189: Chapter 189 Identity Exposed

"Hi~ I'm back again~"

"Yeah, you're back again."

"Eh—why so indifferent..."

"Would you believe me if I said I'm used to it?"

A single emergency training session was naturally insufficient to restore him to his peak state, but fortunately, Li Ming still had his fundamentals. Now, as long as he had the time, he could perfectly complete a dinner.

Well, as long as he had the time.

So, barring any accidents, once Z23 left after the weekend, the whole group would likely have to eat at the cafeteria.

"I don't believe you." Aussie leaned in from behind. "What are you making? Can I have a taste?"

"It's hot."

"I'm not afraid, you know?"

"A6."

"Oh my, why are you driving people away..."

A6, holding her game console, looked up at the two of them with dot-like eyes.

"Just kidding." Li Ming used long chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef fillet. "Blow on it yourself, be careful not to burn yourself."

Aussie leaned over, blew on it twice, and then ate it.

"Mmm~ Not bad..."

"Then it's about time to plate it." Li Ming set the chopsticks aside, picked up the spatula again to stir it a couple of times to prevent sticking, and finally turned off the heat.

He really wasn't good at cooking large batches; he was better at stir-frying small portions.

"By the way... Commander Li Ming, you don't cook often, do you?"

"Yeah, after all, Z23 usually does it for me, so I naturally rarely cook..." Li Ming paused. "Are you fishing for information?"

"I am not..." Aussie put on a pitiful look.

"Fine, fine, it's not like it's anything important anyway." Li Ming said helplessly. "Want to eat together?"

"No thanks, I just came to see how you've been doing lately~ It would be a bit much for me to actually intrude on your family dinner..."

"So you do realize that..."

"Heehee~"

"Forget it... Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" Aussie was a bit surprised. "What is it?"

"You weren't seen all day this past week. What were you up to?"

"Heehee, I can't tell you~"

"But I saw you eating in the cafeteria every day at noon on workdays. Normally, a visit to the Academy can't exceed three days, and you can't apply repeatedly within a month. So how have you been staying at the Academy this whole time?"

Li Ming turned his head and looked her straight in the eye.

At this moment, she was looking out the window, so Li Ming couldn't see her face. Her pupils contracted sharply, then after a brief thought, she replied, "Actually, it's because I have relatives here, so I've just been hanging around for a few extra days."

"I see..." Li Ming turned back to plate the black pepper beef fillet, then suddenly whipped his head back. "Academy regulations state that even family members of staff cannot visit long-term, and where would a Ship Girl get relatives from anyway?"

This guy, why is he suddenly being so meticulous! Cold sweat broke out on Aussie's forehead. "Naturally, it's because my relatives are powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand and ignore the rules~"

"I see..." Li Ming put the wok in the sink and turned on the tap. The wok made a sizzling sound.

Then Li Ming turned back again. "The only person in the Academy with that kind of power is the Dean, so are you an Oath-class?"

Wait, what???

Aussie gripped the windowsill with both hands. "Yeah, I'm the fifth ship of the Oath-class~"

Li Ming took out a steel wool ball. "But there are only four ships in the Oath-class total; there were never any plans for a fifth."

"It's a plan ship, a plan ship!"

"After the Axiom is the battlecruiser Verres."

I'm finished...

"So, you must be..."

"Ahaha, could you please not tell anyone..." Aussie turned her head back awkwardly.

"...The third ship of the Oath-class, Tianli."

Aussie's expression froze completely.

"Uh, right, right, I'm Tianli." Aussie nodded hurriedly. "Hehe, didn't expect that, did you?"

"What else? You couldn't possibly be Vow herself, could you?" Li Ming scrubbed the wok clean, put it back on the stove, and lit the flame. "She's a very busy person. If she suddenly showed up here, wouldn't the Federation explode?"

"Exactly~ That woman is incredibly stiff!" Aussie chimed in quickly. "She's busy to death every single day, having to go to the Council and argue with those old geezers. Ugh, it's such a pain, I wouldn't want to stay in that place at all..."

"That's true, sounds like a hassle." Li Ming watched the water in the wok evaporate completely, then poured in oil again. "How's your eldest sister doing lately?"

"Her? She's... well, she's doing fine lately." Aussie looked out the window, carefully considering her words. "She eats and drinks well every day. She's the Director, after all, so her life must be pretty good..."

"Is that so? That's good then..."

Aussie breathed a sigh of relief and turned back, intending to continue teasing Li Ming, only to find that at some point, Li Ming had closed in right in front of her face. "But you call a thousand yuan a month 'doing fine'?"

Kano, just how much did you tell them... Aussie played innocent. "I wouldn't know~ Maybe she's mooching dinner off Minister Virius every day?"

"Oh..." Li Ming nodded as if accepting this point. "So you admit you're still in contact with the General Bureau? I recall rumors online saying you and your eldest sister don't get along."

"Those are just rumors, rumors!"

"This morning, netizens spotted Ms. Tianli taking photos at the Civic Plaza in downtown Oronia..." A6 picked up her phone and played the midday news.

Aussie's expression froze once again.

She'd been played.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. "Li Ming, are you messing with me?"

"Jie jie jie jie, Lady Vow, you wouldn't want me to go to Ms. Verres and complain about you, would you?" Li Ming gave a wicked grin.

Aussie turned red from her neck to her ears. This wasn't shyness; she was overheating with frustration.

After a long while, she finally calmed down. "Fine... so what do you plan to do?"

She'd finally managed to sneak out for some fun; she didn't want to be dragged back now!

"I don't plan to do anything." Li Ming shrugged and went back to watching his wok. "It was just for fun, to see how you'd react."

No wonder he was suddenly so sharp today; he'd made up his mind to trap me?

Aussie let it go; she couldn't really stay mad at him, it would be pointless anyway.

"So~" Aussie leaned in again, dropping the act. "Now that you know the truth, there's a price to pay~"

"One moment you're telling me to guess for myself, and the next you're demanding a price?" Li Ming glanced at her sideways. "So what's the price?"

"I haven't decided yet." Aussie shrugged. "How about I set a small goal for you?"

"What?"

"How about you 'fish' me out?"

"Don't mess around, sister."

"Just kidding~" Aussie felt she'd regained her rhythm. "Oh, if you had gone soft like everyone else upon learning my true identity, it would have been boring instead..."

"So that's your excuse for trespassing?"

"Alright, I'm off then!"

Aussie opened the window and hopped out, just as she had come.

"...Bizarre." Li Ming's lip twitched. "A6, take the black pepper beef fillet out."

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