When dawn had barely broken, Akashi woke up.
Or rather, Akashi had not slept very soundly last night. At the very least, her rigging radar had been continuously scanning the surroundings. They were unfamiliar with the area, she was the only fleet member accompanying the Commander, and they had previously encountered those winged things that looked like demons. For the Commander's safety, she had no choice but to be this cautious.
Fortunately, the night had passed peacefully. Her rigging radar had detected no outsiders, and the Manjuus scattered around as temporary sentries had not reported anyone else arriving. Based on the current situation, they were safe for the time being!
Akashi opened her eyes. The sky outside was already faintly bright. She intended to get up early and prepare something for the Commander to eat! The maid squad was not here, nor were the married ship girls. With only herself by the Commander's side, the responsibility of taking care of him naturally fell to her!
Akashi had just tried to get up when she felt someone clinging to her like an octopus. After blanking for a moment, Akashi looked down in front of herself. The one clinging tightly to her was Azi, the little girl she and her Commander had rescued.
Azi seemed to be having a nightmare. Her sleeping face was filled with terror, and Akashi could feel her grip tightening.
With a sigh, Akashi gently patted Azi's back, her soft voice murmuring by Azi's ear as she soothed her emotions.
Akashi's comfort seemed to work. Before long, the terror on Azi's face gradually faded, and her hold on Akashi loosened considerably. Akashi breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to slip free from Azi's embrace. Then, before the security of that embrace could vanish from the sleeping Azi, she picked up the Manjuu resting nearby—the one Azi had apparently let go of after falling asleep and hugging Akashi instead—and tucked it back into Azi's arms.
With something to hug in her arms, the terror vanished from Azi's face. Visibly afraid of being pulled apart again, Azi's embrace tightened significantly! The resting Manjuu was instantly squeezed awake!
The Manjuu was about to protest, but the warning look Akashi gave it after opening its eyes forced it to shut its beak.
Seeing that the Manjuu had stayed quiet, Akashi nodded in satisfaction. She then got out of bed and headed outside.
As she passed Su Luo's bed, Akashi saw that he had kicked his blanket open a little again, likely because he was hot. She blinked and silently snapped a few photos.
Ahem, best-selling Port item +1, +1, +1...
After stepping outside, Akashi glanced toward where they had kept the "rabbits" they caught yesterday, and her face fell.
They had caught over twenty "rabbits" yesterday. Su Luo had killed three, and there had still been plenty left. But now, only one remained in the cage. The rest of the "rabbits"...
"Tsk..."
Akashi stepped forward to inspect the wooden cage and clicked her tongue. The "rabbits" had gnawed a hole into the side of the cage. Akashi guessed that they had all escaped through there.
As for the remaining "rabbit"...
Akashi glanced at it. The "rabbit" was wandering around inside the cage. It passed by the hole but seemed not to notice the exit, then marched straight into a wooden board on the other side. Then... the cage shook. The board was fine, while the "rabbit" looked rather dazed.
Akashi silently opened the cage exit while watching the "rabbit." Yet the "rabbit" still acted as though it could not see it, gathering strength once more before ramming the spot it had just hit...
"This 'rabbit' seems a little stupid... Eating it won't affect intelligence, will it?"
Akashi frowned. She watched the stupid "rabbit" ram the cage for quite a while before it finally knocked itself unconscious. With a sigh, Akashi pulled it out.
After thinking it over, she decided not to feed this one to the Commander. It was too stupid. What if it affected him?
As for the other "rabbits," heh. Once it was fully light out, she would take the Commander to catch them all again! They could even have an all-rabbit feast while they were at it! She would let those "rabbits" see the consequences of running away right in front of them!
Holding the stupid rabbit by its ears, Akashi walked to the doorway, found a clean spot, and sat down. She called over one of the Manjuus that had served as a sentry during the night.
"Go to that edible fruit tree the Commander and I found yesterday and pick some more fruit, nya! Hurry, the Commander will be waking up soon, nya!"
Though it had spent the entire previous day working without any rest, the diligent Manjuu obeyed Akashi's orders and headed for the woods.
Akashi, meanwhile, stared thoughtfully at the stupid "rabbit" dangling from her hand.
Eating it was out of the question. It looked too stupid, and she was afraid it might affect people if they ate it. But if she released it...
The Commander had spent energy using his ability to catch it! Wouldn't releasing it just be a waste?
After pondering for a while, Akashi looked at the little creature's fairly cute appearance, then turned to glance into the house at the Manjuu in Azi's arms—the Manjuu being squeezed so uncomfortably by Azi.
"This 'rabbit' doesn't seem very aggressive, nya. Hmm, later I'll see whether Azi likes this 'rabbit,' nya. If she does, I'll swap out the Manjuu, nya. That little one has worked hard too, nya!"
Akashi had temporarily decided the "rabbit's" fate, though it would ultimately depend on whether Azi liked it!
Since they had needed to make several trips between the forest and the village yesterday, the Manjuus were fairly familiar with the nearby paths. Thus, they quickly brought back the fruit Akashi had asked them to pick.
There was not much, but it was just enough for one meal!
Seeing the Manjuus return, Akashi smiled. She took the fruit they had brought back, washed it, and cut it up...
After some preparation, a decent-looking fruit salad was ready!
Glancing at the sky, where the sun had already risen, Akashi carried the prepared fruit salad into the house.
"Commander, it's time to wake up and eat breakfast, nya!"
Akashi placed the food on the dining table. She first went to her Commander's bedside and silently took a few more photos as potential best-selling products. Then, Akashi reached out and nudged Su Luo, trying to wake him.
"Mmm... Okay, I'm getting up right away!"
Su Luo woke as soon as Akashi called him. Though the conditions here were not great, he had slept very soundly last night. Perhaps because he had been granted genes, Su Luo's waist no longer ached, his back no longer hurt, and even... a little tent had been pitched... After staying in the Port for so long, he had nearly forgotten that he could still have this kind of reaction...
Super Gene... good stuff!
Su Luo praised it inwardly as he sat up and bent his legs, using them to prop up the blanket and conceal a certain abnormality.
Akashi blinked, pretended not to see anything, and silently walked over to Azi, who was lying on the other bed.
A short while later, Azi and Su Luo, both fully dressed, were seated at the dining table, looking at the fruit salad.
Azi had clearly never seen food prepared this way and gave Su Luo a puzzled look.
Su Luo nodded at her, signaling for her to try it.
Seeing Su Luo's encouragement, Azi ultimately chose to trust him and picked up the spoon Akashi had prepared.
Just as Azi scooped up a spoonful of fruit and was about to eat it, Akashi suddenly stood and stepped in front of Su Luo.
"Commander, the anti-air radar shows that two unidentified flying objects are rapidly approaching us from above, nya!"
Akashi's tone was grave, and her rigging had already materialized.
"Akashi, are they like those ugly freaks flying in the sky that we encountered yesterday?"
Su Luo pulled Azi close and held her in his arms, signaling that she should not be afraid.
"I'm not sure, nya, Commander!"
Su Luo narrowed his eyes.
"How far away are they now?"
"They're five thousand meters above the ground... four thousand five hundred meters, nya. They're still descending, and they're moving very fast!"
"Open fire with the anti-air guns as a warning. Stop them from descending any further! First, find out where they stand!"
"Understood, nya!"
Akashi walked out of the cabin and aimed at the targets rapidly descending from above, opening fire as a warning.
In the sky, Angel Yan and Zhixin, who were already not far from Su Luo, halted the instant Akashi opened fire. Anti-air shells streaked past beneath them.
"Quite alert, aren't they!"
Angel Yan and Zhixin exchanged a look. They understood the other party's intent, so they neither continued descending nor directly used a wormhole to approach. They simply remained where they were, showing that they meant Su Luo no harm.
"Yan, we've received an unknown signal frequency. It seems to be coming from that little girl below."
"She seems to want to speak with us."
Zhixin looked down at Akashi and spoke to Angel Yan.
"She's probably trying to confirm our intentions. Connect it!"
Zhixin nodded and chose to connect. Once the connection was established, Akashi's wary voice reached Zhixin and Angel Yan's ears.
"Who are you? What is your purpose in coming here?"
"Don't be nervous, little girl. We are the Sacred Wings of the Merlot Heavenly Court. I am Angel Yan, and she is Zhixin. We mean you no harm. We came for you!"
As he listened to their introductions, Su Luo relaxed somewhat, but a trace of vigilance also rose in his heart.
Angel Civilization... doesn't necessarily mean they're good people either...
Before you continue