A/N
I've read way too many Light Novels, watched too many Anime's
I tried.
Yokosuka Naval Academy.
Every admiral you may encounter around Japan has known this academy ever since its construction. Initially built to teach naval crewmen and aspiring admirals about the tactics, strategies, and basics of modern naval warfare, this has changed with the emergence of mysterious naval personnel being operated by the JMSDF.
The Shipgirls.
Now, not only does the academy teach the aspects of modern naval warfare, but also the aspects of operating a naval base filled with these so-called shipgirls through simulations. And even then, it doesn't end there. Aspiring admirals are taught the basics of firearms handling, close quarters combat, artillery operating, ship-commanding, and lastly…
Kantai Collecting.
You heard that correctly.
"Kantai Collecting", or, Fleet Collecting for the sake of the gaijins, has been the name of the process of actually collecting the ship-cards given out by the academy in their simulations, either by their Simulation Mission drops, "Quest" rewards, or Construction. Ship cards are used to represent the actual shipgirls themselves, which are stationed at Yokosuka, meaning, meeting these girls in the flesh wouldn't be uncommon, but some of them have high standings among academy students, including the battleship Bismarck. The academy reflects this observation by allowing students to only get her by going through the most wasteful and luck-based process in both mysterious Shipgirl development and Shipcard collecting:
Large Ship Construction.
For both the naval base Admiral and an aspiring Admiral's case, Large Ship Construction, better known as LSC, is a risky but tempting task to do, because, true to its name, it takes up a lot of the naval base's resources, and, not only does the ship's rigging or shipgirl he aims for have a slim chance to actually appear, there's a chance that he might get duplicate riggings or shipgirl instead, which may leave a bad taste after wasting 6000 fuel.
Riggings are a shipgirl's main weapon, to be precise; riggings are what defines a shipgirl. When an admiral recovers, receives, or constructs a rigging, it is only a matter of finding the right user to bring it to effective use. Chosen users are then equipped with the riggings and commissioned as Class-K naval personnel, to be enlisted as part of the naval base as "special personnel". That's what it says on paper, at least.
The shipgirl's origins are still cloudy because of its high-clearance level, but not as cloudy as the origin of the Abyssal Ships, or simply called the Abyss, which was determined to be humanity's common enemy. They began appearing sometime around 2012, where they attacked San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, Kure, Vladivostok, and a lot more naval bases. Humanity was on the ropes after this shock-and-awe attack reminiscent of Pearl Harbor '41, most ships were either destroyed or left outright useless afterwards. The economy was tipped out of balance, merchant shipping was no longer possible, and the abyss were closing in on the shores, not only did their vessels pack incredible punches, they were able to traverse land as well, as was the case in Normandy and Brest, though they were still vulnerable to land-based artillery fire, so they were driven back, however, their threat remained undeniable.
On March 2013, after collecting enough data from captured specimens and other recovered artifacts, Japan made the first riggings through unknown means. There were five constructed by this time, and, oddly enough, were both named and based after WW2 warships, Murakumo, Sazanami, Fubuki, Inazuma and Samidare. The rest of the blueprints, which included newer, heavier rigging designs, were supposed to be shipped out to other production companies like Mitsubishi, and even to other countries like Russia, but unfortunately, the ship, which carried all of the blueprints for the different riggings, got bushwhacked near the Japanese coast. The ship and the crew were untouched, but the blueprints? Gone.
And the developers didn't have extra copies.
So on April 2013, Yokosuka had to deal with it and chose the five rigging's users, then sent them out on an area around Japan called Sector 1-1, and the results were greater than expected. Mobility? Power? Check. But, as they finished off the last of the abyssal vessels, the Shipgirls found something peculiar near one of the destroyer's carcass.
A rigging.
There was a cruiser-class rigging inside the destroyer.
Thus, it was concluded that the abyss had integrated rigging technology to their own, and that there is a chance for enemy vessels to drop shipgirl riggings, which was definitely odd. However, Yokosuka high command wanted more high-output ships like battleships and carriers, thus, the naval base crew was forced to construct ships the hard way…
Guessing.
Inputting a random amount of resources; steel, ammo, fuel, bauxite, then allowing the developers to construct it… it was definitely a game of luck. You could say that the entire process was like a video game's RNG in real life. One shot, one built. Pure luck, no skill.
During the Academy's founding, all of these situations were taken into account and included in their curriculum, to simulate "the life within the Admiralty". Over time, the academy had built different "sections" named after historical bases, like Kure, Buin, Tawi—Tawi, etc. As such, Yokosuka Naval Academy's campus encompasses a very wide area near the Naval Base itself, as observed first-hand by a young man, wearing the academy's standard white uniform which have bronze button-like ornaments on the left and right sides of the torso, similar to those worn by an actual Admiral, and donning the academy's hat as well, wearing it on his black, downward-spiky hair, which, surprisingly, is still within academy regulations. Letting his arm rest on the white-and-red hilted katana sheathed on his waist, he starts to walk towards the academy's main building with his duffle bag slung around him, preparing for a new chapter in his life.
As he strolls by the fountain in the middle of the pathway, he notices the academy's common school atmosphere on its grounds. Men playing catch, young couples talking to each other, friends laughing to a hilariously bad pun, it was almost as if the strict nature he had heard about the school was not real. That's what you get for listening to rumors, it seems.
Miyamoto, Shiro. 23 years old, 6'1. Born to a family of both samurai and naval officers, he intends to follow on the footsteps of all of his ancestors. He intends to do that by bringing the glory of the sword once more in this firearm-run world. According to him, the sword is greater than the gun, but in this time and age, one can kill or incapacitate a man with a single effortless pull of a trigger, without the target knowing what hit him until he's dead. But back in the old days, men had to duke it out at close range with swords with their honor at stake, and he intends to follow those ways, although those ideals of his might've been influenced by all those light novels he's been reading recently. Usually a silent, arrogant-looking novel-reading oddball at times, but, one may observe that he starts to show his true, less-condescending self once within range of acquaintances.
He goes underneath the huge arch on the building's entrance and heads straight for the lobby, where a desk attendant is standing near a very executive-looking counter, with chromed edges and gray-matted surfaces. This makes him wonder… is this really a school or a first-class hotel? Looking at his rear, he spots a few students carrying their own duffle bags as well, it's the first day of school after all, and surely, most of the new students here would choose to apply for a dorm room, considering this academy's reputation when it comes to all of their facilities. He then lines up behind the counter… but still, the prospect of going to school again bugs Shiro a bit.
"It's as if 16 years wasn't enough." He utters to himself. As he looks up, he is greeted by a cheerful-looking woman behind the counter with a smile, which kind of warms up Shiro a bit. The woman then greets the now-flustered Shiro.
"Good morning, sir!" She states, while doing a small bow. "A new student, I presume? What can I do for you today?"
"I-I was hoping to retrieve my dorm keys…"
"Of course, sir. Can I have your name, please?"
Shiro, feeling a bit awkward about saying his full name, hands her his ID card instead. "Eh… uhm… here." He utters as he hands out the ID.
"Eh… let's see… Mi… ya… mo… to… Shi… ro… Please wait sir, I'll have to run it through."
As the attendant searches for Shiro's records, he hears a few mumbles on his rear, and notices that there's already a line-up of fresh students behind him, ready to pick up their dorm keys as well. One of them catches his ear…
"The hell's this guy doing with a sword… I know there's CQC training in here but, ain't that too flashy?"
"Hey… you never know, that guy must have some Bankai stuff or something." Another one responds, with both of them laughing afterwards.
Keep it calm… Miyamoto… don't let them get to you… I'll show them the true power of the sword… someday…
"Nah, in all seriousness though… I think a knife works better." The same two men still continue their conversation, not knowing that Shiro is listening.
"Why're you telling me? tell that to the guy himself…"
"I don't want to."
"What a pussy you are."
"Hey, it's called picking your battles, you idiot." Shiro chuckles a bit at the other guy's last remark, then the attendant calls for his attention.
"Uh… sir? One of your roommate's already in your dorm room, but you each have separate keys, so here." The attendant hands over both his key and ID card, and Shiro stows it away on his pocket. "Oh, almost forgot, sir. Here's a guidebook sir. The rest should be self-explanatory, so it only contains the most important details.
"Thanks." Shiro replies with a bow with the guidebook on his hand, as he heads out in the direction of the sign saying "Dorms.". As he arrives to another open field, he sits down one of the benches adjacent to another fountain similar to the one at the entrance, and opens up the guidebook.
WELCOME TO THE YOKOSUKA NAVAL ACADEMY!
Thank you for choosing us. (Not that you have a choice in this line of work :P)
"How informal…" he comments.
A map of the campus is located on the last pages of this guidebook, along with schedules, depending on your section.
This academy's curriculum contains the following (with their explanations on corresponding pages.)
Close Quarters Combat (CQC) Training – Page 2.
Weapons Handling Training – Page 4.
Linguistics – Page 6.
Related Histories (WW1-2 and events.) – Page 9.
Shipgirl Commanding and Naval Base Management – Page 12.
Maps and Schedules – Page 25.
"I could probably gloss over the rest of those… I just have to focus on the Shipgirl commanding portion. Maybe later." He utters to himself as he stands up from the bench, hoisting up his duffle bag once more, and heads on towards the dorm area. Looking at the glass-covered nametag on his key, he identifies his room number, 401. Strange number, since the building he's looking at doesn't seem to be able to contain that may rooms…
"Ah wait, that's just a storeroom…" Shiro scolds himself after failing to notice the rightwards arrow on the "dorms" sign, which was adjacent to the storeroom. He looks to his right, only to see a huge hotel-like building, with the backs of air conditioner exhaust fans protruding out.
"Yup. Definitely not a hotel."
He then proceeds, again, to the proper dorm area this time, and upon arriving inside the lobby, he immediately notices the hotel-style elevator up front, making him laugh a bit, which grabs the attention to those around him. Clearing out his throat two times to hopefully get rid of the awkwardness, he enters the elevator by himself, as the only ones currently in the lobby were the servicemen. Taking a wild guess and pressing the 4th floor button through intuition, he puts down the duffle bag and takes a second to think about what his room would look like, and how his roommates act like. As his mind drifts to idle thoughts, the elevator dings, and the doors open. Quickly picking up the duffle bag, he moves out of the elevator, and glances on the first door of the row, 400.
"Nice." He utters, having chosen the right floor. He then moves in closer to his room, 401, and notices that the door is slightly opened. Pushing it in to open it further, he then takes a peek inside, but what he sees is something… peculiar, to say the least.
It's a black-haired girl.
And she's wearing nothing but lingerie.
"F-fuck!" Shiro thinks to himself, getting his head out of the door, letting out a slight creak, then presses himself against the small wall between the 400 and 401 rooms .
"Nonononono. I know this one. I know this situation. It's too obvious. I can't fall for it. No. I won't let my life be reduced as that of a generic dense harem protagonist! I-I still have a way out… L-let's see… why's she in my room? Or, is this really my room? My key number…am I really in 401? Or am I 104? No… it looks strange when it's flipped, so it's 401… next is the door… no good, it really is 401… wait… could I have been hallucinating? T-true… I haven't eaten lunch yet… let me just take another peek and…" As he takes another peek, he is, once again, surprised at what he sees.
A face.
An absolutely beautiful face.
The woman from earlier, now wrapped with a towel was apparently tipped off by the small creak… now, the towel-clad woman is right in front of him, her black hair still a bit wet, glistering with small drops of water, along with an amazingly nice scent of cologne, which leaves Shiro quite speechless, and the only thing he could utter was…
"Eh?"
"KYAAAAA!" The girl shouts, drowning out the ambience in the floor, then, a huge slap is heard, delivered straight to Shiro's right cheek, courtesy of the aggressive woman. His head turns at least 35 degrees from the sheer force of the slap itself, then, the door gets shut, and the lock clicks. A laugh can be heard coming from the back, and as Shiro turns, he discovers that it is the director of the school himself, Mr. Yoshiro. The pipe-carrying director laughs a bit, before saying something.
"Quite a scream that was… and quite a slap, too."
"I know that all too well, sir."Shiro responds while rubbing his right cheek with his glove-covered hand, making the director laugh once more, afterwards, inhales his pipe's smoke.
"Y-you were the one peeking on me earlier, weren't you? Y-you pervert!" The black-haired girl utters from behind the door, much to the shock of Shiro, since that single statement could get him expelled. He can still smell that fresh shampoo scent, the same scent that he sensed as he peeped through the door.
"You're wrong! I-it wasn't intentional! S-sir, I-I can explain! I-"
Shit… this is getting way into familiar territory. I better stop this before my school life turns into a cliché…
"No need, kid. I was doing my rounds and I saw you crouching like you were Solid Snake or someone similar." Director Yoshiro then points to his keychain. "I know this is your room, kid, and I can tell from your face that you're not the… lecherous type."
"W-what? H-how can I sleep properly when one of my roommates is a pervert! Not to mention he's a guy! A-and just look at that sword! Who in their right minds would use such outdated weapon!?"
"Insult me all you want, but don't you dare insult my sword-"
"Director! Isn't there some kind of mistake here? Or is it your intention to let boys and girls sleep together?"
"This school prides itself in teaching its students responsibility, milady."
"Milady?" Shiro asks, curious of the reasons for the director's choice of words.
"Ah, it seems you don't know each other yet, though somehow, I actually know both of you."
"Why's that?" Shiro once again asks.
"Probably because you're a notorious pervert back in your school…"The girl adds with a laugh at the end.
"And probably because you wrongfully blamed others to death."
"Calm down, you two, the reason why I know both of you is because you came from well-known families, and you also have some peculiar records and histories."
"Is that so? Then how many counts of voyeurism does this indecent man have?" The girl, slightly shorter than Shiro, is now wearing her own standard uniform emerges from the door, her black hair falling freely down behind the white clothing, and her chest being visibly… flat.
"Hey I tol-, you know what, it's useless. Please go on, director, who's the over-reacting ironing board?" Shiro replies out of sheer frustration and annoyance, while leaving behind a teasing remark.
"Who are you calling flat, huh!?"
"Calm down, Hikari, he's right, you don't usually get mad at stuff, you know?"
"Director, you don't understand!"
"Hi…kari?" Shiro mutters.
"Yes." The director answers upon hearing Shiro muttering. "The girl in front of me is Ozawa Hikari, gifted, excellent grades, brilliant tactician, and also got full marks on the entrance exam; you could say she's an exemplary student."
"There they go again with all that "brilliant" stuff…" The black-haired girl utters to herself, a bit agitated
"You should also know that the Ozawa's are well-renowned for their service in the Japanese Navy." The director continues.
"I know, sir. One of them was at Leyte Gulf, if I remember correctly. I wonder how she compares to them."
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm as good as my ancestors when it comes to naval warfare!" Hikari arrogantly utters with her head held high and her right fist on her chest.
"I can at least believe that. You even look like an aircraft carrier, or its flight deck, at least."
"Shut up! And who the hell are you anyway, to be talking like that to someone of my standing?!"
"Allow me to introduce you, kid." The director butts in. "Miyamoto Shiro, average grades, flunked Math, but finished the entrance exam with a score of 86%. The only parts he didn't get right were the arithmetic parts, displacement measurement and others. "
"That's a lotta details." He responds, amazed by the accurate statistics stated by the director.
"I'm the director, it's my job."
"Whether he's a smart or a flunked pervert doesn't change anything!"
"Well then, how do you suppose we solve this prob- eh, annoyance, Director? It doesn't matter if I have to change rooms."
"As much as possible I'd like the two of you to stick together, but since it's come to this… how about a game of rock-paper-scissors? Whoever wins gets to decide what happens to the other."
"It's just a game of luck, director! We need something that clearly proves my dominance!" The prideful Hikari responds.
"Dominance… Ah! How about you guys participate in the first-day Opening Duel? Since we've already gauged your academic aptitudes, we're going to test your physical ones through CQC and small-arms handling. It'll also affect your rank in the school as well; where we'll base which section you'll be in, that should help you out a bit, Shiro. Well, how about it? I'll give you guys the first match today, if that's fine with you."
"Sure thing!" Hikari utters with great confidence, raising her fist towards Shiro. "I'll beat this pervert ten times over!"
"It's tiring, but at least I'll have a chance to make you stop saying I'm a pervert after this match. Let's do this, then." Shiro responds this time, bumping his fist into Hikari's.
"H-hey, who said you could touch me!?" She responds, a bit flustered and blushing.
"Oh, come on, it's just a symbol of agreement. It's better than me shaking your hand. For you, that is."
"I-I guess… H-hey, where do you think you're going! The match hasn't even started yet! You're still not allowed in there!" Hikari protests as Shiro heads inside the room, taking his duffle bag along with him, sighing a bit tiredly.
"At least let me put my bags in there for a while."
"F-fine then!"
"Are you two done? Well, meet outside the school grounds after an hour. I'll be heading off now to prepare the gym, kids. Have fun." The director interjects, waving around his pipe, as the two students pay their respects through a bow.
"Man, I'm hungry. Hey, uh, wanna go grab something to eat?" Shiro asks the black-haired Hikari awkwardly, who immediately responds.
"E-eh? W-why are you asking m-me that?"
"Well, uh, I was hungry and, maybe you, uh, wanted some-"
"L-like I'll ever need something from you!"
"Eh… for once I was just trying to be kind here… ah well. What did I expect, anyway?" Shiro replies with a wave of his hand, as he walks off the area towards the canteen, leaving Hikari a bit agitated and flustered.
"Nobody's ever… invited me to lunch…" she thinks.
There goes my little side-mission, down the drain.
Shiro, now riding the elevator, thinks for a bit when he feels his stomach growling; however, as he begins to fantasize the menu and the food he'll be eating, he notices something.
Now that I think about it… didn't I just fall into one of those clichés? Shit! Now I have to go face off against another student on my first day… not to mention that I'm up against a girl… well, there goes my chances of keeping a low profile. Now I'll be made a headline even if I win or lose…
The somewhat-worried Shiro , now outside the lobby, walks straight through the pathway with his mind wandering about, thinking of the possible outcomes of the duel. True, when it comes to CQC, he has a great chance of winning, but he doesn't know Hikari's strengths and weaknesses at all. And as a man who firmly believes that failing to prepare is preparing to fail, it's a very tough situation to be in.
However, this was also the situation of those on the battlefield.
Men fought without knowing their enemy's capabilities, which were found to be beyond anything anyone has built… until now.
The Japanese situation with the abyss was much like those who first experienced the power of gunpowder first-hand, those who were on the wrong side of the barrel.
However, humans adapt, and will rise to the challenge, as seen with the Shipgirl project and automatic weapons.
If Shiro cannot surpass this battle, then surely, he cannot consider himself a true Miyamoto.
His attempts for subtlety have been completely and utterly shattered by this duel, now, he must at least bring pride to both his name, and the sword.
This puts his other desires and objectives a step down in priority.
Despite knowing that there was a CQC portion in this academy, he's never thought that he'd make a mark as the first one to either lose or win a duel.
Against a girl.
Whether or not he wins leaves a definitely bad aftertaste. If that's the case, he'll just have to charge through with a win.
But he never expected that he'd become such a well-known personality at school, which, after this duel, is most likely a given, win or lose.
He's only agreed to go to this academy for one thing:
A shot at destroying the Abyss.
Become an admiral and avenge your comrades by leading the Shipgirls to victory; that is all.
Maaan, I wonder what Erika's going to think of me if she saw me like this.
A lot of Miyamoto's have participated as volunteers in the fight against the Abyss. Most of them were placed on coast watch, manning the artillery, while some were stationed in the JMSDF's remaining ships. Needless to say, a lot of Shiro's relatives and clan-members fell during the initial defense, but what hit him most was Erika's disappearance.
Erika Miyamoto.
A tomboyish, blond-haired and well-shaped half-German member of the Miyamoto clan; who Shiro's been with since their childhood. Erika was two years older than the young, hot-blooded Shiro, and despite their close, sibling-like relationship, they weren't actually blood-related. Mighty convenient, but that's not the case here.
In truth, she was the one who made Shiro attached to the old-fashioned katana, which happened when they were wandering through the Miyamoto mansion in their childhood days; even then, Shiro would usually carry a katana longer than him around, and would refer to himself as what a samurai would, or, more accurately, did, in an extremely old-fashioned but polite manner.
It was not until Erika teased him for it that he stopped using it. What he didn't know is that the girl was actually doing him a favor, since should he have went to elementary school with that accent, well, he's gonna get hurt. A lot.
Erika was with Shiro for the longest time than any other friend he's had, despite not being blood-related, they were family. Family, in the sense of both clan and history, one could not merely imagine what Shiro, now graduated from college, felt when the ship Erika was serving on, the JS Atago, went MIA, and her sister along with it, with only the Abyss to blame. She was 23 at that time, and the last time Shiro ever saw her was his graduation party at the mansion, a couple of months before the abyssal appearance.
Despair. This was the only thing Shiro could feel for the past year, separating himself from the rest of society, living with only the basics and staying almost an entire year inside the mansion, backtracking to the places where he and Erika once played at, with nothing but the sense of desolation and a hunger for revenge. His mother and father, both serving in the Navy as well, tried to get him out of this state, but he didn't do so only until recently, which explains his awkwardness to Hikari. As he looks back on his past, he didn't notice that he's arrived at the open-air food court. He then goes near one of the stalls, where the staff greets him with a smile.
"Well, what's on the menu…. Eh… I'm just going to go with beef soup over rice today."
"Okay, sir! Pick a number and sit down at one of our tables!"
And Shiro does so. Taking a seat at one of the wooden benches adjacent to a medium-sized wooden table, he places his number-signage down near the edge of the table and patiently waits for his food to come as he takes out his phone. A black, blue-outlined touchscreen smartphone fully equipped with an unused camera, game applications, and a barren communication system. The only real use he's got for it as of now is to check the time.
1414 huh, peculiar. Wait, I haven't even eaten lunch, and it's already 2 o clock? This isn't good. Even if I lived with cans and noodles for almost a year, at least I observed proper mealtimes!
"Uh, sir? Here's your order." A servicewoman utters as she places a bowl of beef soup and a plate of rice o the wooden table in front of Shiro, who immediately responds with a "Thank you." As Shiro looks closer, the servicewoman looks pretty young, and her tinted hair doesn't help deny that. If she wore the school's uniform, he'd probably mistake her for a student, being the oddball he is, it intrigues him a lot.
"Uh… sir? I-is there… something… on my face?" The woman, noticing Shiro's been staring at her for a few seconds, inquires.
"Ah, no, no. I'm just looking at your… pretty face."
OH SHIT, WHY DID I JUST SAYYYY THATTTT!?
"E-eh? T-thank y-you…" The blue haired girl responds while visibly blushing, holding down her service tray near in front of her chest in an effort to hide the embarrassment. Shiro feels that he can't salvage the situation, and just goes with it.
"A-ah sir, a-any o-other orders?" She asks, unable to even speak straight.
"Yes, a cola would be nice."
"Okay!" She responds again, still blushing while running with haste back towards her stall. Shiro notices this and makes a little remark in his thoughts as he chows down on the beef alongside the soup-doused rice.
She's actually pretty cute. I shouldn't forget to ask her name later. Maan, I haven't done anything like this since high school.
The girl then returns with a can of cola in her hands, making Shiro feel quite uneasy. He could've gone near the stall and picked up the cola himself instead; letting someone else do such a menial task for him feels wrong.
"Ah, thanks." He utters, receiving the can from the servicewoman. "Ah, wait a bit. If I may ask, ehh… what's your name?"
Oh boy, that came off kinda weird.
"I-it's Aya. Hiiragi Aya."
Didn't think she'd answer me…
"Aya, huh. Nice name, it fits well with you, I guess." Shiro utters, scratching the back of his head along with a smile.
I know that well since I watched KinMoza while I was locked in my room! Now, I just need to stop making stuff worse! I still have a duel!
"T-thank y-you… uhh…"
"Call me Shiro, if you want. Uh, it may seem weird, but are you free right now? I'd like to talk with you for a bit. Just here." He utters as he finishes up his food.
What the hell am I doing? Well… I guess I know. I'm trying to make a friend here, though this seems weird. Must be all the years I've been locked inside my room kicking in.
"Y-yes…"
Good, she accepted it. At least I don't have to bear with embarrassment…
"U-uh, may I ask, are you a student here as well?"
"Y-yes… I work part time on the stall…"
So that explains her appearance. And I just found me a way to get outta here without any more embarrassment!
"Answering a question from a weird guy you've just met… T-thanks… All of this may really seem weird to you, yet… you still tried to answer me so… yeah, thanks!"
"I-I don't think you're weird… Shiro… I feel that… you're having a hard time with people… somehow… Ah! Sorry! I shouldn't be talking like that…"
Oh man. She got me, and that hesitating expression of hers… what is this… feeling?
"No worries, you were spot on though. Can you read, like, body expressions, or something like that?"
"N-no… I just… felt it…"
Man, she's so cute from this angle… just look at her, blushing, holding and combing that nice, blue hair of hers… Wait, the hell am I thinking, I sound like a narrator… But nonetheless, that shy attitude of hers is definitely doing… something to me. This feeling… I haven't had this for a long time… so… I don't want to run away. I want to get closer… I need… one… last… push.
"Whatever it was, you were right about me… Thanks, Aya. For answering and even talking to a weird guy like me. Ah, t-this may seem weirder than before, b-but you've been answering all of my weird stuff lately… so… Aya… can I b-be y-your f-fr… f-fri…"
"Oi, Aya, what are you doing, get back to work!" A voice rings out from the stalls, and Aya panics a bit.
"Y-yes! C-coming!" She says as she runs a bit slowly.
Psh… In the end, even after doing all that weird shit… I still wasn't able to make a friend… Shiro thinks as he starts to head back towards the grounds for the duel, leaving behind some cash.
"Ah, Shiro-san!"
"Hm?" He turns back to see Aya, with her soft-looking blue hair being blown by the wind, her cute, timid face still blushing madly, and then waving her hand, looking at him directly then closing her eyes and smiling.
"O-of course… I'll be your friend!" Shiro smiles at this prospect. After being shut off for a year, one of his "hidden agendas" for going to school once more has been fulfilled, making a friend.
I did it.
"Thanks, Aya!" He responds, as he starts walking out of the food court with some odd determination to win the duel against Hikari.
"B-because… I was once like you… Shiro-san." Aya whispers to herself.
After awkwardly making a new friend through the weirdest means ever known by man, Shiro walks towards the open grounds near a small, closed-area gym to prepare for the duel, but he notices a crowd of students waiting outside the gym. Whispers from the crowd can be heard as Shiro marches closer.
"That's him."
"He's the other first, yeah?"
"That guy carrying the sword? Yeah, he's the other one to fight."
"What's up with that sword?"
"Yeah, does he think he's some samurai or something?"
"Don't tell me he's got some Reiatsu on that thing."
Calm down… Shiro… A true man never gets provoked. Anyway, I'm in a good mood today, despite this… duel or whatever.
"Oi, Shiro!" Director Yoshiro shouts, calling his attention. "Hikari's already inside, come on!" The two men then enter the debris-riddled gym through a back door, and a couple of other spectating students follow suit, who decide to climb up the bleachers for a better view, one of these students is actually Aya, who signed off from part-time work early to see the match.
"What took you so long, you pervert!?" Hikari shouts from the other edge of the court, causing a ruckus among the spectators.
"What, the other guy's a pervert? Damn. Doing something like that on the first day…"
"Heh, yeah. Guy's got balls."
Even more whispering can be heard.
"Hey, stop ruining my reputation." Shiro, fed up, shouts, although a bit unmotivated at that.
"Alright you kids, let's get this show on the road!" Yashiro finally utters, standing on the elevated platform near the edge of the court. "Let me introduce our Firsts for this year! On the left side is Ozawa Hikari! On the right it Miyamoto Shiro! Both are considered to be interesting students in this line of work, so keep your eyes peeled! You seniors might want to take a look as well! "Yoshiro takes a pause as the spectators clap.
"With that said and done, we'll start with the first part, close quarters combat! You'll be equipped with our newest CQC suits to identify hits! A confirmed hit will be signified when the suit glows red! Hikari, what will your weapon be"
"Dual military-grade tactical knives."
"Nice choice! What about you, Shiro? I have an idea of what you'd answer, but I'd like to ask you just in case."
"Shouldn't it be obvious, director? I would like to use a katana."
"Okay then! Take off your personal weaponry and wear the CQC suits! Your weapons will be provided to you shortly by our staff." Shiro and Hikari then equip the state-of-the-art full body CQC suits, which are made from gray-colored lightweight but strong alloys, which contain pressure detectors and LED lights for hit indicating to protect the user within. The helmet is also made up of the same alloys, but has a clear visor on the front face, allowing the user to see ahead clearly. Any blunt hit received by the alloy will almost always be rendered harmless to the user itself, while still allowing high mobility.
"Good, looks like you're weapons are here. Hikari will be using dual tactical knives, a common choice of weaponry for Special Operation Units around the globe. It's swift and deadly, with its size designed for swift mobility. Meanwhile, Shiro will pick the odd choice by choosing to wield a katana; however, don't be fooled by its looks. Despite being outclassed by knives in terms of speed and mobility, it will still hurt a lot when used properly by an expert, and not just some guy flailing a medieval-age weapon. It's good for slashing and cutting anything in half, but with training, one should be able to do more than just that." Yoshiro pauses for a bit, then continues.
"These replica weapons are built from the same alloy your suits are made of, their edges are blunt, since after all, we're just simulating. Anyway, for the scoring, hitting the foot and arms are 1 point, torso is worth two, disarming and striking the head's worth three. Whoever gets 10 points first wins this part. You'll be fighting in a "Crash" environment, tons of small debris, optimal for close quarters."
Yoshiro then coughs; inhales some smoke, and then speaks again.
"Are you ready? Alright! Let's gain victory in the dawn's horizon!"
A loud horn can then be heard. The duel's already begun. Shiro holds his katana firmly, as Hikari aggressively pushes through the debris swiftly with her mobile tactical knives. The black-haired girl's footsteps can be heard getting closer by the slow-paced Shiro, who's walking around his part of the gym. The footsteps stop, and he remembers the last direction it came from, west.
Without warning, Hikari charges in from debris located in the west, her tactical knives held in backwards grip as she runs in closer. Shiro notices this and holds his katana in front of him, preparing for Hikari's approach. As the dual-wielding girl steps to her right, she goes for a slash with her right knife, but Shiro backsteps with his left foot and strikes her right thigh with a precise slash of his own, making it glow bright red and earning a point.
"Shit. He got me." Hikari exclaims as the crowd cheers on.
"You weren't possibly thinking that I'd lose with that, were you?" Shiro teases, remembering the stipulations of the match.
"O-of course not! T-that was just a w-w-warm up, yeah!"
"I'll take your word for it. Come on then. Show me what you got."
"Oh! It looks like it's heating up in there!" Yoshiro commentates, looking at the hanging big screen in the middle of the court.
Hikari once again lunges in as Shiro finishes talking. She moves faster than before, managing to get below Shiro quickly, however, her consecutive slashes were easily evaded by the swordsman, stepping back with both feet to evade Hikari. She then goes in deep with a stab aimed at Shiro's torso; however, he notices the badly-timed stab and side-steps out of the way, hitting her head with another precise strike afterwards. Hikari gets frustrated at this, and launches a very badly executed move, which Shiro effortlessly evades once again, and this time, disarms her with two swift yet precise strikes to the edges of the knives. After disarming her, Shiro just merely taps her head with his katana until Yoshiro stops the match, 10-0 in favor of Shiro, in only 5 minutes.
"Sorry, Hikari. But CQC is my playground. The fact that you were too aggressive didn't help as well." Shiro utters as he lets the katana's blade rest on his shoulders, turning back from the utterly beaten Hikari.
"You cocky little pervert…"
"Hey! It's not over yet! We still have two more parts left! Next up is Small-Arms Combat!"
Fuck. Shiro thinks to himself. This is NOT my playground.
"I'll admit, you had me with your flashy sword techniques, however, when it comes to guns, it is I, Ozawa Hikari, who will emerge victorious!"
"Once more, I'll take your word for it. Don't disappoint."
"Count on me to kick your ass!"
"Since firearms aren't my thing and considering it must be your area of expertise… well… I just might count on you to do just that."
"I won't accept you conceding defeat!"
"I'm not planning to. I'm still going to shoot you."
"Oh, kids and their youth... Well then, choose your weapon, Hikari, what will you choose?"
"I don't need any high caliber weapon to take him down, just an M1911, please."
"Ohoho, going for the classic stopping-power heavy-hitter, it seems. Well then, what about you, Shiro?"
"I don't know much about guns… so I'll go with a Python .357"
"A revolver? So apparently, you're a guy who likes swords AND revolvers. Tell us; are you, by any chance, a Yakuza gunman?" The spectators laugh.
"No, I just kinda like revolvers… so."
"Well then, I'm I no position to complain, so here are your weapons!"
A couple of staff hands over an M1911 to HIkari and a Python .357 to Shiro, who feels a bit uncomfortable with a gun, visibly shown as he looks weirdly at its ironsights.
"Same rules, first to 10 wins, 1 for arms and legs, 2 for torso, 3 for disarming and headshots. You can use your hands to disarm at close range, but no contact otherwise. It's all guns from here on out. Don't worry, they're loaded with bullets made up of the same alloy your armor is made of, it's the same business as the swords and knives you used earlier. So, good luck, and gain victory in the dawn's horizon!" As Yoshiro finishes, the horn blows again, and students cheer in anticipation.
"Right. I'll just have to flank her, and it'll be ov- Shit!" Just as he plans to relocate, Shiro gets hit by a bullet to the knee, now glowing bright red from the LED, he takes cover behind metal debris, crouching as he formulates his next plan.
"Oh, and right from the start, Miyamoto gets hit! That's a point for Ozawa!" Yoshiro commentates.
"Damn her. She's probably got a good look of the field, right now I need to get to her flank and take her down there… Let's see." Shiro peeks out of his cover and sees Hikari with her sights aimed directly at him, but as she fires, he reacts quickly and gets back to cover.
"Oooh, that was close! Will Miyamoto pull through!?"
"Shit. This is bad, she knows my position, for all I know, she could be flanking me and-" Shiro's planning gets interrupted as .45 ACP shots come in from his left flank, hitting his left shoulder twice as he scrambles to get out of the killzone. He finds a new spot to hind behind more metal sheets, but Hikari's hot on his trail, firing more shots. He lets off two shots from his .357, but she notices and leaps for cover, and only one bullet barely finds its mark. Hikari got hit on the foot by sheer luck, but it bought enough time for Shiro to reposition to his left.
"She should be right in front of me if I peek here. It's a huge-ass gambit but I'll take it. I'm a bad shot, but at least I won't miss at this range." He then peeks out of his cover again and sees Hikari reloading her M1911 with a fresh magazine. Taking this opportunity, Shiro fires three shots on the crouching girl, hitting her shoulder twice, along with a headshot. Hikari notices too late, but manages to fire her own volley as well, scoring two accurate headshots on Shiro . It's 9-6 in favor of Hikari, and Shiro's formulating yet another plan behind more sheets of metal.
"Oooh! Miyamoto's losing! Just one more shot from Hikari and he's done for!" Yoshiro states over the microphone as the students keep cheering on for their favorites.
"I've got one life to spare… The only way I can win this is if I can pull this last one off. Yes. The last trick I have in my sleeve. If I can shoot her and disarm her quick enough, I'll win 12-9. I've got one bullet left and I can't risk reloading, or else my position's blown. I'll have to wait until she passes close enough…"
Then after a while, Shiro start's hearing footsteps. Very… very cautious footsteps. Seeing her M1911's shadow cast on the ground, Shiro readies himself for a lunge of a lifetime- the ultimate clutch play. Disarm with your left, shoot with your right. Then, after determining the right time, he does it. He leaps high enough to reach the pistol, but still low enough to keep himself in control of his flight. He does the jump correctly, but he executes the moves in the wrong order, he fires first with his right, scoring a headshot and tying 9-9, however, as he prepared to disarm her with his left hand, Hikari's trigger finger moves faster, and sends a bullet straight through Shiro's torso, ending the second part 11-9, Hikari.
"I told you, didn't I? That I'd kick your ass, you perverted idiot!"
"Yeah… yeah you did. And I told you these things aren't my forte as well. And stop calling me that."
"The vanquished will always make excuses."
"Hold up. It's not over yet. Director Yoshiro did say there were three parts to this duel."
"Yes! There are three parts, contrary to the last years' two parts. This time, we'll test your skills in something we haven't taught you yet, something that will definitely put your logical skills to the test! Something that will prove your dominance over the other party! That is… Commanding!"
"Eh? Commanding?" The two ask loudly in unison.
"You heard me right! You will command shipgirls into battle! Or at least, their representations… Your seniors have been doing this for a while, and they've been doing it great, however, that was with practice! You have no experience whatsoever on commanding, thus, it is up to one's wits and logical skills to win! This will be the deciding factor for proving your dominance! Now… prove your worth as an Ozawa and as a Miyamoto! Win your right to stay at the dorm, or send the so-called pervert into exile!" As Yoshiro commentates again, the spectating students laugh and cheer, with students taking sides on who'll win.
Shipgirl commanding, huh. This'll make things faster and easier for me. Sorry. Hikari, but I have to make sure that I'll be the one gaining the victory on this dawn's horizon… or something.