Hearing Lion's possessive, slightly childish remarks, Jun Hao smiled knowingly beneath the heavy lion headpiece. He said nothing, simply allowing Lion to lead him by the hand.
To him, the fact that Lion was willing to show such an innocent and adorable side in front of him meant she had truly relaxed and was fully immersed in this date that belonged to the two of them alone.
And that was exactly what Jun Hao wanted to see most, whether for the sake of the system's missions or out of a sense of responsibility as her lover.
"Come on, Commander! We need to hurry!"
Lion was clearly in high spirits.
"We still have time while everyone else is free. Once training starts, it'll be too late!"
Jun Hao could clearly feel her grip tighten as she pulled him along.
"In that much of a rush? Don't tell me you've already figured out how to show me off."
His voice came out muffled from inside the lion head.
"Of course!" Lion replied, her face brimming with pride. "When we get to the courtyard, I'll have you stand right in the center. Once the Illustrious Four Sisters, Unicorn, and the others come out for afternoon tea, they'll definitely gather around to see what's going on."
"Then, just like I said before, I'll proudly announce what you did for me yesterday in front of everyone! They'll be so jealous they won't know what to do!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, as if she could already picture the scene before her.
"Is that so? Sounds good. What do you need me to do?"
Jun Hao imagined the scene Lion described. It would definitely be entertaining.
The two of them chatted as they walked deeper into the Royal Navy Dormitory, heading for the courtyard. But just as they were about to turn the corner and reach the place usually filled with laughter, Lion suddenly came to a stop.
As though something had just occurred to her, she slapped a hand to her forehead.
"Oh no..."
"What's wrong, Lion? Is something the matter?" Jun Hao asked, puzzled, though he stopped beside her.
Lion did not answer immediately. She only slowly raised a hand to her forehead again, forcing out a bitter smile.
"I really got carried away..."
"Commander... it's still morning... why would anyone be having afternoon tea right now?"
"..."
Jun Hao had not expected the usually heroic and dashing Governor of the Nile to trip over something so simple.
Then again, he had made the same mistake himself.
Still, Lion's airhead side had its own unique charm. Smiling fondly beneath the lion headgear, Jun Hao raised one padded paw and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's okay, it's okay. Since it's not time for tea yet, we can wait somewhere else first. It's no big deal. Besides, I belong to you for the whole day, so I'll go wherever you want to take me."
Lion had already understood the meaning behind his words, but hearing him say it so plainly still made her look up at the man who had willingly put on the heavy fursuit just for her sake.
At that moment, emotion welled up in her eyes once more.
"Commander..."
After softly calling his name, she took his arm again, her smile shining brightly once more.
"Mhm! You're right! How could something this small ruin the mood of our date?"
Her thoughts raced, and she quickly came up with a new idea.
"I know! Since the courtyard is empty, let's go to the Training Sea Area!"
"The Training Sea Area?" Jun Hao sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yes!"
Lion nodded firmly.
"Do you remember why New Jersey and Bismarck came to see us?"
"I remember. They said they wanted to see me, right? What about it?" Jun Hao asked, puzzled.
"That was only one reason. Their real purpose was to borrow the Training Sea Area near Royal Navy territory for exercises. So over the past few days, not only our Royal Navy girls, but also those from the Eagle Union and Sakura Empire have been holding joint training drills at the port's Comprehensive Training Ground."
She straightened proudly, her eyes shining.
"So this is perfect. We'll go there and let everyone from the other factions see you too!"
Jun Hao burst out laughing at Lion's ambitious declaration. Lion immediately puffed out her cheeks and shot him a glare.
"What is it, Commander? Don't tell me you don't want to?"
"No, no, you've got the wrong idea, Lion. What I meant was..."
Even through the lion headgear, his muffled voice carried a teasing tone.
"If the Eagle Union and Sakura Empire girls are there too, then Akagi and Taihou must be there as well. Aren't you worried they'll push you aside and steal me away?"
At those words, Lion narrowed her eyes slightly. Not only did she refuse to back down, she wrapped herself around Jun Hao's arm even tighter.
Then she raised her free hand, clenched it into a fist, and waved it before him.
"Humph. Let them try. I'd like to see who dares take someone from my hands today."
Jun Hao honestly didn't know how to judge Lion's bold and domineering confidence.
At the very least, when it came to strength, she certainly had the right to be this confident. Jun Hao knew that better than anyone.
And just as Lion was about to pull him away toward this "new battlefield" in high spirits, a gentle voice drifted over from behind them, soft as water and carrying a trace of familiar amusement.
"Good day, Miss Lion. And... Commander."
The owner of that voice was none other than Illustrious.
Even though Jun Hao was covered from head to toe in the lion costume, Illustrious recognized him immediately.
Jun Hao turned around and saw the elegant "Madam" standing there in a graceful white dress. Since Illustrious had already bowed to him, he had no choice but to lift one furry paw and awkwardly return the gesture as politely as possible.
The comical sight made Illustrious laugh at once.
"Pfft... Commander, I must say, your outfit is wonderfully creative. And rather adorable as well."
Before she could finish, however, someone swiftly stepped between them.
It was Lion.
The moment Illustrious spoke, Lion let go of Jun Hao's arm and spread both arms wide, shielding him behind her like a lioness protecting its prize.
"Miss Illustrious, what are you doing here? It's not time for afternoon tea yet, is it? And please remember the agreement I made with Her Majesty the Queen."
"Agreement?"
Jun Hao scratched the back of his head in confusion.
Even faced with Lion's openly defensive stance, Illustrious remained as calm and graceful as ever.
"Of course, Miss Lion. I fully intend to honor our agreement. I merely wished to have a taste of this..."
As she spoke, Illustrious gracefully presented the steaming stargazy pie in her hands.
"The stargazy pie that the Commander personally helped improve."
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