"Bismarck, ma'am?"

A meek voice calling from behind the door drew Bismarck's attention away from the screen. Her hand grabbed the lid of her laptop and closed it before she put it on the bed next to her lap.

"Come in." She said.

The door opened, revealing a familiar figure.

"Eugen?"

Eugen's blue eyes immediately glanced at Bismarck's recently closed laptop.

"Ah. I'm sorry, are you busy?"

"No, it's just...something non-essential."

Bismarck definitely had not spent the last three hours trying to figure out how did Wi-Fi actually work.

Bismarck took a closer look at Eugen. The heavy cruiser was not wearing her combat uniform, so that meant she was off-duty just as Bismarck herself was. She was instead wearing a tight-fitting orange sweater that very much emphasized the curves of her body, curves that resembled Bismarck's own silhouette more than she was comfortable with. Her face was masked by a very thin layer of makeup that was done very naturally, fitting snugly in the frame of her dark blonde twintails. Her bottom consisted of dark short shorts and hoses ending inside a pair of Mary Jane shoes.

It was all very modern, not giving a single hint that the girl herself was born more than half a century ago.

"You're going off base?"

"Y-yes!" Eugen stammered. The girl tended to be nervous, but Bismarck had noticed that she only acted like this around her.

"Calm down. We all have the same rank."

It's only technically true. Giving Kanmusu places in the military hierarchy was a complicated process. They're infantry, but each one commanded enough firepower to rival an entire conventional fleet. For the sake of convenience, all capital ships and cruisers were given the rank of Captain to at least give them official control over their own bodies, though in reality the line of command would be mostly ad-hoc depending on the operation and available ships. For a Kanmusu, the positions of squadron leader and flagship were much more important than the lines stitched on their shoulders.

"Do you need me for something?" Bismarck asked.

"Well, um…" Eugen stuttered again, still avoiding eye-contact with Bismarck. "I wonder if you'd like to go with me...outside."

"That's an odd request." Bismarck raised her brows.

"S-sorry." Eugen apologized, looking down on her feet.

"I'm not saying no yet, but where are you going?"

"Well, uh…" Eugen played with her fingers, seemingly embarrassed by what she was about to say next.

"It's not illegal, is it?" Bismarck said worriedly.

"No!" Eugen denied strongly. "I just want to buy meat for Sam!"

The image of a cute black and white cat nomming happily on fresh red cuts instantly flashed in Bismarck's mind.

"I personally find it worrying that a soldier like you would find it fit to spend an entire day just for the sake of a single cat."

Eugen shoulders visibly drooped. She slowly took a step back out of Bismarck's room.

"Right...sorry for disturbing you."

"Wait." Bismarck raised her hand right before Eugen managed to close the door. "If you're going to the city, I might also have some business to do there."

Eugen quickly perked up.

"You mean…"

"I'll accompany you...halfway, probably."

Eugen's face lit up with glee, her mouth opening to form a wide toothful smile.

"Thank you , ma'am!"

"Yes, yes." Bismarck hurried, trying to sound as exasperated and annoyed as possible while holding back a large smile herself. "Can you wait outside, please? I need time to change."

"S-sure!" Eugen nodded vigorously before she quickly got out of the room, closing the door behind her. Bismarck then got up from her bed and locked the door before going for her wardrobe.

What she picked was nothing as fancy as what Eugen wore. She merely put on a bra and wrapped a jacket over the grey T-shirt she had already worn. The jacket was leather, but it was red instead of black. In fact, none of her clothes was black. She had made the mistake of wearing black once and it's not a mistake she was willing to repeat.

Being called 'SS' by uneducated children and 'heroic Jewkiller' by men with shaved heads got old really fast.

For the bottom, she picked a pair of freshly-washed jeans. Americans might've designed the thing to be worn for days without laundry, but Bismarck refused to be infected by their laziness. She then completed her attire by donning a pair of white socks and sneakers. She had no idea why the shoes were called sneakers, their hard soles were just as loud as anything else.

Satisfied by her appearance, Bismarck picked up her phone and wallet before opening the door to find Eugen facing her back to her.

"Ah! You're done!" Eugen remarked in surprise when she realized that the door was open.

"I am. Let's go."

Like always, Bismarck locked her door as she was about to leave. Some have told her that she's being paranoid since she lived in a dorm among allies, but perhaps she inherited the habit of closing watertight doors from her former crew? After all, left a door open and unlocked and you'd get yourself an exploding British battlecruiser.

Bismarck and Eugen walked at a brisk pace along the corridor leading to the exit of the battleship dorm, greeting all the Japanese battleships along the way. Well, Eugen greeted them, at least. Bismarck could definitely see how the girl was much more friendly and open towards others compared to how nervous she was when she was alone with her, making her wonder why she insisted on bringing her along if it made her so uncomfortable.

"Um...excuse me, ma'am?" Eugen called with a very soft voice that Bismarck was barely able to hear.

"Yes?"

"You and me...we've been together for a long time, haven't we?"

Bismarck did not really understand the purpose of this question, but she's going to answer it anyway.

"That is correct. For most of my lifetime you've always been by my side."

Eugen looked down, forgetting that she wasn't wearing a hat as she tried to lower a non-existent brim to hide her face.

"Ma'am, If I may ask...do you...do you consider me as a friend?"

"You are my trusted escort." Bismarck answered with her usual cold and professional tone.

"Oh." Eugen said in a neutral voice, though Bismarck could see her shoulders drooping again.

"Was that answer unsatisfactory?"

"No!" Prinz denied loudly. "It's just…"

"It's alright. Say whatever you want. I won't get angry."

Bismarck then realized that she had just talked like a parent, and promptly felt silly. Eugen is a soldier. She did not need to be pampered like a little girl.

"What I want to say..?" Eugen stopped. It took a while for her to realize that she had just been given a permission.

"Ma'am, I just want you to know that you can tell me anything."

"What?" Bismarck slowed her pace. That was a very sudden, out of topic statement that she definitely had not expected.

"I mean, if you have something that's troubling you, it might be better to tell someone instead of keeping it to yourself, and I think I'm pretty good at keeping secrets…"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I-I didn't mean to imply that you do have something that's troubling you, of course! But-"

Eugen was not given the chance to finish her sentence, and she didn't need to. The answer to Bismarck's question was already waiting by the door.

"Oh. Of course." Bismarck put her palm on her face.

"Afternoon, chancellor." the pink haired girl waved.

Bismarck's eyes visibly twitched in annoyance.

"Chancellor?"

"Yeah, I can't decide whether 'chancellor' or 'biscuit' sounds better, so I'm kind of on the fence right now. Which one do you prefer?"

"Neither."

"Yeah, they're both a bit too on the nose." Ark put a finger on her lips. "A good nickname should be subtle, ideally doubling as an inside joke. I'll think of something better."

"Please don't."

"Aw. But Bismarck is such a boring name. You think so too, don't you pudding?"

"Pudding?"

"I don't! I think Bismarck is a very amazing name, ma'am!"

"Pudding?" Bismarck looked at Eugen with an accusing stare.

Realizing what she had just done, Eugen looked down in guilt.

"S...sorry."

"Oh? You don't know? That's what everybody's been calling her for a while now."

"That is a ridiculous name."

Hearing that, Eugen briefly seemed like she was about to say something, but refrained at the end. She merely looked sadly at the floor, not daring to even glance at Bismarck.

"Eugen, could you please leave for a while? I need to speak with this...creature."

Bismarck's words were meant for Eugen, but her eyes never left Ark. She continued to stare angrily at the carrier even as her 'trusted escort' ran out of the door with her hand covering her face.

"Wow." Ark crossed her arms. "That was harsh, even by your standard."

"Did you tell her?"

"Tell her what?" Ark answered with the perfect innocent smile.

"Nevermind that." Bismarck shook her head angrily. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm coming with you guys, of course."

"Wha-"

Bismarck didn't know how she had just realized this, but Ark was also wearing civilian clothes. The only thing she had kept from her usual ensemble was her tiara keeping up her flowing pink hair tidy and proper. All of her usual gears had been replaced by an open, white suit-jacket over what seemed like a tailored shirt, while her jeans revealed some surprisingly thick legs.

"Actually, I'm the one that invited you all."

"What." Bismarck repeated, overwhelmed by this new influx of information.

"I was the one that suggested to little pudding how to draw you out from your hermit nest of a room."

"It's not a hermit nest."

"Oh, please. The way you're working in front of your computer you're almost like your sister, locking yourself in like that."

"I do not have a sister." Bismarck spoke coldly. "Tirpitz and I were merely designed to the same specifications. We do not share blood."

"Ah, but you do not need shared blood to be a family, you know? Take that girl for example." Ark said, pointing at the door Eugen had just run out of.

"What about Eugen?"

"She's been there since the very beginning, hasn't she? Always there for you even when you're an ungrateful stick in the mud, isn't that what family is all about?"

"Are you here just to mock me?"

"No." Ark shook her head, but her smile never left her face. "I'm here to save you from losing a friend."

"Excuse me?"

"That girl loves you, but even she has her limit." Ark crossed her arms again, looking at Bismarck judgmentally. "Keep acting like this and she'll drift away eventually."

"Nonsense. Eugen is a professional. She won't quit just because her charge prefers to be left alone while off duty."

"Oh, sure, she'll still escort you, but it will only because of her responsibilities and not because she cares about you."

"And I'm absolutely fine with that." Bismarck answered spitefully as she reached for the door handle, but before she could get one leg out of the dorm Ark had already grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Let go." Bismarck demanded, her icy blue eyes staring coldly at Ark.

But Ark did not budge. Instead her entire nature suddenly seemed to change. Her smile was gone, and her grey-blue eyes pushed back against Bismarck's stare with twice the intensity. If Bismarck was not so irritated right now, she'd appreciate how quickly the British girl could transform from bubbly to terrifying.

"Before you leave, think about this." Ark said with a soft yet demanding voice. "She thinks of you as a sister, maybe even higher than that. Would you really be okay if she stopped thinking that? She'd be just another one that saw you as a combat asset, something to escort and point towards the enemy and nothing more. Are you really fine with that?"

Bismarck looked at Ark silently, her expression unchanged. The two capital ships, each with the power to destroy an entire Abyssal fleet, stared at each other coldly for ten seconds before Bismarck strongly pulled back, forcing Ark to release her grip on her shoulder.

"Don't follow us." Bismarck said as she walked out of the dorm, right before she slammed the door on Ark's annoyed face.

Bismarck stood still in front of the door, waiting to see if Ark was about to follow her. When the door stayed closed, Bismarck let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"That damn girl…"

Bismarck turned around in anger...and nearly crashed into Prinz that was standing right behind her.

Bismarck stopped herself just in time, but the surprised Eugen jumped back, somehow managing to step on her own foot.

"Eep!"

Bismarck acted by reflex, lurching forward and encircled her entire right arm around Eugen's waist, unintentionally pressing her against her chest.

Then, Bismarck saw it.

"Eugen…"

"S...sorry." Eugen said again. "I'm just too clumsy…"

"Eugen, your eyes."

"Ah." Eugen raised her hand to her face, touching her wet eyelid. "Sorry…"

Eugen looked down, desperately trying to hide her face.

"Eugen, please, you're trying to hide your tears using my breasts."

"Ehehe…" Eugen gave a stilted laugh. Not even her sadness could shield her from the absurdity of that sentence. "Sorry."

"Stop saying that word."

"So-...okay…"

"Eugen…"

Eugen tried to pull away, but Bismarck tightened her arm, drawing her closer.

"Ma'am…" Eugen looked up, staring at the towering girl in front of her. "You think I'm annoying, right?"

"Wha-"

"I'll leave you alone from now on, so…" Eugen once again tried to push away, but Bismarck didn't let her.

"Eh? Why…"

"Eugen."

Bismarck slowly ran her free hand across Eugen's cheek, carefully removing the wet strands of hair from her skin.

These tears...they were for her.

Bismarck suddenly realized that if she died, people would grieve, but not everyone would grieve for the same reason.

Most would probably just be frustrated from losing such an important combat unit. They would cry for her guns, but not for her.

But Eugen, Eugen would cry for her.

"You're not annoying."

"Huh?"

Bismarck kept moving her hand up, ending in a careful head pat.

"I...I like it. I like it when you barge into my room uninvited to give me the sweets you've made. I like it when you ask me how my day is. I like it when you try to invite me to go out, even when I refuse."

"Ma'am?"

"You…"

Bismarck swallowed. This was such a simple thing to say, so why was it so hard?

"You are my friend."

"Ah."

Eugen looked down yet again, but this time, Bismarck refused to let her hide her face. She cupped Eugen's chin and lifted her face up, revealing a pair of watery eyes.

"Your presence is precious to me."

Honestly, Bismarck was not sure how this whole 'friendship' thing works. But for someone like Eugen, she would gladly give it a shot.

"Would you stand by me until my end?"

That's a perfectly normal thing to say to a friend, right?

"I…"

Eugen's face made a weird, contorted movements, like it's confused whether to smile or cry. It finally met things halfway and did both at the same time.

"Yes. I will."

Bismarck returned the smile, finally letting go of Eugen's waist.

"I'll be counting on that."

"HA!"

The sound of someone clapping awakened the two ships from their stupor. They both turned and were immediately greeted by the sight of Ark, walking towards them with a massive smug smile on her face.

"Now, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Eugen's face suddenly turned red. Realizing where she was she immediately jumped back, putting some distance between her and Bismarck.

"You..! How long have you been listening?" Bismarck confronted, though her angry tone failed miserably at removing the smile from Ark's face.

"Since-the-very-beginning." Ark moved her head left and right like a metronome in a decidedly mocking manner. "But you two were so infatuated with each other that I just became invisible. It made me a bit jealous, actually."

Eugen's face turned sour, obviously annoyed by the British girl. But she didn't look even half as annoyed as Bismarck was.

"My, such frustration on your face. You should use all that pent-up energy to move your legs, hun. Otherwise you wouldn't make it to the deli before closing time."

Ark began walking away towards the gate of the base.

"I'm not going to follow you, but I am going to the city. Feel free to walk beside me. Separately." Ark winked annoyingly at Bismarck before continuing her steps.

"That…"

Bismarck was about to say something, but then she felt a hand squeezing hers. She looked to the side and saw Eugen smiling.

"Let's just follow her, okay?"

Eugen's smile was different than usual. It was...clear, unobstructed by shyness. She stood tall instead of slightly hunching forward like she had always done whenever Bismarck was in the same room as her.

Bismarck suddenly realized that even though Eugen had always been there, she never actually knew her.

"Sure." Bismarck said, returning Eugen's smile as sincerely as her stiff warrior face was capable to. "Let's go."