Ye Ming immediately spoke up to break the heavy atmosphere. "Fu Hua, if I said I wanted you, and them too, would you beat me up?"
PS: Someone in the review section recommended Uma Musume. I got curious and watched the anime last night, and I regret it so much. I ended up watching until after three in the morning, leaving me miserable all day. When I got home that evening, I collapsed into bed and slept until after nine before barely coming back to life. It was awful.
But Uma Musume was really fun.
PS2: The next chapter will be a little later. I'll write it after I fill my stomach.
Let's Buy the Wedding Dresses Together
Fu Hua said nothing.
She knew Ye Ming's personality well, so of course she would not take his joking attempt to lighten the mood seriously.
After finally waking from the beautiful future Ye Ming had described, she immediately realized that something was off.
Did that group of girls mean Yae Sakura and the others?
Fu Hua was not some ordinary girl in Ye Ming's eyes. With her informational advantage, she easily understood the meaning behind Ye Ming's words.
A Valkyrie must have come looking for Ye Ming.
Had Yae Sakura and the others already gotten involved with Ye Ming? Why had she failed to notice anything unusual? There were so many of them, so why had they not started fighting?
The pink-haired girl in a Haori outside the window and the white-haired little girl on the bed... were they newly appeared Valkyries too?
So many Valkyries, yet they were getting along peacefully and willingly becoming Ye Ming's wives together?
While finding it unbelievable, Fu Hua regretted it to death.
If only she had not left for those two years.
What should I do?
For a moment, Fu Hua was lost.
Should she give up on Ye Ming and quietly leave on her own?
No. She would never accept that ending, no matter what. She would not just give up on the person she loved!
Should she take Ye Ming's joke seriously and silently submit to him, just like the other Valkyries?
But she had been there first!
Should she refuse to become one of Ye Ming's many wives and remain by his side as his one-and-only childhood friend?
What kind of joke was that!? Would she have to attend Ye Ming's wedding to the Valkyries in the future as his childhood friend? The other Valkyries would all be brides, while she would have to offer her blessings as a bridesmaid. Just thinking about it made her want to cry.
For a moment, Fu Hua was lost.
Fu Hua blankly glanced at Ye Ming, then swept her gaze toward the outside of the bedroom window.
Since they had already met, why were they still hiding outside? Were they watching the show?
Huh?
That was right!
If they had truly already met, why would Yae Sakura and the others still be hiding outside the window?
After all, she had once been the Red Oriole Immortal. From that small detail, Fu Hua quickly realized that her thoughts had gone astray.
"Who are the girls you mentioned? Could you introduce them to me?"
Fu Hua pulled herself together and stared straight into Ye Ming's eyes.
"Huh?"
Ye Ming was startled.
He looked at Fu Hua and found that she was staring at him intently. Her beautiful blue eyes had taken on the sharp gleam of a hawk again, exactly like when she used to beat people up as a child.
That look gave Ye Ming a fright. Good lord, he had thought that after two years apart, Fu Hua had turned into a gentle girl-next-door after changing into that white floral dress. Apparently, he had been overthinking it.
"You believe me?"
Ye Ming was surprised. No normal person would take what he had just said seriously, right? A group of beautiful girls who obeyed his every word sounded absurd. Even trashy webnovels would not dare write something like that.
"Rationally speaking, I shouldn't believe you. But you were the one who said it, so I'm willing to try believing you."
Fu Hua also realized that her gaze had been too sharp. She lowered her head and raised a hand to push up a pair of nonexistent glasses, using the gesture to compose herself. "So, can you introduce that group of girls to me?"
Sure, sure. See Laffey on my bed? She's one of those girls. Little Laffey is obedient and adorable. She's my wife, my angel, and she obeys me completely. No matter how unreasonable the demand, as long as it came from her Commander, she would obediently comply with tears in her eyes.
If he said that, Fu Hua would definitely punch his head apart, right?
Ye Ming did not want to be seen as a lolicon, but aside from Laffey, the other Ship-Girls had not appeared. He did not know whether they would ever appear, nor when they might come.
So Ye Ming could only say, "Right now, they haven't found me yet, but they really do
#^5]^9$[
exist. Maybe they'll arrive one day. So I can't betray the girls' feelings. I have to shoulder this responsibility!"
"Oh?" Fu Hua narrowed her eyes. "Are you planning to use that excuse to reject me?"
"No. I just don't want you to be hurt." Ye Ming shook his head. "Think about it. If we really got together, then one day in the future, the girls suddenly appeared. I couldn't heartlessly reject them, but we would already be married. You would definitely be hurt then, wouldn't you?"
"Heh."
Fu Hua smiled. "Fine. Suppose what you said really happened. What would you choose then? Would you leave me for your girls?"
"I wouldn't."
Ye Ming shook his head again. Looking at Fu Hua, he said in a grave and serious voice, "If that day truly came, I would neither reject them nor give you up. I want all of you!"
"Oh?" Fu Hua's smile vanished. She gazed deeply at Ye Ming. "You made quite the awful declaration so easily. What do you take me for? Your private property? One of your wives?"
That's right!
"Nothing of the sort!"
Ye Ming shook his head again. "Fu Hua, I told you already. I really do have feelings for you, and I think we would be a good match. But those girls really exist too. Although I've never met them, I can't ignore their feelings. If one day in the future they appear by my side, then as long as they're willing, I'll take responsibility for all of them."
"You should understand, Fu Hua. The reason I told you all of this was because I didn't want to deceive you. I didn't want to fob you off with false lies. After all, we're not strangers meeting for the first time. I think that, given our relationship, being honest about what's in our hearts is the most appropriate thing to do."
Those words made Fu Hua feel a little guilty. She had hidden many things from Ye Ming.
"Fine, even if everything you say is true, you also said that you aren't sure whether they can find you, nor when they can find you. Are you going to live alone for the rest of your life over something so uncertain?"
I'm not alone anymore.
I have my parents, you, my childhood friend, and...
My Laffey, my angel, will always stay by my side.
Although Laffey was still a little girl now, even destroyers might not be completely incapable of growing up, right? If a destroyer grew up, then fulfilling an Oath Ship's duties as an Oath Ship should not count as a crime, right?
Even if she never grew up, that was fine. After all, she was the cutest Laffey. Even as a little girl, she was still an angel.
"So what if I live alone for the rest of my life? Fu Hua, you know me. If we got together, and one day in the future the girls suddenly appeared, I wouldn't play some choose-one-of-two game. Whether I had to be shameless or cling to you desperately, I would use every means possible to keep all of you by my side. Could you accept that future?"
Fu Hua fell silent.
"Precisely because I know you can't accept it, I have no way to agree to you."
Ye Ming spoke his mind. To be honest, it was precisely because Fu Hua was his childhood friend and held a special place in his heart that he had risked being seen as a pervert to say these things.
Fu Hua fell silent.
She lowered her head and thought for a long time. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the sleepy-eyed Laffey pulled open the bedroom door and walked out, rubbing her eyes.
"Commander, are you done handing out the rings? Laffey is hungry. Laffey wants to eat."
"Let's talk about this after breakfast."
Fu Hua felt as though she had been granted a reprieve. Before Ye Ming could speak, she answered Laffey first. "So your name is Laffey? What a cute name. Come on, big sister will take you downstairs for breakfast."
As she spoke, Fu Hua bent down to take Laffey's little hand. "Come, big sister will help you wash up first. Once we're done, we'll go downstairs and eat together. Oh, right, why do you call Ye Ming Commander? That's such a strange form of address."
Laffey let Fu Hua take her hand, but her feet did not move. Instead, she raised her head and looked at Ye Ming.
Ye Ming nodded.
Only after receiving permission did Laffey lazily follow Fu Hua into the bathroom.
"Commander is Commander. Why is that strange?"
Laffey was a smart girl. She knew this world was different from the world of Azur Lane, so she did not mention anything about Ship-Girls.
After Laffey finished washing up with Fu Hua and changed clothes, the three of them, along with Ye Ming who had already washed up, left the apartment together.
While waiting for the elevator, Laffey looked at Fu Hua's hands. Suddenly, as if she had discovered something, she exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Big sister, where's your ring? Were you reluctant to wear it, so you hid it?"
As she spoke, Laffey remembered Ye Ming's promise and turned toward him.
"Commander, you're going to buy Sister Fu Hua a Wedding Dress, right? Make sure to take Laffey with you then. You can buy Laffey's Wedding Dress too while you're at it."
Thoughtful Laffey, wanting to inconvenience her beloved Commander as little as possible, made a considerate suggestion.
No One Understands Yae Sakura Better Than Me!
Before you continue