We met up with the convoy at the rendezvous point without issue and took over escort duty from the American ship girls. Now we're just over two hundred nautical miles from Japan's coastline. So far the Abyssals have declined to show themselves and the weather has been our worst enemy with the convoy running into a storm that slowed our progress with the waves tossing the destroyers around like tin cans. They used up so much of their fuel that we had to slow down so I could refuel them much to the displeasure of my chief cook who has made his opinion very well known. I can handle the waves better than the destroyers can the same can't be said for my clothes.

I hissed as another wave crashed into me causing my breasts to bounce which rubbed my already sensitive nipples against the fabric of my shirt. Definitely buying a bra when I get back to base. To add to my sour mood my stomach rumbled louder this time as my cooks once again voiced their displeasure thankfully over the howling of the wind no one else heard it, of course, that didn't help my mood one bit.

"Suck it up," I snapped. My cooks and their constant complaining is really starting to irritate me a sentiment my whole crew shared. I can take the reduced fuel and still make it the destroyers can't and if the seas stay rough like this I might have to refuel them again. As if to strengthen my point lighting flashed across the sky followed by the crack of thunder that could give a sixteen-inch rifle a run for its money. The small gasp I heard to my starboard almost got drowned out by it and I turned to see that Karukaya had practically attached herself to my hip.

Karukaya is the odd one out of the destroyers, a fact she openly admitted. Instead of being loud, proud, and always wanting attention or getting involved in things she really shouldn't she's quiet, humble, and skittish. She's awkward around the other destroyers and mostly hangs out with larger ships like cruisers and apparently battleships. She'd been by my side the whole time just chatting about different things that I quickly found myself drawn into. I consider her my friend something that she was ecstatic about from the way she'd practically bounced in place.

"Karukaya you alright?"

"F-fine just don't like storms." Another crack of thunder rang out and this time she did attache herself to my hip. Reaching down I rubbed her head causing her to nuzzle further into my side.

"Don't worry thunder can't hurt you besides no storm would ever be able to take me on." I flashed her a smile which she returned.

"Thanks."

Chuckling lightly I said, "You're adorable," she blushed and buried her head back into my side.

"HEY! Hey, hey, hey, hey. HEY!"

My head snapped to the bearing reported by my lookouts and my whole body tensed up something Karukaya noticed.

"Ise-chan?"

"Enemy ships on the horizon range eighteen-thousand yards and closing there's at least six of them." My radio officer reported the contacts to the convoy as Furutaka started barking out orders.

"Convoy adjust bearing to three-zero-zero all ahead flak and open the distance. Karukaya and Kaya will stay with myself and Ise to help destroy the abyssal force all other escorts stay with the convoy."

My crew rushed to their positions as my guns rotated to the target. Fire directers began to call out target speed, range to target, wind speed, and direction and my guns adjusted accordingly waiting for the order to fire.

"Fire!" As one my twelve 35.6 cm rifles roared in response the concussive force pushing away the water around my turrets as the shells screamed toward the target. Twelve plumes of water rose up by at least 14 meters behind the abyssal ship and recognizing the threat began to take limited evasive action. My fire directors called out the updated range and my guns adjusted accordingly. Thirty seconds later I fired another full broadside and tracked the shell arks with my eyes and watched as they fell just short with one shell falling so close it scraped the hull and showered the abyssal in shrapnel. The abyssals now entered the effective firing range of both the destroyers and Furutaka and their combined firepower had already sent one to the bottom. Now though I became the center of attention as the five remaining ships focused fire on me. Their twelve and fifteen cm shells shattering against my armor, however, they quickly loaded HE and began to tear away at my clothes but otherwise did little damage.

As the battle continued my third salvo fell shorter than the last and the abyssal cruiser started turning broadside to me in an attempt to fire torpedos or bring all of its guns to bear. A savage grin came across my face as my guns were loaded and had the flat broadside of a cruiser to shoot at and they didn't disappoint as the abyssal simply ceased to exist in a massive ball of smoke and fire. Two more of the torpedo boats had been destroyed and the last two would follow close behind as my guns began to train on the closest one with my secondaries already opening fire.

"HEY! Hey, hey! HEY!"

"Damn, Karukaya, Kaya, Furutaka watch for torpedos on our starboard side!"

Throwing my rudder hard to starboard I avoided the four torpedos fired at me as my secondaries began to unload at them. Furutaka followed my turn and ripped one of them to shreds with an armor-piercing salvo. Two of my main guns found the target and fired with one going short and the other going wide as my crew loaded HE as quickly as they could. Then my Port side secondaries opened up as another torpedo boat came charging out of the darkness and fired off two more torpedos. Turning in to them a felt one scrape the side of my hull and one land a direct hit. My body tensed but the explosion never came the torpedo was a dud and one of my main guns found the target and fired ripping the lightly armored abyssal in half.

They must be desperate to do some lasting damage as they starting firing star shells the phosphorous rounds burning my skin and my already tattered clothes but not doing any real damage. The last abyssal never stood a chance from the combined firepower of four ship girls and soon the roar of guns ended and the silence was only interrupted by cracks of thunder and the howling wind.

My clothes are completely destroyed and only scrapes of them allowed me to keep my decency. I use that word very loosely as my breasts are practically on display for everyone to see at least I don't have the same problem below my waist.

"Damn girl, you trying to make me jealous?" Kaya jokingly asked. Karukaya's entire body seemed to turn red when she noticed and seemed frozen as she gazed at my almost naked upper body.

Humming I decided to play along, "I don't know what about this?" I crossed my arms under my breasts and pushed them up to the point where they looked ready to pop out. Karukaya's whole body actually did turn a shade of deep red and she buried her head in her arms out of embarrassment.

"Alright, that's enough teasing for the day we need to get back to the convoy." She tried to hide it but I could see a smile on Furutaka's face.

"I am going to need some new clothes though," I added on a more serious note.

"Don't worry once we're back at base we can buy you some new ones." At that moment my stomach rumbled louder than before to the point that it's actually painful

"First, we get lunch," I added.

"Agreed."

After we rendezvoused with the convoy we continued on to Japan without incident and I'm pretty sure the crew on the merchant ships enjoyed the last leg of the journey a lot more thanks to my state of dress. When we pulled into the docks the weather had cleared up and the bright blue sky with pure white clouds replaced the dark and foreboding gray clouds of the storm. After borrowing a blue navy uniform I joined Furutaka in the mess and ate lunch with her for the better part of an hour and with our fuel bunkers thoroughly stuffed we met up with her sister Kako and headed into the city of Yokosuka and let me tell its a hell of a city.

"This is amazing." I breathed in awe at the city around me.

Yokosuka is the largest city I've ever seen. Kako told me over four hundred thousand people call the city home and I could tell just from the sheer amount of people around us. Massive buildings called skyscrapers stretched into the air hundreds of meters and mega boards displayed dozens of advertisements for everyone to see and with shops all along the sidewalk, its amazing anyone gets anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. Taking a car or taxi wouldn't help as with the sheer amount of traffic walking is at times faster than driving.

"Overwhelming for the first time isn't it," Kako said.

"Yeah, just a little."

She chuckled, "You'll get used to it plus you have quite the height advantage over everyone."

She's right I tower over everyone around us save for the sisters and even then I have a good couple of inches on them. Suffice to say, everyone gave us a wide birth or at least as wide as they could with the sheer amount of people around us but it made traversing the streets of Yokosuka easier and quicker than it would have been. We had a few minutes until we reached the clothing store so I asked the sisters how much Japan had changed after the war.

"After Japan surrendered to the allies a series of political and social changes were introduced many of which were inspired by the New Deal in the 30s. They broke up the zaibatsu and transferred ownership of agricultural land to tenant farmers. The government and society were demilitarized with democracy introduced to both the government and society and our military completely disarmed that would change with the foundation of the Japanese self-defense force JSDF. The Peace Preservation Law and Tokko were abolished and the cabinet answered to the National Diet, not the Emperor. Relations with us and the United States normalized in 1951 and the San Franciso Peace Treaty ended the occupation in 1952. Those are a few major points immediately after the surrender you can read up on it some more if you want because we're here."

Following the two sisters inside it's actually a lot larger than what it looks like from the outside.

"So you have any idea what you're looking for because that navy uniform doesn't suit you."

Browsing through some of the options "Yeah, I have a few ideas."

Three hours and six-hundred yen later, damn shopping for clothes is expensive, the three of us left wearing our new outfits. Furutaka's new outfit is much the same as her old one with a short Kimono wrapped around her stomach revealing a slip of cleavage and her legs are on full display. Her sister wears much the same with just a few slight differences. My new outfit is a white Japanese-style shirt that leaves my shoulders bare but covers the rest of my arms and it hugs my breasts nicely. White thigh highs with red stripes at the top and a red short skirt with white trimmings leave some of my legs on display.

"So, Ise want to see some of our favorite spots outside the city?"

"You're not going to show me around the city some more?"

"We could but once you've seen a block you've basically seen it all. Cities get boring very quickly."

"All right I'm down."

"Sweet! I've always hated the cities," Furutake grumbled.

"You're the one who took us here though," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it was just to get you new clothes which you look damn good in."

"Thanks. So where to first?"