Chapter 49: I Am Not a Song God

With every new song Hikaru belted out, the atmosphere in the bar heated up even more, as if the crowd could tear the roof off at any moment.

"Encore! One more!"

"That was awesome!"

"Let me buy this brother a drink!"

Already quite tipsy, Hikaru leaned toward California and ordered, "Play 'Heaven Above'."

California scrambled to recall the chords—she hadn't memorized that many yet and got stuck awkwardly.

"Useless!" Hikaru snatched the guitar from her hands and started strumming.

"… The wild wind blows through messy hair in the twelfth lunar month, pigeons streak across the pale sky...

… Only heaven above, only heaven above,

… She is so fickle, she is so fickle…"

Though his voice was hoarse from the alcohol, California felt a chill run down her spine as if a giant from another age were roaring out his grievance to the heavens right beside her.

When the song ended, the crowd pressed closer to the stage, leaving not a single gap. California grabbed another guitar handed over by Alaska, threw her arm around Hikaru's shoulder, and her sparkling eyes shone with excitement. "One more! Play 'Yesterday', I can play along this time!"

"Alright, let's go!" Hikaru chugged down the rest of his beer and signaled her to begin.

With California's guitar as accompaniment, Hikaru softly sang the melancholic melody of "Yesterday," his voice full of warmth and longing. California felt like a giant or a god sat beside her, reminiscing about a broken dream.

As soon as that song ended, Hikaru grabbed another beer offered by Göta Lejon and started yet another one without needing any prompting.

"Five hundred years of earth and sea

Stubborn stones grow moss…"

Five hundred years? Hikaru smiled bitterly. It felt like far longer—an epic dream that had lasted three thousand years.

"Crossing the mountain ridges, I find no one waiting

Endless chatter, yet no way to reclaim tenderness…"

More beer, more songs. The lyrics swirled into drunken memories of an old blue Earth.

The audience multiplied both inside and outside the bar, their cheers, laughter, and tears filling the air. Hikaru felt like he was floating. Why do people gather like this? What even is this world? Who am I?

A pair of hands cupped his face and turned him toward a flushed, familiar face—California's.

"You're amazing, Hikaru! Absolutely amazing!" she screamed, then planted a big kiss on him.

Hikaru, dazed, barely reacted and pushed her away. "Get lost, idiot. Don't interrupt my performance."

Taking the mic again, he shouted, "Alright, last one! You all know this one. Don't be shy—sing along with me! 'Farewell'!"

The crowd clapped in rhythm, singing in unison.

"…

A jug of murky wine for parting cheer,

Tonight, dreams are cold again…"

Goodbye, old world.

What's gone is gone. Today is a new beginning.

Dropping the mic, Hikaru collapsed backward. Lexington caught him and looked at California.

"A long farewell, huh? Our admiral's heart is not easily unbound," she whispered.

California drained her beer and smiled brightly. "Lexington-oneesama…"

Hikaru had the best sleep in ages, waking up past noon.

"I made fish soup for you, Admiral. Come on, drink up," Lexington said, handing him a warm glass of yogurt as she sat reading by his side.

Drinking from her hand, Hikaru groaned, "Did I get too drunk yesterday? I vaguely remember singing… My throat's still sore."

"You sang wonderfully," Lexington said, planting a kiss on his forehead. "California loved every second. She even kissed you last night."

Did she? Hikaru couldn't remember a thing. What a waste.

Shaking off the thought, Hikaru's eyes lit up. "I can summon another fleetmate today. Let's see who it is!"

"Let's not rush. Drink your soup first. We're having pickled fish for lunch," Lexington replied, gliding out of the room.

Hikaru rubbed his stomach, trying in vain to piece together the missing memories. Oh well. It was already the start of October. Time to check last month's rewards.

Apparently, California's special mission had cleared sometime without him noticing—100 diamonds and a "Mystery Reward." The reward was so-so, but it was something.

As for the monthly missions, since most of the enemies they faced were low-level cannon fodder, all four missions yielded the bare minimum rewards:

1x Ship Construction Blueprint

1x Equipment Development Blueprint

1x Quick Repair

1x Destroyer Retrofit Core

1x Cruiser Retrofit Core

1x Damage Control Sprite

10 Diamonds

And, most importantly, 1 Random Ship Summon Ticket.

Hikaru actually preferred it that way—letting the system decide. It felt fairer to the girls waiting back at the base.

While eating, Elizabeth arrived with news from the academy's investigation.

"At first, no one took it seriously, but Yamato insisted. The Allied Command conducted a sweep but found nothing suspicious," she reported.

Hikaru didn't have much to say. He just poked at his fish while glancing around. Something felt off.

Glowworm was busy scarfing down rice, clearly eager to finish and watch cartoons. Not her.

Lexington, spooning soup into his bowl with radiant tenderness. Not her either.

Fletcher… as usual, avoided his gaze like a guilty kitten. But that was typical.

So that left… California!

Hikaru snapped his head toward her—and nearly fell out of his seat.

California had done her hair into a braided ponytail and was wearing a white floral dress, looking uncharacteristically sweet and pure.

"What the—what's with the new look?" Hikaru blurted.

California had never cared about fashion. No makeup, same old shorts and t-shirt, hair always loose unless Hikaru tied it up for her. What had gotten into her?

"None of your business. I do what I like," she teased, tapping her bowl. "By the way, since we skipped training this morning, we're doubling it tomorrow."

Hikaru shivered. He had started this "Hell Training" to grow closer to her, but now she was more motivated than he was. This was starting to backfire…

"Let's focus on the new summon today," Hikaru tried to deflect.

California snorted. "Admit it, you're the one who can't keep up."

Hikaru grinned darkly. "Oh? Let's see who cracks first."

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted their banter. Elizabeth went to answer it and returned with Alaska and Göta Lejon in tow.

"Is Mr. Hikaru here?" Alaska asked.

Göta Lejon waved excitedly. "Hey! We're here to talk about that record deal!"

Of course, Hikaru politely turned them down, though he secretly enjoyed the compliment.

"Haha, someone actually wants me to record an album. Guess I'm not half bad at singing after all."

Lexington smirked. "They don't seem like the type to give up easily. Maybe you should seduce them, Admiral. We could snag both for our fleet."

Hikaru pinched her nose. "Recruiting shipgirls isn't that easy. And you're pretty bold teasing your husband like that. Someone's asking for a spanking."

Lexington tried to flee, but Elizabeth groaned, "I'm still here, you know. Can you two not flirt so shamelessly in front of me?"

Hikaru turned to her with a mischievous grin. "Well, snaring them might be hard, but I bet catching you would be easy. All I'd need is some food. C'mon, Lizzy, call me Admiral and let me pinch your cheek."

"Get lost! I'm not that easy!" Elizabeth shot back. "Unless you treat me to three years of feasts—then I might consider it."

"Forget it. I'd go broke feeding you."

Lexington giggled, "Admiral, it's time to begin the summoning."

Though he had resources at home, Hikaru decided to retrieve the supplies he'd left at the academy. Freshmen got free resources every month, and he had plenty saved up.

Despite it being a holiday, the academy was buzzing with students ready to try their luck with ship construction.

After all, nothing could stop a desperate African* soul from trying to cross to Europe. (*In this context, "African" humorously refers to players with terrible luck in the gacha game community.)

As Hikaru approached the square, he spotted a crowd gathered around a lucky newbie who had pulled USS William D. Porter in just three attempts.

Though considered an infamous "accident-prone" destroyer, she was still a 5-star ship, making this rookie incredibly lucky.

Most students used minimal resources for daily builds, saving their stash for massive all-in attempts. Those "big builds" were risky but had a higher chance of netting 6-star ships, according to common belief.

Glancing around, Hikaru noticed a familiar figure sulking under a large banyan tree—Masaki.

"What are you doing here?" Hikaru asked.

Masaki shuddered at the memory and hugged himself. "I tried sneaking into the big build rush… and failed."

Fletcher whispered an explanation behind Hikaru's back, making him realize what happened.

Apparently, Masaki had used his double stipend and past earnings to attempt a big build, hoping to strike it rich… and failed miserably.

"Seriously? After all these years, you still haven't learned your lesson?" Hikaru sighed.

Masaki turned to face him, tears streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall. "You think I wanted this? I was just contemplating life!"

[End of Chapter]

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