For the Royal Navy faction, the afternoon was the perfect time for the shipgirls to relax and enjoy their leisure activities.
The Illustrious-class sisters had been gathered in the courtyard since breakfast, and only now did Hermione finally arrive with the carefully prepared afternoon tea.
"Lady Illustrious, your mousse cake and black tea are ready. Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Hermione."
-HERMIONE-[1]
After receiving Illustrious's graceful nod of thanks, Hermione quietly cleared away the remains of the stargazy pie.
The atmosphere was peaceful and refined, right until Illustrious's communicator suddenly vibrated.
"Oh! It's here! Cleopatra finally replied!"
Victorious immediately adjusted her golden hair and leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Well? What did she say?"
Illustrious didn't answer immediately. Instead, she gracefully picked up the communicator and lightly tapped the screen with her fingertips.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the short line of text displayed on the screen. The moment she finished reading the message, a gentle, knowing smile spread across her face.
"She said..." Illustrious paused before elegantly resting a hand against her cheek. "Our Commander is strong, confident, and full of vitality."
"Wow!" Victorious covered her mouth in delight. "That's exactly what we wanted to hear, isn't it? Doesn't that mean we can finally make our move tonight?"
Illustrious slowly shook her head before Victorious could finish.
She gently set the communicator aside and lifted the teacup before her, looking far calmer than expected.
Victorious tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Huh? Sister Illustrious, didn't you already finish planning tonight's operation? Why don't you seem excited at all?"
"No need to rush, Victorious."
Illustrious took a delicate sip of black tea before slowly cutting herself a small piece of mousse cake.
Only after savoring its smooth texture and delicate sweetness did she continue.
"When it comes to fine food, the most important thing is enjoying it at the perfect moment."
Her eyes drifted toward the mousse cake resting on the plate.
"Just like this dessert. The very first bite is always the best. But if the timing or preparation is even slightly off, then by the second bite, it loses that special feeling and becomes ordinary."
Victorious blinked several times, clearly struggling to follow.
"But if that's what you mean, isn't now the perfect opportunity?"
Illustrious let out a quiet laugh.
"On the contrary. If you want to enjoy something truly fresh, patience is necessary. Waiting now simply means preparing for the moment when the finest delicacy emerges fresh from the oven... rather than settling for leftovers."
Hearing that, Indomitable, who had been lazily slouching in her chair the entire time, finally reacted.
She let out a long yawn and stretched her arms overhead.
"Ugh... this is such a bother... Freshness, timing, waiting around... In that case, I'm heading back. Just call me once you've finally decided to do something. Haaaaah..."
With that, she turned to leave, having clearly lost all interest in the so-called "operation meeting."
"Hold on a moment, Indomitable."
Illustrious's calm voice stopped her before she could walk away.
Indomitable glanced back with obvious impatience.
"Is there something else?"
The smile on Illustrious's face softened, replaced by a trace of concern.
"By the way, Indomitable, where did Formidable go? We agreed to have breakfast together, but it's already afternoon tea time and I still haven't seen her."
Illustrious's voice carried clear concern for her younger sister.
"Do you know where she went?"
To Illustrious, Formidable's situation was somewhat unique. Even so, she was never the type to miss an appointment without warning.
At the question, Indomitable gave a careless shrug.
"Oh, Formidable? She was supposed to come with me," she said, lazily brushing a strand of hair aside. "But halfway here, she suddenly said she had something more important to do and ran off."
Indomitable clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Honestly, who knows what's going on in her head? Sounds exhausting."
After saying that, she immediately turned around and headed back toward the dormitory, clearly unwilling to stay any longer.
As they watched her leave, the excitement on Victorious's face gradually gave way to suspicion. She leaned closer to Illustrious and lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"Sister Illustrious... do you think Formidable's planning to sneak off and enjoy everything by herself?"
Illustrious calmly corrected her.
"Victorious, you can remove the words 'planning to.'"
"Huh?"
Seeing Victorious's confused expression, Illustrious smiled faintly and clarified.
"Formidable isn't planning to sneak a taste. She absolutely will."
"What?!"
Victorious nearly jumped out of her seat. She slammed both hands onto the table with a loud bang, her face filled with outrage.
"That girl! She's seriously going without us?! What kind of sister keeps all the good things to herself?! Sister Illustrious, just wait here! I'll go drag her back right now!"
Illustrious gently waved a hand, signaling her to calm down.
"It's alright. Actually, this may be for the best."
"For the best?"
Victorious stared at her in disbelief.
"How is this possibly a good thing? Sister Illustrious, if we don't stop her now, Formidable's going to end up completely satisfied in every possible way!"
The smile on Illustrious's lips deepened ever so slightly. Without the slightest rush, she picked up the warmed teapot beside her and gracefully refilled Victorious's cup.
"Think about it carefully, Victorious. Haven't you noticed that Formidable has always been a little... unusual?"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"It's as though she's constantly suppressing herself whenever she's around us."
Victorious thought back to Formidable's usual behavior.
On the surface, Formidable was flawless. Elegant, refined, and proper in every way. There was no doubt she embodied the image of a perfect lady.
And yet, whenever she encountered something she genuinely liked, she always held herself back, too embarrassed to openly admit it.
No matter how one looked at it, her behavior felt oddly unnatural.
After a moment of thought, Victorious slowly nodded.
"Now that you mention it... that's true. She worries way too much about how we see her. Honestly, nobody would laugh at her for the things she likes."
"Exactly."
Illustrious nodded in satisfaction.
"And unfortunately, the root of the problem is obvious."
She elegantly crossed her legs and continued.
"Her training as a lady is still lacking."
Victorious blinked blankly.
"So rather than stopping her, allowing Formidable to go first may actually help her."
Illustrious lifted her teacup with a graceful smile.
"And if it's the Commander, I'm certain he'll guide her properly into becoming a true lady."
After finishing her sentence, Illustrious turned her gaze toward Lion's dormitory in the distance, her eyes carrying the faint anticipation of someone already imagining a scene she dearly wished to witness.
+- - -+
-[ AD ]-
+- - -+
Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives!
+- - -+
✨ 15+ Advance Chapters • Early Access ✨
📚 Read Ahead Here:
[- p - a - t - r - e - o - n . com / DysFiction -]
💖 Enjoying the Story? Support My Work:
[ ko - fi . com / dysfiction ]
+- - -+
📖 Available Novels
🔹 Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives!
↳ (Translation)
🔹 Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
↳ (Translation)
🔹 Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White
↳ (Original Story — Exclusive Until Chapter 30)
+- - -+
[1] IMAGE