warships in the Azure Lane World was only a matter of time.
One could only say that it was truly worthy of being a casual nurture game; it was indeed a world full of love and beauty.
...
After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food.
Jack, seeing that the time was right, beckoned Amagi.
This scene immediately became the focus of the entire hall; regardless of size, the Shipgirls all cast their gaze upon the two.
"I believe you all already know about the parade five days from now and are working hard for it. Commander is very pleased."
First, an opening remark to capture everyone's attention, lest anyone be distracted and miss the news.
However, Jack worried too much.
As soon as he spoke, no one failed to look at him.
"Before the parade, I have something to give you."
"That is this Maid Charm. It will lead you to the new port in the future, and it can also be seen as a special symbol similar to the Oath Ring. Consider it a… well, a local specialty that Commander brought back for everyone from another world."
Most of the Shipgirls were confused by the word "charm."
But when Jack compared it to the Oath Ring, they immediately understood how important it was.
"One for each person. I trust you can tell who has used them."
"Of course, Master."
Amagi took a large handful of charms from Jack and began distributing them nearby. The first batch went to the submarine fish and the destroyer little ones.
I-26, a petite girl with bronze skin and rabbit ears, asked Amagi,
"Sister Amagi, with this charm Commander mentioned, can I-26 also act spoiled with Commander like I-19?"
Amagi gently patted I-26's head.
"Our port doesn't stipulate that only married ships can act spoiled, and Commander understated it a bit. In reality, this charm is even more powerful than the Oath Ring~"
"Really?!"
The dark-skinned rabbit-eared loli I-26 and the black-haired twin-tailed bikini loli I-58 both showed happy expressions.
In the Sakura Empire submarine squad, Jack had only married three gold-tier ships: I-13, a blue-haired oni-horned submarine carrier, I-19, a lively and cute red-haired girl, and I-168, a red-purple-haired tsundere loli.
Submarines were already rare, and a few purple-tier submarines were early characters, so the two had been waiting with red hearts for a long time for the Commander's Oath Ring.
However, even after Jack "died," they never received it.
They had given up hope, but today's Maid Charm gave them immense comfort.
The moment the two received the charm.
Jack felt two strong intentions transmitted from the mental network.
Hmm? This is…
[I-26 (Dark-skinned, rabbit ears): So amazing, even closer than the connection during sortie. Is this what it feels like to be a "married ship"]
[I-58 (Black-haired, twin-tailed, bikini): I-58… has gotten stronger~]
The two's inner thoughts appeared directly in Jack's mind.
And through this connection, which was even closer than physical contact, Jack discovered the changes occurring in them.
They had indeed become stronger, and visibly so. Specifically, it was like the 6% attribute increase from 100 affection becoming a 9% increase after the oath.
This was the first time Jack had established a contract with a red-heart Shipgirl who wasn't a married ship.
He hadn't expected the Maid Charm to also replace the function of the Oath Ring, allowing Shipgirls who could link mentally with the Commander to "evolve."
Amagi also noticed this anomaly and turned to look at Jack.
"Master, that reaction just now… it seems like an oath!"
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Continue distributing the charms."
"Understood!"
Afterward, a very bizarre scene unfolded in the entire Navy Cafeteria.
Whenever an un-oathed Shipgirl received a charm, a white light would emanate from her, and her relationship with the Commander would turn into an oath state.
Jack watched very carefully.
Even Aoba and Kako, cruisers he clearly remembered as not having full affection, achieved an oath.
The former, Aoba, was a blue-sky-and-white-cloud member who polluted the gacha pool, built in an hour and a half; the latter was a "dog food" ship obtained from daily sortie drops, used to strengthen other ships.
Both were around level eighty or so, and their levels were mostly gained from mixed commission experience.
So, everyone was a married ship now?
Jack sat in the main seat, feeling more and more fervent gazes converge on him.
These Shipgirls, after gaining the qualification of married ships, their eyes became bolder and bolder.
But perhaps precisely because this method of oath was not entirely proper, no one had yet done anything out of line.
Otherwise, Jack had reason to believe that if he mishandled things even slightly, the entire Navy Cafeteria would be awash in blood tonight (meaning at least 30 people would lose their virginity).
Soon, Amagi finished distributing the Maid Charms.
Jack stood up and addressed everyone: "Ahem, although I'm not sure why the charms replaced the function of the Oath Ring, I think everything is fate's arrangement. All Shipgirls who have taken the oath through this method, without exception, will enjoy the same treatment as those who were previously sworn!"
This sentence became the final straw that broke the Shipgirls' sanity, but Jack had no choice but to say it.
Sure enough, only a few seconds after his words fell, someone raised a small hand.
It was Ushio, the fourth ship of the Takao-class, a Shipgirl with great ambition, lively, gentle, and like a girl next door.
"Th-that… I just feel like being sworn this way is a lot less than what Sister Takao and the others got, even though… even though Ushio is very happy that Commander recognizes this method, but… but…Woo! Can I… k-kiss…"
As Ushio spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.
But the scene grew quieter and quieter, and her final request for a kiss was something everyone could hear.
Swish!
Everyone's gaze shifted to Jack, and a tide-like surge of affection rushed towards him.
Takao and Atago exchanged glances: This idiotic sister, she's really stirred up a hornet's nest this time!
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