"Gods, it's finally done," Zuikaku exclaimed while she held back the urge to slam her pen into the table and trying her hardest to avoid looking at the mountain of (thankfully finished) paperwork in front of her; the last she needs right now is for her headache to get worse. For whatever reason, in the last few days, she and the Commander have been swamped with nothing but documents.

"Good job," the Commander said; only his voice was heard—he was hidden behind an equally high stack of paper. "Why don't you take a rest?"

"Yeah. That would be a good idea," Zuikaku got up and stretched; she was about to check on the Commander when Shoukaku entered the room. The elder crane sister looked over the piles of paper, and her expression turned into a sympathetic one.

"…What is this, office work from hell?" she inquired, getting a tired, self-pitying laugh from Zuikaku.

"Don't remind me of it. I don't want to get a nightmare of me being eaten by papers," the carrier answered, actually already imagining it right now.

"And Commander, are you okay there?" Shoukaku turned her attention towards the Commander's desk.

"Yeah. I guess," came the reply from behind the papers. Shoukaku cannot help but frown at how lethargic the usually lively Commander sounded.

"Oh dear…this calls for some rest and relaxation. I have an idea. Why don't you try the onsen Atago mentioned a while back?" she suggested. Ever since her first visit to that place, the cruiser has spoken highly of it every chance she got.

"Me? And the Commander?" upon hearing that, Zuikaku blushed.

"Well, if he wants to."

"…I might need that," the Commander spoke again, only this time he already revealed himself, being messier than Shoukaku had expected.

"Uh, err, well, Shoukaku–nee, you'll come with us, right?" Zuikaku asked, though, to Shoukaku, it was more of a desperate plea than a simple request.

Being the good sister she is, Shoukaku said yes.

"Aaah~mm, gotta admit, baths are an excellent way to relax," declared an increasingly flushed Zuikaku; it didn't even take long for her tiredness to gradually go away after she took a soak. How mighty hot springs are, she thought.

"Yes, yes it is," Shoukaku replied as her sister let out a contented sigh, smiling not only because once again she was proven right, but because Zuikaku was happy.

"It's a bit quiet, though," Zuikaku continued. At that time, there were only two of them in the women's section.

"Well, no problem about it, right? The calm will help you relax more," Shoukaku replied.

"Ah, um, thank you for taking me here, though, Shoukaku–nee. And thank you for accompanying me."

"Ah, no problem. I take it you are worried something ridiculous will happen when a woman goes with a man to the hot spring, don't you? It's a typical romantic comedy setup after all."

"Wha—no! It's just, uh, I don't feel like leaving you behind, that's all!"

Shoukaku giggled at her sister's reaction. If she wasn't in denial, she indeed wouldn't wave both hands frantically like she did. However, she picked her words carefully and removed any hint of teasing; they were there to relax, after all.

"Oh, I see. I appreciate that. Thank you, Zuikaku."

"…Uh, did you hear that? Sounds like something's happening in the men's section…" Zuikaku's abrupt change of subject prompted Shoukaku to look at the direction of the barrier separating both sections. She did hear some noise, but they were too faint for her to comprehend.

"Hmm, you are right…I wonder…"

"Wow. Whatever it is, I hope it's nothing bad."

"Worried about the Commander, huh?" Shoukaku leaned back and watched the trees sway.

"Huh? Well…I guess, only a little? It's natural for a subordinate, right?" Zuikaku replied with the most neutral tone she could manage.

"Oh yes, yes, it is."

When they walked out of the bath, the sisters saw the Commander sitting alone, drinking from a can of beer. Zuikaku noticed that, like them, he's wearing a kimono, which to her, only served to strengthen his old man image.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they approached him and immediately noticed one black eye on his face.

"Before you ask, I'm alright," the Commander flashed them a grin when he saw the worried look on the two carriers' faces—it was more pronounced on Zuikaku—and pressed the cold can onto the injury.

"…May I ask what happened?" Shoukaku inquired before Zuikaku could do so.

"…You know, when I got to the bath, there's only one guy there, who was clearly drunk—no idea how he managed to get admitted. Long story short, he only rambled at first, so I simply ignored him, but then he decided that it would be a good idea to peep into the women's bath. Remember how the bamboo walls are not particularly tall? Anyone determined could scale it. Anyway, naturally I tried to stop him, and he punched me hard right in the eye. Hence, this black eye."

"So, um…what happened to him, then?"

Now it was Zuikaku who asked, and she noticed how the Commander seemed pretty pleased with himself as he replied.

"I punched him back, and he blacked out almost instantly. I have no idea whether it was because of the punch or the alcohol. Either way, he's probably still there. Serves him right for trying to peek at my subordinates. Especially my secretary."

Zuikaku was unsure whether the heat on the sides of her face was a leftover from the bath or something else.

"Thank you then, Commander," Shoukaku offered her gratitude with a slight bow and gently elbowed Zuikaku to remind her to do the same, which she promptly did.

"Ah…yes. Thank you, Commander."

"Well, it was nothing, really. Thanks to that incident, I'm feeling a little younger," the Commander stood up. "And because of that, I'm hungry. I'm going to get some food—onsen tamago sounds like a good idea…would you guys like to come along?"

"Oh, I'm not hungry. Maybe Zuikaku could go with you, though," Shoukaku replied; Zuikaku could have sworn her sister smiled deviously as she said those words; the smile was gone as quickly as it came, but she cannot really forget it.

And as soon as she was about to decline, her stomach just had to grumble.

"She's hungry, all right. Come on, let's eat."

With a feeling of defeat she's sure she will not forget anytime soon, Zuikaku followed the Commander to the café.