Setsuna had Bulins spend a few days constructing a new naval base for the Fleet of Fog, officially designating it as the Arpeggio Fleet's headquarters.
Yamato and the other Fleet of Fog shipgirls, guided by their Azur Lane counterparts, began familiarizing themselves with this new world.
They strolled through the city, visited the starship base, and were even taken on trips to outer space to gaze at the stars.
Meanwhile, Akashi led a team of shipgirls back to her workshop to analyze the newly acquired technology and draft upgrade plans for the Eternal Snowfall and other shipgirls.
During this wait for upgrades and modifications, Setsuna found himself with some rare free time.
After conquering two worlds back-to-back, it was time to relax.
Life became simple and routine.
Eating, sleeping, getting close with Richelieu, getting close with Taihou, getting close with the Spirit of Origin, teaching Nagato… getting close to everyone.
In between, he also made time to accompany the Heroic Spirits, dragon girls, and Spirits at the base.
The Blue World was a paradise for shipgirls, but the others weren't particularly interested in it.
With Setsuna gone for over a month, many of them had grown restless from boredom.
Some Heroic Spirits and Spirits even requested to join the next expedition, insisting they didn't want to be left behind.
Seeing no harm in bringing a few more companions, Setsuna agreed.
...
A few days later.
Buzz—
Another fleet of starships descended onto the spaceport outside the capital.
Leading them was a blue-and-white starship—Shinano.
Before Setsuna's departure, she and her team had been assigned a mission: to visit the world of Nekopara and bring back some catgirls.
However, once they arrived, they figured—since they were already there—why not make the whole world a vassal state?
That little detour ended up taking some extra time.
Thud—
Inside the administrative center.
Shinano placed several large cardboard boxes in front of Setsuna and handed him a stack of documents.
"Commander, we have successfully completed the mission. The nations of the Nekopara world have agreed to become vassal states."
"Additionally, we have obtained their catgirl genetic modification technology and… a few catgirls."
"?"
Setsuna glanced at the documents.
They were official agreements signed by various nations, acknowledging the Starsea Alliance as their suzerain and agreeing to trade some of their resources in exchange for advanced technology.
The Nekopara world was a standard pre-spaceflight civilization, so Shinano's team had taken some extra time to finalize everything.
"Well done. We've gained another vassal world."
Setsuna nodded approvingly.
Then, he began opening the large cardboard boxes.
In the first box sat a small catgirl with brown hair, yellow eyes, and twin tails, dressed in a Lolita-style outfit.
Like a cautious kitten, she was curled up in the corner.
Seeing Setsuna, she hesitantly sat up and tilted her head, studying him with curiosity.
"Isn't this… Chocola?"
Setsuna chuckled.
He opened the next box.
Inside was a silver-haired, blue-eyed catgirl who twitched her tail nervously, seemingly shy in this unfamiliar environment.
"Vanilla?"
These two were the poster girls of the Nekopara world.
Setsuna had played that first-person shooter quite a bit back in the day—he was practically a master of catgirl handling.
He proceeded to open the remaining boxes.
"Maple, Cinnamon, Azuki, Coconut…"
The heroines of the Nekopara world had all been neatly packed and brought back.
There were American Curl catgirls, Scottish Fold catgirls, Munchkin short-legged catgirls…
Each breed had its own distinct traits, from eye color to hair color to the shape of their tails.
But one thing remained the same—those adorable cat ears on their heads.
Catgirls!
Just one glance, and Setsuna felt his XP system had been refreshed yet again.
He picked up Chocola, stroked her head, and gently pinched her ears.
"Can you talk?"
"M-Master?"
Chocola spoke in a soft, sweet voice, tilting her head as she looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"So cute!"
Richelieu, Yat Sen, and the other shipgirls each picked up a small catgirl, immediately enchanted.
These girls combined the best aspects of both kittens and lolis, an irresistible mix of charm and adorableness.
Vanilla, however, was unwilling to be held by Taihou. She bared her tiny fangs and glared, putting on a feisty front.
With a quick flick, she leapt from Taihou's grasp, darting over to Setsuna and rubbing against his leg like a real kitten.
"They're still very young and retain many feline instincts. They don't have much understanding of human society yet and will need proper education."
"We'll have to start from the basics—teaching them how to read, speak, and live among us."
Shinano explained.
"How did you find them? And why do they all seem so small?"
Richelieu asked curiously while petting a catgirl.
"We arrived in that world earlier than expected," Hakuryuu replied.
"Originally, these catgirls were meant to start working at La Soleil, but since we knew about it in advance, we bought them instead."
"Chocola and Vanilla, being mixed-breed catgirls, were cheaper. Coconut and Azuki were a bit more expensive, but in total, we only spent about 150,000 yen. No tricks needed—just straight-up cash."
"Huh?"
Setsuna was surprised.
So, they had basically bought the entire main cast for just a little over a thousand bucks?
"Are catgirls really that cheap in that world? We should import more next time."
"Indeed, Commander."
Shinano nodded and handed over a set of documents.
"In the Nekopara world, catgirl modification is a highly advanced genetic engineering process."
"They modify kittens at a genetic level, allowing for mass production of catgirls, which is why they are so inexpensive."
"Catgirls mature rapidly, but once they reach adulthood, they stop aging and have lifespans comparable to humans."
The fascinating thing about catgirls was that they inherited a cat's rapid growth while maintaining a human's longevity.
These little ones were only a few months old but already the size of destroyer shipgirls. Within a year or two, they would grow to resemble human teenagers.
And then—just like shipgirls and Spirits—they would never age, a dream come true for certain enthusiasts.
"Wait, so this technology directly transforms cats into catgirls?"
Purifier picked up on an interesting detail.
"I thought it was just about giving humans cat ears and tails?!"
Bonk—
Setsuna smacked the back of her head.
"That would be an ethical nightmare! In that world, catgirls exist somewhere between pets and companions—they're not modified humans!"
"So, does that mean we could turn the cats in the base into catgirls?"
Gudako blinked.
She grabbed a tabby cat from Kurumi's lap, placed it on the table, and pointed at it.
"Alright, make it happen!"
Cat: "?"
Kurumi: "??"
"Setsuna, if you're going to create catgirls, can you at least leave my cat out of it?!"
"Oh? So you're a cat purist? Weren't you the one who always wanted a catgirl?"
Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
Ever since Shinano walked in with the catgirls, Kurumi had been watching them with interest—but she hadn't reacted as strongly as she did toward real cats.
"Ara~ I do think catgirls are adorable… It could be fun to play with them occasionally…"
Kurumi pondered for a moment.
"But after thinking it over, I feel like having them as pets isn't as good as keeping normal cats."
"…"
"That makes sense."
Setsuna considered this for a moment.
Indeed, if viewed purely as pets, a regular cat was much more suitable and easier to care for than a catgirl.
A cat only needed food, water, and the occasional petting.
A catgirl, however, had the same needs as a human—food, clothing, and other necessities of daily life.
But let's be honest, most people didn't get catgirls just to keep them as pets!
"Hmm…"
Purifier flipped through the technical documents Shinano had brought back.
"Interesting. This genetic modification technique is quite simple—it's basically injecting cats with a specialized gene serum to alter their growth patterns."
"If we hand this over to Sumire Muroto, she should be able to replicate it within a few days."
"The modification cost is also pretty low. No wonder catgirls are so cheap—they're practically the same price as regular cats."
Every world had its own unique advancements.
To Setsuna, this method of creating catgirls was practically on par with secondary gene ascension.
Yet in the Nekopara world, it was just an everyday thing.
"So? Commander, are we going to start producing catgirls now?"
Richelieu glanced at Setsuna.
"Hmm…"
Setsuna thought it over. Catgirls would likely just be pets or cute companions at the base.
Expecting them to do research or fight was out of the question.
Still, introducing a bit more biodiversity wasn't a bad idea. Besides, catgirls matured quickly—within a year or two, they would develop a relatively stable intellect.
"Alright, let's modify a few in moderation and have the maid squad train them. We'll establish a catgirl maid unit for logistical support."
"They can be useful, adorable, and serve tea—who wouldn't love that?!"
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