The house cleaning went on until nightfall before it was finally done. Fletcher still looked a little dissatisfied, but Hikaru was exhausted and firmly put an end to her idea of cleaning all night.
This girl was way too diligent.
After summoning Fletcher, Hikaru could feel an increase in the power she shared with him. He tested it the night before and confirmed Fletcher's shared power was several times stronger than Glowworm's. However, it still wasn't enough to give him any real fighting ability against Abyssal shipgirls.
Fletcher shyly explained that the power could be boosted further only by forming an "eternal bond"—in other words, marriage. When Hikaru pressed for details, Fletcher fumbled through her explanation, only managing to say it required becoming her official partner.
This raised all kinds of questions—did it just mean giving her a ring? Holding a wedding ceremony? Or… going even further? Hikaru shelved those questions for now since his actual marriage shipgirl was still waiting to be summoned. Honestly, even if they were married, she'd still be a stranger to him. That alone was enough to give him pause.
The good news was that the powers from his shipgirls could stack. If he had the power of a hundred shipgirls, Hikaru figured he'd practically be a superhero.
The next morning, Hikaru felt something touch his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he found Fletcher curled up in his arm, blushing, her tightly closed eyelids trembling slightly.
She had to have been awake for a while. Hikaru suspected she'd been sneaking glances at him—or worse, sneaking kisses—and only pretended to be asleep when he woke up.
The thought made his heart race, but he quickly shoved it aside. He threw off the covers and shook the other passenger in his arms—Glowworm.
"Time to get up. We're going shopping today."
Glowworm groaned, clutching his arm like a sulking little piggy. She squirmed at the sudden burst of sunlight, clearly upset to be dragged from her cozy, dark nest.
Thankfully, Hikaru's newfound abilities included superhuman endurance; otherwise, his arm might've gone completely numb after being pinned all night.
He picked up the grumbling Glowworm and handed her off to Fletcher to get her washed up. Hikaru stayed in bed for a bit longer to settle his nerves—after all, sleeping with a curvy shipgirl in his arms night after night was both blissful and torturous.
The day's main mission was to buy clothes and essentials for both Glowworm and Fletcher, as well as pick up some appliances and furniture for their home.
Walking down the street with one little shipgirl in hand and another loyally trailing behind like a dutiful young wife, Hikaru looked every bit the picture of a man living his best life. The jealous stares from passersby were almost palpable.
Not that Hikaru cared. He wasn't the type who enjoyed flaunting his luck, so he focused entirely on their shopping.
Since Windridge was a city built around servicing shipgirls and their Commanders, many shops targeted their very specific tastes. Hikaru spotted one high-end boutique dedicated entirely to Bismarck and Tirpitz merchandise—clothes, plushies, snacks, comics, you name it.
If you were a die-hard fan of those two, you'd probably never leave that store.
Fletcher glanced over and murmured with a hint of envy, "They're really popular… You like them too, don't you, Commander?"
Hikaru didn't answer. The Cat and The Shut-in—that's what people called them. Part of their appeal was their tragic, heroic image. The other part was their sheer strength and rarity.
Take Tirpitz, for example. Historically, she was one of the largest battleships in existence, second only to Yamato. Her cost even surpassed Yamato's, making her one of the greatest engineering feats of her era. In this world, her shipgirl counterpart was just as rare and highly sought after.
Hikaru thought of the six-star Tirpitz in his old fleet and decided, "Let's go in. We might as well grab a plushie for Glowworm."
A short while later, the three of them walked out of the store.
Glowworm hugged a Bismarck plushie bigger than herself, pouting the entire time. "I didn't want a plushie! I wanted a stuffed owl… or a magic cauldron… or a fancy scarf! Adults never listen to kids…"
Hikaru coughed awkwardly. "You don't need a scarf. It's way too hot for that here, even in winter. And if you don't like the plushie, we can give it to Kitty when she arrives."
Kitty was the child version of Tirpitz, who adored her "Meow Sister"—Bismarck. She absolutely hated the idea of growing up into the shut-in she was destined to become.
All of this, Fletcher had told Hikaru during their late-night chats when he couldn't sleep.
But hearing Hikaru suggest giving away the plushie immediately made Glowworm tighten her grip. "No! It's mine! You gave it to me, so nobody else gets it!"
"Alright, alright," Hikaru laughed, ruffling her hair. Then he turned to Fletcher. "Let's get you some clothes next. That shop over there—Yamato Fashion House—looks pretty good."
Fletcher beamed. "Okay! But only if you pick them out for me."
Hikaru nodded. Remembering that Lexington would be joining them soon, he added, "Also, pick out a few sets that would fit Lexington, too."
Fletcher's face fell. "Commander… you're never gonna find a girlfriend at this rate."
"Oh? You figured that out? Impressive."
The shop wasn't actually run by Yamato herself, but Hikaru did overhear the previous shop's owner grumbling about poor sales. They were considering switching to Abyssal Yamato and Abyssal Fortress Princess merchandise instead. Apparently, people had a better chance of seeing those Abyssal versions in person than ever getting a glimpse of the "Cat and Shut-in" sisters.
That little bit of trivia made Hikaru think back to the real Yamato he'd once encountered. If Yamato could appear, did that mean the Fortress Princess was out there somewhere, too?
While shopping, Hikaru offered a few suggestions, but Fletcher quickly got carried away on her own. When she started asking which lingerie he thought looked better, Hikaru gave up entirely and waited outside with their growing pile of shopping bags.
Even Glowworm, though still a little girl, got swept up in the excitement of picking out cute outfits.
Left alone, Hikaru bought himself a cold drink and waited outside, completely bored. That's when he happened to spot Saito Takao carrying bags and walking alongside his shipgirl, Myoukou. Looked like they were out shopping, too.