Momousagi Went Berserk

Gulu Island.

It was an island where spring reigned year-round, with a mild climate well suited for habitation.

Marine Branch 329 stood beside the harbor. Its towering white buildings were highly conspicuous even from afar.

Noah had already tried to keep things as low-key as possible when he explained why he had come.

All he had wanted was for the branch to cooperate and help him find Rear Admiral Shizi's address, but not long after he entered, the entire branch base was thrown into an uproar.

Quite a few soldiers who had been training rushed over after hearing the news, eager to witness Noah's magnificence for themselves.

Before long, the entrance to the base was packed three layers deep, forming a dense wall of people.

Noah got a headache. Only then did he realize that Momousagi's reputation among the younger generation of Marines was far greater than he had imagined. She was practically an idol.

Thinking about it, it made sense. She had become a Marine Headquarters brigadier general in her early twenties, while also holding titles such as the Navy's number one beauty and a Swordmaster with limitless prospects. How could someone like that not receive fanatical admiration?

She truly was a flower atop a lofty peak.

Fortunately, at that moment, the base's highest-ranking officer—a colonel named Bako—appeared in time to rescue Noah from the situation.

His attitude was stern, and with just a few words, he dispersed the soldiers who had gathered to watch. Then, he personally led Noah to the reception room and seated him on a broad sofa before the tea table.

With no outsiders around, Colonel Bako immediately revealed an entirely different face.

"Brigadier General Gion, I've already sent people to look for the address information you requested. We'll have news within ten minutes at most."

"Please let me know if there's anything else you need. I'll certainly do everything in my power to handle it properly for you!"

He bent over and rubbed his hands together, looking exactly like a fly. The ingratiating smile on his face made Noah frown slightly, feeling physically uncomfortable.

It was not as though he was ignorant of the ways of the world, nor did he have any urge to condemn or despise the flattery of officialdom. But the Marines were not the World Government. Whatever ideals of justice they each upheld, they were soldiers, at the very least.

Soldiers ought to have some soldierly backbone.

"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."

Noah nodded politely, then lowered his head in silence to sip his tea, saying no more.

That distant politeness left Colonel Bako, who had wanted to continue currying favor, running into a wall.

He was no fool. Knowing he was unwelcome, he saluted and tactfully withdrew outside, acting as a doorman and not daring to disturb this big shot from Marine Headquarters further.

A short while later, Rear Admiral Shizi's exact address was delivered to the reception room.

Noah thanked him again and did not linger at the 329th Branch. Under Colonel Bako's respectful send-off, he left the base and headed in the direction indicated by the address.

"She actually lives in a small village outside the city..."

Noah reviewed the address information as he walked, quietly musing, It seems just as Gion said. Rear Admiral Shizi doesn't like bustle. She's an old lady with an inherently aloof and tranquil temperament.

Elderly people like that often had another trait: they tended to be stubborn and were difficult to sway from their ingrained views.

This was going to be a little troublesome.

In any case, after meeting her, he first had to find out why she had suddenly left Marine Headquarters without a word three years ago.

Find the reason, then prescribe the proper remedy.

Noah's thinking was very clear.

He did not realize that after several days of private time together, the way he referred to Momousagi in his heart had somehow quietly changed from "Brigadier General Gion" to simply "Gion."

"Come to think of it, now that she doesn't have to keep an eye on me and clean up the messes I cause, Gion can finally take it easy for a few days."

Noah looked up at the sky. "Mm, it's nearly noon already. She should have caught up on sleep and be in the large training room teaching those girls by now, right?"

At the entrance to the large training room earlier, he had confidently told Rosinante that Momousagi's one-on-one instruction involved far too much physical contact for male recruits like them to have a chance.

Yet unexpectedly, he had become the first exception, and her guidance had lasted a full three days.

Nothing was stranger than the twists of fate.

He suddenly remembered the side quest that had appeared this week, called "Superior's Confession," and his heart stirred with a somewhat crooked idea.

The quest description only required Momousagi to say the words, "Noah, I like you," right?

There were no other requirements, and he did not need to complete the initial pursuit or establish some ambiguous relationship first.

Then... if he was Momousagi right now, would saying those words through Momousagi's mouth directly count as completing the quest?

He looked around. There were few pedestrians on the country road outside the city, but Noah still deliberately lowered his voice and softly said:

"Noah, I like you."

Hearing Momousagi's voice say something like that, why did it make his heart feel so strange... and a little ticklish?

He steadied himself, suppressing the inexplicable flutter in his heart. Opening the system panel, he looked toward the quest list. Behind the title of that side quest, the dim yellow question mark remained unchanged. It did not show that the quest had been completed.

So taking a shortcut really wouldn't work.

Noah sighed. Just as he was about to close the system panel, he suddenly noticed an unfamiliar new message appear in the notification area above the quest list.

[Bella Mia has completed the initial pursuit. An ambiguous relationship has been established.]

[Player has received the first-tier point reward: 900 points.]

[A romantic relationship has not yet been established. Please keep up the good work, complete the final pursuit as soon as possible, and obtain the second-tier reward.]

"Huh?"

Noah froze on the spot.

He did know Mia. She was the blue-haired female recruit from the same cohort. They had exchanged only two or three brief conversations and were not particularly familiar. Earlier, he had even confused her with Shiya, who had boldly confessed to him.

Why had the initial pursuit suddenly been completed now?

Noah's first reaction was that this system truly was unreliable. There was already a bug before he had even left the beginner village. But soon, a stream of new information appeared again, leaving him no time to think as his attention was drawn back to it.

[Shuriya has completed the initial pursuit. An ambiguous relationship has been established.]

[Player has received the first-tier point reward: 500 points.]

[Milando Flower has completed the initial pursuit. An ambiguous relationship has been established.]

[Player has received the first-tier point reward: 600 points.]

[Monica has completed the initial pursuit. An ambiguous relationship has been established.]

...

New message alerts kept appearing, the information changing faster and faster, like a barrage of comments flooding the screen.

"Three, four, five..."

At first, Noah could still count how many people had completed the initial pursuit, but he soon could no longer keep up. He could only stare blankly as the notification panel continued to flood wildly.

Several seconds later, the information panel finally settled down. Noah scrolled up and roughly counted them, only to be startled—there were a full twenty-six!

And without exception, every one of them was a girl from the Elite Training Camp in his cohort.

"No, it isn't a bug..."

After realizing that, Noah furrowed his brow and suddenly understood something.

—Could the sudden flood of system messages be related to Momousagi, who was still on the warship using his body at this very moment?