Meanwhile, along the sea route leading to Elizabeth's command room, Akagi and Kaga advanced stealthily at high speed.
Akagi seemed unusually cheerful the entire way, her nine fluffy fox tails swaying behind her with every step.
"Sister... is it really alright for us to do this?" Kaga asked from behind, her voice carrying a hint of concern.
Akagi glanced back at her, smiling.
"What's there to worry about? Didn't Sister Amagi already say it? Our true objective has always been the Commander, not winning this exercise."
Kaga hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's just... I feel like Sister Amagi's plan is going a little too smoothly."
Akagi turned fully toward her, her expression gentle as her eyes overflowed with longing at the thought of Jun Hao.
"Kaga, what exactly are you worried about? Sister Amagi's strategy is flawless this time. As long as Lion is tied down by New Jersey, our operation should remain covert."
Kaga's deep blue eyes swept across the unnaturally calm sea around them.
"But that's exactly what's bothering me. We haven't encountered any resistance at all. No matter how carefully we moved, we should've encountered at least a few Royal Navy patrol shipgirls by now."
Her brows furrowed as the unease in her chest continued to grow.
"On a battlefield, it's common sense to station defensive forces near the home base. Unless..." She paused briefly.
"Unless someone already predicted we'd come."
Akagi let out a soft laugh.
"My dear sister, your reasoning isn't wrong. But once an arrow leaves the bow, there's no turning back."
She stepped onto the staircase leading toward the Royal Navy command room. Even then, no one appeared to stop them.
"Sometimes, overthinking only shackles your hands and feet. Are we really going to give up the chance to bring the Commander back to the Sakura Empire just because we're being overly cautious?"
When Akagi mentioned Jun Hao again, a faint blush appeared on Kaga's usually cool face.
Akagi and Amagi were right. Whether they won or lost this exercise didn't truly matter.
The Commander was what mattered.
If they could bring him back with them, that alone would be the greatest victory.
And as for being surrounded... if she and Akagi surrounded the Commander together, wouldn't that count as an encirclement as well?
At that thought, the doubts in Kaga's heart gradually faded away. She quietly followed Akagi up the stairs toward the Royal Navy command room.
The area surrounding the command room remained nearly undefended.
The smile on Akagi's face widened further. She could already imagine Jun Hao's surprised yet delighted expression when he saw her.
With Kaga following closely behind, Akagi slipped silently into the command room.
The room itself was empty. Aside from a large tactical projection displaying the status of the entire training sea area, there was no one inside.
Akagi stepped closer and glanced at the projection. The moment she saw the battlefield situation displayed before her, her eyes widened in shock.
"This... how is this possible?"
Even though she and Kaga had intentionally left an opening for Lion and the others, the remaining defensive lines shouldn't have collapsed this badly.
From the map, Akagi could clearly see the four Illustrious-class sisters completely surrounding Amagi.
Just as Akagi was struggling to process what she was seeing, a pair of large hands carrying a scent she knew all too well suddenly covered her eyes from behind.
A deliberately distorted voice whispered beside her ear.
"Guess~ who~ I~ am~"
The instant that voice reached her ears, all nine of Akagi's tails began swaying wildly behind her.
She had clearly fallen into bliss.
Beside her, even Kaga stood frozen in disbelief.
It was the Commander.
Jun Hao looked at the stunned Kaga and raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.
In truth, he knew Akagi had already figured it out the moment his hands touched her.
Even so, he still did it anyway. Teasing his wife like this was too entertaining to resist.
Now that she had heard his deliberately playful voice, Akagi's tone immediately turned sweet and clingy.
"Commander, you're really too wicked~"
"Oh? So I've already been exposed?"
Jun Hao smiled as he released her.
Without the slightest hesitation, Akagi threw herself straight into his arms. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she happily buried her face against his chest.
"I knew you'd definitely be here waiting for me."
Jun Hao gently rubbed her hair and pulled her even closer.
"So? Isn't your husband amazing?"
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
Akagi nodded in his embrace, her eyes overflowing with admiration and affection.
"You're the most handsome, strongest, and most incredible person in my heart!"
Jun Hao chuckled softly before shifting his gaze past Akagi's shoulder toward Kaga, who was still frozen in place.
"What about you, Kaga? What's your verdict?"
Kaga's cheeks instantly flushed red. Truthfully, her thoughts were almost exactly the same as Akagi's.
She was simply far more reserved than her sister. Still, the blush spreading across her face made it obvious how happy she was to see the man she loved.
In the end, she lowered her head quietly and slowly opened her arms.
"I admit defeat, Commander..."
Her voice was so soft and shy that it was probably the gentlest tone she had ever used.
Seeing her like this, Jun Hao's heart softened immediately.
Without releasing Akagi, he extended his other arm and pulled Kaga into the embrace as well, letting her lean snugly against his other side.
Suddenly drawn into such a warm, secure embrace, Kaga's slender body trembled faintly. But in the end, she couldn't resist melting into Jun Hao's gentle smile.
Just as the atmosphere was growing more intimate, an untimely cough suddenly came from outside the command room.
"Ahem..."
It was Elizabeth.
Her cheeks were puffed up in annoyance, and jealousy was practically written all over her face.
"Mind yourselves! This is the Royal Navy command room, not your personal place for flirting!!"
Hearing the obvious bitterness in Elizabeth's voice, Akagi not only refused to hold back, she deliberately lifted her head and planted a firm kiss on Jun Hao's cheek before turning toward Elizabeth with a smug smile.
She had won.
She had been the first to claim him.
'Royal Navy, you may have won the exercise, but you've already lost the Commander's heart!'
The more she thought about it, the more pleased Akagi became.
"The Commander is my husband, and I'm his perfect wife. Isn't it only natural for a husband and wife to be affectionate with each other?"
"Y-You shameless fox!"
Seeing Akagi openly provoking her, Elizabeth clenched her fists tightly.
She immediately raised her scepter and looked ready to charge forward and smack Akagi over the head, but fortunately Belfast reacted quickly and stopped her in time.
Otherwise, things might really have escalated into a diplomatic incident.
"Don't stop me, Belfast! Let them witness the majesty of Queen Elizabeth!"
"Your Majesty, that would not be very elegant."
"I don't care about elegance! My husband... can only... can only..."
Elizabeth's face turned bright red as she struggled to force the words out.
Finally, unable to hold herself back any longer, she shouted, "My husband is only allowed to hug me!"
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