Our Bonds

"And this was him when we he put on his new Spider-man pajamas." (Mom)

"Cute!" (Zuihou)

"He looks so happy." (Shigure)

"Admiral was like this even when he was younger, huh. He never changed." (Zuihou-chan)

"Oi. What do you mean by that?!"

How long must this torture go on for? My mom has been showing my girlfriends pictures of my childhood for a while now. This is embarrassing. I tried to stop them but Zuihou and Shigure kept pushing me back. I had no choice but to accept my fate.

I didn't expect my mom to accept the three of them so quickly. In contrast to manga and light novels, parents aren't usually that accepting of their child having multiple partners. It's like accepting the fact that your child is a cheater, and may bring shame to the family name and stuff like that. I should have realized my family is not that concerned about such matters when my parents allowed me to buy my own doujinshi despite being underage, only warning me not to be too influenced. Oops, I shouldn't say that.

While the four women enjoy looking at my embarrassing photos, I can hear the sound of someone walking down the stairs. Zuihou seems to hear it to as she turned her head to the direction of the stairs.

"Do we have guests over today?" (Dad)

A man in his late fifties came down the stairs and entered the living room. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved T-shirt and black jeans. He is a bit on the plump side and a receding hairline, typical for most men around his age group. This is my father, Tokomaki Haruo.

"I'm home, Dad."

"Oh, welcome home. And these are... the girlfriends you talked about?" (Dad) Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/our-bonds-(a-kantai-collection-fanfic)_13194262906075005/chapter-184_50888377045675528">/book/our-bonds-(a-kantai-collection-fanfic)_13194262906075005/chapter-184_50888377045675528</a> for visiting.

After another round of introductions, my dad sat down on the sofa with my mom and begin the questioning. How did you all met? How is he at work? Why do you have an eyepatch? What did you see in my son? The usual questions that would be asked when one introduces their lover to their parents. Only this time, I introduced three. The three of them answered accordingly, careful not to divulge any 'sensitive' information, especially Zuihou.

"Oh. I almost forgot." (Zuihou)

Zuihou reached into her bag and pulled out a box of manju snacks. She handed it over to my mom,

"A small gift for welcoming us." (Zuihou)

"Oh my. Thank you. You are a sweet girl just as my son said." (Zuihou)

"A sweet girl?" (Zuihou)

"Mom!"

"Eh? Was I not supposed to say that?" (Mom)

Ugh... This is embarrassing. I blurted that one out the day I spoke with my mom over the phone.

Zuihou is now blushing while the other two gave me an envious look. They are never going to let this one go.

"Wow. This is the limited edition one too. My colleagues kept complaining about how it was sold out from every outlet." (Dad)

"Ehehe~ I have quite a bit of luck after all." (Zuihou)

We continued to chat for a while, catching up on what we have been doing. It was the usual talk, what kind of interesting events that were happening at my base, what my younger brother has been up to these days, what new drama series my Mom got addicted to, the company drama my Dad got dragged into, all those type of things our family usually talks about around the dining table.

Even though it was the same, it somehow feels more lively. My three girls, who obviously shouldn't understand any about accounting and working with difficult clients, were able to provide their own insights on the matter when my dad was talking about his job. Most surprisingly, Zuihou-chan is quite knowledgeable about Korean and local drama series. Names of various actors and actresses were mentioned and I don't even know half of them. Let alone the series they were discussing. When did she start getting into these kind of things?

"Ah. I better get to preparing lunch now. Would any of you like to help me?" (Mom)

In an instance, the three of them raised their hands,

"Yes, please." (Zuihou, Zuihou-chan, Shigure)

The two Zuihou's are fine. They are the same after all. I'm worried about Shigure. I have never seen her hold a knife before. The last I want is for her to hurt herself.

In fact, is this my Mom's way of testing which one is worthy? Thanks to my Mom, I have seen my own fair share of drama when I was young, to know where this is going. The mother-in-law will test the potential wife based on her cooking skills. If she is not satisfied, she may not acknowledge the girl as a future daughter-in-law. She might refuse to acknowledge her our of spite. But knowing my mom, she wouldn't do such things.

"Shigure, you don't force yourself if you don't know how to cook."

"It's fine. Zuihou has been teaching me. I can handle deep frying stuff now." (Shigure)

Eh? When did Zuihou start teaching Shigure?

"I should have some spare aprons somewhere. Let's look for them first." (Mom)

"Okay." (Zuihou, Zuihou-chan, Shigure)

As the females go about their activities, my father beckoned me to sit beside him on the sofa,

"Are you serious about taking all three as your wives?" (Dad)

He had a very serious look on his face. Of course, this kind of relationship is extremely volatile and is mostly unheard of in Japan. A common trope in stories but a rarity in reality.

"Yes. I'm going to take them all as my wives."

"Polygamy is illegal in Japan. It's impossible for you to get married to multiple partners." (Dad)

"Only if they are human. As much as I hate it, Shipgirls aren't treated as humans. Things like Human Rights and laws don't apply to them. The old council didn't want to acknowledge shipgirl's as humans, only as weapons. Only when the members changed then I could stop lying to the higher-ups. Their current treatment was something that we changed within the organization. But even with this change, national laws and rights are still not applicable to them, because they are still seen as weapons and a potential threat. That's why there are protests all over the country."

"You forged the reports?" (Dad)

"Back then, it was always about completing the mission no matter the cost. Remember the day I cried while on the phone with you? Telling you how I lost two of my girls. That was the day I stop following mission protocol and start making my own decisions. If a girl is injured, I order them to retreat and try again the next day. Forging the reports was easy. The higher-ups didn't even read them. All that mattered to them was the elimination of the Abyssals. Now, with the new council, Shipgirls are given more freedom and have their own set of rights. Shipgirl's fight to protect us. The least we could do is fight for their happiness and freedom."

"I understand that. But if you get married to all three of them, will you be able to manage it? I mean, one is already hard enough." (Dad)

"I will find a way. I already promised myself to give them equal amounts of love and attention. I can't believe I'm saying this, but their happiness is my happiness. I want them to be happy."

I can't help but cover my face when I said that. That phrase is so embarrassing and cringy.

"Don't get embarrassed yourself!" (Dad)

"What's going on?" (Mom)

"Nothing." (Dad and I)

The both of us smiled at each other. Dad pat my shoulder,

"I got it. Make sure you stick to that promise. Your mom and I will support your decision." (Dad)

"Thank you, Dad. Then you better be prepared to come to my wedding multiple times."

"How many girls are planning to get married to?!" (Dad)