*Disclaimer - I do not own the copyright to Azur Lane
*A/N - More chaos ensues as more of the girls know about the commander's disappearance. What sort of chaos will Enterprise and Akagi find themselves dealing with?
In the commander's room
Putting down the controller and letting out a huge content sigh, the commander felt a wave of happiness leave him as he hit a good stopping point in his game.
"Ahhh. Man, I could play this all day" Looking at the many game cases that he had to get through, the commander felt a smile across his lips. "But I still have a bunch of other games to get through"
Picking up another game, the commander had a big grin on his face.
"And this one is a biggie" Placing the game case on his desk, the commander stood up and stretched while also realizing that he was hungry.
"Hmmm. What sounds good? Oh? What was the sandwich that Pensacola told me about again?" the commander wondered before being struck with an idea.
This led to him switching his gaming setup and opening the game case he grabbed and starting up his other gaming console. At the same time, he walked over and began to open his personal fridge and was getting ready to make himself a special sandwich that he was informed about thanks to Pensacola.
There was still much to do on his free day, but it wouldn't help if he had an empty stomach. So, he was going to feast. On junk food specifically.
Standing right outside the large school, Enterprise figured that she could wander the halls and see if the commander was either sitting in one of the classrooms or helping out around the school. No matter the reason, she was on a mission to find her commander no matter what it took.
Entering the building, Enterprise looked around and noticed that several ship girls were putting together a banner of sorts and in the process of hanging it up where it would be seen upon entering the building. There was also Manjuu helping out with the banner and even monitoring the faculty office. One of the girls noticed Enterprise and called her over.
"Hey! Enterprise! What brings you here?"
Scanning each of the girls, Enterprise was able to get a clear look at not only the girl calling out to her but the others as well. The girls in no order were Oklahoma, Astoria, Houston, Kent, Yura, Aoba, and Kasumi.
"Oklahoma. What are you guys hanging up?" Enterprise asked her fellow Eagle Union kansen.
"The school is getting ready to host a festival soon and we volunteered to make banners to promote the festival" Oklahoma answered.
"It's also going to draw everyone's attention. Even the girls that try to act all high and mighty. They'll definitely want to stop by the festival" Houston added.
"Let's hope everyone likes it!" Kasumi proclaimed.
"I'm sure they will. Everyone has been talking about the festival getting closer and closer" Yura added.
"Plus, the food at the festival will be delicious!" Aoba stated.
"Seeing everyone having a good time will be all worth it in the end," Astoria said with a smile on her face.
"That aside, what brings you here, Enterprise? Are you here to help set up for the festival?" Kent asked, getting excited.
"I'll come by to help later. But I'm currently looking for the commander. Have you seen him anywhere?" Enterprise asked.
"The commander? No. I haven't seen him since last night" Kent said.
"Same here," Aoba muttered.
"Last I saw him was last night while he was chatting with some of the other girls" Kasumi replied.
"I haven't seen the commander today," Yura stated.
"Nope," Oklahoma said.
"Is the commander playing hooky?" Houston asked.
"No. Shikikan is not playing hooky. I've just been looking for him and haven't seen him" Enterprise said.
"That's strange. I'm sure the commander is busy with something. Maybe you just haven't seen him yet?" Yura suggested.
Kasumi, Astoria, and Aoba all agreed with Yura's suggestion and were now curious about the commander's whereabouts.
"Heh. Maybe shikikan is just playing an intense game of hide and seek?" Kent said with a smirk on her face.
"Is that why you're wearing your detective hat, Enterprise?" Astoria asked, confused as to why the Grey Ghost was dressed like a detective.
"I-I'm… err… yeah. That's kind of the reason why I'm dressed like this. Plus, I really like the outfit" Enterprise said, not wanting to bother the girls with the idea that the commander was kidnapped.
They all looked to be working hard on setting up posters and banners for the upcoming festival. Enterprise didn't want to rain on their parade or diminish their hard work with the worry of finding the commander.
Besides, Enterprise wanted to brush off Kent's idea but the more she thought about it. The more it sounded plausible. The commander was a wildcard for sure but… that was one of the many reasons why so many girls were in love with him. His willingness to hear any of the girl's wishes or demands or troubles. The way he was always lending a helping hand whenever there was a problem. He is a kind, caring, compassionate, and fun person to be around. Plus, he was a dork which Enterprise found to be adorable.
"There's a chance that the commander could be here. Maybe you should go ask Langley and see if she has seen him?" Houston suggested.
"Yeah…I think I'll just go do that. Thanks for the help" Enterprise said.
"Ok, well, if we see him, we'll give you a call letting you know," Oklahoma said.
"Mm. Thanks, everyone. Good luck with setting up for the festival. Once I find him, I'll come back and lend a hand" Enterprise said, which earned her a bunch of smiles and waving hands from the group of girls.
They didn't need to worry about the dreadful possibility that their beloved commander was missing. Alone. The news would destroy them and force them to drop everything to begin searching for him. Enterprise would not let that happen.
Making her way further into the school, she stopped in front of the door that was Langley's classroom and slowly opened the door to see if there was a lecture going on. To her relief, she saw Langley talking with a few Manjuus about something written on the whiteboard.
Deciding to make herself known, Enterprise knocked on the door a few times before asking to come in.
"You may come in"
Walking into the room, Enterprise now had an idea of what was written on the board. Plans for what appeared to be a training drone to help the girls hone their accuracy with their weapons. The drone looked to be a large cutout of a familiar Siren's head that looked similar to a pinata of sorts. At least that's the idea she was getting.
"Enterprise? It's a surprise to see you here. What brings you here? Are you looking to learn something new that could help you in battle?" Langley asked.
Hello Langley. It's good to see you. And no. I'm not here for a lesson. Even though that sounds really intriguing, I will have to wait. I'm looking for the commander. Have you seen him?"
"Mmm. I'm afraid I haven't seen him. Last I saw of him was last night when he was being surrounded at dinner"
"I see. That's a shame. I had hoped to find him here"
"Perhaps you'll find him at the gym. Maybe he's playing a game of basketball or something? He could be with Baltimore and all the other girls involved in sports clubs" Langley said while handing one of the Majuu a paper that must have been filled with data for the training drone.
"That's one idea. Thanks, Langley I'll head over there now" Enterprise said while getting ready to take off.
However, Langley seemed to finally notice the white-haired girl's attire.
"Uhm… Enterprise. Why are you wearing that detective get-up?"
Pulling the detective cap down on her head and giving her a crime-fighting look, Enterprise swiftly turned to look at the girl with glasses and answered her question.
"Langley. What I'm about to say should stay between us. For now, at least. Can you do that for me?"
"Huh?! O-of course. What's going on?" Langley asked, growing worried.
"The commander has gone missing…"
Langley could only look at Enterprise in a confused manner. Many different emotions seemed to flash on her face in a matter of seconds.
"What?! What do you mean?"
"I mean that the commander has been missing all morning. No one has seen him at all. Akagi, Kaga, Taihou, and I were the first to come to this realization when we stopped by his office earlier. The place looked untouched. And after further investigation, we concluded that something was up" Enterprise explained.
"Which explains the detective outfit," Langley muttered.
"Soon after, we began calling our friends to see if they had seen the commander but to no avail, no one had seen him"
Bringing a hand up to her chin and taking a deep breath, the teacher kansen considered the possibility that the commander was missing and how the ramifications could affect the girls. Things could quickly go from bad to worse.
"Is there anything else you've found out about this whole situation? How can I help?"
Enterprise then pulled out her phone and went into the list that was being made on the girls who can't be trusted and are suspicious.
"There was one other thing. I came up with a list of girls that we would need to keep an eye on. I'm of the belief that the commander was kidnapped by one of the girls"
This left Langley wide-eyed. She took a step back to collect her thoughts and that was when she realized something. Today was a free day. This forced her to look at the Manjuu currently in the room and gave them a threatening look to keep quiet about the commander's disappearance. The answer she received was that of a salute indicating their lips…beaks? were sealed.
"I also figured that one of the commander's wives might be the culprit. I'm currently out looking for the girls he has given an oath ring to as well as checking everywhere on the island. Multitasking at its finest" Enterprise said, nonchalantly striking a detective pose with her hand under her chin.
"That's going to be quite a long list. The commander has a lot of wives. And a lot of girls who he's promised an oath ring to. But hasn't had the opportunity to give out rings since Akashi is raising her prices" Langley stated.
"Yeah. But for now, Langley, could I ask that you keep an eye around the school for him? I'll be heading to the gym to see if Baltimore is there or even the commander. She's someone I'm very cautious about" Enterprise said.
"Understood. I'll keep you posted" Langley said which earned a nod from Enterprise and allowed for her to make her way out of the classroom.
However, Langley spoke up once more, getting the Grey Ghost to stop in her tracks.
"And Enterprise… promise me you'll find the commander. If he's not found, then the girls…" Langley said, leaving out an ominous meaning with her words.
Enterprise just gave a confident nod and began to make her way to the gym. Someone was within her sights, and she had to get to the bottom of this situation.
At the same time, Akagi and Kaga were now heading to the training grounds where it was speculated that Atago and Takao would be.
Stepping foot into the martial arts training ground that the commander commissioned, a mixture of Sakura trees and water fountains were located around the area. This left a large suitable space of training dummies to stand that could be used for hand-to-hand combat. Or in Takao's case training with her sword and mastering her skills.
The two Takao class kansens were standing there in the middle of the training ground looking at a destroyed training dummy that had its head sliced right off with a clean cut. Atago was the first to notice the two kitsune girls.
"Akagi! Kaga! There you two are. My sweet, adorable sister was telling me that you were looking for me" Atago said.
"Why, yes. We have been looking for you" Akagi responded.
"Takao. Any sign of the commander?" Kaga asked.
"None. I haven't seen him at all. I even asked some of the girls who stopped by earlier and no one has seen him" Takao replied.
"Atago. Where were you last night?" Akagi said, getting right to the point.
"Last night? Hmm. Well, before I went to meet up with my lovely sisters, I was with the commander teasing him about how dashing it looked in the evening light~" Atago explained which earned a sigh from Kaga.
This was going to be another Prinz Eugen situation.
Clenching her fist tightly, Akagi figured that Atago would push her buttons like this similar to Eugen and her antics. However, Akagi would do her best to keep her feelings locked away and not lash out at anyone. For now, at least.
"I…I see. Have you seen the commander at all today?" Akagi asked.
"Today? No. I haven't" Atago answered.
"Really? Are you sure about that?" Akagi retorted.
"Yes. After waking up, I had an epiphany about how to get the commander to shake in his knees. A cheerleading outfit. This will surely make the commander turn into a stuttering mess. You know how he is. Already married and dating multiple girls and showering them with all his love, but he still has his moments of shyness and becomes a blushing mess when he sees us in *certain* clothing" Atago explained.
Takao, Akagi, and Kaga knew exactly what Atago was getting at. Even though the commander has married many girls and…done some things. He still had his moments of shyness when it came to being with the girls he loves. It was honestly adorable.
However, that also made Akagi grow irritated at the idea that Atago was getting the edge on her with that cheerleading outfit she and Prinz Eugen bought.
"And that led me to seek out Akashi to see if she had an outfit that matched my description. Along the way, I met Prinz Eugen, and we talked about various methods that could be used against shikikan. After that, Eugen and I went our separate ways, and I came looking for my sweet Takao" Atago said.
This left Kaga to take a more reasonable approach. While her explanation did make sense, with Atago you had to be careful. Under that big sister-like persona was a woman that…
Kaga wouldn't get to finish that sentence as Takao began talking.
"Atago. Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course, I am! Why would I lie to my sweet Takao? Wait… do you think I'm responsible for the commander missing?" Atago asked, broken-hearted at the idea that her sister didn't trust her.
"With you, sis, anything is possible. Besides, you and shikikan are supposed to go on a date night soon. There is a chance that you might lose control and seek him out now rather than wait" Takao stated.
"Oh? Taking the skeptic side are we, Takao. Well, aren't you and shikikan supposed to go on a date as well? Maybe you're the one that everyone needs to be careful around? Shikikan can make you giddy and love-struck especially after you two train together. I know that you and he spend quite a long time in the baths when it's just the two of you~" Atago shot back which earned her a blushing Takao.
Akagi looked to be losing her patience at hearing this sibling banter about the man she loved. They were wasting time.
"Ok. From what it sounds like, neither of you has seen the commander today, right?"
Both Atago and Takao stopped talking and looked at Akagi, nodding their heads and getting back on track.
"Akagi. It seems that these two can be put down on Enterprise's list" Kaga muttered.
"You're right, Kaga. We can't take any chances" Akagi responded.
"Huh? What list?" Takao asked.
"The Grey Ghost came up with a list of girls that we need to be concerned about regarding shikikan. And you two are now on that list" Kaga stated which caused Takao to start blushing again.
"My, my, worried that I'll take the commander for myself?" Atago asked, which caused Akagi's tails to start moving around furiously.
However, she decided to force her anger out via a long sigh. It wouldn't do her good to lash out at her friends. The safety and whereabouts of the commander took priority.
"All right then, Kaga, it seems that we'll need to check somewhere else. Takao. Can I ask you to keep a look out for the commander?" Akagi asked.
"Of course, I'll keep you updated if anything happens," Takao said.
"Atago. Can you do the same?" Kaga asked.
"You can count on me. I'll find shikikan first before anyone else!" Atago replied, now with full determination to find him first.
"Oh? Would you like to see the cheerleading outfit I bought for the commander to see? ~" Atago asked.
"Nope. That will be all. Keep us updated and goodbye" Akagi said, swiftly and quickly making her way out of the training ground before she lashed out.
"Keep in touch you two," Kaga said, catching up with her sister.
Now standing outside the training grounds, Akagi had a frustrated look on her face as she was still nowhere near close to finding her dear shikikan.
"Where to next, Akagi"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps we should contact Enterprise and compare what information we have collected" Akagi said, reaching into her bosom and pulling out her phone, getting ready to call the Grey Ghost.
However, at the same time, Enterprise was now arriving at the school's gym and could see many girls were participating in their club sports and wouldn't you know it. There in all her glory was Baltimore playing basketball with what appeared to be Bremerton, Pennsylvania, Northampton, and Minneapolis.
The girls seemed to notice Enterprise heading their way and stopped their match to talk with their friend.
"Hey! Enterprise! Good to see you here. Are you up for a game?" Baltimore asked, giving off a beautiful smile.
"Hey Baltimore, I'm good thanks. I won't be around for that long just wanted to check out the place and see if you were here"
"Oh? You're looking for Baltimore? Did she do something?" Bremerton asked.
"She probably finally got caught stealing cookies from the cafeteria. Hehehe" Northampton muttered which earned a chuckle from Pennsylvania.
"You should see when she's out shopping. The food market is her first spot to hit but then she remembers the commander and loses her cool saying things about acting more girly to get his attention, hahaha" Pennsylvania said while chuckling at the memory of Baltimore.
"Plus, Baltimore tries to play the good girl route, but even she has her bad habits when it comes to shikikan," Minneapolis stated.
"Now that you mention it, I have seen her hoard a bunch of the commander's sweets when he's feeling like cooking. Especially cookies. I once saw her with a whole plate of the commander's cookies" Enterprise said, now sporting a thinking pose.
Hearing everyone talking about her, Baltimore had a pink tint appear on her face giving her an endearing look. The Eagle Union kansen was left at the mercy of her dear friends pointing out her passion for eating sweets. Especially the commander's sweets. If the commander was here, then he would have his breath taken away at the sight of her.
Speaking of the commander, Enterprise had a mission to get back to. She shook her head while still chuckling at the thought of Baltimore stealing cookies.
"Say, Baltimore, when was the last time you saw the commander?"
"Huh? The commander? The last I saw him was yesterday evening. I was with Bremerton asking him about our free day today" Baltimore said.
"It's true. We tried asking him to join us in a basketball game, but he said that he wasn't sure he'd have time to make it" Bremerton explained.
"Hmm. Then, have you seen him at all today?" Enterprise asked, getting her phone out.
"No. I haven't seen him" Baltimore stated.
Looking into her friend's eyes, Enterprise was left back at square one. She felt the light leave her just for a second before getting a second wind and regaining her determination and desire to continue searching for her commander.
"I see…"
"What's wrong, Enterprise? Is something wrong? Why are you looking for shikikan?" Pennsylvania asked, looking at the white-haired girl.
"And wait a minute, why are you dressed in your detective outfit? And you even have a spyglass in your pocket" Bremerton asked, now noticing the Grey Ghost in her detective get up.
"I've been on the lookout for shikikan. But I haven't seen him at all today. I met up with Akagi, Kaga, and Taihou earlier at his office to ask him something but when we got there, we didn't find him. His office looked completely untouched, which is not normal" Enterprise explained.
"Wait? The commander hasn't been seen at all? That can't be right. Somebody must have seen him by now" Northampton commented.
"Nothing. No one has seen him. I checked the beach and then the Race Queen racetrack and nothing" Taking off her cap and putting it in front of her, Enterprise let out a sigh before straightening the cap on her head and continuing her explanation. "Akagi and Kaga are also out searching for him, but nothing has been found"
"There's no way the commander could just up and vanish out of nowhere" Minneapolis stated.
"Yeah. By now someone has to have seen him. Maybe he's just moving around quickly?" Baltimore suggested, bringing a hand on her hip and looking concerned.
"That's one idea. But I have a better one" Enterprise said.
This got all the girls' attention and now they were solely focused on whatever Enterprise was going to say.
"I believe that Shikikan was kidnapped and is now being held captive by someone. That someone is one of the girls on the island"
Wide eyes were all that Enterprise could see from her friends and honestly, she couldn't blame them.
"Wait? What? Hold on, you think someone kidnapped the commander?" Bremerton asked, trying to wrap her head around this whole thing.
"Yes. And there is a chance the culprit or at least one of the culprits is married to shikikan"
"You do realize that…" Pennsylvania said before being talked over by Enterprise.
"Yeah. He has a lot of wives and a lot of girls he's dating. I'm sure he'd have even more wives, but he hasn't been able to buy any more oath rings due to Akashi's outrageous prices" Enterprise explained.
"This is bound to get ugly" Minneapolis muttered.
"Do you have any leads?" Northampton asked.
"Sort of" Looking at Baltimore, the white-haired girl felt guilty about throwing her friend under the bus, but at the same time, she didn't. "Baltimore was my lead"
Startled by this sudden revelation, Baltimore had a red flushed face.
"What do you mean? Why am I a lead?"
"You love the commander quite a lot. I figured there might have been a chance you know where he is" Enterprise said.
"N-no. I don't know where he is" Baltimore said, feeling embarrassed.
"Then that means I'll need to look somewhere else," Enterprise said while silently adding Baltimore to the list of suspicious people.
"Well, what are you going to do now?" Bremerton asked, getting a kick out of seeing her sister looking embarrassed.
"I'm not sure. I might contact Akagi and compare notes with her. Hopefully, she has some news"
"Uhm… Enterprise" Pennsylvania spoke up, getting the Grey Ghost's attention.
"What's wrong?"
"Why is Sandy running right toward the school?" Pennsylvania said, pointing to the familiar redhead bolting for the school.
"I…I don't know," Enterprise said, unsure of what the girl was doing.
"Maybe she's looking for something? Does she know about the commander's disappearance?" Baltimore asked, now having regained her composure.
"Yeah. She knows"
This caused Minneapolis and Northampton to go wide-eyed and pale in the face. If there was one thing San Diego was good at. That was getting everyone's attention.
Enterprise was confused at the two's sudden pale white faces until she realized what she just said. The world seemed to stop moving. Enterprise realized that she had just messed up big time.
"Oh… son of a!" Enterprise said but was stopped from finishing what she was saying as the sound of the school's intercom was started up. Soon after, the sound of someone gasping for breath could be heard.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE! THIS IS SAN DIEGO. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THE COMMANDER IS MISSING. I REPEAT. THE COMMANDER IS MISSING. THIS IS A CODE RED. NO. THIS IS A CODE BLUE!"
At the same time, Akagi had started calling Enterprise which resulted in the Grey Ghost picking up her phone and started talking into the phone right away.
"Akagi. We have a problem…"
The sound of many ship girls screaming could be heard throughout the school leaving Enterprise with the worst-case situation to happen. Things were going to get rough.
Back with the commander
Sitting in his chair, the commander looked really comfy now having had a bunch of junk food. He would have to give Pensacola his thanks for telling him about that sandwich.
And now he was ready to continue enjoying his free day with a full stomach ready to start crossing things off his to-do list. Starting with the game he was currently playing.
"You are maidenless"
"Pffttt! Ahahahaha!" The commander was laughing at what he was just told from the game and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Are you sure about that?"
The commander was sure that he was definitely not maidenless.