Language Is Truly an Art

"Are you implying that, as Fleet Admiral of the Marines, I've acted unfairly and shown favoritism?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked with a dark expression.

"This... Perhaps my father deliberately exaggerated things when he submitted this application for me?" Yaen replied softly.

"In that case, Marine Yaen, you can inspect this application yourself and check whether there are any false claims."

After a pause, Fleet Admiral Sengoku continued, "According to regulations, a Marine promotion application must also be made public and archived. This is your final chance to inspect it."

Yaen immediately began checking it without the slightest hesitation, focusing mainly on the section listing his achievements.

What left Yaen somewhat incredulous was that the achievements section was densely packed with all kinds of text.

A moment later, Yaen raised his eyes and glared resentfully at Fleet Admiral Sengoku, saying furiously, "Language is truly an art!"

"Looks like Captain Yaen has no objections?"

Fleet Admiral Sengoku wore an unruffled expression. After noticing Kake's somewhat curious demeanor, he simply spoke up.

"The three of you are the most outstanding Marines of the new generation. You still need to understand one another."

"Since Captain Kake is curious, sorry for the trouble, Captain Kake, but take a look at the achievements listed in Captain Yaen's application and see whether they already meet the requirements for the rank of captain."

"Yes!"

Kake replied and took the report from the furious-looking Yaen. He began reading it together with Gion, who had also turned her eyes toward it.

When they saw the first line of the achievements section, Kake and Gion could not help exclaiming in unison, "Deeply participated in the Buster Call and made major contributions?!"

"I just sat on the ship. Not only did I not fire the cannons, I didn't even fire a single bullet," Yaen explained.

Unfortunately, Kake and Gion did not believe what Yaen said. In perfect unison, they continued reading the contents below the achievements section.

"Prevented a warship from mistakenly firing on an evacuation ship, saved the lives of thousands of civilians, and promptly salvaged the reputation of the Marines..."

"Assisted Vice Admiral Spandine in capturing the giant Vice Admiral Sauron, a Marine deserter. According to postwar statistics, Teffimoe Yaen inflicted more than a thousand wounds on Sauron in total..."

At this point, Kake could not hide the astonishment on his face. "Amazing. Captain Yaen is so young, yet I never expected his strength to have already reached the point where he can contend with vice admirals."

Yaen.

I was just giving Sauron a skin treatment and scraping off his dead skin back then. Would anyone believe me?

Yaen complained inwardly, but he simply had no way to explain or refute the contents of the achievements section.

What Kake failed to notice was that Gion's face had grown slightly flushed. She seemed to have thought of something rather special.

However, the contents of the achievements section went far beyond that. Kake continued reading them one after another.

"Helped Vice Admiral Kuzan, who had fallen into confusion, find an entirely new path of justice..."

"Eradicated the Capone Mafia, which had been wreaking havoc across an entire stretch of sea..."

"Put forward highly practical and meaningful suggestions regarding the current state of the Marines in the West Blue..."

For a time, simply by looking at the contents of the achievements section, an image of an outstanding young Marine who was devoted to the Marines and considered them in everything he did had already taken shape in Kake's mind.

But Kake glanced at Yaen. With his black-rimmed glasses, handsome and dignified features, and refined, gentle air, along with his slightly disheveled hair from just waking up, he looked nothing like a young Marine capable of accomplishing so many great things.

Instead... instead, he looked more like one of those lazy, aimless second-generation heirs.

Yaen noticed Kake's strange gaze. Thinking that Kake doubted whether he could really have accomplished so many major deeds, he immediately said with certainty, "I'm not the kind of person you imagine me to be."

Kake's eyes widened slightly. Beneath Yaen's bright gaze, he suddenly felt as if his thoughts had been seen through.

As expected, one truly could not judge a person by appearances!

Could he understand what I'm thinking just from my eyes? No wonder he's the son of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, known as the "Strategist."

It seems Captain Yaen's refined and handsome appearance cannot represent what he is like inside.

Just as Captain Yaen said, he is not the kind of second-generation heir I imagined. He is the son of a fleet admiral with great ambitions!

That explains why Captain Yaen was able to establish such remarkable achievements at such a young age!

Kake immediately straightened his expression and said to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I believe that based on Captain Yaen's achievements, forget merely granting him the rank of captain. I think it would not be inappropriate to grant him an officer's rank."

???

Yaen.

For a moment, Yaen could not help looking at Kake in bewilderment.

We have no grudge between us. Why are you trying to ruin me?

I could overlook the fact that you're ugly and sleazy, you bastard, but I never expected you to be so malicious inside. You even know how to praise someone to death?

Could it be that Kake is someone Old Man secretly found to play along?

At that thought, Yaen instantly understood, and he felt that this possibility was extremely high!

Last time, Old Man had found Gion to cooperate with him and, under the pretext of having me marry into her family, forced me to take action and agree to join the Marines.

And now, had he found Kake to perform another double act?

Everyone is an inside agent. What can I do in a situation like this?

The corners of Yaen's mouth twitched slightly. He then patted Kake on the shoulder and said with a fake smile, "Captain Kake truly has both beauty and brains, and you also possess extraordinary insight. To be able to say something so insightful—you have a limitless future ahead of you."

However, beneath Kake's favorable first impression of him, Yaen's words, which were filled with threats, instead felt like praise from a kindred spirit.

Especially the phrase "both beauty and brains"—it struck straight at Kake's heart.

From childhood to adulthood, not even his mother had ever praised him like that, especially not his appearance.

"Big brother..."

Under Yaen's utterly baffled gaze, Kake inexplicably looked at him with tears in his eyes. The first words out of his mouth were an extremely intimate form of address, and his voice was full of emotion. "I never expected that, in your eyes, I would be this kind of man."

Unable to keep up with Kake's train of thought, Yaen instinctively asked, "If not?"

!!

Kake.

At that moment, Kake felt as if Yaen's entire being were radiating an extraordinary light. He also realized that a rhetorical tone could be even more encouraging than an affirmative one.

That tone, naturally filled with unquestionable certainty, made Kake feel an unprecedented sense of affirmation!

"Big Brother Yaen, from now on, you're my big brother!!!"