Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

To most people in the capital, the Eternal Snowfall was the Starsea Empire’s flagship—the pinnacle of the capital’s engineering, physics, and astronomy achievements.

Invincible, sky-darkening, majestic and awe-inspiring...

Most shipgirls, Heroic Spirits, and Spirits spoke of it with reverence. The little lolis were especially proud if they’d ever had the chance to ride aboard.

But to the dozen or so who truly knew, it served another purpose.

”Master, you’re really in a rush, aren’t you...”

Jeanne Alter instantly understood Setsuna’s intent when she saw the starship hovering in the sky.

She lowered her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

She instinctively clung to Setsuna’s arm, her expression a blend of scolding and shyness.

Glancing around, the other Heroic Spirits had no clue what was going on.

Artoria was still chatting with Nero about where to get late-night snacks.

”Hmm, I heard Yat Sen and Ying Swei make great steamed buns. Shall we head to the port district later?”

Nero poked the ahoge queen.

”But Yat Sen said the Commander just got back today. She wants to spend time with him...”

”Hmm, then let’s go find some Free Iris shipgirls instead...”

The red and blue ahoge pair wandered off.

”Tch...”

Jeanne Alter was smug.

That glutton of a King only knows how to eat. Go live the rest of your life with steamed buns.

I’m the Commander’s favorite Heroic Spirit!

”Hold up.”

Just as Setsuna was about to summon the party members, Gudako stepped in front of him.

”Commander, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask for a while...”

”Why do you spend a few nights aboard the Eternal Snowfall every time you return from another world? Is the base that uncomfortable?...”

As she spoke, Gudako’s expression grew increasingly suspicious.

Her instincts screamed something was up. If it were just one or two people—no, even two or three—she could understand.

But including Spirits, Tohru, Jeanne Alter and d’Arc... Setsuna always brought a group onboard.

What exactly were they doing?

You could almost field a soccer team. Surely they weren’t up there playing mahjong, right?

”Not telling you!”

Jeanne Alter clung to Setsuna, poking Gudako’s forehead.

Just like the main wife bullying the consort in an old palace drama.

”???”

”Excuse me?!”

Gudako was shocked. It was the first time a Heroic Spirit had tried to ride on her head.

And one she had defeated, no less!

Ritsuka Fujimaru rolled up her sleeves, her Command Seals glowing, ready to put Jeanne Alter in her place.

”Wait!”

Then she suddenly realized something awkward:

Jeanne Alter wasn’t her summoned Heroic Spirit.

She had been recruited by Setsuna in the singularity and wasn’t bound to her Command Seals.

”What? Wanna fight? I’m spending the night with Master. No time. Try me later.”

Jeanne Alter poked Gudako’s forehead again.

Standing by Setsuna’s side, she felt genuinely proud—as if she were a cut above the rest.

”You!???”

Gudako was too choked up to speak.

After a long pause, she looked pitifully at Setsuna:

”Commander, your Heroic Spirit is bullying me...”

”Alright, alright.”

Setsuna ruffled her hair.

”If you want to see what goes on, just come aboard.”

”We’re all on the same side. No big deal.”

Thinking it over, given their relationship, there wasn’t really anything to hide.

They joked around all the time anyway.

”Yay!”

Gudako cheered and shot Jeanne Alter a triumphant look.

”Tch—”

Jeanne Alter was unimpressed.

”...”

While the two were bickering, someone gently tugged on the hem of Setsuna’s coat.

”Commander?”

Behind him stood a girl in a short kimono, draped in a haori, with long black hair.

Kanae greeted him, looking a little nervous and unsure.

”Oh, Kanae? What is it?”

Setsuna asked casually.

”...”

Kanae wasn’t as confident as the shipgirls or Heroic Spirits. Nervously, she spoke up:

”Commander, I-I also want to take a look aboard the Eternal Snowfall...”

”Huh?”

Setsuna, Jeanne Alter, and Gudako all looked at her in mild surprise.

”!!!”

Kanae didn’t know if she had short-circuited or what. A blush rushed to her cheeks as she stammered:

”I-It’s just... it’s been a while since I’ve been up there, and I wanted to see it again...”

”?”

”Didn’t the Commander take you during the Akame ga Kill world? The Eternal Snowfall hasn’t changed since then, right?”

Gudako blinked.

”Ah...”

Kanae’s face turned even redder. She covered it and looked ready to flee.

”Come if you want.”

Setsuna stopped the girl as she tried to bolt.

”Everyone’s welcome. The more, the merrier.”

...

”Ara, husband, you were away for so long this time.”

”Did you miss me?”

As soon as he stepped onto the bridge, Kurumi Tokisaki threw herself into Setsuna’s arms.

She nuzzled against his shoulder like a cat.

Turning her head and seeing two unfamiliar faces, she looked surprised.

”Husband, these two are...?”

She was quite familiar with Gudako. Kanae, not so much—they’d barely interacted.

”They came to look around.”

Setsuna replied, hugging the girl in his arms.

”Oh~?”

Kurumi dragged out the sound and gave the two newcomers a long glance.

She reached behind Setsuna and pinched his back gently, whispering into his ear with a hot breath:

”Husband, you’re such a flirt...”

”I am not. They really are just here to visit.”

Setsuna set Kurumi down.

Looking around, most of the group had arrived.

Some shipgirls were bathing, others were at the buffet. Mio and Tohru were off to the side, apparently discussing magic.

He clapped his hands and activated his powers. The whole starship shuddered briefly.

”Hmm... since we’ve been away for a while, let’s take a longer break this time.”

”Time Dilation: 50x.”

Boom—

Everything outside slowed dramatically.

Gudako and Kanae looked out the viewing window in awe. The capital’s people seemed completely frozen in time.

Only the high-speed patrolling Angeloids and Bulin fleet outside showed any visible movement at all.

Everyone else—Bulins, shipgirls walking the streets, etc.—had essentially stopped.

Tohru, Richelieu, Yat Sen and the others were unfazed. They’d experienced this before.

”Time outside is slowed?!”

Kanae looked at Setsuna with the awe of someone meeting a god.

”You got it backward, but the idea’s the same.”

”One night aboard the Eternal Snowfall now equals about 16 days outside.”

Setsuna explained.

”!!!”

”Time dilation?!”

”I knew it!”

Gudako was slack-jawed.

She and Kanae exchanged glances, both coming to their own conclusions:

”Commander, you must be super busy and use this time to catch up on work, right?”

”Commander, you must have too many harem members and use this time to secretly throw parties, right?”

”?”

They stared at each other—both conclusions a little horrifying.

Kanae was shocked by Gudako’s shamelessness.

Gudako was stunned by Kanae’s naïveté.

”You...”

”What kind of person do you think the Commander is?! You actually think he uses this place for work?!”

Gudako slapped her forehead in disbelief.

”Commander... is strong, diligent, responsible to everyone at the base... and really busy.”

”Isn’t that obvious?”

Kanae replied seriously.

To her, Setsuna was like a mountain—a distant, unreachable idol.

”Tsk. That idealism is dangerous.”

Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed like a disappointed parent.

”...”

”You’re too sharp.”

Setsuna was impressed by Gudako.

He sat down on a sofa and gestured for them to take seats.

”Honestly, we’re just here to relax.”

”Otherwise, I’d have no time to spend with them after each expedition—too much to handle.”

The Eternal Snowfall was massive. Its main hull alone stretched 10 kilometers, with full amenities and entertainment facilities.

It was basically a small space kingdom.

It wasn’t like he spent every hour doing that. Mostly, it was just to provide a private space for rest and bonding.

”Oh...”

”Commander really does work hard.”

Kanae once again mentally filled in the gaps—imagining Setsuna exhausting himself every day, yet still carving out time to help the shipgirls relax and not interfere with the next day’s tasks, even casting high-level time magic just to make it possible.

Her eyes glowed with even more admiration.

”...”

Gudako narrowed her eyes.

”Commander, I remember the Eternal Snowfall has Starship Mode, Orbital Bombardment Mode, Planetkiller Mode... this must be the new Silver Party Mode, huh? Where did you even learn a skill this shameless?!”

”That’s wrong!”

Tohru immediately raised her hand in protest.

”I swear, when I taught the Commander to accelerate and decelerate personal time, it was strictly for combat! It’s high-level space-time magic!”

”Any... additional functionality was something he figured out on his own! It has nothing to do with me!!!”

”...”

Setsuna said nothing. Somehow, Gudako’s name for the new mode felt disturbingly accurate.

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