Hey everyone, here's another chapter. After this, I'm going to focus on more fluffy material I originally wanted to do. So stay tuned for that.


Another day awakened the Admiral in his quarters with harsh rays forcing him out of slumber. His late night departure from France threw off his sleep schedule enough to where he spent the remainder of yesterday resting. No one dared bother him when he wasn't sleeping well due to his short fuse and ranting. At some points, push the officer enough and one could see his personality become that of Roon. Sleep was very important to him and all the shipgirls respected that at least, for the most part.

Today was the day that he got to travel for an opera show. The trip alone shouldn't be as long since Sardegna was much closer to the naval base. Walking over to his desk with a fresh cup of coffee, Shikikan began to look into files on his new priority ships. He had gotten familiar with Gascogne but the others were still a mystery to him. Two battleships, a destroyer, a light cruiser, and a 'super' cruiser. How did Command classify a 'super' cruiser compared to a heavy cruiser?

Thankfully his quarters were insulated well since the snow outside had not gone away. It wouldn't be warm until next month, if the weather predictions were anything to go off of. Then again, the Sirens have screwed over the Earth's weather a few times with their tech. Thankfully High Command tracked down their signals and left his fleet to take them out. One step closer to bringing the planet back to normal, or as close to normal.

"I should probably go for some muscle training," the Admiral mused to himself before turning to his kitchen to whip up some breakfast

The door to his office was opened which made the man look back confused. Nobody was supposed to come in unless it was…

"Although much better than usual, Sirius still has much to learn from your filthy room, Master," a flat tone rung in his ears

A part of him wanted to roll his eyes when he recognized the voice. The very blunt maid known as Sheffield that served as a spy for Queen Elizabeth. Probably one of the few shipgirls that had a fascination with firearms due to her rigging using firearm-like designs. Her blank expression rivaled that of Gascogne but at least the maid could show expression when she wanted to. Although, Shikikan never gave her a secretary duty since the maids had more important matters.

Unless Queen Elizabeth sent her on purpose. Except, that was stretching the imagination.

"What brings you here, Sheffield?" the Admiral asked, returning to prepping his own breakfast

"Orders to serve you. I see George V has taught you well," the light cruiser replied back

He scoffed at the name, "I knew how to cook before George joined the fleet. She just so happened to refine my technique."

"You only knew how to prepare rations and basic needs at most, Master."

"Ouch, Sheffy is being super blunt today."

As the man prepared his own meal, Sheffield's gaze went towards the holstered revolver that lay at his desk. Her amber eyes lighting up while making her way to 'clean' the area in the meantime. Her small hands gripping around the rubber grip with her nimble fingers trailing over the weapon's surface. In a few moments, her fingers began to disassemble the weapon with ease despite it being completely unique. The chamber gently placed on the desk with the body beginning to be polished by the maid.

The entire time, the officer watched her with awe, "I take it you're a gun nut."

The polishing stopped in an instant, Sheffield's body tensing up, "A maid must know her weapons and how to maintain them properly, Master."

"That's not your weapon." he pointed out

"Yes, it is not. But you clearly don't take care of it," she said right back

"I've only fired it once."

"You should be firing it more often to ensure it can protect you during battle."

The Admiral dropped the conversation since there was no point in speaking with Sheffield without being told off. It wasn't just him she had this rude behavior towards. Anyone outside of her superiors got this treatment unless she was awfully gracious that day. The only other one to get some form of kindness was Edinburgh. Although, Edinburgh was a bit of a clutz with their missions so Sheffield was often making up the difference.

"Well, I'll be gone all day and I won't return until early morning. Make sure no one is in my room unless their dropping off mail, reports, or something important. I expect it to be spotless," Shikikan said firmly, taking on a hardened officer expression since the maid only responded to such authority loyally

"Understood, Master."

After a quick breakfast, the man left the room to be taken care of by Sheffield. The light cruiser doing her duty to make the room spotless as ordered. Except, when her eyes landed on the officer's closet, she looked around the room to check for any shipgirls nearby. With none outside the bedroom or near the windows, she opened the closet and plucked out one of the many collared shirts available. The shirt in Sheffield's hands was a bit wrinkled but what the maid did next was something only she knew.

Bringing the shirt close to her face, she sniffed for any odors of the Admiral. A look of bliss fell upon her face with her cheeks slightly blushing before she quickly returned back to normal.


The Admiral felt a sense of relief once he left Sheffield to her duties. He couldn't understand that girl no matter how hard he tried to be nice to her. At least she was a great fighter within the Maid Corps along with Sirius. He pushed those thoughts out as he made his way towards the gym to get a proper routine going while being light on his legs. He hadn't gotten clearance to do any intense training from Vestal so the upper body was getting all the work today.

The Admiral wanted to check on the Hipper's progress with the battle armor since it had been roughly two days since they last spoke. Surely something had to been done since then. So, taking a detour, he made his way towards Akashi's shop to see the report. The snow made his feet feel heavier this time around since his shoes dug into the snow-covered ground.

The door opened to reveal a Hipper asleep on the floor with tools still in her hands and various other items scattered around the lab. Some looked to have been from the Ironblood's personal equipment room with datapads holding various details on the project. The armor was currently just a metal frame with the plating set on a table along with a Wisdom Cube that was no smaller than a sugar cube. Must have been the power source keeping the power armor going.

"Hipper, you awake?" the Admiral chuckled while inspecting the various parts for himself

"ZzzzZ….dummkofp...ZzzzzZ," the heavy cruiser muttered in her sleep while drooling onto the floor

The officer rolled his eyes while grabbing the helmet, looking inside to see if there was anything he hadn't noticed from earlier. Nothing seemed off from the interior except for one little patch with faint writing on it. Upon closer inspection, the man was rewarded with a couple of numbers that reminded him of a game. A game he and his brothers used to play all the time during the short rest periods during the war.

Twenty-One

Sounds of explosions and gunfire rang in officer's ears as he remembered the fateful day. He was just a junior officer on Martin's flagship when it all happened. They were just a fleet traveling to reinforce a position when one of the Sirens attacked and shredded half of the fleet including one of the ships carrying his older brother. A shredded ship broke in two and dragged all those onboard to the depths without a hint of mercy.

His younger brother was not part of the fleet but the airbase was attacked at the same time. too coincidental for both a fleet and an airbase to be attacked at once. Since then, Martin had requested Shikikan be stationed at this naval base away from the front lines for a time. There weren't any shipgirls at the time but he did find some peace to be fit for command. From there, he got to meet the shipgirls for the first time and begin forming his own fleet.

Part of him felt the Sirens had planned this whole thing from the very beginning. A sentiment that was shared among the factions with how events turned out. Putting the helmet back onto the table, the Admiral looked back at the sleeping Hipper. She shouldn't have stayed up to get all this stuff disassembled, but he was appreciative of her dedication. If she were awake, he would have told her how good of an older sister she was.

The thought of her probably going full tsundere on him forced a smile. Well, now it was time to get some upper body training since Hipper still had much to do. Leaving the shop, he returned back to the route. The base was calm, peaceful, and silent with many of the shipgirls still indoors either asleep or staying away from the cold. He hoped that he and Cesare could just an opera without the others butting in.


"I thought this was going to be just us,"

"I tried...but they insisted for your safety."

Shikikan grumbled as he stood on Cesare's bow. The battleship being protected by the other Sardegna ships sailing in front as a vanguard. He had hoped there wouldn't be a need for an escort but again, he was denied such luxuries. His life was in danger the same amount each day since this war had started. What was the necessity to protect him as their lives depended on it?

Although, the Sirens were always tricky enemies to deal with. Any moment could lead to a sudden battle group coming out of their portals to ambush their enemy. Their silence didn't make it any better. No reports of secret weapons being constructed in the polar regions or any coastline. No reports of Siren ships in any of the seas.

Just silence.

"Cesare, do you think the Sirens are up to something?" the man finally asked with boredom sinking in

The woman looked towards him in confusion, "They are always scheming. Why such a redundant question?"

"Because this isn't like them to have no fleets anywhere on the planet. Not a single trace of them for months."

"I see...You believe they possibly escaped into a separate timeline?"

The Admiral thought on it but shook his head, "No. I think they're gathering strength since we are more than capable of pushing them back."

"That makes more sense. It's possible they could be preparing for a final assault, but it's hard to tell." Cesare muttered as she turned to look at the ocean, "Have you taken my advice to heart?"

"A bit, but when I'm dealing with some very 'unique' individuals, it's kind of hard to assert myself," the officer admitted

"Like whom?"

"A particular kitsune, a certain queen, and our little narcissist," the Admiral answered while taking a quick glance towards Littorio

Cesare nodded, understanding the shipgirls the man was referring to, "Ah yes, those three. Are you sure there aren't any others that have been giving you trouble?"

"Not that I can think of. I've heard a new batch of shipgirls would be arriving from the Sakura Empire. Then the Eagle Union has three battleships coming in after their voyage held nothing. No, I can't think of anyone else,"

"Naturalmente, I would not mind sparing with these Eagle Union battleships or taking on Warspite once more,"

The Admiral nodded, wanting to see the Italian battleship take on the famous Warspite in another long-range competition. His attention went back to the sea as the land was nearing, the edge of Italy that made the 'boot' of Europe. The port of Augusta was in sight, a landing zone the Allies used back in the Second Great War. Now, it was one of many ports this country used for trade since the nations had finally banded together.

"So is this where we're docking?" he asked

"No, we'll be swinging around to Marsala before taking a trip to the Teatro Massimo," Cesare answered as the fleet began to turn to their left, hugging the coastline

Another hour of travel and the Italian fleet began to make preparations to dock in one of the ports. The escort fleet allowed Cesare's vessel to enter first before they followed suit. Once docked, Shikikan made his way off the ship and onto the Italian port that he never saw with his own two eyes. He had gotten to the island of Sardinia once but that expedition was short since the Royal Navy had beaten the Sardegna Navy to a pulp.

Was it really a fair fight when the Royal Navy had aircraft carriers and the Italians didn't bother making any?

Once the rest of the fleet had docked, the group was happily transported from the docks due to the efforts of the locals. Risking your life for humanity had its perks, the local populace of many countries giving their thanks in some form. Whether it was free food or a free night at a hotel, the Admiral couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. He hardly did anything but strategize the battle fleets, it was the shipgirls who did all the hard work. Without them, humanity would be extinct by now.

Packed in a Fiat, the Admiral looked out the window to see the Italian countryside. The daylight sun exposing the beautiful green land that once housed the Roman Empire thousands of years ago. It reminded him of that vision he had, the one with his counterpart. This place would be nice to take a vacation away from the military. Somewhere away from all the worries to settle down and maybe have a family. His mother would love to be out here.

"Something on your mind, Ammiraglio?" he heard Cesare question him since he had been silent since the docking

Annoyingly, Littorio had decided to come with the two in this car while the other girls had taken a second car, "Cesare, he's clearly admiring our beautiful country. Such beauty does not last long in conflict. Soak it in while you can, Ammiraglio."

"That was strangely a wise thing to say, Littorio, " the officer noted, tearing his gaze away to look towards the woman who sat in front seat

The Italian woman brushed her hair away from her face confidently smug, "I know the faces of men who clearly want something after devoting themselves to ceaseless war. If you ever have any reservations needed to be dealt with, be sure to bring it up to me."

Shikikan rolled his eyes with a smirk of his own, "Taking lessons from Zara I see. Are you practicing to serenade Illustrious?"

Cesare stifled a laugh as Littorio tensed up at the mention of the aircraft carrier. Cesare mentioned how the battleship was fascinated with Illustrious when they met in battle. As far as anyone was concerned, it was not romantic in any way. The Admiral just assumed Littorio wondered how ships with no guns of their own could change the tide of battle when battleships once ruled. A sentiment that Mikasa shared but it couldn't be helped.

"Aha, I see that you're joking. It's apparent that someone fed you that intelligence," Littorio replied, trying to hold onto her bravado

"I have my sources,"

"Does it happen to be one of those Royal Maids? It's surprising that you haven't had any of them 'service' you,"

The officer replied, "Protocols dictate that I ca-"

"Does that explain that night with Akagi?" Littorio had effectively flipped the pressure with Cesare's eyes going towards him instantly for confirmation

Shikikan, likewise, was stupefied that Littorio somehow learned of this. He had High Command wipe off all evidence, "H-how did you.."

"Cavour told me," Littorio smirked, looking at one of the many roses she had with a smug look

Cesare couldn't hold her tongue any longer, "How did Cavour learn of this? You're not saying…"

Littorio gently picked off the thorns of the rose as she answered, "She's took over Veneto's seat at the council since Veneto was busy. Mikasa mentioned our little Ammiraglio has already promised three of the Sakura women."

"I didn't see any of them wearing rings besides Takao. Meaning…" Cesare said out loud before putting her fingers to the bridge of her nose in irritation, "You let them do that to you."

The metaphorical glass shattered around the Admiral with his little secrets having been found out. It wasn't the fact that he promised three women of the Sakura, he already did that with the Ironbloods. It was the fact that for as much of a man believing in protocols, he broke them if someone pushed hard enough.

"Don't worry, Ammiraglio, this will be just between us. No one else besides the council knows of this, although I do wonder what the Royal Navy would think? That little Queen Elizabeth gets so easily flustered," Littorio giggled

No response from the officer. He just looked down with an extreme blush on his face with the shame of having those two events unfolded. It could have been worse but now Littorio had all the cards in her hand and Cesare was no doubt upset about this revelation. If the other factions learned of this, a civil war would erupt on the base. He could imagine it now.

Ironbloods and Royal Navy squaring off once more to prove who was the superior faction between them. Eagle Union and Sakura throwing themselves at each other in a war of attrition while the Iris would probably go into their own little civil war. Then again, they served him so the worst thing would be they claw each other for his affections. That was something Shikikan didn't want to happen.

Littorio won this round. He greatly underestimated how cunning she was underneath that overconfidence.

"You want something don't you?" the Admiral asked waringly

"Oh yes, a rematch with the Royal Navy without their aircraft carriers," the Italian woman answered

Both the officer and Cesare just stared at such a stupid demand considering the amount of blackmail Littorio had on the man. All this for a rematch?!

Cesare was the first to speak, "Che cosa? Why didn't you ask them yourself?"

"To prove that Littorio outshines even the Ammiraglio. Victory is so sweet."

Shikikan sighed in relief as this allowed him to keep that secret down until this whole mess with the war and these girls were over. There was no way that was all Littorio wanted from him. Something more was behind that confidence she shined out.

What was she up to?


The rest of the drive was less chaotic and more focused on observing the Italian country. By nightfall, the group had arrived at one of the most famous opera houses in Italy, Massimo Theater. There was a long line of course but thanks to the group's reputation, mainly on the Admiral's, they got a special pass through. No doubt the crowd would be a bit peeved to have waited a long time only for a smaller group to walk in easily.

Shikikan was once more thrust into an old world with the architecture of the building being an entity of its own. Plenty of floor seating with many private booths for guests to observe on either side of the stage. With the lighting on, the gold shone out to mystify those who had never had the luxury to visit such a monument. Above was a painted ceiling that hardly competed with those of the cathedrals but was no less amazing. Gold and red, such beautiful colors to witness in the interior.

At least the rest of the Italian ships had the courtesy of leaving the couple to observe the play by themselves. Carabiniere did here usual job of guarding the entrance of their booth although she was only armed with a saber instead of her rifle. Even with the peace, the Admiral was able to bring momentarily, the officials weren't going to let them bring guns into a theater.

Awaiting the play to begin, the officer took this moment to speak to Cesare, "Look, I'm sorry about...what Littorio revealed. I thought that stuff was under the rug but I deeply miscalculated. I should have never let myself go that far."

"Why are you apologizing to me? I was looking out for your safety once this whole compromise began. Messy business it is. Signore, perdonaci," Cesare replied back

"So you're not mad?"

"I never said that."

Shikikan frowned, "You're really bothered by that aren't you?"

Cesare's answer was to take one of her gloves and slap the man across the face in tempered anger. His face stung for sure but this was nowhere what the Italian battleship could do to him. For as long as he had known her, the punishment was much harsher than this. The Admiral expected more force behind the slap or a punch. He did deserve that after his whole copulation between Akagi and Shoukaku was unveiled.

If his mother found that out, well, she could probably hit harder than Cesare even for an old woman.

"Better?" he asked, resisting the urge to sooth his red cheek.

"Si,"

The lights dimmed as the seats on the ground were filling up quickly. It took less than twenty minutes for the crowd to arrange themselves and fill the entire theater. The lights turned off to shroud the audience in darkness while stage lights sprang to life to reveal a red curtain covering the stage. Minutes passed by before the curtain was raised to reveal the stage set with the back wall revealing a scene within an Italian town.

Actors came on stage and began to sing in the Italian tongue. The only bad part about this whole trip was Shikikan unable to understand what was being said, only using body language as an interpretation.

But there was little the officer could figure out, "Cesare, what are they singing?"

The battleship was focused on the opera with the words of the Admiral breaking her out of concentration, "Conversations. The woman is Tosca, a young lady who is madly in love with her friend, Cavaradossi. This is set within Rome during the Napoleonic Wars so Italy was not unified per se. Scarpia, the corrupt official, is also madly in love with Tosca and plots to have her for himself."

Shikikan nodded, still finding it hard to keep track of what was going on but at least Cesare gave him the synopsis. This opera felt like one of those dramatic shows his mother was always into but the man couldn't stand watching. The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to this his own life was now a drama. Tangled up romances to help keep the factions together when humanity needed to be united.

An hour passed before an intermission allowed everyone to walk around to either refresh themselves or relieve themselves. Cesare had gone to the restroom leaving the man to wait and think. He didn't notice Littorio enter the booth until she sat next to him with a cheeky grin on her face and that rose in her hands.

"I see Cesare left her mark on you,"

The officer rolled his eyes, "What is it you want, Littorio?"

Bemusement danced in her eyes as she twirled the rose in her hands before presenting it, "A little recompense gift. Cesare is shy to reveal her feelings to you, Ammiraglio. Like the Roman general that conquered before him, she likes decisive action. Taking you to the opera was her idea so I suggest you make a night she won't forget."

Shikikan turned towards the battleship warily, "You're not suggesting I give her the same treatment are you?"

Littorio stifled a laugh, "No. That is up for you to decide. Take my words seriously, Ammiraglio, I know a lot of things about romance."

With that declaration, Littorio left the rose on Cesare's seat before departing for her own. Her words weaving their way into the officer's mind easily. Was she also going after his affections but hiding it under her aura of superiority? There was truth behind it all but it still didn't sit well. Perhaps she too was awaiting him to make some decisive actions.

Only time would tell. But for now, the Admiral took the rose and hid it near his leg. He had a plan formulating, a plan he was going to take an initiative once it presented itself. The lights dimmed once more as the audience made their way back to their seats. Cesare soon came back to the private booth and the play began its next act.


Within the next couple of hours, the play had ended in quite a somber tone. From what Shikikan could gather as Cesare explained to him, Tosca had made a deal with the devil to save her lover. Yet, she was stabbed the villain in the back with her lover ending up dead despite her efforts. As a result, she committed suicide before anyone could catch her. The crowd erupted in applause as the curtains closed for the final time.

"That was pretty good," the Admiral commented, sitting up to stretch his sleepy appendages

Cesare hummed, "Yes, I'm glad we were able to attend. Let us depart before it becomes early morning. We will rest once we make it back to base."

As the woman was about to leave the private booth, she felt one of her glove hands gripped firmly, stopping her in place. She turned back to the Admiral only to be pulled towards him with Littorio's rose being held in his other hand. His heart was racing with his mind debating if this was a good time to enact his plan. But with his actions having already gotten him this far, he might as well go through with it. A heavy blush was very noticeable on the man.

Cesare looked at Shikikan's chocolate with her magenta in confusion, "Che cosa siete…?"

Her words were silenced when he pulled her closer so their bodies were flush and darted his face to meet hers. Lips meeting lips as the officer had taken the only chance he had. Cesare's eyes almost doubled in size with the contact before her cheeks went as red as her eyes. Although, her body loosened up and she didn't try to push him away. Good thing the crowd had dispersed or they would be greeted with a sight.

Thirty seconds passed before the Admiral pulled away to breathe. He braced for Cesare to retaliate against his aggressive push since she hadn't been in a good mood lately. He felt his collar tightly gripped before being pulled towards Cesare, only for her to return the favor. This time it was the officer who was stunned. Any resistance either of them had was quickly gone as they surrendered themselves.

Cesare eventually let him go, heaving for air while her heart was beating quickly, "Per quanto?"

"Hm?" Shikikan replied back

"How long were you going to wait for that?" she emphasized as her rosy cheeks still presented themselves

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Will you forgive me?"

"Not quite…"

Neither of them could continue on as the door opened to the private booth revealing Carabiniere giving them an expectant look. Cesare straightened her uniform before leaving the booth with the officer in tow. They could finish their conversation once they began the journey back.


Out in the open seas, a portal opened up just above the water before a lone figure jumped out. Without trouble, the figure floated above the water's surface while looking out towards the naval base many miles away. Her long hair flowed with the ocean breeze while her jacket flowed erratically. Some of her hair grew to cover her right eye but her left still caught sight of her destination.

"Ash, I hope your faith in our Commander wasn't misled. Even he could not stop the Sirens, what makes you think this one can?"


Ok. A little bit longer on this chapter. Leave a review and tell me how you're liking the story so far. Until then, stay tuned