Star Ship Girl Era: My Shipgirls Are Too Overpowered-Chapter 14: The Promise

He started walking towards them.

The triplets were still a little distance away, talking quietly as staff finished giving the final details before leaving.

But something about the way they smiled, relaxed and excited now that everything had worked out, he suddenly remembered something that he hadn’t thought about in a long time.

It was a promise.

One he’d made years ago, back when none of this had been certain yet.

Back when they were sixteen, sitting on the roof of the Morozova estate late at night, legs dangling over the edge while the city lights hummed below them like a living thing.

It had been one of those nights where you just have a really good meal and are looking at the sky and imagining what will happen in the future when you become successful.

Maybe not, but at least they had been thinking about something while they watched the sky and all the stars that filled the open space.

But that day was different.

It was the day that changed the four’s relationship from childhood friends to something else.

And it was not one by one, all three of them, standing in front of him, hands linked so tightly their fingers were white, eyes steady even though their hearts were clearly racing.

They liked him.

No, more than that. They wanted him. All of him. And they didn’t want to compete with each other or pretend it wasn’t strange. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

They wanted to stay together, the way they always had, and they wanted him to be part of that future.

Aurelian remembered how his mind blanked out when they said.

Not because he didn’t care, but because he cared too much.

Although they were young, all of them knew about what they would become, and the world they lived in wasn’t a place where they could live out peacefully, especially when they were expected to become commanders who would expand the territory of their families and the Galactic Human Alliance.

Back then, everyone knew the rule, even if nobody liked talking about it.

If you crossed that last line too early, if you lost control and broke the balance before awakening, there was a real chance you’d never become a commander at all.

Although there were some exceptions, those that did awaken tended to have ship girls with their limits restricted, which could not be explained in any way, and because it happened often enough that nobody could ignore it.

So he hadn’t rejected them.

But he hadn’t accepted them the way they wanted either.

Instead, he took the hands of the two sisters, who had one hand open and were at the ends of both sides.

And he could see their nervousness and their anticipation, along with a sense of panic of getting rejected.

But they still gave him a look that said they would accept any outcome he chose, which was not something he had seen before, as all three came from a family where no one had ever said ’no’ to them and had always provided everything they had asked for.

He remembered taking a breath and choosing his words carefully, because this was one of those moments that mattered and not something that he could joke about.

"I feel the same way, but I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up as all three of you are precious to me and not something that I would want to lose because of an impulse decision," he’d told them quietly. "But I won’t cross that line yet. Not until we awaken. Not until it’s safe for all of us."

They’d stared at him, silent.

Then Mirei had broken first, huffing softly. "You mean... later?"

"Yes," he’d said. "When we become adults, the way this world defines it. When we awaken."

Yelena had searched his face for a long moment, eyes sharp, trying to see if he was lying or just stalling.

"And after that?" she’d asked.

Aurelian had squeezed her hand gently. "After that, we will be a family that will grow together."

That had been the promise.

Not a dramatic vow. Not something shouted under the stars.

Just a quiet agreement that they would wait, together.

They hadn’t crossed the last boundary after that, but they hadn’t pulled away either.

They’d held hands more openly.

They’d kissed, soft at first, then a little longer as time passed and the tension grew, nothing rushed or reckless, just like how people have relationships that do not involve the last step.

And today, he can tell, without listening, that they were talking about this in some way.

That was why they’d stayed the night together.

Why had the morning felt different?

Why the triplets had been so bold lately, showing off new clothes, laughing a little louder, brushing closer than usual, like they were counting down to something.

And why, right now, as they walked toward him, their smiles carried a quiet, shared meaning.

Mirei was the first to reach him.

She didn’t say anything at first. She just leaned in and took his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, her fingers slipping between his without hesitation.

"Took you long enough," she said lightly, eyes bright.

Yelena stopped on his other side, her expression calm as always, but there was warmth there that hadn’t been before. She didn’t grab him. She just rested her fingers against his sleeve, grounding herself.

Katsura lingered half a step back, then moved in close enough that her shoulder brushed his arm, her presence quiet but unmistakable.

Aurelian looked at the three of them, then exhaled softly.

"So," he said, keeping his voice easy, "everything is done?"

Mirei laughed. "Yes, and I think the academy staff aged ten years watching us."

Yelena glanced at Astra and the other shipgirls, then back at him. "Everything worked out."

Katsura nodded once as she said something quietly with a blush. "Now it is the time for that."

That made him smile.

"It is," he said. "And looks like you ladies can’t wait for what is to come."