260: Chapter 260 When Your Hair Reaches Your Waist

"Li Ming!"

"What is it?"

While Li Ming was getting up to make breakfast the next day, Ushakov dragged him into the bathroom. "I need to tell you something."

"What's up?" Li Ming yawned. "What is it?"

"Could you... you know..." Ushakov blushed and stammered for a while. "Don't tell anyone about how I was yesterday?"

"Uh, why?"

"No reason." She puffed out her cheeks and pinned him against the wall. "If you dare say a word, I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" Li Ming raised an eyebrow. "Make me vanish from the face of the earth?"

"...Right! I'll make you vanish!"

"Then go ahead?" Li Ming craned his neck.

"...Eh?" Ushakov was dumbfounded.

How could she actually do it? Even though her image in his eyes had probably completely turned into that of... an old drunkard still living in a fantasy?

"Are you so sure I won't do it?"

She let go of his shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"Someone who actually wanted to kill me wouldn't say things like that."

Li Ming touched his forehead, as if that .408 CheyTac round from an M200 had just hit him... Of course, there was no trace of it now. After all, the bodies he used in the two worlds weren't the same—though both were essentially consciousness bodies.

Ushakov opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"What do you want for breakfast? I don't even know what's left in the house..."

Li Ming seemed to be talking to himself, then he appeared to remember something. "You like sweets, right?"

He still remembered how he'd barely touched that plate of cloyingly sweet snacks at the bar, yet she had polished them all off by herself.

"Yeah..." she gave an affirmative reply.

Li Ming went to cook, while she walked to the front door and left the house, closing the door and leaning against it.

The snow had stopped, and the wind wasn't as strong.

The sky was still pitch black, just like this damn place.

Ushakov fished a cigarette pack out of her pocket, pulled one out and put it in her mouth, then took out a lighter, shielding the flame with her hand as she lit it.

"Phew..."

It was such a strange feeling. Why... why did she suddenly care so much?

Was it because he had seen her in such an embarrassing state, or...

Was it because it was the first time she had been cared for... even looked after, by a man?

She gave her head a sharp knock. What on earth was she thinking? How had she become more childish since retiring?

Sigh...

She took another puff, then slid down and slumped on the front steps.

Maybe she should just go get dead drunk again and pay back the money while she was at it.

But...

How did he bring her back?

She had no memory of it. She only knew that in that kind of weather, it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to bring her back in one piece.

But as it happened, when she woke up, she was in the Marshal's bed.

Incidentally, when the Marshal went to sleep last night, she was still squeezed onto the sofa with him.

His snoring was truly unique; after all, no Ship Girl ever snores in her sleep.

...Why was her head full of thoughts about him? Tsk...

The Marshal's condition seemed to have stabilized recently. Was it thanks to him? That's good, then she could rest easy and...

Glancing at the nearby window, she saw Li Ming working hard on some cream, seemingly adding a lethal amount of milk and saccharin to a large bowl.

That technique... clearly, he was learning on the fly.

Really...

She shook her head, took the cigarette out of her mouth, and exhaled a breath of warm air.

After a moment's thought, she threw away the cigarette, grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, held it in her mouth for a bit before swallowing it, then threw herself into the snow and rolled around. Only then did she stand back up, open the door, and return to the warm room.

"What were you doing... why are you all wet?"

Li Ming looked up as she entered and asked.

"Sigh, I... I took a fall. Just my luck... yeah..."

She was lying. Li Ming could tell; after all, she didn't usually stutter.

Besides, did she really think he hadn't seen her?

Seeing the teasing look in his eyes, her face suddenly flushed. "What are you looking at? Mind your own business!"

"Sigh, guilty conscience."

"I do not... Fine, fine, I went for a smoke, alright?"

"And rolled around in the snow while you were at it?"

"You... Weren't you busy?" Her face turned even redder. This made her attempts to cover it up look really stupid...

"My hands are busy, but I still have eyes." Li Ming couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, you're actually quite cute right now."

"Cute? Me?"

She immediately retorted, "Me, cute? What on earth are you talking about..."

A couple of days ago, she probably would have just laughed if he'd said that, Li Ming thought. But out loud, he said, "Go take a shower... Do you have a change of clothes?"

She ran off to shower.

To be honest, her hair wasn't that long, and she didn't need a long soak, so she just took a quick rinse to get rid of the lingering smell of alcohol and smoke before putting her clothes back on.

She really didn't have a change of clothes, but her everyday outfit was a waterproof and cold-resistant set passed down through the navies from the Northern Union to the Russian Federation; a quick splash like that wouldn't even get it wet.

All that was left was to wait for her hair to dry. Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her short light-blue hair, tidied herself up a bit, and then stared at her reflection in silence for a long time.

Her assets... he should find them appealing, right? Her figure was decent (compared to other Ship Girls), her face was alright, it was just that her hair might be a bit too short...

Deep breath...

She blinked and left the bathroom. She saw Li Ming placing breakfast (which might as well be lunch, given the time) on the table, along with some crudely made little cakes; it was clear he had really tried his best.

He was about to go upstairs to carry Kuznetsov down.

"Li Ming."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Do you think my hair is a bit too short?"

Li Ming turned back and took a close look. Her hair reached just down to her chin; normally, it would be considered just right.

"Personally, I do prefer long hair, but it depends on whether you like your current style... Growing it out is actually quite a hassle, and long hair is a pain to clean."

He likes long hair?

Ushakov sat on a chair, watching his back as he went upstairs, lost in thought.

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