Today was a good day.
Atago had gotten to spend a good chunk of it enjoying herself with her siblings.
And with the Commander, no less.
That was always a good thing - being with the Commander.
Always so reliable, although so serious. He should tone it down a bit in that department, but she'd be right there to help him do that, like she just did when he overreacted to her a while ago.
Though it might not be fair to call it an overreaction, considering his experiences.
But if she can do that without him really struggling, that would be progress; it would be a victory.
It could either mean he would be more calm and less tense in general or he would be able to recognize her from anything she did and allowed her to get close to him.
Either of them were good, but both of them were preferable.
She already got close to many of the other shipgirls. She considered all of them something like sisters in one giant, loving family.
The only one left to get close with was the Shikikan.
That's because it wouldn't do for her to spend so much time with someone without getting close to them, right?
Right, right. Her intentions probably weren't strange.
As a general rule there were no human-shipgirl couplings yet in history because it was a strange idea and-
On their way back home from the clothes shop, Atago's thoughts were interrupted as she was nudged by Choukai. Shikikan was ahead of them and Takao and Maya were behind them. They seemed to be having a conversation about the scenery.
"Hey, Sis."
The eldest sister turned her head and smiled lovingly. "Yes?"
"What was that about back there?" Choukai sent a suspicious, narrow-eyed look.
"What was what?"
"That part back there where you were getting all touchy-feely with the Commander."
Now, may it never be said that it was easy to make Atago flustered. She had a firm yet gentle disposition that screamed loving.
But having such an allegation thrown at her while her thoughts were thinking such things was too much. It was as if a nation declared war on another nation on an international holiday, like Christmas! Those times were meant for fireworks (boy did she love fireworks), not bombshells! It wasn't fitting at all, and it wasn't fair!
So she should be excused from being the slightest bit flustered.
Her cheeks were dusted red, but that was all it was - dust.
"What do you mean?" Atago tilted her head to sell the idea that she was genuinely confused.
"He was holding your arms."
"Ah. That's just because he was… alert."
Nice! A good excuse has come! It's true, too.
It was Choukai's turn to tilt her head.
"He thought I was an enemy."
"Ah. Is that so? Sorry. That's a bit sad."
Ever the considerate one, Choukai's ears drooped and her face fell, making Atago smile on reflex.
"Yes. But don't worry, we're working on making him less tense. He can be relaxed when he's with us."
"Ah, now that you mention it, he did look pretty docile and relaxed afterwards."
"Yeah."
Choukai's eyes narrowed in a grin.
"I think it was after he saw it was you -"
Before Atago could reply, she continued her frontal assault.
"-so does that mean he's mainly only calm around you? Hm. You two must be pretty close."
Atago was reminded of earlier in the day, when she froze up as she was getting teased by Prinz for exchanging her number with the Commander.
She didn't think it was that sort of thing, and it was embarrassing to think that it was.
Right now, at least, they were just friends and workmates trying to help each other.
"That's enough, Chou. He's right there."
"Yes, yes. Sorry."
Atago could only summon an excuse to go see him - rather, an excuse to get away from here.
"Ah. I just remembered I have something to ask the Commander."
"Rea~lly? Have fun."
She didn't dignify that with a response, shook off her flusteredness and went to ask the Commander a made-up question she had thought of on the spot.
One short chat later, she learned that the Commander seemed to have a close relationship with his mother.
Having parents must've been great. She made a mental note to ask him more about it when they were closer. When - not if.
The sky was blue. Right?
No. It looked more… purple.
Shikikan got up, took a shower, brushed his teeth, put on some clothes, and started making his way towards Azur Lane for another tiring day at work.
Everything felt so mute. There were no people on the streets.
Usually there would be people, but he didn't feel like thinking about it very much.
There were usually many people hustling and bustling in city life, but today there weren't any.
It was like a ghost city.
The sky wasn't actually blue, but more like violet, and it felt scuffed in a way.
For some reason Shikikan did not feel like looking up right now.
Something buzzed at the back of his mind about how he'd usually have seen an old lady at this part of his day, or how there were no people. That was also a valid thing to buzz about.
Ah, there was the old lady. Right there. She looked like she had turned into a statue of goop.
Are you okay? Hahaha.
He made to open his mouth but no words came out. He wasn't even sure whether his mouth actually opened or not.
Then his mind buzzed more when he made his way through the forest-bordered path that lead to the Azur Lane.
Wouldn't there usually be some animals here? Nothing special. Just birds chirping in the morning… squirrels maybe.
But no, there was nothing here. It almost felt a little bit lonely.
He dimly remembered that there was a time he passed through this path and there were a few shipgirls waiting for him.
Wait - no - not waiting for him, he had encountered them because they were lollygagging here. How silly it was of him to think that someone was waiting.
Without asking why anyone would be waiting for him or why he didn't think that anyone would be waiting for him, he kept walking.
Though he could've sworn that the leaves weren't green, but purple every other time he glanced at them.
Nexxt was the ocean. The dirty path gave way to an immaculate black bridge and a beautiful red ocean.
But wait, that couldn't have been right, because the bridge wasn't black, it was...
Well, it wasn't black.
And he didn't think the ocean was red. Had that ever happened before? He didn't think so.
It was a little bit grotesque. Maybe someone had killed a bunch of people and dumped their blood into it, making the ocean effectively red. It was a creepy thing to imagine.
His mind kept buzzing though he could barely feel it flit from thought to thought.
He soon came upon a small little construct with not much more than a roof over the head and a stall next to the body. It was the police station.
Bob was usually here at the police station to greet him every morning.
He was a constant presence every morning and whenever he passed by, sometimes talking to him and sometimes not.
Maybe he should greet him every time he passes by him. Shikikan doesn't think that he even noticed him yesterday, much to his regret.
Good old Bob. Always smiling and waving. There was someone who was always there for him.
Where was Bob?
The absence hit him a moment later. Ah, yes. The stall was empty. Where was that good old bugger?
But that wasn't what he was concerned with right now.
He would frown and think, "What a shame," to himself, but it would never be enough to actually hinder him from moving forward.
That's what he did, after all. He just kept moving forward through the grim and ashes.
Yeah. Yeah. That's who he was.
No matter what would get him down he would pick himself back up and keep going. He was reckless in that way, but unrelentingly so. Maybe he wouldn't get to live such a good life in the end because of it.
What is a good life, he thought to himself as the island came into view closely and directly in front of him.
Does it mean… no sadness?
Images of holding dying comrades in his arms came to mind. He remembered images of their faces, marred by tears and dirt, begging to not die.
Does it mean… no anxiety?
An image of his first day in the Azur Lane came to mind, but he barely paid any attention to it.
Indeed, if he thought about it clearly, he probably felt some anxiety at that first day.
He felt anxiety about how he would be received. Whether or not people would come to like him, how they would behave around him, etcetera etcetera.
But those things sounds like they can exist in a good life.
If that's the case, then what is a good life?
And why didn't he have it?
If he didn't have a good life despite what he had, then wouldn't that mean that there was something he lacked?
"Good morning, Commander!"
A little woman with wolf ears made herself known to him.
"Woof woof!"
He made to speak but just like before, he couldn't.
Atago, patient as ever, didn't even seem to mind, and let him stay silent.
She just smiled, nodded, and went off somewhere.
He instinctively realized that he should accompany her.
More than accompanying her, perhaps what he was doing was following her. Because she had taken the lead.
As always, she is proving herself to be reliable.
"Lovely moworning we're having, isn't it."
She phrased her sentence as if to ask it, but it was more pf a statement than a rhetorical question.
The cafeteria faded away into colors of grey and shapes of cubes and straight lines, giving way to the control building.
"You can do it, Commander!"
She was still chirping and beaming at him. She was still supporting him, and for that, he would repay her by being excellent at his job and making sure that nobody went to harm.
"Hello, Laffey?"
Beep, beep.
He was in a dark room with a giant screen in front of him, showing Laffey's location. There were cats in the corner.
"Shikikan to Laffey, Shikikan to Laffey. Do you copy?"
Laffey didn't respond.
"Hello, hello? Do you copy?"
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
The beeping sound got more frequent and higher pitched.
Suddenly red lights and an alarm blared. It seemed that there was an emergency.
Shikikan eyed the meter on the screen representing Laffey's health.
"Laffey, Laffey! Do you copy? Do you read?"
Frantically speaking into the microphone, he looked at Atago for advice and her reaction to the situation.
She was still holding her hands in front of her like a good, attentive secretary.
He kept calling for Laffey but to no avail.
He kept calling and calling but he never got a reply.
In no time at all, the meter reached 0, and the beeping sound flatlined like a heart rate monitor.
He wasn't sure how open his mouth was, only that it wasn't moving anymore from the shock.
Slowly, he turned to Atago to gauge her reaction.
Of course it had to be the case that he was turning towards her just to gauge her reaction and not because he was actually distressed that a subordinate had just-
She looked as disgusted at him as he felt to himself.
The tears wouldn't stop flowing.
It all faded to black.
Just as the dream faded to black, his consciousness faded into white.
That is to say that his consciousness returned to him.
He woke up and blinked some tears away from his eyes. Those tears proceeded down his cheek and were wiped away by his wrists.
"What a dream…"
He felt shaken but still. Struck but still standing, attacked but not capitulating.
He had gotten used to nightmares by now.
They weren't exactly few and far-in-between, but you couldn't exactly call them night terrors either. They were scary, sure, but in the end, that's all they were.
Scary little dreams that didn't have anything to do with reality, thankfully.
But he wasn't about to jinx something like that.
A pang of worry shooting throughout him, he picked up his phone and gave thanks when he saw that there was no emergency message.
Mom was safe.
Alright. With that, he could fix himself up and go to work for today, though a bit early.
What time was it?
4am. Maybe I could go and take a nap over at the naval base before the day starts.
But where would he sleep? Ah, that was right. He didn't have anywhere to sleep there.
Maybe it would do to get one. As it was, he didn't even have an office because all that he needed to do was on his phone.
Would it be too much to request some space there to sleep at? Nothing much, just a mattress would do. It wasn't like he was going to eat and shower there as well.
Would the higher-ups be okay with a request like that? He hoped so.
Just in case he would give it a few more months or so before he requested something so over-the-top.
Anyway, that was okay. He could just sleep on one of the many benches scattered throughout the base or something. Or on the nearby valley.
Mind made up, he washed up with speed befitting a military man and made his way to the Azur Lane.
What was that dream about again? I think I saw Laffey and Atago.
Something bad about Laffey… something bad happening to Laffey… then Atago looking at me like I was gross.
He didn't think he was gross. He wasn't able to think of a reason why he would be. So she should have no reason to feel that way, he hoped. It would be very sad if she actually did think so.
Well, imagine what would happen if word got out that the Commander was a creep.
It's a good thing, then, that I'm no creep.
Probably. You never really know how you come across.
And as for Laffey, he might have been worried on some level about her.
It would be nice to keep an eye out for her without being suspicious. Because that would be creepy.
Then Atago might look at him like she did in his dream.
And with the sway she held from how popular she was for being such a nice, gentle and kind character, it wouldn't be long before all of them started to despise him...
Goodness I hope I don't piss one of them off one of these days…
The night was young and the ones in the night were younger.
The Azur Lane living quarters was pretty much a giant building with 4 floors, each floor being given to a single specific faction.
The lowest floor went to the Iron Bloods because they volunteered for it and they seemed the most suitable for it.
After all, the ones who got home late were most often them. And if they got home late in the middle of the night, there's a risk that they might make noise as they go up.
If they had to go up to the 4th floor they'd disturb the whole building.
Conversely, though, perhaps because they were on the 1st floor, they weren't afraid to be rowdy.
That said, while they were rowdy they were not particularly noisy, contradictory as that may sound.
They were about as rowdy as you could be in a building full of sleeping people.
The worst that ever got was their lights being open by early morning, which didn't hinder their hardened denizens from getting good sleep.
But there would come times, once in a blue moon -
No, that would be too generous. Maybe every full moon or so.
There would come times when the battle-hardened, high-tolerance Iron Bloods would band together at night and commit a ritual so rich in uniqueness and intensity that everyone else would be left quaking in their shoes, slippers, socks or otherwise.
The birds cried, the sea trembled, a full moon shone. It was game night.
By the way, for some enigmatic reason, this would always be held during the full moon. Something about keeping themselves disciplined, the Iron Bloods said.
And in such a fine evening, their game of choice was…
Poker.
Doors were open, cool evening wind drafting in in the Iron Blood's first floor.
And right in their midst, was…
Ayanami.
Plus there were also a few others from other factions like Cleveland, because the Iron Bloods never forbade "outsiders", if they could even be called that, from joining in. They were all practically sisters who were bonded together by their very natures.
And the more the merrier.
Anyways, Ayanami was there because she felt like it. It could be fun, and she never shied away from a chance to interact with her fellows. That was how she got to hear that interesting story about the Royal Navy she had told the Commander about earlier at lunch.
She was accompanied by her good friends Javelin and Z23.
They were brimming in anticipation beside her, but they knew better than to say anything when they were all looking forward to the announcement of the start.
And it shouldn't have to be mentioned but Laffey didn't join them because she wanted to sleep.
Now back to the matter at hand.
The large hall, usually filled with sleeping bags like a piece of paper would be filled with morse code, had now been rearranged.
The sleeping bags had now been taken to the edges of the room where they wouldn't disturb anyone.
Of course, they weren't so cramped that they couldn't be slept on if anyone wanted to. After all, the game night would stretch on for hours and hours, and many may want to sleep before then.
But that was then and now was now.
It was about 9pm.
The night was still young.
As a result of the sleeping bags being taken aside, the hall now resembled more of a meeting place than a sleeping place, with a huge empty area in the middle at which to congregate.
It was like an arena, in a way.
Everyone was seated at that space, crowding around the Iron Blood flagship, Bismarck, who was at the center.
"Ladies," she pronounced. "Are you ready for Game Night?"
Cheers and shouts reverberated across the room, which was fine since it wasn't so late yet.
The proud warship nodded. "Then, without further ado, let's begin. You know the rules, and so do I."
The room erupted into chatter, with many groups forming with member counts ranging from as little as 2 to as many as 7 people each group, not including the people who would spectate. Everyone got to make their own groups without restraint because there was no limit to the amount of poker decks that the naval base had. They were Azur Lane, after all.
Ayanami first chose to spectate. It wasn't as fun, but the personalities of her peers stood a great chance of entertaining her as a sort of warm-up before she entered the fray.
"I'm gonna spectate other groups first," she said as she poked Javelin and Z23, making sure that they heard her. Then she proceeded to do as she said she would without waiting for more words from the others. If they had something to tell her they would've already told her.
She spectated a group of Cleveland, Zuikaku, Helena, Enterprise, Choukai and Maya.
Enterprise took the initiative to shuffle the cards.
"Good to see you, Enterprise," said Zuikaku.
"Likewise," replied Enterprise without even looking up from the cards.
She had her hat off, probably because it was night time.
"Good evening, Ayanami," said Choukai, probably for her sister as well.
"Hi," the small girl said in monotone.
"Hey, Ayanami. Are you here to play?" Asked Cleveland.
"No. I'll just spectate for now, thanks."
"Alright," she beamed.
The whole group was full of smiles in anticipation of what was to come.
Then Enterprise dealt the cards.
"Let's get started."
There was nothing actually being gambled and the rules were simple.
Of course, this should also go without saying but if other groups wanted to gamble something they were allowed to.
But this wasn't one of those groups. The rules were simple.
Everyone starts with 5 lives. The dealer distributes the cards.
Then people can choose to exchange some of their cards, from 1 card to all 5.
Whoever gets the worst hand loses the round and a life.
The last person alive wins.
Ayanami stood up and went around the group, peeking at everyone's cards which they allowed because she wasn't part of the game.
It seemed that Enterprise was the best off and Cleveland was the worst off.
"Alright, show your cards."
True to her expectations, Enterprise was safe but the one who lost a life was Zuikaku.
She exchanged cards that she didn't need to and as a result got a worse result than Cleveland whose exchange gave her a slightly better combo than she had before.
"It's my loss," the tall woman grinned.
Everyone was tipped off to her optimistic attitude that she kept up even when she lost.
It was almost as if she had some sort of plan she was working towards…
Anyway, the first few rounds weren't that interesting because no one was in any near danger… yet.
The first one to fall was Helena.
"Here," Enterprise drawled, dealing right after Helena fell.
"No… I'm sorry, Cleveland. I've failed you. Even though I said I would accompany you to the end…"
"Impossible…! No! The choices we've made aren't things to be regretted, and even now… I don't regret the times we've spent together. Thanks for all the memories."
An image of Helena waving goodbye in the sky appeared in Ayanami's mind.
"I'll definitely win this for you."
"Condolences."
Perhaps because they were lost in focus or because they were too gripped by the emotional scene before them, the others said nothing aside of that.
Each and every risk taken had to be calculated, otherwise you would lose. That was the game.
Enterprise and Zuikaku were leading with 3 lives left, while Choukai, Maya and Cleveland only had 2 lives left to hold on to.
It was a grim situation. Then the next hand was revealed.
The one who lost a life was… Zuikaku.
"Well, well. Look at that. It looks like you're probably going to win, Enterprise." Zuikaku grinned at her opponent whom she was even with until just now.
Enterprise said nothing in reply and looked down at the cards.
Choukai breathed a sigh of relief.
Maya breathed a sigh of tiredness.
"Next deal."
The one who lost the next life was Enterprise.
"Oh, look at that. It looks like you're even with the rest of us now," teased Zuikaku.
Enterprise didn't do anything but send a steely glare to Zuikaku's eyes.
"What's wrong, Enty? It's just a game."
The two faced off against one another, steel meeting ice.
Choukai gulped. She seemed to be thinking about how she could have gotten caught up in this situation when all she wanted to do was have a nice game.
Cleveland swallowed her dry saliva.
"That Zuikaku… she's up to something. I can feel it," whispered Helena to Ayanami.
The tension was palpable in the air, so much so that one could choke on it.
It didn't look like Maya could be bothered doing that though.
"Let's have the next deal."
"Alright." Enterprise conceded and dealt the next cards.
Now everyone had 2 lives.
That was a reality that was about to change.
"Argh!"
The one who lost that hand was Choukai.
Now she was the favorite to follow Helena in disqualification.
"Darn…! Help me, Maya!" Choukai looked paralyzed by fear and anxiety.
"Sure." Maya looked like she couldn't care less.
"Next deal."
"OOF!"
Maya also lost a life.
Everyone around the group gulped. That was another participant who could be disqualified any second now.
Everyone except Enterprise and Zuikaku, who seemed to be stuck in a showdown of their own 2 worlds…
And Maya, who seemed to be in her own world as well.
"Next."
Cleveland was hit.
The tension was palpable.
The true form of this fight was revealing itself.
This never really was a fight between 6 people.
This was a fight between 2 giants.
Enterprise and Zuikaku.
"Deal."
Now, everyone else would slowly fade away.
First came Choukai.
"Darn! No! How could this be! Maya, win for us both!"
"Sure."
Then came Maya.
"Darn! No! Oh, well, it's just a game. You did well, Maya. Good job, let's go sleep." Yawning, Choukai took her sister and bade everyone else good night.
Then came more hits.
The tension was clearly visible on Cleveland's face. If Zuikaku and Enterprise's expressions were brightness 6, Cleveland's was brightness 2.
"Alright, let's reveal," pronounced Enterprise.
Cleveland's face brightened. Enterprise had taken the blow.
"Tch."
Zuikaku grinned, but her eyes only seemed to get fiercer. She wasn't going to let her guard down any time soon.
"Deal."
Next was…
Zuikaku.
The tension in the room was so thick that one could cut through it with a knife. But not just any knife; they would need a knife for steak to cut through this. That's how stupidly thick it was.
Enterprise, Zuikaku, Cleveland. Everyone was one step from death.
Enterprise dealt the cards.
Then Zuikaku smirked to herself.
Ayanami could see why when she looked at her cards.
Five of a kind…!
Cleveland however, did not look so optimistic. Ayanami didn't have to peek at her cards to know that she probably wasn't going to win.
Enterprise was still completely unreadable, but her luck so far had been impeccable. Ayanami would let herself be surprised by the outcome.
They met eyes and put down their cards at the same time.
"Damn it…"
Cleveland had fallen.
She looked up to Helena, who was beside Ayanami.
"I'll be joining you up there."
"Yeah."
Then they passed away. They passed away from them and into their dormitories but that was the effect nonetheless.
Now the battle was out in full force and bare bones.
Enterprise versus Zuikaku.
It all came down to this final battle.
They drew.
…
They exchanged.
Nobody saw through their poker faces.
Then, in a move that shocked the world, they put their hands down.
At the last second, Zuikaku allowed her face to show triumph because she had -
A full house. That's almost impossible to beat. Well played.
And perhaps she wouldn't be beaten.
She wouldn't have if the opponent were anyone else.
Enterprise layed down a straight flush.
Eyes were widened, screams were shouted, and noise reverberated.
"No way…!"
"That's…!"
But against all odds and expectations, Zuikaku laughed.
She laughed long and heartily, enough to drown out the noise from around them.
"As expected of my rival. You wouldn't be my rival if it were any other way. Good game, Enterprise." She reached out to shake the Grey Ghost's hand.
Enterprise allowed herself to crack a smile. "You gave me a pretty good fight too, Zuikaku."
Then she yawned. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she stood up.
Goodbyes and salutations were exchanged even from Ayanami, and before long Zuikaku also got up to leave.
But that wasn't the end of the night yet.
Indeed, that was a truly epic game, but it was only 10pm. The night was still young for the cruiser.
"Hey, Commander, do you think we could grab some ice cream next time?"
"Hm? Sure."
It was afternoon.
Shikikan was walking around Azur Lane secretary in tow when he saw something he couldn't ignore in the plaza.
Laffey was with Ayanami, as usual, with no Javelin to be found in sight.
But that wasn't what was strange.
What was strange was that one of them was sleeping.
But that wasn't that strange, either.
What was truly strange was that it wasn't Laffey who was sleeping, but Ayanami.
And it wasn't as if Ayanami was somehow carrying herself, either. Laffey was carrying her.
Huh.
It was such a bizarre scene that he had to rub his eyes to make sure that it wasn't some blot shaped like Laffey carrying Ayanami.
"Atago. Are you seeing this?"
The secretary ship tilted her head quizzically at him, saw what he was pointing to, then tilted her head back to him.
"Yeah. What's wrong?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but certain words from yesterday came back to his mind.
"Don't worry so much."
He cracked a smile.
"Ah, it's just that I didn't think that Laffey really had it in her to do something like that."
"How mean…"
Those words went unnoticed as the Commander was already closing in on Laffey.
"Hey, Laffey! Why is Ayanami passed out?"
She turned her head towards him. "Ah, this. We were going to go to the city but it looks like she was too sleepy from the Game Night last night. I'm taking her back to sleep."
Game night?
Putting aside unnecessary thoughts, the Commander beamed at her.
"What is it?"
"Good job, Laffey." He reached over and ruffled her hair. "Sleep well."
"Ah. Thanks, Commander." She neither smiled nor frowned. With her expression in a neutral poker face, she accepted the Commander's cordiality and continued on her way.
"How nice," he said to his secretary. "It looks like I was worried for nothing after all if she can put her friend before herself like this."
"Yeah," she smiled. "How nice."
"Though I wonder what that Game Night she was talking about was. Do you know?"
