A/N: Sorry for missing 2 whole days of uploading. Here's a double chapter to make it up a little

It was about 6pm.

The sun was touching the horizon of the sea like a blob, refracting across the whole ocean. As a result it was painted with shades of sunset orange with shimmering light.

Shikikan who was watching this from the plaza idly thought to himself, What a wonderful world.

The subtle noise that came from having dozens of ships in one place, the beautiful view of the sunset, and the calming noises of the waves almost made this place resemble a luxury resort.

Of course that was far from the case. He found himself wishing that other people aside of himself wouldn't even visit here, otherwise the social dynamics might change quite a bit.

Now, 2 figures, one in a white uniform and one in a black uniform had been approaching him for a while now and were just about to arrive right in front of him.

"Good evening, Shikikan," said Maya, initiating a conversation uncharacteristically.

Her eyes were sparkling and she seemed to actually be excited about something. Definitely uncharacteristic. Did she want to dress him up in strange costumes?

"Good evening. Can I help you?" He smiled, betraying none of what he was thinking.

Choukai sighed beside her. Definitely not a good sign.

He started coming up with excuses for why he wouldn't be able to do cosplay. Imaginary work, nothing would fit him, burn all the costumes while they weren't looking, etcetera.

"Well, we've just been thinking that, um…" Maya was keeping up her energy but she trailed off, as if she didn't think about what to do if she got this far.

"Yeah?"

Raise an eyebrow in silent judgement to intimidate her from going any further.

"We'd like you to do something!"

Choukai heaved another sigh.

Of course that wouldn't work. Anyway, do something? Haven't we already established that? I'm asking what you're asking me to do…

"Well, spit it out," he laughed amicably.

Maya, in a show that was uncharacteristic of how uncharacteristic she was being, seemed to shrink back into herself, letting her ears droop and poking her fingertips at each other.

Choukai seemed to be picking up the slack. The white-clad girl coughed as she prepared to say what she wanted to say and let the words fall out.

"We want you to buy a present for Atago!" Maya all but shouted with the force of a thousand burning suns, as if she thought that catching me by surprise would make me more likely to entertain her.

"We would like you to buy a present for big sister Atago," Choukai said gently, clapping her hands together.

The contrast between the two was like night and day; like the contrast between trying to talk out a conflict or getting a rocket launcher at the first sign of it.

Choukai looked at Maya with a wry smile, and Maya looked at me with fire blazing in her eyes as she continued.

"You know how Atago has been taking a break recently, right? We think it would just be appropriate for you to give her a welcome back gift to treat her and let her know you care."

To let her know I care?

Well, she was right that he did care. As a general rule people get more attached as they spend more time with someone. It was hard to imagine how life would be here if he had had a different secretary.

"Hm. You're right," he made a show of thinking about it and agreeing.

More than that, it looked like Maya didn't actually want him to wear something strange, which was a lifesaver. But he had to make sure.

"This present… Do you have anything in mind? What would she like?"

Ask the question but mask it as consideration for Atago and not what it really was; consideration for himself. As expected of him.

Maya's ears twitched up like soldiers standing in attention. If she had a tail it would probably be wagging, he idly thought.

"Why, I'm glad you asked!"

The way Maya was smiling seemed to suggest nothing but pain for him.

I'm starting to regret asking.

Choukai heaved yet another sigh.

From what he knew about Maya so far, the only thing that could possibly get her so excited was that. Maybe she really was trying to get him to wear something strange. A cosplay of some sort to cheer her up?

But what sort of cosplay would cheer up Atago?

Was he going to have to wear an apron with hearts all over it and say something like, "Welcome home, honey! Would you like dinner? A bath? Or…"

He killed that thought before it could get any further.

But from how hesitant Choukai seemed of the whole thing, that might actually be the case.

"A dog!"

Something completely unexpected came out of Maya's mouth.

"A dog?" He had to confirm what he had just heard and that nothing was horribly wrong with his hearing.

She nodded so hard it looked like her brain might be bouncing in her head from the inertia.

"Yes, a dog! You should buy her a little puppy! She would love that!"

Maya was heavily breathing through her mouth as if she was drooling at the prospect.

Don't tell me she wants to eat it!?

No, no. That couldn't possibly be the case, right? She wouldn't be the type to do that to a small pet; to a domesticated animal.

"Well… she would take care of it, right?" Without eating it.

Maya tilted her head, but as if she shook off her confusion, nodded vigorously.

"What do you think, Choukai?" Her response might be very telling for Maya's true intentions.

"Poor dog…" She scratched her head. "Ah, sorry, Shikikan. You were saying something?"

Shikikan mechanically turned his head back to Maya, with every degree rotated feeling like a gear that had something jamming it.

"Poor dog?"

"Ah, don't listen to her, Commander! She's just saying how poor the dog must be in the animal shelter! You should definitely go buy it!" Maya all but screamed, affirming his suspicions even further.

"Don't tell me… you plan to eat it?"

Choukai and Maya looked positively horrified by what he had just said.

Oops. Maybe he should've waited a little bit more before testing out that theory.

Maya hugged herself. "D-Do I look like the type?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," he answered honestly.

Of course, he didn't hate people who ate dogs - there was nothing inherently wrong with that, but the story was different if they just got up and decided to cook and eat their pets who they had spent years with. That was disturbing.

"No, no, no, when I said poor dog I meant that he might not be getting the owner you're thinking of," Choukai waved her hands in a no gesture.

Not be getting the owner I was thinking of?

It was Shikikan's turn to tilt his head. "What do you mean?"

The white-clad girl levelled a stare at the black-clad girl. "Why don't you explain it to him since you're the one who wants it so much, Maya?"

"Ugu… Well, that's…" Maya shuffled and balanced herself from foot to foot.

"Go on whenever you feel like it," he said, hoping to erase any pressure she might've been feeling.

She nodded. "Well… honestly, I really want one too, but it would be a hassle to take care of multiple dogs in the dorms. Though it's definitely possible. Look at Piwi," she said.

Not knowing who this Piwi character was, Shikikan nodded.

Maya continued. "So if Atago gets this dog, it probably won't just be her getting to enjoy it. We would probably split it between the four of us, plus anyone who might wanna borrow it. You never know if someone might wanna borrow it, after all," she explained.

"Except me!"

"Except Choukai, who doesn't like dogs for some reason."

"It would just be hard to take care of it. What if it poops in our dorm?"

"I'll make sure it doesn't, Sis, I promise," Maya looked to Choukai with eyes resembling the puppy she so wanted to get.

"Ugh… I'm fine with it…" she conceded and looked away.

Now he was the only barrier left between Maya and the dog of her dreams.

He scratched his head. What a predicament.

Not.

"Alright, I'll get it for you."

Maya beamed. "Thanks, thanks, thanks so much Shikikan!"

"No problem." He allowed his lips to curve into a smile.

If it would cheer up Atago, or help her get out of whatever slump she's in that was preventing her from being able to go to work, it would be worth it.

As if reading his thoughts, Choukai chimed in with a smile that seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"I'm sure she'll love it."

"Thanks. I hope she will."

Both of them smiled this time, as if he had just said something very funny.

Hm?

On the other side of the glass panes of this shop was a city alight with reds and yellows. Cars and motorcycles whizzed by with their searchlights as neon lights decorated skyscrapers that stood tall as they always did.

The city had always been a sight to behold.

Enterprise, dressed in a black jacket, white sweater and black cap, was also looking at her as if she was a sight to behold. And not in a good way.

"Oh my, is there something wrong, Enterprise?" She cupped her cheek and tilted her head at her fellow.

"No, it's just… an ice cream shop for dinner? Really?"

Indeed, it was just as she said. The meeting place she had selected for the both of them had been an ice cream shop; the same one in which she encountered Prinz Eugen.

Perhaps she wanted to go to this place because this was the pace where she had first confirmed her feelings.

Or perhaps she wanted to go to this place because their mint ice cream filled her nose and heart with a beautiful aroma and taste that could never be replaced.

If she were to be honest with herself, one of those reasons was more likely than the other.

Nevertheless, she would indeed get strange looks from anyone for coming here for a dinner meeting.

Enterprise's words pierced through her heart and compelled her to defend herself.

"No! You've got it all wrong! The only reason I chose this place was because their mint ice cream is really good!"

Something about the way Enterprise's stare seemed to intensify told her that maybe that wasn't the right thing to say.

"I wish you'd show more restraint. It's never sightly for someone to have such a poor diet, even for us." Enterprise started.

Indeed, it wasn't as if whatever she ate would actually permanently affect her. Her body constitution would stay the same because Azur Lane had a culture of constant exercise to keep in shape, so much so that it was literally unheard of for anyone here to gain weight.

On a biological level, the exact mechanisms governing that weren't clear, but many believed that the food they ate would be distributed to become their energy as well as their ammunition, which may have been playing a part in them keeping in shape.

Maybe that would explain how Long Island never seems to look different despite her lifestyle.

But despite those biological differences, the food they ate would still affect them in terms of how effective it was for their nutrition.

As children knew from their parents' warnings, ice cream, and candy in general, was not very nutritious.

Enterprise continued her sermon. "What would the Commander think if he saw you like that?"

Oof, that hurt. At the same time she thought that he wasn't really the type to judge people like that, though.

"You're right… I'm sorry…" came her apology, barely louder than a whisper.

Though she almost always took on the role of a caring and nourishing big sister, now she felt like a small child being berated by her parent.

Enterprise also seemed taken aback by that contrast. "N-No… actually, it's fine to let loose once in a while. Perhaps I was too harsh. My bad."

As if she instantly shed all shame, Atago took a bite of her mint ice cream and replied, "Ah, thanks for accommodating me!"

I knew it. Enty really is a good kid at heart!

"Eh? Please don't push it. What I said was true but you must reflect on your actions," she replied with a poker face.

"Yes, understood. I'm very sorry." Atago got swept up in how straightforward she sounded and ended up mimicking it.

Enterprise nodded.

Atago sometimes felt as if she was the real Commander…

"Ah, by the way, let's start eating our ice cream. They might melt soon."

Enterprise took a look at her vanilla ice cream. "Yes. It's as you say."

The white vanilla ice cream seemed to match with her hair. Maybe it was a bit of a shame that she had to eat it, Atago thought.

Then Enterprise took a good chunk of it off with a single bite, painting her lips in white. Her eyes minimally widened, as if she had just found something amazing.

On second thought, maybe it wasn't such a shame if she was going to eat it so quickly.

As if her lips weren't painted white, Enterprise started the conversation.

"Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Ah. It's about the Commander, actually," Atago started.

"Yes? I'm listening," she said as she took another bite.

She had nothing to lose, so she might as well get this over with quickly.

"Well, you see, I've been seeing him very often for our job, right?"

"Mhm, mhm." Enterprise hummed and nodded as she continued eating her ice cream.

She seemed to really be enjoying her ice cream. The secretary could barely tell if she had been humming in agreement or humming with joy because of how delicious the ice cream was. She didn't go mm-mm~!, but it wasn't mm-hm, either.

No matter. Enterprise was probably listening anyway, so Atago continued talking.

"And I've been spending a lot of time with him," she forced out.

"Mhm, mhm." she chewed.

"He's so kind and caring, and he takes care of all of us well," she forced out. The words seemed to be burning her up inside.

"Mhm, mhm." she chewed.

"I've… fallen in love with him," she blurted. Atago said that with such intensity that she had to close her eyes to stop herself from being too embarrassed.

But then no reply came.

That was fine, Enterprise might just be shocked.

Atago imagined the scene of Enterprise with her mouth hanging open, eyes as wide as saucers, and mouth dripping with white ice cream. She opened her eyes.

"Excuse me, can I have another vanilla ice cream?"

What greeted her was a finished cup of Enterprise's ice cream while the girl herself had gone up to order another one before she had known.

Hey.

Atago took a deep breath, closed her eyes and counted to 10.

I can't believe it…

Perhaps it was a testament to their quality service that Enterprise returned when she opened her eyes again.

"Hello, Enty. Are you enjoying your ice cream?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes, thanks for asking." Chew.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Hm?" Enterprise hummed in surprise as she continued to eat her ice cream.

She wasn't sure how Enterprise managed to pull it off but the girl was audibly chewing on her ice cream.

Atago massaged the bridge of her nose.

The secretary felt as if all the spirit in her body was leaving her, so she repeated the gist of the point in monotone.

"I'm in love with the Commander and I don't know what to do about it," she pronounced.

"Ah. Good for you?" Enterprise chewed.

Atago's eye finally twitched. It had been aching to do so for some time.

"Do you have any advice for me?"

The white-haired girl hummed. The wolf-eared girl hoped it wasn't because the ice cream was delicious.

Then the white-haired girl looked around as if the ceiling, walls, or the person at the counter had the answer to the question. Then her eyes finally landed on her.

"No? Nothing in particular, no. I don't have any experience in this subject, after all. Isn't it fine if you just jump him?"

"How is that fine!?"

The similarity between that and the Queen's advice from earlier was too striking. It felt like it was striking her.

"Well, you're a pretty girl, you spend a lot of time with him, and you look like a mom, anyway. It'd probably work out," she explained.

Atago appreciated the compliments, except maybe the part about looking like a mom.

"Doesn't looking like a mom make me old?"

"No, you look like a young mom," Enterprise said.

"Ah, I understand. That explains everything. So I should just jump him?" Atago asked, a serene, sweet and patient smile on her face.

"Yeah," Enterprise nodded and took another bite of her ice cream.

"Like hell! Why don't you try to jump him, see how easy it is!?"

The carrier tilted her head in visible confusion. "I can, but he'd probably just get annoyed. Aren't you the one spending almost all your time with him?"

That point brought Atago's pain train to a screeching halt. "Hm…"

Maybe she's right. If both the wise Queen and Enterprise are saying the same thing, maybe it's true…

Atago heaved a sigh.

Enterprise didn't get why. "What's wrong?"

"No matter how I think of it it just seems impossible. It's too scary."

Enterprise tilted her head even more. "Why? Aren't you just being a coward?"

Urgh!

"It's not that easy to be in this position, you know!"

"No, I don't know," came the reply. "I wouldn't know because I have no experience, as I just said."

Atago heaved another sigh. "Yeah, you're right."

She was at a loss on what to do.

Then more words came from Enterprise. "If it's fear or hesitation, why don't you train with me? I can help you."

Now it was Atago's turn to tilt her head. "Training?"

Of course, it wasn't a bad idea. She knew that training with the sword was as much for her mind as it was for her body.

But she had already tried that. That was the first thing she tried, but it didn't make the matter at hand any easier.

Enterprise nodded. "Training, yeah. I can help you, even if you've already tried it. I have an idea that might work."

Atago furrowed her eyebrow. "Hm… that sounds good. When should we do it?"

It was worth a shot.

Enterprise took another bite. "Tonight. After I finish this ice cream."

Tonight was quite fast, but doable. Maybe she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Atago felt the same way.

The secretary scoffed. "You really like that ice cream, don't you? You keep wolfing it down. After telling me that it was unsightly to eat it, too…"

"Hey!" Enterprise took a pause from ravaging her ice cream supply to look her in the eye. "I may have said that, but I also said that it was okay to let yourself go every once in a while! Tonight, right here, and right now is that 'once in a while' for me!"

No matter how cool what she said was, Enterprise did not look convincing saying it with her lips colored white from the ice cream.

"You have a point but I think this goes past the point of just letting yourself go…"

Enterprise didn't dignify her words with a response.

Atago gave a wry smile.

It was about 11pm.

The sun had just set under the horizon, painting the world in a nice and dark night.

It was routine for the Commander to finish his work around this time and finally go back to his apartment.

There he would take a short evening shower and sleep.

That was later. But now he was just about to leave.

Every evening he would have to cross the moonlit bridge. The view of the dark ocean below clashing against the night sky, filled with stars above, was something to be admired. There were also the skyscrapers; man's mark on the world inserting itself into the world.

It was a good scenery that anyone would be able to appreciate, he thought.

But it gets old when you see the same things, do the same things, and say the same things everyday.

If he would pick anything unusual, it would be when he saw his secretary and Enterprise arriving home together at 10pm, near curfew. They waved and he waved back, though Atago started walking faster at that moment.

Maybe he was avoiding him? Even if she was, there was nothing he stood to gain by entertaining that thought.

Now there was no one to accompany him as he walked home in the dead of the night. Cool wind brushed against his uniform like a big bad fox, banging the door for entry, and the house felt like it was about to be blown down.

The moonlit night was as beautiful as it was cold.

Shikikan heaved a sigh.

He would have wondered when he had become so sentimental as to think such thoughts, but the truth was obvious.

This wasn't anything new, and melodramatic thoughts like that always came in the night. It was like they were his very own ghosts and phantoms.

Though it stands to reason that he wasn't being that melodramatic. In the end he was only thinking that it was cold. That was true.

He was tempted to think that maybe he wouldn't be so cold if he had a friend beside him, but it wasn't as if he had anyone like that by this time. Atago would always stay behind in the base, often separating from him by 9 or 10pm to sleep.

Shikikan idly wondered when she would come back. But he supposed that he couldn't force her, and she would come back on her own time. Besides, she was a good woman and a good worker, so she probably wouldn't be taking advantage of the time to mess around or anything.

What if she was taking a break because she was tired of working for me?

If that were the case then he hoped that she would like the gift her sisters had convinced him into buying. But he digressed.

Even if he had someone like that, friends didn't magically make each other warm throughout the day. That would imply physical contact - maybe hugging - to constantly be exchanging body heat. That wasn't a friend, but a lover, or a parent.

There definitely wasn't anyone like that. The last person who was like that wasn't here.

He heaved another sigh. That was heavy. Of course he would end up thinking something like that just after he said that he wasn't thinking something so sad.

That aside, it seemed that he had reached the end of the bridge, and thereby the parking lot. It was a small, humble space, probably only enough for a handful of vehicles, with nothing built but guardrails to keep them from falling into the ocean.

The fact that his car was warmer than the world outside was also something to be thankful for, he supposed.

It was getting quite chilly, which was to be expected from the month. It was almost the end of the year.

As the car's engine roared to life, he remembered some other things in his life that happened in winter.

There was that time when he was a kid and his mother brought him to a festival. He smiled. That was definitely one of his happiest memories.

Then there was the time when he was assigned to a frontline, and the opposition decided to attack with all they had around Christmas. He frowned. That definitely wasn't one of his happiest memories. He sighed. Many of his comrades gave their lives on that battlefield.

The forest had nothing to illuminate it at this hour but his own headlights. He hoped that he wouldn't run over a squirrel or something.

Not being able to see before him, beside him, and only barely being able to see in front of him didn't really scare him. He had been living like that for a long time, after all, so why would it?

Again with the melodramaticism…

He shook his head and decided to keep his thoughts quiet just for a little while; maybe until he got back to his… apartment.

The dirt road soon gave way to concrete pavement, the silence gave way to car engines, conversation, speakers advertising their stores, and the darkness was replaced by flashing lights everywhere he looked.

But as he thought, it didn't feel so different, after all.

It was around 10:30pm.

"I want you to slice my planes as they come," Enterprise yelled at her from far away. "Zuikaku has been able to keep up with this so you should too!"

It felt like she said that just to provoke her a little bit.

"Okay, are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

Enterprise called out to her from her place about 50 meters away, and she answered.

"I'll start now!"

"Roger that!"

The moonlit night was not just lit by the moon anymore, but also from the fire Atago was under from Enterprise's airplanes that were flying straight towards her.

The green valley they were on was also illuminated with those fiery lights.

But that wasn't what Atago was seeing.

Right now, all she was seeing was red, and faint plane-shaped silhouettes of something coming after her.

It was coming after her really fast.

So fast, in fact, that she accidentally thought that she wouldn't be able to raise her sword in time, and ended up taking an airplane to the face, knocking her back a few meters.

"Are you okay!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Fire again when you're ready!"

Thank God she was a heavy cruiser, equipped with good armor and health.

"Okay, here I go!"

"Roger!"

The second plane came.

It came just as fast as Atago was able to think that thought, and ended up also hitting her in the face.

"I'll go again!"

That fast!?

Alright, alright. She had this.

It wasn't a difficult idea. All she had to do was cut the planes as they came.

For that to happen, she would have to stop thinking entirely and rely on her body's instinct.

Atago took a deep breath, just as the plane was fired from Enty's bow.

Time itself seemed to slow down. She saw the angle the plane was approaching from, and without thinking a single word, drew her blade, cut it, then sheathed her blade again.

It was a success.

But she had no time to celebrate her success.

"Excellent work! I'm firing more now!"

Instantly dismissing the thought that Enterprise might be enjoying this more than she was, she took another deep breath and readied herself without replying.

She didn't need to think because deep inside, she already knew.

Perhaps it was the body's instinct, or perhaps it was her very soul, if she had it, perceiving and telling her what to do.

The moonlit night was lit by the moon, war planes, flashes of fire, and arcs of light.

It was about 11:15pm.

The day had been long, the sun had long since set, and the Commander was longing for bed.

He entered his apartment as every muscle in his body screamed for sleep. Not like they were strained or torn or anything; just sleepy.

About his apartment, one couldn't really call it dinky or shabby. It was a very modest apartment, that was for sure, but it was decent.

The fact that there were no cockroaches crawling around in this big of a building was something to be thankful for.

The space itself was big enough to house him comfortably, and he couldn't ask for more than that.

So Shikikan took a quick shower and brushed his teeth.

He idly thought of a trend discussed in many movies and novels, and how it applied to him.

The idea that everyone plays roles.

This held true for him, though not as much for anyone else.

Perhaps another person might have many roles to play. Father, lover, friend, employee, etcetera.

Son, student, president, friend, etcetera.

Something like a regular office man or billionaire by day, and a superhero by night.

But the same didn't hold true for him.

By day he was the Commander, yeah. But what was he by night?

By night, he was Shikikan. By night he was still the Commander. That was just a fact of his life.

As he was putting on his pajamas while pondering that fact, his phone rang.

A message this late? It must be the higher-ups…

He tapped the device to switch it on. What he saw surprised him.

Atago: I'll be back to work tomorrow morning, Shikikan. See you. :) 3

He wasn't so surprised in that he didn't have much of an overt reaction, but that might have just been because of how late it was.

But he was surprised. First, that Atago would message him this late at night when most of their other texts had been during the day.

Second, that she used a heart emoji. She had never done that before, either.

But, he considered as he stretched, it probably wasn't a big deal for her. Girls tended to use that a lot just because they were girls. Now, it was time to sleep.

Shikikan let himself smile a little as he sent a sticker that said "YES" and typed out a good night message. At least he would get to see Atago again by tomorrow.