After dinner.
Urged on by the shipgirls, Setsuna boarded a shuttle and headed to the nearby Chen Hai.
Among oath-bound ships, there was an unspoken agreement: the first time could be exclusive with the Commander.
As for what happened... no one believed Chen Hai invited Setsuna over just for tea and a book.
"Why do I feel like I don't fit in with you guys?"
After seeing Setsuna off, Gudako looked at Taihou , Belfast, Yat Sen, Tohru, and Kurumi.
She flopped down on the sofa.
"How have I been with the Commander for so long, and still haven't gotten any action?! I arrived early, didn't I?!"
"And now you're throwing a party without me?!"
She gestured at herself.
In terms of figure, she couldn't compare to carriers and battleships, but bullying Nagato wasn't a problem.
As for looks, Gudako considered herself decently humanoid. Even among the freakishly beautiful shipgirls and Spirits, she was still passable.
In terms of strength... okay, she wasn't quite on Mio or Tohru's level, but clearly that wasn't the deciding factor.
"Hmm..."
Jeanne Alter and Jeanne d'Arc leaned together.
"Maybe Master just sees you as one of the bros?"
"???"
Gudako blinked.
"Seriously?"
"You've spent a lot of time around Master, right? The way you two joke around, half the time no one else even understands you. Only you can keep up with his weird trains of thought..."
"So maybe he sees you as a really close friend?"
Jeanne d'Arc offered a tentative explanation.
"..."
"Did you just hand me a 'good friend' card on his behalf?"
Gudako squinted and glared at her.
"Well..."
"If you honestly confessed to the Commander, I bet he'd say yes."
Yat Sen, seated gracefully, smiled as she spoke.
As one of the victorious ones who already had Setsuna's heart, she was quite composed.
"Huh?"
"So you're saying I should dress up, go stand in front of the Commander, and sweetly confess that I actually like..."
Gudako trailed off.
She crossed her arms and gave a shiver, goosebumps rising.
"Forget it. I'm not good at that stuff. Any other plans?"
She was used to her offbeat dynamic with Setsuna—their minds just weirdly clicked.
The Human Evil and the Paradox grand strategy gamer were a match made in chaos.
"Uh..."
"Wish upon the Greater Grail? Like wish for Master to always stay by your side."
Jeanne Alter jumped straight to a terrible idea.
"Can that thing even do that? Can the Grail enforce cross-world rules?"
The shipgirls immediately shot it down.
"Drug him?"
"He's immune. Origami's tested it dozens of times."
"Seduction?"
"You think you can out-seduce Taihou and Kurumi?"
"Night raid?"
"We're full, thanks. Please queue in an orderly fashion."
"..."
They brainstormed a bunch of ridiculous and semi-legit ideas.
Gudako gave up.
"I'll just go with the flow. Let me save humanity first. Once I've taken over all of Chaldea, then I'll marry the Commander—wouldn't that be perfect?"
"..."
Pfft—
Richelieu and Taihou let out soft chuckles.
Save humanity?
By then, the Commander might have enough oath-bound shipgirls to form a battalion. Tiny shipgirls would be running everywhere.
...
Meanwhile.
Aboard the Chen Hai.
Setsuna stepped onto the bridge, glancing around at the interior layout.
Every shipgirl's vessel was decorated according to her personal tastes—Richelieu preferred French palace style, Taihou leaned toward Japanese aesthetics, Belfast embodied British elegance, and so on.
Chen Hai's interior resembled Yat Sen's: a classic Dragon Empery design.
The furniture in the bridge was made of redwood, intricately carved with smooth lines.
In one corner stood an ornate desk with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone neatly arranged, alongside a few ancient books.
On a display shelf, Chen Hai's collection was arranged in perfect order.
Porcelain, wood carvings, stone sculptures, even bronzeware—it was a well-rounded collection.
A glance was enough to tell: the owner of this starship was a cultured shipgirl with refined taste and a love of collecting.
Setsuna enjoyed learning each shipgirl's preferences, personality, and thoughts—though with so many people in the port, there wasn't always time.
"Please sit, Commander."
Chen Hai gestured.
She motioned for Setsuna to take a seat and poured him a cup of fresh tea.
Then she naturally sat beside him, carrying a faint scent of delicate perfume.
The two chatted casually.
From base construction to the education of the little lolis, and even future development plans.
Chen Hai hadn't been part of the initial vanguard fleet. She came over with the main force after the Sirens were dealt with.
She hadn't stood out much before—Setsuna had run into her once while visiting Yat Sen, and she'd even thoughtfully left them some alone time.
After bringing back the little lolis, she took charge of their education. You could say she was the base's Minister of Education—a hard worker.
"You like playing Go?"
While talking about hobbies, Setsuna spotted a Go board under the table.
"Yes, I usually play a few rounds with other shipgirls in my spare time."
"Unfortunately, only Amagi and Hai Tien are worthy opponents. Lacking a real challenge is a bit of a shame..."
As she spoke, she flipped the Go board up.
"Commander, would you like to play a match with me?"
"Sure, but I haven't played much Go—go easy on me."
Setsuna figured he was here to spend time with Chen Hai anyway, so he agreed.
"Oh... is that so?"
Chen Hai paused for a moment while setting up the board.
"To make it more interesting, why don't we add some stakes?"
"Like... if you win a round against me, I'll grant you a request. If I win, you'll owe me one. How about that?"
The girl before him exhaled softly, her eyes full of teasing intent, clearly planning something.
"Let's do it."
Setsuna accepted confidently.
The two sat down and began to play.
At first, Chen Hai was at ease.
She rested her cheek on one hand, occasionally teasing Setsuna while placing stones.
From her point of view, the Commander was a total novice at Go—easy prey.
She even considered giving him a handicap.
But as the match progressed, she realized Setsuna wasn't so easily crushed.
Some of his seemingly wild moves turned out to be game-changers later on.
Even as a master-level player, she found it hard to predict so many steps ahead.
Chen Hai grew more serious, dropping the playful act and sitting upright. Each move was calculated with care.
But Setsuna pressed on relentlessly, sealing off her every escape.
No mistakes. No openings.
Every trap she set was used against her, plunging her deeper into an inescapable web.
There was no hope of turning the tide.
"..."
Half an hour later, Chen Hai placed her piece down in surrender.
She wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead and tidied her hair.
"Commander, how did you do that? Are you really a beginner?"
"Really. My understanding of Go only goes as far as the rules."
Setsuna nodded.
"Then how did you...?"
Chen Hai stared at him for a moment, then suddenly realized—
"You used the Eternal Snowfall's computing power against me?!"
Setsuna's ship was equipped with the most advanced quantum computer, used to manage hundreds of cannons, calculate flight paths, speeds, and adjust trajectories.
With the aid of its computing system, he could summon absurd levels of processing power when needed.
That included simulating Go matches.
Even Earth's top Go players couldn't beat AlphaGo—how could AlphaGo possibly compare to one ten-thousandth of the Eternal Snowfall?
"We're technically the same being, so this doesn't count as cheating, right? The ship is part of me."
Setsuna smiled.
If he ever entered a competitive Go tournament, he'd crush every master without mercy.
"..."
Chen Hai was speechless.
In any regular match, using AI assistance would clearly be cheating.
But Setsuna and the Eternal Snowfall were essentially one and the same.
Even if they played again, her processing ability couldn't come close to his.
"Fine, fine—you win."
Chen Hai leaned back on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
"It's rare to relax like this. Winning or losing doesn't matter that much. If you ever need anything, just tell me."
"A bit of a shame I didn't get to win a wish like Belfast... A miscalculation."
There was a trace of regret in her voice.
Setsuna gently pulled Chen Hai into his arms.
"If you have a wish, just tell me. No need for all the games and wagers."
"Hmph, it's not the same."
Chen Hai pouted but leaned closer, enjoying their moment of intimacy.
"Make sure to spend more time with me. Teaching all those kids is exhausting."
She rested against Setsuna's chest, her voice soft.
"Mm, I will."
Setsuna responded with just three simple words.
Chen Hai felt similar to Yat Sen—graceful and refined, embodying the classical elegance of Dragon Empery.
But she was more mature, more seductive.
Her figure, too, was that of a carrier's—when she took off her coat, underneath was a sleek, bodysuit-like outfit made of black stockings.
The warmth and softness in his arms stirred the imagination.
"Hmm?"
Moments later.
Chen Hai feigned displeasure and let out a soft scolding tone.
"Oh dear, Commander, is your willpower slipping?"
"..."
Setsuna thought—what kind of man would not lose composure in this situation?
He chose to respond with action.
"Taking the lead isn't fair, Commander."
Chen Hai gently pressed down on Setsuna's wandering hand, glancing out the porthole.
The ship was hovering not far from the sun.
There was no day or night here—just the orange-red fireball burning against the darkness of space.
With a wave of her hand—
Clack clack clack—
The porthole shutters closed automatically, blocking out the glaring sunlight.
Soft, warm amber lighting filled the room, followed by a gentle and tranquil melody on a guqin.
"You really have a sense of aesthetic."
Setsuna looked at her with intrigue.
"Everyone needs a little sense of ritual."
Chen Hai lightly tapped her lips with a finger.
Then she swept her hair off her shoulder and tied it into a ponytail to avoid any interference with what was about to happen.
"Also, Commander—you did win a small wish, didn't you? How about using it now?"
"Whatever it is... I'll make sure it comes true."
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