Chapter Seventeen

As hesitant as I was to let Montpelier go off on her own, I figured whatever was bothering her needed to be addressed if we were to have any hope of making it through the rest of our assignment. I would've offered to help her with whatever her issue was, but I had a feeling that it was tangentially related to me, or at the very least, my presence was a source of agitation. She likely had friends in the Eagle Union who were far better equipped to aid her, plus she mentioned having sisters, so she at least wouldn't be alone. Gods willing, in half an hour, we would rendezvous with each other and be able to tackle our dinner assignment with far less friction.

And speaking of alone, my cohort's departure meant I had some moments to myself in the mess hall kitchen. With lunch hour well past us, there were but a few kansens loitering around, mostly enjoying an afternoon tea as they conversed amongst one another. The kitchens proper, though, were empty, and I had free reign to take stock of our inventory and use the free time to plan and organize, not that I really had the first idea of what to do. Back when we were sailing onboard Akagi and preparing meals for the rescued sailors, it had been just a matter of grabbing whatever tins were available in the pantry, putting the dehydrated rice into the pots, and then waiting until everything was heated up. Such a paltry meal, however, was not fit for the commanding officer of a naval port, regardless of how much he reassured us otherwise. He was going to have guests, likely senior kansens from the four camps knowing him, so a good meal was necessary to instil a good first impression on them. If the meal was unsatisfactory, they could spend more time complaining about the food than listening to whatever DeWolf might have to say.

As such, it was paramount that this dinner succeeded!

What could we possibly cook though? With the captain, Iron Bloods, Royal Navy, and Eagle Union, most of the people dining tonight were probably accustomed to western dishes, and what little knowledge I had of the culinary arts was strictly that of my homeland.

"No need to get ahead of yourself, Nagato," I muttered under my breath. "First, let us just take inventory, and then we can decide what to do from there."

On the bright side, there were at least no shortcomings in terms of food quality or the kitchen itself. Azur Lane clearly took great lengths to make sure their pantries were well-stocked with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, and more cheeses than I was ever aware existed. I had heard people from the Eagle Union really liked their cheeses, but I had no idea it went to such an extreme. It also came as a great relief to see there was a plentiful supply of rice as well, so I at least had some options to fall back upon. However, as I began to sift through the vegetable stockpiles, some fresh, some frozen, and some canned, I realized I was soon becoming too spoiled for choice. When you had a hundred options to pick from, how would I decide which ingredients to pick from? I knew almost everybody loved potatoes, but then I found they had nearly a dozen different varieties of potatoes in storage! Judging by the names written on each sack, it seemed as though each faction brought their own supply. 'Red Gold'? 'Ranger Russet'? 'Sieglinde'? 'Mizen'? Why couldn't a potato just be a potato?

It was becoming rapidly apparent that I was in way over my head.

"Hello? Miss Nagato, are you in here? Miss Montpelier?" a voice called out to me from the kitchen doorway. Though it was familiar, I was nonetheless surprised to see King George V walking in, her gaze panning across the room in an inquisitive manner.

"It is just me," I said, closing some of the pantry doors that had kept King George V from spotting me right away. There weren't a lot of places to hide in the kitchen, as it simply consisted of several cooking stations around a central island, so it was soon self-evident that we were the sole occupants of the room. "Is there something you needed?"

"I had heard about your little assignment, so I figured I'd stop by," she explained, and although it was obvious that nobody else was present, she persisted in looking around. "Did James say he would be joining you later, or anything like that?"

Though it sounded like an odd conclusion to reach, I could only presume that it made sense from her perspective. "No, nothing of the sort," I replied as I continued to watch her scan the room. "Are you disappointed?"

She had a somber look about her. "A little, I suppose," she murmured in response. "I was hoping, but… I guess it was foolish to think things wouldn't change." A heavy sigh floated from her lips. "In that case, I should get going. I wouldn't want to get in your way."

There was something about her words that did not sit well with me, and although I couldn't quite put my fingers on the why, I was nonetheless compelled to keep her here, if even for just a short while. As she turned to leave, I bolted to her side, and caught hold of her by the trailing edge of her coat. "W-wait!" I exclaimed before realizing that I probably could've stopped her with just words. "I… um, I have heard that you are very skilled in the culinary arts."

"And you could use some help, I take it? Isn't that going against the captain's orders in a sense?"

"I do not wish for you to do any cooking for me, but I am afraid I have little experience in the subject, and even less so with regards to western dishes. The captain is hosting guests, and I do not wish to be a further burden upon him by preparing a sub-standard meal."

If the realization that DeWolf was not coming had left her disappointed, my request for assistance lit a new fire in her as her expression brightened into a confident grin. "In that case, it would be my delight and honour to help," she announced. In one swift motion, her cloak flew off the side, landing almost perfectly on a nearby chair. As she strode over, she began to unbutton her outer coat, and set it aside. "Shared meals have been the foundation of diplomacy since time immemorial, and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't help our captain in whatever capacity I could. Plus, there's a good chance I'm going to be one of those guests."

In that case, it was just as much a matter of helping me as it was self-preservation. Nonetheless, I was grateful for the assistance. King George V joined me at the kitchen countertop and handed me an apron.

"Have you decided on a menu?" she asked, tying her own apron on.

"Um, no, I have not," I admitted with some reluctance. "I fear I do not even know where to begin."

"In that case, what do you know how to make?"

"But I only know a few dishes from my homeland. What if the captain doesn't like—"

"Then you shall make them like it," King George V reassured me. "This is the cuisine of your homeland, you should have more pride and confidence in it!"

While the issue of my confidence had little to do with my homeland itself, she did have a point. I shouldn't necessarily shy away from what I knew just because there was a chance that he might not like it. Plus, it wasn't as if every dish from my homeland was completely alien to a western palette: it wasn't all just rice and fish. If I just went with a dish that was easy to make and was familiar enough to an outsider, then I could solve both problems at the same time.

"Well, I could make a curry?" Once again, I felt some hesitation in my words. I was preparing a meal for the captain and his guests, not a class of elementary school children. Nobody in the Sakura Empire would turn their nose up at a plate of curry, but it held an important part in our naval history. At the same time, however, it was introduced to us from the Royal Navy, so in a sense it could represent a union between our respective nations.

Whatever doubts I had were soon put to rest as King George V gave me a pat on the shoulder. "That's a marvelous idea," she said. "Remember, the most important thing for a cook is right here." She thumped her chest a couple times with her free hand. "Be it for your country, your fellows, or your family, a true chef cooks with passion and love. Plus…" A teasing smirk crossed her features as she leaned in close to my ear. "I know for a fact that curry's his favourite."

It wasn't a conscious choice, but the moment she mentioned curry being his favourite, I just pictured him enjoying a plate of it. But why did I go and just imagine that? I recoiled away as if I had just been struck by a hot paddle, my face turning red from the heat. "Th-th-that shall have no bearing on my decision!" I stammered back in a pathetic attempt to shield my sudden embarrassment.

My response offered no shortage of amusement for King George V, who howled in a mirthful, belly laugh. "Oh my, I had heard the two of you had gotten close, but I never imagined something like this," she said once she was able to fight down her laughter. Once she settled, I caught a glimpse of an expression that looked almost melancholic. "But maybe that's a good thing," she murmured under her breath. It sounded more like she was telling herself that than directing it to me.

If for no other reason to spare myself further embarrassment, I knew I shouldn't let myself get distracted from the actual cooking aspect. "S-so anyways, could you help teach me how to make a curry?" I asked.

"Of course. Let's start with picking out the vegetables, shall we?"

The Royalist proceeded to guide me through the basic steps of preparing a curry. Unlike I, who was almost paralyzed just by the sheer number of potato options, my fellow battleship from the Royal Isles was able to pick out what she wanted with little more than a quick glance. Whether that meant she knew her vegetables or that I just overthought everything to an obscene degree was still an unanswered question, but one that I was happy to ignore. Over the next little while, she walked me carefully through each step, making sure to explain things thoroughly before letting me tackle the task on my own. It wasn't too long before I felt confident enough that I could actually prepare a half-decent curry. Even from the brief lesson, I could see why so many in the Royal Navy and Azur Lane respected her: she offered more than just guidance, but an uplifting confidence through her charisma. It made me think back to all of the times I spoke before the crowds in the empire. Did inspiration follow because of what I said, or just simply because of what I was? If one took King George V out of her position of leadership in the Royal Navy, she would still be just as inspiring and charismatic, but what was I without my title as flagship?

"You're a fast learner, Lady Nagato," she complimented as she watched me dice up an onion. I still wasn't as fast as her, but I could manage the task without risk of taking off a finger. "I don't think James will have much to worry about tonight."

Though I had wanted to avoid any subject that could bring me further embarrassment, her casual conversation piqued my curiosity. "I notice that you have been calling the captain by his given name," I observed.

"I have?" she replied, a hint of genuine surprise flickering across her face. "Huh, I guess you're right." While it didn't appear to be a huge shock to her, it nonetheless took her by surprise, as if somebody had, at the end of the day, pointed out that she'd been wearing a sock inside-out.

"Are the two of you close?" I knew that outside the Sakura Empire, being on a first-name basis didn't suggest the same level of intimacy, but the way she spoke of the captain was definitely not that of a casual acquaintance.

Normally, King George V brimmed with confidence, but as she contemplated my question, uncertainty crept upon her face. "Close? I'm not sure he'd describe it like that. It's more like… an old familiarity? I guess I do know him better than any of the kansens stationed here."

One could learn a lot about a person from the quality of the company they kept, although I tried not to think too much about how my company included someone as… eccentric as Akagi. "Then how about the kansens not stationed here?"

"Well, it's not like I've kept track of every kansen he's met, but…" she trailed off for a moment, stepping to the side and leaning back against the countertop. "The only other kansen that knows him better than me would be Warspite."

"Wait, the Warspite?" I exclaimed. In hindsight, I should've put my knife down before asking questions with potentially startling answers, as I nearly peeled off a part of my index finger in my shock. Warspite was arguably one of the most esteemed veterans of the Royal Navy; a warrior whose prowess earned her the respect of both friend and foe alike. It seemed unusual for someone as accomplished as her to have worked closely with Captain DeWolf, especially as it was probably long before he reached that rank. "I thought she rarely left Queen Elizabeth's side. How did that happen?"

Once again, my response proved an amusement for my fellow battleship. "It's a long story, and these days, that's certainly true, but that wasn't always the case several years ago. Although, I don't think Warspite and James have even talked in quite some time. Not since Iroise Sea."

"I heard Enterprise mention Iroise Sea when we spoke on the radio. What was it? I can only presume that it is in regards to a battle?" Whatever contentment my fellow kansen had suddenly fell to the wayside, although there had been faint hints the moment she mentioned Iroise Sea. I remembered DeWolf didn't exactly respond cheerfully to the words either.

"The Sirens gave us a bit of a black eye that day. We lost a lot of good people at Iroise," she answered, her once full-throated confidence replaced with a more sober tone. "Word of advice, though: don't bring it up around him. He's got enough on his plate already."

Of course, now my curiosity was piqued even more, but there was no way I could disrespect her advice when it was clearly given in the spirit of camaraderie, nor did I want to upset Captain DeWolf by bringing up a sensitive subject. He was a seasoned sailor, so it was only natural he had his share of scars, of days that he'd rather not relive. As a kansen, it was easy to relate to that sentiment, ladened with as many difficult memories as we were.

Before we could continue the conversation any longer, however, there came a knocking from the doorway. Since knocking wasn't a common occurrence in a kitchen, we were both curious as to who was visiting, although my colleague looked hopeful for a split second. Alas, it wasn't the captain, but another familiar face in the form of the greatcoat-wearing sister to Montpelier.

"Denver, what brings you here?" King George asked.

She was looking better since I last saw her at the mess hall: she must've heeded the captain's instructions and rested up. "Hey, have either of you seen Monty?"

"Montpelier? She said she had something to take care of first," I answered. However, no sooner did those words leave my mouth did I ask myself 'how long ago was that?'. Thankfully, there were more than a few appliances with clocks on them, and much to my surprise, it had been far longer than the allotted half-hour I gave her. "She said she was only going to be half an hour, but it has been almost twice that."

"Ah geeze, where in blazes is she?" Denver said, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"Did something happen?" King George V asked.

"She and Columbia got into a shouting match. I tried to stop her, but she just took off."

While startling news to me, what was more surprising was the distinct lack thereof from the Royalist. "God, I was afraid something like that might happen," she said, grimacing.

Clearly, I was the only person in the room for whom this situation made zero sense whatsoever. "What do you mean by that, George?"

"Montpelier was supposed to be part of the team escorting Enterprise when she went to go meet with you," she answered.

"But she wasn't there," I replied.

"That's because Monty said she wasn't feeling well, so Cleveland took her place," Denver explained. "I mean, there's no way any of us would blame her for what happened, but I guess Columbia's been so stressed about it that she kinda just snapped when they bumped into each at the infirmary—said that if Monty wasn't so lazy then none of this would've happened."

I recognized the other names—the four of them were all sisters, and Cleveland was among the Eagle Union's most experienced and decorated cruisers. She was considered the leader of the Knights of the Solomen Sea for a reason, and though I only ever met her briefly in the aftermath of Project Orochi, she struck me as capable and dependable as any in the Sakura Empire. Plus, she seemed like a really nice girl, which only served me another pang of guilt since she was among those I injured.

"Poor girl's probably been beating herself up every day over it," King George V lamented.

"Miss Montpelier did not appear troubled to me," I commented after reflecting upon our interactions throughout the course of the day. However, since I've only known her for less than a day, I had no idea if any of her behaviour was outside the norm for her. She could've lashed out at me in the mess hall in order to alleviate her own feelings of responsibility. That desperation to escape from shame was a sentiment I could relate to all too easily.

"She's not the type to open up except around us," Denver said, referring to her other sisters. That did match up with how Montpelier suggested to me that she only ever got along with her sisters. One could only imagine how troubled and isolated she must feel if even her sisters now appeared to have turned on her. "Man, I bet if Cleveland were here, she'd know what to do…"

Alas, the famed cruiser was not present, and that was my shame to bear, but in her absence then I should at least take up the mantle of responsibility. "The answer is simple: we must locate your wayward sister," I stated. "No one should have to suffer alone, lest this wound between sisters be allowed to fester into something worse."

"Well said, Lady Nagato," King George V said, nodding in agreement.

"Although, shouldn't you be worrying about the dinner preparations?" Denver asked. "I'm sure we can find her in time to get her back here to work."

She had a point: there was already little time before dinner to begin with, and any time spent searching for Montpelier would be time taken away from that. However, there was only one clear option for me. "The captain's instructions were to prepare dinner with Montpelier. However, to me, the well-being of my fellow kansen holds a greater priority than that of any meal. I will not forsake anyone for the sake of expediency. I will help in the search, and if the captain takes issue with this, then I will bear the responsibility of this decision."

The worried young sister breathed a small sigh of relief, her tense posture relaxing for the first time since she entered the kitchen. "Thanks, I really appreciate this. Sorry my sis is proving to be such a pain for you."

"It would be best if we split up, so that we may cover more ground," I suggested. "And while I would not suggest this under normal circumstances, let us refrain from getting Captain DeWolf involved just yet. I do not wish to cause Montpelier more trouble."

"Sounds like a plan! We can keep in touch over the radio and try to coordinate our search," Denver suggested, sounding hopeful and eager.

Even with the three of us, there was still a lot of ground to cover, but King George V and Denver both alluded to the possibility of recruiting more help if they came across anyone trustworthy. Again, since we didn't want to get the captain involved just yet, we couldn't start a massed search party, otherwise it would draw more attention than necessary. We parted ways, with one of us heading towards the dockyards, another towards the hills north of the base, and I opted to conduct my patrols through the heart of the naval yard. However, it was only a few minutes into my walk that I realized that, in my haste, I had overlooked a few critical flaws in my plan. First off, I still didn't know my way around the port, which meant I had little idea where people might go if they were looking for seclusion. There was the occasional map sign posted along the footpaths, but that only gave me a general layout. On the bright side, I had an opportunity to go out and explore. The second issue, however, was that without being able to summon my rigging, I had no access to a radio. If I did find Montpelier, I'd have no way to easily tell the others.

There was little value in worrying over something I had no control over, so I took the opportunity to wander for what it was worth. The odds of success were marginal if all I did was walk about the base aimlessly. If I could figure out where Montpelier might be, narrow down my search parameters, I could still have a hope of salvaging the captain's dinner as well.

The search, however, did not go well. I spent a great deal of time wandering up and down the footpaths that dotted the naval yard, and while I discovered we had quite the sizable library and recreation center at our disposal, there was no sign of our wayward cruiser. Even the few Sakuran kansens that I came across were unable to help narrow my search. As it turned out, most of them just didn't know the first thing about Montpelier or where she might be. In fact, just mentioning the name often returned a confused stare and a remark along the lines of 'that's the girl that's always following Cleveland around, right?' It seemed as though she was quite close to her sisters. I've never had a serious fight with Mutsu before; the worst we had was that bout on the carrier where she kicked me overboard, and that was less of a fight and more divine punishment. Still, I could imagine the kind of heartache and grief that would come if I were isolated from the people I was closest to.

But where could she be?

"I shouldn't have been so gung-ho to help," I said with a tired sigh, having searched yet another building with no sign of the AWOL cruiser. "Perhaps I should have let King George V take charge. Surely she would've had a better plan."

"Admitting defeat hardly sounds like talk befitting a Nagato-class," a familiar voice perked up from behind me. I swung around, a rising sense of surprise and relief, to find myself face-to-face with Choshu and Mutsu. My otherworldly counterpart grinned as she approached me. "I thought you were still playing the captain's lackey. Did something happen?"

I explained the situation of Montpelier's disappearance to them—how she was supposed to be with Enterprise on that fateful day, but her older sister Cleveland took her place. I was expecting Choshu to be, at best, apathetic towards a plight involving a member of the Eagle Union, but oddly enough she looked just as troubled by the news as Mutsu was.

"In that case, why don't we join you? At the very least, you won't have to wander the base on your own," Choshu suggested.

"I… I would appreciate the effort," I replied, fighting back an urge to insist against them shouldering my burden. "I hope I am not troubling either of you too much."

"It's no trouble," Mutsu insisted. "We just finished up a little tea time with Ashigara and some of the other cruisers."

"You had tea; I showed them how a real Sakuran warrior fights," boasted my counterpart. I was relieved to hear that she was getting along well with the other kansens at the port. It didn't surprise me that she was already sparring with some of them. It wasn't as if we got new kansens very often, so the opportunity to test one's mettle against a brand new opponent was a rare opportunity. Perhaps there were some tricks and lessons we could learn from Choshu's empire.

"So where should we look next?" my little sister inquired.

Unfortunately, that was the million yen question, and if I had an answer to it, I wouldn't still be wandering around the port so aimlessly. At least now we had three heads with which to contemplate the answer, which likely made for an amusing sight for anyone passing by as the three of us stood in the middle of a walkway with our hands clasped at our chins.

"Well, if we ever got into a fight," Mutsu speculated, "I'd want to find somewhere that'd be… quiet and comforting."

"I've always partaken in self-reflection after quarrels with mine," Choshu said with an affirmative nod. "Usually someplace secluded, but also connected in some way with her."

I grumbled and murmured as thoughts and possibilities churned through my mind. If I were in Montpelier's shoes, and following my sisters' line of reasoning, one possibility soon came to mind. "Hrm, maybe she is, but it could not be that simple, could it?"

"Could what be?" my sister asked, since she wasn't privy to my inner musings.

"I have an idea, but I must hurry." I did not want to waste any more time than necessary explaining, so without further explanation, I hurried on my way. Or rather, I hurried as best I could without breaking into a full run because it would be undignified for a senior kansen of the Sakura Empire to just be running around a naval port. Mutsu and Choshu, however, felt no such compulsion, and they broke into a sprint in order to catch up to me.

Unsurprisingly, the dormitories were as segregated as lunchtime had been, and while it wasn't explicitly labeled as such, it was clear from where the girls sat in the common room and how they moved around through the halls that there was an Azur Lane half and a Crimson Axis half. There wasn't any open hostility, but much like at lunch and during the briefing, there was a tepid tension in the air, a wariness of anything that could be construed as provocative or insulting.

Or maybe everybody just fell silent when I was around.

I had no time to feel self-conscious or guilty despite the piercing, curious stares I received. If anybody was bothered by me heading straight for the Eagle Union, they didn't say anything or try to stop me.

"You really think she's going to be hiding out in Cleveland's room?" Mutsu asked once her curiosity had reached its limits.

"I believe that would be where she would feel safest," I answered. As far as guesses went, it was the best I could offer without knowing that much more about who we sought, and I half-expected this to be a bust since, surely, someone would have thought to check here already. Nonetheless, we had to try, and thanks to a quick consultation with the room assignment directory, we were able to locate our destination. A very small part of me hoped that when I knocked on the door, there would be no response, because I had no idea what I would say. I was probably the last person that should be helping, but in the absence of viable alternatives, what other choice did I have but to act? I gave the door a couple gentle raps with my knuckle. "Hello? Um, Miss Montpelier, are you in there?"

No answer.

I was about to conclude that this had been another futile effort when Choshu gestured my gaze downwards, to the base of the door. There was a faint light coming from inside, which wasn't unsurprising, but there was a faint flicker of a moving shadow coming from inside. There was definitely somebody inside, and if they weren't saying anything, that meant they were either mute, or didn't want to be found. The latter category was very much where our wayward cruiser fell into.

"Mutsu," I whispered over to her, "could you go find Miss Denver or King George V to let them know we've found Montpelier?" Just in case, I figured it'd be better to avoid alerting our quarry that more people, including one of her sisters, would soon be here.

Without a word, my sister smiled, nodded, and hurried on her way.

I knocked once more. "Montpelier, please, I know you are in there. Denver spoke with me, and she told me of your fight with your sister. They are worried about you, so could you please open the door?" Unsurprisingly, there was still no answer. I needed to keep trying, but just as I was about to knock again, Choshu grabbed me by the wrist and pulled it to the side.

With a silent look that screamed 'let me try', she eased me to the side, and took my place at the door. Resting a palm against it, she took a few, deep calming breaths. "You probably keep thinking about that last conversation you had with your sister, aren't you? I know what that's like—replaying those moments over and over again, getting fixated on the idea of what you could've done, that if you had just been smarter, or stronger, or better… then all of these problems would go away." A melancholic tone laced her words as she leaned in, and rested her forehead on the door. "And the more you think about it, the more you hate yourself: for not being good enough, for not saying all the things you know you should've and now might not get the chance."

I wasn't sure if Choshu was going to continue with her heartfelt remarks, but it didn't matter as the door slowly opened, revealing a red, puffy-eyed Montpelier inside. "You're… Choshu, right? The one the captain said came from another timeline?"

"I am. May we come in?"

She looked between the two of us for a moment, then stepped aside. "Just don't touch anything. It's Cleve's room, after all."

The interior was about what I expected from a western dorm room, although it had been touched up with some photos and posters to add a personal flair to the decor. What caught my attention the most was the table in the center of the room, or more specifically the small bonsai tree that sat upon it. I wasn't the only one who found that peculiar, but it was my counterpart that first gave voice to it.

"I wouldn't have thought to find a bonsai in an Eagle Union dorm," Choshu remarked.

"It's one of Cleve's hobbies," Montpelier answered as she sat down on the nearby bed. "I could never quite understand it, but I think it's pretty incredible that she was able to pick it up so easily."

"It requires great care and patience, that's for certain." While I leaned against the wall next to the door, my colleague made the bold move to take a seat next to Montpelier. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, even though she didn't wait for an answer before committing. The two didn't say anything, but rather just sat in a mutual hunched-over silence as they stared at the miniature tree.

"Does it ever go away? That… 'what if' feeling?"

"No, but it gets quieter, and you learn how to ignore it when it comes."

"It's just… it was just supposed to be a routine escort and meet up. I never thought for a second that letting Cleve take my place would end up like this. I should've just toughened it out and went, instead of complaining about having a stomach ache."

"What if the roles were reversed? If Cleveland had been unwell, would you have let her leave on a mission?"

"My sister would never let a stomach ache slow her down!" Montpelier quickly snapped, refusing to even acknowledge the possibility of a weak sister. "Er… but hypothetically speaking, if that was the case, then… yeah, I guess I'd insist on going in her place too."

"Because you love her, and you'd want to protect her."

Montpelier flustered a little, but silently nodded.

Choshu sighed softly, leaning back upon her outstretched arms. "Life is always going to have its share of mistakes and regrets. If you spend all your time looking back, you'll lose sight of what's ahead of you. Your sister made a choice just as much as you did, and she wanted to protect you. You should honour that decision, and follow her example."

"But what if she doesn't wake up? What if… what if I don't get a chance to tell her I'm sorry?" she asked, almost in a soft whimper. "What if next time—"

"Then don't let there be a next time," Choshu interrupted her, sharp and swift. "Learn. Grow. Become better than you are. I doubt any kansen worth their salt would want to see their sister wallowing." Those words could've sounded inspiring to her, but judging by the growing look of gloom on Montpelier's face, it only reinforced the misguided notion that she wasn't good enough now. My colleague realized this slight error in wording and straightened herself up, tucking herself into a cross-legged posture. "Your sister is not dead, and if she is half as strong as I would presume an Eagle Union cruiser to be, she will be back on her feet before you know it. You cannot change the past, and you cannot predict the future, so live in the moment, and worry only about that which you can control. Distract yourself not with trivial matters."

"That supposed to be some sort zen buddhist wisdom?" Montpelier quipped.

Rather than meet the girl's sharp words in kind, Choshu pivoted the conversation in an unexpected direction. "You know what the last thing I said to my sister was?" she asked rhetorically. "I told her she was being a coward. We were moored at Hashirajima, undergoing more training that I thought was just going to be a waste of time that could've been spent fighting the enemy instead. Mutsu disagreed, of course; and we argued about it, as we often did. She would usually talk me down, but after how bad things went at the Solomans, I was anxious and impatient. My sister insisted we needed more training and preparation if we were to have any success in the future against the Eagle Union—the one in my timeline, that is; not yours. So I called her a coward, a dishonourable cur who was more concerned about her own life than the honour and glory of the empire. Despite all the nasty things I said, she never insulted me back or lost her temper. Once I had spent all my salvos, she just smiled and told me that we'd continue the conversation after I had calmed down and had time to think things over."

"And… what happened after that?" Montpelier asked, curious as to how such a story could be the last conversation between the sisters. I wondered that as well, although I had a suspicion as to the answer.

"I went and meditated on my behaviour, and thoroughly convinced myself that I was still right but just needed to phrase it better." Choshu fell silent for a moment, her normally stoic expression quivering just for a fraction, her next breath suddenly growing shaky. "It was a little after noon when I decided to march down to the port to give her another piece of my mind, and then… there was an explosion. It just came out of nowhere, knocked me straight onto my backside. When I came to, all I found at the docks was… my sister's hull, broken in two… sinking into the harbour. She was just… gone."

Montpelier noticed, just as I had, that Choshu had begun to tear up as she reached the end of her story. Before she could say anything further, the cruiser beside her offered over a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Choshu dried her eyes and cleared her nose. "Take it from someone who's been there: you can't control fate, so don't waste time worrying about it, and just treasure the time you have."

"Don't sweat the small stuff, huh?" Montpelier surmised. "That sounds just like something Cleveland would say." She hummed in a deep contemplation, then, oddly enough, tucked her legs in to assume a similar posture as the kansen beside her, as though mimicry in posture would be followed by thought. "Why are you telling me all this? I can understand Nagato being here because of our assignment, but you don't have any reason to be so… you know, nice to me."

"A certain overly-inquisitive girl has been showing me the value in empathy and compassion," Choshu admitted, looking a bit embarrassed by the revelation. "This isn't easy for me either. I've spent a long time hating the Eagle Union, but you are not the same people, and I can't keep holding onto hate."

"Well, thank you." As small as it was, the girl managed a brief smile, both to Choshu and then to me. "And to you too, for coming. I'm sorry for making you waste all this time on me. Not sure why you didn't just rat me out to the captain instead."

It was true that I could've just informed the captain that she had gone missing, and I probably could've finished making dinner without hindrance, but that felt like it went against the spirit of the assignment. "I feel that the captain did not give us this assignment simply as a means of punishment, but to show that even in an extreme case of hostility, a camaraderie could still be forged through understanding and perseverance. After all, if the two of us can forge a friendship after what happened in the mess hall, then anything is possible between our two factions."

Kawakaze would've called me naive and foolish for having such a lofty dream, but I believed it was more important now than ever to hold onto one's ideals. Despite my moment of honesty, though, Montpelier just gave me another of her looks of thinly-veiled disgust.

"Ugh, that's just like something the captain would say," she remarked. "The two of you are starting to sound like a married couple, you know that?"

"M-m-m-married couple?" I blurted out as the heat rushed so fast to my head that it knocked me senseless. "I-I'm not—I mean, we're not—! I-it's nothing like that!" As I continued to verbally flail about, Choshu and Montpelier just broke down into howls of laughter. At least those two were getting along now.