Chapter 45: Opening Ceremony

September 1st, while it may not be a special day for many people, for these new commanders of the Azure Lane Commander Academy, it is the day of the school opening, and also the day they officially become new commanders.

Qin Ge today was just like any other day; he got up early, finished his morning exercises, returned to his room, washed up, and changed into his naval uniform.

Such attire is normally worn for more formal gatherings or events, so for this opening ceremony, Qin Ge, in his role as assistant teacher, must wear this uniform.

After saying goodbye to Banrenma and Nengdai, Qin Ge, upon reaching the door, saw that Mikasa, likewise dressed in ship equipment, had also come out of her own home.

Wearing a navy admiral's uniform, a white cape draped diagonally across his back, a long string of prayer beads wrapped around the cape, and on his right arm, a Z flag stood out prominently.

Apparently sensing Qin Ge's gaze, Mikasa turned her head and waved at him, saying, "Qin Ge, good morning."

"Good morning, Senior Mikasa." Qin Ge smiled and waved.

"Perfect, let's head to the front of the lecture hall together." Mikasa said to Qin Ge.

"Hmm." Qin Ge nodded.

The way to the lecture hall wasn't too far; after walking for about ten minutes or so, the two arrived at the scene.

The venue of the opening ceremony was in front of the lecture hall; a table had been set up beneath that large stone tablet, with rows of tables and chairs on either side, and a podium in the middle.

Beneath the table, chairs were arranged in two divided sections; it was obvious that one side had more, the other fewer. The side with more was this year's new commanders, while the side with fewer was this year's second-year students.

Although it was not yet time for the opening ceremony to begin, these seats were already filled with people, all craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for that moment when the ceremony would start.

As Mikasa and Qin Ge walked up onto the table together, Qin Ge clearly heard a clamor rising from below; countless gazes fell upon him, surely they were discussing his identity, he thought, and then he smiled slightly.

"Here." The Mikasa seated in front pointed to one side of the table; Qin Ge turned his head over, and indeed saw a placard bearing his name on that table, while beside him sat Mikasa.

The two walked forward and sat down; Mikasa turned her head, smiled, and said to Qin Ge, "It seems the dean still understands quite well, afraid you'd be nervous, she specially arranged for me to sit beside you."

"Well, today's scene is indeed a bit tense, but that's just how it is." Qin Ge laughed and shook his head.

Having once been an outstanding graduate of the Naval Commander Academy, he had already given many speeches and lectures on the grand lecture hall. Compared to the sharp gazes of contemporaries, the gazes of these first-year newcomers and second-year students were already quite gentle by comparison.

"Hehe, that's good; being able to face matters calmly and peacefully is what bears the demeanor of a grand admiral!" Mikasa smiled and said.

Qin Ge chuckled, pointed to the row of seats opposite him, and said to Mikasa, "Senior Mikasa, whose seats are those opposite?"

"You mean the opposite side, right? Those are the seats for the Navy Command representative, the Maritime Affairs Bureau representative, and the local chamber of commerce representative. After all, although this is the opening ceremony of our Azure Lane Commander Academy, it also concerns the future inheritance of the navy, so representatives of these naval units and the local chamber of commerce have come to observe the ceremony." Mikasa explained.

"And our row here is the academy's instructor team; the row behind is the logistics team. As for who exactly they are, there's no need to introduce them, since you already know them."

Qin Ge nodded and asked Mikasa, "As for the Maritime Affairs Bureau representative, I've read about it before; basically each time it's the bureau chief who comes. Then what rank is the Navy Command representative who comes to observe the ceremony?"

Mikasa explained, "Because the Maritime Affairs Bureau headquarters is in our Shenhua City, so whenever they hold a meeting, the bureau chief comes in person; this term's bureau chief is Qinglong. As for the Navy Command representative, it's hard to say—last year it was Shen Tong of the Shipgirl Department, the time before that it was Washington of the Frontline Command. So as for who exactly will come this year, the dean hasn't notified us."

"Oh." Qin Ge suddenly understood; just as he was about to say something, he saw a figure appear beside Mikasa—it was A Furore. She wasn't wearing her usual white dress, but instead had on her own cotton naval uniform.

"Heh, when I passed by Mikasa's house and knocked, finding no one answer, I knew you two must have come early." A Furore said to Mikasa, then turned her head to smile at Qin Ge, asking, "How do you feel? Are you still getting used to sitting at the table?"

Qin Ge smiled, "Thank you, Senior A Furore, for your concern; I feel fine, not affected."

"Hehe, that's good." A Furore smiled.

"Good morning, you really came early." At that moment, another person walked over and sat in his own seat—namely, Lan Li, the instructor of the aviation carrier course.

"I've said it before, you can always trust Mikasa's sense of time." As she spoke, the female general took her seat and smiled at Lan Li.

"However, compared to that, I'm actually curious about Commander Qin Ge—although he's next door to Mikasa, I can see his morning exercise silhouette every day." The assaulter sat down, turned sideways, and laughed at Qin Ge, but this motion caused her chest to jostle, making Qin Ge's eyelids twitch.

"That is the normal routine for a soldier, Qin Ge; I have high hopes for your performance in my course." The red-haired Maryland sat down carelessly and smiled at Qin Ge.

"Maryland's words are not bad; seeing Qin Ge every morning doing his exercises early, I suddenly felt that my own commitment seemed a bit lighter—let's do it together sometime." Mikasa smiled.

"If Senior Mikasa is interested, then let's do it together then." Qin Ge smiled and said.

"It's a pity I live somewhat far from you lot; otherwise I'd also like to join you." At that moment, a familiar voice sounded from behind Qin Ge; he turned his head and saw that the speaker was Anshan.

Moreover, other people such as the Kitchen Goddess, Yixian, Miaogao, Ping Hai, Ninghai, and Fushun also came to the table and sat down.

"Indeed, it's quite far." Qin Ge smiled and said.

After Qin Ge had just exchanged a few words with Anshan and the others, Mikasa from the side interjected, cutting off their conversation: "I didn't expect the Navy Command to actually send her this year! It seems the higher-ups are also paying close attention to this Siren Tide occurring in the Northern Union."

Upon hearing Mikasa's voice, Qin Ge quickly turned his gaze toward the opposite side of the table and saw that, under the leadership of Dean Prince of Wales, three people walked up onto the table…