I found a letter in my locker today. It was the oddest thing, to pull open the door and to find the little envelope at the bottom, lying on top of a spare pair of shoes. I asked myself 'what is this?' and bent down to pick it up. There was nothing written on it, but the flap had a heart sticker sealing it shut. A love letter! My heart had skipped a beat and I gently pulled it open and slid out the letter within.
Akatsuki,
There is little point in denying the truth: I love you. I quite very love you, as a matter of fact. I'm ever so fond of your zeal and peppiness, and find your devotion to ladylike behaviors so endearing. I watch with envy at your outgoing nature, and it brings me such joy to be close to you the way I am. I've long thought of how I'd approach this subject with you, and I've decided leaving this letter in your locker is the best way. Perhaps in the coming days and weeks, your heart will guide you to me. If you feel the same way, I have every confidence that it will.
-K
There was nothing else written, and I must've read it half-a-dozen times before folding it up and setting it on one of the shelves. Who could this be? It was signed only with the K, so I began to run a few names through my head.
Kongou, but that doesn't seem likely at all, given how much older she is than me. Plus she's never had eyes for anyone but the Admiral. Kitakami? Not a chance, and even if it was her, Ooi would erase me from the face of the earth. Kaga? Kirishima? Kuma? None of them made any sense!
"Akatsuki-chan, what are you doing?" I heard from beside me, and turned to face the speaker. It was Inazuma, my fellow destroyer in our division. All our lockers were next to each other's, and I assumed she'd come to retrieve something. I realized i'd just been standing in front of my open locker, staring blindly at nothing.
"I found a letter in my locker just now. It was a love confession!" I exclaimed, and Inazuma gasped and held her hands up together. I swear I could almost see stars in her eyes, amazed as she was.
"That's great, Akatsuki-chan! Who's it from?" she asked.
"That's the thing, it wasn't addressed or signed, except for a little 'K' at the end. I was trying to think of who it could've been from when you showed up" I explained, putting my hands on my hips. I didn't think Inazuma had left the letter, but it was convenient how she had shown up not long after I found the letter.
"Can I see it? Maybe I can help!"
I quietly handed her the letter and waited for her to read it, watching her expression as she did so. She had one hand on her cheek and was smiling, seemingly about to gush over the rather subdued confession.
"Hmmm, well, I can't say I know who wrote this, but I'm sure you'll figure it out! Maybe your secret lover will leave other letters or clues for you, wouldn't that be cute? I'm really happy for you, Akatsuki-chan!" Inazuma said and hugged me. I returned the embrace, but my mind was preoccupied with the sudden turn of events. Someone on base was in love with me, and I had no idea who, or how to find out. Secretly, I hoped there'd be more letters to come, if only to help me figure out who was so into me.
Inazuma released me and I stepped back, putting the letter in a pocket and shutting my locker. "I guess I'll ask around, see if anyone can help me find out who left this letter for me" I said, and Inazuma smiled.
"Good luck, Akatsuki-chan!"
"EEEEEEEE!"
I tried desperately to breathe as Kongou tried to squeeze me into spaghetti, having picked me up in a ridiculous bear hug. I'd gone to her first, and asked her about the letter. She'd hardly read it at all before she dropped it and picked me up, putting me in a brief fight for my life. Mercifully she put me down before all my organs were squashed, and I heaved as I struggled to recover my breath, her hand on my back.
"This is great, Akatsuki-san! We have a secret lovers story going on, this is so cute! Oh I wonder who it could be?" Kongou said, putting both hands to her cheeks and swaying her hips. "Oh if only Admiral would leave me little letters, hehehe~"
"Umm, yeah. I guess you don't know who wrote this, then?" I asked, and suddenly she got all serious. She bent down and put her hands on my shoulders, and I began to sweat a little, afraid of what she'd do next. She was so utterly unpredictable, it could be hard to keep up.
"I have an idea! Let's work together as detectives and try to track your secret admirer down! Are there any other clues you can show me? Maybe we can dust the envelope for finger prints! Are there any scents attached to the letter?" Kongou fired off rapidly and pulled back, looking around. She bent down and picked up the letter, pressing it to her face and inhaling. "Hmmm, smells just like paper. No scents or perfumes, but maybe there's some secret code or invisible ink! Let me take this to Kirishima, she'll know what to do with it!"
"Ahh, no, that won't be necessary" I quickly said, reaching up and taking the letter from her grasp and putting it back in my pocket. "I'm sure there's no secret writing or anything like that. Maybe one of the others will know something. Thanks."
"Ufufu~ This is so cute, I can't wait to see how this'll play out, mm-hmm-mm!"
She'd gone back to her weird swaying with her hands on her face and I simply walked away, leaving her to her fantasies of the Admiral. I was no closer now than I was earlier, but I still had a few more girls to ask. I was sure I'd get to the bottom of this before long!
"Let's go, Kitakami-san."
"Oh, but the girls in Destroyer Group Six are kinda cute. It's kinda nice that she has someone leaving little letters for her, don't you think, Ooi-chi?"
"Uh-uuh, yeah, of course Kitakami-san! But...let's go somewhere else, OK? Let's go to the cafe."
"O-OK, Ooi-chi, but you're gripping my hand pretty hard. O-Ooi-chi!"
Well that was a waste of time.
"Let me see."
After seeing Kongou and Kitakami, I decided to go see Kaga next. I found her with Akagi in the gardens, practicing their archery. As magical as it was to watch their arrows turn to planes I was here with a purpose, and a true lady never lets anything distract her from her purpose! Kaga took the letter and briefly read it over, handing it to Akagi to let her take a look before she gave it back to me. "Any ideas, Kaga-san?" Akagi asked, and Kaga shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry to say I am not the author of your letter, Akatsuki-chan, but maybe there's something you've missed. Perhaps there was another letter, or perhaps you're meant to simply wait for your admirer to give you another hint" Kaga said.
Akagi nodded. "Perhaps, also, you're looking in the wrong place. Maybe the 'K' was meant to throw you off, to mislead you from the true author."
That made things even worse! The K was the only clue I really had so far, and if it was supposed to mean something else, and not my lover's name, there was no way I'd ever be able to find the person who wrote this letter to me. Not without help, anyway! "Who would do that, though? I mean why write someone a love letter but then not sign it, or worse, try to mislead them?" I asked.
"I suspect it has to do with the final lines of the letter. Your secret lover wishes for you to find her with nothing but your heart to guide you to her. A challenge of faith, so to speak" Kaga explained.
"Hmm" I hummed, sinking into thought. If I assumed the K was meant to throw me off, I'd have to deduce what the K actually meant.
"Or maybe her lover is just being mischievous" Akagi commented, and Kaga gave her a deadpan look. I put the letter away as Kaga turned back to look at me again, one hand on her hip as the other held her bow.
"Well, thanks anyway. I guess I'll go back to my dorm and try to figure this out. Have fun with practice" I said with a graceful curtsy, which earned a giggle from the two carriers. I turned and walked away, listening to the rustle of grass beneath my shoes and the soft breeze. The mystery was on, and I'd have to use my feminine wits and ladylike charms to uncover the truth!
It was hard, leaving the letter for her the way I did. Akatsuki's a smart and beautiful young lady, though, and it was true what I said. I'm confident that she'll be able to figure it out. I'll have to hope for my sake that she does. If she doesn't, I'm not sure I'll be able to muster the courage to tell her directly. It's funny... To face the Abyssals is nothing compared to facing one's own feelings.
-K
Note: a love mystery! Ooh! I'm basically addicted to writing for KanColle at this point, and I wanted to do another ship-shipping fic for these great and adorable girls. This time, though, I wanted to do something a little different. This should be fun!