"Hey Iroha, wait," I said while chasing the small submarine in front of me. But it seems she didn't hear me and kept walking.
She seemed to be in a bad mood. Maybe because of the incident at the dock earlier.
Hammann, a Destroyer class ship from the Eagle Union came to visit Sakura Empire to help organize the Summer Festival. But she accidentally met Iroha who was walking on the pier.
Iroha and Hammann, both had a bad history when we were at war.
At that time the Sakura Empire was still hostile to the Eagle Union. Hiryuu, who was one of Iroha's friends, was defeated. Therefore, Iroha went to war to avenge Hiryuu's defeat. She was finally able to beat Yorktown and Hammann. And since then their relationship has deteriorated.
Even though the war was over now, the fights between them still raged. But luckily not on the scale they shot each other with their respective rigging. They just mock each other or compete with each other.
And today's problems are no exception.
But. You know….
"Hey, aren't you going to try to be friends with her when you meet again?" I asked as I caught up with her.
She stopped. Looks like my words made it to her.
"I know," she said.
"Then why are you two fighting?"
That is the thing that confuses me. Previously, Iroha had told me that she would try to befriend Hammann. But now the result is the opposite.
"But this time she's really annoying," she said angrily, "She told me that I'm not good enough to be your secretary because I only walk around when the commander is at work. And what pisses me off is that her words are true."
"It's not your fault, you know. I was the one who told you to go for a walk."
"I know, but still I started because I was bored."
I can't answer it. What she said was true, because she was bored and I told her to go for a walk until she finally met Hammann. But still that's no reason to blame herself.
"And now she's saying my cooking isn't good because I'm not good at cooking. I got angry and told her that the commander really liked my cooking. Then she challenged me to a cooking competition to prove whose dish was better."
That's the problem now. Honestly I don't really care about whose dish is better, as long as they are the ones cooking it is enough to make me happy.
"Commander, you just wait and decide which one of us is better."
Then she ran to our house. Leave me alone.
I sighed.
"This will be troublesome."
Arriving at the house, I saw Iroha had already prepared dinner for the two of us. So that's why she rushed home.
Then we had dinner. We don't talk much, just what happened today.
After eating, Iroha told me that she was going to the supermarket to buy groceries.
"Isn't it already night?" I asked.
"Now is the perfect time to train," she said.
"Hey, you don't have to push yourself."
"I know, so don't worry about me."
Seeing her insist so I just sighed.
"I can't stop you, can I? Do you need my help?" I ask.
"Not. You're our judge, so I don't want you to help me," she said, "Then I'll go first."
She left.
There was nothing I could do when she had said that. Iroha is a girl who has high self-esteem, as long as she feels capable of doing something, she will not ask others for help.
I decided to take a shower, after taking a shower I saw that Iroha had gone home. So I secretly peeked into the kitchen and saw that she was seriously learning how to cook.
I smiled at the sight. Seeing that Iroha had an activity that she took seriously. Not only Iroha, even all of the Shipgirls too. I'm happy for them.
In the past they were only used as weapons of war by humans. But now that it doesn't happen anymore after I came, I let them be free and do whatever they like. And for anyone who dared to hurt any of them, that person would feel my anger.
I decided not to bother her and went to my room. I didn't sleep right away and went to the balcony of my room to see the night view of Sakura Empire.
"Beautiful as usual."
From the house I could see the residential area to the dock. There are still Shipgirls working on their activities at the Summer Festival. I didn't stop them because it was a job they loved.
Without realizing I've been enjoying the view for an hour, I decided to go to sleep.
I just hope Iroha doesn't push herself too much.
The next day I woke up around 6 am. Since I live at a high altitude, the morning sun shines directly on me when I wake up.
As usual, I went to the balcony of my room to see the morning view. I saw that there were already some people who had started their morning activities.
Speaking of morning activities….
I noticed that Iroha hasn't come to wake me up, usually she's already gone to wake me up.
I went to the bathroom to wash my face and since there was still plenty of time, I decided to change clothes later after breakfast.
After washing my face, I went to Iroha's room which was next to mine. I knocked on the door about three times and there was no answer. That's weird. I also ventured to open the door, I poked my head and saw she wasn't in the room at all.
I went to the first floor and when I got downstairs, that's where I saw my little secretary.
Iroha fell asleep on the dining table, I saw that the kitchen and dining table were clean. Maybe she fell asleep after cleaning.
"At least sleep in your room," I said with a sigh.
I decided not to wake her up and took her place for cooking this morning. I was thinking of making an omelette.
When I finished cooking, I saw Iroha slowly getting up.
"Mhh…" she lifted her head while rubbing her eyes, she looked around and just realized that she fell asleep on the dining table. She then looked at the clock and fell silent, after a while she jumped up and panicked, "Crap, I overslept!"
I came out of the kitchen carrying the food I made, Iroha looked at me in surprise.
"C-Commander…"
"Hello, sleeping princess. Here, I've made breakfast," I said as I put my food on the table.
"Ahh Commander, why did you cook and why didn't you wake me up!" she said with a frown.
"I saw you were fast asleep, so I didn't want to wake you."
When I said that, I saw her widen her eyes and then she looked down in shame.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have made a mistake like this. I won't do this again."
"Hey, it's okay. It's nothing serious, after all I occasionally want to cook for my cute secretary," I said teasing her.
"Gah!" she suddenly gasped. I saw her face turn red, "W-Well, I-if the Commander has said so, then I have to accept your kindness."
"Good, now go wash your face and then we have breakfast."
She nodded and then went to the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came back and we ate together.
After breakfast, we left for work. There was nothing special that day, just like any other day. I go to work, occasionally look at other people's work, check paperwork, and many other things. After returning home, Iroha would return to practice for her cooking competition.
A few days had passed, I noticed that Iroha looked exhausted from practicing too much. I'm worried, I want to help her but I don't know how.
It was already evening and we were on our way home.
"Hey, are you okay? You look tired," I asked her.
"I'm fine. There's no way I'm experiencing exhaustion," she said in her usual smug tone.
She did say so but I could clearly see her exhaustion. Her high self-esteem made her not want people to worry about her.
If it continues like this, it will only get worse. I have to think of a way to help her.
"Hey, go home first. I have something to do for a moment," I said.
"Then I'll come along."
"No, you focus on your training. Besides, I'm not going to do anything heavy."
If she comes along, I can't think of a way to help her. So I used the practice to distract.
She looked at me doubtfully for a moment and then she sighed.
"Well, if the commander has said so," she said, "but don't come home too late."
"Yeah, I won't be long. Then see you at home."
After that we separated.
I'm currently walking around thinking about how to help her. The root of this problem is the rivalry between Iroha and Hammann. Iroha wants to be friends with Hammann but because of her high self-esteem it makes it difficult for her to do so.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Hammann since that day," I muttered.
I was so focused on Iroha that I forgot how her competitor were doing. It could be terrible if she was in the same state as Iroha.
In the end, I decided to look for Hammann first.
Sakura Empire is a vast nation. This nation is the home of all the shipgirls that come from this place.
Since entering the peace period, many developments have begun to be developed here. Starting from shopping centers, tourist attractions, and many others. Discrete human settlements were also built here since they had obtained permission from Nagato.
As evidence of the peace agreement of each faction, a residence was made in the form of a dormitory for each faction. This place was made for the residence of shipgirls from other factions when they came to visit the Sakura Empire. And the Eagle Union dormitory is one of those places.
I came to the Eagle Union dormitory because Hammann was from that faction. This dorm is very big because it has more than 100 rooms. It would be very difficult to find Hammann here.
"Oh, commander. Heeey." A scream caught my attention. It came from a cheerful blonde haired girl.
"Albacore?"
She is a submarine just like Iroha. And her clothes are much more dangerous than Iroha's, she only wears a swimsuit. Maybe it was because her territory was in the sea that she was dressed like that.
Albacore ran up to me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked when she was near.
"I came here to play with Taihou!" she said cheerfully.
More like you're bothering her. But, I see. Now I understand why Taihou rarely approached me anymore. It was because of the interference from Albacore, she was one person Taihou couldn't handle easily.
"What is the commander doing himself?"
Her question got me out of my mind.
"Ah, I was looking for Hammann. Did you see her?"
"Hammann? I know she's in the kitchen, she's been there so many times now."
It seemed like Iroha wasn't the only one working hard.
"I see, thanks Albacore," I said patting her head.
"Hehehe, you're welcome, Commander," she said, grinning. Looks like she's enjoying a pat on the head from me.
"Then I'll go there first," I said, waving at her.
"Yeah, I have to look for Taihou too. She's been playing hide and seek lately."
I laughed and then we parted ways.
I entered the dorm and went to find the kitchen, after a few minutes I finally got there. In the kitchen I could see Hammann sitting at the dining table.
She seemed to be lost in thought because she didn't notice that I opened the kitchen door.
I quietly approached her, intending to surprise her.
"HEY!" I said a little loudly while touching her shoulder.
"Hyaahh!" she shouted, jumping up from her chair. With her face red, she looked at me.
"Yo," I said, waving at her.
"C-Commander! Mouuuuu you idiot, idiot, idiot, idioooooot! Why did you surprise me like that!" she shouted as she hit me.
"Ouch! Hey it hurts! Sorry, I'm sorry okay? Just seeing you daydream makes me want to surprise you," I said apologetically.
"Hmph! I won't forgive you," she said sullenly as she faced the other way.
Looks like I made a mistake, I forgot how grumpy Hammann is.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again. In exchange I will do whatever you tell me to," I said pleading with her.
I closed my eyes, hoping she would forgive me. After a while I heard Hammann speak.
"H-Hmph! Alright, if you've done that I forgive you. And the Commander must keep the promise about your words just now," she said.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, I promise."
Then she sat back down, I decided to sit in front of her.
"By the way what are you doing?"
"I was practicing cooking," she replied, "what is the commander himself doing here?"
"Well, I came here to see how you were. It's been a few days since I saw you at the dock, so I was a little worried."
"I-It's not that I'm not happy that you're worried about me, but thank you. I've been in the kitchen a lot lately."
Apparently it wasn't just Iroha who was training hard, it was Hammann too. I also don't know if Hammann is a good cook or not.
"Oh, I see. I saw you were daydreaming for a long time, you didn't realize that I was coming. What are you thinking about?"
Hearing my words, Hamman seemed to be thinking about something. Maybe she was wondering whether she should tell me what she was thinking or not.
After a while she sighed and her face became sad.
"I've always wondered why it always ends like this," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"My relationship with Iroha. You know, some of the other shipgirls have made up with each other when they used to be enemies. I want to do that too."
"So you want to make up with Iroha?"
She nodded.
"Yes. But every time she bragged like that it pissed me off, and we ended up fighting. I-It's not that I want to be her friend, but I don't want our relationship to continue like this."
Well, it was obvious she really wanted to be friends with Iroha.
But, I think it's quite complicated. The two want to be friends with each other, but it's their contrasting personalities that get in the way. Iroha wants to be friends with Hammann, but because she has high self-esteem she always brags in front of Hammann. Hammann also wants to be friends with Iroha but is always annoyed when Iroha brags.
They are not open to each other's feelings. In essence they are Tsunderes.
"I think it's time for me to train again. T-Thanks for listening to me, Commander," she said shyly.
Even though I didn't do anything.
Honestly, I wanted to help her. And just like Iroha, I don't know how to help them.
"Yeah, it's time for me to go home. Don't push yourself, okay? Just know that I support you both," I said as I walked out.
She nodded and I walked out.
When I came out of the dormitory, I saw that it was already dark.
I thought again about Iroha and Hamman while walking. Thinking about how I can help them.
Friendship is a fairly common thing for me. During my travels, I made many friends. But I don't know how I can be friends with them, it just happened. I talked to them and somehow we became friends.
So, the relationship between Iroha and Hammann is quite foreign to me since I've never been through anything like that.
When I thought about it all, I saw a ramen restaurant not far from where I am now.
At a time like this, I'm sure Iroha is training right now. I might bother her if I go home now.
So, I decided to go to a ramen restaurant. Besides, I haven't eaten out in a long time.
When I walked in, I was greeted by the owner of the restaurant.
"Welcome, ah Commander, long time no see you here," the restaurant owner said kindly to me.
"Hey Tajima," I greeted him back, "Well, you know, I've been really busy lately."
This man is Tajima. He was a human in his 40s, he was one of the many humans allowed to live in the Sakura Empire. Since the world was at peace, the humans came out of their shelters and scattered throughout the world. Thanks to them, the current state of the world is gradually recovering. Starting from the economy, entertainment, and many others.
Tajima along with his wife and daughter who was only 7 years old, decided to live in Sakura Empire and was well received by the shipgirls here. He then started to open a Ramen business here.
I sat at a table in the corner of the room and Tajima approached me.
"Would you like to order something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I want to order Ramen with extra spicy."
"Noted, your order will come soon," he then left after taking my order.
I really like Tajima's ramen. It was one of the best dishes I've eaten. When I lived here, I used to visit here often and eat Ramen from Tajima. But lately I rarely come here because I'm busy with Festival matters.
Shipgirls also come here a lot. Since they were busy with their respective ramen, no one noticed my presence. I also sit in a corner of the room that is difficult for others to see. If they saw me now, they would definitely urge me to join them. It's not that I don't want to join them, but I like to eat my favorite ramen in peace.
After a while, Tajima came with a bowl of ramen.
"Here's your order," said Tajima as he put down the still hot Ramen.
"Thanks," I said, "Are you alone? Where are your wife and daughter?"
"Ah, they're out helping others, there were some girls who asked Tsukiko to teach them how to sew."
"I see."
My attention returned to the ramen, just looking at it made me drool, I then grabbed my chopsticks and started eating.
"Ahh delicious as usual, Tajima," I said while looking at Tajima who was sitting in front of me.
"Haha Thank you. This ramen is one of my pride," he said with a laugh, "By the way, are you having a problem?"
His sudden question caught me off guard a little.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, before you came here I accidentally saw you outside. You seemed to be thinking about something complicated when I saw your face."
"Heh, that seems obvious," I said with a chuckle, "Yeah, you know. I have a little problem."
I then told Tajima what was going on. Starting from Iroha and Hammann's relationship to their fight.
"Hmm, so they want to be friends with each other but because of their respective natures they often fight."
"Yeah, I want to help them but don't know how."
"If you want, I can give you some advice. Just leave them alone."
Tajima's words took me by surprise.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Friendship has many ways you know. There are people who get to know each other and then they become friends, there are people who are assigned to a group and then they become friends too, and there are also people who often fight with each other and eventually they become close friends. I've seen things like that many times."
Tajima's words reminded me of the past. When I was in another world on one of my travels, I lived in a kingdom. The kingdom is at war with another kingdom. Then I saw two royal soldiers who often quarreled, but a few days later the two of them became close and shared a drink with each other. Maybe this was what Tajima meant.
"I see," I said.
I think I know what I have to do now.
Then I finished my ramen and decided to go home. I've been spending too much time outside, Iroha might get mad at me.
When I got home, I saw Iroha sleeping on the dining table. I also saw that she has also prepared dinner for me. I feel guilty for letting her wait for me.
I picked her up and carried her to her room. I then put her on the bed and covered her.
She looks really tired lately, it's probably because she's been working a lot plus the amount of cooking practice she's been through. I can't let her continue like this.
I then came out of her room and finished the dinner that Iroha made even though I just ate Ramen. I didn't want to waste the dinner he prepared for me. After eating, I went to take a shower and sleep.
The next day, I woke up as usual. I peeked into Iroha's room and saw that she was still sleeping.
Then I cooked breakfast for Iroha and I. I finished my breakfast and got ready to go to work.
Before that I wrote a note and placed it near Iroha's breakfast that I had prepared. Then I went to work.
I was stupid for taking too long to realize this. I couldn't help her with the cooking because she wanted to work on her own. And I want to respect her wishes.
All I have to do now is support her and lighten her load.
Thanks for reading!
AN:
This is a slice of life story, so don't expect any kind of action here. There may be but that is not the main ingredient in this story.
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Next Update: The Future We Will Face
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P.S: English is not my primary language, so i apologize if there are any grammatical errors.
