"This is the barrack?" Kirishima looked up in awe at the veritable mansion in front of her.

"Er, no, that's your housing." Iowa said, Kirishima's luggage hanging on both hands.

"An entire house...for a ship?"

"It's a pretty standard accommodation, really." Iowa shrugged. "It's not like you'd have it all for yourself. You're sharing it with two other girls."

That made sense. But even then, back home a building of this size could easily accommodate an entire task force.

"So who am I going to share roof with?"

"No idea. I was just told to bring you here."

"I see." Kirishima nodded.

"Anyway." Iowa put down Kirishima's luggage on the ground. "I'm going to get back now. If you want to be shown around just ask one of the maids."

"One of the what now?"

Kirishima was barely able to actually say the question before the answer suddenly walked through the front door.

It was a girl, a tall one, so tall that for a moment Kirishima perceived her as a part of the building itself. It felt like seeing a Yamato class or an Iowa class for the first time again.

But what's more interesting was the girl's outfit. It's the very iconic black and white maid outfit, with long sleeves and a very long loose skirt that nearly touched the ground, completely hiding her legs.

The girl walked slowly towards Kirishima. She noticed that the girl's movements were very...careful. She's not slow, but there was this sense of caution in her pace, like she's afraid she's going to fall.

Also, it might just her ears playing tricks, but Kirishima thought that she could hear a mechanical sound accompanying the girl's every step.

"Good afternoon." the girl said with a smile. For a moment Kirishma expected the girl to bow, but then she remembered that she wasn't in Japan. "Battlecruiser Kirishima, I presume?"

"I'm a battleship, actually."

"By Japanese standard, anyway." Iowa added cheekily, ignoring the annoyed look from Kirishima.

"My apology." The girl said, nodding her massive head slightly. "I am USS Artisan. I've been assigned to care for the needs of every ship in this housing unit."

"Er...nice to meet you?" Kirishima said hesitantly.

"Welp, looks like my job here is done." said Iowa. "If you don't mind, I have a date planned."

"Y-yeah. Thanks for the help." Kirishima said, waving goodbye at Iowa.

"Don't get too tired on the first day." Iowa said, giving a backhanded wave.

"May I take your luggage?" Artisan asked politely.

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you."

As Artisan bowed down to pick up the suitcases, Kirishima was assured that her ears were not, in fact, playing tricks. The mechanical sound seemed to be coming from behind the girl's skirt.

Artisan led Kirishima through the massive, carved wooden doors. The Japanese girl found herself gasping again once she saw the lobby.

"Amazing." Kirishima said subconsciously.

"Really? Though this is pretty standard."

A new voice came from the furthest end of the room, behind what looked like an open kitchen.

"Well, I guess if you're used to small wooden shacks…"

A tall imposing figure began to walk towards Kirishima. It was another Kanmusu, definitely a capital ship, with short and tidy silver hair and blue eyes. She's wearing a long, angular trench coat over tight trousers and tucked-in white shirt.

"Miss Washington, are you about to leave?" asked Artisan, futilely trying her best to look submissive while towering over the girl.

"Yeah. Can you tidy up my room while I'm gone?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Without saying anything else, or even waving goodbye, the girl continued to walk towards the door before disappearing outside.

"That's...that's Washington?" Kirishima swallowed, suddenly feeling really nervous.

"Yes, ma'am." Artisan confirmed. "Do you two know each other?"

"You can say that." Kirishima shook her head, trying to suppress a certain memory. "Though I'm not sure if she remembers me."

"I...see." said Artisan slowly. She probably noticed the change of expression on Kirishima's face. "Er...your room is this way, ma'am."

Kirishima followed the maid up a beautifully carved stairs, then through a brightly lit corridor where a grand oaken doors were waiting at the end.

The room inside looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale.

Sleeping princess included.

"Uh-oh." Artisan quipped. It sounded like she was encountering something annoyingly familiar.

Tucked inside a thick crimson blanket on top of a four-poster bed in the center of the room, a girl was sleeping. From what little Kirishima could see, the girl had long black hair and either tanned or dark skin.

"Miss Dakota?" Artisan called.

Wait, what?

"Dakota...South Dakota?"

"Miss Dakota, excuse me?" Artisan repeated, seemingly ignoring Kirishima.

Washington and South Dakota? Was this some kind of joke?

Now that she thought about it, Kirishima remembered the admiral smirking when he saw her housing address.

"Miss Dakota, please." Artisan begged.

"Mhh.." The figure on the bed squirmed and opened her eyelids, revealing a set of honey brown eyes.

"Ah, you're back." she said, half-asleep.

"Miss Dakota…" Artisan sighed, exasperated. "May I request that you continue to sleep in your assigned room?"

"Why bother? This one's empty any-"

Her eyes suddenly locked to Kirishima, and her expression suddenly changed. Though it's hard for Kirishima to read her face when half of it was under her blanket.

"It's you."

"It's me." Kirishima shrugged.

"Am I in your room?"

"Apparently."

"Hmm…"

South Dakota sat up. The blanket fell, revealing her bare chest.

Kirishima was not particularly interested in a fellow female's body, but the figure in front of her was simply too exotic to ignore that she found herself staring. Her skin was neither tanned or dark. It's a shade of reddish brown that Kirishima had never seen before, complimented by her wavy black hair currently wrapping around and emphasizing the curves of her ample bosom.

"Sorry, I'll leave now."

The girl stepped out of the bed. Her legs were quite thick, but still perfectly proportional with the rest of her body. A cheap looking white panties was wrapped around her wide hips.

Artisan and Kirishima parted to make way for the battleship, but South Dakota stopped midway through the doorframe and suddenly looked at Kirishima.

"Your guns hurt." She said simply in a tone that was impossible to read whether it was meant as a threat or a compliment.

Before Kirishima could verify, however, South Dakota was already gone.

"Uh...is it alright for me to leave the luggage here?" Artisan broke Kirishima from her trance.

"Oh? Right. Just put it there, I'll take care of it myself."

"Very well." she said as she gently put Kirishima's luggage on the carpeted floor. "I'm sorry, but I must leave for now. But you can call me if you need anything."

"Of course."

And with that permission, Artisan left the room, accompanied by the constant mechanical sound from under her skirt.

After closing the door, Kirishima looked around what would be her room for the next year. It looked way more expensive than anything she had slept inside before, yet she found herself quickly missing the wooden interior of her home base back in Japan.

"I'm going to get homesick very fast, it seems."