Alaska tried to offset the cost of two five-star Brass Knight H missiles with Saint George's banner-lance, and Hikaru turned her down at once.
He had no great love for lances—and besides, Saint George had been put through enough.
Push her any further and Hikaru genuinely worried she'd fall to the Abyss.
Stripping a shipgirl of her rigging was outrageous to begin with; "heinous" wouldn't be an overstatement.
But Alaska had nothing else to trade for the pair of missiles. Those two were one-of-a-kind pieces—worth a king's ransom to her.
Knowing haggling wasn't his strength, Hikaru settled on a verbal agreement: Alaska could use them first; the terms of repayment would be handled by Lexington and Leipzig.
There were, of course, no Brass Knight H missiles in the warehouse; Hikaru would have to redeem them at the war-trophy shop.
War trophies were the Abyssal supply ships' clothing—hundreds stockpiled in the past. Good gear and cosmetic sets had long since been traded for; lately they'd had little use.
Exchanging two missiles now was nothing.
To Alaska and Saint George, though, it was shocking.
They watched Hikaru balance a stack of girls' clothes in his left hand—then the garments drifted into motes of light, and two golden missiles appeared in his right.
It was like striking a bargain with a devil.
Blücher clamped her mouth shut; Deutschland actually clapped a hand over hers and shrank back.
The way Saint George looked at Hikaru shifted—as if he were the sort who kicked people when they were down.
Only Alaska didn't dwell on it—she was drunk on the missiles in her hands.
And of course she had to take them for a spin.
It was Hikaru's first real look at Alaska post-refit.
Her AA missiles went up—and the Abyssal carrier planes that had still posed a ragged threat to the district simply disintegrated, like a flock blasted apart by thunder.
Like a flood sluicing away every snake, bug, and rat.
That's how fearsome an AA-type missile battleship was.
Once he saw the fight at the district was well in hand, Hikaru exchanged a few more words with the girls, then hustled back to the construction room.
With the battle pressing, he needed to grind out the final summon.
—In the inner district—
"I didn't think it would actually be our J-Faction's turn for once. And yet that shut-in bookworm Taiho ended up with the last slot. The Commander said if he wants to summon more, it'll have to wait till next month. Sis, are you nervous?"
A long-haired, straight-black "upperclassman" type folded her hands behind her back and asked.
"What would I be nervous about? The Commander only ever squeezes labor out of us. He's never cared how we feel. It won't be you or me."
Her bespectacled elder sister tied up her hair, gripped a katana in both hands, and held her breath before the bamboo target.
The younger one kept chirping in her ear.
"But the Commander can be sweet. Even in the dead of night when everyone's asleep—when we come home from a long expedition and step onto the quay—he comes out to greet us, smiling as he signs for the expedition spoils."
The elder snorted. "And then? Not so much as a cup of water. Doesn't let us sit. Orders us right back out on expedition. We've been here so long and hardly know half the girls in the district. Other expedition teams get to rotate and rest; we're on the clock all year—like bondservants."
"It's true… I really want to sortie too, to fight the Abyssals. Aside from a short stint bombing fish when we first arrived, ever since our refits we've led expeditions nonstop," the younger rubbed her fingers in regret. "We've never enjoyed the resources we brought back. It reminds me of the verse: Those robed in silk and brocade are not the ones who raise the silkworms. We really are unlucky sisters."
"Save that talk for me alone. Say 'unlucky sisters' in front of Fusou and Yamashiro and see if you don't get a beating. Enough gloom." The elder barked, drew her blade, and lopped off the bamboo head. She sheathed with satisfaction. "Your elder sister's swordwork has improved again."
The younger looked at the bamboo joints on the floor, fell quiet, then said, "Even so… you still like him, don't you, Sis?"
"Hey." The elder tapped the younger's head with the flat of her sword, displeased. "Don't talk nonsense. Or even as your sister, I'll have to correct your attitude."
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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