The Divine Throne of Shipgirls

As the awards platform was completed, the old lady stepped onto the red-carpeted stage. After delivering a passionate speech, she announced the first—and most important—commendation of the day.

"Sub-Captain Kuramoto Hikaru and his shipgirls Tirpitz and Lexington, for risking their lives and achieving a miraculous feat—turning the tide of battle and holding up a collapsing front—are hereby awarded the Parliamentary Medal of Freedom. Tirpitz and Lexington are awarded the Pillar of the Nation Medal, and Fletcher is awarded the Distinguished Service Ribbon."

The Commanders in the crowd didn't even bother hiding their envy.

The Parliamentary Medal of Freedom was the nation's highest wartime decoration. It was given only to those who had made an extraordinary contribution to safeguarding the values of human liberty. Not even one medal might be issued in a decade—and usually only posthumously, as an honor to the dead.

With that medal, Hikaru could live comfortably even without a job. All living expenses, medical care, education—everything—would be covered by the state. Even more importantly, possessing that medal gave him the right to address Parliament directly, and the assembly would be required to treat his words with respect. Lawmakers would have to listen to his opinions seriously.

It was, arguably, the highest possible honor a war hero could receive.

The Pillar of the Nation Medal wasn't common either. It was a combat distinction awarded exclusively to shipgirls. It came with a monthly allowance of over ten units of free resources—equivalent to ten million credits at market rate. In peacetime, this kind of benefit would stir endless political infighting over who administered such resources, but in wartime, national mobilization helped ease the strain.

As for the Distinguished Service Ribbon, that was basically a consolation prize. Better than nothing. Fletcher had mostly stayed on the sidelines the whole battle, so this symbolic gesture of honor and reward was already generous.

After pinning the medals on Hikaru's group and letting them hold their smiles for ten full seconds in front of the cameras, she finally sent them offstage.

The rest of the commendations followed.

Fletcher fiddled with her medal repeatedly, looking a little glum.

"What the heck—it's just gold-plated? I wanted a real medal, not some silly ribbon."

She cast a longing glance at the Pillar of the Nation medal that Tirpitz had casually tossed to Hikaru and suggested hopefully, "Commander, how about I trade my ribbon for that one? Tirpitz doesn't even want it."

"In your dreams. She may not want it, but it still belongs to her."

Hikaru admired the medal in his hand and shot Fletcher a side-eye.

What was she thinking? That medal was earned by Tirpitz through real combat. There was no way he'd just hand it over to her.

The medal, upon closer inspection, did appear to possess some rather remarkable properties—purification, detoxification, healing, and more.

Most importantly, its energy could regenerate over time. Even after being drained, the medal would slowly recover its magic.

This made its value skyrocket.

Whether the enchantments were permanent or time-limited remained unclear, but even so, the value easily matched the medal's status.

On the stage, Murong frowned.

She'd called twice, but one recipient had yet to come forward.

"Commander Noboru, your shipgirl South Dakota fought with great bravery and died in battle with honor, exemplifying the fearless spirit in defense of the homeland. Please come forward to accept the award."

Still, no one stepped up. A low stir ran through the crowd, and her expression began to stiffen.

Fleet Admiral Gorou spoke in a deep voice. "Commander Noboru is unwell and unable to attend."

Unwell? she glanced at Gorou like she'd seen a ghost. For someone of Noboru's strength to be bedridden, the injury should've been officially reported—especially since he was an extraordinary combatant.

Marshal Heizou couldn't bear it any longer and exploded, "What's the point of hiding it? Noboru blamed Hikaru for the sinking of his shipgirl and was injured in a fight when Hikaru's shipgirl leapt to his defense."

The journalists standing behind the the lady exchanged glances, excitement flashing in their eyes.

Even propaganda pieces needed juicy drama. And clearly, the post-battle hostility directed at Hikaru by some Commanders was exactly the kind of scoop they could run with.

The only question now was: Would she allow them to report it?

Scanning the audience, she saw mixed reactions—some officers were angry, others expressionless. Clearly, this incident had stirred up quite the mess.

"This matter must be settled clearly," she declared, clapping her hands. "We cannot let rumors fester and chill the hearts of our heroes. All of them are heroes, and we must not whitewash or cover up the truth. Bring Commander Noboru here—if he can't walk, we'll go to his bedside and resolve this face-to-face."

[End of Chapter]

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