The Moment Elysia Confess Her Love, War Wages On the Ship

They say that when someone starts working out, they often attract not the opposite sex, but rather… other fitness enthusiasts.

When Delta brought up the Captain, Durandal suddenly realized that the time she spent training in the training room with Delta had, in fact, far surpassed her time spent with the Captain.

It had almost been a full week now.

Durandal still considered herself a student in terms of combat skills, so she felt apprehensive about teaching the Captain martial arts and worried she might not do a good job. That’s why she had been coming to the Captain’s real martial arts instructor for some guidance.

Delta was an excellent instructor, and it showed in the way her greatsword collided with Durandal’s lance.

Of course, Durandal couldn’t ask her directly.

Rita had taught her about the art of “indirectness” in matters of the heart.

According to Rita’s advice, in this kind of situation, she needed to use subtlety.

So, this week, she had been coming to Delta almost every day for sparring sessions.

Delta tightened her grip on her sword. With a flick of her tail, she leapt high, her slender figure performing a graceful front-flip before slashing downward.

Durandal, holding her lance horizontally, absorbed the impact, secretly admiring how beautiful the move was.

Delta’s attacks were relentless, each one like the crashing of a tidal wave.

Durandal, however, was unfazed. Though the lance was typically used on horseback, in her hands, it was as light as a rapier, cutting the air with a swishing sound as it carved a swift trail through the air.

They were at it again.

It was just a regular sparring session, but Durandal couldn’t stop thinking about what Delta had said earlier.

Miss Delta, why bring up the Captain? You’re only an instructor—could you have developed other feelings toward the Captain while teaching him martial arts?

Thoughts raced through Durandal’s mind. After a whole week of clashing weapons, she was starting to notice things.

Maybe Delta’s feelings for the Captain went beyond that of instructor and student.

This must be what Rita had called a “revelation” in matters of the heart.

Realizing this, Durandal felt as if she were facing a formidable opponent.

A rival of equal strength!

Delta sensed Durandal’s strange hostility, which only annoyed her further, stirring her emotions and causing the room to fill with the clashing sounds of their weapons.

Delta, too, thought to herself, A truly worthy adversary.

In terms of pure combat skill, they were indeed among the top on the Hyperion. But in emotional matters, it was like two clueless rookies poking at each other, each convinced the other was far more skilled.

At the door, the “System Maintenance in Progress” sign flickered faintly.

No one could have guessed that Ai-chan, the AI of the Hyperion, who talked such a grand game, was in reality nothing more than a petty scammer—an utterly shameless AI.

<+>

Meanwhile, Luo Ming was on the right path.

He held his single-handed sword down by his side, deftly maneuvering through attacks, cutting down newly spawned mechanical constructs. He didn’t even need to consult the map, as there was only one way forward.

A path completely blocked by mechanical constructs, biological entities, and psionic constructs.

A path of battle.

He sidestepped and, with a smooth backflip, dodged a thrusting attack. With a flick of his wrist, his sword sliced the construct before him in half.

The ground behind him was littered with similar corpses.

Yet there was little satisfaction in Luo Ming’s eyes. Instead, he wore a slight frown, as if deep in thought.

He was beginning to suspect why Ai-chan had become corrupted.

The answer was likely… her physical body.

Ai-chan, as a virtual entity, longed to exist in the real world.

As the AI that managed the Hyperion, Ai-chan had extensive privileges, but only within the virtual realm. Outside of that, there were all these Valkyries, who ate together, trained together, recorded exercises together.

It was a sense of collective joy—a happiness unique to real companionship, one that was difficult to experience in the virtual world.

When the Hyperion crew dines together, Ai-chan must feel a longing to join in, right? And during intelligence classes, she probably resents being merely a camera hanging on the wall, doesn’t she?

Luo Ming murmured to himself, “Looking at it this way, have I perhaps been negligent?”

He saw himself as a responsible Captain, and if his negligence was indeed the cause of a crew member’s distress, then he naturally felt it was his duty to address the issue.

Picking up his pace, Luo Ming cut down yet another wave of mechanical constructs surrounding him. Sparks crackled in the air, releasing a strange, burnt odor.

“Ai-chan, I’m here to help you out.”

<+>

Bronya was feeling very uneasy.

Not only was the Hyperion’s network jammed by some unknown entity—something she was working hard to fix—but also because Elysia was sitting right next to her.

“Well, isn’t this Bronya?” Elysia remarked, noticing the flashing red on Bronya’s screen as she linked her Heavy Armored Bunny to the mainframe, seemingly engaged in something crucial. Elysia stopped to observe quietly.

She was the only one who knew that “the Captain thinks all the girls on the ship are romantically interested in each other” and yet, for her own reasons, had kept this information to herself.

“What are you working on?”

Elysia, expecting to be met with indifference, was still surprised when Bronya treated her as if she were completely invisible. Elysia felt a pang of boredom.

Elysia was a lot like a cat. She loved seeking amusement, especially after almost losing face earlier with Mei, leaving her in a bit of a foul mood.

“I’m working,” Bronya responded in a cold tone. “The Hyperion’s communications network has been jammed. Bronya can’t break through it, so I had to…”

She opened a private communication channel.

In fact, all the Hyperion’s channels had been compromised. The Valkyries had become isolated, like islands, but Bronya had previously modified the Captain’s communicator, creating an encrypted channel.

She really didn’t want to share any of this with Elysia.

But this was her job.

“Captain, this is Bronya. The Hyperion’s communication has been cut off, and I’m working to find the cause,” she said, taking a deep breath.

After a crackling static, a calm male voice came through.

“I’m here.”

“It’s just a minor issue with Ai-chan. I can handle it alone. You stay where you are, and if there are any Valkyries nearby, stay with them. I have some small matters to attend to.”

Bronya clenched her fists tightly.

This calm, commanding tone was completely different from his usual laid-back demeanor.

Was he seriously in work mode now?

In this state, the Captain seemed self-assured, full of fighting spirit, totally unlike the slacker he usually was—but this was a side of him that only appeared during work.

Was there something seriously wrong with Ai-chan?

She added, “Captain, I’m currently with Elysia.”

“Oh?”

From the background came the sound of fierce wind and the swoosh of a blade cutting through the air, as if he’d thrown his communicator mid-swing and then caught it back with precision.

“Put Elysia on.”

“I’m here~” Elysia chimed in, leaning in, prepared to toss a playful, flirtatious line at Luo Ming, hoping to savor Bronya’s reaction as she held back any hint of jealousy.

As a reward, she’d pick up her bow and help the Captain sort out this disturbance.

But then, there was only silence from Luo Ming.

“Ahem.”

A quiet cough broke the silence, accompanied by static. The privacy of the channel seemed to have come at the cost of clarity.

With a deep, sincere tone, the Captain’s voice came through, airy as a spring breeze.

“I hope for a blessing from my beloved. Elysia, can you do that?”

“…”

“………”

Wait… is he… flirting with me?

It’s not me flirting with him, he’s flirting with me?