Roommates

Gion left.

She had not even greeted Tsuru after returning this time. The moment she disembarked, she hurried off to find Senga. Of course, there was no way she would tell Senga that.

When Senga returned to the dormitory and opened the door, he found three pairs of eyes staring fixedly at him.

"You're back, Boss Senga!"

"Who was that beautiful female officer just now? Can you tell your brothers about her?"

"Yeah, yeah! What an eye-opener! Those female soldiers can't compare to her at all!"

"..."

Senga casually explained Gion's identity, and the three animals immediately started making a fuss again.

"What? A Navy Vice Admiral? She looks so young!"

"Damn, Boss Senga actually knows such a beautiful officer. As expected of you!"

"Boss Senga, what exactly is your relationship? Should we call her Sister-in-Law the next time we see her?"

"Boss Senga, have a cigar. My friend wants to know whether Sister-in-Law has any sisters or something?"

Senga stared speechlessly at Graves's fawning expression, then suddenly thought of something amusing. He nodded solemnly and said, "Mm, she really does have an older sister. Not only is she a high-ranking officer, but she's also single!"

"Nani?!" Graves was practically drooling. He turned around and pulled out a large box of cigars from beneath his bed, making Bridge's eyes go wide.

Handing the entire box of cigars to Senga, Graves rubbed his hands together and leaned close as he asked, "Um... Boss Senga, I mean—no, my friend has also been single for many years. He desperately wants to find a soulmate. Do you think you could introduce him to her? Don't worry! If this works out, I'll definitely give you a whole crate of my treasured cigars, Boss Senga!"

Senga patted him on the shoulder and said gravely, "Don't worry! Leave it to me!"

"Boss Senga!" Graves was so moved by Senga that he was one step away from calling him Dad on the spot.

Seeing this, Bridge also came over.

"Graves, actually, I have a younger sister too. What do you think..."

"Get lost! Go take a look in the mirror first!" Graves looked at Bridge's short, stumpy build and his washbasin-sized hands with utter disdain.

"Pah! What kind of taste is that?" Bridge was crushed. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he hopped onto his bed and fell silent. There was nothing he could do—he couldn't beat him!

Binz, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. At the moment, he was twisting his body in front of a potted cactus, creating a rather eye-searing scene.

The cactus in the pot kept expanding along with his movements, while its spines grew sharper and sharper. This was the power of Binz's Shove-Shove Fruit: he could control nearby plants and accelerate their growth.

However, it seemed that the ability had to be activated by twisting his body. The faster he twisted, the stronger the ability became. Senga did not know whether every Shove-Shove Fruit Ability User had to activate it this way, but he mischievously imagined what would happen if someone with social anxiety ate the Shove-Shove Fruit. In front of a crowd, they probably would not activate their power even if they were beaten to death.

Binz had already twisted himself into a sweat. He stopped moving, sat down, and began to rest.

Senga walked over to him and asked, "Binz, are you confident this time? You've been the most hardworking one lately. If you place well, what reward do you want?"

Binz thought blankly for a while before saying, "To be honest, not really. With Boss Senga here, there are really only two slots left. But if I'm lucky enough to get one, I'd like a Great Fast Sword!"

A Great Fast Sword? Senga recalled that in the Movie Version, Binz had indeed carried a sword with a green hilt on his back. Could he have obtained it during one of these assessments?

Maybe Binz really could achieve a decent result this time. Senga patted Binz on the shoulder and said, "Have some confidence in yourself. I think you'll definitely get a good placing this time."

Binz stood up, somewhat flattered. He had not expected Boss Senga to have such faith in him. Moved, he repeatedly thanked Senga.

Senga told him to relax. Of the three roommates, Binz was the most honest. Fortunately, the others were not bad people and did not bully him because of it. Even Graves, who looked most like a tyrant, only occasionally beat up Bridge—and Bridge always brought it upon himself.

After reassuring Binz, Senga turned to the other two and said, "You two should work hard as well. After graduation, we might even end up on the same ship."

Bridge and Graves pointed at themselves with bewildered expressions. Ever since joining the Training Camp, one of them had focused on smoking cigars while the other had focused on secretly smoking cigars. Compared to Senga and Binz, neither had put much effort into improving their strength.

Senga suspected that aside from himself, the strongest person in this dormitory might be the usually quiet Binz.

"The seas aren't so safe anymore. There are more and more pirates, and the Navy's casualties have been rising these past few years. If we can be assigned to the same ship after graduation, we can look out for each other. I don't want to see any one of our names on some list in the future!"

His words were rather heavy. Bridge and Graves fell silent, and even Binz seriously considered what Senga had just said.

After a long while, Bridge, usually the most unreliable of them all, was the first to speak.

"I understand, Boss Senga. Thank you. From now on, I'll definitely train hard and smoke fewer cigars!"

Graves shot Bridge a glare. Where the hell do you get cigars? Aren't they all mine?

After threatening Bridge with his eyes, Graves also declared, "Don't worry, Boss Senga. Although I know it'll be difficult to keep up with you in terms of strength, I'm pretty skilled with firearms. It'd be enough for me to serve as a gunner on your ship someday!"

In Graves's heart, he had always assumed that Senga's future rank would certainly surpass Vice Admiral. Naturally, he would have his own warship.

Binz said nothing, merely nodding firmly.

Senga was also pleased by everyone's reaction. If they could not even take this in, then when this sea weeded them out in the future, they would have no one to blame but themselves.

Senga also believed that he would definitely have his own warship someday. The first people to board that warship had to be his own people, and their strength could not be lacking. At the very least, they needed to have their own strengths. Whether in terms of friendship or ability, the roommates before him were all good candidates.

Senga extended a hand and looked at everyone as he said, "Good. Then from now on, let's work hard together. Don't fall behind."

Bridge and the other two also placed their hands on top of his and shouted, "Let's work hard together! We won't fall behind Boss Senga!"

Senga looked at the other three in astonishment. They grinned and said, "After all, Boss Senga is just too amazing. If we can avoid getting left behind by you, that'll be enough for us to run rampant through Training Camp!"

Senga burst out laughing at that, and the other three laughed along with him. The laughter in the dormitory grew louder and louder, carrying outside through the room.

By then, it was already late. Some dormitories were preparing to sleep when someone roared, "Damn it, are you in heat in the middle of the night? Are you going to let people sleep or not?!"

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.