Shikikan laid sleeping in his bed with a blissful smile on his face. After a hectic day on the beach where it looked like the war restarted in an instant, the Commander was glad he was finally away from it all. At least there was some order brought back with the battleships and carriers ending the conflict before it got out of proportion. But he didn't need to worry about it because he found himself in sleep's embrace. An embrace that he looked forward to every night because sleep didn't try to murder him or force him into sexual actions.

But as much as he enjoyed sleeping, it ended too quickly. The sun rose faster than normal and forced the officer to slowly wake up. The rays causing the Commander to squint his eyes and use his blanket as a shield. Then the alarm began to sound next to his bed. He groaned in annoyance as his eyes opened.

"Five...more...minutes," Shikikan grumbled, slapping the alarm to end the disturbing rings it made

To his dismay, the door to his personal room was kicked open loudly. Instead of jumping up in shock, Shikikan just gave a grunt. Whoever had just opened his door without knocking or even letting him know that they were coming, was getting on his nerves already. He hadn't even started his day with the paperwork yet.

"Rise and shine, Commander. Your secretary is here!" said a female voice with much more energy than the other secretaries

Only one shipgirl had this energy within his secretaries. Still half-asleep, he looked up to notice a woman that was only slightly shorter than him by a couple of inches. Her blond hair tied into two ponytails with a couple of groups of strands closer to her forehead. She wore little clothing besides a black bikini, a black cape, a black and gold hat finished with black thigh high stockings. Compared to her two other sisters, she was a handful to keep up with.

"Hornet...When were you my secretary?" Shikikan questioned while burying his face into the pillow in defiance

The Yorktown-Class aircraft carrier put her hands on her hips which only exaggerated her slender body, "I asked my big sister to take the commissions I normally go on. She owes me after the last time we faced a Siren together."

The Commander didn't respond due to his desire to fall back asleep. Hornet only smiled before grabbing the blanket with a firm grip and ripping it off of the officer. Normally, Shikikan would just not have a blanket over him but there was a thing about shipgirls. They are much stronger than they look. As a result, he was thrown off his bed and onto the floor. To make it worse, Hornet even opened the windows to let the light in.

"Awake yet?"

Shikikan grumbled once more but he slowly got up with tired expression. He rubbed his eyes to slightly glare at the upbeat carrier in front of him, "I need a coffee."


Hornet and Shikikan were in the mess hall with the officer drinking a mug of coffee and eating a decent breakfast. Hornet seemed content with just a mug of coffee due to her always being up before everyone else. If you asked the Commander, he'd say Hornet should have been a destroyer with the energy she had.

"So, what's going on? While I was just enjoying the beach yesterday, everyone began arguing and fighting each other besides the submarines and most of the destroyers," Hornet questioned her officer which prompted him to take a moment to think

He thought back to yesterday's events and how it turned from a good day to the worst day he had. It wasn't all bad, considering Hood had feelings for quite some time. That and he wasn't going to be chastised for having more than one romantic partner. But with the news dropped on top of him at that very moment caused him to lose his sanity. Thankfully a good night's rest was a good way to recover.

Shikikan took one last gulp of his coffee before sighing, "A good amount of the girls here are fighting themselves for my affections. I guess when you don't have Sirens trying to kill you, I'm on their mind. Apparently there was some agreement between the factions that at least one of them would marry me."

The Yorktown-Class carrier giggled, "Looks like you made another war. So much for having some peace."

"You don't have to remind me," the Commander muttered with his head downcast

"So," Hornet began as she finished her coffee, "Who are the lucky ladies so far?"

Despite the bad situation Shikikan was in, he found himself having a small smile thinking on the girls that he was in love with, "So far, Eugen is the only one I technically married. Hood kissed me yesterday so I'm safe to assume she'll want to get married soon."

"Wow, so two spots are filled already? You work fast," Hornet grinned before waving off a glare the Commander shot her way, "No one else is in your sights?"

Shikikan finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth clean with a napkin, "Do you know anything about how the Sakura Empire sees relationships?"

Hornet blinked a bit before raising a brow, "No, why are you asking me?"

"Let's just say I'm a bit worried for Shoukaku,"


On the other side of the island was the dormitory area for the Sakura ships. When the Commander had defeated them and made them a part of his fleet, they got a part of the island to themselves. Not surprisingly, this part of the island had many Sakura based architecture and many shrines. While the trees were not anything from their homeland, they brought some of their own to make into a garden.

But the scene was within one of the structures where many of the high ranking Sakura girls were seated around a long rectangular table. Unlike the other girls, the Sakura ships kneeled with cushions underneath them instead of sitting on their rears.

One of the shipgirls, positioned at one end of the table, rose up elegantly. She wore a simple dark uniform that was pretty modest compared to most of her associates. She wasn't an overly curvy woman but she was beautiful despite the horns on her head, "It is time to decide who will marry our courteous Shikikan. Any recommendations?"

Not surprisingly, Akagi rose calmly with her slightly sadistic smile, "If I may, I would recommend myself since I was the first of the Sakura carriers to join the Commander's side. Only I know of his l-"

"As expected, Akagi. Any others?" Mikasa looked around at the various Sakura ships kneeled at the table, "Who was the last secretary from our faction?"

All eyes went towards Shoukaku, the protective crane sister having her eyes closed. One set of eyes was filled with fire and she knew it. Zuikaku looked at her older sister with a concerned expression. Sure, they were the first actual aircraft carriers compared to the others, but Akagi's fury knew no bounds.

"It was I," Shoukaku finally spoke, "But I would suggest something better, if I may."

Mikasa gave a nod as Shoukaku stood up, "Even as his secretary, I will not impose myself on Shikikan. It is better that he decide which one of us he chooses."

Akagi's glare lightened up, satisfied that her potential rival was playing smart, "Well said."

Mikasa put a hand under her chin in some thought. A small smile creased her lips which earned looks from the other Sakura, "Technically, the agreement was at least one of us would join the Commander's side. It never restricted that more than o-"

She froze when she noticed some empty seats among the table. Oh no, she opened the gates of hell on the Commander now.


Shikikan and Hornet were walking around the island just to talk and enjoy the weather while it lasted. For some reason, the officer felt a chill ran up his spine as if something bad was about to happen. Hornet rose a brow but decided not to press the issue. The Commander had too many things on his mind anyway.

"Hey Commander, just a quick question, what do you think of my sisters?" Hornet asked out of curiosity, "Don't stress over it, I won't tell a soul."

"Well, Enterprise has always been the saving grace of many operations. I have an admiration for her but I wouldn't consider myself wanting to date her." Shikikan answered partially while running his hand through his hair to think, "Yorktown, I haven't really talked to her since she was reconstructed. As far as I'm concerned, I'm glad all three of you are together."

Hornet smiled brightly at the statement, "Yeah, me too. Family stays together. Speaking of which, you have any siblings?"

They passed by a field while the Commander grimaced at the question. His tone went low, almost to a whisper, "Used to."

Hornet frowned in response, feeling a bit guilty for asking the question and how she had her sisters while the Commander did not. Was it the Siren war or a fallout within his family? Nobody really knew much about Shikikan's direct family other than he had parents.

"Sorry for asking," the carrier murmured

"No, it's fine. Can't dwell on the past," Shikikan assured, his tone coming back to normal, "I was the middle child. Older brother was a marine and the youngest was a paratrooper."

A brief silence followed while the duo continued walking down a dirt path. It led to a lightly wooded area with birds chirping endlessly in harmony. No main guns firing to drown them out or sand being blown into the air by shelling. The Commander preferred it this way, nature left on its own without man's warfare to desecrate it.

"I want to thank you," Hornet suddenly spoke after their silence was too much for her to stand, "Enterprise wouldn't have been so happy if you hadn't brought me and Yorktown back."

Shikikan looked down at the carrier with a small smile tracing his lips, "Family sticks together."

Hornet gave a nod before a bright idea came to her head, "Oh, I want to show you something, Commander."

"That is?" he questioned back

"The Royal Navy is hosting another party to celebrate your leadership and stuff next week. I think they're being too nice about it but they invited everyone to join. So...I just…" Hornet explained before she mumbled the last part with a nervous look

"You what?" The Commander asked, wanting the details

"I'll show you," Hornet tilted her hat down while grabbing Shikikan's hand and pulling him towards the Eagle Union dormitory


Shikikan was waiting outside of Hornet's personal room while looking at the clock ticking down time slowly. Hornet insisted he wait for her to call him inside while she got looked for a particular item. What item was she looking for? He had no clue. He leaned against the wall next to the door while occasionally looking down the hallway.

"You can come in now," he heard a voice from the other side of the wooden door

He pushed himself off the wall and opened the door to find Hornet in a surprisingly different appearance. Her cape was replaced with a dress that covered more of her body than her usual attire. She ditched her hat and had a couple of noticeable ties to her hair. The dress itself looked like it just fit over her usual attire and made her at least look proper.

"What do you think?" Hornet asked while doing a little spin so the officer could see all of it

"I gotta say, I never envisioned you to wear a dress," Shikikan commented which made the carrier smile her trademark grin, "You look good."

"Ah, you're being too nice like those Royal Navy girls. Thanks anyway," Hornet replied back before waving the Commander to leave her room so she could dress back to normal

As the officer left her personal quarters, Hornet couldn't help but smile like a child. She had waited for almost a year for Akashi to make her something like this. She didn't participate in the last party due to not having a dress. As much as she would have gone in her normal clothes, she'd rather not upset Shikikan. Now, she had something legitimate to attend this year's party.

Her happy thoughts were interrupted when she heard some voices on the other side of the wall. A couple of female voices and one male. No doubt Shikikan was talking to a couple of shipgirls but she swore she knew these ones.

Opening the door to her room, she was greeted with the Commander talking to Akagi and Shoukaku. Well, more like keeping the two from letting their planes bombard each other.

"Know your place, Shoukaku. I am clearly entitled for Shikikan's first wife," the fiery kitsune stated

The officer quipped, "Technically Eugen was first."

Sadly his words fell on deaf ears while the Crane Maiden retorted, "That is up for Shikikan to decide. If it was decided on who was the closest, then I should be the one."

Hornet walked over to the Commander with a blank expression on her face as the two aircraft carriers were verbally threatening each other. There was always a bit of bad blood between the different divisions and it didn't help the Commander was the center of it.

"Hey Commander, want to grab a cola while these two duke it out?" the Yorktown-class carrier questioned

Shikikan gave a nod as the duo began to walk away. Leaving the Sakura carriers bantering back and forth.


The sky had darkened and the sun had fallen by the time Shikikan and Hornet got to work on today's paperwork. At least it was a lighter load compared to previous days but it still was quite a bit. At least the quarreling Sakura carriers weren't around to distract them while they worked tirelessly on the mountain. A pot of coffee was on the desk with a mug already full for the Commander.

He probably had at least three, possibly four, full cups at this point. His hand ached with the constant signing of paper that felt so irrelevant. Why did this always have to be filled out? Azur Lane Command seriously needed to hire a working staff for all this instead of passing it along to the admirals. Well, more like the only admiral still available.

Hornet yawned while stretching her arms out, her eyes wanting to close so badly, "What time is it?"

A quick glance at the clock on the far side of the office showed that it was close to midnight. Definitely a time they should have hit the bed already instead of working on paper. The Commander took a sip of his coffee and looked at the remnants of paper left on his desk.

"We're practically done, just a few more," Shikikan sighed, massaging his hand to reduce the aching he felt

Hornet got up from the secretary's desk and walked over to see the last pieces of paper. Mostly it was reports from patrols, commissions, or if an accident occurred on base. Occasionally, there would be a packet of pages requesting a structure being built or retrofits being authorized.

Hornet's eyes lit up despite how tired she was, grabbing a sheet of paper that held paragraphs full of paper, "Hey, it looks like Balti is racking up the kill count. She just might beat my record."

The Commander looked at the carrier next to him in confusion, "Why do you even have a record of how many hostiles you took out?"

"Bragging rights," The youngest of the three Yorktown sisters answered with a cheeky grin, "Don't tell Balti that I told you, but I think she's interested if you want to date her."

Shikikan gave her a blank look in response to such a suggestion, "I have my hands full already if you didn't notice yesterday. I am not saying I wouldn't date her."

"So you do want to?" her grin only grew wider while Shikikan was getting slightly annoyed

"If she were to ask me out, then yes. I am perfectly fine with giving anyone a chance if they ask me first. I do have exceptions though," he replied back to stop Hornet from teasing him further

"I'll give her the hint that you might be interested then. Don't be surprised if she asks you. Balti isn't as shy as the other heavy cruisers nor is she trying to reject her feelings like Takao does."

Shikikan sighed in defeat as he really didn't want another Sakura ship in their civil war, "Please tell me you're pulling my leg."

"I could if I really wanted to but I might dislocate it or possibly break it," the carrier replied back, her grin still plastered on her face

"Smart ass,"

Hornet gave another yawn before she placed her head on the Commander's shoulder. He didn't say anything as he felt her body weight press on his side, but thank goodness she didn't weigh more than she looked. She may have more strength than she looked but she wasn't heavier.

Shikikan got back to finishing the last of the paperwork that took him another twenty minutes. By that point, he felt Hornet's body rise and fall softly with her breathing. Taking a look, the Yorktown-Class carrier was asleep although in an uncomfortable position. He really didn't keep any of his secretaries this long nor did he force them to stay for the night besides a couple of occasions.

It was too late to wake Hornet up and send her back to the Eagle Union dormitory. So, like a responsible commander that he was, Shikikan did the next best thing. He carefully put his arms underneath her body and lifted her bridal style. He walked her over to his bed and laid her down carefully. He made sure the blankets covered her before he yawned himself.

Knowing that sleeping in his currently occupied bed would not only cause the love war to go insane, but also make Hornet uncomfortable once she woke up. He sat back down on his chair and rested his legs on top of his desk. Not the most comfortable spot, but he's dealt with much worse.

When he was about to close his eyes and fall asleep, he noticed something outside his window. He took a closer look but it disappeared before he got a good look at it. His tired mind let it go and he went back to getting some sleep.

Tomorrow he was going to have someone from the Ironblood becoming his secretary. He knew Eugen wasn't going to be there due to her role of leading some of the most difficult sorties. As much as he wanted to think on who would be here tomorrow, his eyes closed and his mind fluttered off.

With his mind in the dreamworld, all his thoughts that he normally restricted were now unleashed. His mind replayed the events of sleeping with Shoukaku two days ago, Hood's beautiful body, and Akagi's obsessive love. Lord have mercy on him if Akagi ever went through with her threats when she found him with another shipgirl. That kitsune would probably bomb the entire island just to keep him to herself.

Oh well, at least he couldn't complain about picking up girls.