Author's note: To answer the question about what manga this story has inspiration from, it's the Azur Lane Comic Anthology. Specifically, it's the more comedic variant than some of the serious comics out there. With that out of the way, on with the next chapter. You're welcome

Shikikan grunted as his muscles were strained while pushing up a heavy object. The object being a rod with iron weights on either side. Next to him was a tall woman wearing a formal military outfit that hugged her body tightly. She had black leggings that reached up to her thighs before showing a bit of her light skin. Her grey uniform followed and covered most of her upper body including her arms. The top of her breasts was covered up with some sort of black undergarment that was semi-translucent. She had black gloves that extended to her forearm before her garments were finished with a grey naval hat.

She was gray haired, the Commander is not biased against everyone else, but nowhere old looking. She looked most likely in her mid to late twenties with her orangish red eyes looking down at Shikikan with a calculated look. In her hand was a pocket watch that was ticking constantly.

"You're getting a little slow, Commander," she said quite firmly, her voice sounding of a person who had gone through a whole war and was bitter about it

"Give me a break, Cesare. If I had more time to myself and not getting chased after by the other factions, I would be here," Shikikan sighed as he set the bar safely on two hinges to hold it while he relaxed his tired muscles

"Speaking of which, where are they?" he looked around to see if anyone had even tried to search for him but not a single shipgirl was around besides the Sardegna Battleship

The Battleship seemed nonchalant as she closed her pocket watch and placed it in a pocket near her hip, "Who?"

"The other shipgirls, shouldn't there be at least a few here. I would expect some Eagle Union ships here,"

Truth be told, they were in the fitness room that all the factions shared. The Eagle Union were the most common to see in this facility but only outmatched to Giulio Cesare. She ran this room by herself and made sure this place was not only clean, but everything was put in the right spot. If someone broke something, they were going to have to pay for it.

"I gave them the day off. You need to exercise more than them, especially when you aren't the one being shot at," Cesare finally answered firmly, not taking any objections

Out of all the Italian ships, which weren't that many, the Commander found that Cesare was one of the sternest individuals of the group. The only one who was more stern was her superior but Cesare generally looked unhappy. Who could blame her? She felt bitterness against the Royal Navy when she fired the first shot and missed Warspite. That had to make such a proud ship like her very angry.

Her anger was tempered though, used the situations to benefit her and not become a deterrent. She used that humiliation of her first battle to train herself endlessly where she became almost as threatening as Warspite. Not in firepower, but in accuracy. At the same time, she often reeled in the other girls like Trento and Zara. The former being a complete klutz and the latter being too flirty with Shikikan.

Then there was Littorio, a complete narcissist to the point of blaming others for her failings. Every victory she gloated about and every defeat she pointed the finger at someone else. With Cesare around, and also the Commander, Littorio kept her mouth shut. But that was only a general aspect of them, they were much more complex than that.

Cesare's small frown was alleviated when she reached into a pocket on the opposite hip and procured two tickets, "Since we are done, for the time being, I would like you to accompany me for an opera tonight."

Shikikan raised a brow at the suggestion while taking one of the tickets to inspect it, "An opera on the base? Forgive me for asking, but are you and the other girls able to put one on?"

Cesare finally let a light smile crest on her face before she put a hand on her officer's cheek, "No, not here. I know a place off of the base that we can go to. It will be a trip but it's well worth the experience."

"So long as we get back in time to finish the paperwork and not have the other girls tear the base to shreds looking for me," Shikikan sighed before drinking from a bottle of water he had brought

Her gaze then hardened again as her hand transferred to Shikikan's shoulder, "Commander, may I speak bluntly to you?"

"Go ahead."

"You let the others walk over you too easily. The only thing keeping them from taking over is the fact you're a respectable leader and the only human not equipped with rigging," the Battleship started which made the Commander flinch with how bluntly truthful it was, "You need to have more fiducia."

"Fiducia?" the officer questioned with no clue what that meant

Cesare looked her officer in the eye that bore into his soul, "Confidence. If you don't stand your ground now, every girl here will force you into a marriage you didn't want."

Shikikan went silent as his thoughts played with her words. Eugen and Tirpitz to an extent were the only ones that he genuinely felt he willingly participated in a relationship. That wasn't to say the other girls weren't held dear to his heart, but everything seemed to be flying so fast. Yes, he's sortied with all of them countless times, but did that mean he shouldn't take his time to learn their complexities first before marrying them. Compared to a regular female, marriage with a shipgirl was nowhere like what was expectant of two people.

Although there were a ceremony and wedding rings, the girls themselves never stopped being who they were. In fact, they got better at their combative skills which raised some questions. Were the rings themselves enhancing them like better equipment or did they trust Shikikan with some risky strategies that paid off?

"So what you're saying is that I need to take control of my situation?" he finally asked the Battleship in front of him

Cesare gave a firm nod and a slight smile, "Exactly. I'm not saying to get cruel, but you need to step your foot down. It's plainly obvious you're stressed. Take it one step at a time and let us help you with the workload."

The Commander felt a weight fall off his shoulders as his mind began to immediately find solutions to that dreaded paperwork. Possibly get another secretary and have them handle more of work so he could focus on important matters. Less time on that paperwork means more time with himself and the girls. A win-win scenario.


Shikikan looked at himself in a mirror located within the restroom of his office. Since his previous uniform had been damaged thanks to a couple of angry shipgirls, he had to request a new one while wearing something to compensate. He found himself wearing a cream-colored shirt with a dark brown tie. His slacks were blue with a red stripe running down the sides and the nametag planted firmly on the chest.

Thankfully it was the last name only. The last name he shared with his two brothers that have passed on to whatever afterlife. This wasn't even his uniform, but his older brother before the Siren War took his life.

A knock on his office door took his attention away from the mirror. He walked over to open it only to find one of the most renown shipgirls to ever have fought in the Siren War. She dressed like she was an admiral of her fleet although the jacket she wore was eerily similar to Hornet's. She wore a collared white shirt paired with a black tie that spoke her reputation. Her long pale hair and violet eyes were mesmerizing for the uninitiated.

"You sure you don't need a fighter escort in case you run into any Sirens out there?" she informally spoke to Shikikan, not even referring his rank

The Commander shook his head while grabbing a dark blue jacket from a hanger to put on, "I'll be fine. Cesare is capable enough to not get us both killed. I'll signal for you or any nearby vessel if something goes wrong on the trip there."

He emphasized his point by grabbing a flare gun on the counter and putting it in his inside pocket in case of any emergency. This did not make the woman content with his reasoning. He couldn't blame her though. She had lost her two sister ships during the war and it was a miracle that Shikikan had brought them back with his Wisdom Cubes. However, what were to happen if he died?

"At least have someone accompany you other than one battleship," Enterprise said, trying to get the officer to play his cards safely than take a risk

"Isn't that how you play? Risky," Shikikan replied with a coy smile before putting on his naval cap and moving towards the front entrance to leave

He was about to reach for the door before it suddenly opened and a shivering cold wind entered the building. Two figures came inside dripping wet with rain as the officer looked outside to find it storming. Being so close to the equator on this particular island base meant the occasional storm was expectant. Thankfully they didn't get the worst of it, but it still was bothersome to deal with.

The figures that came inside were the Crane Sisters Shoukaku and Zuikaku. He requested for these two to take over secretary duties since they worked better together than separate. Their clothing was drenched in the hail of water that was blowing across the base. There wouldn't be an opera with this storm keeping all the ships docked.

"Looks like I'm not going after all," the officer muttered, going to retrieve a couple of towels so the poor Sakura aircraft carriers could dry themselves out

"Thank you, Shikikan-sama. We were on our way here until it began to pour," the brunette explained before she caught sight with Enterprise, "What's the Grey Ghost doing here?"

Shikikan was busy lighting a few candles around the building as a safety measure for when the power cut out. Although they had redone the power lines several times to be sure it didn't happen, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Commander?"

The Commander blew out a match he had on him before turning to the three aircraft carriers, "Hm? Oh, Enterprise was going to be the temporary base commander while I went out to go see an opera. With this storm, however, I will not be doing that."

There was a load of paperwork for all of them to get working on while he enjoyed some time to himself. Going back into the office, he sat back on his chair to mull over how he was going to figure this one out. With Z23 and Tirpitz now having promise rings, the other factions were now going to want some of their own to be vowed to. Takao was officially recognized although she needed a ceremony along with the previous two.

Did he like anyone on the Royal Navy and Eagle Union? Sure, Hornet mentioned that Baltimore had a thing for him but he wasn't going to tie the knot without a few dates at least. Cesare was right in the fact that he needed to slow this speeding train asap. He was only in his mid-twenties and here were so many girls trying to get married to him as their life depended on it.

Darkly, it was sort of true. What would happen to the shipgirls once the Sirens were permanently gone? Lose their rigging and live out the rest of their lives like normal people? Fight another war for their countries? The Sirens were the only reason they even banded together, but this base also allowed them to know each other. Form bonds or rivalries that would last them.

Not wanting to think on the somber thoughts, Shikikan turned to a small radio he had and tuned the frequency enough where he heard some music. It was nice and melodic that eased him of his ill thoughts on his future. He felt that this song was familiar. Something about how soothing it was made it feel familiar.

His eyes turned to a closet, a tug in his heartstrings compelling him to go to it. Unable to force this tug down, he approached the closet and looked inside. There were his clothes for different aspects of his day to day life. He had his wedding suit still there and fresh for the future ones he had to attend. Looking at the floor to a shoebox, he spotted a black cane that had aged quite a bit.

"Feels like I just put it in here," The Commander mused to himself with a smile at memories in his youth

He opened the shoebox to find a pair of black shoes that looked like any ordinary proper shoe. However, there was a piece of metal underneath the heel and sole of each shoe. He hadn't worn these in so many years since he joined the navy.

He closed the shoebox immediately once he felt like someone was about to enter his room. He closed the cabinet just as his door opened to find Zuikaku looking at him with a serious face.

"What do you need?" he asked her

Zuikaku came into the room with her arms crossed over her chest, "To settle an argument we have been having."

The Commander felt his eyes about to roll in annoyance. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Zuikaku was about to ask him. If there was an argument, it was most likely from two different sources; Enterprise or Akagi.

"What is it this time?" he questioned, going back to his seat so he could at least be in a comfortable position while he heard out the Sakura Aircraft Carrier

Zuikaku placed her hands on his desk on the opposite side while looking ready to rant, her slight blush forming on her face before she spoke, "Who is the better aircraft carrier in your fleet? Me or Grey Ghost?"

Shikikan knew he had to be careful with his words on this one question. If he sided with Enterprise, Zuikaku would immediately challenge her right then and there to prove him wrong. If he sided with Zuikaku, she would challenge Enterprise anyway to prove it. Either way, he sliced this one, there was going to be a competition. At least those two were in their prime whenever he needed them.

After some time to think about how he would word his answer, he spoke, "If I were to have just one aircraft carrier in my fleet, it would be Enterprise. If I had two, you and Shoukaku outperform her. It just depends on the situation and the needs of the fleet."

The Commander waited for the result of his answer, which surprisingly was in his favor. The serious look on Zuikaku's face fell off as she seemed content with that sort of answer. Sure, she wasn't better on a one vs one basis, but she was better when paired with her sister. That alone should speak volumes about how useful she was, or it could be easily used against her.

"Zuikaku! You have work to do!" the voice of Shoukaku yelled from outside the room

Zuikaku left the room in a hurry to not disappoint her sister. Shikikan only chuckled before he turned the radio's volume up higher so he wouldn't hear the voices of the girls. The music changed to a slow piano that reminded the Commander about the Royal Ball soon. No doubt he would be dancing with some of the ladies in the navy such as Illustrious. It wasn't unheard of to assume that the shipgirls he was engaged to and those who sought his love would be there.

He rose from his desk and made sure to lock his room door before positioning himself in the middle of his room. Not a lot of space to work with but he didn't need that much to get himself ready. Closing his eyes, he imagined his room turn into the vast ballroom the Royal Navy had. Being the only male on the base was kind of tricky since dances like the waltz required multiple partners to be beautiful. Then again, the girls wouldn't complain when they got to dance with the Commander. Having only him as a partner meant that he could realistically dance a whole musical piece with one girl.

The radio's music became an orchestra in the background as Shikikan moved slowly and elegantly in circles. Occasionally he would stop to perform a spin with his invisible partner. Unlike the dancing he experienced when he was younger, the waltz was not full of energy. Everything had to be slow and carefully done instead of the more energetic and lively dance of his teens.

His concentration broke when he looked back at the closet that held those shoes of his. Another tug of his heart to just put them on for a short time. Shikikan bit his lip and contemplated the consequences. He was the Commander, so he should do anything he wanted to so long as he didn't break protocol.


In the Royal Navy dormitories, Queen Elizabeth was looking out at the harsh rain that had pounded the base for the past couple hours. She was sipping her nightly tea before she got herself ready for bed. The winds had died down out of randomness but the rain was still pouring down. All ships were grounded and no one could go out until the storm had passed.

"Hm, if it weren't for the rain, I would have taken a stroll," Elizabeth hummed to herself before she noticed something

Someone was out and about despite the rain being poured on them. Not only that but they were making some jerky movements that indicated they weren't just walking. The Queen couldn't see who it was due to the darkness but if they just stood under a lampost.

Then they did and the Queen spit out her tea that she was sipping. This person was Shikikan and he looked to be dancing in the middle of the rain!

"Belfast, what the bloody hell is the Commander thinking?!" the petite battleship asked her head maid

The light cruiser looked over to where her Majesty was looking to be equally shocked in Shikikan in the middle of nature's tears in a good mood. He wore a full coat and his naval cap to reduce the amount of water hitting his bare skin but he still looked drenched either way.

"I...I have no idea, your Highness. I think the stress of having to marry so many girls has gotten to the Commander's head," Belfast answered with uncertainty in her tone

"He's going to have a nasty cold if he continues,"

The two continued to watch Shikikan perform his little routine out in the harsh rain. They couldn't hear his steps due to their distance and the interior blocking the sounds. It was all too amusing to see the Commander in such a state. Either he had gone mad or something particularly exciting must have happened.


Except it didn't and the officer was now laying in bed with a thermometer in his mouth and a wet towel on his forehead. His nightly dance in the rain made him a shivering mess and now he had the flu because of it. Never trust his heart if it was going to make him do some stupid things. Then again, he never felt better with all forms of his stress erased temporarily.

"You shouldn't have gone out there," he heard Enterprise chastise him

Despite his illness, he felt pretty good about himself, "No regrets."

"You're an idiot, Shikikan," he heard Shoukaku mutter

"A loveable one," he quipped right back, earning a heavy blush and pout from Shoukaku

"Is there anything you need? Soup?" Zuikaku also asked him, trying to take more responsibility due to her sister wanting her to take it more seriously around the Commander

From his lying position, the girls standing over him, and Zuikaku's short dress, he couldn't help but notice something that made him both blush and have a mischievous grin on his face, "Not if you keep flashing me like that."

The brunette's face lit up as brightly as her red dress when she heard him say that. On instinct, she covered herself up before screaming at her sick officer, "S-Shikikan you pervert!"


A more serious and dramatic chapter with some humor sprinkled in there. I've been getting a lot of follows lately and some requests on some shipgirls. I will say that I have not gotten some of those shipgirls so I most likely will not show them off here without some prior research in their personality.

As usual, stay tuned for the next chapter.