Chapter 16: Big News! On the Front Pages Around the World!
Before we go right into this chapter, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you so, SO much for over 200 favs and follows! I couldn't have gotten this far without everyone's support! Let's see if we can get to 300 for both!
Now without further ado, let's get to it!
"Life really is a mysterious thing. Each and every life spins its own, totally separate tale, yet they become intricately entwined in each other. And no one knows how they will end up." – Decim, Death Parade
[In an unknown space]
"Welcome back you two. I trust you both are aware of how disappointing these results are?"
Currently, Observer Zero and Observer Alpha were standing above both Tester and Purifier as they were being treated in an advanced, spherical medical pit.
"If not, I'm sure Empress will be more than happy to explain." Observer Alpha smirked.
"Don't remind me…" Purifier muttered as she and Tester went pale.
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Observer Alpha asked. "I'm perplexed as to why she hasn't already incinerated these two a hundred times yet."
"Strangely enough, as she was overseeing the experiment from the command room, she had a rather…..unstable… grin on her face as she was watching Anomaly's battles in particular. She seemed to have enjoyed watching him fight to the death to the point where she took the already saved recordings back to her room and hasn't left there since." Zero informed.
"…I see." Observer replied as she quickly put the pieces together. "But I take it that she left before seeing how said experiment ended?"
"That is correct." Zero nodded. "She left the command room as soon as Anomaly took flight for NY Harbor. Empress has most likely been rewinding the recordings she already saw for a while now, so if my calculations are correct, she's likely already moved on and will find out said results in 3…2…1…"
"WHERE ARE THOSE TWO WORTHLESS IDIOTS!?"
Upon hearing this, Tester and Purifier in particular jumped up in surprise and fear.
"Perhaps we should take our leave." Observer sighed before taking one last look at the visibly startled Tester and Purifier. "If you two manage to survive, feel free to join Zero and I in analyzing all of the data from today."
"Empress certainly does not seem to have any intent on holding back, so do tread carefully with your words, not that I think it'll help you get a lighter punishment in any shape or form, of course." Zero added before the two walked away from the nightmarish scene that was about to take place in the medical pit.
[Back to NY Harbor: In Shikikan's mind]
'…..Urgh….Where am I?' Shikikan thought as he found himself lying down on something very soft and comfy. Looking around, he saw a familiar tranquil meadow with streams flowing every which way and a gigantic cherry blossom tree right in the center of the picturesque scene.
"Ara, you're finally awake. Did you enjoy your slumber?" A familiar voice asked from, strangely enough, above him.
'That voice….' He thought before looking up and realizing that he was in the lap of a gorgeous beauty with long brown hair, fox ears and multiple fluffy fox tails to match, and a striking resemblance to a certain carrier he just recently met.
"A pleasure to see you once again, Shikikan-sama, under less surreal circumstances might I add." She giggled sweetly.
"You too, but how'd I end up on …!?" He started as he tried to get up, only to wince, fail, and fall back down into the mysterious beauty's lap as he felt a surge of pain flow through every fiber of his being. Looking down, he noticed a lack of blood stains and torn clothes, but the pain was still ever so present.
"Don't push yourself, Shikikan-sama." The figure calmly suggested as she used her fluffy tails to blanket and prevent him from getting back up again. "You barely managed to survive that siege and truly need to rest."
As soon as she said that, Shikikan quickly remembered everything he had been through in the last day and a half.
"Wait…you saw all of that?"
"Hai, strangely enough. At first, I was confused as to what I was looking at, but it would seem that I was able to watch that entire battle from your perspective." She informed as she brought her hand up to gently brush away some hair covering his eyes before continuing.
"Once you collapsed, I found you lying down under this tree and thought you'd like a pillow after all of that. So, here you are, finally awake and resting on my lap." She giggled. "How do you find it?"
"Like what I'd imagine heaven would feel like." He blurted out before going red from his own boldness.
"Ara..." The beauty blushed, the warm red hue on her cheeks very apparent on her flawless porcelain visage.
"..A-anyway, so you were able to materialize?" He asked the obvious question in hopes of quickly changing the subject.
"Hehe~." She giggled as she read him like a book. "Hai, that would seem to be the case."
"Um…" Shikikan hummed as a thought popped up in his head. Unsure of if he should ask it or not, he remained silent for a bit.
"Something on your mind Shikikan-sama?" She asked, a mix of amusement and curiosity clear in her eyes. "Do feel free to tell me anything."
"By any chance….does the name 'Akagi' sound familiar?" He asked.
Upon hearing this, a sad smile formed on the kitsune's face.
"Very. That's the name of my little sister." She confessed.
"I'm sorry, did I ask something I shouldn't have?" He asked as he quickly picked up on her gloomy vibe.
"You're a very kind man, Shikikan-sama. Fret not, you've done nothing wrong, I just have a rather complicated past." She smiled reassuringly at him before continuing.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself, Shikikan-sama. I am the name ship of the Amagi-class battlecruisers, Amagi. Along with Akagi, I was originally supposed to be converted into an aircraft carrier, but that plan was scrapped after a certain natural disaster. 'cough' 'cough' ... As you can see, my body is not in a great condition, but please do not worry about me too much."
Unable to not worry, he tried to get off the apparently ill beauty's lap, but not before her fluffy tails easily draped over him and kept him pinned down.
"…Are you sure?" Looking up, he noticed her gently smiling down at him, almost as if she were telling him to just stay put and relax. With no strength in his body and an unwillingness to part from the fluffiness surrounding him, he gave in to her wish, much to her delight.
"As unlikely as it may sound, I also find this position rather nice, so please just lie down there and rest. You've more than earned it." Her voice was as soothing as it was gentle and kind, easily sending him into a relaxed trance.
As the two continued chatting away, Shikikan heard all about Amagi's tragic past and vice versa. The two didn't seem to have any trouble finding something to talk about as they simply enjoyed being in each other's presence. Unfortunately, though, a familiar blinding light that was quickly growing in size began to flood into the tranquil space.
Recognizing the light, Amagi looked back down at Shikikan.
"I am truly glad to hear that you are doing well now, disregarding your injuries from that battle of course." She smiled with sincerity in her voice. "But unfortunately, it seems that it is time for you to go."
"Yeah, you're probably right." He replied before looking back up at her. "But, what about you? What will you do?"
"I'd….personally love to return back and see Akagi, Kaga, and everyone in the Sakura Empire again, but I don't know if that would be possible." She smiled somberly before going quiet.
Not wanting to see such a kind and beautiful lady so dejected, Shikikan mustered up all of his strength.
What happened next was something Amagi didn't expect.
"!" Amagi went wide-eyed as she felt a warm hand on her cheek. Looking down, she noticed that Shikikan was staring deeply into her eyes and smiling warmly at her.
"I promise I'll do whatever I can to see you and Akagi back together again." He boldly declared without an ounce of hesitation and his eyes glowing with determination.
{Affinity up!}
"From the honest determination in your eyes, you truly do mean that." She smiled as she gently cupped his face in her hands. "I shall place my faith in you, Shikikan-sama, but for now, please take it slow and rest up. Your injuries are rather disconcerting."
As soon as she requested that, the light began to overtake Shikikan's vision of everything but the bright white light.
However, right before it fully enveloped him, he heard Amagi speak once more. "A word of advice if I may. Superior tactics can only make up for differences in strength to a limited extent... 'cough' 'cough' ...That is why becoming stronger is still of paramount importance, Shikikan-sama.
"Yeah…you're definitely right about that." He pondered aloud.
"I'm glad you agree." Amagi smiled before she completely blurred out of his vision. "Farewell for now, Shikikan-sama. I truly do look forward to the day where I can be with everyone again, you included, of course, ehehe."
[Present Day: With Shikikan]
…
…..
…
"….Ugh…." Shikikan groaned as he found himself being woken up from his slumber thanks to the harsh sunlight coming in from a nearby window.
'I said all that to her, but how do I even begin to figure out how to bring her back?' Shikikan wondered.
Somehow managing to sit up, he felt and noticed that his entire body was completely covered in bandages and casts from the neck down with several cords leading up to multiple IV bags attached to him. Upon closer inspection, he saw multiple names signed onto his arm and leg casts, some being familiar and some not so much.
"Where…am….I?" Shikikan questioned aloud before he looked around, only to be shocked by what was surrounding him. From the floor to ceiling, he saw nothing but bouquets of flowers and get-well cards.
'…Is this another dream?' He wondered as he sat there dumbfounded until he heard a door open to his right.
[Earlier elsewhere]
"You think he'll finally be up today, Enty?"
"I hope so, he's been out like a light for a while now." Enterprise replied as she and Hornet were walking down a hallway with bouquets of flowers in their arms. "Not that I blame him though."
"Yo! Enterprise! Hornet!" A tomboyish voice called out to them.
"Oh! Balti! Should've known you'd be up this early in the morning!" Hornet grinned.
"Haha yeah. Nothing beats a nice cold shower after a good long morning jog, especially after finally getting the A-OK from Vestal to be discharged from that hospital room!" Baltimore replied as she walked up to the two carriers. "You two visiting the Commander?"
"Yep! Vestal said that he should be waking up soon, so we thought we'd pop in for a bit!" Hornet informed.
"Mind if I join in? I've yet to speak with the guy, let alone thank him for everything."
"The more the merrier! Right Sis?"
Before Enterprise could reply to her bubbly little sister, another voice jumped in.
"Oh? Seems like the other girls had the same idea we did, Helena."
Looking over behind them, the trio saw Helena, her sister St. Louis, Cleveland, Montpelier, Columbia, Denver, Laffey, and Vestal all walking towards them.
"Guess we all wanted to check in on Commander." Cleveland chuckled.
"Let's all go together then! I'm sure he'll be more than happy to know you all wanted to visit him." Vestal cheered.
"Wait, is he up?" Enterprise asked, not noticing the hope she had in her voice.
"Not that I know of, but it's the thought that counts, Enterprise." Vestal smiled before the large group continued down the hallway and towards the final door at the end.
As Vestal opened it for the group, they all began to make their way inside, only for the ones who made it in first to stop dead in their tracks and cause a collision with the Kansen behind them.
"Ow…Cleve? Why'd you stop—" Columbia was about to complain before she and everyone looked up to notice a certain someone sitting up in his bed and looking at them.
"Oh….hey girls." Shikikan greeted with a relieved smile as he saw a lot of familiar faces.
Dead silence passed through the room for a few seconds before…
"C..."
'C..?' He tilted his head in confusion.
"COMMANDER!"
"He-ooph!" Shikikan huffed as Laffey, Cleveland, and Helena rushed right up and glomped him into a big group hug.
"Ow, ow, ow. Um, as much as I'm glad to see all of you, this um….kinda…really hurts…" Shikikan winced as the three Kansen all squeezed his very sore body.
"Girls, girls!" Vestal called out as she rushed to Shikikan's aid. "I understand you're all surprised and happy but give the poor man a break! He just woke up from a week-long coma and is still very injured!"
"Ah! Sorry Commander!" Helena and Cleveland quickly let go as fast as they had latched onto him, both blushing from realizing how embarrassing they had just acted in front of everyone.
"Come on Laffey, let's get off Commander." Helena tugged on the destroyer still hell-bent on sleeping on Shikikan's lap right then and there.
"No worries you two." Shikikan chuckled as he gently stroked the fast-asleep destroyer's head before realizing something rather harrowing. "Wait….did you just say a week-long coma?"
"Yes, Commander." Vestal replied with a dark smile. "After you recklessly charged into the harbor and decided to fight all those droids by yourself, you ended up collapsing from the fatigue and strain you put on yourself! And what is this I heard about you downing energy drinks like water beforehand!?"
"S-sorry Vestal, but all of that was mostly me being desperate." Shikikan nervously chuckled.
"Haaa…..I understand where you are coming from Commander, but still, please take better care of yourself." Vestal sighed before smiling kindly at him. "You're not alone and I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that you can rely on us some more you know."
Upon hearing this, all the girls present nodded in unison.
"Yeah….you're right. I'll be more careful in the future." Shikikan sighed in relief as Vestal seemed to have let him off easy.
"Good. I'll go ahead and bring you some food since you've had nothing but nutrients through IV bags for a whole week." The repair ship offered before heading on out and giving the others the 'okay' to come in.
"Morning sleepyhead!" Hornet grinned as the rest of the group made their way up to him. "Vestal used to scold Enty a lot for overexerting herself all the time too, but it looks like she decided that your injuries are enough punishment."
"Seems like Vestal has her hands full with us both, huh Enterprise?" Shikikan joked as he looked kindly at the carrier.
"Nope, just you Commander. I've definitely matured." Enterprise stated proudly with her head held high and both hands on her hips.
"Didn't Vestal scold you the other day for eating MREs instead of actual meals though?" Hornet teased.
"!..." Upon hearing this and unable to deny that fact, Enterprise blushed and looked away shyly, particularly from Shikikan as he and everyone began laughing merrily.
"Oh! By the way Commander, let me introduce you to our friends!" Cleveland grinned as she waved her hand over to the two unfamiliar faces.
"Heya. Are you in need of help? I'm Baltimore, a heavy cruiser just passing by... Okay, that's enough jokes for now... Baltimore, awaiting your orders, Commander." The short-haired cruiser informed with a cheerful grin.
"Hello, I'm St. Louis~. Thank you for helping us save the harbor and taking care of my little sister, Commander." The tall bluenette said in a rather sensual voice.
"Yeah, for real. Things weren't looking so good, so man were we glad to see you all. Thanks for playing the hero!" Baltimore grinned from cheek to cheek.
"After we managed to get into the harbor, we found you unconscious and completely covered in injuries." Helena informed as she poked his cheek and had an adorable pout on her face. "I'm really glad that you're up and fine now, but please never do something as reckless as that again, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'd rather never have to go through something like all of that ever again." He admitted as he tried to get up out of the bed, only to wince from the pain all over his body once more.
"Commander…" Laffey said as she had apparently woken up and got off him. "You probably shouldn't move around too much."
"She's right Commander." Vestal reappeared with a tray of food in her hands.
"Your injuries were very severe and took all of my efforts to get you back into a stable condition. I'm honestly surprised you aren't still out like a light. That said, please just stay put in bed and rest. Once you've eaten your breakfast, I'll replace your bandages with clean ones, understood?" Vestal said with a tone of authority that demanded compliance and left no room for argument.
"Yes ma'am." Shikikan gulped at Vestal's rather scary aura.
"Good, now eat up! St. Louis and I made it ourselves, so we hope you like it!" Vestal went back to normal as she was now brimming with a bright smile on her face and placed a tray of what seemed to be some sort of rice chowder in front of him.
"Thanks Vestal." He said as he tried to pick up the spoon with his cast stubs.
"Hehe, allow me to help you, Commander." St. Louis giggled as she pulled up a chair next to him and took the bowl and spoon. Digging into the rice chowder, she lifted the spoon up to her lips before gently, and also rather sensually, blew on the spoon's contents before bringing it over to Shikikan's mouth. "Say, ahh~"
Dying from embarrassment, he complied and let the bluenette beauty feed him as the others couldn't help but either giggle or pity him.
"How is it?" St. Louis smiled, very much enjoying his flustered face.
"R-really good." He admitted.
"I'm so glad ~." St. Louis giggled. "Helena has been telling me all about how her new commander was a really good cook, so Vestal and I really put all of our efforts into making this."
" !" An embarrassed Helena complained.
"Big Sis sure has a lot of competition." Denver muttered to her sisters.
"Now's your chance, Cleve! Ask him if he wants a shoulder rub or something!" Columbia whispered to her big sister as she pushed her forward.
"O-oi! D-Don't push me!" Cleveland whispered loudly as she went beet red and was now standing before Shikikan.
"A-ah, Commander, l-let me give you a massage... Just bear with me!" She hastily requested.
"Uh, sure, if you don't mind. That honestly sounds great." Shikikan smiled as he sincerely felt stiff in his shoulders especially.
Stepping behind him and towards the side, Cleveland reached over and placed both her hands around his shoulders. Being extra cautious to not put in too much strength since he was still very injured, she slowly kneaded her hands into his shoulder knots.
"I-I'm not hurting you right?" Cleveland worried.
"Mm, nope, a little more strength would even be better." He hummed.
"Leave it to me!" Cleveland grinned as she finally managed to calm down and effectively massage his stiff shoulders.
"Yo! I heard the Commander's finally up?" A loud voice asked from the doorway, revealing herself to be Washington with North Carolina, South Dakota, and Alabama in tow.
"Welcome back Commander." North Carolina kindly greeted. "'How are you feeling?', is what I would ask, but…." She giggled as she saw him being fed, massaged, and surrounded by cute and gorgeous Kansen.
"Happy to see everyone unharmed, but I'm also kinda overwhelmed by all of the flowers and cards." He chuckled embarrassingly as he looked around. "You girls must have gotten even more popular after that battle what with all of these flowers and cards for you."
"Huh?" All the girls questioned in unison.
"Um…did I say something strange?" He tilted his head in honest, oblivious confusion.
"Commander, these were all addressed to you." South Dakota informed.
"What? Me? ….Wait, don't tell me I somehow took all of the credit…" Shikikan worried before having a spoonful of chowder shoved into his mouth.
"Aww, so you were worried about that? How sweet of you~." St. Louis giggled as she took the spoon out of his mouth.
"We all got a bunch too from everyone in the city and even had a big barbeque celebration party the day after we won. It was fun." Alabama drooled as she remembered all of the great barbequed meat she had feasted on that day.
"That said, you definitely got the most, especially after that video of you kicking ass leaked out!" Columbia added.
"Huh? Video?" He asked, as confused as ever as he looked around for his phone.
"Oh right, you just woke up and everything. When we found you, your sword, your gun, your rocket shoes, and even your phone were all completely destroyed. But don't you worry though, we'll go around and get them all fixed or replaced in a jiffy while you're stuck here! So, for now, Monty, could you..?" Columbia looked over to her sister.
"Already on it. Here." Monty said as walked up to him and handed him her phone with a video on screen and pressing play for him.
"'A Hero is Born! The Devil-Eyed Prince saves NY Harbor?'" Shikikan read the title before the video began playing.
"The original title was just 'The Hero of NY Harbor' but after a bunch of people commented about you, that nickname really began to trend everywhere to the point where the person who posted this changed the title to this one." Hornet chuckled awkwardly.
Upon further inspection, he quickly realized that it was a montage video of everything he did during that battle. Commanding the girls, fighting the droids on his ship, standing up to Purifier and Tester, fighting mid-air as he flew into the harbor, and even him standing his ground alone against a horde of the droids inside the harbor, all of it was shown in this high definition video.
"You're the talk of the town, Commander. The media's just dying to get into this hospital room and interview you." Baltimore laughed.
"It got over ten million views in the first couple of hours that it was posted and has been the number one video on Juustagram since it was posted! Great job Commander!" Denver cheered.
"How did they even…oh…" Shikikan was about to ask how this person got all of this on video, but the video owner's username "NyaGems_NyaLyfe" gave him a pretty good idea who made this 'mysterious' account with no user info whatsoever.
"No one knows how exactly this person got all of this on camera, but there's rumors among the navy soldiers that there was an unidentified droid flying around in the distance during the entire battle." Montpelier chimed in.
"Did you figure it out too, Commander?" Enterprise sighed.
"Unfortunately, yeah. But for now, let's just keep this between us." Shikikan sighed as well, really not wanting to deal with the political issues a certain cat might put him through thanks to this video taken through illegal means being made public, let alone for profit via ads.
"Well I wouldn't worry too much about it, Commander. I doubt anyone will look too deep into who posted this given how the news is all about the leaders of the Eagle Union apologizing to its citizens and promising to rebuild this base from the ground up and making it ten times as secure as before." North Carolina patted him on the shoulder.
"Oh! He is up!" San Diego yelled from the doorway as she appeared with Eldridge and Saratoga in tow.
"No fair Commander! I've finally made my appearance back in the Eagle Union, but you took all the publicity and attention!" Saratoga complained before breaking out into laughter. "Just kidding~. Great work out there and welcome back Commander~!"
"Commander…okay…?" Eldridge asked as she walked up to him with her ahoge in the shape of a question mark.
"A bit tired and weak, but other than that, I think I'm fine." He replied as he happily patted the destroyer's head.
"I'll be the judge of that Commander. Go ahead and finish the rest of your food so I can change your bandages and do a full body check up on you." Vestal requested before St. Louis fed the last spoonful of chowder. "You girls should probably leave too since Commander's probably going to want some privacy."
Upon hearing this, most of the girls stepped out to let Vestal do her work. Save for a certain bluenette beauty.
"Is that true Commander? Or do you want me to help Vestal~?" St. Louis smirked with mischievous intent in her voice.
"S-St. Louis please…" Helena interjected before walking out the room.
"Hehe~ Just kidding." St. Louis teased before turning back to Shikikan. "But Commander, could I ask for a picture? Some of our friends stationed elsewhere are curious about the man who helped save our home."
"Yeah sure." Shikikan agreed without thinking too much about it.
"Yay, thank you Com~man~der~" St. Louis giggled before wrapping an arm around his right and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"S-St. Louis!?" Shikikan blushed heavily as he heard her phone's camera take the picture.
"Hehe~, consider that my way of saying thanks to 'the Devil-Eyed Prince' for saving the day." She winked before sending a mass text to her friends and walking out the door.
With just Shikikan and Vestal left, the repair ship began to un-mummify him.
"Hmm. You're healing a lot faster than normal. Almost too fast…" Vestal wondered in awe as she looked at him from all sides.
"Yeah…the doctor who took care of me when I first woke up said the same thing to me." Shikikan started before telling her everything that Dr. Sen discovered about him during his recovery there.
"I see….so, do you still have nightmares from back then?" Vestal asked in concern as she checked his vitals.
"Thankfully no, not ever since meeting you girls." Shikikan said as he laid back on his bed and looked out the window in wonder. Once Vestal finished replacing all of his bandages and casts, he looked back at her and spoke.
"Hey Vestal, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Commander. What is it?" She stopped her ministrations to look him in the eyes.
"I'm still…human, right?"
"Oh, Commander…" Vestal smiled kindly at him before bringing him in for a soft hug and gently rubbing the back of his head. "Of course, you are. Just because the Sirens experimented on your body, doesn't mean you are any less human. Even if you weren't, I can guarantee you that we'd all still consider you one of our closest allies, friend, and quite honestly, a member of our family. Isn't that right, girls?" Vestal asked as she let go of him and looked at the door.
Upon hearing this, the doors opened wide and the girls previously standing in the hallways poured right back in, all refusing to look directly at her.
"So…how much did you girls hear? It's very rude to eavesdrop on me, especially when I'm with a patient you know?" Vestal asked, her dark aura flowing out of her.
Being pushed forward, Enterprise was unwillingly deemed to be the one to speak up.
"S-since you mentioned how Commander is healing a lot faster than possible…sorry…"
"You girls…" Vestal was about to scold all of them but was brought to a silence when Commander brought a hand to her shoulder.
"It's fine, Vestal, I don't really mind. But still, thanks for the pep talk." He smiled brightly at her.
This seemed to have appeased her anger as Vestal felt her face warm up a bit upon seeing him smile so sincerely at her.
"That said….I'm still kind of really embarrassed about being overheard and sounding like that ahaha.…" He chuckled awkwardly.
"Don't worry Commander! It's a lot braver to talk about your feelings than to hide them!" Cleveland smiled brightly as she tried to cheer him up.
"Rest assured, Commander. From now on, no Sirens shall bring you any harm so long as I am around." South Dakota boldly proclaimed with a fist to her chest.
"Ditto on that." Baltimore and Washington grinned.
"You've had some awful luck in the past Commander. Let Lucky Lou bless you with some of my own good luck~" St. Louis giggled before making her way towards him.
"W-wait Sis, please don't do something embarrassing!" Helena frantically begged as she followed after her and tried to stop her sister.
"Wait…now's your chance Enty! Share some of that 'Lucky E' of yours!" Hornet cheered as she began pushing Enterprise towards him.
"W-wait Hornet! What are you saying!? How am I even supposed to do that!?"
"You too Cleve! You might not be as lucky as them, but you can't afford to get left behind here!" Columbia whispered as she and Denver dragged an unwilling and red-faced Cleveland up as well.
"Wait, don't drag Big Sis into this!" Montpelier said as she tried to stop them.
"This looks fun! Count me in!" San Diego said before she, Saratoga, Laffey, and Eldridge all rushed up and began to crowd around Commander.
"U-um, Vestal…?" Shikikan worried.
"G-girls! He still very much needs to rest!" Vestal said as she did her best to keep everyone under control.
As the afternoon commotion went on in the hospital, word of Shikikan finally waking up spread like wildfire.
Ring! Ring!
Barely an hour after waking up and chatting with the girls, the large TV monitor in his room lit up with a notice of an incoming video call request.
"Commander, it's from the Fleet Admiral." Enterprise informed. "Should we leave?"
"I doubt he'll mind me having some of you by my side given my current state, but could everyone else scoot over to the side?"
Taking a quick glance at each other, the Eagle Union girls telepathically decided to let Enterprise, South Dakota, Washington, and North Carolina stay while the rest watch from the sidelines and out of view.
"Hit the lights." Enterprise asked before accepting the call for Shikikan. Now dark, two images appeared on screen, both being none other than Fleet Admiral Teitoku on one and Vice Admiral Victoria on the other.
"Fleet Admiral, Sir." Shikikan tried to salute but could barely get his arm ninety degrees for wincing from the pain.
"Take it easy and rest, Shikikan. You've more than earned it." Teitoku smiled.
"I was really hoping to not see you covered in bandages and stuck in a hospital room again, not that I can blame you though." Victoria sighed before smiling in relief at seeing him up.
"Agreed." Teitoku replied with a deep sigh of his own. "I truly apologize for putting you through all of that, Shikikan. If I could've just persuaded the rest of high command to allow you to act more independently, you definitely wouldn't have gotten as hurt as you are."
"Having everyone back on base here to fight with us definitely would've helped even the odds." Shikikan thought aloud.
"Honestly." Victoria stepped in. "Not only did you all send him to fight against a massive Siren armada with only a handful of Kansen, but you also all decide to test him by having him go out to sea and make him confront his captors head-on that same day! I know you were outvoted but there must have been something you could've done to help him!"
"Believe me when I say this Victoria, I was about to rush out there myself to help him, but the rest of High Command held me down and forced me to stay put. They were all so much more worried about political affairs than actually getting the job done." Teitoku shook his head shamefully before looking back up at Shikikan. "Rest assured though Shikikan, I've taken measures to make sure this never happens to you again."
"How so?" Both Shikikan and Victoria asked in unison.
"After getting in talks with the leaders around the world and the rest of high command, three things have been decided." The feet admiral announced. "The first is the obvious one. From this point on Shikikan, you are exempt from any travel bans and are free to enter all four major factions' territories without any restrictions, but prior notice being requested beforehand of course."
"Does that mean that all the girls are allowed to move freely as well?"
"So long as you either are with them or notify the territories in advance of their arrivals, then yes. That said, do be mindful of who you send and where though Shikikan. There are still many people wary of fighting alongside former enemies." Teitoku warned.
"Understood. Either way though, this is great news to me." Shikikan sighed in relief as he rested back a bit. "What's the second and third part?"
"The second part is more just good news. The smaller factions: Iris Libre, Vichya Dominion, Northern Parliament, Sardegna Empire, and the Dragon Empery have all finally decided to fully cooperate with Azur Lane against the Sirens. We're all still working things out but expect to hear from each of these factions at a later date."
"I'm guessing they'll be sending some of their own Kansen to the base?"
"Most likely yes, which means that the docks need to be expanded and additional housing needs to be built. Luckily, that involves the third piece of news I have for you." Teitoku brightened up. "For your efforts in both securing that area you found the Sakura Empire's 1st carrier division in and saving NY Harbor from certain destruction, HQ will be rewarding you personally with a large amount of gold and gems, more than enough to reconstruct your entire base three times over might I add."
"Congrats on a job well done Shikikan!" Victoria cheered as the Kansen followed suit with a round of applause.
"Couldn't have done it without all of you." He smiled before a thought popped up in his head. 'I should probably keep Akashi in the dark about this part though…'
"That's it from me Shikikan. Again, I truly apologize for not being of more help to you last week and hope you can forgive me." Teitoku bowed his head apologetically.
"It's fine, Fleet Admiral, Sir. I don't blame you at all. I would, however, like to speak with the other members of High Command who were all so willing to send the girls and me on a needlessly reckless mission like this one though…" Shikikan replied with a cold aura forming around him.
"Don't you worry about that, Shikikan. I'm already hard at work at making sure they get their 'just desserts' so to speak." Victoria smirked.
"Glad to hear and thanks for the help." Shikikan replied as he took a deep breath to calm himself down after hearing this.
"Well, that's it from me, Shikikan, I have more meetings to head to soon so I should get ready. Thank you for all of your hard work and forgiveness. I promise to do my utmost to make sure you are never hindered like this ever again, so please rest up and take it easy, Shikikan. I truly am glad you're alright." Teitoku bowed his head once more before signing off.
"Gotta say Shikikan, you've definitely grown a ton since you first woke up over a month ago." Victoria mentioned. "Never did I expect you to quickly become a world-famous hero so quickly." She giggled.
"The girls put in most of the work back there, I just dealt with as many of those trashy droids as I could."
"That's where you're wrong Commander." Enterprise spoke up.
"Hmm? What makes you say that?" Shikikan tilted his head.
"You led us out of that hopeless situation and even threw yourself into the fire, all to help save NY Harbor, our home. I can't thank you enough for that Commander." North Carolina smiled.
"Even our most elite soldiers would've had a tough time in your situation, so don't feel the need to be humble or anything. Puff out your chest and enjoy all the praise, haha!" Washington laughed as she patted him on the shoulder roughly.
"Thanks…ow…" Shikikan winced.
"Ah…..my bad…" Washington scratched the back of her head awkwardly before getting two bonks to her head from none other than North Carolina and South Dakota.
"Hehe, I'm glad you're surrounded by good people, Shikikan. Even back here, there are those eagerly waiting your return." Victoria giggled.
"Yeah I'm-wait a minute." Shikikan noticed something. "Are you on my base?"
"Took you long enough." Victoria teased. "Since you were out cold, I took it upon myself to keep everything here in order. Gotta say though, the amount of paperwork you get is insane, even for what I'm used to doing. Good thing everyone here is more than willing to help me out."
"Thanks for that Victoria." He smiled gratefully. "How are they by the way?"
"Let's just say it's taking a lot of effort to suppress a certain bunch of them from barging into this room as we speak." She chuckled nervously. In the background, loud yells, rumbling, and …construction noises...?... could be heard not too far away in the near distance.
"…Anyway, I heard from Vestal that you are to remain in bed for the time being?" Victoria inquired.
"Yeah, even if I was good to go though, I'm still kinda down a ship of my own." Shikikan remembered as his ship was completely annihilated thanks to Purifier's whims.
"You could always just ride on one of our materialized ships you know? I, for one, wouldn't mind at all~" St. Louis giggled.
"S-sis, please…" Helena blushed.
"Did you forget that you have a large fortune coming your way? I'm sure the Eagle Union would be more than happy to help you find, or even just build you a whole new one." Victoria reasoned.
"Commander, could I suggest you some specs later? I was going to recommend some changes to your old ship but seeing how it's…disintegrated and all..." Enterprise offered.
"Sounds good to me. I'd love advice from an expert."
"Heh." Enterprise smiled, a blush ever so darkening on her porcelain cheeks.
'Nice work Sis!' Hornet winked and gave a thumbs up, much to her sister's embarrassment.
"Well anyway, I should probably get back to keeping this base intact and everyone in line. Take it easy and listen to what Vestal says okay?" Victoria requested.
"Don't worry Miss Victoria, I'll be helping Vestal keep watch on Commander until he gets better." South Dakota nodded.
"We all will!" Saratoga cheered as everyone nodded.
"Hehe, looks like I don't have to worry about you not staying put in bed after all." Victoria teased. "Again, great work, all of you. Take it easy while you can and take care!"
"See you later, Victoria." Shikikan waved her off the best he could in his state.
"Yes ma'am!" Everyone replied before the video call screen went black.
"Alright Commander." Vestal started as she was flipping through her notes on her clipboard before looking up at him. "Once you've rested in bed for a couple more days, the leaders of the Eagle Union would like to hold a special award ceremony for your outstanding achievements in that battle. And before you ask, we all got medals of honor the day after that huge victory celebration, so this one's just going to be focused on you."
"The world's just been dying to find out what the Devil-Eyed Prince is like, so I hope you aren't afraid of being on camera for the whole world to see!" Hornet teased.
"I-I really don't know about all this…." A pale faced Shikikan stuttered as he loudly gulped at the idea of being on live TV.
"Don't worry, Commander. We've got your back!" Baltimore grinned as she tapped him on the shoulder. "I'd be pretty nervous of getting in front of millions of people all looking at me at once too to be honest."
Upon hearing this, Shikikan's complexion went even paler as he collapsed back onto his bed.
"Not the best choice of words there, Baltimore." North Carolina sweat-dropped.
"S-sorry Commander, I meant to say like…um..!" The tomboy tried to recover, only to be at a loss of words and in a sea of lighthearted laughter at her and Shikikan's dismay.
Shikikan's time in the hospital bed flew by in the blink of an eye, what with all the girls secretly agreeing to keep him company by making sure one of them was there with Vestal whenever he was up. From reading books, to playing games, to just simple, idle chatter, the day Shikikan was to make his appearance on live TV came by in no time.
"Alright Commander. Think you can get up and walk by yourself?" Vestal asked.
Currently, Vestal and Enterprise were the only ones in his room as he was in the middle of his rehabilitative therapy session.
"I think so." He replied as he slowly but surely got himself out of his bed and on his own two feet.
"Good work! Now trying walking to where I am. Just in case though, Enterprise, stay close to him." Vestal asked.
"On it." Enterprise nodded as she walked next to Shikikan's side. "Take your time, I'll be here in case you trip." She smiled kindly.
Nodding back, Shikikan began to walk for the first time in almost two weeks.
"You're almost halfway there, Commander! Keep it up!" Vestal cheered.
Shikikan seemed to be in good shape and was making good progress, but fate had other plans for him.
"COMMANDER! No fair! How'd you manage to pull the Queen of the Land of Shadows in that limited time gatcha!? I spent all my month's earnings and I still haven't even pulled anyone new!" Long Island ranted as she swung the door wide open, surprising Shikikan and causing him to lose his balance.
"Commander! Watch out!" Enterprise yelled as she tried to catch him, only for her to come crashing down with him.
"Hey, Long Island! This is a hospital! You can't be yelling!" Hammann ironically yelled at the light carrier.
"Ahaha….sorry about that Vestal, I didn't think they'd barge….right…in?" Hornet paused as she saw something she never would've expected to see.
On the floor was Enterprise, flat on her back with her hat knocked off, her hair sprawled out in a bloom around her head, and Shikikan right on top of her, or more specifically, with his head buried into her chest with her arms wrapped around his head.
'He's so warm…' Enterprise thought as she began to look downwards.
'Soft…Wait, is that a heartbeat? Why's it getting faster…?' Shikikan thought before realizing his situation. Tilting his head up, he noticed that Enterprise was looking down at him with the darkest blush he had ever seen her pull off.
"W-wow Sis….gotta say, pretty bold." Hornet smirked as she quickly put the pieces together.
"P-perverts!" Hammann exclaimed with both hands loosely covering eyes as she still snuck a peek or two between her fingers.
"W-wait this isn't what it looks like!" Both Shikikan and Enterprise heavily blushed as they got back to their feet as quickly as they could.
"Long Island…..what have I told you about what NOT to do in a hospital?" Vestal smiled with a demonic aura overflowing out of her.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Long Island said with teary eyes as she hid behind Hammann and Hornet.
"Ahem." Enterprise cleared her throat and tried her best to comprise herself. "So, what led to you slamming open the door and yelling?"
"A-after we found a replacement for Commander's phone, I showed him a game I've been playing on my phone a few days ago and he somehow managed to get an ultra-rare character and I was so jealous and….." Long Island trailed off as she cowered behind Hornet as the light carrier felt Vestal's menacing aura grow in size when she heard her reasoning.
"V-vestal, I think Long Island's learned her lesson and is really repenting, right?" Shikikan started as he looked towards the light carrier as he tried to ease the situation.
"Y-yeah! I'm really, really sorry Vestal and I promise it won't happen again!" She replied, albeit still cowering in fear.
"…..Haaa." Vestal sighed heavily with a hand to her temple. "Well, no one got hurt and it's late enough for every other patient to be up by now…Alright fine. As long as you promise to be more mindful of where you are, I'll let you off easy with just having you help me do some cleaning around here."
"B-but the limited-time event is still…" Long Island started.
"Hmm?" Vestal hummed menacingly.
"N-nothing! I'll be happy to help you, Vestal!"
"Good, good. You can start by cleaning everything in the sink over there." Vestal pointed towards said sink piled high with various medical equipment.
"Y-yes ma'am…." The teary-eyed light carrier obeyed as she refused to get on the repair ship's bad side again.
"..S-so anyway, what brings you two here?" Shikikan spoke up, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
"Nothing really. Just wanted to check up on you since it's the big day." Hornet grinned.
"Hmmph. I-It's not like I wanted to check to see if you're feeling any better or anything….pervert Commander…" The tsundere huffed.
"I-I see." Shikikan sweat dropped at the sense of déjà vu he was getting.
"What do you think, Vestal?" Enterprise inquired.
"Hmm….Commander's wounds are almost fully healed, and your vitals have normalized, but I'd still prefer it if you rested here a bit more." Vestal said as she flipped through her clipboard and looked at Shikikan. "But how do you think you feel right now, Commander?"
"I'm still feeling kind of groggy, but the pain's mostly gone. If I had to guess, I'd say that I'm feeling like 70% of my normal self."
"Think you can get through today without too much trouble though?" Vestal inquired.
"I think I can. I'd feel kind of guilty for postponing after hearing from everyone how everything's already all set up for today after all." Shikikan replied.
"Commander. You really need to put yourself first and foremost." Vestal scolded him. "It's honestly quite frightening how alike you and Enterprise can be at times. What am I going to do?" She sighed.
"S-sorry Vestal." Enterprise and Shikikan apologized in unison. Looking up at each other, the two couldn't help but let out a light chuckle despite their guilty consciences.
"Any luck on getting the sword or gun fixed though, do you know?" Shikikan asked.
"Nope." Hornet shook her head. "Maryland, West Virginia, and Colorado went around and asked all the city's blacksmiths, but they all agreed the gun wasn't worth fixing up and recommended just getting a new one. For the sword though, apparently no one in town is familiar with the design or have the right materials for it."
"Guess I'll have to go shopping for some new ones after this ceremony." Shikikan shrugged. 'The shoes will definitely be a Yuubari job though.'
"Hmmph fine, I guess I can show you around town." Hammann huffed as she looked away, secretly stowing away the growing smile on her face.
"Let me come to! There's a lot you should see here in good ol' Eagle Union land, Commander!" Hornet grinned. "You should come with us Sis! Vestal!"
"Well I do need to go pick up more supplies, so I don't see why not. How about you, Enterprise?" Vestal asked before leaning over and whispering into her ear. "This will be a good chance, you know~"
"N-not you too Vestal.." Enterprise blushed. "….But sure, I'll come with."
"Hey Commander!" Washington's voice was heard before the door opened, revealing said battleship with North Carolina, South Dakota, Cleveland, and Helena in tow.
"Do none of you girls know how to behave in a hospital..." Vestal sighed.
"Excuse us, Vestal. Washington's just been really excited to speak with Commander lately." North Carolina teased.
"A-am not!" A blushing Washington stuttered. "A-anyway, Commander, are you good to go soon? It's going to take some time getting there what with the massive crowd bound to be between us and there."
Not sure how to respond, he looked over to Vestal for assistance, who quickly picked up on this and spoke.
"Commander's health is a lot better, but he'll have to take it easy." Vestal informed before turning to face Shikikan. "So just to be safe, I recommend that you have some of the girls act as your bodyguards."
Nodding his head, he spoke. "Um…would any of you girls..?"
"I'll do it!" Everyone immediately volunteered in unison.
"Washington. You're too reckless to be a bodyguard. You'll end up chasing after someone instead of shielding Commander." South Dakota started.
"Huh? Why would I chase after someone when I can just blast them with my cannons?" She countered.
"I didn't expect you to opt for bodyguard duty over coast guard duty." North Carolina thought aloud as she looked at Enterprise.
"Well…it's not like I have a preference for either, but given Commander's current condition and the Sirens being after him and all…" The carrier reasoned.
"Um…I guess you can never have too many bodyguards right?" Shikikan jokingly spoke, trying to appease everyone.
"Then it's settled! We'll all make sure Commander doesn't embarrass himself!" Hornet teased.
"Oi! Don't jinx me!" Shikikan complained as everyone began to laugh.
Come a few hours later and in his hospital room, Shikikan could be seen donning a rather expensive looking white jacket and black trouser suit.
Knock, knock.
"Commander, are you decent? It's almost time to go." Vestal informed.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out how to tie this tie." Shikikan replied back.
"Okay, we'll be coming in then." Vestal announced as she opened the door, revealing that she was not alone. Once she stepped in though, she and everyone else was immediately stunned speechless upon sighting Shikikan.
"Hmm? Do I look that weird all dressed up?" He half joked, half worried.
"N-no! I mean, it's not like that! Y-you just look really good in that suit." Cleveland blushed.
"Fitting for a celebrity about to make his debut might I add." St. Louis giggled.
"Want some help with that tie Commander?" Baltimore offered.
"Actually yeah, embarrassingly enough I have no idea how to tie it nicely." He chuckled awkwardly.
"Don't worry. The only reason I know how is because one of my friends I mentioned the other day loved to make me dress up in guy clothes for some reason. Guess it's cuz I looked better in them than in dresses." Baltimore chuckled as she made her way to him and began to tie up all nice and neat.
"You think so? Personally, I think you'd look great in a dress." Shikikan openly admitted without giving it much thought.
"Y-you think so?" Baltimore blushed.
Over to the side, Vestal, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Helena could be seen giggling up a storm, much to the brunette tomboy's embarrassment as she quickly tried to finish tying his tie for him.
"And…there!" She announced as she stepped away to get a better overall look. "Looking real suave Commander!"
"Heh, thanks. Not sure I'd prefer this over comfy, casual clothes though." He chuckled shyly as he and Baltimore walked over to where the others stood.
"Hmm? Helena? You okay? Your face is all red." Shikikan observed.
"Eh?" Helena hummed before realizing that she had been quietly staring at him ever since she entered the room. "Y-yes! I'm fine! B-but we should hurry and get going Commander!"
"Oh Helena." St. Louis hugged her from behind. "But you are right. We'll be late if we don't leave soon Commander."
"Sounds good. Let's go." Shikikan nodded.
As the group made their way out of the room, down the hall, and right into the main lobby, he was greeted by the rest of the Eagle Union Kansen. Upon sighting him, some felt their cheeks flare up while others felt as if their eyes were glued to stare at the well-dressed and handsome, tall man with eyes that would put real amethyst crystals to shame. It took them all a few seconds to regain their ability to speak, just enough time for Shikikan to make his way over to them with his group.
"Dreamy…." Hammann murmured before realizing that she said that out loud enough for Saratoga and Laffey to hear and look back at her. "What? I didn't say anything!" She yelled.
"W-wow Commander, you really are living up to that new nickname of yours." Hornet grinned, albeit with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"T-thanks, but that's the last thing I had on my mind on for things I wanted to do." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"The media's going to be all over you, Commander, but we'll make sure you get to the ceremony safe and sound." North Carolina informed with rosy cheeks.
After taking a few deep breaths, Shikikan managed to calm his nerves and brace himself for whatever was to come.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Roger that. Open the doors!" South Dakota called out to Alabama and Honolulu as they opened the large, ornate double doors leading to the outside world.
As soon as he himself made it out the door, he was greeted by the largest crowd of people he had ever seen.
"THERE HE IS!" Someone shouted before the sounds of hundreds of thousands of cameras all pointed directly at him clicked and snapped. What followed was a horde of people with microphones and cameramen all charging right for him and assaulting him with a storm of incoherent questions muffled out by the chaos.
"Back it up! Back it up!" Maryland ordered as she stepped in before they could get any closer. "He'll answer questions AFTER we get him to the stage, so clear a path!"
"…It's probably too late to request a cancellation right?"
"Most likely but rest assured that you're in safe hands with us Commander." South Dakota nodded before the group pushed their way through the massive crowd and towards where the ceremony was being held.
"Kyaaa! He's even hotter in person!"
"Thank you so much for saving my restaurant! Please let me offer you a full course meal free of charge!"
"Please marry me!"
Flustered from all of the attention he was getting, he could only manage to work up a strained smile and a small wave.
"Ahhhh! He smiled and waved at me!" A young girl exclaimed.
"Are you blind!? That was definitely meant for me!" Another argued.
"Maybe we should've taken a secret pathway or something…" Shikikan sweat-dropped. Unknown to him though, some of the Kansen had cute, jealous pouts while others had pitiful smiles all aimed towards him.
"L-let us through! We need to get to the stage ASAP!" Long Island begged as she was getting engulfed in the sea of people.
"Hey, keep up with the rest of us, Long Island!" Maryland called out as she picked her up by her hand and flung her back towards where the others were.
'Please let this be over soon…' He groaned as he and the Kansen slowly but surely managed to get through.
After what seemed like an eternity later, the group's supposedly short trek was finally coming to its end.
"I can see the stage Commander!" West Virginia called out. Looking over, he saw a wide stage with a large dome-like backside and only a single podium on-stage. Upon closer inspection, he saw many suited figures on stand-by, seemingly taking turns to speak on the podium.
"Looks like we got through the worst of it." Colorado noted as she saw some able-bodied soldiers running towards them to help clear a path.
"Right this way please." One soldier saluted before guiding the group to an open green room behind the stage.
"The Eagle Union representatives on stage will be addressing the crowd soon, Sir. The mayor will call for you to come on stage shortly." The soldier saluted before she rushed back to her previous assignment, blushing up a storm of course after getting the chance to speak with Shikikan.
"Finally! We're free!" Long Island panted as she, Eldridge, and Laffey sat in a circle with their backs leaning against each other, all seemingly physically and mentally drained.
"Thanks for working hard you three." Shikikan patted their heads.
"Commander! So glad you managed to get through all that!" A familiar voice called out. Looking over, a young blond-haired man was running up to him.
"Sorry have we met? Your voice does sound really familiar though." Shikikan asked.
"Technically no, but it's me! Weston! The guy in charge of getting the civilians of Newport Harbor to safety! You got those Siren ships to stop chasing after us and got us to safety!" He said with starry eyes.
"Ah, I see. I'm glad we were able to help you out."
"Help out? You did way more than what was humanly possible! You were like a real-life superhero! That said if it isn't too much trouble, could I ask for an autograph?" The young man asked excitedly with hope-filled eyes as he pulled out a marker and what seemed to be Shikikan on the front page of a news article.
"Uh….yeah, sure." Shikikan eventually agreed as he took the marker and signed his name across the top part of the paper.
"Thanks a bunch again for everything, Commander! I can't wait to brag about this to my friends!" The young blond said before leaving as quickly as he appeared.
"Hey, mister number one hero, the Devil-Eyed Prince!" Saratoga smugly called out. "The heads of the Eagle Union just finished their speeches, and the mayor will call for you to join on stage soon!"
"Commander! You're not even an idol and you got to sign an autograph! No fair!" San Diego pouted.
"Don't worry Sandy! Once we debut, we'll be signing autographs until our hands will smell liking nothing but markers!" Saratoga cheered. "Lexington always used to talk about having a big heart and a patient mind after all!"
'Lexington huh? I've been meaning to ask about Saratoga about her, but I'm worried it might still be too much of a sensitive topic still. Also, Enterprise and Hornet both mentioned their older sister, Yorktown, but that might be off-limits for now too. Maybe someday I can get them all to sit down and talk with me about their elder sisters.' Shikikan thought.
"Commander, the NY Harbor mayor is starting his speech. You should hurry and get on standby in case they call you up soon." Enterprise walked up with Hornet in tow.
"Sounds good. I'm guessing you girls will be watching from back here?"
"Yep! I doubt there will be any good seats up front by now anyway." Hornet shrugged.
"And as Mayor of this wonderful city, I am honored to welcome the man who saved us in our time of need!"
"That's your cue, Commander! Break a leg!" Cleveland cheered.
"We'll be supporting you from back here, so please try your best!" Helena encouraged.
"Thanks everyone." He smiled gratefully before turning around and walking up to the podium where the mayor was. He seemed to be a stocky middle-aged man with a very well-maintained handlebar mustache and a monocle on his left eye. Standing next to him, surprisingly, was Rear Admiral Torrez with two crutches holding him up.
As soon as Shikikan stepped foot on stage, a deafening round of applause and cheers roared throughout the entire area. When he looked down, he saw an endless row of cameras all aim at him and began to follow his every footstep as he made his way to the podium. Behind them were a line of guards in the very center making sure the hundreds of thousands of frantically cheering people in the audience don't start jumping on stage.
"Man…I'd hate to be in his shoes…" Columbia admitted.
"The huge crowd is one thing but knowing that all those cameras are broadcasting to the entire world for millions of people is enough to make my knees shake, and I'm not even going up there!" Denver added.
"I'm really glad you two didn't try to pep talk Commander before he went up there." Cleveland deadpanned.
"Gotta admit, he's done a pretty good job not embarrassing himself so far." Montpelier commented.
Back where Shikikan was, he successfully managed to make his way over to where the mayor was standing without tripping himself.
'Why did that feel like fifty miles instead of fifty feet?' Shikikan complained in his head as he did his best to not make a fool of himself on live TV.
"Commander! A pleasure to finally meet the hero who saved our town!" The jolly old man started before offering Shikikan a handshake.
As Shikikan returned the favor, he replied.
"Nice to meet you too Mayor…" He started before realizing he doesn't know the old man's name. Fortunately for him, the mayor excitedly shook Shikikan's hand with both of his own and began to speak once more.
"I'm Mayor Lynx, the one in charge of all that is NY Harbor. Please allow me to offer you my sincerest thanks on behalf of all the residents here and the entirety of the Eagle Union!" He vigorously shook Shikikan's hand as the crowd roared with applause.
"Not only did this man come during our time of need, but he also took it upon himself to help get our citizens of Newport Harbor to safety, lead our Kansen allies to victory against overwhelming odds, and even stared down those Siren monsters with an unwavering fighting spirit!" The mayor added before Torrez came over and spoke into the mic.
"And don't even get me started on how he single handedly took down almost two hundred of those blasted droids!" Torrez started. "Never before have I ever seen such close combat mastery! Just remembering how I was there and saw it all happen in person send chills down my spine even now! We truly owe this man….no…..this hero our thanks!"
The crowd continued to roar as Shikikan could only awkwardly stand there and wave.
'What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? How dumb do I look right now?' He panicked in his head as he desperately tried to keep a calm, casual smile on his face.
"Before we continue though, is there anything you would like to say to your everyone here and all around the world?" Mayor Lynx asked.
"Um.." Shikikan was at a loss for words and was beginning to panic even more.
"Psst! Commander!" Saratoga loudly whispered and frantically waved from the sidelines.
Looking over, he noticed that she and San Diego were holding a big sign that read: 'Relax! No matter what happens, we've got your back!'
After reading it, he found himself chuckling a bit as his previous nervous self was now nowhere to be found.
"Nice thinking you two!" Cleveland cheered. "Commander's looking a lot better now!"
"Hehe, as the Number 1 idol, putting smiles on everyone's face is my top priority!" San Diego proudly proclaimed.
"Wow, I was not expecting that type of answer from you of all people, Sandy, but still, good job!" Saratoga teased.
'You got this Commander.' Enterprise nodded and smiled as she gave Shikikan a thumbs up.
Now feeling worlds better, Shikikan regained his ability to speak and smiled confidently. "Actually yes, if you don't mind."
"The stage is all yours! Take as much time as you want!" The mayor nodded before he and Torrez took a few steps back, leaving Shikikan alone in the limelight in front of millions of viewers.
Taking a quick deep breath, he spoke.
"When I first woke up a few days ago, I found myself surrounded by countless bouquets and get- well cards. To be greeted with such an unfamiliarly warm welcoming, I could ask for nothing more. The Eagle Union truly is as wonderful as it is strong. That said, please know that I mean this from the bottom of my heart when I say: 'Thank you all so, so much for your kindness." Shikikan smiled brightly.
At that point, the sounds of hundreds of cameras snapping and thousands of screaming and swooning female (for the most part) audience members was heard throughout the city.
"But I couldn't have done it without the help of some very special individuals." Shikikan continued after taking a moment to give everyone time to settle down.
"If it weren't for their hard work and willingness to fight against the toughest opponents that night, I would not have managed to make it within range to even see this harbor." He paused to take a quick look at the girls with an interestingly mischievous smile.
"C-commander?" Helena panicked.
"W-wait a minute, he's not actually going to do what I think he's doing…right?" Cleveland began to sweat.
"Please give a round of applause to the heroic Kansen who fought with all their might and carried us to victory!"
"…You just had to jinx us, Cleve." Hornet chuckled awkwardly.
"W-wait! This isn't my fault to begin with!" Cleveland blushed heavily.
"True, but either way, that's our cue I guess." Enterprise sighed before a small, yet sincere smile formed on face as she and everyone else began walking out.
"Come on Honolulu. I'm nervous too so let's go out together." St. Louis said as she tugged on said red-haired beauty's arm.
"Ugh…..fine… " Honolulu blushed heavily as she unwillingly let herself get dragged along.
Once again, the cheers from the roaring audience deafened all other sounds in the entire city as the Kansen now made their way out on stage.
As soon as they made it to where he was, the girls all began to act just like how Shikikan was earlier. Awkwardly smiling and waving, they all felt very embarrassed, well almost all of them.
"Yay! We got to go on stage too, Sara!" San Diego cheered gleefully as she waved to everyone.
"Yeah!" Saratoga followed
"S-sis…I can't feel my legs…" Denver and Columbia whispered as they felt their legs beginning to wobble.
"H-hold out just a bit more! The knights of the sea c-can't lose to stage fright!" Cleveland tried her best despite her own legs feeling like jelly.
"Hey, North Carolina, h-how's my smile right now?" Washington asked.
"Y-yeah about that….." The blonde cringed at the sight of Washington 'smiling'.
At that point, Shikikan could've sworn he saw many of them with expressions pointed towards him that clearly read: 'You're so going to pay for this later'.
Chuckling nervously, he began his speech once more.
"These girls allowed us to overcome those overwhelming odds and stand up to those Sirens. It was their hard efforts that gave me the courage and strength to persevere and see our victory through to the bitter end. Give it up one more time for these wonderful ladies!" He praised as he and everyone applauded and cheered for the embarrassed girls.
{Affinity Up!}
"C-commander.." North Carolina, Enterprise, St. Louis, Helena, Cleveland, and Hornet blushed.
"Y-you jerk…" Washington, Honolulu, and Hammann mumbled as they felt their cheeks go crimson red.
"T-this is so embarrassing but…." Baltimore, Maryland, Colorado, and West Virginia murmured.
"Sis, does your chest feel tight too?" A blushing Alabama asked South Dakota, who could only shyly nod in reply.
While silent, the others felt their cheeks beginning to burn and found it a bit hard to look at the kind man before them.
"But let's also not forget the true heroes of this war." Shikikan began. "To those who have given their hearts to fight for the people and the land they loved, thank you for your courageous sacrifices. I believe I speak for all of us here when I say that for so long as I draw breath, I hereby declare that I will not rest until I see the day where the Sirens are no more and the world is once again free!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Commander." Enterprise smiled.
"You've got the presence of a top idol, Commander! Nice speech!" Saratoga cheered.
The morale boosting speech Shikikan gave led to a seemingly endless roar of applause from the crowd.
"Wow, you're the number 1 trending topic on Juustagram right now Commander!" Hornet informed as the app blew up with posts about Shikikan.
Giving a nod to the mayor, Shikikan signaled for him to come back.
"As charismatic as you'd expect from our hero!" The mayor complimented as he walked back up to the podium. "Now let us continue with the award ceremony!" He continued before signaling to two soldiers on standby to come up on stage. One of them carried a very ornate looking box while the other had a large briefcase with a seven-digit lock pad on it.
"First, for your inspiring and valiant efforts during that dreadful night, please allow me to present you with the Eagle Union's highest honor: The Wings of Freedom award!" The mayor announced as he opened the ornate box and carefully pulled out a shiny platinum-blue medal with the emblem of the Eagle Union and two detailed eagle wings spreading outward from behind on it.
"Please allow me." St. Louis humbly requested as she boldly stepped up.
"Certainly. I'm sure he'd rather a pretty lass put it on him than a rugged old man like myself." The mayor laughed heartily as he carefully handed her the medal with two open palms.
"Hehe, thank you Mayor." St. Louis giggled as she took the medal and walked over to Shikikan.
"Thank you again for leading us to victory, Commander." St. Louis beamed as she draped the medal over his head and gave him a tight squeeze.
At first surprised, Shikikan returned the favor and hugged her back, albeit still a bit flushed in his cheeks.
"Let's continue to give it our all Commander." She winked before walking back to where the others still stood.
"That was really bold, Lou." Helena whispered. "The girls in the audience are all still glaring at you."
"Hehe, sometimes a girl just has to be bold and plant her stake~." St. Louis giggled triumphantly. "You should hurry and do so too when you get the chance, Helena."
"B-but I…" Helena mumbled embarrassingly.
"In addition, and in hopes of establishing a prosperous, healthy relationship between Azur Lane and the Eagle Union, we would also like to present our Hero Commander with both of NY Harbor's precious wisdom cubes!" The mayor continued as he walked over to the other soldier. Quickly inputting the combination into the briefcase lock pad and unlocking it, the briefcase opened, revealing two dimly glowing wisdom cubes.
"Would any of you ladies like to..?" The mayor asked the Kansen.
"I'll do it! I want some more time in the spotlight! But what about you Enterprise? The media would definitely eat up seeing Sister Sara, the Grey Ghost, and Commander all together after all!" Saratoga reasoned.
"Eh….sure why not." Enterprise shrugged as she and Saratoga walked over to the briefcase and each picked up a wisdom cube.
"Here you go Mr. Devil-Eyed Prince!" Saratoga teased as she lifted the cube up to him.
"S-sara please." Shikikan chuckled embarrassingly.
"After you take these and pose for the cameras for a bit, we can all head back for some R&R at the Kansen dorm, so keep it up for just a bit longer Commander." Enterprise smiled pitifully as she too handed him the wisdom cube in her hand.
"Sounds good to me. Who knew being on camera was so tiring?" He smiled back as he reached out, grabbed the two wisdom cubes, and posed for the cameras with the girls….or so he thought was to happen.
"Wha-!?" Saratoga and Shikikan yelled in surprise.
As soon as Shikikan had touched the two cubes, said cubes began to emit a blindingly bright light.
"Wait….this light is just like back then!" Enterprise quickly realized. "Comman-!" She tried to call out to him before being forced to shield her eyes from the blinding lights.
"Wh-What's going on!?" Long Island yelled as she hid behind her sleeves.
"Stay on guard everyone! Who knows what's about to happen!" North Carolina ordered as she and everyone else materialized their riggings for the worst-case scenario.
After a few more seconds of no one being able to see anything, the lights began to finally die down. What replaced them was what no one, absolutely no one, could've expected to see.
At first they saw Shikikan down on the ground with Saratoga and Enterprise crouched down in front of him. The two were looking at where they once stood with the cubes that were now nowhere to be found.
"N-no way…." Hornet started as she and everyone else stared in shock and awe at the sight before them.
Right where the cubes were being held up a second ago stood two figures, of whom looked very, VERY familiar to the Eagle Union Kansen in specific.
"Y-Y-Yorktown?" Enterprise and Hornet called out, tears beginning to well up in their eyes.
"L-Lexington?" Saratoga asked, her voice trembling and uncharacteristically soft-spoken as she stared in disbelief
"…Enterprise?...Hornet?" The first figure with long flowing silver hair asked with trepidation in her voice.
"My….how you've all grown….especially you, Saratoga." The second figure with milky pink hair and a silky-smooth voice smiled with tears in her eyes.
"YORKTOWN!"
"LEXINGTON!"
Enterprise, Hornet, and Saratoga all yelled as they ran up to hug their thought to be long lost older sisters and cry their hearts out, releasing all of the emotions the three thought they had long since sealed away.
"H-how?" Vestal asked as she wiped her teary eyes, allowing her to continue admiring the sight for a few more seconds before noticing something, or more specifically someone, moving from the corner of her eye.
"Urgh…what happened?" Shikikan groaned as he was currently down on the ground and struggling to get back up.
"Ahh! Commander!" Vestal screeched as she and the others beside her rushed up to him.
"Hey Commander! How and what did you just do!?" A still in shock Washington asked.
"..Do what?" He groaned as he shook his head.
"Commander.." Laffey started as she patted his head and pointed over to where the trio of carriers were still crying their hearts out and hugging the two 'new' figures.
"Wait….Commander…didn't you say that you passed out right after touching the two wisdom cubes that summoned Akagi and Kaga back on that island?" Helena inquired as she knelt down to his side.
"Hold up, say what now?" Baltimore went wide-eyed before the crowd to their side erupted in chaos.
"This just in! The Devil-Eyed Prince has just somehow resurrected two previously sunk Kansen!" All the members of the media reported as the soldiers struggled to keep them and the other civilians under control as they were all frantically taking pictures and yelling.
"Yikes….as if you weren't already a hot topic of discussion." Cleveland sweat-dropped.
"Commander, can I ask you to please fill us in on…all of this?" North Carolina kindly requested as she too knelt down before him.
"I would but…." Shikikan started.
"But...?" North Carolina asked as she tilted her head.
"Is it just me, or did the world turn upside down and start to spin really fast?" Shikikan asked before his arms gave way and he completely collapsed once more onto the stage and was knocked out cold.
"Commander!" Everyone yelled.
"….Jeez." Vestal sighed after checking his vitals. "Don't worry he just passed out. That said, his head is beginning to burn up though. Here, help me carry him back to his hospital room."
"I'll do it!" Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, and South Dakota all volunteered in unison.
"…You're too much of a brute to be carrying someone, Washington." South Dakota said.
"Huh!? You're the last person I want to hear that from!" Washington growled as the two battleships began to argue.
"Um….Sis?"
"Hm? What's wrong Alabama?" South Dakota tilted her head.
"Balti and Cleve already left after agreeing to carry Shikikan back together." The battleship informed as she pointed over to where the two aforementioned cruisers were carrying Shikikan on a stretcher Vestal requested for.
"Hey! You three! Come give us a hand! We need some help pushing through this crowd!" Colorado called out.
As the three went to go help, the news of Shikikan somehow magically bringing back two previously sunk Kansen quickly spread throughout the internet. Not only would this forever change Shikikan's life, but also the state of the whole world as it was about to be turned on its head following this breaking news.
A bit of a shorter chapter, but I felt that splitting this chapter up into two flowed a lot better than the original chapter I had in mind. That said, next chapter is about 2k words in and should be out in the coming weeks after I get through my finals this upcoming week, so please stay tuned!
Thanks again everyone for your patience and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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