The Ship Qi Shield deployed by a Legendary Ship Girl was indeed powerful. It seemed impossible for her to break it.
So as not to waste energy and time, Saratoga smashed it one last time and then stopped attacking Illustrious's Ship Qi Shield.
Seeing Saratoga stop, Illustrious smiled and continued to mock her, courting death: " Oh my! You gave up so quickly? Hit it a few more times! Maybe you'll break it in the next moment. If you can break it, I absolutely won't resist and will let you beat me up. "
" You can only laugh now. I'll make you cry later. " Saratoga immediately flashed into Illustrious's room.
Seeing Saratoga rush into her room, Illustrious became confused: What is she doing running into my room?
Illustrious soon got her answer; she heard the sound of things being smashed in the room.
" Bang, bang, bang...! "
" Smashing people's things when angry, this Saratoga really is just a child! " Saratoga was smashing her things in her room, but Illustrious was very calm and not panicked at all, because there were no important items of hers in the room.
When she came to stay at Atago's house, Illustrious thought she could sleep in the same bed as Atago, but the result was very disappointing. Atago said there were two rooms here, and one happened to be empty, so she let Illustrious stay in the empty room.
In other words, the things Saratoga was smashing were actually Atago's things. When Atago returned, she would definitely deal with Saratoga.
But the next moment, Illustrious suddenly remembered that she had some very important things in the room. " Oh no! My figurines! "
Illustrious was a figurine maker. She had made figurines of the various anime girls she liked in her past life, such as Emilia, Asuna, and Yatogami Tohka. These were her treasures. If they were broken by Saratoga, she wouldn't just be angry; she would want to kill someone.
She ran towards the room like a madwoman. By the time Illustrious rushed into the room, it was already too late; Saratoga had long since smashed all dozen or so figurines.
" Thump! "
Looking at the dozens of figurine fragments, a wave of sorrow hit Illustrious, and she fell to her knees, holding a decapitated Emilia in her palm. " Emilia! You died so miserably! Wuu wuu wuu... "
After smashing all the figurines, Saratoga's anger at being lied to disappeared. Seeing Illustrious crying bitterly, she laughed even more happily. " Hee hee hee! That'll teach you to lie to me! This is the price. "
" Hehehe... " Illustrious laughed with a dark expression.
Seeing Illustrious's expression, Saratoga knew this was no place to stay for long. If she continued to stay here, she would really be torn to shreds by Illustrious!
" Illustrious, this is what you deserve. Just stay here and repent slowly! " After saying that, Saratoga opened the window and flew away.
" Saratoga, you're dead! If I don't sink you, I'm not Illustrious. " Illustrious roared at the sky.
This roar scared Atago, who was hanging laundry on the roof. She immediately ran to Illustrious and said: " Illustrious, what are you doing! If the neighbors hear you being so loud and file a complaint, what will we do! "
" Atago! Do you think Saratoga would be better steamed, deep-fried, or maybe boiled? That way we can have soup! " Illustrious said with a cold face.
" What nonsense are you talking about! I'm warning you, don't kill anyone! Killing is against the law. " Atago said seriously.
Illustrious shook her head and said: " I'm not killing a person. Why would I kill a person! I want to kill a Ship Girl! "
" You can't kill a Ship Girl either. What did Saratoga do to you that you are so angry at her? " Atago asked, puzzled.
" She broke my figurines. " As soon as she mentioned this, Illustrious couldn't help but feel sad. These were her beloved figurine wives, and they had all been smashed by Saratoga. Her mind was now filled with thoughts of teaching Saratoga a lesson. She wouldn't actually kill Saratoga, but a sound beating was definitely unavoidable; otherwise, how could she face those figurine wives who had died miserably on the floor?
" What! That's it! " Atago shook her head, feeling that Illustrious was making a mountain out of a molehill. " Come to think of it, Saratoga doesn't seem like the type to randomly smash your things. Did you do something to make her angry? "
" It's nothing, really! I just said, 'I lied to you, there's no secret to increasing your bust size at all.' " Illustrious said casually: " I think this is a very small matter. Isn't it normal for everyone to joke around together and add some fun to life? "
Atago poked Illustrious hard with her finger. " Fun my foot! No wonder Saratoga smashed your figurines. Saratoga was really looking forward to your secret for increasing bust size, but you lied to her, and you lied to her for a whole month! She only smashed your figurines; she actually gave you a lot of face. "
" Ah! That hurts! " Illustrious touched her forehead and then said unhappily: " Even so, there was no need to smash my figurine wives! "
" Then do you want the figurines on the floor, or do you want me! " Atago stared fiercely at Illustrious.
Looking at the figurines on the floor, Atago thought Saratoga had smashed them quite well, quite brilliantly.
Every time she saw Illustrious touching the faces and legs of the figurines, Atago would be full of anger. She clearly had a girlfriend she could touch as she pleased, but Illustrious insisted on touching those figurines instead.
Sometimes Atago would wonder, was she not even as important as the figurines in Illustrious's heart? Thinking of this, Atago became incredibly jealous.
Who is more important? Illustrious lowered her head and pondered. On one side was the beautiful and cute Atago, and on the other were the anime girl figurines she had liked in her past life. Hmm! A normal person would indeed choose Atago; after all, figurines are dead objects at the end of the day and cannot be compared to the living, breathing Atago.
But that was only a normal person's choice. Illustrious, however, was not a normal person, and her choice was different from a normal person's.
Taking a deep breath, Illustrious said with a serious face: " Only children make choices; I want them all. "
" Want them all!? " Atago's face darkened. These crappy figurines were actually as important as her. After learning Illustrious's answer, Atago was unhappy. She considered herself naturally beautiful and stunningly gorgeous. For Illustrious to choose to have both, she must have a problem with her taste. Today, she had to properly correct Illustrious's aesthetic sense.
Grabbing Illustrious by the ear, Atago dragged her into the room. " Alright! You actually think I'm as important as these figurines. It seems I have to make you kneel on a washboard for six hours today. Come into the room with me. "
" What, kneeling on a washboard again? No, please! " Illustrious let out a miserable scream.
...
Time flies like an arrow, days and months like a shuttle! Three months passed by in a flash.
During these three months, Illustrious had been living at Atago's house.
During those three months, Illustrious noticed that something was wrong with Atago. This "wrongness" was that Atago's health was getting worse and worse, until finally, she fainted and fell into a deep sleep.
Looking at the pale Atago sleeping on the bed, Illustrious's eyes were full of worry. She was afraid that once Atago fell asleep, she would leave her forever.
What exactly caused Atago's health to deteriorate? She had asked Atago, but Atago wouldn't say a word, just saying there was nothing wrong and not to worry.
Seeing Atago sleeping and unable to wake up, Illustrious couldn't help but say: " Atago, you're sleeping and can't wake up; is this what you meant by 'nothing wrong'? "
Illustrious brought a basin of water from the bathroom to wipe Atago's body clean.
Looking at Atago's exquisite figure, Illustrious would have pounced on her in the past, but she wasn't in the mood right now.
The wiping was done quickly. Having cared for the sleeping Atago for three days, Illustrious was already skilled at looking after unconscious people, so this level of care was nothing to her.
After going to the bathroom to dump the basin of water, Illustrious brought over a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat congee. She hadn't cooked the congee; Saratoga had helped make it. She had originally wanted to cook it herself for Atago, but Saratoga stopped her.
When she was stopped, Illustrious asked in confusion, "Why are you stopping me? If I cook delicious congee filled with love for Atago, maybe after eating it, she will feel my love and wake up!"
"If she eats the congee you cook, the Captain might truly pass away in her sleep," Saratoga said with a serious expression.
Illustrious said unhappily, "Saratoga, that's too much! The congee I cook isn't poison; how could eating it kill Atago?"
"How dare you even say that? You keep claiming you're a Top Chef, but the day I ate your cooking, I nearly died and met God." Just thinking about the taste of Illustrious's cooking made Saratoga's face turn pale with fear.
"Last time was an accident. Since then, I have diligently refined my cooking skills, and I've noticed significant improvement. This time, there absolutely won't be a failure like the last one," Illustrious said sincerely.
"Improved? My goodness! Your cooking is already so awful. If you've improved a lot, won't it just be even more inedible?" Saratoga grew frightened.
"I think you have a misunderstanding of the word 'improvement'!" Illustrious frowned.
"Misunderstanding my ass! I think your 'improvement' is just improving in the direction of inedibility." Saratoga chased Illustrious out of the kitchen: "I'll cook the congee. Go look after Atago and stop getting in the way."
After driving Illustrious away, Saratoga started making her specialty, preserved egg and lean meat congee. Since Atago was currently unconscious, she could only consume liquid food, making congee the best choice.
After a while, Saratoga finished the congee. When she saw Illustrious wanted to talk to her, Saratoga immediately claimed she had an urgent matter and needed to leave, bidding Illustrious farewell before departing.
Watching Saratoga leave so quickly, Illustrious became displeased. Every time she had a chance to talk to Saratoga and Essex about why Atago remained asleep, the two either kept silent or chose to flee.
Recalling Saratoga's recent escape, Illustrious sat on a chair, holding the congee and looking at the unconscious Atago, who resembled a vegetative person. Her face hardened as she said, "No, after I finish feeding Atago this congee, I must find them and get a clear answer."
Looking at the sleeping Atago, Illustrious began to feed her the congee. Normal feeding was definitely impossible, as a sleeping person cannot eat properly.
To allow Atago to eat, Illustrious fed her mouth-to-mouth. She scooped a spoonful of congee, put a mouthful into her own mouth, then looked at Atago's cherry lips. After opening Atago's mouth, Illustrious leaned in toward her lips.
Aided by Ship Qi, Illustrious sent all the congee from her mouth into Atago's stomach.
After feeding her once, Illustrious continued, and only after more than ten attempts did she finally finish feeding Atago the preserved egg and lean meat congee.
After feeding Atago the congee, Illustrious brought over a cup of water and began to hydrate her.
As for how to hydrate her—obviously, it was mouth-to-mouth again! She fed her several more mouthfuls of water.
After feeding her water, Illustrious tucked Atago in. Sitting on the chair, Illustrious reached out and grasped Atago's hand by the bed, saying:
"Atago! Don't worry! I will definitely make you wake up again."
Leaving Atago's room, Illustrious rushed toward Essex's house. Although Essex also refused to speak, she was easier to deal with than Saratoga.
That Saratoga, as soon as you asked her, she would say a few words and then flee. Illustrious simply couldn't pry any information out of her.
Arriving outside Essex's house, Illustrious pressed the doorbell.
When the doorbell rang, Essex, who was taking a shower, had to finish hastily so as not to keep the person outside waiting. She wrapped herself in a white bath towel and walked to the door to open it.
Seeing that it was Illustrious, Essex said with a hint of impatience, "Illustrious, why is it you again? Didn't I tell you I don't know why the Captain is asleep?"
"Since you know why I'm here, aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?" Illustrious didn't wait for Essex's permission and barged into her house.
Essex had just been planning to trick Illustrious into leaving, but seeing her barge in, she felt helpless. "What good does it do you to come into my house? I don't know, and that's that."
"That line again? I'm tired of hearing it." Illustrious said with disbelief, "You are Atago's closest subordinate; how could you possibly not know?"
Arriving in the living room, Illustrious plopped down onto the sofa. Looking at Essex walking toward her from a distance, Illustrious said flatly, "A guest has arrived. Aren't you going to prepare some tea to entertain me properly?"
"But you are a Rude Guest who barged in. What right do you have to demand I prepare tea for you?" Essex said this verbally, but her body moved to prepare tea for Illustrious.
Soon, Essex brought the tea to Illustrious. Illustrious took the tea, took a sip, and looked at Essex, who was standing before her wrapped in a towel. Illustrious complained seriously, "Are you going to talk to me dressed like that?"
Lowering her head and seeing herself wrapped in a bath towel, Essex looked up and said flatly, "This is my house, not a public place. I can wear whatever I want at home; it's none of your business."
"How you dress at home is indeed none of my business, but since I am your guest in your house, can't you have some sense of shame, change clothes, and then talk to me?" Illustrious said, then drank her tea.
Essex crossed her arms, but just as she was about to speak, the movement was too forceful, and the bath towel dropped straight to the floor.
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