"After that flash of white light, I did feel like there was something extra inside my body, but I haven't been able to use it. Still, I definitely feel much stronger. But I also feel like there's more that hasn't been brought out yet, as if... something is missing. Akashi, do you feel that too?"
Su Luo closed his eyes and sensed the condition inside his body before looking at Akashi and asking.
Akashi did the same, then nodded without speaking. Her eyes remained closed, as though she had discovered something.
Seeing her deep in thought, Su Luo guessed that she had probably found a solution.
A moment later, Akashi opened her eyes. A sharp gleam flashed in her large eyes.
Before Su Luo could ask, Akashi extended one hand. Under his gaze, a ball of light appeared in her palm—a soft white glow that was not dazzling.
"What is that?"
"I don't know either, nya, but I roughly know what it does... This thing is for healing, nya."
As she spoke, Akashi tossed the ball of white light toward Su Luo. Trusting her, he did not dodge. He watched as the light struck him, then spread out and covered his entire body.
"Mm... I feel warm all over, like... I just got a full-body massage. It feels pretty good!"
Akashi tilted her head as she listened to his description. It reminded her of that walk by the sea in the port, when she had witnessed Belfast giving Su Luo a full-body massage in a secluded corner...
"How does it compare to Belfast's massage, nya?"
Akashi suddenly asked.
"Mm... Well, of course Belfast's is more..."
Su Luo came back to his senses and realized something. He looked at Akashi with an awkward expression.
"You saw Belfast massaging me by the sea in the port?"
Akashi's ears twitched. She blinked, her expression utterly calm.
"Commander, did you two do anything to hide yourselves, nya? Besides me, I remember Miss Albacore and the others were watching from the sea nearby, nya! Mm, Miss Taiho was nearby too, but Albacore was too close, so she didn't go over, nya."
Akashi recalled the scene. Taiho's expression, jealous enough to grind her teeth to pieces, had left quite a deep impression on her.
"But Belfast clearly told me there was no one else around!"
Akashi shrugged.
"Commander, strictly speaking, you're the only human in the entire port, nya! The ones quietly gathering around to watch were all ship girls, nya!"
Su Luo choked on her words. He sighed and covered his face. If it had only been a normal massage, he would not have cared. The problem was, that massage had not been normal!
Seeing his expression, Akashi's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly returned to a neutral look when Su Luo glanced over.
"So, Commander, you still haven't told me which felt more comfortable: Miss Belfast's massage or the ability I just used, nya? I need to study this. It concerns the research that follows, so please answer seriously, nya!"
The corners of Akashi's lips lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly. She intended to use this chance alone with her Commander to thoroughly study his preferences and turn them into a guide. Once they returned to the port, a guide detailing her Commander's preferences would definitely sell well!
Su Luo looked at Akashi's seemingly serious expression and did not suspect a thing. Suppressing a trace of embarrassment and shyness, he answered.
"From... a sensory perspective, Belfast's massage is more comfortable, because..."
Su Luo did not finish, but Akashi already understood what he meant. She lowered her head and glanced at the armor on her chest.
"So Commander prefers them big, nya? Mm, that makes sense. Considering most of the married ship girls are mature women... Mm, perhaps Miss Saratoga might have some additional business, nya!"
Akashi muttered a few words quietly, but Su Luo did not catch them clearly.
"Akashi, what did you say?"
"Nothing, nya. Commander, continue. What about the other aspects, nya?"
Su Luo gave Akashi a suspicious look or two. Only after seeing nothing unusual did he continue.
"Mm, in terms of the massage's actual effects... your skill is better, Akashi. After the white light wrapped around my body, I not only felt more relaxed, but also more energized. It felt like power was surging through me. Belfast's massage is very comfortable too, but... cough, it inevitably consumes some excess energy!"
Su Luo put it very tactfully, but Akashi understood. As one of his married ship girls, the head maid's massage for her commander and husband had indeed been far from proper.
Or rather, it had not been intended as a massage in the first place.
"Anyway, from the perspective of massage—of proper massage, of course—your skill's effects are quite good, Akashi!"
Akashi nodded. After recording her Commander's evaluation, another ball of light appeared in her hand and she threw it at Su Luo again.
"Commander, I have some other abilities too. They're all healing-related, so please help me test their effects, nya!"
Testing Akashi's abilities did not actually take very long. The "armament" granted to Akashi by the game creation machine could currently be summarized into just two major abilities: healing and enhancement. Of course, there might be other abilities that had yet to activate.
Furthermore, depending on the amount of energy output, both the healing and enhancement effects varied.
In short, the "armament" bestowed upon Akashi by the game creation machine was clearly geared toward a support role. Naturally, this also matched Akashi's role in the port, since she was originally a repair ship.
After Akashi's abilities had more or less been verified, Su Luo returned to his original question.
"So, Akashi, how are you able to use these abilities? Why do I always feel like something is missing?"
Akashi organized her thoughts. A moment later, she looked at Su Luo, who was staring at her, and spoke.
"Commander, if I'm not mistaken, what you feel is missing should be... an energy supply!"
"Just like my ship equipment needs cubes for power, the armament abilities adjusted for this world by the game creation machine also need an energy supply!"
As she spoke, Akashi took out the energy stone that had dropped from the monsters earlier, glowing with a strange light, and placed it in Su Luo's hand.
"Commander, grip this energy stone tightly, then focus on the armament ability you sensed. Activate that ability and absorb the energy within this energy stone."
Before you continue