202: Chapter 202 The Date

"Boss, the bill please~"

"Coming right up~"

With a snap, over thirty thousand was gone.

Nearly thirty sets of clothes.

Thirty sets!

"Alright now~ Stop looking like the world is ending, Commander. How about we go grab some snacks?"

"Eh? Snacks?"

Seeing her Commander's health bar visibly refill to the max, Dunkerque chuckled softly.

So easy to please, what a dummy.

They detoured to a pastry shop. Li Ming was now wearing a new deep blue hoodie and white sweatpants, looking much more normal.

By the time they left, Li Ming had two more bags in his hands and a biscuit dangling from his mouth.

One look and you could tell his mood value was fully restored.

"Where are we going next?"

"Shall we keep browsing?"

"Sure..."

Being dragged shopping by Dunkerque naturally wasn't just about buying clothes.

But understanding his preferences was important.

Especially...

Alert and A6 also lacked clothes, Li Ming thought. Their casual wear was still just Li Ming's own T-shirts; that wouldn't do in the long run.

He cast his gaze toward a children's clothing store, then shook his head. Their heights had already surpassed the age for children's clothes, so they needed something a bit bigger.

"Commander, what's wrong?"

"Uh... nothing." Li Ming shook his head. He knew that when on a date with a girl, one shouldn't be thinking about other girls.

"Being naughty, are we?"

"Uh... alright." Li Ming surrendered. "A6 and Alert don't have many clothes to wear at home. I was thinking about whether to buy some for them later."

"I see..." Dunkerque thought for a moment. "Follow me, let's go check over there. Oh right, Commander, could you ask them for their sizes? ...By the way, get me Laffey's and Anshan's as well—the big Anshan's too."

"Sure, I'll ask."

Li Ming sent a message to Anshan. "Probably have to wait a bit."

"Then shall we continue browsing?"

Next, it was the turn of the completely inexperienced Li Ming to be dazzled.

Skincare products, scarves, shawls, eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, perfumes...

Every single one had a mountain of technicalities.

Mountains and mountains of them!

Li Ming really didn't understand this stuff. Lipstick shades, shawl materials—it made his scalp tingle just looking at them.

Is this the world of women? Terrifying...

Even though she could see her Commander was completely out of his depth, Dunkerque still took him for a full loop around the street.

If he thought something looked good, she bought it. If he liked looking at it, she took it.

"Stop, stop, stop! This is a bit much, isn't it?"

Li Ming had to slam on the brakes in front of a shop selling strange outfits.

Obviously, the content here was not suitable for minors!

"Commander, you are eighteen now, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm eighteen... Sister, don't push me!"

Dunkerque pushed him inside.

With no time to check the messages from Anshan, Li Ming was already completely numb, watching her display various swimsuits and private wear in front of him.

Li Ming's face turned red and white in turns. As a member of the 'old generation' of young people who were world-weary despite their youth, he really found this hard to accept... or rather, hard to endure.

"Commander, how about this set?"

"Uh... it's fine, it's fine."

"...And this set?"

"...Also not bad?"

"Commander, give me some actual advice~"

"I... I don't dare to (great sorrow)."

Li Ming really wanted to run for his life right now.

Fortunately, she didn't intend to actually get the book banned; she just had everything she had tried on packed up, making Li Ming's eyelids twitch.

With just that brief exchange, she had already sniffed out exactly what his fetishes were.

"Commander? What did Anshan say?"

"Ah, she sent the measurements for Laffey, Alert, and A6, but she didn't send her own."

"Hmm... what should we do then?"

"Then just ignore her," Li Ming replied crossly. "She has so many clothes she even gives them to Alert to use for her detective adventures."

Pfft, you two really have a good relationship..."

"Who—who has a good relationship with her?"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"...I guess, abba abba."

Dunkerque's smile widened. "Alright then, let's go buy some clothes for them."

——————

Afternoon.

"Time really flies..."

"Does it?" Li Ming's arms were covered in shopping bags. He waited for Dunkerque to finish taking photos before putting them down so she could store them in her inventory space.

"Very fast. Before I knew it, it was already three in the afternoon. Is the Commander hungry?"

"I've been eating snacks all day; I'm not likely to be hungry." Li Ming shook his head.

"Then we'll wait for dinner... Is the Commander in a hurry to get back tonight?"

"I shouldn't be, if there's nothing else going on."

"That's good, hmm..."

Li Ming seemed to understand what she meant. No way, right? Is it already time for...

"Hehe? Commander, let's go. Next, we're heading to Baihui Street."

"Baihui Street? What are we going there for?"

"Commander, what are your thoughts on the modern evolution of traditional Eastern Radiance clothing?"

"Traditional clothing... huh?" Li Ming thought of Jian Wu, the top fashion designer of Eastern Radiance, but... "I must state for the record, what Jian Wu designs definitely doesn't count as traditional clothing."

"Hehe, I know that. But would you like to see me try some on?"

"I..."

"Tell the truth, okay?"

"I do..." Li Ming gave up struggling.

"Then let's go. Mmhmm!"

She pushed Li Ming forward. Ship Girls possessed incredible physical strength; after walking all day, her feet didn't even feel sore.

——————

"Alright, Gang Yishawa. The signal amplifier and satellite dish are connected."

"I understand. Thank you for the trouble, Anshan, coming to help on a weekend."

"It's no trouble." Anshan wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Next, we'll start debugging. Since it's a single-thread channel, we have to be a bit precise."

"Mhm. Is there anything I need to do?"

"Hmm... just be careful not to cause a short circuit," Anshan replied, jumping down from the platform over ten meters high. "Alright, preparation for debugging. If all goes well, we can connect directly to... Plata Port. It's Plata Port, right?"

"Yes."

"I don't know what Li Ming was thinking, using such an unlucky name, hmph." Anshan shook her head. "He's clearly played too many games."

Gang Yishawa naturally didn't know what she meant and could only tilt her head. "As long as he likes it."

"Don't spoil him too much." Anshan rolled her eyes and walked to the console, connecting her phone. "Logic, prepare for debugging."

"Understood, Anshan. I'm starting to adjust the signal frequency. Activate your rigging and watch out for other telecommunications attempting to connect to this band."

"Got it."

Anshan activated her rigging. With the help of the Hurricane Chamber of Commerce, she had already refilled her fuel. Although she still had no missiles, the rigging's electronic warfare system was now operational.

"First adjustment starting, identification code FVJCS571282119."

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