An average among specials

by Dasmara

...Have I ever imagined how this war looks like through the eyes of the ship girls? Our commanders? No, I saw this war, experienced it and lived through it in this normal human body of mine with average natural talent equipped with rifle in hand as I battled the Sirens...How long would I survive in this war? Don't know, but I'm down for the ride to the end, one way or another.

12. Social Link

…The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes are the fact that there are floating blue screens around my vision with words! What the hell is this?! I immediately suspected that Nyx must've done something to me! I looked around for a bit and noted that I'm back on the hospital, again…Wonder what diagnose Vestal would come up with that sharp headache that I experienced, but I suppose I can wait until someone come and check me up…These screens, let's shut my eyes and looked at it carefully…Okay, the ones on the top left is a blue horizontal bar, it has a heart mark underneath it with some numbers to its right side. It must be something akin to a heartbeat per minute indicator judging from the fact that it remained consistent around sixty and seventy, I was feeling calm despite this whole screen around my vision! Next to the heartbeat, there's a water symbol with number 4.7 liters…is that…the current amount of blood I have? Huh…I can just monitor my status quickly with this indicator…

Moving on…there's another thing on my upper right side of my vision, there are words that's appearing and kept going up before disappearing on the edge of my vision. I tried to read some of the words…Hmm…Room temperature around twenty five degrees celsius, humidity around five percent, location is Point Azure hospital room…analysis ready…what? What does that mean? I looked to the bottom left part and noted that there's a faint box with blue arrowhead in the middle pointing up…Let me guess, is this some kind of map? If it is, then my life could be a bit easier whenever I'm feeling lost. But I noticed that there's missing parts on the display. There's only one small bar on top of the arrowhead…I looked ahead and noted that there's a wall in front of me and hospital binders to my left and right…Oh I see, maybe it will only record the map whenever I put my eyes on the wall of a room? Or even the whole room…

Wait…why am I so calm about this? I'm supposed to go into hyperventilation and panicking that somehow my eyes are fucked up or something…But, I think I know why…I did thought that I couldn't do this without some kind of help, Nyx must've read my mind at that time…To be honest, this is not the kind of help I was thinking about…but, I guess it's better than getting nothing at all while being told to save the world…I'm…just not that good to believe I could do it myself…

"…It's a start" I muttered to myself.

"Ah, Corporal Wallace?" I heard someone called my name…must be Vestal.

"Huh? Vestal? Is that you?" I asked her and surely enough she appeared before me from behind the curtains seconds later.

"Yes…how are you feeling?" Vestal asked me while she smiled.

"Strangely, I felt fine" I said to Vestal as I sit up on the bed.

"Is that so…You suddenly lose consciousness few minutes after touching that Wisdom Cube, we speculate that The Sirens did something to you…But so far, all test prove that you're fine. There's nothing wrong with your body from the examination result…let me ask you one more time, are you sure you feel fine?" Vestal asked me once again while she smiled.

…Should I tell her about these…screens floating on my vision? What would her reaction be? Will she try to dissect me? Lock me up for being possibly compromised by Siren technology? More importantly, how will this affect my life as a marine on this base? Surely they will try to experiment on me to test this technology…Vestal is a good woman, she would never do something that could harm her patients, right? No…if it's up to me, I would definitely lock the people that experienced something like I did if they ever tell me about this. It's just too dangerous, it's like I'm playing with a loaded gun and I fiddled with its barrel pointing at my head without knowing where the trigger is…better be safe than sorry…

"Yes I feel fine now" I said to Vestal while I smiled a bit.

"Okay then…I suppose you want to know how long you lose your consciousness" Vestal said to me.

"…That I do…let me guess, two days?" I asked Vestal.

"Surprisingly, only a day. It is an improvement compared to your latest attempt in getting hospitalized" Vestal said to me while she smiled...

"Oh…well, I'm fine now. Can I go?" I asked Vestal.

"…Since you didn't feel anything wrong, yeah sure. But as soon as you noticed that there's something wrong with yourself, find me immediately. Got it?" Vestal said to me with serious face.

"Yes ma'am" I said to Vestal.

"Good. You may leave, try to take it easy for the day" Vestal said to me while she smiled.

"Got it…Oh, by the way, would you happen to know where Sergeant Walker is?" I asked Vestal.

"Ah, him. He's on room 1024, just few rooms to the right from here" Vestal said to me.

"Thanks" I said to Vestal as I nodded.

I got off from bed and started stretching for a bit, I noticed that I'm still dressed in my BDU…I walked out of the room I was in and I immediately headed right to find room 1024 in just seconds, I steeled myself before I entered the room and came face to face with a crowd of people. They're my squad members, Sullivan, Maximus, Gideon, Archer, all of them dressed in their winter BDU and they all simultaneously looked at the entrance where I just come in. Needless to say, all of them looked surprised.

"Here I thought you kicked the bucket already!" Sullivan said to me while he smiled.

"You know that I'm not that easy to kill" I said to Sullivan as I approached them.

"Haha! That you are, mate!" Sullivan said to me while he grinned.

"You sure you're okay, sir?" Gideon asked me.

"Yeah, I feel fine" I said to Gideon.

"Good to see you're up, sir" Maximus said to me.

"Likewise…where is he?" I asked Maximus.

"Looking for me, Wallace?" I heard someone said to me.

The squad parted and shown me Walker who laid on top of the bed. His right arm is nowhere to be seen and his entire body is bandaged, despite that, the man smiled at me as I walked closer. Briefly, the screens on my vision acted up, identifying each member by their name and rank before focusing on Walker. There's a new screen that popped up, it give me the details of Walker's injury and current state…amputated right arm, third degree burn damage to his torso and…unstable emotion? Depression? Huh? How the screens predicted that? I got my answer instantly because the screen shown me the extent of body language read simplified into words…Hunched back, dead eyes, etcetera equals to mild depression…

"Walker" I said his name.

"…It's good to know you're alright, son" Walker said to me while he smiled bitterly.

"I wish the same could be said to you" I said to Walker while I frowned.

"Yeah, eating would be a workout from now on…shit happens, there's nothing we could do about it" Walker said to me.

"…What happens now?" I asked Walker.

"I'll be discharged from active service in around a week, Point Azure has no need for a grunt who can't fight in the front. Before you speak regarding anything I can do on the base, no, I don't have such expertise…being a soldier is the only thing I ever good at" Walker said to me while he frowned in sad tone...

"How about back home, sergeant? Is there anything you can do?" Archer asked Walker.

"…My cousin owns a farm on West Virginia. Maybe I could choose to work there instead…I don't know what can I do yet given my skill set, but it's a start" Walker said to Archer.

"Yeah, it'll be a lot harder to search for a job yourself" Gideon said to Walker.

"…Not going to lie, it sucks…but there's no point in dwelling on what could happen if I did this or that…no point…while you are all here, I have something important I want to say" Walker said out loud.

"What is it?" Sullivan asked Walker.

"The five of you will have to fight together from now on, I want all of you to stick together no matter what. On the battlefield, you can't afford any division within the squad…On the battlefield, you are brothers in arms, you fight together, you go home together…All of you will have different opinions on one another, but don't let that prevent you from working together…Being together as one unit, is your best bet when you're out there" Walker said out loud with serious face.

…Sullivan and I already know this, we've been in the field for months and we know that working together is our best bet. He's saying this to all of us but I know that he's actually saying this for the three new guys, he wouldn't be able to guide them anymore so he want to get this message across before he left…When we get our new commanding officer, we don't want him or her to be frustrated with the division within this squad. Sullivan and I would work together without a hitch, he and I have always partnered up whenever we got a job to do. While we don't always agree with one another off duty, we know the stakes when it comes to our mission as an Azur Lane Marine. Gideon, Maximus, Archer, those three will require some kind of bonds to secure this rough patch we call interpersonal relationship…

"Am I clear?" Walker asked out loud.

"Sir" Sullivan said to Walker.

"Yes sir" Maximus said to Walker.

"Understood" Gideon said to Walker.

"Roger that sir" Archer said to Walker.

"Got it…" I said to Walker.

"Wallace...I entrust them to you…I know you wouldn't let me down, son" Walker said to me…

"…I'm never big fan of expectation, sergeant" I said to Walker honestly.

"Well, being minority among us is a bitch. You know that people will always expect you for something, no matter what or how small it is" Walker said to me while he smiled a bit.

…Yeah…he do have a point…I turned my head around my squadmates, Sullivan smiled confidently at me, maybe because he agreed with Walker. Maximus stared at me with solemn face, Gideon kept his face flat as usual but he nodded in agreement nonetheless, and Archer? Well, he didn't show any reaction…here I thought that he would be the easiest to read since he's quite expressive, guess I was wrong…Regardless, I guess Walker really trust me that much. He wouldn't put Fireteam Icarus under my command as soon as we head into Ceres Town if he didn't trust me, I'm surprised he still did after getting half of my fireteam killed previously.

"So take care of these boys, Wallace" Walker said to me while he smiled a bit.

"Sir yes sir!" I said to Walker as I saluted at him.

.

"Due to his vigilance in the face of adversary, his sense of duty to accomplish the mission at hand and his actions throughout the battle of Ceres Town, we hereby agreed to promote Corporal Alexander Wallace into the rank of Sergeant. Furthermore, we award him the silver star for his action, wear them with pride…Congratulations Wallace-san" Nobuyuki said to me while he smiled…

"You will also become the new leader for Daedalus Squad from today onwards, Wallace. We expect you to keep doing your best" Ambrose said to me with serious face.

…I am at loss for words, honestly! I thought that being called to the commander's office alongside Gordon would be because I'm going to meet the new sergeant for our squad! Since I'm second in command, it would be up to me to get the new leader up to speed regarding our members and situation but no! I am the new sergeant! So woohoo to paycheck raise and whoa shite to the new responsibilities! Okay, well, admittedly, I should've seen this coming. Gordon surely would like to leave someone he's known in charge of Daedalus, with Walker's gone, now it's up to me…I received a small box with silver star medal inside it from Ambrose, I saluted at the man and vice versa.

"I know you had it in you" Ambrose said to me as he lowered his arm.

"What do you mean, sir?" I asked Ambrose as I lowered my arm.

"I'm sure you know what I mean…Now, Gordon, we need to talk. Wallace, you stay as well" Ambrose said out loud.

"What do you want to talk about, Cal?" Gordon asked Ambrose…

"Nobuyuki and I have talked regarding your unit, we'd like to train them into a special force of Point Azure" Wait what?!

"Special Force of Point Azure? That's the first time I heard about this" Gordon said to Ambrose as he pursed his lips.

"Yes, because we only come up with it not too long ago…The goal is to form a specialized unit that could do commando level of action against the Sirens, comprised of people from various backgrounds. Sabotage, infiltration, assassination, those kind of fieldwork. We have drafted several platoon that we deem suitable for retraining, no matter how average their performance are" Ambrose said that out loud as his eyes sneak a glance at me…cheeky bastard.

"They may have average combat records, but all the candidates we picked have the potential…Needless to say, your platoon is one of the prime candidate material we have" Nobuyuki said to Gordon while he smiled.

"Assassination? If what you mean is assassinating Siren KANSENs, can we really do that without the aid of field gun?" Gordon asked Nobuyuki as he frowned.

"We're trying to develop the necessary tool at the moment, our scientist alongside Ms. Akashi and Ms. Yuubari have been working around the clock to come up with a device that could kill a KANSEN…So far, they only manage to come up with one that could knock a KANSEN out. It's still on blueprint as well so assassination is a long shot" Ambrose said to Gordon.

Something that could outright kill a KANSEN and could be wielded by ordinary humans? Why do I sense that wouldn't be the smartest idea that I've heard, if it falls into the wrong hands…killing a KANSEN…If they die, would we be able to have more? The Wisdom Cube are said to be the soul of the KANSEN, if they are killed, would the core be destroyed as well? If the core survived, could they be brought back to this world? I don't know the answer to those questions, I'm just afraid of the following consequences in having something that powerful. Sure it's effective against Siren KANSEN, but what about ours? They are more vulnerable with the existence of that weapon!

"Assassination is out of the window for now, huh" Gordon muttered out loud.

"Yes. Capturing one might be possible, or, using the device and let our KANSEN deal with them…at least, the KANSEN rampage that happened few weeks ago would be easier to quell if it happen again" Ambrose said to Gordon while he frowned.

"Cal, you really think that Phobos is the right candidate? We just got hit pretty hard few days ago, we're down to half our numbers" Gordon said to Ambrose while he frowned.

"Number is irrelevant Gordon, you're going to do it" Ambrose said to Gordon with serious face.

"…I can't talk our way out of this huh?" Gordon asked out loud while he smiled bitterly.

"No, I'm sure you'll understand the necessity of this unit without me having to go into details" Ambrose said to Gordon with serious face.

"Yeah…you don't…our unit still has new recruits, can't you wait for a bit until they gain sufficient experience?" Gordon asked Ambrose.

"Ah, you're mistaken to think we'll implement this immediately, Beckett-san. No, we're going to start the training around spring or early summer. Your unit is not the only one who has new recruits, we also think it would be beneficial to let the recruits ease down for now" Nobuyuki explained to Gordon while he smiled.

"Oh, that's good then. Give us few months, I'll make sure they are ready by the time the training start" Gordon said to Nobuyuki with serious face.

"Good. In the meantime, we will reduce the amount of work your unit has to go through. Unless there's a really bad situation, Phobos Platoon should hang back for a bit" Ambrose said to Gordon.

"Wait, Gordon want us to gain the experience, then why wouldn't we deploy in case there's a situation?" I asked Ambrose.

"Like I said, unless something really bad happen, Phobos will not be deployed. What I mean by that is that Phobos would not be deployed as reconnaissance or vanguard unit, you will come as the reinforcement should something happen. Phobos have that much value now…" Ambrose said to me with serious face.

"…Why do I sense that doesn't exempt us from other job?" Gordon asked Ambrose while he frowned.

"Ahahahaha! Well, you saw through that. Yes, your unit still has to do patrols and other odd jobs around the base. We figure that should keep you busy during the day" Nobuyuki said to Gordon after he laughed…

"Huh…that include anything you two might need help with?" Gordon asked Nobuyuki while he smiled bitterly.

"Precisely" Nobuyuki said to Gordon while he smiled.

"Wonderful…" Gordon said out loud…I could feel the sarcasm dripping from his tone alone.

"Well, I think that's all for now. You two are free to go" Ambrose said to both of us.

Both Gordon and I saluted at the both of them then exited the office that are located on the admin building, the both of us immediately make our way to the stairs…So, we'll be exempted from being a vanguard or reconnaissance force so no more going in blind like we did in the past. But, we still have to be guards and helpers…well, beats being thrown into the grinder as disposable meat bag, I'll take this compared to being thrown into something like Ceres Town. Still, when Gordon said that we'll be working closely with the commanders of this base in the past, I didn't thought that will extend into something like their personal helpers. I just hope those two wouldn't have any unreasonable task for us…I heard Gordon sighed as he leaned on the wall near the stairwell, seems like he has a lot in mind. Me as well, after what the two leader dumped on us, we really need to take all those info in.

"…Lieutenant?" I asked Gordon as I looked at him.

"Wallace, have you ever think we're just keep getting ourselves into more troublesome situation?" Gordon asked me…hmmm…

"Now that you mention it, yeah" I said to Gordon while I frowned a bit.

"Heh, so I'm not the only one who think like that…I think it's fitting, the more we survive the more hardened we get, and the more hardened we get? The more shit will be thrown at us…That's just the fate of anyone who proved that they can handle things, I kind of understand why you insistent on saying that you're just an average soldier now" Gordon said to me, he really said it well. But…

"To be honest, I'm just saying the truth about myself" Yeah, I didn't think that far.

"But my word doesn't stray far from how you feel about the said matters, right?" Gordon asked me.

…Have to be honest, regulars like us wouldn't have the responsibility as big as a special force unit. Maybe we'll be thrown into the frontline, told to 'hold this position!' or 'capture this sector!' or 'destroy this or destroy that!' and maybe even 'kill anything that doesn't resemble a normal fucking human!'…I do feel that a step up to special force unit would've improved myself in all aspect like skills, accessible equipment, status and even payment. I felt content with what I currently have in my life…well…not anymore…not because I want it, but because what will happen if I don't act…

"Yeah, it's not" I said to Gordon.

"…We'll be experiencing this war to its fullest, Wallace. Are you prepared for that?" Gordon asked me with serious face.

"Not in the slightest" I said to Gordon without missing a beat, I really don't.

"Good, honest, answer, I like that…we'll have to prepare as best as we can, I don't want you or the others to die so you better do what you can to improve yourself" Gordon said to me while he smiled.

"Yes sir" I said to Gordon while I nodded.

"…I'm going back to Delta, what about you?" Gordon asked me.

"Free time for me, I think I'll stay for a while" I said to Gordon.

"Alright then. Don't do anything stupid, you just got promoted" Gordon said to me while he smiled a bit.

"I just got paycheck raise, of course not" I said to Gordon while I smirked a bit.

Gordon only smiled before he throw a mock salute then turned around to leave the main compound, I stared at his retreating figure for a bit before I also turned around and head for the other direction…I walked around the compound to clear my head for a bit, not that what happened distressed me, I just want some time to take it in…Special Forces of Point Azure, a specialized commando unit to deal against Sirens. First special unit designed to deal with alien force on this world? Maybe…Am I really fit to be one? I shook my head for a bit, remember what Nyx said to you Alex, you wouldn't get anywhere with that kind of mentality! When you got no drive? Fine! It's alright to think that becoming special force would be quite the hassle! The training and responsibilities would be quite bothersome so being a regular would suit you just fine!

But how can I still think like that after what I saw back then? I literally saw the future if I might be so bold! I am cursed with that knowledge on what will happen if I didn't do anything! I don't know anyone who might be able to ignore that kind of vision…I still could see their faces at their last moment or ultimate fate, the KANSENs, with all their might and power could still end up like that…If it's up to me to save them, am I the chosen one? Even with these screens floating on my vision, I find it hard to believe that the fate of the entire war or even the fate of humanity are up to me. How can one man, one ordinary man, change the fate of the world? Sheer willpower and determination? It'll be useless without action and I don't even know where to start with this task!

What to do…how can I start preparing for those events? How do you even prepare for something like this? What are the signs that it will happen soon? No matter how much I think about it, I got no clue to pursue at the moment…Best thing to do for now would be to improve myself, to make sure that I could survive anything thrown at me, you can't save the world if you're dead…Thinking about all of this is making me hungry, I better get something to eat…Okay, I doubt there would be anyone crazy enough to open street food vendor in the middle of winter so I better head to canteen…Oh wait, I have to pay if I'm not on duty…Shite, it's still the closest place to eat so it's better to cough up some dosh than going back to Delta Site.

[Meowficer detected]

[10 meters]

I started walking to the canteen but I stopped when a small screen shown up in front of me. Meowficer? The hell is that? Just as I contemplate those words, something landed in front of me…It's like a chubby round white cat, with four cute small limbs and wearing some kind of attributes such as military officer cap and some kind of tie on its neck? Wait…meow…ficer? Cat officer? Is this the thing that caused the screen to notify me? What is this thing? It's unlike any cat I've ever seen before, I do admit that it looks cute. The meowficer stared at me, it tilted its head for a bit as if to look at me in wonder…Huh, why do I get a feeling that this thing knows about-

"Jiromaru! Please come back here!" A female suddenly shouted out loud.

The meowficer looked startled, looked back for split second before making mad dash then jump to the nearby woods…someone approached from a building to my right and what do you know, it's Algerie herself! She frowned as she looked at the spot in front of me that has paw prints that are left by that meowficer, she then noticed that I stood nearby and her face shifted toward me. When she saw me, her lips curled upwards.

"Ah, Wallace! I'm glad to see that you're fine!" Algerie said to me while she smiled a bit.

"Hello Ms. Algerie…Are you chasing that meowficer?" I asked Algerie while I smiled a bit.

"I am-. Eh? How do you know its name? It's a prototype…" …FUCK!

"…You know, cat like creature with officer attributes? Feels kind of fitting to give meowficer as a name" I said to Algerie while I smiled.

"Yeah…I'm surprised that you manage to get it right in one go though" Algerie said to me while she frowned a bit.

"I-It's just a total coincidence" I said to Algerie while I smiled.

…OH FUCK! I just realized one fatal thing that I should have kept in mind! I got to keep the fact that there might be something confidential spoiled at me because of these screens! I have to pretend to be dumb whenever I encounter new things, better be like that than having to explain myself like this again! Algerie kept staring at me for a bit before she shrugged, she seemed to believe me at least or at least choose to overlook this for the moment…and damn, judging from the time it took for her to be convinced over something small like a slip in a conversation, Algerie is pretty sharp and shouldn't be taken lightly even during social encounters!

"…Did you see where it run away to?" Algerie asked me.

"I saw it went to the woods over there" I said to Algerie as I pointed at the woods.

"I see. Hey, do you mind helping me out? Those meowficers could be quite agile, we might have to flank it before we can catch it" Algerie asked me while she smiled.

"Sure" I said to Algerie as I started walking.

"Merci" Algerie said to me as she followed closely behind me.

"…If it's a prototype and supposedly in development, what's your role in the program, Ms. Algerie? Are you one of the developers?" I asked Algerie as we entered the woods.

"Ah no, I am accompanying Cardinal Richelieu. She wants to look at the meowficers closely, she's quite interested in them and so do I" Algerie said to me while she smiled a bit.

"I see. They do look cute" I said to Algerie.

"Aren't they!? Aww! What wouldn't I give to have one as my personal pet!" Algerie said to me in excited tone while she smiled widely.

"What's wrong? You can't have one?" I asked Algerie as I looked at her.

"Well, they're military asset and they are made to help us in combat. Besides, they need to be taken care off in special facility. It's the building that it just escaped from" Algerie said to me while she frowned a bit.

"Oh is that so…Well, here we are. Let's track it" I said to Algerie.

We're in the snowy woods, the place where that meowficer just run off to. With snow this thick, we could use the tracks it left behind to zero in on it…I wonder if this special technology I recently acquire could help me in tracking the meowficer?

[Stalking Mode Enabled]

[Please designate target]

…As if it could read my mind…wait, I experienced sharp headache before I lost consciousness, does this thing mess with my head? Is that why it can read my thoughts? Nyx did touched my head before…is that the time where he put whatever this power on me? I'm just going to assume that yes he did, this isn't the time to think about something like that as I have to help Algerie…I found a set of paw prints on the snow and I stopped walking, I crouched down and looked at the print closely…

[Meowficer footprints]

[0.3 meters]

[Approximate age 1 minute]

It is the footprint and apparently this thing could even tell the age of the print? Holy shite, how does that work? I can actually tell from the depth it makes on the snow but I have to look at the print closely and even I can't tell the age that accurately, I would just mark it as a fresh print…This is quite useful in case I have to hunt something…I looked around to the sides and that's when another screen pops out in my vision.

[Meowficer footprints]

[5.1 meters]

[Approximate age 1 minute]

"…This way" I said to Algerie.

"You know where it went?" Algerie asked me.

"The tracks on the ground will show us. Follow me and stay quiet" I said to Algerie.

"Okay" Algerie said to me.

We walked in slow pace while following the meowficer paw prints, I kept looking around to see where it gone off to and every few meters there would be new pop up on my screen that notify me on the next paw prints…I could detect the prints as soon as my vision goes toward its general direction, all I have to do is to look around and the screen would notify me immediately. So, as long the prints are within my field of vision then it will be marked…After walking around for a bit, I heard some rustling coming from nearby area so I raised my left fist. Algerie immediately stopped, but when I looked at her, I could clearly saw her confusion…Oh, she must be wondering why I raised my fist as I suddenly stopped moving, maybe the KANSENs aren't taught about military hand signs. But well, she got the message one way or another.

"I heard something" I said to Algerie in low tone.

[Meowficer detected]

[15 meters]

"It must be close" Algerie said to me in low tone.

"Yeah. Now the hunt begins" I said to Algerie in low tone.

I carefully surveyed the area in front of me slowly, trying to notice at anything that resembled a cat or let the screen work by directing my vision everywhere. True enough, not too long after I looked around, a screen popped on my vision and indicate that the meowficer is hiding inside a bush. The tail is barely visible between the snows but it's enough to get notified by me. I motioned Algerie to come closer, she did exactly that and stood beside me. I pointed my finger toward the bush where the meowficer is located and I motioned her to stay on this position, I'll be the one who will lead it to Algerie…I kept my footstep as light as possible, hunched my posture and walked to circle the bush where the meowficer is located. After spending around two minutes walking stealthily around the bush, I'm finally in position to strike…I looked at Algerie and gave her an 'okay' hand sign, one which she returned immediately. Without further ado, I jumped toward the bush, causing the meowficer to move in surprise and immediately jumped toward Algerie's waiting arms.

"Aww come here! You silly little thing, I'm not going to hurt you! Please stop struggling! Come on!" Algerie said out loud.

I stood up, dusted the snows off my clothes and stared at Algerie who's struggling to keep the meowficer between her hands and chest, the poor kitty kept struggling for some reason. I don't know about him, but if it was me, I'd definitely remain still if I'm being hugged by her especially with my face buried between those large twin milk jugs…Okay Alex, that was uncalled for, keep your desire in check for fuck sake…

"Now what?" I asked Algerie.

"Let's take it back to the building-. Oh dear! Really, you just won't stay still!" Algerie said to me before she's back struggling to hold the meowficer.

"It seems afraid of you for some reason" I commented as I watched.

"Yes and I don't even know what I did wrong! I cuddled and played with him just fine not too long ago!" Algerie said to me.

…Hmm, was she being too rough? Cats won't like it when you're too rough with them. It makes sense if the meowficer becomes afraid of Algerie if she cuddled or played too hard with him…I walked toward Algerie and hold the meowficer with my hands, then I plucked it out of Algerie's hands. As soon as I did it, the meowficer calmed down and he stared at me, it looks like my suspicion is correct…

"Ms. Algerie, you can't be too rough when handling a cat. They got uncomfortable easily and they don't like it when being handled like a plushy by someone they just met" I said to Algerie.

"Uh…is that so…" Algerie said to me while she smiled VERY bitterly! I hit the nail, didn't I?

"Yeah. I understand that he's cute, but some restraint would do him some good" I said to Algerie.

I stroke the meowficer for a bit to calm him down, then I offered him back to Algerie. This time, Algerie approached him carefully and then hold the meowficer gently in her arms…see? It works…Algerie smiled as she stared at the meowficer, then she motioned me to follow her and the both of us left the woods after completing our objective…I walked toward the meowficer building? I don't know what to call it, I'm just following Algerie's lead for now. We entered the said building and what do you know…the interior looks colorful, it's like a cat café or something! There are bunch of meowficers could be seen around the room we are in, there's some chasing one another, there's few that's eating something and there are even few that are just laying around lazily…heh, typical cats. Watching them is quite amusing though, there's just something about cat's behavior and action that could make me watch them for hours.

"Where did he go nya?"

"To the nearby woods. I'm sorry, my poor self-control resulted in him running away"

"Maa, all is well if you manage to bring him back here nya. So, why did you bring a marine with you, nya?"

"Ah, he's the one who helped me caught Jiromaru. He's Alexander Wallace"

"Unya? That Raion Haato"

"You know about his nickname?"

"Mochiron nya! There's no rumor on this base that I didn't know nya!"

"Is that so…by the way, where's Cardinal Richelieu?"

"Shikikan want to talk with her so she's heading for his office right now"

"Oh, well, I guess I'm free at the moment. I'll play with those cuties for a while then! Kyaa! Bugles~! Come here~!"

"…Oi, Wallace-kun"

Eh? Did someone called my name? I turned around and looked down a bit, there's a small girl from Sakura with topaz eyes and green hair accompanied with cat ears staring at me. Who is she? I have no idea in the slightest regarding who she is but judging with the fact that she's smirking at me at the moment…I have a slight feeling that I should tread lightly here. But still, this is the first time I've seen her and I've been here for quite a while…Who is she?

[Subject: IJN Akashi]

"You called?" I asked Akashi.

"Hai. Say, where did you shop for your necessities, Wallace-kun?" Akashi asked me.

"…Delta site do have convenience store" I answered, that's a strange opening for a conversation.

"Naruhodo…Wallace-kun, I might be able to offer better item selection than the convenience store around the base. Akashi has wares, if you got the coin, nya" Akashi said to me while she grinned.

"Better item selection?" I asked Akashi as I cocked my eyebrows.

"Hai, let's just say that I sell a lot of things, including exotic items that won't be sold on anywhere else around this base nya. I could even give you discount if you become continuous patron of mine, nya" Akashi said to me while she smirked.

"…Does the other soldiers know about this?" I asked Akashi while I folded my arms.

"Nah, even though everyone can buy stuff on my shop, the more exotic items are limited to certain people only nya" Akashi said to me.

"…I don't even know you. What do you gain from promoting that privilege to a stranger like me?" …Better throw in the chips now.

"Kukukuku…Ah Wallace-kun, I'm a business woman, I can sense that we will get along quite well" Akashi said to me.

…Felt like I'm being scammed at the moment, but well, a KANSEN who's trying to sell me something? Hmm, now that I think about it, what are the items that she usually sell? Not many soldiers or military personnel that I've heard ever shop on the KANSENs store, even those who did? I never managed to find who actually does and asking around for the info seems to be quite the hassle. Regardless, there's a chance in front of me now and my heart told me to take it…

"…You know, I don't trust you. You must have some kind of ulterior motives…But, I guess window shopping for now wouldn't hurt" I said to Akashi while I frowned a bit.

"Excellent choice nya! Let's get straight to business! Algerie-san, could you watch this place for a bit nya?" Akashi asked Algerie.

"Sure! I'd love to!" Algerie said to Akashi in happy tone…she do love cats.

"Arigatou~! Now, follow me" Akashi said to Algerie then to me.

Heheh, I'd like to see what would happen if the cat loving Algerie mess with Akashi here who looked like a cat herself, it will be a hilarious scene I'm not going to regret seeing…But anyway, I decided to follow Akashi out of the building, we walked through the main compound, almost to the opposite side where we have been. Throughout the way, I could see that there are lots of KANSENs playing outdoor for some reason. Snowball fights, building snowman or just sat together on the benches throughout the round park with golden anchor statue in the middle. Hmm, maybe the academy is having a day off? Good on them I guess, I also like to do nothing but having fun once in a while. Being on the job 24/7 sucks…Akashi led me to a building near the beach, we entered through the front door and I am immediately faced with the interior of a shop. Rows of shelves filled with goods are all over the shop, though at closer look, most of the items are…feminine products. Perfume? Beauty products? Oh, there are books of varying topics…Hmm? Looks like some fitness equipment over there, hygiene products and TAMPONS?! The KANSENs menstruate as well? I just know that...

"Welcome nya!" Akashi said to me while she smiled.

"Huh, you do sell a lot of stuff…mostly feminine products" I said to Akashi as I looked around.

"The main compound's population are consisted of KANSENs, what do you expect nya?" Akashi asked me with 'obviously!' tone

"Right…" I said to Akashi as I kept looking around.

"The other shop is further in the back, come on" Akashi said to me.

I followed Akashi to the backside of the store, after going through the counters in the front I entered through the door that leads toward the further interior of the building. What I saw in front of me is what everyone could categorize as a workshop and storage area in one, equipment and tools could be seen all over the store and there are several items that I didn't recognize being stored on metal racks or displayed on table. Is this her personal working space? Then, did she make all of these items? Bloody hell that cat is a genius or some sort!

"…This is a workshop" I commented as I looked around.

"Hai and I also sell stuff here, different ones than the tame products in the front…But, that's not the only reason why I brought you here nya" Akashi said to me…I knew it.

"Oh?" I asked Akashi as I folded my arms.

"Our mutual friend want us to meet nya. I think you will need some explanation regarding those floating screens, am I right?" Huh?!

"H-How did you-" I asked Akashi with my eyes widened.

"Like she said, we do have a mutual friend" I heard someone's voice from behind me!

That caused me to swiftly turn around, took out my M1911, set the safety off and aimed at whoever the hell is behind me! I am immediately faced with a two meter tall creature with black metallic armor and slanted blue visor on its head…Who am I kidding!? It's Nyx himself! How the hell did he manage to get in here without being detected?! A military base that are heavily guarded as Point Azure would have very little blind spot to go through and the fact that this man manage to make it into the main compound without raising the alarm immediately set off my own alarm inside my head! How did he manage to get a drop on me?! I didn't hear any footsteps! Oh, if Zara couldn't detect him when he's standing in the open like before then our ordinary soldiers would have no chance! Just what kind of magic did this arsehole use?!

"You really are quite paranoid regarding you backside security" Nyx said to me as he folded his arms.

"Nyx!" I said his name as I lowered my gun.

"Hey, miss me already, mate?" Nyx asked me.

"This is a heavily guarded military base! How did you manage to get in here?!" I asked Nyx immediately.

"Magic" Nyx said to me while he shrugged…

"…I detect sarcasm" I said to Nyx with my eyes half closed.

"No, really, magic. Though, I'll short circuit your brain if I try to explain it so let's put that aside for now" Nyx said to me in amused tone.

…After all he did? I inclined to believe him, what he did are basically magic in my eyes. If he can give me visions, transport me to somewhere else at the drop of a hat and even managed to show up here without triggering any alarm then safe to say magic element might not be far from fetch…His armor, the technology he wields, it all screams otherworldly to me. What are the chances that he's a man from another world? I've read few novels with that kind of plot, someone coming from the future and get stuck in our current era…If Nyx is indeed someone from the future, did he came from the one where the future is desolated? One where I didn't do anything? I can't imagine where he came from a future where everything is alright, why would he meddle with ours then?

"While you're here, what did you do to me? These screens in my vision, what are they?" I asked Nyx while I frowned, let's clear this up bit by bit.

"My gift to you. You don't feel any confidence that you can do this task without some kind of help, that's why I decided to 'revise' some of my decisions. That includes getting you someone that can help" Nyx said to me…He must've read my mind…still…

"…You're awfully quick to change your mind" I said to Nyx, because it's not been that long since then!

"What can I say? When you have to fight wars on multiple fronts, you have to be flexible…But enough about that, you want to know what I gifted to you, right? Well, it's a prototype technology that has gone through long development process compromised of trial and error mixed with sweat and blood of scientists" Nyx said to me in overdramatic tone…

"That's some overdramatic description, but you're not wrong nya" Akashi quipped as she rummaged through her cupboard behind the counter.

"Wait, how did you even get her on board?" I asked Nyx, how the hell did he manage to get a KANSEN to help him?

"Anyway, the name is Project Artificial Neuro Augmented Reality Interface System or ANARIS for short. It's a device that I implanted on your brain that projects heads up display to your retinas directly. It will inform you about your health condition, provide you with local map display, give additional information against any threat to you, help in analyzing stuff and even enhance your vision…ANARIS is packed with features despite its experimental state…Ah. But show, don't tell, am I right? Let's test that feature shall we? Try thinking that you want to analyze something" Nyx ignored my question and described this gift that he gave to me...

…ANARIS…that's the name of the thing that have been implanted in my brain? While I do appreciate the helpful information it provided, the installation is a complete bitch! Causing enough pain for me to blackout on the spot…based on what Nyx said, this ANARIS is capable in analyzing information that I want to know, I already accidentally triggered it back then with meowficers, let's see if I can do it again. I took out my sidearm and focused my stare on it, not a moment too soon, a blue screen popped out beside the handgun that I held.

[Analytic Engine Ready]

[Subject: M1911 Handgun]

"…It's just telling me what I already know" I said to Nyx while I frowned.

"Take a different approach. What do you want to know about that gun?" Nyx said to me.

Hmm…how about its owner and the amount of rounds it has? I unload the magazine and there's an additional screen popping out beside the magazine, the information on the previous screen are also updated.

[Owner: Alexander Wallace]

[7 .45 ACP rounds]

"Analytical engine uses every information that you obtained by your senses to analyze what you want to know. Sight, sound, smell, touch, memory or even taste if you choose to, the engine will use all available information to provide you with an analytical result. The information will also be stored permanently into your brain so the engine can instantly use the previously obtained data should they need it. It also already has lots of additional information that comes pre-installation, just imagine having a library worth of information that you could immediately access" Nyx said to me.

…Huh…using every senses to gather information, ANARIS would enable me to gather all of information within my approximate location! If I want to know whether there's something in the air, I can just sniff the air and ANARIS would detect what substance is currently all around me? Combined that with the info I can get by looking, hearing and touching, I could basically track someone without hassle! Not to mention, the other information that could be gathered like this will surely give me an advantage whenever I need to make an inquiry or even eavesdropping…This tool is made with my skill set in mind? No, no, I'm thinking too far ahead with that, I doubt Nyx commissioned this tool specifically for me…I subtly glanced at Nyx, let's see whether this engine could determine any information about him!

[Subject: Unknown]

[Analysis failure]

"Nice try Wallace" …Figures…

"Huh…you like playing in the dark" I said to Nyx while I frowned.

"Well, I have my reasons. Now then, let's test the threat prioritization system. Don't be alarmed, this is just an example" Nyx said to me.

Nyx took out something from his back, it's a big handgun! I mean, a big, black, handgun with cube looking barrel? What projectile does the gun fire? I've never seen a gun where the projectile shaped like a cube before!

[Threat detected!]

[Psionic based weaponry]

[Priority: Maximum]

"Psionic?" I asked Nyx.

"A realm of science that this world is not ready to fully harness yet…But overall, that's how the threat identification works" Nyx said to me…

Psionic based weaponry, based on what he said, the projectile could be in the form of energy, just like the weaponry that the Siren used. How much the energy that the handgun's internal generator produce? More than that, how did it manage to keep it in shape? Because energy expulsion without being contained by something would just go all over the place. How do I know that? A little something I picked up after being gunned down by Serpent a hundred times ever since I fight them. I noticed that the energy bolts that those Serpents fired are shaped consistently like a water drop, that thing won't stay in shape without something holding it in that form…some kind of barrier that are disabled the moment it made contact with something? What are you asking Alex, this is above your knowledge level at the moment!

"How about the map feature?" I asked Nyx.

"That's self-explanatory. Let's talk about a feature that will be important in your role as a soldier, visual enhancer. Try zooming in and out" Nyx said to me.

"Without a scope? You're joking!" I said to Nyx while I frowned.

"Wish for it then and see for yourself" Nyx said to me in amused tone.

Wish for it? Alright, I'd like to zoom in on what I see. My vision suddenly moved forward, no, closing in on whatever I'm looking at! There's two digit number to my vision's left side and it shown 10x…Motherfucker, my vision remain as sharp as when it's not zoomed in! I try to put my hand in front of my face and I could see my glove's texture quite clearly! This means I don't really need a binocular anymore other than to fool my fellow soldiers! This ANARIS is really useful! I try to zoom out and it also worked quite easily, with little practice I would be able to zoom in and out of my vision like second nature…

"Huh…" …I muttered to myself…

"Your eyes are now capable of 100x magnification, you won't even need a binocular anymore. Now! For the ultimate feature! Try to look at her for now" Nyx said to me as he pointed at Akashi who's bended over as she rummaged through her cabinet.

"Okay, so?" I asked Nyx who approached me.

"…Wish that you want to look underneath her clothes" Nyx said to me in low tone.

"…What?" I snapped my head toward him in surprise.

"Trust me, you'll love this" Nyx said to me.

…I don't understand, how can I looked through her clothes? Sure ANARIS is a very versatile tool but I doubt it will enable me to look through clothing, I mean, how?! That's beyond conventional technology and could be considered magic! But well, what's there to lose in testing this vision? So that's what I do, I wish to see through Akashi's clothing!

[Experimental X-Ray Vision Mode Enabled]

Suddenly, Akashi's clothing become non-existent, there's only thin light outline of it around her body and oh bloody hell her whole body is in full view! She's wearing white camisole bra and white panties! I think this goes without saying but Akashi is quite petite, almost like a middle schooler…FUCKING HELL WHY DID I GO THERE?! Way to go Alex you dumb twat! It's REALLY awkward to see her in this state right now!

"Nice isn't it? But it can be better. Wish to see her naked" Nyx said to me in low and amused tone.

"I-I-I can't do that" I said to Nyx in low tone, that's rude! Seeing her in underwear is enough proof!

"Come on, pussy. You'll see one if you use the feature, come on" Nyx said to me…

"Hah…here we go" Oh well, let's see if this will work.

…I'm going to hell for this, without a single doubt. I try to see her naked and…the undergarments that she wear just vanished completely, revealing her naked body for me to see…Had to say, Akashi do lacked in physical sexiness aspect. I looked to her waist area and my breath hitched, Nyx didn't lie because I can see everything in full detail…Dammit, I'm really going to hell for this! I zoomed in and try to take in a bit of detail of her womanly area, had to say, this green pussy's pussy has beautiful pink color, hairless and tight looking…it has beautiful shape…Her arsehole is quite pink but I couldn't see the whole thing because it's covered by her arse cheeks, and it would seems the cat tail is actually connected to her body naturally-

"Enjoying the view? This tool could make any pervert happy without a single doubt, I'm sure you would enjoy this feature as well" Nyx said to me in amused and low tone.

"…Bloody hell" I muttered to myself.

"Wallace-kun…I feel your eyes undressing me, you shouldn't do that to a woman you know, nya?" Akashi turned around and said to me with half closed eyes…

"R-Right, just testing something" I said to Akashi as I smiled nervously.

"Whatever you say nya…" Akashi said to me before she turned around.

"Useful right? It's still experimental though so you can only look through clothes for now. We planned on making it able to see through walls and such, but it's harder to do that, typical theoretical application…Furthermore, it has limited effective range and it can be quite taxing to your mind so try not to use it too much for now. You'll feel dizzy if you overuse it but a brief rest should solve the issue…Anyway, the feature should enable you to see what someone has in their pocket…I figure it'll come in very handy for you" Nyx said to me in low tone…

"How does all of this works?" I just have to ask this one.

"You sure you want to know the mumbo jumbo? Didn't take you as the scholar type" Nyx asked me back.

"The gist of it, at least" I said to Nyx with serious face.

"Oh well. ANARIS used every senses in your body to collect data, no matter how small are the stimulation for it. For example, your eyes? You only need to direct you view toward the general direction of the thing that interest you, but how does the system manage to tag it immediately? Your eyes might only able to focus on few things within your vision, but the system will take all of the information and process them outside your own cognitive process. That's how it manage to get the info you need without you having to actually focus yourself to search for it…the amount of detail our eyes could take is quite extraordinary, but we just can't comprehend every bit of information without the aid of few tools. Thus, the area where ANARIS could help, by enhancing the information collection plus analyzing abilities and few other miscellaneous gigs on the side" …Wow…that did blew my mind…

"…ANARIS is a powerful asset" I said to Nyx, I'm impressed with this tool.

"Yeah it is. It's so powerful that it can detect whether a woman is ovulating or not during intercourse" Nyx said to me.

"Huh?! How the fuck does that work?!" I asked Nyx, yeah, how the fuck does that work?!

"Did you know that vaginal secretion will change depending on a woman's menstrual cycle?" Nyx asked me back…

"…I admit, no" …All I know is that internal ejaculation during dangerous days could result in pregnancy, that's baby making 101…

"Well now you know, ANARIS is very versatile. So, play it safe, player~" Nyx said to me in teasing tone…

"Nyx-kun, what are you teaching him?" Akashi asked Nyx as she approached us.

"Bird and bees Akashi, no need to worry that I'm going to indoctrinate him for The Ashes or something. Did you completed it?" Nyx asked Akashi.

"Hai, I just forget where to put it nya…Wallace-kun, stay still for a bit" Akashi said to me.

Hmm? Akashi's holding some kind of gun, there's this transparent tube filled with something colored blue on the back side of the gun and there are no bullet holes? The muzzle seems to be a needle…Huh? What is that gun, that's the first time I've seen one! Suddenly, Akashi took my left hand and exposed my wrist. Wait, she isn't going to-. Akashi didn't waste any time jamming the needle into my arm, then she pressed the trigger of the gun and the blue thing immediately sucked into the gun! Instantly after that I felt something entered my left hand and started spreading all over my body! It doesn't hurt that much but it did feels strange!

"Ouch! Blimey! What did you inject me with?!" I asked Akashi out loud as I rubbed the spot where I was injected.

"Nano robots" …What?

"Nano what?" I asked Akashi in confused tone.

"It's a supplemental add on so I can modify or adjust your ANARIS nya. In case it glitches or need some adjustment, you can come to me nya" Akashi said to me…

"I don't understand" I really don't! Nano robots? I get the robots part but nano?

"No need to nya, just leave these kind of things to me!" …Yeah, probably…

"You and Akashi will work together from now on. Needless to say, no one can know about this except you two, even when the goal is aligned with Point Azure's" Nyx suddenly said to Akashi and I.

"Wakatta nya, why don't you leave already? She won't be happy if you're missing for too long" Akashi said to Nyx…who is she talking about?

"Ah…yeah, she's quite nagging if I stay away for too long, had to be there in time for afternoon tea. Well, that's it for now. Good luck you two, we'll be seeing each other soon" Nyx said out loud.

SNAP!

Nyx snapped his finger and a purple energy concentration shown up behind him, one that he walked into before disappearing! Wait! This is the same shite that Observer Alpha pull on Ceres! So he do have connection with the Sirens somewhat! I knew it! But why did he helped us? If he has the same technology as the Sirens, then why did he help the enemy? Wait…is it possible that Nyx stole their tech for his own use? Or he's a rogue Siren? I got some answers but I got endless new questions as well…I leaned on one of the desk filled with equipment as I took all info I just got and try to process them…No, I can't do that, I would need to go back and lay down on my bed or something.

"…What did I get myself into?" I asked out loud.

"Troublesome situation, nya~" Akashi answered me.

"Yeah, with just the two of us, this is going to be hard" I said to Akashi.

"I imagine nya, but he would've brought more people if he feel that the both of us can't do it nya" Akashi said to me.

"…When did you met him?" I asked Akashi as I looked at her.

"Nyx-kun? Hmm, around a year ago, if I remember correctly" Akashi said to me.

"That long?" …Really? That long?

"Hai. What he said is basically all true nya. Your arrival and the subsequent events, it all happened. He also give me a vision on what will happen in the future if you and I didn't do anything nya" Akashi said to me while she smiled somberly…

"Huh, same as me…" I said to Akashi in low tone.

…Akashi met him around a year ago, I just met him few days ago. He said that I'd be doing this by myself few days ago, yet he already contacted Akashi around a year ago. That meeting contradict his statement that he make with me few days ago, so here's a question. If he just rethink his decision after meeting me few days ago, then how come he enlisted Akashi's help one year before he make that statement? How did he manage to do that? And judging from the interaction between the two of them, those two have known each other for a while…How did he make that possible? Time travelling? Oh no…all the points I just lined up could fit with the theory that he travelled through time to enlisted Akashi's help after I voiced my doubt…but let's just drop this for now, wild speculation could help but only to certain extent…

"…Anyway, nice to meet you Wallace-kun, I'm IJN Akashi. We will work together from now on, so yoroshiku nya! If you need items, adjustment to your ANARIS or just want to accompany me around, feel free to drop by nya!" Akashi said to me while she smiled.

"Yeah…nice to meet you too" I said to Akashi while I smiled as well.

"So, as apology for tricking you. I'm going to open my inventory and service to you for purchase, with fifteen percent discount nya" Akashi said to me.

"…Fifteen percent? Doesn't sound quite sincere for an apology" I said to Akashi while I frowned a bit.

"Hey, this is business in the end! Fifteen percent, for all items!" Akashi said to me while she smiled…oh well.

"Show me" There might be something good I can buy.

Akashi just extended her arms sideways as if insinuating that the whole room are full of items that she sells, wait, she mean I can buy whatever I see in this room? Hey not a bad deal to be honest, there are some odd trinkets here and there but I see some legit things from melee weapons to KANSEN's cannon! There's also few boxes labeled with T1, T2, T3 or T4 with varying colors in one corner of the room, I don't know what that is but figured it's quite important enough that some of them are missing from their stacks which mean it is sold…I looked around for a bit longer and finally stumbled upon something that I definitely could use, a television…a twenty one inch TV and it looks to be one of those new colored ones…

"Hehe…see anything you like nya?" Akashi asked me while she grinned.

"…I'll take the TV" I said to Akashi.

"Done. 200 gold please nya" …Shite.

"…You take checks?" …I don't have that much right now, oh well, time to bust out the piggy bank…

.

The Manjuus will deliver and put the television on my flat, all I should worry about is which channel I'm going to watch tonight. So, anyway, after all of that information dump that both commanders and Nyx put in my head, I just want to rest for a bit and probably get something to eat. I was going to go to the canteen before I got sidetracked anyway. I made my way to the canteen and just as expected, since lunch break is over, the place is a bit deserted. There's only few marines left, the rest are filled with KANSENs. Since the girls aren't bound by our standard schedule, they're free to go wherever they wish when their activity for the day are done. Lucky them eh? I sat in the table on the corner of the canteen, just as I did that, my vision become black and I couldn't see anything…whoever's doing this is quite good at concealing their footsteps and presence…

"Guess who~?" …I know this voice though.

"Too easy, Eugen" I said out loud without hesitation.

"Tch, you're no fun~" Eugen said to me after she clicked her tongue playfully as she unblocked my vision.

The woman proceed to sat in front of me while having the ever present smirk whenever she's speaking with someone. Eugen usually wore skimpy clothes, but currently she has a black overcoat around her body. She must have been doing something outside for prolonged period of time if she didn't take off her coat despite being indoors, she's taking the time to warm herself up first. The woman put her right elbow on the table, her gloved right hand is on cheek and she leaned on it as she stared at me while smirking…she looked so alluring and flirty with this act, but all I sense at the moment is her unquestionably 'exasperated' gaze as she looked at me…she must have something she want to say to me and I doubt it's a good one…

"So, after running off from that dinner banquet without talking to me, you participate in a heavy fighting on Ceres Town, staying near bombardment area, being in intense hold out against hundreds of Serpents alongside hover tanks, get knocked out when you touched Siren Wisdom Cube and woke up two days later. You didn't looked like it but I suspect you have kinks for near death experience, Wallace~" …I better let that comment slide…

"You're well informed" I said to Eugen with half closed eyes.

"Of course, Algerie and Zara told me on what happened to you" …Ah, no wonder, so the three of them alongside Bremerton knew each other…

"Is that so…well, do you have business with me?" I try to direct the conversation somewhere else.

"Figured you'd want some company instead of eating alone, I haven't had lunch as well" Eugen said to me while she smirked a bit.

"You know what, having company could make this less depressing" I said to Eugen and that is my honest feelings.

"Fufufu…I know" Eugen said to me while she smirked.

…Hmm, Algerie, Zara, Eugen, Bremerton and possibly Nelson as well. These five ladies seems to be in contact with one another, there's a possibility that anything that I've did or talk with one of them could be exposed to another. Yup, that's a reason for me to really behave myself in front of them, at least that way I could keep being on their good side. I took the menu on the desk and opened it, let's see on what I could eat for lunch. Warm, fulfilling, juicy and delicious…Oh wait, I just described steak…

"So, what do you want to eat?" I asked Eugen who's also staring at the menu like me.

"Hmmm…chicken soup sounds quite delicious" Eugen said to me.

"Agreed" I said to Eugen.

"Hey Eugen! You ready to order?" A blonde girl suddenly said out loud as she approached our table.

"Guten tag, Cleveland. I'm surprised, you're actually working as a waitress. What's the cause?" Eugen asked Cleveland.

"Yeah uh, I realized that I'm short on cash and christmas is coming up, there are lots of things I need to buy" Cleveland said to Eugen while she smiled bitterly.

"Hmm, that's why you pick up part time huh? How about the paycheck from our work?" Eugen asked Cleveland.

"…W-Well…I might have done a little shopping…for my own" Cleveland said to Eugen in low tone.

"Ah…Nobuyuki, isn't it?" Eugen suddenly said to Cleveland while she smirked.

"W-W-W-What?! N-No! It's not like that! Sure he do called me 'bro' but that's just a joke! Right?!" Cleveland said to Eugen as her cheeks lit up.

"Sure~, I'm sure he did it as a joke, not because you lack womanly charms" Eugen said to Cleveland while she smirked.

"Ugh, let's not go there…So, what's your order?" Cleveland asked Eugen while she frowned.

"A chicken soup and beer, how about you, Wallace?" Eugen said her order before asking me.

"Double well done steak and soda" I said to Cleveland, I almost snorted in amusement when Eugen's eyes widened in surprise! Bahahahaha!

"Alright then! Coming right up!" Cleveland said out loud after noting down our orders.

So that's Cleveland, one of the KANSEN that's often become the talk among soldiers and KANSENs alike. I've never met her in person until today, there's a lot of talk that she's often called 'bro' among men. Based on what I heard, it's because she's often act like one despite being a girl so a lot of the guys considered her one. Maybe that's the reason why she's quite sensitive about it, to be honest, Cleveland still look like a girl to me even if she wear mechanic outfit and holding a spanner…Oh no, she looked hot!

"…I thought when you agreed with me you will also ordered chicken soup" Eugen said to me.

"I never said that, didn't I? I just agreed that it sounds delicious" I said to Eugen while I smiled a bit.

"Ho~…double steak?" Eugen asked me.

"Before you ask, yes, I can finish them" I said to Eugen.

"You must be quite hungry" Eugen said to me while she smirked.

"Yeah" I honestly said.

Not the first time I'll get asked that question and it won't be the last…having money and stable life even though you're being sent out to the front is still a blessing according to me, being a bum and having to scavenge or steal stuff is not fun in the slightest. Being hungry most of the time, not having money, being looked down by people for no reason and having no roof over my head, it really taught me an important lesson about resolve…I'm still alive despite not having any reason to live back then, I'm willing to throw my life away now because I have something to fight for at the present. Feels reverted huh? And, those years made me appreciate people's kindness more than ever. Growing up in a rich environment, I wasn't really taught regarding kindness by most of my snob family…admittedly, my parents are twin bunch of arseholes and my brothers are no better…the only one who ever shown me familial love is my big sister.

My big sister is only two years older than me, a beautiful blonde woman with soft violet eyes. I'm surprised that despite being raised in the environment as elitist and snob as that family, she still managed to turn into a good young woman. She won't show it in front of my parents or brothers, but I've seen her being kind to people around her. She's a good actor, capable of fooling everyone if she wish to but…she's being quite real with me…as the middle child with no actual talents to speak of and no drive to prove myself, I often came under fire nearly for everything. Even when I got into a fight with my own siblings, even when they're wrong and that's most of the time, my parents would never picked my side. My sister was the only person that will cheer me up if I'm feeling down, the only person I can consulted about my problems and the one who taught me that I shouldn't give up. In fact, she told me to go out of the house and live separately from my family after I can support myself. She and I knew our parents won't even mind that I'm gone, she want me to live my life like how I want to, without the pressure and expectations of elitist family…Obviously that plan didn't get executed as intended, but the end result is still the same so yay?

…Now that I think about it, how is she doing right now? I haven't seen her for years…I remember her being quite good at performing as an opera singer and actress, maybe she already become successful in pursuing entertainment career? I know she got what it takes to become successful, and I wish her to be, that kind woman deserves it. I'd like to meet and hold a little reunion with her but, yeah, not an option for various reason-

"…How are you feeling?" Eugen suddenly asked me.

"Fine, nothing wrong with me even after what happened" I said to Eugen…focus on the present, Alex.

"You didn't experience anything else?" Eugen asked me further.

"I just blacked out after touching it, next thing I know, I'm kneeling on the floor" I said to Eugen, I omitted a lot of the details in that one.

"Hmm…you know, we run test on the cube. There's nothing abnormal with it, it's the same as other wisdom cube we have" Eugen said to me after she hummed.

"Really? Then what caused me to black out?" I asked Eugen, pretending to be oblivious.

"We have no idea in the slightest. And, you don't hear this from me, but Kommandant Nobuyuki ordered extensive inspection on the cube after he heard what happened to you" Really, he did? Nobuyuki putting a crosshair over me is a real possibility right now...I better tread carefully.

"And so far, you found nothing" I said to Eugen as I folded my arms.

"Precisely" Eugen said to me.

"…Well, it already happened and there's nothing wrong with me. I better let it go" I said to Eugen as I shrugged.

"Are you sure about that? What if one day you turned into some kind of monster?" Eugen asked me.

"If that happens, kill me" I said to Eugen without missing a beat.

"Ufufufu…ah, it's just a jest, Wallace. No need to take it so seriously" Eugen said to me while her lips curled upwards for a bit…

No, really, if that happens, I'd rather die than hurt my comrades. Doubt I will be able to do significant damage to our KANSENs unless I got turned into some kind of superhuman monster, but my fellow marines? No doubt that I could kill them if I lose control. ANARIS, I really hope this thing could prevent that if I did turned into some kind of freak of nature. The thought is quite demoralizing though so I better stop here, I'd like to live long and fulfilling if I could. I looked forward and I found Eugen staring at me, her crimson gold eyes looking at me straight in the eyes, as if she's trying to peer into my soul directly…Well, since you're not Nyx, I doubt it will be possible for you.

"…So…how's it going?" I asked Eugen…her stares are a bit uncomforting.

"Hmm? Oh so-so. I couldn't participate in that fight even though it sounds quite interesting and I have to spend the last couple of days on patrol in the middle of winter" Eugen said to me.

"…That must have sucked" Sheesh that sounds horrible.

"Indeed. Sometimes, I wonder if being a regular infantry is better" Eugen said to me as she looked to her left, to the canteen's window which shown the winter sea.

"Trust me, you don't want to" I said to Eugen while I frowned.

"Oh?" Eugen redirected her gaze back at me.

"You have those amazing powers and physical prowess, it'll give you an edge against any adversary. You don't want to trade that, believe me" I said to Eugen.

"Hmm. Does this has any correlation with what happened on Ceres Town?" Eugen asked me.

"…Lots of soldiers lost their life in that battle, some even have to be discharged from military service after suffering permanent injury…If every soldier has power equivalent to a KANSEN, I didn't doubt that would give us overwhelming advantage in that fight…But, I suppose that's why you ladies are revered, your strengths are out of this world and having you around is comforting for soldiers like us" I said to Eugen as I recall my experience in that battle…

"…I'm not so sure about that, Wallace" …What?

"Hmm? You don't?" I asked Eugen as I cocked my eyebrows.

"Humans refer to us as monsters, an abnormality that shouldn't exist in this world. There's even talks that once Sirens are gone from the picture, we will use this power to usurp control and form a new world order. Are you sure it's not fear you're talking about? I doubt anyone will be comforted with the fact that monsters walked among you, in the shape of beautiful girls" Who the fuck said that?!

"…Who said that?" My tone is dangerously low, I'm seriously pissed right now…

"I heard from few people" Eugen said to me as she smiled bitterly…

"Sure your strength are monstrous and that's a fact, but the fact that you're human is true as well. Anyone who ever got saved by a KANSEN would be grateful to them, your form being beautiful girls is definitely a major plus. A monster on your side is better than a human whose not…Whoever said that is just a rotten bastard who like to run off their mouth without thinking clearly or even at all, and maybe the fact that they're jealous that they can never have the power that you have…Don't lump us with those arseholes. I swear to you, if I heard anyone saying that, I'd gut punch them without hesitation, no matter their rank or status!" I said to Eugen in firm tone with serious face.

Who the fuck has that kind of skewed view of a KANSEN?! I doubt they're soldiers since each of us know how humane these girls are despite their monstrous powers! Lots of KANSENs that I met have been quite kind to me! Eugen might be a tease but she's a good woman who cared even for an ordinary grunt like me! There's Bremerton who's quite empathetic and like to help her fellow KANSENs! Enterprise is a revered war hero on pacific front and even after all of that she's able to get along with her former enemies! Nelson who looked cold and arrogant is willing to help us marines, she even help shouldering me when I'm unable to walk before! King George V? She's willing to replace a stranger's hot dog when one of her comrades caused it to fall to the ground! You're telling me these nice girls are monsters? No! You're the monster that can't recognize kindness just because you're afraid!

"…You're a good man, Wallace" Eugen said to me as she smiled…

"I'm just saying what most of us believe" I said to Eugen.

"Still, you're a good man, Wallace" Eugen said to me while she smiled…

"…You shouldn't judge me too quickly" I said to Eugen while I frowned.

"Don't worry, I have plenty of chances" Eugen said to me while she smiled.

"…Eugen, expectation is a field filled with pitfalls adorned with spikes on the bottom. One day, you're going to step on one and hurt yourself. If you're not prepared, the pain will be quite severe and it will leave a lasting hole that will be hard to fulfil again" I said to Eugen with serious face while I frowned.

"One I'm willing to take a risk walking on nevertheless. Besides, I know that even the most patient and nicest human being have their own dark side. What define them is whether they choose to act on those darkness or not and their reason for doing so…I do know how to pick them, don't worry" Eugen said to me while she smiled softly...

"Wisely said…" That's indeed a wise sentiment…

"I believe so" Eugen said to me while she smiled softly.

…I'll be honest, this is the first time I've seen Eugen smile…a genuine smile coming from her! Her pink lips curled upwards nicely, her eyes staring softly at me and there's this soft redness on her cheeks. Whoa, she looked absolutely beautiful like this! Why didn't she show that smile more often huh?! I bet she could snare any man with that kind of smile! Not even I am immune to that, oh man, I could already feel my cheeks getting hotter because of that sweet smile! Makes you wonder whether she already have someone she's in relationship or not, though if she does, I didn't doubt someone would already after my arse at the moment with how Eugen act with me…Just as I was about to say something, Cleveland came to our table with our orders. A bowl of chicken soup and a glass of beer for Eugen, a plate filled with two slab of well-done meat and a glass of soda for me. Yum! Into the belly of the beast you go!

"Mhm…warm chicken soup in the middle of winter and a glass of beer is the best" Eugen said out loud as she grabbed the glass.

"Just don't overdrink, the sun is still up" I said to Eugen as I took a knife and a fork to eat the steak.

"Ah don't worry, that wouldn't happen" Eugen said to me before she drink her beer.

…Well, what do you think happen after that sentence have been uttered by Eugen? What happened is me carrying her on my back as we make our way to Ironblood dorms, ON FOOT! The jeeps on the motor pool are all being used at the moment and that leave me with no choice but to carry a drunk woman by foot! It's a long walk and Eugen isn't being exactly calm in her drunken state, she have been saying things and giggling uncontrollably ever since we left canteen with Nevada's and Cleveland's exasperated gaze! I don't know why Cleveland didn't stop Eugen from drinking that much, must be coming from the stereotype that Germans don't get drunk that easily! For fuck sake, she's still a mortal! While her ample breast are pushing on my back nicely and the sensations are quite a treat, I really dreaded the fact that I have to carry her that far through public road where misunderstanding could happen!

"Ufufufufufufufufufufufufufu!" Ah, Eugen is giggling uncontrollably, again.

"…That's the last time I will trust you to keep your alcohol intake in mind" I swear that would be the last time until forever!

"Ufufufufu! Aww, Wawwace, I'm…feewing…gweat!" You butchered my name, you do sounds cute though.

"Sure you are" I said to Eugen.

"I feel…like…I'm fwying!" Eugen said out loud as she stretched her arms!

"That's because you technically are" I said to Eugen.

"Ah! I wike you!" Eugen suddenly said to me while she snuggled to my nape, I had to steady myself since that really throw me off guard!

"Huh?" I didn't hear or understand what she said though.

"Wike! Wike you! I wike you Wawwace!" …Did she just said that she likes me?

"Like?" I asked Eugen to confirm my hypothesis.

"Ja! Ja!" Eugen said to me as she snuggled on my left cheeks.

"Well thanks, I guess" I'm sure she meant that she likes me as a friend.

"Ufufufufufufu! Weeeee! Spin me Wawwace!" Eugen said out loud as she stretched her arms again.

"You'll throw up if I do that" Yeah, that's a REALLY bad idea.

"Throwwww uppp? Neeeeeiiiiiinnnnn…I'm fine" No you're not.

"Never trust a drunk who says that" I said out loud while I shook my head a bit.

"Muuuu~" Eugen protested cutely.

Hah, I'm scared to think on what will happen if she's left with someone who has bad intentions. If she got this drunk while in the company of a rapist…I don't want to think about it…So, after spending around half an hour walking in the middle of winter afternoon, passing by several cars filled with soldiers looking at me weirdly, we finally reached the Ironblood dorm. It's a Victorian era looking building, painted majorly in grey with some white in few places, has rose garden in the front which circled a water fountain and finely crafted stone pavement. One look and you can tell that this place are made to house aristocrats and high society members…I approached the front gate which has an Azur Lane Marine and an Ironblood Volksgrenadier talking about something, both of them immediately stopped when they saw me carrying Eugen and approaching them.

"…The hell happened to her?" The marine asked me.

"Daylight drinking" I said to the marine.

"Whoa, it's quite rare to see her knocked out like that. Eugen is usually a heavy drinker" The volksgrenadier said to me.

"You just didn't see how many glass she downed today. Anyway, where's her room?" I asked the volksgrenadier.

"I don't know, you might want to ask the KANSENs inside" The volksgrenadier said to me while he shrugged.

"Alright then" I said out loud.

I walked through the gate and swiftly walked toward the entrance. Along the way, I took several glances around since this is the first time I step a foot inside the dorm. Surprisingly, it's quite empty at the moment. There are only several armed guards around the area, no KANSEN in sight. Strange, I figured I'd see more of them around the vicinity of the place where they live. I managed to get inside the dorm, the interior of the building are light brown due to the use of wood and cream wallpaper, making it feel quite easy in the eyes. Not a moment too soon, a blonde girl with similar hairstyle as Eugen entered my field of vision, coming from the second floor and ANARIS immediately tagged her.

[Subject: KMS Admiral Hipper]

"Pardon miss?"I said to Hipper.

"Is that Eugen?" Hipper immediately asked me while she pointed at the mass behind me.

"Yeah…" I said to Hipper while I frowned a bit.

"Hah…dummkopf, follow me" Hipper said to me.

She motioned me to follow her and goes back upstairs…Oh bloody hell, do I have to carry an adult woman up these stairs? When I decided to go to the canteen I wouldn't expect to do impromptu physical training as desserts! Oh well, just a bit longer Alex, just a bit longer. I get up the stairs with Eugen on my back, while I could consider myself muscular that doesn't mean carrying a grown woman like her through four flight of stairs isn't going to exhaust me! Why must her room located on the fourth floor anyway?! We made it up and my legs are on fire, muscle strain combined from walking quite far and climbing up stairs…Ouch, really, I should rest for a bit after this. Hipper led me to the second room to the right, next to the stairwell. I presumed that this is Prinz Eugen's room, what kind of room does she have I wonder?

Surprisingly, quite a decorated one. It has crimson wallpaper with tree branch lining colored in gold, it's quite striking during day yet will be quite comforting at night, the room felt very comfortable. There's a wooden cupboard which is closed at the moment, a wooden round table with four chairs, a dressing desk with makeup products on top of it, two dresser with stuffed animals on top of it…wait, plushy? A woman like her also has plushy? I didn't expect it, though given that she shown me her cute side today, I should have. Does she collected it herself or given by admirers? I can see her having a group of one-

"Put her down on the bed" Hipper suddenly said to me.

The bed is located on the right corner of the room, a single bed with crimson blanket tucked neatly. I switched from carrying Eugen on my back to carrying her like a princess, I put her down on the bed gently and put the blanket above her. Hipper immediately switched the room heater on, that should make her comfortable. Hipper then approached Eugen, took the ribbon that pinned her hair in the usual twin pigtail hairstyle she always has and put them on the night stand…Eugen with her hair down looks completely different, the teasing aura is gone and she's somewhat more…vulnerable? I don't get it…but that's how she looked in my eyes. Suddenly, Eugen sat up and looked at Hipper and I…

"Hmmm? Ah…Hipper…come and give me…a hug~" Eugen said to Hipper while she grinned and stretched her arms, ready to receive a hug.

"Yeah, no. You're drunk, I don't want you throwing up on my clothes" Hipper said to Eugen with deadpan tone.

"Aww…don't be mean…" Eugen said to Hipper while she pouted cutely.

"I'm not…Hah! You're so troublesome!" Hipper said to Eugen as she stood up.

I didn't noticed it before but this room also has indoor kitchen and bathroom, just like my room back on Delta Site. The exception being, this room is WAY larger than mine. For example, you could fit an entire squad in this place and everyone would've been comfortable wherever they choose to sit. My room? Hahahaha…even fitting ten people would require some adjustment. Still, it beats the barracks any day. Anyway, Hipper went to the bathroom and came out few seconds later with a glass of water, she rummaged through the nightstand and took out a bottle of medicine? She goes to the counter, took few pills out, grinded them to powder, put the powder on the glass of water before stirring it…Wait, are those sleeping pills? Why Eugen has a bottle…Oh…does Eugen has trouble sleeping? Is that why she has one ready at hand?

"Here, drink this!" Hipper said to Eugen and offered her the spiked glass of water.

"Is that…vodka?" Eugen asked Hipper.

"Its water you dummkopf! Come on! Drink it!" Hipper said to Eugen with half closed eyes.

"Bottoms up! Ugh…it's just water" Eugen said to Hipper after she drank the whole thing…

"I did say so! Now sleep, you'll feel like scheisse tomorrow morning so prepare yourself" Hipper said to Eugen while she frowned.

"…*Hic*…Nein" Eugen said to Hipper after she hiccupped…

"Huh?" Hipper asked Eugen, I can sense her becoming irate with each second passes.

"I don't…want to sweep!" Oh boy, Eugen's throwing a tantrum…

"Hah, the medicine took too long…well, you asked for this…hup!" Hipper said out loud as she closed in on her.

Hipper hit her with a karate chop to the side of her neck and Eugen immediately fell to the bed…that's harsh, but effective nevertheless. Hipper sighed as she took off the overcoat from Eugen, fold it and placed it on top of the nightstand. She then took some time to looked at Eugen's sleeping face before she turned around to see me…I'm kind of puzzled by now, despite her words that sounds annoyed, Hipper cares for Eugen just like a mother would when her daughter got home sick, except for that karate chop but that's beside the point. What's her relationship with Eugen? I'm kind of curious now-

[Subject: KMS Admiral Hipper]

[Relation with KMS Prinz Eugen: Sister Ship of the same class]

[She is the eldest of the class]

…Oh…thanks ANARIS…

"…Where did you found her?" Hipper asked me.

"…She was eating lunch with me" I said to Hipper.

"Huh? And you didn't stop her from drinking?" Hipper asked me while she frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"I trusted her self-control too much…" I said to Hipper while I frowned.

"Ah, ja, you're not the first one…though it's unusual" Hipper said to me as she looked at Eugen.

"Unusual?" I asked Hipper, what did she mean by that?

"She doesn't usually drink during day like this…and usually she only goes out with fellow girls" Hipper said to me…

"…Maybe she have a lot in mind, need to unwind for a bit?" She do seems like she need to, especially with what conversation we had prior to lunch…

"Maybe…well, danke Wallace, for bringing her back here. I'll be sure to make her apologize to you tomorrow" Hipper said to me while she smiled bitterly.

"Ah, don't mind about it. Just tell her that she should control herself better" I said to Hipper while I smiled a bit.

"Ja, I'll be sure to tell her that. Though I doubt she will listen" Hipper said to me while she smiled a bit.

After bidding goodbye to Hipper, I walked out of the room and make my way down, Eugen is in good hands now. Ah…what an eventful day, I should head back to Delta Site now, hope there's a vehicle going there so I can hitch a ride. Just as I'm about to exit the dorm, someone else entered through the front door and I immediately recognized them. It's none other than Private Sullivan himself, dressed in full winter BDU with armor platings, helmet and bandolier while carrying a Thompson SMG. He looked surprised to see me here.

"Huh, didn't know you're here" Sullivan said to me while he smiled.

"Likewise. You're on patrol?" I asked Sullivan.

"Yup and let me tell you, it's boring" Sullivan said to me while he grinned.

"Well you might want to start cherish days like this, you'll never know when you'll be thrown into something like Ceres again" I said to Sullivan.

"Heh, you sounded like a wise squad leader" Sullivan said to me while he smiled.

"That's what happen when I'm told to take care of you lots" I said to Sullivan while I shrugged.

"Figures. Hey, you free at the moment?" Sullivan asked me.

"I am shackled by my duty as a soldier and responsibilities as Point Azure Marines but sure, I got time" I said to Sullivan as I smiled a bit.

"Perfect. Follow me" Sullivan said to me as he exited through the front door.

"Where are we going?" I asked Sullivan as I followed him.

"The backyard" Sullivan said to me.

…Then why are you going outside through the front door? There must be a backyard entrance located somewhere on this building for fuck sake! Since I'm already outside by the time he said that, I have no choice but to follow that twat…After going to the side of the dorm, we arrived on the backyard and I was surprised, there are lots of KANSENs here! Mostly Ironbloods but there are some from Eagle Union and Sakura Empire as well! They're gathered on the gazebo once again, probably having tea or something…So, what Sullivan want with me? Even asking me to follow him to the backyard.

"Here we are, wait here for a bit" Sullivan said to me.

And just like that! After leading me here, he immediately goes back inside the dorm through the backyard entrance! If he's not my friend, I would already be lunging toward him with a full powered right hook. That son of a bitch seems want to leave me freezing out of here, I had nothing to do at the moment so I sat on one of the benches on the backyard to wait for Sullivan. Whatever he's getting better be worth it or I'm going to get him for wasting my time with this nonsense…ANARIS, is there a way for us to communicate better? Like, you reading my thoughts and immediately act upon it? I think that way I could swiftly make a decision without having to manually input the command on my mind? And…I received no response from ANARIs…I sighed as I leaned on my seat when I saw someone approaching me.

[Subject: USS Arizona]

"Hey Alex" Arizona said to me while she smiled.

"Arizona, it's been a while" I said to Arizona while I smiled.

"It is. How are you doing?" Arizona asked me…well, since she didn't mention it…

"Doing well for now, you?" I said to Arizona before asking her back.

"I'm fine as well. Both of us have been quite busy with our jobs huh?" Arizona said to me while she smiled.

"I guess so" I said to Arizona.

"Hah…being deployed as commission team do give me many valuable experience, but it's so tiring" Arizona said to me after she sighed…so that's why I haven't see her often on the base lately!

"Have you talk to commander regarding that?" I asked Arizona.

"…I was the one who requested to be put on commission team, it's better than sitting around port all day. Though, I think I get more than what I bargained for…well, commander said I've been doing a good job so I think I could contribute well doing commissions" Arizona said to me with a tired smile.

"If you think that its best, as long it doesn't burden you too much" I said to Arizona, who am I to make a decision for her.

"Yeah! The experience and rewards are so worth it in the end so I never feel that what I'm doing is useless!" Arizona said to me while she smiled.

"Good to hear" I said to Arizona while I smiled a bit.

"Oh, I have to go now, I promised to help California with some errands. See you later!" Arizona said to me while she waved.

"Yup" I said to Arizona as I nodded.

…That woman sure worked hard, I might have to put as much effort as her now that I'm aware what will happen if Akashi and I didn't do anything…ANARIS is an edge that I can use, but can it solve every problem? No…relying on ANARIS would totally needed in the future, but to solve those problems, I have to put in the effort as well. If I have to kill someone, ANARIS might help to tag them and monitor their movement, but it's still up to me to pull the trigger…Wait, why is the example is me killing someone? Couldn't I use the Sirens as the example? Ha! You wouldn't be able to put a dent on those Siren KANSEN, Alex!

"Wallace!"

Did someone just called me? I looked around and saw a woman with pink hair and wearing blue winter coat walking quickly toward me, the woman get in my face in five seconds flat and voila it's Bremerton herself who are dressed in white winter coat! Wonder why ANARIS didn't tag her when I was seeing the group of KANSENs on the gazebo before, but oh well…I guess Bremerton has something she want to talk about with me? What could it be I wonder? If there's any indication on these past few hours of interaction with the KANSENs I know, then she would be asking about me being-

"Wallace! Hey, I heard you got knocked out back there! You're doing okay now?!" …I fucking called that…

"Vestal said nothing is wrong with me, don't worry" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"Phew…I swear, you're the only man I know who either got knocked out or seriously injured in every mission you take!" Bremerton said to me with her hands on her hips…

"I was fine when we return from being trapped on that island" I said to Bremerton while I cocked my eyebrows.

"You were sleeping on the ground, passed out drunk. I called that knocked out" Bremerton said to me with half closed eyes…

"Errr…you're right…In my defense, there's always something that caused me to end up like that" …I almost forgot about that one…but I'm healthy despite though!

"Yeah, the fact that you're still alive despite all of that is a testament to your luck" Bremerton said to me.

"…I guess so" I said to Bremerton while I shrugged.

"Hey, sorry for-. Oh" Sullivan suddenly appeared but he stopped when he saw Bremerton.

"Hmm? Oh, Private Sullivan" Bremerton said to Sullivan.

"Yup, good to see you again Bremerton. By the way, here, for you" Sullivan said to Bremerton before tossing a brown paper wrapping toward me.

"What's inside?" I asked Sullivan as I looked at the wrappings.

"Don't tell this to anybody, but I got you a good wank material. I grabbed Bismarck's freshly used panties, the pungent smell is superb~" Sullivan whispered to me…

"…I'm so tempted to smack your face, hard" I said to Sullivan with my eyes half closed.

"Hahahaha! Don't, please, I'm ugly enough as it is! That was a joke mate, but open it when you're back on the flat. Trust me, you'll like it" Sullivan said to me while he grinned and patting me on the back.

"I'll take your word for it" I said to Sullivan.

Hah, I'm glad that it's just a joke…Though now that he brought it up, what kind of panties someone like Bismarck would use? Her stoic demeanor, that cold expression she always wore and the unapproachable aura she always exude…Hmm, my guess would be one of those black panties seeing that she also has black garter belt that are connected to her long socks. Or, a string black panties when she feels extra naughty. I didn't doubt she could seduce Nobuyuki with that getup, if she has a crush on the guy. Haven't heard anything for now to confirm that hypothesis-

"…Hey Wallace, are you free right now?" Bremerton asked me while she looked to the side.

"I am, relatively speaking" I said to Bremerton.

"Then, would you like to accompany me to the city? I have some stuff I want to buy but I don't want to go alone?" Bremerton asked me as she put her hands behind her back.

"None of the girls are free at the moment?" I asked Bremerton.

"Not exactly…" Bremerton said to me in low tone as she looked to the side.

"Hmm? Then why-"

Sullivan suddenly grabbed and dragged me away from where I sit, I'm so surprised that I got no time to prepare and was basically being manhandled. Sullivan then grabbed my shoulder, hold me in place, his face is really close to mine that I can basically feel him exhale, his face looked deadly serious, like someone who's about to prevent someone from making a big mistake on their life…wait, that person is me?

"Wallace, mate, when a lady shows interest, take the fucking hint you dimwit!" Sullivan said to me in low tone as he gritted his teeth.

"…Is she really asking me accompany her? A guy?" I asked Sullivan in low tone.

"Yes and you better go, you will regret it if you don't" Sullivan said to me in low tone as he shoved me back toward Bremerton.

"…You know what, let's go" I said to Bremerton.

"Okay! This way, I already got a jeep to use!" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

Bremerton started walking and I followed her closely, I looked back only to found Sullivan grinning while giving me a thumbs up…well, thanks mate, I didn't catch that hint in the first run…I really got to be more attentive on those kind of signs, never know when it might come in handy when there's something troubling and they didn't want to say anything…Hey, ANARIS, could the analytic engine be used to gauge someone's emotion? Oh wait, it can, it can tell Gordon is depressed. Let's check on Bremerton for a bit to see whether it's working as intended or not.

[Subject: USS Bremerton]

[Running facial and body language analysis…]

[Mental State Analysis: Happy]

[Accuracy: 90%]

Huh…facial and body language analysis, it must be quite accurate. While I'd like a little bit more info on that, it's good enough I guess. Bremerton and I approached a jeep parked on the front yard of Ironblood dorms, she threw me the key and I caught it easily. Both of us get in the jeep and we immediately head off Point Azure…

"So, where are we going?" I asked Bremerton.

"To Valencia" Bremerton said to me.

"Got it" I said to Bremerton.

Valencia huh? On this island, Azure Island, Valencia could be considered the capital city on this island, located on the south…Oh wait, let me see if I remember the lecture that I got from the veterans around here…So, Azure Island is an island located in the northern pacific ocean, population is around one and a half million people. Quite crowded eh? Yeah, the island is big though so even with all of those people, the island still has a lot space and forested areas around which means there's a lot of room to expand…Anyway, the whole place is governed by Azur Lane as special zone of interest. Which means, the place is governed directly by military alliance and the governor answered directly to Azur Lane. All citizens from every member state could live here, given that they filled all of the paperwork correctly. But, since the war has stopped, citizens from Crimson Axis countries are also permitted to move here. So, how come this place isn't that popular before? How come I didn't know about this place before my assignment?

This place doesn't have much to it, that's what. Just another city on the middle of the ocean, but since the end of hostility, this place have become a symbol of unity or some sort, a place where people from both previously warring side could live together. Sure there are bunch of arseholes who threatened the tranquility between the citizens on occasions, but those kind of things are quickly dealt with by the police, any act that could create dissent and chaos among the citizens are treated as severe crime here, more than a homicide even. So, with that in mind, the place quickly develops and despite this island having no special traits, there are plenty of jobs for the civilians. There are several oil rigs off the coast, there's mining site somewhere around the island, some farming areas, the development quickly allows resorts to start popping around and even there are offices for office works on the city area…Valencia has everything and there are several outlying towns around the island too, example being Ceres, which just got hit badly few days ago…That's one of the risk living here now, Siren attacks and I guess plenty more will come in the future.

"Have you eat, Wallace?" Bremerton asked me and that snapped me off my own thoughts

"I have…but I can always go for dessert" I said to Bremerton…I got room for more.

"Fufu, I know a great pastry shop in downtown, maybe we should head there later" Bremerton said to me.

"I'll take your word for it…where do you want to go?" I asked Bremerton.

"Shopping mall" Bremerton said to me.

"Is this going to involve clothes?" I asked Bremerton.

"Maybe. I want to pick some gifts for my close friends" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Ah…I forgot that it's December…But why so early?" I asked Bremerton, christmas coming soon.

"You never been involved in christmas shopping rush? Sure there are lots of great items with steep price, but the crowds is not something I want to experience again!" Bremerton said to me.

"So that's why" I said to Bremerton.

Gifts? Please! The best thing that happened during christmas were me feasting for leftover food from the restaurant with the other homeless people back during those harsh days living in the streets. Never been given gift during my stay at the mansion and during college? I'm trying to stay hidden as much as possible so I won't attract attention, college christmas party are a no go, I was busy with part time job and the money is more than worth it…this would be the first christmas I will experience as a soldier, if I had to be on guard duty during that time I can finally laughed out loud at the cruelness of the world. I would probably laughed it off for a bit before shrugging it off as just another misfortune pilling up, at least those suffering balanced out my karma somewhat so I am blessed to live another day despite the whole thing I experienced on the war.

"Can I ask you something?" Bremerton asked me again…I have to stop minding my own thoughts, just go talk to Bremerton, Alex!

"About what?" I asked Bremerton back.

"You. Wallace, I have never seen you laugh" …Ah, I think this is the first time a girl asked me that question…

"Really? Well, I rarely laugh in the first place" I do laugh, I just rarely did.

"Are you that stereotypical badass marine who's quite stoic and all business?" Bremerton asked me while she smiled.

"Hell no, I'm just an ordinary man" I said to Bremerton.

"Ah, you're just that composed that you rarely laugh!" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"That's a bit closer" I said to Bremerton.

"Hmm…Oh I know! You are hard to impress!" Bremerton said to me as she pointed at me

"Okay, strike three, you're out" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"Awww…so, what's the answer?" Bremerton asked me.

"Do I have to?" Hmm, she's quite curious.

"Well…if it makes you uncomfortable…" Bremerton said to me while she frowned…NO!

"S-Sorry, don't take it the wrong way, Bremerton. I'm…just not that good at social interaction…not that I don't like you or anything" I quickly said to Bremerton while I frowned, I'm such a daft!

"I see…But you seems to be doing well so far?" Bremerton asked me while she cocked her eyebrows.

"I could make a lot of mistakes during conversation, I'm not that attentive sometimes and I could possibly hurt someone's feelings quite easily with my words…Not someone easy to get along with" I said to Bremerton truthfully.

"That's just you being pessimistic. I could talk to you easily right now and you're able to hold yourself well, I'm sure it can be fixed if you keep interacting with people" Bremerton said to me while she grinned.

"That…makes sense" …Yeah, that could work.

"I know! How about you practice with me?" Bremerton asked me.

"Well, if you're up for it" I said to Bremerton.

"Okay! Let's start, what's your hobby?" Bremerton asked me.

"…Shite, I don't exactly have a particular one" …I screwed this up from the start!

"Let's go with eating and risking your own life!" Bremerton said to me while she grinned.

"You have to slip that in huh?" I said to Bremerton while I smiled bitterly.

"Hehehe! But seriously, you must've something you're good at before your military life" Bremerton asked me…

…What hobby do I have before all of this? How about eating? No, that's not exactly a hobby, more like me unable to contain my lust for food…What am I good at before all of this? Oh, there's one thing I'm good at. Being just another noise in the crowd…Yeah, I don't stand out, that's a blessing in disguise. If I had to walk among the people on the sidewalk and I'm getting tailed? It's pretty easy to lose them. For starters, I usually dressed inconspicuously, with my just slightly above average face and I'm not too tall nor short at around 178 centimeters. Want to blend in? Easy peasy lemon squeezy shinny ballsy, all I have to do is find a crowd and I'll lose them in seconds…Why can I say that so confidently? Hey, I had to run from cops several time in the past, it was quite fun, not going to lie.

"It's not exactly a hobby…" I said to Bremerton.

"Ho? What is it? I'm quite curious" Bremerton asked me as she stared at me.

"…I'm good at being invisible" I said to Bremerton.

"Huh…I don't understand what you mean by invisible" Bremerton asked me with cocked eyebrows.

"It means I'm good at blending in with the crowd. I won't stand out if I want to" I said to Bremerton.

"Is that so? But, you're so bad at being invisible now! I mean, many KANSENs knows you and you're basically a revered person between Ironblood soldiers on the base. Well, although not everyone knows your face" …Yeah, not going to work on Point Azure that's for sure.

"I'm kind of glad for it" I said to Bremerton.

"Why? You got no confidence to show yours?" …Ouch…

"Aside from avoiding troublesome situation. Yeah, I'm not exactly handsome" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"I'd say you're a good catch to those who aren't picky. And you know, looks don't always become the deciding factor" …I'm…quite happy to hear that, especially when it comes from a beautiful girl.

"But it's quite huge point in influencing someone's opinion of you" I said to Bremerton.

"That is true, if they meet you for the first time. But believe me, someone with a good brain and soul will look past that. Your value is worth more than your physique…At least, that's how it works for me" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"I see" I said to Bremerton as I nodded my head, that's quite wise.

"…You know, you're the first guy friend I have that lasted this long" Bremerton said to me in soft tone…wait-

"Huh? Really?" I'm the first?

"Yes…most…guys that trying to befriend me always have ulterior motives, mostly trying to get into my pants…You're different than them" …Sheesh, I know she's hot, but damn it lads! You bunch of horny apes!

"…You might not want to conclude that too quickly, Bremerton. I'm still a man in the end" I said to Bremerton while I smiled bitterly, she could get herself hurt like this.

"Sure I've seen you sneak a few glances at my boobs, I can understand that since they're so big…But you didn't try anything…Most guys I've met at least tried something within days or even hours after we met, so I'm glad to have you around, Wallace" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

…Oof, got caught staring huh? I admit, my eyes do wander towards her chest on few occasion. But that's it, I just stare and I didn't do it intentionally most of the time! It's not that I'm not interested in that kind of pleasure, but I'm just not the type to go around trying to score with a girl left and right. It's not that I'm not horny, I'm still human, I can feel lust and temptations, but I'm just good at managing it! And, the fact that I respect these KANSENs so I won't try anything they won't like! Hearing the story from Bremerton caused me to feel shame as a man and making me want to look out for her, I realized that she can take care of herself, but in the event when she's not…I will be there to do what I can…

"…Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but is that because of how you dressed yourself and the fact you're a beautiful girl with great figure?" I asked Bremerton.

"Yup, bullseye…None of them actually put in the effort to get to know me as a person, all they saw is a girl that they'd like to score for bragging rights…" Bremerton said to me while she smiled bitterly.

"…So you haven't done it?" I asked Bremerton.

"…No…I haven't…I'm saving it up for someone…" Oh? She have someone in mind?

"Sounds like you already have someone in mind?" I asked Bremerton.

"…There is this one guy, he's a bit of a wild card here. A bit oblivious at times, I think there's quite few other girls having their sight on him as well…but I can see he's quite kind, there are stories of him helping people so he's good man, he's quite caring for the KANSENs and dedicated to his job as fierce protector of humanity…If my deduction is correct, he could be the one I'm looking for and honestly? He have a great chance" Bremerton said to me in soft tone while she smiled softly.

"Ho, that man would be quite lucky to have you" Whoever he is, that man is a lucky guy to catch her attention.

"I think he is, not surprising since his luck is quite extraordinary" Hmm, who is he I wonder?

"Is he Nobuyuki?" I asked Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"Fufufufufufu…No" Bremerton said to me after she giggled…eh? Not him?

"Eh? Is that so…" …But he's a harem protagonist! Ladies flocked towards him naturally!

"…I'll let you figure that one out~" Bremerton said to me with teasing tone…

"…By the way, you're surprisingly quite traditional in your approach" I redirect the conversation, I'm not good at guessing things.

"It's not that I wouldn't do pre-marital sex or something…I just want to be certain that person is the right one first" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Understandable, that's good" I said to Bremerton while I nodded.

"…How about you?" Bremerton asked me.

"What? Me?" She want to know about me?

"Yeah…are you…experienced?" Bremerton asked me.

"Hmm…should I answer that?" I asked Bremerton back while I smiled.

"Hey, don't be mean. Here I'm opening my fair maiden heart to you, it is courteous to return the favor~" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Heh, right…Well…Just once, I'm still practically a virgin" I said to Bremerton.

"Eh? You already did it?!" She looked shocked, I think she thought of me as a complete virgin.

"It was a one night stand. I was…a bit vulnerable at the time. There's this woman who asked me out for a drink, we chatted for a bit before she invited me to a hotel to stay the night…we did it at that time" I said to Bremerton…

That's basically what happened, I just never said the details to anyone…It was just when I about to disappear from college and associates because someone leaked my criminal records, I was pretty slumped in a local bar, drinking as I thought where did it all go wrong. I finally able to get off the streets and I'm going back there not too long after that…Then, a pretty girl comes to drink with me, saying she need some company to go through the night. Being two miserable people we are, we hit it off quite well. I didn't refuse when she asked me to stay on her hotel room for a while, beats being cold sleeping in the alleyways. Usually I wouldn't involve myself with women who did one night stand but I was quite intoxicated at the time, not drunk enough to stumble but just perfect to make some bad decision without second thought…

We make out, french kissing one another, she sucked me off and then we had sex. She was straddling me, like she need it, need the pleasure of being penetrated. It didn't take long before I spew my sperm into her womb without any restraint, and we did it for basically three more times after that…she really did squeezed me dry…I did a raw sex with a stranger, I don't even think on the possibility of her getting pregnant, I was just riding the waves of pleasure…Then morning came, since I'm the type who remembers when I woke up from a drunken night, I shot up immediately. The lady was away and she left me a note, thanking me for the night and that I should go immediately after I woke up. That's what I did…and then, I saw her again few hours after that as a noble lady in the arms of a rich politician, making a statement that they will held a wedding in around two weeks after that day…I bolted out of town right there and then, I'm quite brave but not even that can cause me to stand my ground. Last thing I need is being involved in a scandal and get recognized, everything would be over right there and then…Lady, if you do get pregnant and it's because of me, I'm really sorry…we both have our reasons-

"...Was it good?" Bremerton asked me in low tone.

"Heh. For a virgin like me who didn't know carnal pleasure? It definitely was…though, I regret it" …No way I could forgot the sensation.

"Why?" Bremerton asked me.

"…Because my life could be over if I'm not careful enough from that day on, not a good experience for a first time…Turns out, she's the daughter of a politician within Royal Islands, worse, she have a fiancé…If they found out that she had sex with a commoner like me, I…don't want to think on what will happen" I said to Bremerton.

"Ah is that so…but, Wallace, if she's not a noble blood, will you keep doing it with her?" …Hmm…

"…No, I don't think so. I felt no connection with her…sure the sex would be great, but…I don't think it's meaningful if I don't feel anything for her" I said to Bremerton…

"I see…so, what can make this connection to you? There must be some way a girl can do to get on your good side~?" Bremerton asked me.

"Well you can always start with food and make your way from there" I said to Bremerton while I smiled.

"Ahahahahaha! You really going for that old saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'!" Bremerton said to me after she laughed, her laugh is quite beautiful and I could get used to that.

"Someone who come up with that is not wrong in the slightest. But, seriously, just be a good person…Be a nice person and I will definitely appreciate you, kindness goes a long way with me" I said to Bremerton.

"Fufufu…Roger that Wallace~" Bremerton said to me while she grinned.

It was the lesson I learned the hard way…when I was out there, alone, kindness is a blessing. I become able to remember the face of the people that have been kind to me even as a bum, an old lady who shared some bread with me, a young girl who donated some money to me, a middle aged man who sat with me as he told his story and sharing a bottle of wine that he's about to throw away, a fellow bum who shown me the ropes of living as a homeless and some unwritten rules around the streets, even a nobleman who let me sleep on his warehouse during a particular harsh winter. Those people are willing to be kind to me and I appreciate their gesture, always…kindness is a rare gem, it's something I wouldn't forget…Dammit I've been recalling my past quite often lately! I blamed Nyx for this! Shake it off Alex, you're living on the present now!

We arrived on Valencia after half an hour drive from Point Azure, tall buildings comes to our view the moment we're approaching the city limits. It's still not as impressive as the city I saw when Nyx transported me away, but it's quite nice looking one nevertheless…after taking few turns around the city streets, we arrived on one of the popular shopping mall around this part of the town. Both of us entered the mall, parked the jeep and started exploring the stores inside the mall to find what Bremerton can get for her friends. And when it comes to women, clothes and fashion usually comes to mind. Naturally, we diverted into one of the clothing stores. I walked behind Bremerton as she picked few clothing article then followed her to the nearby changing room.

"Hey, I'm going to try few clothes. Wait here, okay?" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"What, you want me to judge how it would look on you?" I asked Bremerton.

"Yup, having the opinion of a guy will really help" Bremerton said to me.

"I'd be a poor one, you'd look great in anything" I said to Bremerton while I shrugged.

"…And you said that you're bad at socializing, you lying flirt…" Bremerton muttered something in very low tone with her cheeks reddening a bit.

"What was that?" I couldn't catch the words so I asked Bremerton.

"N-No, nothing!" …Well…if you say so.

Bremerton get inside the changing room while I waited outside and looked all around the clothing store I'm in, it looked like the typical clothing store for women with various dresses and article of clothing neatly lined all over the store. There's so many to choose that no wonder women takes a while whenever they go shopping, then there's the fact that they considered EVERYTHING when they choose a cloth that catch their fancy. Men? Heh, as long as it fits, we'll call it a day…Several patrons of the shop are looking at me though, even the owner occasionally glanced at me from the cash register. It's not because I'm handsome, it's because I'm dressed with my winter Azur Lane Winter BDU. Admittedly, wearing a military uniform amidst civilians will make you stand out and I don't really like being stared like this, but I can't help it when I got no time to change.

"How do I look?" Bremerton asked me.

I heard the sound of curtains being swept and I turned my head toward the changing room. There stood Bremerton wearing white blouse and light brown skirt, the clothes should be a bit baggy but due to her enormous chest it looks a bit tight. Not that it matters, Bremerton looked so alluring like this and I could just spent my time staring. But I'll be branded as a creep if I just keep staring at her without any input, better say my thoughts to her.

[Subject: Alexander Wallace]

[Slight increase in hormone production and the desire to procreate detected]

...Wait a fucking second, did ANARIS just called me horny?! How would you even know that?! I don't even have a boner at the moment!

"Yup, you should buy that one" I said to Bremerton.

"Oh? Alright then! Wait, I'm going to try more!" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

Bremerton then changed into a pink sweater with long blue skirt that gave her the appearance of a house wife, seeing her covered up like this when she usually wore something quite revealing is a nice treat in the eyes.

"How about this?" Bremerton asked me as she show off the outfit.

"It looks comfortable, it really matches your hair" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"Thanks. Well, another one" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

Wonder what she has next, I was standing behind her as she picked up few clothes and I didn't pay attention so that's on me for being ignorant…My eyes wandered to the other people around the area, observing people might serve as a distraction as I waited for Bremerton…There's two people there, a man and a woman, the woman seems to inspect the dress she held closely while the man standing behind her with bored face. He looked around and his eyes met mine, the man nodded at me sympathetically and I nodded back at him. I looked around again and saw a woman holding up two dress, she looked at each article of clothing and furrowed her eyebrows. Yeah, I'd say she's-

[Subject: Unknown female civilian]

[Mild stress detected]

Huh, mild stress. I zoomed in a bit at the woman and noted that she's murmuring about something, I'm not good enough to predict what she said from her mouth movement alone, can ANARIS do that?

[Subject: Unknown female civilian]

[Analysis failure]

…Guess ANARIS do have some drawbacks, with all of the feats it pulled I expected that the tool could also naturally read mouth movement and make up the words. Looks like I have to learn to do that on my own-

BRUK!

"Kyaa!" Bremerton yelped from inside the changing booth!

"Eh? Bremerton, you alright?!" I asked Bremerton as I turned around.

"Stop! D-Don't open the curtain! I'm okay! Just slipped, that's all!" Bremerton said to me…

"O-Okay…" I said to Bremerton.

Sorry to say but I don't trust that statement, I activated the x-ray vision and it looked past the curtain that separates the changing booth. Holy shite…I saw Bremerton wearing white bra and panties with pink outline and currently trying to put on a tight looking jeans around her waist, Bremerton is frowning cutely as she tried her best to…Oh…I see what's going on here, she's trying so hard to put on that tight looking jeans that she hit the wall or fell down? Yeah, that's a really plausible scenario. Bremerton succeed putting on the jeans and I looked away as I turned off my x-ray vision, don't want to be caught staring at the changing booth creepily right? Bremerton opened the curtain and shown herself, she's wearing red t-shirt and jeans.

"How do I look?" Bremerton asked me.

"…The jeans looked a bit tight" I commented as I looked at the jeans hugging her legs tightly.

"I knew it…But, does it fit?" Bremerton asked me again.

"Like I said, you'd look good in anything. You could definitely add some denim jacket or something, to match the color" I said to Bremerton.

"You know what, that's a good idea! Okay, last one" Bremerton said to me.

Last one, thank god that she didn't plan on getting more clothes to try on…Oh wait, this is HER clothes, what about the ones that she want to pick for her friends?! Blimey, this will take a while. Bremerton opened the curtain, well that was quick, I turned around and I found my jaw dropped down a bit. There she stood, wearing a crimson one piece dress with her hair tied into single ponytail…If there's a ball on the base, she will definitely steal the spotlight with how gorgeous she looked! I could feel my own cheeks warming up and I tried to control my excitement-

[Subject: Alexander Wallace]

[Slight increase in hormone production and the desire to procreate detected]

OH SHUT THE FUCK UP ANARIS!

"…How…do I look?" Bremerton asked me while she smiled bashfully.

"Great looking dress, if there's a ball on the base you should wear that" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"A-Are you sure that all of these clothes looks good on me?" Bremerton asked me while she frowned a bit.

"What? You're not confident in your figure? Believe me, you look great in all of them" I said to Bremerton while I smiled.

"…If you say so…Thanks Wallace" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

I waited outside as Bremerton went to pay for the clothes, just like inside the store, people are looking at me as they passed. I pretend not to notice by looking at the floor, their stares are quite discomforting. Bremerton sure take a while in there, should I check on her? But the moment I'm about to move I saw Bremerton exited the store with few bags in her hands.

"I couldn't find anything that could suit my friends today, all of this are the clothes I picked for myself" Bremerton said to me while she smiled bitterly.

"Is that so, want to look on another shop?" I asked Bremerton before I widened my eyes.

"You sure?" Bremerton asked me.

"…We got some time" …

"Okay then!" Bremerton said to me while she smiled widely.

Bremerton handed me the bags which I take before she grabbed my left arm and started dragging me away from the shop…I…I…Oh god Alex why did you say that?! You're only going to torture yourself at this rate! But it's too late to backtrack my statement back there and I don't want to see this woman who's clinging on my left arm sad! And thus, I was dragged all over the mall for hours. We'd stop by on various shops or stalls to get the appropriate gifts according to Bremerton, that's how I ended up carrying few large bags with Bremerton carrying several smaller ones…Phew, I'm mentally tired and ready to hit the sack the moment I returned to Point Azure, not even the Battle of Ceres Town get me drained like this.

"Let's stop by here for a bit. My treat, for accompanying me today" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

I looked at the place we stopped at and saw a restaurant, but it didn't have the classical layout of the restaurant I used to see, the restaurant has bright orange alongside yellow wall paint and a big red M symbol plastered on the entrance. Inside it? It's quite packed with people! Though there's some spots on the corner that we could sit on, I was about to go there until Bremerton dragged me toward the counter with several people with red uniform standing behind the register…Huh? We didn't sit down and wait for the waiter? I looked at few neat rows of people lining up on the counter, one of them received tray full of food before walking to find an empty seat…This is quite different…

"…What kind of restaurant is this? First time ever seeing it" I asked Bremerton as we lined up.

"Fast food joints and they're all the rages these days, it's quite hard to explain so you should experience it yourself" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Welcome to the Big M, what would you like to order?" Without realizing it, it's our turn to choose!

"French fries and vanilla milkshake with some bobba. How about you?" Bremerton smoothly said her orders.

"I…don't know what to choose" I said out loud as I looked at the menu variety behind the employee or the one on the counter.

"Could I recommend you our set menu then? Each set have different variety of meals" The employee asked me while she smiled.

"Sure…Uh…The double burger set?" I said out loud as I looked at the double burger menu set picture.

"Got it, please wait a moment" The employee said to me.

The employee walked to the back which presumably kitchen and she walked out two minutes later with everything that Bremerton and I ordered on top of two trays, holy freaking Jesus on top of Aston Martin that was lightning quick in terms of speed! This will be a good addition to the military! You know, food being served this quick could feed an army quickly! I was quite taken aback by the speed that I couldn't comment until we sit down on the corner.

"…I can see where the 'fast' in fast food comes from" I said to Bremerton after I regained my senses.

"Taste it, I'll guarantee you'll like them" Bremerton said to me while she smirked.

I looked at the two burger that are wrapped in thin plastic wrapper, I opened the wrapper and looked at the burger in my hand…Two buns, juicy looking patty, a slice of cheese, two pickles, chopped onions and sauce…Hoo boy, pretty packed meal I got here and I still have large amount of chips to eat alongside several nuggets…Into the belly of the beast you go! I took a bite, munch on it, swallowed it and nodded in approval…I don't know what they made this with, but it's quite delicious!

"…I'm so going back here" I said to Bremerton.

"Hahahaha! Well, glad you like it. Though you might want to keep it at moderate level, fast food isn't exactly a healthy meal" Bremerton said to me after she laughed.

"Who said that?" I asked Bremerton while I cocked my eyebrows.

"Vestal" Bremerton said to me.

"Well…if she said so, alright then" I said to Bremerton.

…Huh, well, small dose of poison is a fair trade for the taste of this kind of meal on occasion. Vestal, as a doctor, of course knew about the nutritional value and the possible risk of eating fast food so that Intel is certified. I devoured the first burger within minutes and immediately started on the second one, the taste is addicting and I craved for more! I could eat four of these burgers! Just as I'm about to bite into my second burger, I noticed something. Bremerton is staring at me while she smiled. She just stared at me without saying anything, that kind of thrown me off guard.

"…What?" I asked Bremerton.

"I'm impressed that you can downed big burger like that even after you had lunch beforehand" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"…Sorry, seeing a man gorging food isn't doing him any favor in the charm factor huh?" I said to Bremerton while I frowned.

"What? All I see in front of me is a man who enjoy his meal, there's nothing wrong with that. At least you didn't gorge it out like a starving pig so that's a plus points on mannerism~" Bremerton said to me while she grinned a bit.

"Of course I'll mind about manners even when I eat a truck load of food, it's not something I'll easily forget" I said to Bremerton…I've said too much.

"Oh? Is your upbringing quite strict?" Bremerton asked me while she smiled.

"…Kind of" I said to Bremerton.

"Want to talk about it?" Bremerton asked me while she smiled sympathetically?

"…No, let's talk about something else" I shook my head as I frowned.

…No, she don't have to know about that, I don't want anyone to know about that. I don't need the pity or the sympathy, it's a shitty circumstance to be born on that shite show and the one that I'm glad to be out of despite the hardship I have to go through for the last five years…I only wish I could reconnect with my big sister again, that's my only regret about leaving that family…Bremerton smile turned into frown the moment she looked at my face so I quickly looked away, calmed myself down before looking at Bremerton again with my composed face…I got a bad feeling that she just analyzed something out of me just from that conversation alone, maybe from my tone, maybe through my expression…

"Sure...So, how are you settling in?" Bremerton asked me as she changed the topics.

"On Delta site? Hmm, well, it beats living in the barracks that's for sure. I can get what I need by going around few shops on Delta site" I said to Bremerton before I munched on my burger.

"Glad to hear, nothing's troubling you, is it?" Bremerton asked me while she smiled.

"…Don't worry, everything's good on my end" I said to Bremerton after I swallowed.

"Good, good…if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always come to me, Wallace" Bremerton said to me while she smiled softly.

"Yeah, thanks…I'll keep that in mind…though, I'm not sure whether my problems would be the same as the other girls you counsel sometimes" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"I think there are few problems that are universal" Bremerton said to me.

"Right…anyway, you haven't touch your fries much" I said to Bremerton as I pointed at her chips.

"Hoho~, you want my fries as well~?" Bremerton asked me while she smirked.

"You know what? That's not a bad idea" I said to Bremerton while I shrugged.

"Oh, I was expecting you to get triggered or something. I was insinuating you're a glutton?" Bremerton asked me as she cocked her eyebrows.

"Well you already know how much I can eat, doing that is like shooting yourself in the foot at this point" I said to Bremerton with half closed eyes.

"Right. But seriously, how much did you eat today? Starting from breakfast" Bremerton asked me.

"…I ate sausage rolls with eggs and have lunch with double steak" I said to Bremerton.

"…Your stomach is bottomless…" Bremerton said to me in astonished tone.

"…I'm quite surprised on few occasion as well" I said to Bremerton while I shrugged.

"So how the hell did you manage to stay fit like that?! Tell me how, Wallace!" Bremerton asked me with serious face.

"Go jog in the morning and spend the rest of the day either being a guard or someone to throw around to do errands" I said to Bremerton.

That's what basically happened to us whenever there's no combat or field assignment, we either spend the day training, doing patrols or being told to do some job that we only get because we are convenient helpers for the higher ups. I mean, Nobuyuki and Ambrose didn't even deny that they will use us as helpers whenever they need it. It's a tough choice you know? Either being busy like that or being so bored that you might do something stupid, I don't know which one is worse to be honest. But! Since I like being indoors most of the time, I think I prefer not being tossed around! Oh wait, I can't do that anymore…I have to save the world apparently, I better spend my time training and improving myself so I can break free from the border we called mediocrity…

"Huh, you're quite busy" Bremerton said to me while she frowned a bit.

"Most of the time. So, what did you do?" I asked Bremerton.

"If it's not sortie or training or academy…well…since it's winter…staying in my room" Bremerton said to me while she looked away…

"…Did you work out?" I asked Bremerton.

"…Not during this season…" Bremerton said to me in low tone while she pouted.

"Well it's up to you to do what you want after all" I said to Bremerton.

"Yeah, though it's fine, I'm not the type that got fat easily. Plus, I can't eat much anyway…So, if I can't finish my meal…" Bremerton said to me as she stared at me with a cute smile…Ah…

"…You're counting on me as a rubbish bin" I said to Bremerton while I deadpanned at her.

"That wording is a bit harsh! But I figure you wouldn't mind with extra helping~!" Bremerton said to me while she grinned.

"As long I could still eat, that's fine by me. Uneaten food is a…tragedy" I said to Bremerton while I frowned.

"Fufufufu, well, sometimes it just can't be helped. That's why someone that can eat so much like you is a saving grace for those foods" Bremerton said to me after she giggled.

…After finishing our meal, we walked out of the fast food restaurant and make our way back to the parking lot. But before we could reach the exit, I noticed something odd. There's someone that has been following us from between the crowds, I couldn't make up the details of our stalker due to the amount of people around us and I don't want to be caught looking back for too long. I noticed that person have been following us ever since we left the restaurant, wearing black beanie, black jacket, jeans and brown leather boots…Okay then, someone clearly want to mess with us and they're not afraid to go against an Azur Lane Marine…

[Subject: Unknown]

[Flag changed to hostile]

"Someone is following us, don't look behind" I said to Bremerton in low tone.

"Eh? T-Then what do we do?" Bremerton asked me.

"Let's go to that public toilet, you stay there for a bit while I deal with them" I said to Bremerton as I subtly pointed toward the nearby restroom.

"O-Okay, be careful, don't do anything that could get you hurt. A-And, don't attract too much attention because the civilians-" Bremerton worry too much it seems!

"Don't worry, just follow my lead" I said to Bremerton.

I handed the bags to Bremerton temporarily then followed her to the bathroom, I looked inside and fortunately it's quite empty at the moment…good, then this should be quick. Bremerton was quite surprised however when she noticed me entering the women restroom with her, she must've expected me to wait outside near the outside entrance. Sorry to say, that part is too exposed so I can't ambush our stalker.

"Eh? Why are you coming with me?" Bremerton asked me with a surprised face.

"Trust me on this" I said to Bremerton.

I did this based on the assumption that the stalker is up to no good as soon as we're on secluded space with less people, if not, then I'll take them down somewhere else. One way or another, I'm going to catch them. I could ascertain their motives by stopping on few places along the way to the parking lot and form up a better plan in case this one fails. I took out my M1911 from the holster, pulled the slide a bit to confirm the bullet is loaded into the chamber and release the safety. I held it in my right hand and stood near the entrance, I heard some footsteps but there's a particular one getting closer with each passing second. As soon as I saw someone entering my field of vision with black attire I immediately grabbed them then pinned them to the wall, I had their right arm on a lock with the muzzle of my M1911 pressed on the stalker's nape.

"I'm only going to ask you once, why are you…eh?" I demanded answers when I noticed something.

"H-Hi Alex"

[Subject: Catalina Smith]

[Flag changed to friendly]

"Lina, what in the bloody hell!?" I asked Lina out loud.

"That's my line you know! Don't you think using your gun is a bit overkill?!" Lina asked me while she frowned.

It was only when she's in front of me when I noticed the shoulder length red hair and familiar face, it's none other than Catalina Smith herself! Hah, dammit, her hair is covered up by her beanie and I didn't catch her face when I looked back because all I noticed is her clothes. Strangely though, ANARIS didn't tag Lina when my eyes moved toward her direction, why is that? Didn't Nyx said that it will tag anything that I want to know? Why didn't it work when I noticed that someone is following us? It only marked Lina as unknown…

"Hah…anyway, what are you doing? Why are you following us?" I sighed then asked Lina as I sheathed my M1911.

"I just caught a glimpse of you and Bremerton walking together, I got curious but I couldn't find the timing to call you out. Sorry about that hehe…But then you were walking into a woman's restroom! I can't just let that slide!" Lina said to me while she smiled.

"…You looked quite familiar" Bremerton commented as she stood beside me.

"I'm Catalina Smith, just a fellow platoon member with Alex here" Lina said to Bremerton while she smiled.

"Ah, is that so…" Bremerton said to Lina.

"Fine, I'll believe you…what are you doing here?" I asked Lina.

"One of my friend from back home is around the town, I was just done hanging out with her" Lina said to me.

"Really? And she's not with you?" I said to Lina, what a coincidence.

"She have her boyfriend with her, I don't want to butt in" Lina said to me.

"It's getting late, should we head back?" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Alright then. Want to come with us?" I said to Bremerton before asking Lina.

"…No, I still got someplace that I want to visit. Catch you later at the base" Lina said to me after she looked at Bremerton.

"Sure. See you" I said to Lina while I smiled a bit.

"Wait outside okay? I have something to do first" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

I nodded before walking out of the restroom and surprising few passerby, I just put on my best flat face and leaned on the nearby wall while forcing myself to ignore the whispers coming from the passing people…I waited around five minutes when I cocked my eyebrows as I stared at the entrance to the restroom, both Bremerton and Lina haven't come out…Okay, maybe they have business with the porcelain throne? Or maybe they talked a bit with one another? I don't know, I'm not going to risk entering a woman's restroom for the second time, there's a chance I'll get arrested this time…Around a minute later, Bremerton finally come out of the restroom and handed me the big bags.

"Thanks for waiting" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Sure, let's head back" I said to Bremerton as we started walking.

"…That Smith? Are you close with her?" Bremerton asked me.

"I'm friends with her" I said to Bremerton.

"Hmm…" Bremerton hummed as she stared at my face.

"What?" I asked Bremerton while I frowned a bit.

"No, nothing" Bremerton said to me while she shook her head.

"Huh…" Strange…

I looked back and I still haven't see Lina coming out of the restroom. Oh well, maybe her stomach thrown some tantrums…We walked to the parking lot, get on the jeep and make our way back to Point Azure. By the time we exited the mall, the sky have turned orange. Wait, we're in that mall for that long?! I subtly glanced at my wristwatch and saw it's currently 5.46 PM, yup, we've been in there for quite some time. I imagined that it could easily led to us going home at night if Bremerton spend more time combing the mall thoroughly, I guess she's quite considerate of me. We're on the empty road around the coast when Bremerton let out a noise of amazement as she looked to the left, I followed suit and noticed that she's staring at the sun that's about to set on the horizon.

"The sunset, it looks beautiful" Bremerton said out loud.

"It's quite visible even with cloudy winter sky" I commented as I returned my gaze back on the road.

"Time really flies. It was around two o'clock when we left the base" Bremerton said to me.

"Yeah, we've been out for a while" I said to Bremerton.

We arrived on Point Azure around 7 PM and I continue to drive toward the Eagle Union's dorm, I stopped by the front entrance instead of the front gate so Bremerton won't have to walk much. The said woman stretched herself, must've been pretty tired after spending half a day outside. Now I realized that it's…been a while since I gone out like that, even at the context of helping Bremerton, it's really been a while since I just go outside with friends…I kind of enjoyed it.

"…It was short, but it was fun hanging out with you" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"Shame that we didn't do much" I said to Bremerton while I smiled bitterly.

"Trying out clothes? Eating together? Talking and getting to know one another? I would say that is a successful outing. That's why, thanks for accompanying me today" Bremerton said to me while she smiled softly.

"Likewise…I enjoy your company" I said to Bremerton while I smiled a bit.

"Let's do it again sometime!" Bremerton said to me while she grinned.

"Just talk to me when you want to, if I'm free, we could go" I said to Bremerton while I smiled.

"Sweet…See you later, Wallace~!" Bremerton said to me while she smiled.

"See you" I said to Bremerton while I nodded.

Bremerton got off the jeep with all the bags filled with everything she bought today, she walked toward the entrance when St. Louis suddenly exited the dorm. She stopped to talk with Bremerton while I stepped on the pedal as I honked once, St. Louis turned toward me and waved a bit as a sign of acknowledgment.

"Brem, how's the date?"

.

After putting the jeep back on the main compound's motor pool, I hitched a ride back to Delta Site onboard a cargo truck. Delta site felt quite empty today with snow falling heavily upon us, maybe that's why everyone decided to spend their time indoors where they could be warm. I saw several soldiers patrolling the area though and I can't help but to pity the poor bastards, bad weather isn't an excuse to lax the security especially after what happened at Ceres Town…I stopped by the restaurant, bought myself a takeout portion of meatloaf for dinner and then swiftly returned to the flat. I stepped out of the elevator and looked at the common room, surprisingly I found Gordon there sitting on the sofa with papers on table. Are those reports? Intel? Before I could ask though, the man turned his head toward me as he saw me coming.

"You took a while to return, kid" Gordon said to me.

"It was an eventful day" I said to Gordon.

"I bet, you looked the part. Well you better rest, you and your squad are up for guard shift on Sardgena Dorms tomorrow" Gordon said to me…wait what?

"Huh, squad? There's a change in the patrol system?" I asked Gordon as I folded my arms, this is new.

"Just become effective today. Ambrose think it's better when there's multiple squad working together, at least if there's an emergency, the coordination won't be a mess" Gordon said to me as he leaned on the sofa.

"Make sense, always wonder why we do single patrols when Reynolds is in charge" I said to Gordon, that system didn't make sense.

"Who knows? I'm not going to find the guy just to ask him about it" Gordon said to me while he frowned.

"Right…anyway, it's been a long day. Good night" I said to Gordon as I walked away.

"Night" Gordon said to me.

Finally, after one eventful day, I entered my flat and could finally release all the fatigue that accumulate today! Yes! I'm going to sleep so comfortably tonight! I looked around and noticed the new TV and I turned it on which immediately shown me a news broadcast program, a colored TV broadcast. This is still quite rare among the general populace, even the TV back on the common room is still the black and white type. I really want to keep it a secret but there's no way my platoon won't find out about this soon, I guess my room will be jam packed by the time World Cup started…I put the meatloaf on the dining table and took off my coat, that's when I remembered that Sullivan gave me something back then. I reached for the pocket and take out the wrapping

…Now, what did he mean by me liking it? I haven't said anything regarding what I want. Well, it's Sullivan, maybe he just get me-…Hold on…the wrapping is quite thin, easily foldable and felt empty…I cocked my eyebrows as I tore open the wrapping and something fell into the dining table…it's a white panty with black lines…I stared at the panty with widened eyes full of shock and my jaw's dropped in disbelieve. I have him figured as reasonable enough not to do something dangerous as stealing panties, BUT THE MOTHERFUCKER DID IT! WHO'S PANTIES THAT HE STOLE?! DON'T TELL ME HE REALLY STOLE BISMARCK'S PANTIES!?

"…Sully you son of a bitch…" I muttered to myself.

…There's a stain on the inner crotch part, this is really a used panty…I don't know what came over me but I brought the panty close to my face and sniffed it. Whoa, what strong smell! The combination of womanly smell and faint urine smell really strike my senses! I'll be honest, I never done this before so it's quite thrilling! Wait, what the hell am I doing?! Sniffing used panties? I'm not a pervert! Alright boner, die now or we will have a problem! Wait, just temporarily, I don't need you to die permanently! Fuh…Dammit, with my boner slowly dying down I can't help but wonder, who's the owner of this panty? Could it be Bismarck? Did Sullivan really stole her panty?

[Subject: Female panty]

[Detecting trace amount of ammonia and vaginal secretion]

[Conclusion: the cloth have been used for at least ten hours]

Not to sound disappointed, but is that all of the analysis you can give to me ANARIS? Can't you determine the owner of this panty just from the smell?

[Insufficient data for analysis]

How do I procure the data then?

[Recommend to get additional data from potential subject, direct sample retrieval is advised]

…You're telling me to sniff the crotch of all women on Ironblood dorms? Hard pass, I would get executed on the spot without a trial if I do that! Nyx said you have installed database, search that!

[Searching preinstalled database…]

[No matching data found]

…Fine then, I give up…I opened the lower cabinet on my kitchen and took out a jerry can filled with kerosene. I went to the balcony, put the used panty there, drenched it with the kerosene, made a small trail near it and then light it up with a lighter. The flame quickly jolted and burned the used panties, it was gone in under a minute and leaving nothing on the floor…Okay, evidence's gone, I just hope this won't be an extreme problem. I swear in my heart that the first thing I will do tomorrow is to punch Sullivan in the face for this stunt and he better be grateful to me since I didn't report him to Gordon…Unfortunately, now I'm feeling aroused…Shite! Hah, I manage to keep it in check but slight stimulation really get me going huh? I shook my head in frustration as I rummaged my bag that contained my personal stuff and took out a gravure magazine…I better get it under control before my guard duty tomorrow, I won't be able to stand it if I have to guard the area filled with those beautiful and alluring Sardegna women.

---

Here you go, one fresh chapter of Alex interacting with few ship girls is now up for consumption…Well, can you dear readers guess who will be the five heroines already? I did shown three of them on this chapter haha. But yeah, time for Alex to take it easy for a bit after what he gone through on Ceres and really get the feel of being a sergeant for his squad alongside his new tool ANARIS. Next up, guard duty on Sardegna dorms, meeting the Sardegna women and pray to god that no trouble will arise whatsoever! Thank you for the follow, favorite and review dear readers! Stay tuned until the next one!

See you next time!

- Dasmara