Chapter 17: Big News! On the Front Pages Around the World (Part 2/2)!


"If it's possible for one person to be hurt by another, then it's possible for that person to be healed by another." – Sohma Hatori, Fruits Basket


After somehow resurrecting both Yorktown and Lexington in front of millions of people worldwide, and on live TV no less, the news of Shikikan's latest achievements spread like wildfire across the globe.

{Azur Lane HQ: Fleet Admiral's Office}

"As if he wasn't already drawing enough attention…" Victoria sighed as she turned off her phone blowing up with the breaking news from earlier today.

"Miss Victoria, the emergency meeting regarding 'that' project will begin soon and will need your presence there." A nearby woman in a lab coat saluted.

"Really not looking forward to this." Victoria sighed as she tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose. "Those geezers and weirdos are definitely going to suggest some radical new research and hound me into approving it."

"Unfortunately, it can't be helped." Teitoku chimed in as he could be seen across the large office room with stacks upon stacks of papers scattered all over his fancy desk that he desperately tried to organize. "Shikikan's newly discovered ability opens countless doors that we couldn't even see before."

"I get that but still..." Victoria mumbled worryingly.

"Don't worry, I'm not that optimistic about all this either, especially what with all these requests from important figures across the world asking for Shikikan constantly crowding my desk." Teitoku sighed heavily.

"Sir, your video meeting in the main meeting hall with the world leaders will be starting soon as well."

"Ah right, thank you Alexa." He thanked his secretary as he got up and stretched before making his way to the door. "Let's do our best, Victoria."

"Yeah." She sighed as she too began to leave for her meeting. 'I wonder how Shikikan's doing right about now?'

{Hours later, with Shikikan}

"..…?" Shikikan groaned as he opened his eyes and found himself lying down on a large comfy black couch in a dimly lit and huge open common area. Looking down, he had a blanket over the suit he was apparently still wearing.

"Oh, you're up."

"Hmm?" Looking over, he spotted Alabama, South Dakota, Washington, and South Carolina all sitting around a large table playing cards.

"How are you feeling, Commander? I hope Washington's complaints didn't wake you." North Carolina smiled as the four battleships stopped playing, got up, and all walked over to him.

"I wasn't…..tsk…never mind…" Washington grumbled after having lost almost every time.

"Heh, just a bit confused is all." Shikikan scratched his head as he sat up. "Wasn't I just on a stage with everyone? And where are we?"

"You're in the main common area of the Eagle Union's NY Harbor Kansen base. Long story short, a huge crowd had burst into the hospital expecting us to make our way back there in hopes of getting more pictures of you, so we had to change course and make a break for it here since it's much more heavily secured." North Carolina informed.

"And that was about nine hours ago, Commander. It's well past midnight now." South Dakota added. "Do you not remember what happened?"

"I remember squeezing through that crowd of people, giving a speech, and getting a medal, but that's about it." Shikikan confessed as everything after that was just a blur for him.

"Wait, you really don't remember causing that huge commotion?" A surprised Washington asked.

"Commotion? Did I fall flat on my face or something?" Shikikan paled at the thought.

"Well…not exactly…" North Carolina laughed awkwardly. "But anyway, we should probably go let Vestal know you're up."

"I'll go." Alabama offered as she began to turn for the exit.

"No need, I overheard everything." Vestal announced as she appeared with two figures Shikikan could've sworn he had never met before, but for some reason, the two of them still somehow looked familiar to him.

"Oh, you're all still up?" Washington asked.

"Yes, Vestal insisted on doing a thorough checkup on the both of us, but it ended up turning into a pleasant catch-up session." The one with long pink hair giggled happily as she replied with a soft melodious voice. Looking over, she spotted Shikikan sitting up on the couch albeit with a confused expression written all over his face.

"Oh my~." The pink haired beauty started as she smiled sweetly and walked up to him. "You're finally awake Commander. We've been wanting to thank you for some time now~." She added as she glanced back over to the silver haired beauty timidly standing next to Vestal.

Catching her glance, said beauty shyly looked away, but was surprised when Vestal started to nudge her to go up.

"Um, I'm sorry, but have we met before? You two look familiar….I think?" Shikikan asked dubiously.

"It's alright if you don't remember me..." The silver haired beauty mumbled dejectedly.

"Now, now Yorky, remember what we discussed earlier." The pink haired beauty encouraged as she turned back to face Shikikan.

"Good day Commander….or should I say good night?" She giggled before taking both of his hands in her own. "I am Lexington, and as you've guessed, I'm Saratoga's older sister. A pleasure to finally meet the man who brought me back and out of that dreadful darkness."

"N-nice to meet you too, but um…" A lot was going on in Shikikan's head. For starters, a very pretty lady who he was still unsure if he had met before had her face mere centimeters away from his. She seemed to be gazing intensely into his eyes with her own pale rose quartz ones.

"My, your eyes really are wonderful~."

"Y-yours too.." Shikikan replied honestly as he couldn't seem to not stare into them.

"Mine? Well, for an idol, my eyes have to look like this, but still, thank you Commander~" She happily replied.

'Wait…idol?' Shikikan thought.

"Ah! I thought I heard people still up!" Saratoga yelled as she, Enterprise, and Hornet appeared as they walked into the large room.

"Morning sleepyhead!" Hornet grinned as she came up to Shikikan and hugged him, much to everyone's surprise.

"D-did something good happen or something, Hornet?" He asked before quickly calming down and hugging her back.

"Duh silly! You brought back my sister who I thought I had lost forever! I can't thank you enough!" She exclaimed before proceeding to squeeze the life out of him.

"Same here! Thank you so, so much Commander! Sister Sara loves you lots ~" Saratoga cheered as she jumped on his back and hugged him tightly from behind.

"H-hey! He just woke up and you two are about to put him back to sleep again!" A blushing Enterprise yelled as she pried the two wily Kansen off of him.

"Oh c'mon Enty, I know you want to too you know~" Hornet whispered teasingly into Enterprise's ear, much to her embarrassment.

"Phew….thanks Enterprise." Shikikan huffed as he was allowed to breathe again.

"D-don't mention it." Enterprise stuttered.

"Hmm…seems like you're not burning up anymore. What a relief." Vestal spoke as she now had a hand on his head and a thermometer in his mouth. "I'd like to ask you some questions, Commander, but first things first." She added before looking over to the quiet silver haired beauty standing off to the side with North Carolina and South Dakota.

Taking a deep breathe, she seemingly steeled herself as she walked up to him and spoke.

"Greetings, Commander. I am the lead ship of Yorktown class aircraft carriers, Yorktown. After learning of the situation, I understand it might not have been your intention, but still…thank you very much for bringing me back." She smiled weakly and curtsied.

"Um Vestal…" North Carolina started before informing her of how Shikikan said that everything that happened regarding the wisdom cubes was just a blur for him.

"I see…" Vestal hummed as she turned back to face Shikikan. "Alright, Commander so basically after what happened we…" She started before getting him back up to date.

A few minutes later…

"And last but not least, Vice Admiral Victoria sent us a message telling us that an emergency meeting with all of the world's leaders started a few hours ago and is still ongoing, so expect to hear from her soon, she says." Vestal informed.

"The videos of you right before you passed out have been blowing up my Juustagram all night. You're turning out to be one hell of an overnight celebrity aren't ya?" Washington smirked as she showed him her phone and scrolled through it, showing countless videos of him summoning the two Kansen with thousands of comments each and counting.

"This is more attention than I'd want in a lifetime…." Shikikan groaned as he collapsed back down on the couch. Barely five seconds later a smile creeped up on his face.

"But…seeing those videos of you all looking so happy to be reunited with Yorktown and Lexington makes it all seem so worth it." He chuckled softly as he made himself comfy on the luxuriously soft couch.

{Affinity up!}

Upon hearing this, the Eagle Union girls couldn't but feel their cheeks warm up a bit and smiles creeping on their own faces as well.

"Commander, you seem like a hapless little brother~" Lexington giggled as she sat down next to him and ruffled his hair.

"Commander, you're weird…" A flustered Yorktown mumbled as she couldn't seem to look directly at him without feeling her cheeks flare up.

"Heh." He smiled before a thought popped up in his head. "Wait, so what happens now? Just wait for orders from above or...?"

"Well, we weren't necessarily told to do anything, but it might be best to wait until the vice admiral gets back to us about what the higher ups decide, in my opinion." Enterprise suggested.

"Hmm…since it's like two in the morning, we all could use a breather, and I'm still down a ship of my own, so I think staying here until further orders might be for the best."

"Yay~! I've been dying to see what's new around here!" Saratoga cheered happily.

"Now, now, Sara. It's well past your bedtime, so off you go. You can play all you want in the morning, okay?" Lexington said, emitting her aura as the older sister.

"B-but I'm not a kid or even tired!" Saratoga whined.

"Come on Sara." Lexington replied as she grabbed her by her hand. "An idol needs proper rest to maintain a healthy image. Plus, don't you want to catch up some more with your dear sister?"

"…Guh…Okay fine, but at least let me tell you all about this new manga I'm reading! It's the story of how this young girl tried to confess to her crush, but he mistakes her for a fan of the manga he writes and then…." Saratoga continued as the two happily walked hand in hand back to their room.

"Mm…guess I should call it and get some sleep myself." Hornet stretched and yawned. "See y'all in the morning and thanks again for everything Commander!"

"M-me too. Good night everyone." Yorktown followed.

"We're on night patrol duty so we should get going soon too." South Dakota suggested to Alabama and Washington.

"M'kay." The two yawned lazily as the three of them also left for bed.

Now left in the large common area with Shikikan was Enterprise, North Carolina, and Vestal.

"You three aren't going to bed?" Shikikan asked.

"In a bit, I want to do a quick patrol around the outskirts of the city before I go to bed." Enterprise replied.

"It's starting to get chilly nowadays so make sure you button up Enty." The motherly repair ship warned.

"I'll come with since maybe that'll help tire me out faster." North Carolina offered. "But what about you, Commander? If you want, there's plenty of available guest rooms you can use for the time being."

"Nah, this couch is amazing, and I've already slept for like what, nine hours?" He chuckled. "Mind if I tag along with you two though? Getting some fresh air sounds pretty nice."

"The more the merrier, but.." North Carolina glanced over to Vestal, who in turn was looking at Shikikan.

"Are you sure you're feeling fine, Commander?" Vestal questioned.

"I think so. A lot better than before I had to go up on stage in front of all those cameras and people at least.' He admitted.

"Hmm…well since you'll be with two very reliable bodyguards, I guess it'll be fine, but promise me that if you start feeling any fatigue whatsoever, you will come back here immediately." Vestal requested.

"Will do. " Shikikan playfully saluted.

"Hehe, alright, but wait here for a minute. I'll go see if there's a spare jacket somewhere that you can use." The repair ship requested before she scurried off.

"I'll go grab mine in the meantime. Want me to grab yours too, Enty?" North Carolina offered.

"Yeah thanks. Hornet's probably still awake, so she'll let you in." Enterprise nodded.

And then there were two.

"So…." Shikikan started. "Between here and the base, which would you choose?"

"Hmm, here is pretty well guarded, but since the base is on a secured island, it leaves less ways for intruders to sneak in. But it's hard to say since I'm not nearly as familiar with the base yet as I am here." Enterprise pondered.

At this point, Shikikan couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh.

"I meant more in terms of where you personally enjoy living more, but it's nice to hear how hard working and dedicated you are."

"O-oh, sorry about that." Enterprise blushed.

Taking advantage of this rare moment, Shikikan egged her on.

"You don't have anything to apologize for Enterprise. I'm honestly glad I got to learn how adorably awkward you can be outside of battle. I can't wait to tell everyone.' He teased with a smug grin.

"C-commander!" Enterprise protested, now fully red and embarrassed beyond belief.

"Heh, just kidding." He patted her head. "I'd never do anything that mean to you, so rest assured your secret's safe with me."

"It wasn't a secret; you just weren't clear." Enterprise crossed her arms and pouted.

'Cute.' Was the only thought in his head as he couldn't help but laugh at the flustered carrier.

"It's not that funny!" Enterprise complained.

Unknown to them, they had been overheard by two figures who decided to finally make themselves known.

"Okay Commander, so I found you nice, warm coat and comfier clothes -oh my, apologies for the intrusion, but to be fair, this is a common area~" Vestal sung knowingly as she appeared with a smiling North Carolina in tow.

"…How much did you hear?" Enterprise paled.

"Not much really~." North Carolina smiled wryly as she handed Enterprise a large white coat of similar fashion to her light blue one.

"Here you go Commander. I found these still packaged inside in a spare clothes box in the storage room. There's a changing room down the hall and to the left, you can't miss it." Vestal informed as she handed him a solid black tracksuit with dark green stripes running up the top of the sleeves, down the front sides of the torso, and down the sides of pants legs in addition to the fluffy gray overcoat she found.

"Thanks Vestal." He thanked her as he took the clothes to the changing room, leaving the three girls to their own accords.

"I'm surprised to see how comfortable you seem around him." North Carolina smirked.

"H-hey! So, you two were eavesdropping!" An embarrassed beyond belief Enterprise yelled.

A few minutes later, Shikikan returned and set the suit in his hands by where he was passed out on the couch earlier.

"I'm surprised that these fit me so perfectly, Vestal."

"Hehe, but of course, Commander. I did do a full physical checkup on you not so long ago after all." She giggled. "And as my first ever human, let alone male, patient, of course I'd remember~."

"Guess I lucked out with you, huh Vestal?" He chuckled.

"Flattery won't work on me, Commander~" Vestal smiled happily as she adjusted his tracksuit for him. She then took his overcoat and offered to put it on him. "Now be careful out there, Commander. You might be with both Enty and North Carolina, but still."

"Will do, thanks mom." Shikikan joked.

"Hehe, now, now." Vestal started with an amused glint in her eyes as she straightened his coat. "Mommy worries about you so be a good boy and listen to your big sisters, okay?~"

The two looked at each for no more than a few seconds before breaking out into laughter.

As the four made their way to the front entrance, Shikikan turned around to face repair ship.

"Thanks again for everything Vestal. You should probably try to get some sleep soon though."

"Yes I definitely will soon. It's been quite a long, yet still very fun day. Good night, you three." Vestal replied as she waved and saw them off.

"Now then," Vestal started as she looked towards a pillar near the top of the staircase. how long will you be hiding behind that pillar, Yorktown?"

"…You really do know me far too well, Vestal." Yorktown smiled softly as she appeared from the pillar. She was wearing an elegant milky blue night gown as she made her way down to Vestal.

"You could've joined them on their walk if you really weren't feeling tired, you know?"

"Yeah…but well…you see…." Yorktown stumbled as she tried to make sense of her thoughts.

"You're still unsure of yourself and how to face the Commander?" Vestal guessed.

Yorktown could only shyly nod in reply.

"Oh Yorky…." Vestal smiled as she hugged the carrier. "Commander's not the type to judge us ship girls by our pasts."

"I…I know, the others have been telling me a lot of good things about him, but still…."

"It's okay Yorky." Vestal comforted. "You don't need to push yourself so hard so soon. Take your time and when you're ready, we can go and talk to Commander together."

"Thanks Vestal." Yorktown smiled as she nestled into the repair ship's loving embrace.

{Back with Shikikan}

Currently, Enterprise was walking on ahead and invested into surveying the area for anything out of the norm while North Carolina and Shikikan were walking side by side fifty steps behind her.

"I'm impressed by how well you get along with your subordinates, Commander." North Carolina admitted. "I shouldn't be surprised though, seeing how easy it is to talk with you."

"I'm not a fan of overly strict and formal environments. It's too stressful and unnatural to me." Shikikan admitted as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Really? I would think someone who could formulate and adapt battle plans well enough to achieve victory against all odds would be able to handle practically anything and everything."

"Haha nah, social situations like that are awful for me. It took everything I had to not look and sound like an idiot on that stage."

"Oh? So, you're not the perfect hero the media is portraying you as?" North Carolina teased with a wry smile.

"Nope. Far from it if we're being honest." Shikikan chuckled.

"I see. Well, that's quite a relief then."

"Hmm? Why's that?"

"Well, you see…" North Carolina said as she looked into the clear night sky with a sad smile on her face. "In terms of personality, everyone in the Eagle Union, except for me, has their own unique quirks. To be honest, I am a bit envious of them."

"How come?" Shikikan asked.

"Because no one will ever remember the background character with no lines or a personality in a story full of unique characters." She smiled somberly.

"…North Carolina, can I be honest with you?" He asked as he stopped walking to look directly at her. "I think you're being way too hard with yourself."

"Commander….are you going to say that a background character should consider their lack of a personality their actual personality?" She asked, implying how used to hearing those words she is.

But to her surprise though, instead of saying 'yes' like she had expected, Shikikan just slowly shook his head. "No, but while I do agree with that too, what I'm trying to say is that despite what you think, you will never be just a background character."

"…May I ask what makes you so sure, Commander?"

"Because you'll always be the protagonist of your own story." He smiled sincerely as the surprised blonde beauty could only stand and stare at him as he continued to speak. "I think it's better to just embrace who you are instead of trying to be something you're not because, in my honest opinion, your character is already pretty great."

{Affinity Up!}

North Carolina was speechless. Her friends have always been nice and supported her, but never before has someone's advice affected her this intensely. She felt as if her heart was threatening to break out of her chest and as if her face were on fire. She struggled to speak as she couldn't help but stare in awe at Shikikan.

"Hey, what happened, you two?" Enterprise called out as she reappeared from afar. "I look back and you two were-wait, North Carolina? What's up? Your face is all red."

At first surprised when the carrier called out to her, the blonde beauty managed to regain her composure as her usual smile, in addition to a pair of rosy cheeks, reappeared on her face.

"Oh, nothing~. Commander and I were just really tuned into our chat and ended up forgetting that we were walking. Right, Commander?" She winked.

"Um, yeah." Shikikan nodded, despite being a bit confused. "Sorry for worrying you there, Enterprise."

"Really?" Enterprise unsurprisingly seemed skeptical about that being the case. "Well, whatever, shall we get going again?"

"Actually, I think I'll head back for the night." North Carolina replied. "It's hard to explain, but something makes me think that I'm going to have a nice dream if I head to bed soon.~"

"Are you feeling okay? You seem unusually giddy." Enterprise questioned.

"Yes, better than normal to be exact~. You two can go on ahead without me. I'll be fine making my way back on my own." She giggled as she turned around towards Shikikan.

"Thank you for wonderful chat, Commander. It's given me a lot to think about." She smiled happily.

"You too, it was a lot of fun. Be careful on your way back okay?"

"I think you might be forgetting about me being a Kansen, Commander."

"Heh, oh right." He closed his eyes and chuckled, only to be surprised with the sensation of someone giving him a warm embrace.

"I'm really glad I went out on this walk tonight, Commander. I hope you look forward to seeing my new character development." North Carolina whispered before letting him go and walking back.

"Good night, you two! Try to not be out too long, lest you want to be scolded by Vestal." The happy blonde waved before she disappeared into the night.

'Glad, I could help.' Shikikan chuckled to himself.

"…Since when did you two start getting along so well?"

Turning around, he saw Enterprise with a rare expression on her face.

Unknown to him, said expression contained not only surprise and wonder, but also small specks of, perhaps, jealousy?

"I'm not sure to be honest, but I'm glad we are getting along."

"Oh…, I see." Enterprise dead-panned before walking on ahead. "Let's hurry and finish this patrol."

'….Did I do something wrong?' Shikikan wondered as he hurried along to catch up with her.

As the two walked in silence for the next ten minutes, Shikikan was able to get a glimpse of the city of NY Harbor in the distance still glowing ever so brightly in the dark night.

"I wonder what the city life is like over there…" Shikikan thought aloud.

"It's lots of things, especially on the weekends. Regardless of the time of day ,weather, or even state of the world, NY Harbor stands strong as the city that never sleeps.." Enterprise informed as she unknowingly slowed down her pace for Shikikan to finally close the two-meter gap between them as they were walking earlier.

"Sounds fun. Want to come with me tomorrow and check things out? Maybe something new even to you popped up and might seem worth checking out."

"Me?" Enterprise asked in surprise.

"Yep, from what you said earlier, you'd make a really great tour guide in my opinion." Shikikan replied before a smirk grew on his face. "But don't feel like you have to or anything though. I have a pretty good idea of how adorably awkward you'd be outside of work, so I just thought it be fun to see it in person and maybe even vlog it so the whole world can see the real you."

"Commander, why does it feel like you enjoy making fun of me every chance you get?" Enterprise pouted.

"Heh, sorry, sorry." He chuckled. "It's hard to explain, but I just feel really comfortable whenever I'm around you. Like I don't have to worry about anything and can just be myself with you. "

Upon hearing this, Enterprise's face turned crimson red and felt as warm as a campfire on a wintery night. Despite having charged through fire and flames countless times, she was unsure of this new type of heat that she's been feeling more and more of as of late. It felt so strange, and yet oddly enough, so comforting to her.

"You feeling alright Enterprise? Your face is all red." The ever so oblivious Shikikan asked.

"I-I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that type of reasoning." She stuttered before somehow managing to calm her fast-beating heart and smile. "But still, I'm glad you feel the same, Commander. It's not often do I get to interact with humans, let alone ones as strange as you, so I'm really glad we're able to get along this well."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as more of a compliment or an insult." He admitted before the two started laughing happily as they continued on their 'patrol'.

After walking and chatting for another half hour or so, the two ended up on the rounded edge of a pier overlooking the calm waters around the brightly lit city.

"What a nice view." Shikikan commented.

"It really is. I'm really relieved that everyone in the city can be happily about despite the Siren assault barely being over a week ago." Enterprise replied as she looked up at the night sky and then at the dark calm sea, a melancholic expression forming on her face as she stared off into the sea. "All the lights in the sky are stars, just as all the lights on the seas are enemies... Commander, will there be a day where there's no more fighting?"

Taking a minute to think, Shikikan turned his attention away from the city to first gaze upon the few stars in the night sky, then at the seemingly endless ocean, and then finally on Enterprise.

"I honestly don't know." Shikikan admitted. "The odds seem hopelessly stacked against us and we aren't exactly working on a fully unified front."

Her mood seemed to have plummeted a bit more upon hearing this, but before she could reply, Shikikan continued.

"But if there's one thing I do know for sure, Enterprise, it's that it's almost as if we're in a long-distance race right now."

"Huh? How so?" She questioned with a perplexed look on her face.

"Question: In a race, who wins?"

At first confused by the weird question, Enterprise still gave her answer.

"Wouldn't that be the one who's the fastest?"

"That might be true, but that's not the answer I had in mind." He replied as he leaned over the railing and gazed back out towards the sea. "If someone had asked me this question, I would've replied with 'the one that participates'."

"Well wouldn't that just be obvious? You're not just trying to mock me again are you?" She frowned.

"As much as I'd like to, I'm not." He joked before looking back at her with a serious look on his face. "I say this because the ones not participating and the ones who give up halfway through in the race are all guaranteed to lose. Same goes for our war with the Sirens. We can't afford to falter when we're this far behind, Enterprise. It you want to make this dream of yours come true, you need to have the will to see it through to the bitter end, otherwise, much like in a race, you'll definitely lose."

Enterprise stood still as she processed this new way of thinking. After a few seconds, a satisfied smile formed on her face. "Looks like I was wrong about you being strange, Commander. You're more of a wise weirdo if anything."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment. I'm honestly just glad to see that cute smile of yours again." He chuckled as he moved a bit closer to gently pat her head.

"G-geez, Commander." Enterprise blushed as she looked away for a bit.

"Thanks for putting up with my 'weird' self, Enty." He smiled.

Hearing him call her by her nickname, her face began to contort into a happy, bashful smile. Rather than feeling annoyed, she, strangely enough, felt rather comfortable with him in arm's reach.

After silently brewing for about another minute, the silver haired beauty decided to stop thinking and hesitating. Turning back to face Shikikan, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder, much to his surprise.

Before he could ask what brought this all on, Enterprise spoke.

"Commander, even though we've only known each other for a short time, I too think that I feel more comfortable when I'm with you. It's strange really, how you think of us as people and treat us so well and all. The things you said to South Dakota during that battle were weird too, but even I could tell that those were just your honest feelings."

"…Wait you overheard that?" Shikikan blushed.

"We all did, and to be honest, we were all pretty happy to hear that." She replied as she tightened her embrace. "You've done so much for us and even somehow brought back Yorktown, someone I held dearly and thought I had lost forever. I really can't thank you enough, Commander."

Moved by her bold sincerity, Shikikan's arms moved upwards and wrapped around the beauty, holding her close enough to feel her warmth and notice the lilac fragrance seemingly emanating from her persona.

"You don't have to thank me for any of that Enterprise, I'm just happy seeing you and everyone else happy."

"That sounds like something you would say." Enterprise surprisingly giggled. "Still though, why is that?"

"Because you girls are risking your lives out there every day, it's the least I can do, but also because you girls are cuter when you're happy."

"Heh, you should have kept your ulterior motives to yourself, Commander. You would've looked cooler that way." Enterprise laughed with rosy cheeks.

"Like I said, it's really nice not having to worry about having a filter on when I'm with you." He joked. "That said, I hope you know that you are always free to talk to me about anything or even nothing at all, Enty"

Enterprise seemed to approve of that as she snuggled into the crest of his neck. "I'd like that Commander, but for now, we should probably hurry on back before Vestal worries."

"Yeah, that probably be for the best." Shikikan replied, releasing Enterprise from his embrace.

'I say that, but I'd rather stay like this for longer though…' Enterprise sighed in her mind. "Commander, could I ask you to….um…keep all of this a secret? Especially from Hornet?"

"Hmm….I'll think about it."

"Commander!"

"Just kidding." Shikikan laughed at the carrier's dismay before the two began their trek back to the Eagle Union Kansen base.

Half an hour went by in the blink of an eye as the two chatted away as they made their way back to the front doors of the base.

"Thanks for letting me join you and North Carolina on your patrol, Enterprise. You heading to bed now?"

"Yeah, Vestal won't let me hear the end of it if I don't." She replied as the two entered the large building. "What about you, Commander? Calling it a night too?"

"Not sure, I slept for a whole night's worth earlier so I'm still wide awake. I'll probably hang out in the common area and decide what to do from there."

"Alright, but don't stay up too late, Commander." She warned before making her way upstairs. Before she turned the corner to her room she looked back down at him and smiled happily. "Good night, and thanks again for well….everything."

"Anytime Enterprise. Good night." He waved her good night before heading back to the nice comfy couch in the common area.

Looking around, the place seemed even bigger than before now that it was past 2:00 AM and everyone was fast asleep.

'Guess I'll watch some TV until I go to sleep.' He thought as he plopped down onto the couch and grabbed the remote. Flipping through the channels, he found one channel about to marathon a story of a teenage NEET being sent into a fantasy-like world and his hilarious adventures there with his dysfunctional party comprised of him and three very peculiar girls.

After three episodes, Shikikan was absolutely hooked and tried his best not to laugh too loud and wake everyone up.

"Hmm? Oh Commander, you're still up?"

Looking over, he noticed both Long Island and Laffey walking towards him. The two were wearing oversized t-shirts as pajamas and seemed to have not slept yet as they were swaying in their footsteps.

"I could ask the same to you two." He chuckled. "Gaming marathon?"

"Yep! Nothing's going to stop me from enjoying my days off!" Long Island declared.

"Commander, are you feeling better?" Laffey asked as she poked his forehead.

"Yeah, I apparently slept for the rest of the day so now I'm wide awake and watching some TV. It's honestly a really nice change of pace." Shikikan replied as he stretched his arms nonchalantly.

"Oh. Laffey knows this one. It's really funny." The bunny girl acknowledged as she plopped down next to Shikikan on the couch.

"Well, I was gonna go play some more and then sleep until the afternoon but… count me in!" The light carrier cheered as she also made herself comfy on the large couch and whipped out her phone. "Hey Commander, do you wanna team up for that new boss event?"

"Sure but give me a minute. I want to buy that evening gown skin for that one unit you still don't have." Shikikan smugly replied.

"The rate up was a lie and you know it!" The salty carrier complained.

"Commander, join Laffey's guild…" The destroyer joined in.

Now a trio of night-owls, the three of them went into the night binge watching and playing on their phones until they all felt the accursedly bright lights of the rising sun shining into the common area's windows.

"Urgh, morning already?" Long Island lazily yawned before she and Shikikan heard Laffey's stomach growl viciously.

"Hungry." The bunny girl noted. "Do we have any food still, Long Island?"

"Yeah, but nothing easy and quick to make though."

Upon hearing this, she turned to face Shikikan.

"Laffey isn't craving Commander's cooking. Nope not at all….probably." She called out with puppy eyes.

"Well how could I say no to a face like that?" He laughed as he playfully ruffled the adorable destroyer's hair before making his way over to the nearby and huge open kitchen. "I'll be borrowing the kitchen for a little bit."

"Wait….does this mean I can finally get to try the cooking everyone else back on that base rave about nonstop!?" Long Island's asked as her tired eyes quickly began to sparkle with excitement and her stomach beginning to growl as well.

"Either of you craving anything?" He asked as he inspected the contents inside the massive fridge.

The two looked at each other before replying in unison. "Sugar!"

"Hmm…this kitchen is pretty well stocked. Alright let's go with that." Shikikan thought aloud before making his decision and rolling up his sleeves.

[Three hours later}

"Hmm?" A sleepy blonde tomboy murmured as a fragrantly sweet scent snuck into the room of four light cruisers.

"Wait a minute…" Cleveland's eyes shot wide opened when she put two and two together.

"Hey knights! Wake up!"

"H-huh? Are we under attack!?" Montpelier yelled as she flung herself out of bed and summoned her rigging.

"N-no, that's my bad, but can't you all tell what that smell is?" Cleveland asked excitedly.

"Sniff, sniff…Wait is that…!" Denver started with stars in her eyes.

"Pancakes!" Columbia shouted before dashing out the door in her pajamas. "Race y'all there!"

As the four cruisers rushed down the stairs and towards the common area's kitchen, they were greeted by the sight of Shikikan and a whole squadron of Manjuus working like clockwork.

"It's so good!" Long Island cheered as she dug her spoon into what seemed to be some sort of fluffy dough that jiggled with even the slightest of movements.

Looking over, the four noticed that they were seemingly the last ones to arrive to this morning occasion.

"So, you all really weren't just talking him up!" Maryland could be heard laughing as she took another plate of the fluffy looking delicacy.

"Told ya!" Hornet hummed triumphantly before looking over to see the four cruisers standing in surprised confusion. "Oh hey, about time you four woke up! Hurry and grab a plate before Commander runs out of ingredients!"

"W-what is all this?" Montpelier stuttered.

"Can't you tell, Monty?" Saratoga called out. "It's a breakfast made by Commander!"

"You have strawberry sauce on your lips, Sara. Here." Lexington giggled as she took a cloth and wiped the petite carrier's mouth.

"Are those really pancakes?" Columbia asked in awe. "They look like clouds baked until golden- brown!"

"Yep, well, my take on it at least. Morning you four." Shikikan greeted. "I think I'll call them souffle pancakes. Care for some?"

"Yeah!" Cleveland, Columbia, and Denver cheered.

"Well, if Big Sis is having some…" Montpelier blushed as her stomach grumbled.

Skillfully flipping four of the golden-brown clouds off the griddle and onto four plates, he brought them over to the wide kitchen island filled with a wide array of fruits and spreads.

"Any idea what you want for toppings?" He asked.

"Strawberries and blueberries!"

"Apple-cinnamon!"

"Choco-banana!"

"Lemon-orange zest."

Filling in the four orders, he added some finishing touches by dusting some powdered sugar and drizzling warm syrup over all four pancakes before sliding them over to the eagerly awaiting cruisers.

"Thanks Commander!" Cleveland grinned happily.

"It looks so good!" Columbia drooled.

"I finally get to try that cooking Cleve and everyone else has been praising nonstop!" Denver grinned. "Right Monty?...Monty?"

Looking over, the cruiser in question had apparently dug right in and had a blissful expression on her face as she savored the first bite of her citrusy pancake. To her, the sweet-tart taste of the orange zest and the overall sweetness from the powdered sugar and maple honey syrup blend did not completely nullify the sourness of the lemon zest, but actually gave it a layer of complexity through the slightest hints of the yellow fruit being present on her plate. When she opened her eyes once more, her three sisters were all looking at her with the smuggest of grins.

"Wow Monty, that's a rare face you got there." Columbia teased before taking a bite of her own. "Mmhm! So good!"

"I-it's not what it looks like! I-I'm just still not awake and fell asleep standing for a second!" Montpelier panicked.

"Oh? So that must mean you won't mind if I take all of your pancakes then right?" Denver asked as she brought a fork over to Monty's plate.

Before the fork could even move another nanometer, Montpelier swiftly took her plate away and took another bite.

"You have your own, Denver." Montpelier said before looking over to face Shikikan with the faintest of blushes. "Thanks for making breakfast and sorry for saying what I said when we first met….Commander."

"Heh, don't mention it Montpelier."

"….You can just call me Monty."

"Thanks, Monty." Shikikan chuckled.

"Hmph." Montpelier huffed as she left with her plate in hand.

Shikikan couldn't help but smile. "Your sisters are adorable, Cleve."

"I know right?" Cleveland grinned.

"Um…we're still here you know?" Columbia called out as she and Denver blushed at their praise.

"Oh? So, you're not going to deny it?" St. Louis teased as she, Helena, and Honolulu appeared with empty plates.

Now both embarrassed, the two rushed off to wherever Montpelier went off to.

"Oh, would you look at that…um…..the weather looks great to eat these tasty pancakes outside! Race ya there Columbia!" Denver fled.

"H-hey wait up!" Denver cried. "Thanks again for the food, Commander!"

"Glad to see you're up and about, Commander. But to think I'd wake up to such a delicacy is quite nice. Could I trouble you for another?" St. Louis requested.

"M-me too…please. They are….really good." Honolulu mumbled with cheeks as red as her hair.

"Sure thing, we definitely still have plenty to go around." Shikikan happily replied. "How about you, Helena?"

"Yes please, but um….if it's not too much trouble, could I ask you to show me how to make one?" The bluenette shyly asked.

"Hmm…I don't know…" Shikikan pretended to be deep in thought at Helena's expense. "Just kidding. I could never say no to such a cute face."

"D-don't tease me like that Commander!" Helena pouted before the two shared a laugh and walked back over to the griddle.

"Hehe, not bad Helena~." St. Louis giggled.

'Shoot, I missed my chance. I gotta be more on point next time!' Cleveland thought.

"You alright there, Cleve?"

"H-eek?" The tomboy jumped.

"Whoops. My bad. Didn't mean to startle you, but you just seemed so lost in thought for a second there."

"Nah, I was. But what's up Balti?" Cleveland asked.

"Nothing much. I was texting Bremerton and she and everyone else at the Canal Stronghold got super jealous about not being here to try out these awesome fluffy pancakes. So now she and Reno are asking me to ask Commander to hurry and make a Juustagram and accept their friend requests." Baltimore chuckled.

"Seems like you'll have to wait until later for that, Balti." Hornet appeared with Enterprise and Yorktown in tow. "Unless you're brave enough to interrupt them that is."

Looking over, Helena seemed to be really focused and happy as she was whisking the pancake mix under Shikikan's tutelage.

"Speaking of interrupting…" St. Louis called out as she looked over to Enterprise with a mischievous look. "I saw you and Commander coming back late last night. Did you two have fun~?"

"I-it was just a patrol and nothing more!" Enterprise blushed heavily.

"Oh my, I was just asking if it was fun, not about anything that happened during it~. But judging from your answer just now…" The sultry bluenette teased.

"…It was nice." Enterprise admitted almost inaudibly.

"I'm just joking with you Enterprise." St. Louis giggled. "I'm just a bit jealous is all."

"B-but nothing….never mind." Enterprise sighed as everyone began to laugh to her dismay.

"Heyy! We're back and it smells amazing! What's cooking!?" Washington yelled as she and the rest of the night patrol could be heard entering the base.

"Oh right, we also brought company" Alabama yawned.

"Company?" Shikikan asked aloud as he turned to where the voices were coming from.

"Oh right, you were still unconscious." Colorado started. "In short, the others who were stationed here during that attack have finally come back from their long-distance escort missions."

'Seriously? Just how much did I miss in those nine hours?' He thought.

Looking back towards the entrance, the first figure made her way inside.

"Wow, it smells wonderful in here!" A girl with short pale blonde hair commented. "Yorktown! Lexington! You two really are back!"

"My, I'm glad to see you too, Bataan." Lexington giggled as she and Yorktown were pulled into a group hug.

"Don't forget about us now!"

"Oh Biloxi! Birmingham!" Cleveland called out in surprise.

"Long time no see Cleveland." Biloxi replied before briefly hugging her sister ship.

"Feels like I haven't seen either of you in forever!" Cleveland grinned. "How ya been?"

"Busy as ever, especially since that attack." Birmingham reported as she wiggled out of Cleveland's embrace and looked over to where Shikikan was. "Is that him?"

"Him? Oh, the Commander? Yeah." Columbia replied as she, Denver, and Monty made their way over to them.

"Seems like he's got his hands full over there." Biloxi chuckled.

Currently, Shikikan was teaching Helena as she helped him quickly dish out plate after plate of pancakes for the hungry Alabama and Washington impatiently waiting to try out his latest creation.

"Everyone's looks good and I can't decide, so I'll just take one of everything, Commander." Alabama requested.

"Then I'll take two of everything!" Washington added, ever so the competitive one.

"I hope you're ready to learn on the job, Helena." Shikikan sweat-dropped.

"Hehe, leave it to me Commander." She giggled sweetly.

"You two should probably hurry and get some too before those two eat up all of Shikikan's stock." Denver laughed.

"Heh, I'm intrigued to see what the hype of his cooking's all about, but…" Biloxi replied as looked over to the entrance way where more figures were popping in.

"Hmm? I had assumed that it was Vestal who was cooking, but I guess I thought wrong."

"Wait, so if not her, then who…?"

"Oh Brooklyn! Memphis!" Hornet greeted the tanned and pink haired cruisers with a bear hug.

"Nice to see you too, Hornet, but could you let me go? You're crushing me." Brooklyn greeted with a pained smile.

"C-can't breathe…" Memphis coughed.

"Whoops! Sorry, sorry!" Hornet laughed awkwardly. "You all finally done with the escort stuff?"

"Hardly. There's still much to be done, especially after the decisions made during that urgent world meeting last night." Brooklyn sighed.

"I'm surprised a decision was even made." Enterprise admitted. "Are you at liberty to give us the details?"

"Technically yes, but I think it be best if you've heard it from….wait….Memphis…where'd she go?" Brooklyn asked.

"….I thought it was your turn?" Memphis went pale.

"Ugh…okay, she can't have gone too far." Brooklyn started.

"Holy crap! This is the best thing I've eaten in weeks!" A loud voice exclaimed from where Shikikan was.

Looking over, a well-endowed and gorgeous woman with long ruby red hair and ocean blue eyes dressed in black and white business attire was happily munching on one of Shikikan's souffle pancakes.

"Glad to hear, but um…may I ask….who are you?" He questioned.

"Who do you mean Com…." Helena started as she and everyone else turned around to face who Shikikan was referring to before they all went wide-eyed and pale.

"Oh, right we haven't officially met yet. My name's Rosalia Lynx and I'm the President of the Eagle Union. Nice to finally meet you in person, handsome~." She winked flirtatiously.

"Nice to meet you to-wait say what now?" He asked dumbfoundedly.

"MADAME PRESIDENT!?" Everyone exclaimed in shock.

"W-wait Colorado! I thought you said it was just the escort ships coming back here?" West Virginia questioned.

"T-that's what it said on the report!" Colorado replied.

"Come now girls, the best things in life happen unexpectedly!" Rosalia laughed as she casually walked over to San Diego and brought her into a very passionate hug. "How I missed you all!"

"Ack….my pancakes...!" A muffled San Diego tried to say as she was being pressed deeply into the woman's large assets.

"Madame President, please calm d—ooph!" Brooklyn tried before it became her turn to be suffocated.

"Let me have this moment, Brooklyn! I had to pull so many all-nighters thanks to that Siren attack here!"

'If I remember right, Victoria said that the Eagle Union votes for their leader and the one who gets the most votes is named 'President'. So that must mean that this person glomping the girls right here is the most powerful person in all of the Eagle Union!?' Shikikan yelled in his mind as he looked on in shock.

"You seem surprised, Commander. Not that anyone can blame you though…" Saratoga sweat dropped.

"And don't think I forgot about the one who miraculously saved my hometown and swiftly became the center of attention around the world!" Rosalia cheered as she walked over to him and pulled him into a deep hug as well.

"Mmph!" His voice was muffled as his head was pulled into her generous valley.

"On top of having such a cute face, to think you could cook this well too! Say, why don't you transfer over to my personal Eagle Union task force? I promise the benefits to working directly under me will be well worth your while~" She sung seductively as she blew into his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"NO!" Laffey, Helena, Cleveland, Eldridge, and even Enterprise all yelled, surprising not just everyone, but themselves as well.

"W-with all due respect Madame President, Commander's abilities to successfully lead us to victory would be far too great of a loss for us in this war against the Sirens if you were to take him in for your own task force." Enterprise argued.

"Y-yeah! If it weren't for him, NY Harbor would be at the bottom of the sea!" Cleveland jumped in as everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Please don't take Commander away…" Laffey and Eldridge begged as they both clung to the woman's sides.

"Pftt—ahaha!." Rosalia laughed. "Calm down girls, I was just kidding….kinda~. The other world leaders and Azur Lane would have my head before I can even get the transfer paperwork started."

"Phew…" Helena sighed in relief.

"So now that that's out of the way," Baltimore started, "What brings you here so early in the morning, Madame Prez?"

"What? I can't just drop in and say hello every now and then?" The childish beauty pouted before smiling jovially once more.

"That and I wanted to see for myself how all of you were doing after that battle and other 'events' so to speak." She added after taking a quick glance back over to Lexington and Yorktown and then back at Shikikan.

"Commander, would you be willing to come with me for a serious chat?" Rosalia requested with a surprisingly serious expression on her face. "I have some questions I want to ask and some information in regard to the decisions made from that world leaders meeting last night that affect you specifically that you might want to know."

'World leaders meeting?' Shikikan thought before chalking it up for another thing he probably missed out on while he was out cold.

"Um, yeah sure. Lead the way."

"Thanks Commander." She smiled kindly. "I promise I won't take too much of your time. I just need clarification on some things. Brooklyn, Memphis, Vestal, Enterprise, South Dakota, Yorktown, and Lexington, I'll need you seven to come with too. The rest of you can take it easy, and if you can, leave another one of those pancakes for me!"

"Yes ma'am." They all saluted.

"Right this way, Commander…Sir." Brooklyn requested.

"Thank you, Brooklyn right? And you can just call me Commander, 'sir' is too stiff for me." He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Oh, and Helena! If you need any help or get tired, leave it to the Manjuus! They saw me make a whole bunch and learned quick enough to help me prep more batches!"

"Will do Commander!" Helena replied as she poured the bowl of batter in her hands onto the griddle.

Smiling contently, the tanned beauty nodded her head before continuing to lead the way for everyone.

With the seven of them now out of the kitchen, the ones staying behind began to wonder what happened.

"Do you know anything Biloxi?" Hornet questioned.

"Kinda, but I'm not at liberty to say as of yet. Sorry about that."

"Nah, don't worry about it. If it's important, I'm sure we'll know sometime later too. But for now, come sit down and try one of these fluffy clouds!" Hornet cheered as she pulled up a chair for the cruiser.

"Heh, don't mind if I do then." Biloxi chuckled as she helped herself to one with mixed berries and honey. "I'm speechless. To think that man who has taken the world by storm had this side to him."

"I thought he'd be strict and scary after seeing those videos of him fighting, but he seems like a pretty nice guy!" Bataan added as she too grabbed a plate for herself.

"Laffey likes Commander. He lets me sleep on his lap and always gives me head pats whenever I try my best."

"Eldridge too."

'Ho? Maybe I should try to talk with him too then.' Biloxi wondered as she happily took another bite. "Aren't you going to have some too, Birmingham?"

"Sure, I guess." The little cruiser replied as she made her way over and grabbed a plate too.

[With Shikikan]

"Hey South Dakota, any idea what she wants to talk about?" Shikikan whispered.

Currently at the back of the group with said battleship, they were all making their way down a narrow hallway with a large ornate door at the end.

"Can't say for sure to be honest. As you can tell, our leader is….strange, but means well. Plus, her charismatic, political prowess and intuition are second to none."

"I see." Shikikan thought.

Pushing open the large double doors, the group walked into a huge meeting room with a massive round table at the very center of the room. That said, instead of going to sit at the table, Rosalia and Brooklyn led the group through to a room in the back that served as the break room. Said room was smaller in comparison to the previous one, but there was still more than enough room to fit the large group comfortably and some.

Taking a seat at the center of one of the two large couches in the center, Rosalia spoke.

"Have a seat Commander. From what Vivi has told me, I'm sure you'd prefer this breakroom with one hell of a view of the harbor to that overly serious meeting room back there." The leader of the Eagle Union laughed. "You girls are free to sit too, so come and pull up a chair!"

"Vivi?" Shikikan questioned.

"Oh right." She laughed. "I meant Vice Admiral Victoria. She and I were classmates back in high school and have been besties ever since."

'Huh, you learn something new every day.' Shikikan thought as he sat down on the very comfy couch.

Now all settled in, Commander was sitting comfortably between Enterprise and South Dakota with Rosalia and Brooklyn sitting across from them and Vestal, Yorktown, and Lexington sitting in chairs on the side.

"Alright Commander, so where do I even begin?" Rosalia wondered as she tapped her chin before quickly coming up with an answer to her own question. "Oh, I know! How'd you bring back two of the Eagle Union's thought to be sunk carrier flagships?"

'Yeah, that's to be expected. If she's friends with Victoria, then I think I don't have to be so reserved answering.' Shikikan thought before answering. "Honestly, I have no idea, at first I'm on stage in front of millions of eyes and next thing I know, I'm flat on my back in this base's common area."

Continuing on, he informed her of how he apparently also summoned Akagi and Kaga before he passed out back then too.

"Huh, I guess Victoria wasn't just holding secrets and actually meant it when she too had no idea how you did it." Rosalia paused for a second. "Well…until just recently I mean."

Not following, Shikikan could only tilt his head in absolute confusion.

"Do you remember Dr. Sen?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Well during your time at the world class doctor's clinic, he had to run some medical tests on you in order to properly treat you while you were still unconscious. Things like blood tests, biopsies, et cetera et cetera."

"I think I remember him talking to me about having to do them, but I was still in a bad state to process anything he said to me at the time. Most I can remember is him asking me and Victoria for permission to further examine some samples of mine or something. Sorry." Shikikan admitted.

"Don't worry, Commander, no one in their right mind could blame you for that." Brooklyn affirmed as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Agreed, plus medical stuff can boggle anyone's mind, so don't worry!" Rosalia cheered. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Turns out, right after you had left, he and his team have been hard at work examining your apparently never-before-seen samples and just recently made a breakthrough discovery. Before I tell you what exactly, though, I just want to make sure you want to know because….well….let's just say it might not be something you want to hear."

'I don't like the sounds of that, but it's probably for the best to not be in dark, especially when it's about me myself.' Shikikan reasoned. "Thanks for the consideration, Madame President, but I think I'm ready to hear this."

"I'm glad to hear that, but Commander, going forward, I won't accept anything more formal than 'Rosalia' when we are speaking in private like this, okay?" She winked before looking over to Memphis and giving her a nod.

"Right away!" The pink haired cruiser replied as she closed the shades and pressed a button that brought down a large TV from the ceiling. Once turned on, Shikikan was surprised to see Dr. Sen, Victoria, and Teitoku all on different panels on the screen.

"Long time, no see laddy. You've made quite a name for yourself since we found you floating on that broken log out in the middle of the ocean."

"Heh, nice to see you too Doc." Shikikan nodded respectfully.

"Thanks for coming everyone." Rosalia greeted. "Commander has given us his consent to continue so if you would please."

"I see, alright, I guess I'll start then." The good doctor coughed as he cleared his voice and spoke.

"After thoroughly examining and testing your samples and going over the test results from when you were here, my team and I have come to a conclusion about you." He informed as he looked straight into the camera and at Shikikan.

"Lad, your body has what appears to be some form of alien nanoparticles that have been completely integrated into your entire being. In other words, it's accurate to say that you're no longer entirely a normal human being."

Time seemed to have been frozen solid around as the ship girls went shockingly wide-eyed. He himself was seemingly unfazed and just wished that if he could've been wrong about anything, why couldn't this have been it?

"Figures…" He heavily sighed as he slouched back into the couch.

"Commander…." The ship girls were at a loss for words as they felt their hearts crack at the sight of the visibly in pain Shikikan.

"Ow! Nurse!?" Dr. Sen yelled in pain.

Looking over, Nurse Jenny had appeared behind the doctor and apparently had whacked him on the back of the head with her clipboard.

"Did you really have to lay it on that thick, Doc!?" She roared. "I already knew this, but even then it's still a lot to take in!"

"Doctor…" Victoria and Rosalia spoke lowly with annoyed anger in their voices as Dr. Sen began to regret his lack of sleep clouding his morals and good judgement.

"M-my apologies lad-Commander. I should've been more sympathetic with my choice of words." He tried to console him.

"….It's fine, Doc." Shikikan sighed once more. "I had a hunch when everyone kept talking about my apparently abnormal recovery speed and from the..."

Shikikan paused as he winced from remembering the past.

"…..flashbacks to their nonstop experiments that occasionally come rushing back…"

Everyone in the room all had very worried looks on their faces, but their voices betrayed them as they all were at a loss for words.

Taking a deep breathe, Shikikan managed to look back up at everyone and smiled somberly. "So, what now? Am I going to be detained, questioned, and tested on for being part alien?"

"NO!"

A voice yelled as the door burst open and from it appeared a frantic Laffey. Spotting Shikikan, she rushed over to him and hugged him tightly from behind the couch.

"Laffey?" He questioned.

"Don't take Commander away!" She surprisingly cried out.

"S-sorry Madame President, I didn't expect her to burst right on in." Helena apologized as she and everyone else appeared in the doorway, who all were apparently eavesdropping in on Shikikan's conversation.

"Hey Laffey, you can't just…" South Dakota started.

"Commander is a good person! You can't take him away because he's not all human!" The usually quiet and lazy bunny girl shouted.

"…Ma'am, is what Commander assumed accurate?" Enterprise asked as she unconsciously scooted closer towards Shikikan.

"Of course not! You all can't just jump to conclusions like that without hearing the full story!" Rosalia defended before she looked back at Dr. Sen with a threatening smile. "Dr. Sen, could you please put out the fire you caused NOW?"

"Y-yes Ma'am." The doctor gulped. "Commander, you can rest easy knowing that you will never be forced to go through anything like that ever again. Once more, I deeply apologize for causing such hysteria." He bowed his head apologetically.

"I-it's fine, I'm also at fault for saying something like that." Shikikan too bowed his head.

"Seriously, what kind of country do you think the Eagle Union is, Commander? Detaining the man who helped saved one of our beloved cities and millions of lives…." Memphis sighed. "To think that handsome devil who took over the entire Internet had such crude humor, what kind of cruel joke is this?"

"…Um Memphis? I think your inner thoughts are leaking out." Lexington sweat dropped.

"…Anyway! Can we please get back to the top at hand?" The cruiser heavily blushed.

"You can curl up into a ball later, Memphis, but for now, help get Laffey off of Commander so we can continue the negotiations." Brooklyn requested before turning towards the others. "You girls don't have to worry about Commander. I can assure you that no harm will come to him and that this is simply just a diplomatic discussion between the Eagle Union, Azur Lane, and Commander himself regarding the next steps forward."

"Thanks, Laffey, your hugs always make me feel better." Commander head patted the destroyer. "I'm fine now so you can go back and play your games while I do some adult stuff for a bit, okay?"

"…Okay, if you say so." Laffey nuzzled against his cheeks adorably before letting him go.

"So, were all of you girls curious as to what we were going to talk about, or did you all devour the rest of the pancakes already?" Vestal asked.

The eavesdropping Kansen shyly looked away, none willing to answer.

"Hehe, either way, if you girls wanna stay, pull up a chair, otherwise, I'm really going to need the others to step out so we can continue, okay?" Rosalia requested.

All nodding their heads, the large group save for Baltimore, North Carolina, Washington, and Biloxi left while the aforementioned four pulled up chairs and sat across from where Vestal, Yorktown, and Lexington sat.

"Alright, so now where were we?" Rosalia started.

"Ahem, if I may." Dr. Sen announced. "Commander, while you may have nonhuman elements in you, it is inaccurate to refer to yourself as an alien. From an overall standpoint, you're still mostly human, about 70% to be exact, so please don't fret. That said, if we were to try and label you, the most accurate classification would be 'bioengineered superhuman', and definitely not 'alien'."

'70% and bioengineered huh?' Shikikan thought.

"You couldn't have just said that from the beginning, huh?" Victoria, Rosalia, and Nurse Jenny sighed.

"Are you okay to continue, Commander? We can take a break and come back to this later if you would like." Brooklyn offered.

"I'm fine. It's not like this was something I wasn't already suspecting. But just to be sure, knowing I'm actually abnormal now, are the rest of you girls still willing to work with me?" He questioned as he looked around towards the present Kansen.

"That goes without saying, Commander." Enterprise affirmed with a hand to her heart.

"She's right. If anything, it just means you're kinda more like us! Minus the rigging…and I'm sure I'd still win against you in a fight every time." Washington laughed.

"Well said girls. And of course, we all of Azur Lane still think of you as the hero of NY Harbor, and nothing less." Teitoku added as the others nodded in agreement.

"Thank you everyone…really." Shikikan chuckled to himself as he felt a bit better knowing that the girls don't think any less of him now that they know of his abnormality. "Alright what say we get back to the topic at hand?"

"Agreed. Moving on, there was a meeting last night between all of the world's leaders and how we should step forward, with you being the main point of discussion, of course." Victoria addressed.

"From that meeting, Commander, we all agreed that you are a VVVIP and are key to taking back our world from the Sirens." Rosalia continued. "Brooklyn, if you will."

"Right away Ma'am." Brooklyn stepped forward with the file folder in her hands and handed the folder over to Shikikan.

"Commander, many ideas were presented during this meeting and all were discussed with the world's best interest in mind while of course, taking your rights as a human being into consideration as well. After countless hours of rather rowdy debating, the world leaders managed to all agree upon the plan in this folder here."

Taking a look into the folder and examining its contents, Shikikan felt Enterprise and South Dakota looking over his shoulders curiously as he deciphered what was being presented in the documents.

"The Priority Research Kansen Development Plan?" Shikikan asked.

Looking closer, the documents stated that with Commander's consent, the top military researchers across the world would come together to work in collaboration with him and Azur Lane on developing new Kansen specialized for anti-Siren warfare especially. The plan mentioned that it would require a vast amount of funds and efforts from his end but would still provide results that would prove to be game changing to this seemingly hopeless war. The last parts of the thick document contained what seemed to be the names and details of six of the to be developed Kansen: Saint Louis, Neptune, Monarch, Ibuki, Izumo, and Roon.

"There were arguments for more than just six to be developed, but it was decided in the end that it's wiser to see how the first PR Kansen hold up before moving on with this plan." Victoria informed. "That said, this is where you come in, Shikikan, but with the look on your face, you're probably wondering how so, right?"

Shikikan could only slowly nod as he was read like an open book.

"In short, the plan is to have you use your affinity to the Wisdom cubes to our advantage per se. How you ask? Well, with the samples my research division and I were working with, we managed to discover that your thermal entropy in specific can actually be converted into useful work, or more specifically, with the Wisdom Cubes." Victoria explained. "Dr. Sen, if you would."

"Yes ma'am. Normally for humans, thermal entropy is just useless thermal energy, but in your case, it is able to resonate with the Wisdom cubes, even better than the Wisdom Cube transformation machines you have back on base. We theorized that by storing and harnessing your entropy to combine with Kansen battle data and the Wisdom Cubes, Kansen never before to be seen in this world can be 'summoned', so to speak." Dr. Sen hypothesized.

"From the information you gave us about how you apparently summoned Akagi and Kaga and the videos of you collapsing right after summoning Yorktown and Lexington over here, it's safe to say that using your ability comes at a cost. And yes, and as the director of this whole project, I can promise you that you will never be forced to do anything you don't want to, Shikikan. The last thing I want is for you to feel like a lab rat ever again." Victoria smiled reassuringly.

"Shikikan, I won't force or even urge you to do this, but all I ask is for you to just consider this. If you say no, then this will be the last you'll ever hear of this plan." Teitoku added.

'Never thought I'd hear about entropy outside of that magical girl manga I was reading. Wait until Sara hears of this…' Shikikan pondered. 'If I go through with this and it succeeds, we'll have a better footing in this war and might even be able to start pushing back. If I don't, then…well…..nothing will change, and we'll continue to struggle to stay afloat.'

"Commander?"

"Hmm?" He hummed. Looking over, he noticed that everyone was looking at him curiously.

"You alright? You were just being really quiet and had a very serious look on your face." South Dakota asked.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just trying to take in everything and make up my mind." He admitted before taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves.

"For the sake of getting rid of those Sirens, I'm willing to do anything and everything, so let's go with this plan."

"Are you sure, Commander? This sounds a bit…." A concerned Vestal started.

"I know, but nothing's going to change unless we take some risks. I have some questions, but right now, it be for the best interest of the world to see this plan through and see if we can't finally level the playing field."

"Your mental fortitude and logical thinking always astounds me, but what I'd give to see you consider yourself for once." Victoria sighed.

"Don't worry Miss Victoria. We'll be watching over him to make sure he doesn't get himself into any trouble." Baltimore grinned.

"Yes, and you can count on me to make sure he's properly taking care of himself, right Commander?" Vestal added as she emitted a rather heavy pressure towards Shikikan..

"Y-yes." He gulped as everyone laughed and the tension in the room dropped for the most part.

"Thank you, Commander. You can count on us to make sure this plan and your contributions will not go to waste!" Dr. Sen nodded. "I'll notify everyone and begin the preparations. More details will be sent to you at a later date. Thank you again and good-bye for now Commander."

"Laters Commander! Hopefully, we can meet up in person again sometime soon!" Nurse Jenny blew a kiss before the two of them signed off.

As the medical duo left, Shikikan felt a bunch of stares boring into him from all sides after the flirty nurse bid him adieu.

"Oh my Commander, is that nurse your type?" Lexington started.

"Perhaps I set my expectations too high for you…" Biloxi added.

"Commander…" Yorktown started.

"….Care to explain…Commander?" Enterprise and North Carolina questioned, both not looking oh so happy with this 'discovery'.

"Don't worry girls, Nurse Jenny's just teasing, she knows Shikikan well enough to rile his feathers." Victoria awkwardly laughed.

"Y-yeah what she said!" Shikikan quickly agreed before sighing in relief.

"Although, that being said," Rosalia grinned, "if you do have an interest in romance, you have my blessings to try and woo over any of my precious Eagle Union Kansen~. Hehe, I'm quite confident that at least some unnamed individuals in this room would be interested in a deeper relationship with you." She added with a sultry smirk as she got up and slowly walked over towards him, plopping herself right down onto his lap and bringing a hand up to caress his cheek.

"And I'll give you a hint, I'm one of them ~. So, if you ever feel like Vivi or Azur Lane are working you too hard, know that I'm just a phone call away and will always welcome you with very open arms~." She boldly announced before Shikikan went crimson red.

"U-um…t-thank you..?"

"Aww…cute…chu~" She quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"I think that's my signal to scatter. Best of luck, Shikikan!" Teitoku laughed before signing off.

"Rose! Get off him or so help me I'll…!… I mean we're still in the middle of a meeting!" A red Victoria yelled as she and the Kansen in the room heavily blushed at the leader of the Eagle Union's antics.

"Madame President please, I know you've been busy, but this is no way to unwind!" Brooklyn urged.

"She's right Ma'am, please hurry and get off Commander!" Enterprise requested.

"Aww, I never knew you had a jealous side like this, Enty~." Rosalia teased.

"I'm not jealous!" The Grey Ghost yelled before she realized how loud she was and quickly lowered her hat to cover her embarrassed look.

"…Allow me to assist you back to your previous seat, Ma'am." South Dakota jumped in as she scooted over and easily picked her up.

"Wow! A princess carry! Not bad SoDak!" Rosalia laughed as she was let back down onto the other couch.

"I'll be sitting here now to make sure you don't cause another ruckus." South Dakota sighed as she sat down next to her.

"Thank you, South Dakota." Memphis sighed.

"Then since this seat's open now…" North Carolina started before took South Dakota's previous spot next to Shikikan.

"Oh, Commander, hold on, your collar is all messed up. Sit still while I fix it... there you go~" She smiled as she casually fixed his shirt and dusted off his lint on his tracksuit jacket.

"Tsk…I didn't expect Sis to…." Washington grumbled to herself.

"My, how lively, wouldn't you agree, Yorky?" Lexington giggled.

"Yeah…" Yorktown replied, feeling the urge to laugh as well becoming hard to suppress.

"Ahem! Anyway, can we please hurry and get back to the discussion?" Victoria loudly requested.

"Frowns like that will give you wrinkles, Vivi~" Rosalia teased.

"Quiet you." An annoyed Victoria demanded. "Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, Shikikan, I've already informed Akashi and Yuubari about the PR Kansen project and they've already begun redesigning the research lab you have back here. They'll get you up to date on how you'll be contributing to all of this once you return. That said, have you been able to procure a ship yet?"

"Not yet, Enterprise and I were going to go by the docks and see if we could buy one."

"Nice work, Ent-umph!" Rosalia started before South Dakota muffled her mouth with her hand.

"…Sounds good, we'll need some time to get everything set up, but you might want to hurry back to the base here soon."

Before Shikikan could ask why, he heard two familiar voices, both from the Sakura Empire, banging on the door and demanding to be allowed in to speak with Shikikan. Well… that was until he heard other voices and then crashing and exploding sounds following right after.

"…I should probably go take care of that. Please keep watch over him, girls." Victoria sighed before quickly signing off to control whatever chaos was happening back on base.

"Wait, if it's a ship you need, I could just give you one of mine." Rosalia offered. "It should be in great condition and should only need a quick maintenance check and fill up before it can start setting sail again."

"Wait really? That would be great, especially when Victoria looked to be at her wit's end back there." He chuckled nervously, feeling very guilty for having the Vice Admiral travel back and forth from Azur Lane HQ and the base several times now to fill in for him during his absence.

"But of course! It was originally my dad's gift to me, but I had no need for it since I had one custom built for me already, so it was just gathering dust and stuff. So, what do ya say?"

"I would greatly appreciate it, but are you sure it's okay to give me a whole ship?"

"Don't sweat it, Commander! My dad thought it be a pain to sell, so he just had it in sent to storage. Plus, judging from how he's been praising you nonstop in his interviews and during his interactions with you, I'm sure he'd more than happy to give it to you as thanks!"

"Huh? Did I already meet him….oh wait." Shikikan started before he managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You said your last name was Lynx, right?"

"What a smart cookie!" She cheered. "As you've guessed, Mayor Lynx is my dad. Most of my family is involved in politics, but I'm the first to become President! Aren't I amazing?"

She asked as Shikikan could only politely reply with an awkward laugh.

"Shucks…guess that means you'll all be going leaving soon, huh? I was hoping we all would get to hang out with each other for a bit longer." Baltimore smiled sadly as the rest of the room started to become gloomy.

"I was hoping to see how far Saratoga has come as an idol too.." Lexington added.

"…."

Looking over, Yorktown looked as if she wanted to say something, but she just couldn't muster up the courage.

"Hmm? What are you girls getting so gloomy about? You'll all be going with Commander back to his base." Rosalia casually replied as she tilted her head in confusion.

A few seconds of silence later….

"Eh?" Shikikan started before the rest of the room erupted.

"EHHH!?"


And done! Looks like Shikikan's life isn't getting less lively anytime soon, huh?

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and shoutout to anyone who can guess the inspiration for Rosalia's character design! Hint: Buchou.

And last but not least, thank you all again so, SO much for helping this fanfic hit 300 followers and for your patience with my very slow writing process! Let's see how high we can get, so please remember to fav and follow if you haven't already and I'll see y'all again in the next chapter!

Next Time: Chapter 18: Everyone Returns and New Faces Emerge!