Thanks to reader ~Salted Fish Never Flips Over~ for the 100-point tip! Thanks to reader ~Superstar~ for the 100-point tip!
The college entrance exams have officially begun. Good luck, everyone: may you know every answer, and may every guess be right!
Jim seemed to have prepared his answer already. Once Loa finished asking, he smiled knowingly. "Whoa, slow down. I'll explain one thing at a time."
He walked to the front of the Wavebreaker Warship and ran a hand over its fresh paint. "Dr. Vegapunk designed the Wavebreaker Warship, but he's spent the past few years researching Pacifistas, and the whole Science Unit has followed his lead. I handled the warship's later improvements and final design. To me, it's like my child. I've poured so much into it."
"But because of that, by the time I finished assembling this warship and was ready to return to my work, I'd fallen behind the Science Unit. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been transferred here to handle repairs. Funny, when you think about it."
Jim did not look particularly sad. "Working under Lord Vegapunk has been the honor of my life, but I still can't let go of warships. My real dream is to design one that can conquer the seas."
Jim's eyes shone with longing. He stroked the Wavebreaker Warship and said softly, "I watched it being built piece by piece. I know where every part and every screw is. It's my child. I wouldn't trust anyone else to look after it."
Seeing the tenderness in Jim's eyes, Loa smoothed down his towering goose bumps. That obsession with objects is so creepy.
But after all that, Jim still had not explained why he could not sail with them. Loa asked, "So what then? Why can't you come with us? Wouldn't sailing through