03—White, Blue
Life in the headquarters could get demanding and unforgiving, but not because everyone was having a hard time with their daily tasks and obligations at hand. After all, they could only do a number of things in a single day. Making the most out of a fleet's routine schedule was very essential if they wish to gain optimal results. To Inazuma, the passage of time in a busy period could easily work against you. And if you weren't careful, you would find yourself buried beneath a mountain of assignments from different departments. She knew of the pitfalls very well, but she had her limits too.
At the moment, she felt like her mind was lagging behind with all the information that needed to be processed since yesterday. As a result, she could hardly feel the minute changes around her. Or if there was any to begin with.
For example, she would hear the passing of a fleet girl today, only to see her at the mess hall in full health when tomorrow comes. From an outside perspective, it would certainly look like an everyday occurrence. After all, fleet girls were meant to live out their lives in naval battles against the forces of the Abyss.
Inazuma never had to deal with such an event personally until Fumizuki's death, so she had assumed that the loss of their friend would strike a heavy blow to her fleet's morale. Strangely enough, her fleet's resolve only grew stronger, thanks to Akatsuki and the commander's guidance.
But despite that, she still had some lingering doubts about that matter.
Was it really okay to brush it off like that so easily? Would it be okay to pretend that yesterday's events never happened to begin with?
No, that would be ridiculous. Even someone as naive as her would deem it impossible.
A fleet girl who had a taste of death would never be the same again.
Inazuma's only regret was that she didn't have the chance to get to know Fumizuki to be able to distinguish the differences better. She was even convinced the other night that they would become good friends like Akatsuki and Hatsuyuki.
Friends that would share happy and wonderful moments together. Friends that would shed blood and tears together.
Fumizuki's previous life was pitifully short, but she at least had the opportunity to start anew.
And in this fresh start, Inazuma thought that they should celebrate it with smiles on their faces. It seemed that the commander was already a step ahead of her yet again with the last-minute dinner party he had arranged in the medical bay. Together with the weary officers and injured fleet girls, they shared a toast to everyone's efforts in the operation as they helped themselves with the food Commander Einrost had delivered from the late-night eateries in the port area.
Everyone had fun despite of the hardships they had experienced, but Inazuma knew there would be more hurdles and other challenges ahead of them. Still, it wouldn't hurt them to celebrate every now and then, would it?
She didn't need to coil herself in a series of self-loathing and regret. At least, not today.
But even beyond this seemingly unchanging environment, each day always came with subtle little changes, turning each waking moment unique and special. Familiar patterns were a given, but needed variations were also bound to turn up in many interesting ways—for better or for worse. In any case, today would be quite a departure from the norm she knew so well. Nothing grand or special. Just... different.
Early in the next morning, Inazuma's unit went to the conference hall to attend an urgent meeting. They heard from the other fleet commanders that Chief Officer Amagi needed to clarify a few things about the earlier incident, as well as to announce new developments from the armory compound that he had been wanting to share with them since the start of the month. The latter part made everyone excited, speculations running about across the hall.
As they waited at their usual table in the hall, Inazuma borrowed the commander's terminal so that she could organize their schedule for today. She had considered once to purchase a similar unit, but its steep cost would only do more harm to the fleet's budget just for the sake of convenience. She had heard before that the Arsenal Management planned to update the terminals for fleet secretaries, but it wasn't yet decided if it would be a full-blown hardware revision or a hefty software upgrade. Not that she distrusted the commander, but it would be nice if she could monitor their resources and receive management-level updates in real time too.
And speaking of their budget, she also took this chance to check their current resource points.
After a brief pause of hesitation, Inazuma let out a sigh of relief. The penalties weren't as bad as she had anticipated. Still, it wouldn't be good for their fleet's integrity to take careless losses like this. Medical and repair bills weren't getting any cheaper after all.
Beside her, the commander settled in his seat for the second time after getting a carton of milk from the vending machine next to the doorway. He bought her some orange juice while Akatsuki had chilled coffee. Taking a sip of the juice, Inazuma noticed more people pouring into the room as time drew closer. Among them were the fleet girls they had rescued from the transport fleet. They seemed to be more relaxed when Inazuma last saw them—perhaps the meeting would go over the recent developments in the past few hours too?
She wouldn't be holding her breath for that though.
When the meeting finally started, they discussed the various irregularities they gathered from yesterday's operation. Unlike the review last night, they focused on a different perspective this time as they studied the abyssal fleet's behavioral patterns and objective in greater detail.
While Inazuma never got to participate in many naval battles to be able to study the enemy with her own two eyes, she could at least tell that something was definitely odd about the incident from earlier.
A certain aspect of their engagement against the enemy was lacking: the unbridled ferocity that the abyssal fleet was known for ever since they made their presence known to all of humanity.
In truth, this shouldn't surprise them. The Abyssals actively exhibited such discrepancies in the last couple of years, but what they were experiencing in the recent weeks only made it more apparent. And the fact that most of the fatal casualties from yesterday came from the task force members was nothing short of ironic... and depressing.
As it stands, cooperating with the Navy at the moment was a lost cause, so they would need all the information they could get their hands on and continue to work from there. Adding up the need to reorganize their countermeasure systems and procedures after the territorial breach, everything seemed to be an uphill climb from then on. Sure enough, the incident from yesterday instantly renewed their viewpoint on what these abyssal creatures were truly capable of, exposing how vulnerable the entirety of the Southern Cluster Isles was to enemy raids and such.
As if a response to these threats, the Chief Officer finally revealed what would be considered the highlight of the gathering:
Starting later afternoon, Class 2 Development Services would be available to all fleet commanders. No more forms and papers to fill up. No more waiting for approval from the management. No extra royalties. They only had to acquire the appropriate base module for the unit they wish to create and customize. Making this announcement sweeter than the juice Inazuma was chugging earlier, the Armory Management would be holding a limited-time promotion to all of their services later. The rather serious mood moments ago transformed into a holiday-like atmosphere.
And to conclude the session, he also announced that the Navy fleet girls they rescued yesterday were now assimilated by the Auspice Branch. Interested fleet commanders could send a request to the management department to enlist them in their unit before they get assigned elsewhere. After a few parting words from the Chief Officer, everyone was dismissed.
A familiar fleet girl approached Inazuma's unit, her long black hair fluttering as she moved. "Starting today, I will be working alongside everyone in your unit." The fleet girl saluted. "Again, I'm the battleship Fusou. Thank you for having me."
"Heh. You weren't certainly kidding when you asked them for compensation," Akatsuki said, looking at the commander. "And a battleship too. How did you do it?"
Yawning, the commander shrugged. "I guess it helped that we don't have a capital ship in our fleet. I had my eyes on her the whole time, so I'm glad it worked out in the end."
Akatsuki turned to look at the battleship. "So, any particular reason why you agreed to join us?"
Fusou glanced over her shoulder. "The Chief Administrator himself offered this opportunity after the meeting ended last night. In exchange for the details we were asked to disclose for the investigation, the Security and Regulations Coalition took us under their wing. And as for the reason why, you know how things turned out yesterday."
"But I'm more amazed they let you go just like that. Aren't you guys carrying some classified info with you?"
"To be honest, we're mostly kept in the dark on the greater parts of the shipment. Even the fleet's CO doesn't know any better than us."
"In short, your transfer here won't compromise the intel they're desperately hiding," the commander said, tugging the hem of his beret. "But as long as the SRC's involved, we don't have anything to worry about them at least."
"Seems to be the norm over there these days," Akatsuki said, annoyance written all over her face. "They did toss me here for no good reason."
"But I'm glad that it happened," Inazuma said. "I wouldn't be able to meet you otherwise."
She smiled. "Yeah, that's one way to look at it."
"I've been thinking about what that girl told me yesterday—the one you refer as Fumizuki." Fusou heaved a sigh. "She was right. I can't go on like this, that's why I've decided to return the favor and join your unit. Would you find some room to spare for my selfishness?"
"You're more than welcome, Miss Fusou," Inazuma said, smiling.
"Um, Fusou is fine," the battleship replied, her cheeks turning pink.
"There's something else I'd like to know," the commander said. "After some digging, I found out that you were a vagrant fleet girl before you got enlisted about three months ago. And you were found approximately seven hundred ten nautical miles south of Fort Orion, if I remembered it right." He clenched his hand over his mouth. "Did you notice anything... different when you were wandering around that region?"
Akatsuki narrowed her eyes. "That was... very specific."
It was a question that he would often ask to vagrant fleet girls too. Inazuma didn't mind as there were just a lot of things happening out in the sea lately and it wouldn't hurt to be extra careful.
Bowing her head, Fusou contemplated on it for a bit. "I... I don't remember anything unusual while I was out there. I would often run into abyssal ships—most of them were scout units doing their rounds near the islands I used to stay in with the others."
Inazuma tilted her head. "Others?"
"Fellow vagrants," Akatsuki replied. "You'll have better chances of surviving in the open seas that way."
"And I'm not certain if this would be of interest," Fusou said, "but I saw a convoy of ships heading further south once."
"What could that mean? I find it hard to believe that the Navy actually managed to set up another outpost deep into enemy territory."
"They're too far away for me to identify their flag and affiliation." The battleship cast her eyes to the floor. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't help you more with it."
The commander shook his head. "It's exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you."
She left her mouth slightly open for a moment. Then, she smiled. "Is that so? I'm relieved."
"Forget about that. At least we now have a battleship." Akatsuki extended her hand. "Fusou, we're counting on you."
Hesitating, the battleship took the destroyer's hand and nodded. "Thank you very much. I'll do what I can to be of use in this fleet."
"We'll be going to check on the others next. Care to join us?"
"Yes. I want to introduce myself properly to everyone. I hope they don't mind."
"Don't worry about it," the commander said.
They left the conference hall and visited the rehabilitation quarters next. As they entered through the double doors, Fumizuki waved at them from the other end of the spacious room. Sendai and Jintsuu sat together on a couch next to the large window while Hatsuyuki settled on her bed.
Horrible images forced to resurface within Inazuma's mind and she fought back with all of her willpower. Despite the nauseous feeling that was starting to creep on her, she somehow felt relieved as well. She didn't know that it was possible, but it was certainly a strange sensation. Seeing her friends doing well was the most important thing she could ever ask for.
Looking tense, Fusou walked up to them introduced herself. Everyone responded in kind, except for one who had her undivided attention on the game she was playing.
"Hatsuyuki, shouldn't you be resting right now?" Akatsuki yanked the game console out of Hatsuyuki's hands. She turned around, wagging the device at the commander. "Seriously, stop pampering her!"
Taking the device, the commander made a sideways glance. "My fault again, huh?"
She returned her attention to black-haired destroyer. "Well?" she said, gesturing at Fusou.
Not moving an inch of herself, Hatsuyuki cast an empty stare on her blanket. Her eyes were glazed over.
"Ha-Hatsuyuki... nice to meet you." She pulled the blanket over her head and remained motionless.
"Hatsuyuki? Are you okay?" the commander asked.
Akatsuki sighed. "What happened to her? And here I thought she's past that childish stage already."
"Give her some time," he said with a stern expression on his face. "Know your limits too, Akatsuki."
"A-Ah, my bad." She turned her attention to the light cruisers. "How about you two?"
Sendai puffed her chest out. "Better than that miserable excuse of a cupcake they served earlier! For serious, who thought it was a great idea to serve those things to their patients?"
Akatsuki pointed at her. "Hey, the two of you have some nerve to disappear at a crucial time."
"Cut us some slack." Sendai grinned. "I'll have you know that we weren't loafing around before we caught wind of the raid."
"You weren't in the island?" She turned to the commander. "I don't remember you giving them clearance when I left Auspice the other day."
"I had an errand to ask of them and it happened on a short notice," he replied.
"Errand?" Inazuma frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"
He looked away. "I just had them deliver a parcel to a satellite island. You shouldn't concern yourself about it."
On second thought, she should have known better. "Hmph. If you say so."
"Don't give me that face."
"The fairy nurses told us to stay here for a while," Jintsuu said. "For one more day at the very least. I'm sorry that we can't resume our operations sooner."
"Just rest easy for a while. Don't try to one-up our resident workaholic."
As everyone around them shared a laugh, Inazuma could feel her cheeks heating up like a boiler. "Y-You're still calling me that?" she cried.
Three more fleet girls—Musashi, Asashio, and Akatsuki—entered the room. Their colorful patterned yukatas caught everyone's attention, but upon seeing Musashi, most of them shrunk back to their respective partitions. The battleship nodded as her eyes met with Inazuma. "How do you do? I hope we came at a good time."
Inazuma approached them and bowed. "Good morning. Did you come to visit us?"
"Yes," the ponytailed Akatsuki replied, "we grew tired of listening to the news back at home, so we decided to check on the situation here personally. And we're worried about everyone too."
Inazuma led the new arrivals to the others. After she introduced them to everyone, the ponytailed Akatsuki handed over a basket full of fruits. Most of them were mangoes, causing Inazuma's mouth to water. No, bad Inazuma! These are given as a get well gift to the injured!
"Worry not," Musashi said, indicating the other larger basket Asashio had been carrying. "There's plenty for everybody else. That one's yours to keep."
"Err, you mean," the yukata-clad Akatsuki said, "it's for her fleet, right?"
Musashi blinked. "That's what I just said."
"It's not."
The other fleet girls in the room cheered as they gathered around Asashio, who handed out bundles of mangoes. The battleship rested a hand on the windowsill, gazing at the landscape outside. "Yesterday's operation was stressful, I heard."
"It wouldn't be this stressful if the Navy weren't around to mess everything up!" Murakumo shouted from the opposite corner of the room.
Fumizuki nodded, caressing a mango against her face. "Yeah, I wish I was there too!" An awkward silence followed, causing her to pucker her lips. "You guys sure love to pick on the newbie. At least I have Luna to keep me company."
Waving her tiny arms in the air, the fairy struggled against the destroyer's grasp. "Uwah! Please not too tight!"
"Oh, sorry."
"Umm, so anyway." Akatsuki faced the battleship and saluted. "Meeting you in the flesh is nerve-racking. It's an honor to meet you."
The battleship waved a hand. "Drop the pleasantries. There's no need to be formal."
"So, um, can I have a request? I might not get another chance at this."
Musashi's eyes began to dart left and right. "If it's a reasonable one, like an autograph or a picture, then—"
"No, I want to have a practice match with you."
As soon as those words escaped her mouth, most of the room's occupants voiced their surprise altogether.
"Oh? You wish to fight me?" Musashi's lips formed a smile. Her eyes shone an unusual glint. "Very well. I shall indulge in your request."
"Y-You will? Thank you very—"
Nagatsuki suddenly shoved her aside. "W-Wait! Me too! Can I?"
"Such enthusiastic girls you are," the battleship said, nodding. "You may join us."
"What? I should've expected such brutish behavior," Akatsuki said as she flicked her hair. "Unfortunately for you, I issued the challenge first. You can wait for your turn another day."
"But you see," Nagatsuki said as she placed a hand on Inazuma's shoulder, "I was almost close in redeeming my flan coupon from Inazuma last night. I'm glad I didn't, because she will convince you to eat those words right now!"
"What are you blabbering on about?"
She stuck her tongue out. "Inazuma's on my side, so you can't refuse!"
It took Inazuma a moment, but the realization finally hit her. "Eh?! I thought that was—"
"Wh-What? Is that true?" When Inazuma nodded, Akatsuki gritted her teeth. "Tch, fine. Only for this time, got it?"
Asashio sighed, shaking her head. "Even though you already know that you have no chance of winning," she said. "I have no idea where all your enthusiasm's coming from."
"We'll see about that."
"Um... you shouldn't trouble Miss Musashi too much," Inazuma said.
"What is this flan coupon about?" the commander asked.
Inazuma smirked. "You shouldn't concern yourself on something this small, Commander. It's nothing special."
His eyelid twitched slightly. "You're gonna play that game, huh?"
"You started it."
Still riding on the festive mood earlier, Akatsuki and Nagatsuki dragged them to the launch bay's outskirts. Inazuma figured that it was fine as long as no one would be bothered with it. In fact, a few of the visiting fleet girls followed as well, curious to see the match themselves. A coast guard unit was kind enough to lend them a patrol boat so that everyone could get the front-row seat of the action.
While the commander wasn't certainly against the idea, Commander Colette was worried that her secretary was overstepping lines and boundaries that they might regret later. Reluctant as she sounded, she didn't want to leave Nagatsuki alone either. And thus, she had no choice but to steel herself and come along with them.
Finishing their preparations, the three participants hopped to the water and created some distance between them. Musashi summoned her main unit structure, expanding around her body in seconds. Unlike the two destroyers, her primary and secondary gun mounts were kept in standby mode. She held up two cards. And in a flash of silver light, two light-caliber turrets appeared on each of her forearms. "I'll be only using these in our match."
Nagatsuki stretched her right arm. "A handicap, huh?"
"That's fine—I don't want to get obliterated by your standard batteries anyway," Akatsuki said. "We're ready."
The battleship parted her legs as she raised her arms in front of her. "The first move is yours."
The destroyer pair exchanged looks for the last time before they launched themselves in two separate arcs towards the battleship. Nagatsuki was the first to open fire as she closed in to Musashi's starboard side. The battleship hopped a distance backwards, dodging the first salvo by a hair. Another wave of shells forced her to move, but Akatsuki had already closed in from her blindside.
Making a sharp turn, Musashi fired at the fast approaching destroyer. The shell struck nothing as Akatsuki sprang into the air, her pair of torpedo launchers aimed at the battleship. "Bombs away!"
Arms spread, she dropped her payload onto her target. The torpedoes went off at once, releasing a purple surge amidst the smoky muddle. The combined power of the blasts sent a shockwave that rocked boats and toppled buoys nearby.
Akatsuki landed with a splash, brushing a few strands of hair off her face. "First strike, success!"
"I can't believe it worked," Nagatsuki said, grinning. "But just to be sure..."
The green-haired destroyer also emptied her torpedo mounts, clearing out the smoke with a wall of seawater. Waves in the area swelled once more.
"They're going all-out already?" Asashio said. "Well, it doesn't matter. They need to do better than that."
Patting her scorched vest, Musashi stood in place as the water settled all over her. "Impressive."
Nagatsuki grinned. "I know that battleships are a tough nut to crack, but she really is on a whole other level."
"Looks like we'll need a different approach," Akatsuki said.
"Now, it's my turn." Musashi crouched down as she closed her eyes.
"Uh-oh," the ponytailed Akatsuki said. "They better be ready for that one."
Ripples began to fluctuate beneath the battleship, slowly expanding until they reached the destroyers. Even from afar, Inazuma felt a hint of mag-ion energy emanating from the Musashi, pulsing in a subtle and controlled manner. She didn't know if she was just imagining it, but the waves and the sea breeze in the immediate area were also becoming rougher. As if sensing her unease, Akatsuki and Nagatsuki launched more shells towards the battleship. Smoke clouds grew larger in each hit, only accentuated by the dull flickering of flames and embers.
A bright flash broke through the mass of smoke, flying straight to Nagatsuki. The destroyer evaded the first shot, but it left her open for Musashi to land a clean hit with her foot. The sweeping kick sent Nagatsuki sliding across the surface, cleaving the water in half with the powerful strike. Meanwhile, Akatsuki took the chance to land close shots behind Musashi. But before she could pull out and regain distance, the battleship emerged from her gray shroud as she thrust her palm forward. Akatsuki ducked as she went full reverse. Determined to catch up, Musashi launched herself to the destroyer.
Her stunning speed caught Akatsuki off guard as she smacked the destroyer's stomach with an open palm. The attack sent Akatsuki into the murky sky, but Musashi wasn't done just yet. A circular spark of white energy erupted from the battleship's gun as she fired at her soaring target. Her aim was true, engulfing Akatsuki in a wide explosion. However, the strong feedback caused her turret to explode shortly after she had pulled the trigger. Musashi simply recalled the turret and pushed her glasses up her nose, trailing Akatsuki's plummeting form with her eyes.
The destroyer plunged into the water headfirst with a tall splash. As the waves settled, all was quiet once more.
"She's done," Asashio said. "She tried at least."
Inazuma, on the verge of panicking, tried to contact Akatsuki through her comm link, but all she could hear from the other end was muffled static. "A-Akatsuki!" She started to climb over the guardrail, but the commander grabbed her arm. His grip was unnaturally strong and unyielding. "Commander?! Akatsuki is—"
"Just getting warmed up."
Numerous bubbles appeared where Akatsuki sunk. A second later, she leapt back to the surface as if she just had broken out of her watery grave. With a single sweep of her hand, she tore her wet and tattered blouse away before picking up her cap and gun mount floating nearby. Her confident, relaxed look on her face had vanished as she stared at her opponent.
Inazuma breathed in deeply, then sighed. The commander was right—Akatsuki wouldn't be beaten so easily like that.
"Good." Musashi smiled. "I got worried there for a moment."
Securing her hat with her free hand, Akatsuki returned the smile as an intense purple hue enveloped her frame. "How about we kick things up a notch?"
As she said that, huge torrents consumed the battleship. Akatsuki propelled herself towards Musashi as she fired her shoulder turret. Bursting out of the watery screen, the battleship took the explosive shells and flew straight to Akatsuki. As her fist connected to the destroyer's forearm plating, an intense yet satisfying crash rattled the vicinity. The water around them swelled outwards, forming a large cavity. Neither of them disengaged as they traded a quick exchange of blows, mostly with Musashi on the offensive. Akatsuki was no slouch either as she held her ground, parrying each strike with her plating while nimbly dodging the rest of the attacks.
Commander Colette gasped. "A-Amazing! Using her Overdrive, Akatsuki's really keeping up with Musashi!"
"Th-That's probably because she likes to spar with Murakumo and Miss Bismarck," Inazuma said. But, somehow, she's more aggressive than usual today. I wonder why?
"I... I'm not that surprised anymore after hearing that."
Musashi initiated another follow up as she stepped forward. At the last second, Akatsuki veered hard to the side, sneaking her forearm turret through the battleship's defenses. She fired twice, but the shells didn't do any visual damage. Still, the momentary distraction gave Nagatsuki time for her to execute a perfect drop kick onto Musashi's side. The battleship staggered, disrupting her aim on Akatsuki. She followed through with a quick chopping strike, but Nagatsuki was quicker with her reverse handflip before she shot the water between them. The upward surge gave the green-haired destroyer enough time to dash away, evading Musashi's shells by a narrow margin.
Seizing this chance, Akatsuki stepped in again for a point-blank shot. Her shell struck one of the battleship's starboard batteries, but Musashi spun as she grabbed the destroyer's arm and flung her towards Nagatsuki who was about to fire her turret. The destroyers crashed into each other, tumbling away as if their limbs were tangled together. Eventually, they stopped at a distance while Inazuma could hear them groan over the comm link.
Akatsuki pushed against the surface to get on her feet. Her frame slowly became hazy as the purple glow surrounding her had dissipated. "Jeez, this is like scooping up frozen ice cream with a plastic spoon."
"Hey, are you okay?" Nagatsuki asked. "You're steaming pretty badly."
"An excellent observation—I wouldn't be able to notice that otherwise." She rubbed the buildup of vapor off her arm. "That aside, I can still go. How about you?"
"Oh, you're kidding. I just hope you can keep up with us."
Inazuma knew that Akatsuki had reached her limit—her mag-ion reserves had plummeted and she wouldn't probably withstand another direct hit. She looked at the commander, expecting him to call the match off anytime soon. "Hm, wouldn't it be dangerous if she got hit again?" he asked. "Akatsuki, I mean."
Inazuma smiled. She was glad that he understood her feelings well. "Yes. I don't want her to strain herse—"
"No... I mean, I don't think her undershirt's going to hold on for long."
She yelped as she reactivated her comm link. "A-Akatsuki! Your shirt!"
A shell whizzed near Akatsuki's head, causing her to fall on her bottom. "Ow! Inazuma, that's more distracting than helpful!" She pointed at the battleship as she got up again. "And hey, not in the face!"
"It's taking me a lot of time to calibrate the power of my shots." Musashi knocked on her forearm turret. "I'm losing my touch, it seems."
"No, Miss Musashi!" Asashio said. "You're doing great!"
Akatsuki tied the broken ends of her shirt's strap together. "This should do for now. Where were we?"
Musashi was about to move again when she suddenly deployed the barrels of her batteries.
"What's wrong?" Akatsuki asked.
"Did I... just imagine it?" Musashi said. "No, it was very faint, but it's definitely close."
Nagatsuki glanced left and right. "The area's saturated, but I think I've felt it too."
"It will take a while for the mag-ion levels to recede. Strain your senses and let's sweep the area." Musashi looked at the spectators aboard the patrol boat. "Some of you should equip anti-submarine weaponry, just in case."
"There's nothing out of the ordinary around us though."
"Wait, there!" The battleship's battery roared as it released an intense amount of energy, causing the water beneath her to warp and buckle. The shells detonated at the far left, creating a fiery haze from the surface.
Inazuma could barely make out of a flickering outline, but it was definitely there. The figure started to materialize for everyone to see.
Fierce blue eyes. Short pink hair. Stylish uniform. There was no mistaking it. "Is that... Shiranui?" Yuudachi uttered behind her.
Shiranui stood up and disappeared once more, but she didn't bother covering her tracks this time. She made her way past Musashi at high speed. Akatsuki and Nagatsuki chased after her.
"No you don't!" Akatsuki pitched her anchor, latching into Shiranui's core structure. Nagatsuki grabbed on the chain as the two of them pulled the runaway destroyer back.
Deactivating her camouflage, Shiranui turned as she aimed her turret at the two destroyers. The pair dodged out the projectiles' path, prompting Musashi to finally move. With a single jerk on the chain, Shiranui was taken off her feet as she flew towards Musashi. The battleship caught her, lifting her from the waist before she could escape. Shiranui didn't resist at that point.
"That was... I've never seen anything like it before," Inazuma said.
"Her optical camouflage module? I'd find it strange if you did," the commander said. "But... I thought they discontinued those a decade ago."
"That's, like, the greatest thing!" Yuudachi said. "We'll need to try that out!"
"It's quite pointless when you fleet girls can detect mag-ion signatures off the bat. And it's power-hungry too, so they never expanded on developing the tech for it."
"Boo, that sucks. Won't it be nice to have during recon missions?"
"Frankly, it's the last module you'll ever bring in any low-profile operations."
"Double boo."
Colette nodded. "See? That's why we need to think about Class 2 development carefully."
Musashi brought Shiranui to the patrol boat. And when the pink-haired destroyer was released, everyone gathered around her. Inazuma noticed that she had the Naval Domain's emblem pinned on her vest. She also had a camera hanging from her neck.
Crossing her arms, Musashi leaned on the guardrail. "Explain yourself."
"Yeah, what's your deal sneaking up on us like that?" Nagatsuki asked. "Good thing she didn't blow you to bits, you know?"
Shiranui closed her eyes. "Your concerns are misplaced," she replied. "I am simply observing your exercise as part of my research. I can take care of myself just fine."
Akatsuki rolled her eyes. "Can't you just watch like any normal person would?"
Shiranui glanced at Musashi before standing up. "If there aren't any problems, then I should be going—"
"Can you folks hear me out a bit?" a crewman asked, poking his head out of the bridge's window. "Our scanner's gettin' a load of noise. We're tryin' to get around it, but we can't shake off whatever's doin' it. Can you give us a hand while we sort this out?"
"Ugh, more? What's the meaning of this?" Akatsuki glared at Shiranui, who remained calm and unbothered.
Without any clear leads, Musashi suggested to sweep the area again.
Inazuma brought out a card and focused her energy on it. In a few moments, a fairy materialized on her palm. Relaying the situation with her mind, she requested the fairy to pick up any suspicious signatures in the area. The fairy acknowledged her order as she began tinkering on a tiny, rotating radar dish. After a while, she turned her head with a frown on her face. Yuudachi and the others, combing the area with sonar equipment, reported the same result as well.
Few more minutes passed before Inazuma and the other fleet girls regrouped and boarded the boat. They didn't find anything that could be causing interference to the patrol boat's onboard scanner. They even contacted fleet girl units nearby and outside the island's territorial waters, but all of them reported negative on any unusual activity in their respective sectors.
"Maybe the equipment's already faulty?" Nagatsuki said.
"Naw, that can't be it," the crewman replied. "This hunter was just refurbished last year with new hardware."
"What a mystery." Yuudachi brought out a black cube from her skirt pocket. "And speaking of mysteries, I found this weird thingy stuck on the bow."
At first glance, the small cube almost looked like an insect of some kind with its LED indicator for eyes and silver braces as legs. They also noticed that it was emitting a low buzzing noise for some reason. It was definitely a strange device.
She kept prodding it with her forefinger. "Isn't this, like, one of those bug drones they're showing on TV?"
Colette's eyes widened. "Whaa... isn't that a—"
"Crush it, Yuudachi," the commander said. "Now."
Startled from the commander's sudden order, Yuudachi clenched her hand. As she did it the second time, bluish sparks flew between her fingers.
"It seems that the close-proximity jammer's working as intended." Shiranui brought out a small notepad and a pen. "While its limited use isn't efficient and worthwhile in practical scenarios, the data collected from the devices should be beneficial in—"
"Oh, that's it," Akatsuki said, jabbing a finger at her. "You're coming with us!"
Dragging Shiranui back to headquarters, they found out that she was a fleet girl under Commodore Minako, a Navy officer who was recently conducting field reviews and intelligence work in the island. In line with her unit's activities, the members were granted limited clearance to survey the base at their discretion. But carrying electronic jammers on her person weren't helping her case.
Without an ounce of hesitation in her voice, Shiranui declared that she was merely doing field test for the devices and modules she had with her. And if the Auspice Branch's fleet girls were truly competent in their jobs, she would trust that they would effectively handle any complications that may arise at any given moment. Standing up from her seat, she handed her camera to Akatsuki. "Take a look."
Inazuma and the others gathered around Akatsuki as she shuffled through the pictures on the viewfinder.
"If you wish to acquire copies, just say the word."
Her forthright attitude was almost too bright to look at. Everybody else could only stand there in stunned silence. To go all that trouble just to take pictures of the practice match was equally ridiculous and amazing. Well, more on the latter for Inazuma.
Since she didn't do anything particularly harmful to anyone, she was let off with only a warning. Still, Akatsuki didn't look convinced. When she went back to question her, Shiranui had already disappeared. Everyone quickly lost interest, so they didn't bother to look for her. Perhaps it was for the best; Inazuma couldn't shake the feeling that they might end up in trouble if they pushed her in a corner again.
Switching their gears away from that matter, they agreed on taking their lunch together in the mess hall. The competitive spirit from earlier didn't seem to disappear. And after a full hour of homely food and cheery banter, they went into their separate ways for the rest of the day.
As for Inazuma's unit, they dropped by the crowded factory next.
Passing through the swarm of people, their usual custodian led them to a room next to the conception hall. As the door slid open, they stepped into the dimly lit room. Further in was a rectangular table that ran across to roughly half of the room's width. Other than the file drawer sitting in a corner, the room's interior was quaint and small. It suddenly made sense when Inazuma finally noticed two small figures on the table.
"Welcome, brave adventurers. I've been expecting you since—"
"Uh, what are you doing here?" Akatsuki pointed at Charm. "Shouldn't you be at the conception hall right now?"
"Non non non! After Chief Amagi had us open the floodgates, I knew you folks would come here."
"You were waiting for us?"
"Yup." She looked at Fusou. "And hey, a new party member? Nice to meetcha!"
Fusou bowed. "Good day."
"Hey, don't steal my precious screen time!" Fermi pinched Charm's cheek. "You'll have your moment after I'm done!"
"Fine." Charm slapped her hand away. "You'll just take their orders anyway."
"So, you heard her." Fermi held a remote in her hand, pointing it at them. "Anything you have in mind? I can show you a few prototype templates to get you started."
The commander and Akatsuki exchanged looks and nodded. Returning their gesture, the fairy pressed some buttons on her remote. Inazuma heard a humming sound and the wall beside her shuddered. The unassuming gap on the wall began to split up, exposing its hidden compartments. An excited gasp came from Akatsuki.
Handguns, rifles, launchers, grenades—conventional infantry weapons occupied the left side of the partition. On the other side had swords, spears, and other close-quarters articles displayed.
Akatsuki skimmed through the selection, turning around when she was done. "First things first: we need a shield unit, please."
"A shield, huh? That's boring!" Charm said. "Why not go for a particle accelerator module? Or a multi-missile launcher? Melee weapons are a popular choice too! There's this one gal who ordered this huge energy blade that can slice up a car in a single swing!"
"Inazuma's going to use it." She held a short sword on both of its ends. "By the way, how far can we customize these things?"
"As far as your imagination can take you," Fermi replied. "But the restrictions should be obvious since we're using C1 items as base."
"Hmm, do you have a catalog we can use as reference?"
"The team's working on one. We launched this service a week earlier than scheduled, so we're working double-time to iron things out! I mean, we really lucked out this time since the first shipment of abussosium alloys were brought here via airlift!"
"This is going to be a tough choice. There's just too many to consider."
"Is that all? The first one's on the house, but you guys might fancy another."
"A-Ah, umm—" Akatsuki returned the sword and glanced at the commander. "I… think that's all for now."
Her voice faltered. Inazuma sensed a hint of disappointment from her tone.
"Shield it is then?" Fermi walked back to her table and sat behind a small computer. "Okay, lemme work on it right now."
"You wanted one too, right?" the commander asked Akatsuki. "I don't mind if—"
"Th-That can wait!"
"You sure?"
"D-Don't make me repeat myself! A fleet girl of my standing can do without those items. Y-Yes, that's right! And a thoughtful, caring sister figure would never put herself ahead of her younger siblings. It's only natural for me to know my priorities!"
"Uh... your body is betraying your words," Charm said. "You look more excited than the girl who's going to use it."
"Sh-Shut it, you!"
The commander sighed. "Fermi, I'm placing another order. I'll leave it up to her on what she wants to make."
"R-Really?! Uhh... I mean, h-how generous of you. With the way things are right now, you left me no choice but to accept your offer!" Akatsuki breathed in, her cheeks bright red. "B-But I need time to organize everything first. This sort of matter shouldn't be rushed, yes?"
Inazuma smiled. "Good for you, Akatsuki."
"I'll forge the weapon of your dreams, no problem!" Fermi said. "But I should say right now that the overall form and aesthetics of your C2 items are completely up to yours truly. I wanna have my artistic touch in there, so you'll remember the genius who made your sweet, shiny gear every time you look at it!"
The excitement on Akatsuki's face vanished. "How does that even—I thought these items are fully customizable!"
"Hey, I take pride in my creations! You can always have their appearance changed when you got the cash to spare."
"Wh-What?! That's not fair at all!"
"Enough of that, it's my turn now!" Charm said. "Since your unit has been helping me in my case studies and experiments lately, I want to express my gratitude by giving you something nice for once."
Calming down, Akatsuki just shook her head and sighed. She opened a packet of energy gumdrops and popped one in her mouth. "You're just buttering us up, aren't you?" she said, squinting her eyes.
Fusou looked at her. "Buttering... up?"
"Let's hear it," the commander said.
Nodding, the fairy presented two velvet boxes, almost as large as herself, and opened their lids. Each box accommodated a silver ring with dark blue highlights. The pair of rings gleamed and flickered as they reflected the lights from the compartment displays.
"My, how beautiful," the battleship said.
Using her free hand, Akatsuki took a box as she inspected the ring inside. "I'm... impressed. For a freebie, it doesn't look cheap at all."
"Don't treat it like some knockoff giveaway!" Charm cleared her throat. "Anyway, it's form-fitting, so anyone can wear it just fine! Give it a try, will you?"
"If you insist, then I can help you with it."
"Not you." The fairy pointed at Inazuma and the commander. "You two wear them."
"Why me?" he asked.
"Well, why not? I'm sure you'll find this interesting too, so don't be a party pooper now!" Charm held up a palm. "Wait. Wear it on your ring finger. Left or right, it doesn't matter."
Inazuma tilted her head. "Ring finger?"
"I think it's this." Akatsuki indicated said finger with her other hand.
Charm snickered. "Hm, I'm surprised you know."
"Someone like me should know—" Akatsuki gasped, blushing. "W-Why are you making them wear those?"
"Sample data, for science and the greater good! Sorry to disappoint though—that particular pair is unlike any of the others."
She let out a sigh of relief. "D-Don't scare me like that!"
As she was done securing the ring, Inazuma stretched out her arm and admired her right hand. "It feels weird. I think I can get used to this," she said, looking at the commander's hand. "Ah, they're a match!"
"Hmm... sure is."
"What's wrong, Commander?"
"Nothing." He averted her gaze, turning towards the fairy. "You seem very eager to give these to us and I'm sure it's not a giveaway that you're handing out for today's promotion. What do they do, exactly?"
"Perceptive as always—that's why I like you!" Charm raised her index finger. "That ring is a magical trinket that power ups anyone who wears it!"
"An auxiliary enhancer then?"
"Really?" Akatsuki launched a disapproving look towards the fairy. "Quit that nonsense."
"What? It's true," Charm said. "I'm serious about this project of mine."
"Then how does it work?"
"Magic, duh!"
Akatsuki's right eye twitched. "Commander, permission to shoot the fairy."
"That's one way for us to get sacked and thrown into the gutter," he replied.
"H-Hmph, it can't be that bad."
Charm held up her hands. "Okay, since you wanted to know that badly, I'll be specific: it's an item that bridges the souls of two individuals. Everything else is just secondary to what I'm trying to achieve here."
Akatsuki narrowed her eyes. "That makes even less sense! Are you making fun of us?"
The fairy sighed. "Us finding new ways to strengthen the bonds between you fleet girls and your handlers aren't exactly new, mind you."
"I'm well aware! Aren't you just talking about the Soul Resonance system?"
She wagged her index finger. "But what I have in mind is something beyond that process: to create a deeper affinity between two souls. An unshakable bond that can brave through the roughest seas!"
"Something deeper?" the commander asked. "Sounds a bit... nebulous."
Akatsuki nodded. "Right? Is there even such a thing?"
"All conjectures, I know," Charm said, "but that's why I want to figure out the nitty-gritty details of my hypothesis!"
"And you claim that it can enhance the abilities of a fleet girl?" Fusou asked. "In a way that surpasses our physical limits?"
"Not the limit-breaking kind. We're tapping on the same power but a different source, so to speak." Charm paced for a moment. She folded her arms on her chest. "Hey, do you believe that everyone's fate is intertwined in some way? Interconnected like a vast, encompassing web?"
The commander nodded. "We do live in a world of causality."
"Yes. Tug a single thread and everything else in its vicinity will be pulled along with it. Can you imagine how much power fate has over us?"
"Fate... it is what decides the path that we need to take," the battleship said. "I think I understand..."
Akatsuki's face soured. "But what we do in our lives is completely up to us," she said. "Nothing good will happen to you if you don't work for it."
"Akatsuki..."
Now conscious of the secretary's worried expression, she gave her a smile. "Sorry. I'm fine, Inazuma."
"Sheesh, I was getting to that," Charm said, nodding. "Yes, we have control and leeway when we narrow it down to the individual level. But if we completely interweave a single thread to another, we'll be able to create a stronger, more resilient thread! Still following me?"
Akatsuki rubbed her chin. "Is it related to the whole psyche thing you like to prattle on about?"
"A major component, yes. Its core foundation, however, focuses on interpersonal connections."
"But on the other hand," the commander said, "that would also double the rate of failure and misfortune. There's no telling if it will do more good than harm."
"Of course, but even that hardly matters when the variables involved are always shifting like the ocean waves." Charm balled up her hands with an eager look on her face. "We're utilizing a fraction of that power for us to use. And after all, two is better than one and milk chocolate is better than dark chocolate!"
"How will it translate to the boost we want to achieve here? This is all on the metaphysical level, right?"
"Oh, you don't have to be so meticulous in the tiniest details. Believe me when I say that it extends beyond that."
"I see. It does add up, considering its nature."
"I'm sure you knew that fleet girls don't pull their powers out of thin air. As I said, this is one of the many sources fleet girls can use to achieve greater heights!"
"Um, Commander," Inazuma said, pressing her cheek with her forefinger. "I don't get it."
Fusou wore a disappointed expression. "I'm lost as well."
"Just to get to the point," Charm said, "the closer you are to your subordinate, the stronger she'll get! Like I've mentioned before, it's no different to what the Peacekeepers have been doing since it was founded. We're just expanding our options here."
"It sounds so convenient." Akatsuki crossed her arms. "What's the catch? I mean, won't it affect her health or performance in battles?"
"Nothing I can think of! We'll figure that out when it happens!"
"Stop treating us like lab rats."
Charm clapped twice. "Anyway, let us commence the ritual!"
"Ritual?"
"Is it some kind of ceremony?" Fusou asked.
The fairy nodded. "It's a simple one really—without the candles, chanting, and livestock blood." She raised her hand, clenching it. "For starters, fist bump with each other!"
A moment of silence was spent to digest what they had just heard from the fairy. Akatsuki's eyelid twitched again. "Fist bump? What kind of cheap ritual is that?"
Charm covered her ears. "Lalala! Your opinion isn't a factor!" She coughed once. "So yeah, just do it. I wanna see the fruits of my labor or whatever."
Inazuma giggled, raising her clenched hand. "I'm excited."
"Wouldn't hurt to try," the commander said. "Here goes."
A faint clink was heard as they performed the gesture. Several seconds of anticipation passed.
They waited, and waited some more.
Several more awkward seconds passed and still nothing came about. Amusingly enough, this didn't seem to discourage the fairy.
"I had a feeling this would happen," Akatsuki said. "I won't even call this anticlimactic. This is just sad."
Inazuma placed a hand on her chest. "My heart's beating fast though."
"That's probably just placebo," he replied, shaking his hand a bit.
"Commander, what's wrong?" she asked.
"It's stuck."
She laughed as she began tugging on the ring. "Come on, Commander... I won't fall for—Hawa?! M-Mine's stuck too!"
"That's odd," Charm said. "Did it clamp itself too tight? Maybe I should have considered its prerequisites first before... hmm, no use beating yourself over the past, yeah!"
"You're making it very obvious with that maniac smile of yours," Akatsuki said. "What did you do now?!"
The fairy's grin turned upside down. "Why are you so quick to point your finger at me?"
"You made those!"
Fermi looked up from her computer. "I have some squeaky greasy grease you can use in my toolbox," she said. "Wanna borrow it?"
Charm waved a hand next to her face. "Eh, you guys are making a huge fuss over it. It's not like it'll suck all of your blood out or anything similarly grotesque. Do sue me if it does transmute you into some random freaky sea monster."
"U-Um, what should we do?" Inazuma asked, still yanking the silver band.
"Just send me a report if something weird comes up. Who knows, it might turn out to be a great learning experience for everyone!"
"Can someone help this fairy get out of her head?" Akatsuki said.
Inazuma happened to glance at the digital clock next to Fermi's desk. "Ah… Commander, it's almost time!"
"Yeah, I know," he said. "You two can go wait somewhere else. We won't take long."
Charm shrugged as she sat behind her table. "Going already? Too soon, but it can't be helped. Don't forget to report to me about those rings, you hear?"
"Since when did we become your assistants?" Akatsuki replied.
"Akatsuki," Fermi said, "drop by any time so we can start on that order of yours. I'm getting this feeling that you'll strangle the life out of me if I get too ahead of myself. Oh, you too Inazuma."
"Ah, Commander will help me with it." Inazuma bowed. "Thank you."
While Fusou and the commander had to report to the management office, Inazuma had some paperwork to sort out. And so, they went their separate ways upon entering the headquarters' main building.
Akatsuki, left with nothing to do at that moment, had decided to accompany her. She seemed visibly exhausted despite having those gumdrops since lunch. When asked about it, she would only give Inazuma an offhand response as she redirects the topic elsewhere. Needless to say, she wasn't convincing anyone.
As the pair reached the hallway leading to their office, they noticed a few fleet girls moving in furniture two rooms past theirs.
Room 315, to be exact.
The fleet girl dressed in red and white was keeping watch in the hallway while her friends carried the vintage-looking articles through the door. When she noticed the pair, the brunette skipped towards them with a wide smile on her face. "Hey, neighbors!" she said, handing out a small envelope to Akatsuki. We'll be waiting, so please consider our invitation!"
Without waiting for a response, she twirled once and returned to her business. The two of them did the same and entered their office without a word. Inazuma wanted everything done before dinnertime too, so she plopped down on her makeshift table next to the commander's workplace and started early.
She laid out the documents she had printed out in advance from the info counter. Afterwards, she began to organize them together with the leftovers last night, filling up the blank ones as she examined the papers one by one. While this task could get tedious after a while, she had to be extra careful not to overlook anything. She didn't want to mess up her rhythm or she would have to backtrack and check the previous papers again.
She would happen to glance at her ring every now and then. It was a good thing that it didn't get in the way of her work. Still, she wondered if it could really enhance her abilities like Charm had told them.
In the midst of her idle mulling, Inazuma sensed something. It was familiar, yet far-off. She had this vague inkling that she should recognize it, but her mind couldn't come up with a straight answer no matter how hard she concentrated. Growing desperate, she tried to connect herself to the distant power, but it didn't respond back. It was as if a shadowy entity behind the power was observing her from afar, taking actions on her every move.
There was no helping it.
Just when she decided to give up, a surge of power shot through her being. At the next second, her hand glowed a soft pink light. She began to panic.
"Inazuma, what's wrong?" Akatsuki asked, stepping out of the bathroom.
"A-Akatsuki?! My body is—!" She looked down and the soft light had disappeared. "H-Huh? What happened?"
"H-Hey, are you alright?"
Nodding, Inazuma glanced at the ring. "W-Weird. I thought it worked just now..."
"I swear, if something bad happens to you, I'm going to feed that cheeky fairy to the shredder. Then, to those hand-eating carps in the fountain!"
"U-Um, I'm okay, really! You don't have to go that far!"
Akatsuki sat next to her and fished out the envelope from her skirt pocket. She tore the envelope's topside and read the letter inside. "They're inviting us to a tea party later. What do you think?"
"Hmm, it would be rude if we turned them down. I'm not sure..."
"This is weird. Why didn't we hear about a new unit moving in today?" Akatsuki passed the letter to her. "Read the signature."
Her eyes skimmed to the lower right part of the scented paper. "Commodore Minako? Ah! We heard this name before!"
"Too much of a coincidence, huh? I was thinking that we should drop by. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind when that girl rudely interrupted our match earlier."
"U-Um, being needlessly confrontational isn't going to be helpful either." As if her hands were on autopilot, Inazuma had to stop herself from reaching out to the stack of paper. She rested her forearms on the box's surface, pausing for a moment. Not long afterwards, she felt the need to finally speak up. "Akatsuki, are you sure you're really okay?"
"Oh, it's nothing. That blast won't—"
"No, not that." Inazuma pushed herself backwards and leaned on one of the large stuffed penguins propped against the wall. "What you told me yesterday kept bugging me. That's why I thought something feels off about you since morning."
Akatsuki reached for the commander's penguin backrest and set it next to Inazuma's. "R-Really?" she replied, leaning on the stuffed animal. "It's all in your head. Everything's fine and dandy!"
"You don't have to cover it up." She pouted. "And you're a terrible liar, you know that?"
She forced a smile as she looked up. "Fine, you got me. As much as I wanted to, it's not something that I can simply forget overnight."
"So I was right..."
"You don't have to worry that much."
"I can't help it. I know that telling me won't change anything, but... I'd appreciate it if you did."
Akatsuki hugged her knees. "It's just frustrating." Her voice trembled. "I worked so hard to earn myself a place there and yet... the entire regional division was dissolved after the district's decommissioning. I knew this would happen eventually, but it was stupid of me to get so optimistic in the first place."
"Th-The whole station?"
"Losing the stinger unit was one thing, but I grew up in that place. I'd hate to see it gone."
"M-Maybe they sent you here specifically because of that reason? Maybe the division officers had anticipated it before they got affected with the restructuring, that's why... um—"
"Maybe they did. I was so mad when I found out that I was going to be transferred here on a short notice, so I never had the chance to know." Akatsuki heaved a sigh, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "I still think it's just part of the reshuffle."
Inazuma stared at her feet as she rested her legs on the floor. "Is this place not enough for you?"
"N-No!" Akatsuki's eyes widened. "Uh, I mean, it's not like that! If I did hate being here, then I wouldn't have agreed to join your unit!"
She winced. "U-Um, I'm sorry! That was insensitive of me to even ask. I'm really so—"
"Relax, it's okay! It's my fault that I didn't speak to you about this earlier."
Silence settled between them once again.
Passing the Navy's advance training course was certainly no easy feat, even to capital ships many times stronger than them. And her admittance to a forward unit was an undeniable proof of the sacrifices she had put up with to get to where she was now. However, these milestones didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.
Inazuma was at a loss for words—she didn't even consider Akatsuki's feelings and it only took her until that very moment to realize her own selfishness.
"No use dwelling on it. I've already decided long before I went there anyway." Akatsuki nodded. "I won't leave this place and I won't certainly leave this unit either."
She turned to look at her in the eyes. "Y-You mean that?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm coordinating with the management here to finalize my admission in the Peacekeepers. You already had yours processed, right? So, I need to catch up!"
She smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."
"And... thank you, Inazuma. It's strange to say this—I feel much better now."
She quickly shook her head as she blinked her watery eyes. "Don't mention it. I'm sorry too... it didn't even cross my mind how you really felt. Some friend I am, right?"
"D-Don't cry. You don't have to apologize." Akatsuki sniffled as she rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse. "I used to think that we can only rely on one another, but everyone's been supportive too. I want to pitch in and return the favor."
"We're all doing our part."
"The environment here is different from what I'm used to. Well, I can trust on my acquaintances to watch my back during operations, that much is obvious. But here, I don't feel that there's a wide rift that prevents you to connect to everyone. And I'm sure it's not because this organization is only paramilitary by name... I just can't explain it."
"Yeah, it's more... warm and fuzzy in this place."
"But you know, he also asked me the same thing last night."
"Oh, the commander too?"
"I didn't tell him anything, but there's no doubt he knew." Akatsuki's shoulders drooped. "That's why I'm a bit cautious whenever I'm around him. He's really perceptive—like he's able to see through your thoughts and everything."
Inazuma laughed softly. "That's the commander for you, I suppose."
"I guess he's not a bad guy. He may seem nosy with all the questions he suddenly throws at you, but he never pushes you to—" Her eyes widened. "—wait, when did we end up talking about him?"
"It's okay to say that you're warming up to him too."
"J-Just forget about it!"
They spent the rest of their time together without another word, but the mood was considerably lighter now. With the sound of rain pelting against the window behind them, Inazuma resumed her paperwork. Meanwhile, Akatsuki rummaged through the stack of books on the commander's cardboard desk, much to Inazuma's dismay.
As soon as the commander entered the room, Akatsuki immediately handed the invitation to him.
Inazuma watched his eyes slowly narrow as he stared at the letter. "Do what you want," he said in a low voice. "I won't stop you."
The destroyers traded confused looks. His sudden change of disposition started to spawn questions in Inazuma's head, one after another. They knew they couldn't let this opportunity pass up.
It was still a couple of minutes early from the time indicated in the letter, but Akatsuki wanted to get to the bottom of things as quickly as possible. And so, they went to Room 315 and activated the intercom to notify the people inside. The door didn't open. No response from the occupants either.
They waited for a full minute in the dim hallway. And when door finally opened, the same fleet girl from earlier apologized for the delay and welcomed them inside. As they entered, a strong delectable aroma filled Inazuma's senses. She could also pick up a hint of freshly baked bread wafting from the tabletop. Next to the table set was an eye-catching cabinet divider filled with different kinds of knickknacks and other figures.
Framed paintings, wooden furniture, and other centuries old decor—the room had this unmistakable vintage theme in it. There were probably more items left in the cardboard boxes on their left, but Inazuma was impressed that the occupants had spruced up the room in a short amount of time for them to accommodate a tea party.
The friendly atmosphere was almost stifling.
"Please have a seat!" Kongou extended both hands to the round table.
"Are we the only ones here?" Akatsuki asked.
The battleship responded with a tilt of her head and she slowly cast her gaze to the woman by the window.
The woman turned around and stared at them. "Shall we start?"
Inazuma was stunned. She was the same officer from last night!
"Of course!" Kongou sat next to a tea cart. "Well, I still don't get why we're having this tea party, but it works for me!"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Commodore Minako from the Naval Domain mainland headquarters," the officer said as she took her seat across them. The destroyer pair stood up and saluted, but she simply waved her hand and motioned at them to sit down. "At ease. Don't be so stiff, you two."
"Yes!" Kongou shot up from her seat and started pointing at each of the plates on the table. "Butter and chocolate biscuits. Macaroons. Chicken sandwiches. Muffins. Take your pick!"
She took her cap off, setting it aside. "Now, Kongou. Don't make our guests nervous. Let them choose their favorites."
Kongou filled up their cups with tea. "If I had the time, I could make us some of my special tea party snacks too! How about you, Choukai?"
The heavy cruiser nodded as she hovered next to Minako. "Oh, I'll have mine in a bit."
"Well then, I'd like to thank you for giving us some of your time," the officer said, "but I want to know if your commander is aware that you're here with us at this moment."
"He allowed us to go, if that's what you wanted to hear," Akatsuki said with an eyebrow raised.
"He did?" Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "He might as well join us right now. Is he busy?"
Unsure how to respond to the question, Inazuma simply nodded.
"How unfortunate, but that's just how things are at the moment. Truth is, I have little time left to spare as well. If you girls don't mind..."
The commodore slid down two folders between the plates. The two destroyers leaned closer as she revealed their contents.
Inazuma gasped. "That's our—"
Beside her, Akatsuki's face was turning to something really scary. An image that Inazuma would often see when an abyssal ship got a lucky bead on her. She looked up from the papers and stared into the officer's eyes. "What are you trying to do?"
"I noticed that you're working on your transfer applications, so I simply had your papers on hold to give you more time to think about your decision."
"I can't imagine you'll go that far just to drag us back to active duty. Destroyers at that too," Akatsuki said. "And with all due respect, your offer is insulting after the troubles I had to go through in the previous months."
"I'm aware of it, which is why I'm giving you this chance to start anew and—"
"I already did. Two months ago."
Minako sighed. "I see, but I'm sure you knew how precarious the situation is back at headquarters lately. We are desperate in keeping things back in track and we intend to do everything we can to accomplish our duties."
"That's hardly our problem now. What's your point?"
"We can file a request for reevaluation to render your transfer null and void." She lowered her head. "At worst, we can employ strong-arm tactics to get you in our full jurisdiction again."
Inazuma grimaced. "Th-That's not fair."
"No matter what the circumstances are, the two of you are Navy-born fleet girls. Isn't it within our prerogative to call upon your assistance in dire moments? Isn't it your duty to serve us with the best of your abilities?"
"U-Um, that's true, but..."
"Then, do we have an understanding now?"
"It all comes down to this, I see." Akatsuki flipped her hair with a grin. "Very well. We can just report you to the SRC for extortion if you intend on keeping this act. Resorting to this tactic is just low. And horribly outdated."
Inazuma whimpered. "A-Akatsuki! That's—!"
Choukai nodded. "I believe she got you on that one, Miss Minako."
"Whose side are you on again?" Minako ran her palm across her face. "The last thing we need is the SRC hounding us everywhere."
Inazuma couldn't quite follow where the conversation was going at this point, but it didn't seem like they were in trouble after all. "We... we don't want to cause any problems too," she said. "If possible, we can just talk this out peacefully."
Akatsuki leaned back in her chair. "Inazuma's right. Let's not make this complicated."
"Hmm, I see now." The officer smiled. "That certainly puts things into perspective."
"What do you mean?" Inazuma asked. From the corner of her eye, Kongou was pointing at the snacks in front of her.
"Pardon me. It's just a habit of mine." Minako took a deep breath and clasped her hands together. "But if that is what you truly feel, then I can only wish you good luck in your future endeavors."
"That was quick of you to give up," Akatsuki replied, reaching out for a chocolate biscuit. "So, what's this all about? I'm sure you have a purpose with this setup."
"Hmm, you're a sharp one."
"A Navy commodore who also happens to be working as a mere field agent? I would say that you didn't even try."
The officer sighed again as the heavy cruiser began chuckling. She collected the folders and handed them to Choukai. "On to the point, I just want you to do a little something for me. A favor, if you will."
"Okay, we're listening."
The officer took her teacup to her lips. "I want you to keep an eye on your commander. It shouldn't be too hard of a task, right?"
Inazuma blinked. "The commander? But why?"
"I can't disclose the details to you at this time, but I can only ask of you to watch him. Anything that contrasts or contradicts his usual routine should count. And worry not, I won't ask you to report every instance. In fact, I'll leave everything at your discretion on what particulars you want to divulge with us."
Inazuma frowned as she glanced at Akatsuki finishing the last bite of her biscuit. "Is he... going to be in trouble?"
"Oh, not at all," the officer replied with a smile. "I've simply taken an interest in him. You could say that it's more of a personal matter really."
"That sounds the same thing to me," Akatsuki said, dabbing a piece of tissue over her mouth. "If you have problems with him, why can't you just talk to him personally?"
"He is... a difficult one to approach. I'm certain that I won't get anything important from him that way."
"So, you want us to do the surveillance for you?"
"We can't force you to comply," Minako said, taking another sip of the steaming tea, "but I hope you will cooperate with us in this matter. If you wish to consult me, please refer to my secretary in this very room during office hours."
Choukai nodded as she looked at Inazuma. "I believe you've already met Lieutenant Harline, yes? This is, in fact, her office. But for practical reasons, we will be sharing this room during the day."
Wearing her cap, Minako stood up and smiled. "That is all. I'll leave them in your care, Kongou."
"What? You're leaving already?" Kongou asked. "We're just starting!"
"Unlike your commander, I am a very busy woman." She turned around. "And one more thing: I strongly advise not to get too attached to him. You might—no... will regret it when the time comes."
Akatsuki turned to look at her in the eye. "Where are you getting at?"
"I'm saying that he knows more than he's letting on. I'd be more careful around him if I were you."