05—Barring Crossroads

Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl in the past few days. Taking into account the recent abyssal threat, the branch administration had issued a directive to limit the number of units leaving the island's territorial waters. That would include pathfinding units usually venturing inside and past miasma clusters, placing them on the back burner for the time being. Until they had a good grasp of the precarious situation they found themselves in, unnecessary risks were obviously out of the question—even forward units were only dispatched under combined task forces when gathering information further into the sea.

And despite the persisting disputes between the two groups, the Naval Domain's presence was a much needed help in maintaining the island's perimeter integrity. Some thought they were only there just because they had key assets in the island, which also allowed them to keep a close eye on the different operations conducted by the Maritime Peacekeepers in their jurisdiction. But should Auspice fall in an event of an Abyssal invasion, its downfall would trigger a devastating chain reaction throughout Caffelatte. None of them wanted such a disastrous scenario to even take place, and setting their differences aside for this endeavor was a truly appreciated initiative, if not an already predictable arrangement.

Maybe... just maybe that it could spark more collaborative efforts in the future? Well, probably not by a long shot, but a start is a start!

And on the subject of beginnings, Inazuma was at a loss on getting new material regarding the incidents, which circled on without end inside her head. Finding the right opportunity to talk with the commander was getting slimmer too as the days passed by; he was always pulled into different meetings and assemblies across different departments. And even after attending a whole day of these sessions, she and Akatsuki were convinced that they wouldn't gain anything more substantial than what they had already worked on.

But one thing was certain at least: he had to be involved with the abductions, including the recent appearances of these so-called automatons. His knowledge on the new threats they were facing surely meant something. As for the hows and whys, they just had to keep their eyes peeled for new developments around them—an approach that Akatsuki didn't want to rely on, but it would have to suffice as they worked through their usual routine for now.

Like a leaf on a winding stream, Inazuma was uncertain where the currents would take them at this point. The fleet girl that they rescued from their last encounter was beyond their reach as well. Without proper authorization, they wouldn't be allowed to step into the factory sector where the fleet girl was kept, much less interrogate her about the recent abductions. Running out of options, Inazuma opted to visit the neighboring room and relayed their predicament to Choukai, who was recently moving several articles from a fancy-looking cabinet together with Shiranui and Kongou.

The heavy cruiser walked towards a desk and grabbed the network panel's receiver:

"Miss Minako, it seems that they want to access the observation room and—yes... you will? Right now? I see... thank you very much."

Wild speculations occupied Inazuma's mind as they were asked to stay in the room for a while. All became clear when Commodore Minako showed up several minutes later and held up an authorization card in her free hand.

To their surprise, the Navy officer had took off to the High Command's office floor and personally requested for their clearance to the factory's observation room. While she wasn't inclined to tell them anything important, it looked like she was actually helping them. No questions or any form of resistance. Her perplexing smile embodied her motives—yet another mystery they had to solve another time. The only thing Inazuma was certain of was Akatsuki growing more upset about their pitiful situation.

Uncertainties aside, they couldn't waste this chance either, so they gave their thanks and headed off to the armory compound as fast as their legs would allow them.

As usual, the same fairy custodian from before escorted them through a hallway leading towards the observation room. Fleet girls affiliated to the Naval Domain stood by the entrance, and Inazuma couldn't help but feel intimidated as one of them looked down at her with an incredulous look on her face.

Weren't they informed about this particular arrangement beforehand?

Just to be on the safe side, Inazuma presented their digital pass from her terminal before the guards promptly opened the door for them. Inside, a cylindrical tank sat at one corner of the room full of machinery interconnected by pipes and cables.

The various readings from the large monitor were erratic, fluctuating every now and then. But within the cylinder housing, the fleet girl seemed to be sleeping peacefully, her long ashen hair gently fluttering in the tank's rejuvenating liquids. The surface of her upper torso and shoulders were horribly deformed. Her skin was darkened like charcoal, and it was full of crawling fissures and swollen veins.

When asked about the specifics of the girl's condition, one of the supervising fairies in the room mentioned a familiar name, earning a frown from Akatsuki.

"Huh, not surprised anymore. Wait here."

Listening to the humming sound emanating from the tank was almost hypnotic as Inazuma waited for her friend to return. She sat on a rectangular compartment by the wall and watched the fairies worked in their respective stations, making sure that everything was in optimum condition. In the midst of her idle musing, she noticed Hatsuyuki entering the room, looking a little lost. She called out to her, and Hatsuyuki had a relieved look on her face as she hurried to the secretary's side.

More minutes passed before the door opened once again. Akatsuki ran inside with Charm sitting on her shoulder. "Sorry, took me a while to—" Her eyes narrowed the moment she saw Hatsuyuki. "Why are you here?"

The black-haired girl looked up from her phone with a sour face. "None of your business."

"I don't really care either."

"And why am I even here?" Charm asked. "I know that we're buddies and all, but give me some space too!"

"You're just slacking off in the lobby," Akatsuki replied.

"It almost sounds like you don't want me to rest."

"Enough of this." She pointed at the tank. "Why is she taking so long to recover?"

Charm hovered towards the control platform. "The issue here isn't time. A particular something is interfering with her system—well, it should be obvious by now." She exchanged a few words with another fairy before facing them again. "The transmutation process already reached the ceiling, so she won't turn into some bloodthirsty Irregular hybrid. Well, not in the immediate future at the very least."

"That's a relief," Inazuma replied.

Akatsuki knocked on the tank's glass cover. "But how did she turn out like this? Was it a side effect when she was stuffed inside that automaton?"

"A contributing factor, yes, but the answer is much simpler." Charm flexed her arm. "Modernization, using abyssal ships as supplementary material!"

"Wh-What? Enough of your jokes!" Akatsuki glared at the fairy. "Is that even possible?"

Charm only stared at them with a huge smile on her face. "You're welcome to try if you're that desperate to know."

"Well, only if you do it first!"

"I would if I were a fleet girl!" The fairy shrugged. "Say, are you girls familiar how foie gras is made?" Akatsuki and Inazuma looked at each other, shaking their heads. Charm puffed her chest out. "Well, the general idea's the same!"

"What is this 'fuwaa graa' you're talking about?" Akatsuki pulled her hand close to her chin. "Some kind of food? It sounds fancy too."

Hatsuyuki began to tremble in her seat, eyes locked on her phone. Curious, Inazuma leaned closer as she skimmed through a snippet displayed on the screen. "Ducks... force-feeding... fatty liver?!"

The fairy wore a pleasant expression, wiping the drool leaking out of her mouth. "It tastes great by the way, and I personally prefer goose liver."

"Th-That's terrible!" Inazuma said. "H-How could anyone do such cruel things to ducks?! And to do the same to fleet girls is just—"

"Full stop, turn around, and don't look back! We are encroaching uncharted territory, ladies. Please don't give me ideas."

Akatsuki snatched the fairy from the platform. "If you don't stop your senseless babbling, I'll pinch your head off."

Charm looked at Inazuma. "Oh dear, she's crankier than usual today. Is she trying to emulate those hot-blooded girls outside?"

"Stretch a lady's patience too thin or you're going to regret it dearly."

"Hey, getting ahead of ourselves, are we? I never mentioned that it was a completely identical process!"

"Then stop being so vague!"

"But the comparison is apt, mind you. Under normal circumstances, a fleet girl can only generate and control a set amount of mag-ions in her body. In her case," the fairy pointed at the tank, "she was forced to consume abyssal ships specifically to get around those limits. Of course, the body has to compensate for the extra volume of energy, but the results vary and can get really nasty. Usually the latter."

"What kind of results?" Hatsuyuki asked.

"Mutation is always a given with AM saturation." Charm held up two fingers. "She's at Category 2, in case you're wondering."

Akatsuki released the fairy and crossed her arms. "What makes you so sure?"

"Ethical issues aside, experimental modernization procedures like they used on her have been going on for about a decade now. Maybe longer if we take into account the success rate for these new generation of Irregulars."

Inazuma's eyes widened. "So... you're saying that—"

"Well, that should be the case, right? We do have a live, breathing specimen right here." Charm took a seat behind the control panel. "And the fact that she doesn't go berserk is certainly very intriguing."

"Yeah, she seemed in full control during the times she was conscious," Akatsuki said. "But I remember that mutated fleet girls are way different."

"Oh, so you noticed? It's probably because she's never meant to be deployed in combat—her accelerated production of mag-ions have better uses, see?" Charm stretched her arms and began tinkering on the computer panel. "For a tiny carrier girl, her energy output is just bonkers!"

Exhaust units of a nearby generator block hissed to life as the pipes connecting to the tank began to glow. The generator's half-empty energy cell was filled in mere seconds, even though the machine was only extracting the fleet girl's ambient mag-ions.

"It's just like what the commander said," Inazuma said. "She really was used as a power source for the automaton..."

Charm clapped twice. "All coming together now? She's far from those documented hybrids of the past, but they're pretty much in the same vein."

"They've never learned, huh?" Akatsuki clenched the hem of her skirt. "Those idiots..."

"Those who thirst for knowledge and progress can't be stopped so easily. Their tenacity is quite admirable, don't you think?"

"Is that... true? The Navy is still experimenting on fleet girls?" Inazuma found it hard to believe—it was already history and yet...

Charm shrugged as she raised a finger. "Keep in mind that the Naval Domain is a vast governing body—a super entity that basically controls the world's maritime affairs. They won't repeat the same mistake as before, but you can't really expect everyone to play by the rules."

"Still... why are they fighting with the Abyssals if they were created by the Navy in the first place?"

"They simply went rogue like the rest," Akatsuki replied. "It shouldn't come as a surprise that they want to get back at the people who made them suffer."

"Th-That's true, I guess..."

She turned to the fairy. "Anyway, why are you telling this now?"

"You ask too many questions," Charm said. "If you have a high enough clearance to access this room, I don't really see why I shouldn't tell you."

"From all the people who would actually—" She shook her head and sighed. "So, umm... thank you for the info."

"What... is this? Wh-Why are you thanking me?!" The fairy gasped. "Don't tell me you caught something strange when you fought those weirdos!"

"N-No!" Akatsuki's expression became sour. "I'm just tired of this whole charade. Do we really have to beg in front of everyone just for them to tell us anything?"

The fairy smiled. "That's what I like about you girls—your desire for the truth will come a long way!"

"On behalf of our fleet, I give you my sincerest gratitude." Akatsuki made a deep bow. "We really appreciate your help."

Sweat drops formed on the fairy's face. "Y-You're scaring me right now."

"Ugh, can't you just keep that to yourself?"

Charm took in a deep breath to compose herself. "Before I forget, I wanna hear your thoughts about those new abyssal ships you encountered earlier—I already asked the other girls, but it doesn't hurt to hear more firsthand accounts."

"I was just about to mention that—they have mag-ion signatures similar to us fleet girls, but that's about it. Well, more of a mishmash of different energy signatures."

"As I thought... they must've found a more efficient modernization method over the years to make the project viable again."

"Why are you mumbling like that?"

Charm held up a palm. "Hush, I'm delicately organizing my thoughts right now, so if you don't mind... give me a moment."

"Umm... so Irregulars are fleet girls that have Abyssal characteristics and traits?" Inazuma asked. "I'm still confused about the term."

She suddenly snapped her fingers. "Yep! And vice versa!"

"Wh-What?" Akatsuki said.

"Why not? I don't have proof at the moment, but it's totally possible!" Charm stretched her arms out. "Two sides of the same coin, light and shadow, yadda yadda."

"You're pulling out theories now?"

"Beats an empty foundation, wouldn't you say?" Charm's hands became a blur as she tapped away at the keyboard panel. As the rhythmic clicking stopped, two familiar images appeared on the overhead monitor. "From all the data that we've gathered so far, I'm already convinced that these two fresh faces are Irregulars. Buuut... there's still one basic detail I've yet to figure out."

Inazuma stared at the screen, recalling their encounter with the two unidentified abyssal ships. "What do you mean?"

"Their base form, of course. Or rather, what exactly are they before they were subjected in dozens of experimental patchwork."

"Wait," Akatsuki said, "are you saying that they were one of us too?"

"A result of... mutation in its later stages?" Hatsuyuki said.

"But it's possible that they're just new abyssal ships all this time."

"Or maybe abyssal ships of the Irregular variant!" Charm said.

"Isn't that more or less the same thing? Ugh, this is so confusing!"

The fairy typed some more on the keyboard. "Oh, right! Since we're on the subject of mutation, you should definitely see these."

Gruesome images of mutated fleet girls flashed one after another. They were almost indistinguishable from their former appearances. If it weren't for the captions that accompanied each picture, she would have to look out for the tiniest details to properly identify them.

Inazuma choked. She tried to steady her breathing as nausea was getting the best of her. Akatsuki held her hand and launched a glare to the fairy. "T-Turn that off now!"

With a single button press, the horrific slideshow finally ended. Charm stood up from her seat and walked to the edge of the platform. "What they showed on mass media is just the tip of our special ice cream cone. Rightfully so, I might add."

"E-Enough for today! This is more than what we've bargained for!"

"Fine by me, but there's a lot to learn in this topic. I'll make a special exception for you girls, so if you want to drop by later for another lecture, don't be shy! We're learning buddies now!"

The three destroyers shook their heads in unison. With a defeated expression on her face, Charm looked at Inazuma. "How's that ring treating you, by the way?"

Inazuma focused her thoughts as she drew energy within her mind. She directed it to her hand, causing it to glow pink. "I've been practicing during my free time, but I think I've reached its limit."

"Well, that's all the enhancer can give you, methinks!"

"I thought it was supposed to be more than that?" Akatsuki said.

"Yup, but that's just how we should expect it to work. It's a slow roast from here and I'll be savoring every second of this wonderful project of mine."

"Stop being creepy." She gave Inazuma a worried look. "As long as nothing bad happens to her, then it's probably okay..."

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped being so skeptical about it." Charm shoved her hands in her coat pockets. "Any more questions?"

Inazuma bowed. "Um, thank you very much. And sorry for troubling you so suddenly like this."

The trio went their separate ways after leaving the observation room. Inazuma had other plans in mind, but she went back to their office as quickly as possible. Hatsuyuki had told her that the commander looked pale the last time she saw him and it instantly rang the alarm bells in her head. It was a feeling too strong for her to just ignore.

The wall panel indicated that he wasn't there, but she knew better. "Um, can I enter?" she asked.

"Can you come back later? I just… I don't feel well at the moment."

Her heart began to race—something was definitely wrong.

She immediately swiped her keycard on the panel and rushed inside. "C-Commander? A-Are you okay?"

One look at him and she could already tell that he was in a lot of pain, his face and neck dripping in cold sweat. In his left hand, he was clutching an empty mag-ion cell. "H-How are you feeling?" she asked him again. "W-Wait, I should call—"

He held a palm up. "Just... let me rest for a bit."

His voice sounded desperate despite his effort of holding it back. With a sigh, Inazuma couldn't do anything but sit beside him and wait. After a while, his ragged breathing became normal.

"Finally," he said. "Why do I even bother with painkillers?"

"C-Commander, we should have you checked in the medical bay."

"I'm fine now." He shook his head. "Usually, this only lasts for a minute or two, but..."

"U-Usually? How long have you been enduring those symptoms? Please, it's for your own—"

"No, I can take care of myself just fine."

She knew that the commander was stubborn, but she didn't expect him to be so careless about his own health.

"Th-Then, you should rest for the day. We've been busy with all the paperwork and meetings since we got back."

"That's the plan. You girls need to be in top form for tomorrow's op too."

"Yeah, everyone's informed already." An idea sprung up in her head. "Um, can you move away from the wall?"

He had an eyebrow raised for a moment, but he complied anyway. "What's this about?"

Inazuma smiled, cracking her knuckles as she glided towards his back. "I may not look like it, but I'm actually good at therapeutic massages. I've been studying different pressure techniques lately too."

"N-Not that I distrust you, but are you sure this is safe?"

"Huh? It's just a massage. Akatsuki always asks me to do this, you know?"

"It's just that us humans are quite fragile compared to you girls."

Inazuma's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Why do you sound scared? I'll start off slow and—" She felt something stiff and rigid on his right shoulder. She could barely make out the shape of it from his jacket, but she could tell that it was firmly attached to this body. W-What is this?

She let out a small yelp as he suddenly grabbed her hand and stood up. His piercing stare prevented her from moving another muscle. "On second thought," he said, "maybe some other time."

Inazuma frowned. "Okay, but are you sure you're feeling better now?"

"I'll manage."

"That's not convincing." She decided to drop it for now, but there was that other thing she needed to know. She was so sure it would nag her all day if she didn't ask him now. "Um, there was something stuck on your shoulder. What is it?"

He took his eyes off Inazuma. "Oh, this?" He patted his shoulder. "It's the mechanical anchor frame for my arm."

"Huh? What for?"

"I can't move my arm properly without it. Have to use one after an accident a long time ago."

Akatsuki was right yet again: too much information. "I... I never knew about that. Does that mean you could have lost your arm without it?"

He grimaced. "More or less..."

"E-Eh? That's—"

"A-Anyway, it took me about a year to get down the movements naturally and—" His eyebrows crossed. "Why are you making that face? I think it's the better option than a full-on prosthetic arm."

"I... I see." It was her turn to stand up. "It's almost lunch. Do you want to eat in the lounge or in the mess hall?"

"Go ahead. I'll just rest for a bit."

"N-No! Take your lunch first!"

He sighed. "Pushy today too, huh?"

The rest of the day passed. Inazuma was torn if she should bother the commander again after he attended an emergency conference in the assembly hall. It seemed that her own luck was working against her at the most convenient moments:

When she got the chance to talk to him in the office, she just couldn't muster up the courage to speak up. He noticed her flustered state and pushed her on about it. With her tongue suddenly tied in a knot, she tried to brush off her anxiety and responded with flimsy excuses and half-truths, but he saw through her yet again. Panicking, she excused herself from the room before things went out of hand.

Another miserable defeat, but it was for the best not to cause him more headaches. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same to herself after all the information she had to process in her head. Just as she had feared, the images Charm showed them did their worse after she tucked herself into bed that night. She resisted their haunting misery for an hour before she broke into tears and threw the covers away. She wished that she could forget about them, but her brain seemed to be quick in imprinting such things into memory.

Some persuasion was in order for her to sleep next to Akatsuki, and she found solace when the purple-haired girl confessed that she found pictures disturbing too. Still, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed crawling into her bed like that—not to mention that she was being a bother so late at night. Akatsuki kept reassuring her that it was okay and their repeated back-and-forth somehow lulled her into sleep, whispering her thank-you as she snuggled close.

First thing in the morning, they made their preparations for a week-long operation out in the sea. Following the branch's directives, Yurie and her fleet would accompany them as a single unit. A select few from Einrost's fleet would be joining them as well, but the reason behind this strange arrangement eluded her. Asking Einrost himself only left her a teasing remark about their commander.

They boarded the UNV Chariot, a Hunter-class patrol ship, and attended the short briefing with the captain and his crew in the bridge. Afterwards, they set sail and left the launch bay together with the UNV Basilisk. However, the helicopter destroyer would be participating in a different operation and would only accompany the fleet until they reached the first stop of the trip. On the outskirts of Auspice's port, they joined a gathering of ships, which included a cargo ship and three smaller supply vessels.

The voluntary operation they took up was a simple one: escort the supply fleet to Fort Orion, the nearest Navy forward base from Caffelatte's initial cluster chain. Inazuma had heard plenty of rumors about the island, some of which were frightening enough to rival the urban legends of Auspice. Akatsuki, on the other hand, was looking forward to see the island for the first time.

A forward base sitting at the mouth of Abyssal territory must have seen plenty of battles, and it would be a worthwhile learning experience for them to visit the place, especially when they get the chance to mingle with the fleet girls stationed there. Murakumo shared the same sentiment, but she was wondering if they would be given at least the minimum clearance to survey the fort during their downtime. Realizing this, Inazuma convinced herself to forget all the scary stories and focus on the positive stuff.

As for the others, they weren't particularly excited about the operation, but they were interested and contented in the prospect of traveling to a faraway island. And for the first time in a long while, Prinz Eugen and I-8 tagged along with them. If the first few exchanges between them and Murakumo were good enough indication, Inazuma could already tell that their journey would be a lively one. Of course, they could never be so complacent. While those new abyssal ships seemed to have their sights only on fleet girls, there was no telling when and where they might strike again. Constant vigilance could mean the difference between success and failure in this op.

On the second morning of their voyage, they entered Cornille's waters and made their approach to the satellite island's harbor. The cargo-bearing ships headed straight to the loading platforms while their escorts docked on either side of the port proper.

Cornille was one of the bigger islands in Caffelatte's island chain, spanning a couple of miles to the north. A strategic waypoint for seafarers, the island's harbor accommodated dozens of ships on a daily basis. But today, the entire southern seaboard of the place looked bare and lonely as news of increased enemy activity prevented ships from leaving their respective ports. The seaside district of the harbor was the complete opposite though, mostly thanks to the tourists who got stranded in the island. In turn, local establishments and shops had their hands full with the surge of potential customers moving to and fro the area.

Chariot was moored next to a wooden pier, and as soon as the folding ramp touched the platform, several security personnel boarded the ship for inspection. Since Inazuma and the others weren't allowed to leave the ship yet, they went to the upper deck and observed the scenery around them.

Fusou gasped as her eyes locked on a girl standing at the sea wall. It turned out that the girl was the battleship Yamashiro, staring at their direction. She waved at them and Fusou returned the gesture with a smile. But just then, another Fusou approached the short-haired battleship from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. Both shared a hearty laugh as they walked away from the shore.

Clutching the rail guard, Fusou let out a long sigh. Fumizuki patted her shoulder. "There, there..."

"It would be selfish of me to ask, but is Commander Yuu considering to construct another fleet girl for our unit?"

"Not happening. We can barely save up resources as it is." Akatsuki stared at her feet, narrowing her eyes. "Then there's the clause with capital ships that we need to deal with if we did get another one."

"I see... I apologize for my rudeness. Thinking about it now, Sendai was the first and only fleet girl constructed under our unit."

"Well, that makes me second place," Fumizuki said. "Manager even cried that time."

Fusou looked at the seaside district again, placing a hand on her cheek. "Speaking of which, does everyone find it odd that she is quite detached from everybody?"

"M-Me?" Inazuma said.

She shook her head. "Sendai's friendly, but she spends most of her time alone. Even in her free time, she always has a way to excuse herself from everyone."

"Maybe she's just like that," Fumizuki replied. "She loves the night too, so we don't get to hang out with her much."

"What do you think, Jintsuu?"

Jintsuu assumed a pensive expression as she put a hand on her cheek. "Her quirky tendencies aside, it does bother me too."

"You're not hiding something from us, are you?" Akatsuki asked.

She paused for a moment. "She told me about a few things, but she sounded like she was having a hard time conveying her thoughts to me. I have this feeling that there's a deeper meaning as to why she was being rather vague about them."

Akatsuki placed a hand on her waist as she faced Jintsuu. "I'm not just referring to that, you know? The two of you have been going off on your own a lot lately. Care to tell us what the commander is up to with your unannounced excursions to neighboring islands and outposts?"

Inazuma let out a small gasp. She didn't expect Akatsuki to confront Jintsuu then and there, but her preemptive strike seemed to be have worked as the light cruiser made a troubled expression.

"I-I'm sorry," Jintsuu replied, closing her eyes, "I don't think I can answer that."

"H-Huh? But why?"

"Because I don't know much about his plans."

"Wh-What? Then you're just following him blindly without even questioning his motives?"

Jintsuu gave Akatsuki a stern gaze. "I admit that what we've been doing behind your backs are nothing short of selfish and reckless, but we have our own reasons why we want to help Commander Yuu."

"Then tell us!" The light cruiser flinched from Akatsuki's glare. "You seem to think so highly of yourself if you just assumed that the rest of us wouldn't be able to help him in any way. Are you forgetting that each of us is responsible for one another in this unit?"

"I...I didn't mean it like that! We're trying to help him because we want to understand him better—and that includes the reason why he's keeping his actions a secret from the rest of you!"

Akatsuki's voice began to waver. "S-Still, you should've consulted us! Y-You can't pretend that you two are the only ones who can hope to understand him!"

Inazuma stepped between them and grabbed Akatsuki's hand. "C-Calm down, Akatsuki..."

Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. "Do you really think that you're doing us a favor by keeping us in the dark like this? You're not trying to help, Jintsuu! You're just insulting the pride of your friends!"

"Akatsuki!"

Jintsuu's lips quivered as she made a small step backwards. "I-I'm sorry."

After the light cruiser breathed out her apology, no one uttered another word. Both Akatsuki and Jintsuu had their eyes set on the floor while the rest of them simply exchanged confused looks with each other.

The stifling silence persisted for nearly a minute until Fusou spoke again.

"I think I can relate a bit to Jintsuu's feelings." She took a deep breath. "When I was still in the Navy, I have this tendency of pushing myself too hard that I lose sight of the more practical solution for my problems. And there were moments where I was simply at a lost deciding a course of action that would satisfy everyone."

"Impossible," Hatsuyuki said. "Trying to satisfy everyone is just... impossible."

"Yes, but that fact wouldn't stop anyone to strive for the things we believe in the most." She approached the light cruiser and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And doing just that doesn't mean that Jintsuu and Sendai had to disregard our feelings completely."

"S-So I'm in the wrong now?" Akatsuki said.

Fusou shook her head. "Um, I'm just suggesting we should give them a chance and put our faith on them. I'm sure they'll be able to tell us everything we need to know in the future."

"Since when did you get so optimistic? You looked really disappointed just a while ago."

She smiled. "It's your fault, you know?"

"M-My fault? So you are blaming me!"

"I mean, you always have your eyes set on the future. To be honest, I'm a bit envious that you seem to know what you want to do for yourself and the people around you. Your confidence is nothing short of inspiring."

Akatsuki had her eyes widened for a moment. "N-Naturally!" she said. "Who do you think you're talking to? Y-Yes, that's just what you would expect from a lady of my standing!"

"You ruined the mood," Hatsuyuki muttered.

She sniffled as she pulled the brim of her cap close to her face. "Sh-Shut up..."

Fusou made a couple of steps away from the group before facing them. "That said, spending time with everyone taught me to look forward to the future in a good light. It also means a lot to me that everyone readily accepted me in the unit after that incident." She bowed down. "I will always be thankful for the warmth and kindness that everyone has shared with me so far."

"U-Um," Inazuma uttered, "I don't think I did anything special at all."

Fumizuki giggled. "Look at Manager acting clueless and all," she said. "We're friends, so don't you dare give us the cold shoulder!"

"Friends, huh?" Akatsuki's expression mellowed out as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "O-Okay, I get it, but that doesn't mean we'll just let this issue slide completely. I also hope that you didn't give that speech of yours for the sake of getting me sidetracked."

Fusou made a nervous look. "I-I never intended to."

"I didn't mean to disregard everyone's feelings like that," Jintsuu said, looking down. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's unbecoming for a lady to let her emotions get the best of her. I should be the one apologizing."

Inazuma smiled, squeezing Akatsuki's hand. "I'm glad."

Akatsuki assumed a more serious expression. "How about it, Jintsuu? Will you at least tell us everything that you can share with us?"

Jintsuu made a hesitant glance to the side and let out a shaky sigh. "Yes, I understand."

"Let me put it this way then: what do you think he's trying to accomplish whenever he sends you out on trips outside Auspice?"

"Reconnaissance, for the most part. He's trying to obtain as much information as possible about Auspice and the rest of the Southern Cluster Isles. Said data mostly refers to all movements being done within the island chain, including Abyssal and Naval Domain activities."

Akatsuki crossed her arms. "Hmm, that could explain why he knows a lot of things. He's expanding his network within the sea sector."

Jintsuu nodded. "He has already established a certain number of informants across the region. If they happen to see anything suspicious in their respective areas, Commander Yuu sometimes send us there to investigate."

"What about the parcels that you were delivering left and right outside Auspice lately? Does it have something to do with it?"

"T-Truth is, those parcels only contain gifts for his informants."

"Gifts?" Fumizuki said, tilting her head to the side.

Akatsuki snorted in response. "Bribes, basically. He has to be in good terms with everyone to get what he wants."

"But isn't it weird that he didn't ask us to pitch in too? We'll be able to cover more ground if we work together!"

"Weren't you paying attention? Jintsuu said that he wanted to keep it under wraps for some reason."

Fumizuki put a finger on her chin. "Then... why did he choose Sendai and Jintsuu?"

"Ah, now that's a good question!" Akatsuki started tapping her foot on the floor. "Out of everyone in the unit, he roped in a fresh construct and a former reserve unit fleet girl in his schemes. Is there a pattern that we're missing here?"

"A pattern, huh?" Inazuma pursed her lips, concentrating. "Putting Sendai aside, Jintsuu was commissioned in the Peacekeeper's Auspice branch eight months ago. She spent the early months in service training as an assistant storekeeper under Auspice's local logistics department."

"Then it makes perfect sense that he picked Jintsuu, knowing her background."

"U-Um, Commander Yuu didn't choose me at all," Jintsuu said. "Rather, he let me help him because he had no other choice."

Akatsuki blinked. "What? Please explain."

"It was only by accident, but I stumbled upon the two of them together after we had finished our dinner party for Fumizuki that night."

Fumizuki raised an eyebrow. "For me? But didn't Commander throw that party to celebrate a successful mission just after I was constructed?"

Jintsuu shook her head. "They were just about to finish their conversation when I saw them in the garden lounge. Commander gave my sister a small package and sent her out to meet someone at the harbor."

"What did you do then?" Akatsuki asked.

"I trailed her until she reached the meeting point inside East Point Terminal. Unfortunately, I lost my sister in the crowd inside the building's lobby, so I wasn't able to see the commander's contact."

"I guess it wouldn't be that easy, huh? What happened after that?"

"Well, I decided to wait for her at the gate of the transport station. As you'd expect, she looked surprised the moment she saw me and tried to make up excuses for being there. I tried to convince her to tell the truth on our way back to headquarters, but she suggested that I should ask the commander himself about it instead."

"You've mentioned that he was still being cautious around the two of you, so I assume that he didn't tell you anything important when you confronted him at the time. But how did you force his hand in that story of yours? I mean, he's the guy who doesn't even care if everyone's suspicious of him."

"U-Um, I did nothing like that at all. After learning that my sister was the one who insisted to assist the commander with his plans, I just offered him my assistance and he accepted it without any questions. Commander told me afterwards that he has a tight schedule to follow, and he appreciated the extra hand to help him with his information gathering across the region."

"J-Just like that? Wa-Wait... why did you suddenly decide to help him in the first place?"

"When I noticed how Sendai interacted with him up close, I started to think that my suspicions of the commander were somehow misplaced."

"What do you mean by that?" Fusou asked.

"Since I was so focused on trying to figure out his motives, I ended up overlooking one unique aspect of my sister, which would explain why she was very supportive of him from the start."

"Ah... I see." All eyes went to Hatsuyuki. "You decided to follow Commander because Sendai knows more than everybody that he's not doing anything malicious at all."

"How did you come up with that conclusion?" Akatsuki asked.

Hatsuyuki simply scoffed. "Have you forgotten how she was constructed?"

A gasp came out of Akatsuki. "A-Ah! You're right! I can't believe I almost forgot about that!"

Jintsuu nodded. "In fact, I believe Commander Yuu wouldn't even approach Sendai in the first place if she were just as clueless as we are about his history. Once I realized that, I was convinced that he wasn't manipulating my sister like I had assumed."

She grimaced. "But just because she knew that he isn't a bad person now doesn't mean that he won't cause any problems in the future."

"I still have my doubts too, that's why I took upon myself to watch over him and my sister. Until the time comes that he will be able to tell everyone his secrets, please let me continue to help him."

"Jeez, I get it already." Akatsuki let out a deep sigh. "But to clarify what you just said just now, are you certain that Sendai knows everything about him?"

"No, not everything." She paused, glancing to the shore. "Miss Charm told me that the Soul Resonance procedure is far from perfect. Maybe it's better if you ask what my sister knows about his motives."

"His motives, huh? Alright, thank you for cooperating this time." Akatsuki grabbed Inazuma's hand. "We gotta strike while the iron's hot!"

The destroyer pair went to the ship's aft where they found Sendai having a pleasant nap under the morning sun. "Please wake up," Akatsuki said. "We need to ask a few important things from you."

Sendai's only response was the sound of her own peaceful breathing.

Sighing, Akatsuki put her hands over the cruiser's eyelids. "It's night. Wakey-wakey."

"Mmm, I can still feel the sun... maybe another ten hours—"

"H-Hey, that's just slacking off now."

"I'll try my best later."

Akatsuki's eyelid began to twitch. "I'm not in a good mood right now. Wake up right this second before I push you off the deck."

"Whoa, that's extreme." Yawning, Sendai slowly pushed herself up from the blanket. She sat cross-legged and stretched her arms. "What's up?"

"What kind of relationship do you have with the commander?"

"Huh? We're friends, I guess? Why do you—"

"No, no! I mean, he's often sending you out to do little errands for him. Why?"

"Eh, we've been here before. You could at least try to be subtle about it too."

"I happened to miss one crucial detail, but it all makes sense now."

Sendai's expression stiffened. "And that would be?"

"If there's one person who should know him better than everybody else, it's you."

Sendai had a grave expression on her face, but only for a moment as it was quickly replaced with a goofy smile. "Come on, cut me some slack! Is that really the first question you have to ask after waking up someone?"

Akatsuki glared at her. "Jintsuu already told us about you, so enough fooling around. Just tell us what you know already."

"Sheesh, fine. Ever since that last time you chewed me out for going AWOL again, I've been trying to recall the memories imparted to me by Commander. It's hard and annoying though, like putting back together broken glass shards."

"That's too bad," Inazuma said. "But that's just how it is if you can't remember."

"No, that was my mistake. I focused too much on them when I already have something closer to me."

"Something close?"

"Whenever I look at him, I get this strong feeling in my chest—a weird, overwhelming sense of longing," Sendai said. "No idea why, but it probably has something to do with his past."

"Okay, we're getting somewhere this time," Akatsuki said. "Something about his past, huh?"

"He's... looking for someone."

"Someone?" Inazuma said.

"Different foreign emotions surged through my head after my consciousness was formed. The moment I saw him... I thought I was staring into the eyes of a long-lost friend." Sendai smiled. "What a weird experience."

"A friend? Is it why he has this strong desire to see this person again?"

"Well, that's the feeling that stuck out the most." Sendai shook her head. "That's probably why I wanted to help him as much as I can. You know me—I'm not too fussy with the little details."

Akatsuki grabbed the cruiser's forearm. "W-Wait, who is this someone? Tell me!"

"Sorry, it's all a blur from there."

"I won't accept a poor excuse like that! You're so close and you just have to leave us hanging here!"

"H-Hey, none of you were this interested in knowing him when I was constructed." The cruiser looked down. "I'm just as frustrated as you are. I thought I'd remember again if I just let it for a while, but those memories faded more and more instead."

Inazuma knitted her eyebrows, deep in thought. "But who could that person be? Is he looking for a friend or relative working overseas after all?" She looked at Akatsuki. "What do you think?"

"For all we know, this mystery person isn't involved with our current situation here."

"R-Really?"

"Even if it's relevant to those automatons roaming around lately, what are the chances of us finding that person when he himself has no clue where to go next?"

"That's... a good point."

"There's no use crying over this," Akatsuki said. "Regardless, we did gain something new about him. Thank you, Sendai."

"You know, after all this time, I still can't get used to you talking like that." The light cruiser grinned. "Don't stress yourself, okay?"

Akatsuki's lips quivered as her eyelids slowly lowered. Inazuma was expecting an outburst, but what she heard next was far from it: "Come on, Inazuma. We're done here."

Inazuma and Sendai exchanged smiles.

Nearly an hour passed when the security team finally gave them the green light to leave the ship. Since they couldn't wander too far from the pier, there weren't many places to see in the immediate area other than the line of establishments stretching to the eastern side of the harbor. These included local restaurants and souvenir shops, adding unique and authentic offerings alongside popular stores and franchises sprouting everywhere. They made use of their free time to the fullest, checking out what the stores had to offer one by one. A little window shopping wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

Inazuma made a list of cute trinkets on her phone as they moved along. Since they would be taking the same route back from Orion after the operation, she figured that it would be better to hold off on purchasing anything first. Hopefully, it would give her enough time to decide which items she should get.

On their way back, they dropped by a local eatery and indulged themselves with the impressive variety of rice dishes for their early lunch. Yurie, the commander, and some of Chariot's crew members joined them as well, forming a long table across the dining area. They waited in anticipation as various delectable scents wafted from the kitchen. Soon, the double doors opened and the servers brought four carts to their table. In the next minute, they were already chowing down like it would be their last.

Inazuma couldn't blame them—her seafood rice dish was full of complementing flavors stuffed in a single bowl. Apart from the generous amount of crab and shrimp meat, she just couldn't get enough of its sweet, savory sauce. It was simply a dish that didn't want her to let go of her chopsticks until the bowl was sparkly clean.

Amidst the lively chatter, the commander leaned close to Yurie. "I know it's too late to ask this, but who's going to pay for all these?" he told her. "We're feeding three units' worth of fleet girls here."

"Well, about that—"

"Quite an appetite you got there, Kumano," Maya said. "Not that I'm any better, but that's your sixth bowl already."

"Surprising, isn't it?" Prinz Eugen said. "She only eats that much when we eat out though."

Nagara laughed. "Show me your A-game, guys! I'm at my tenth bowl and I can still eat a dozen more!"

Inazuma was worried and amazed. They weren't holding back at all. "It's on Einrost's tab, don't worry," Yurie said just after she took a sip of her soup bowl. "This is just pocket change to him anyway."

Inazuma tilted her head. "But isn't that—"

Murakumo waved her hand. "He gave me enough points to cover us for the entire trip, so just grab what you like. No need to be modest." She turned her head, staring at the front counter. "How about the spicy one? I haven't tried that."

"Umm, you say that, but this is an escort mission."

"In that case," the commander said, standing up, "I won't hold back."

"Y-You too?!"

He looked towards the juice bar, then back to Inazuma. "Want me to get you something?"

"Ermm… I'm fine with mango juice."

A waitress took a couple more orders and relayed them to the kitchen staff. Not more than ten minutes passed before she returned with a serving cart. Another batch of steaming bowls graced their table and the girls, armed with their eating utensils, renewed their culinary assault.

"It struck me just now, but what are your plans when we get there?" Yurie asked.

His eyes narrowed but kept his gaze on his meal. "What do you mean?"

"The pay is higher than anything else commissioned the other week, but I just find it odd that you took a Navy-issued assignment so quickly."

"I want to check the situation there myself. This voluntary operation was nothing more than good fortune on my end."

"That's what I want to know. You won't suddenly make a move like this if it isn't worth a second glance."

"What is it to you?"

"You're being self-centered." Yurie glanced at Inazuma. "This is more than just between you and them."

"And I need to remind you that we're having lunch, not on some interrogation session." He launched a glare at her. "If you're trying to coax something out of me just because they're here, I suggest that you stop this nonsense now."

"You'll hit a snag sooner or later if you act too rashly, that's why you need to—"

"Enough."

His clear, imposing voice created a vacuum as the bustling noise inside the eatery suddenly died down. Both staff and patrons cast troubled looks towards their table, but the standoff between the two officers didn't falter.

His chair screeched as he pushed himself away from the table. "Excuse me," he said as he walked to the front door. "I need to cool off for a bit."

"C-Commander!"

Before Inazuma could follow him, Akatsuki snatched her wrist and yanked her back. "Let him be."

"B-But—"

Nagara's head suddenly slammed the table. "Urgh—I don't feel so good."

Kumano burst into laughter. "What a glutton you are," she said. "You had your chances, but you don't really know when to concede."

"Urrp… gotta unload some of the cargo or I'll—"

Maya shot up from her seat, placing Nagara's arm around her shoulders. "Dammit, not here!"

The mood plummeted for a moment, but it seemed to have bounced back just as quick. The tension in the air was still palpable though, lasting throughout their meal. While Inazuma had seen it coming miles away, disappointment struck her all the same.

That little episode was never mentioned again, but the commander opted to distance himself from them regardless. Other than work-related matters, she hadn't had the chance to talk to him since they left Cornille two days ago. She had opened up her thoughts to Akatsuki, who remained indignant despite her concerns towards the commander:

"He's just being a spoiled brat getting all mopey like that. Don't become like him."

But it wasn't something that she could just overlook.

Nothing frustrated her more than this unbearable feeling of helplessness, slowly consuming her from the inside. In fact, the solution to this whole ordeal was simple and yet she couldn't do anything but watch the rift grew larger each passing day. Not that she wasn't giving her honest effort, but they still had a lot of ground to cover with the mysteries that sprouted in the last couple of weeks—among them were details that could help them understand the commander better.

For now, she had another issue to deal with:

Borrowing the commander's terminal informed her of a new batch of equipment issued from the factory. Him making decisions like that without her consent was already a given, but what baffled her this time was his preference for carrier-based planes as of late. In this particular order, he seemed to be trying to acquire more fighter planes to complement the other planes in their growing inventory.

By her estimate, it was already plenty enough to sustain a fleet of carriers for at least a week of nonstop sorties!

She feared that another surprise construction could happen anytime soon, so she had to take the initiative as fleet secretary. And as long as her queries concerned their unit, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to get an explanation from him.

She left their quarters with that notion echoing in her head and began searching for him. After walking around for some time, she caught sight of Akatsuki and the commander at the foredeck, with the former raising her voice every now and then:

"You're more stubborn than her! Do you honestly have any idea what you're talking about right now?"

Inazuma crept towards them. "Um, are you two fighting?"

"No, far from it." Smiling, Akatsuki pulled her sleeve to look at her wristwatch. "If you're not busy at the moment, can we talk?"

Inazuma glanced at the commander. "Um, sure."

They walked towards the nearest bench and settled there. While there was enough space for the three of them, Akatsuki opted not to sit at all. She looked restless, tapping her foot as she gazed into the distance.

From the plastic bag he was holding, the commander brought out three cans. "Beer?!" Inazuma said.

"Root beer," he replied. "Chitose would be all over them first if they were the real deal."

She received a can and inspected it. "Oh, it's vanilla."

Akatsuki grimaced as she opened hers and took a swig of the drink. "If only they didn't run out of coffee in the fridge…"

"They have stacks of coffee cans in the kitchen," the commander said.

"And you want me to drink one as it is? No, thank you."

"You sure are picky."

"If I gave you a carton of lukewarm milk, would you drink it?"

"No, I like it cold."

"Then this conversation is over."

Inazuma tried to stifle her laughter, but she couldn't hold it. She ended up spitting the root beer in her mouth as she began to cough uncontrollably. Her throat felt prickly while tears invaded her eyes. It was simply a horrible experience, but to her embarrassment, Akatsuki and the commander exchanged looks and shared a lengthy laugh.

"Wh-Why are you two laughing? It isn't funny, you know?"

"S-Sorry," Akatsuki replied. "Y-You made a weird face just before you—snrkpfft!"

The commander had his eyes away from her, but he was clearly struggling to keep up a straight face. Inazuma bit her lip as she let the humiliation consume her completely. More tears fell down her cheeks. "M-Meanies. Someday… someday, I'll…"

"A-Ah, we're sorry! D-Don't cry! Commander, say you're sorry too!"

"I don't know. It was her fau—" Akatsuki brought down a heel on the commander's foot. "Ngh! S-Sorry."

Whether their apologies were sincere or not, she started to calm down and pull herself together. She wiped her mouth with her jacket's sleeve, but her eyes widened in horror. "C-Commander, I'm so sorry! I'm going to wash it well when we get back!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you panicking? I already gave you that jacket."

"Y-You did? Since when?"

"When was it?" He narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "I think it was the time when Katori dropped by the office last weekend."

"I knew that I could keep it for a little while longer, but actually giving it to me is a bit…"

"You have already taken a liking to it, right? Warm, comfy, and has plenty of pockets and compartments—the perfect outdoor companion."

"H-Hey, how come she gets one and I don't?" Akatsuki asked.

"Would you actually wear it if I did give you one?"

Wagging her index finger, she put her free hand on her waist. "A gift is a gift, so I'll accept it gladly. Putting it on is a different case."

"I see. I fear that I won't be able to find something that would match your sophisticated flair and character."

Her confident form wavered a bit. "Hmph! Maybe it's about time you realize that you just have a bland taste for wardrobe."

She seemed to have scored a hit as the commander's face darkened slightly. Inazuma, however, felt that she had to take the helm and steer the conversation to her advantage. She couldn't let this chance slip away. "So, um, I want to ask Commander something," she said. "Why are you developing carrier planes again?"

Akatsuki gave him a sharp look. "She told me that some time ago. What are you trying to do?"

"Is that a bad thing?" he said. "I thought you girls wanted a carrier in the fleet."

"I know that the Joint Committee had the mandate on hold, but are you really serious about acquiring an aircraft carrier?"

"You already answered your question way back when we were just starting out." He drank his root beer. "It's inevitable anyway."

Akatsuki had an eyebrow raised for a moment, but she shrugged and smiled. "Good to see that you're thinking about the future, but it's more important to work on what we have at the moment."

"That goes without saying."

"That's my line." Their eyes locked and stayed like that for a while, confusing Inazuma. "Well? If you don't mind…"

He suddenly stood up and left them without a word. As he disappeared around the corner, Akatsuki finally sat next to Inazuma, but none of them uttered a single peep. The unsettling silence made Inazuma jittery. "Um, what do you want to talk about?" she asked. "It feels important."

"Don't worry—it's nothing like that."

"But I know something's wrong. You don't have to lie, remember?"

"A worrywart like always, but it strangely fits you." Akatsuki smiled again. "It's about him. We both know that we won't get anywhere like this. I'm not saying that we should stop, but we need a different approach to get us new leads."

"What do you suggest?"

"We have to accept the fact that we sometimes need to take risks. Greater stakes mean bigger yields, right?"

"I… I don't like the sound of that."

Akatsuki grimaced. "I think it's hardly different from what we're doing now," she said in a low voice, "but this is a gamble that I'm willing to partake in, no matter the costs."

"A-Akatsuki…"

"I gave my word to you after all."

Her words cheered Inazuma up, but she looked down to hide her flustered face. "I'm really thankful."

For a moment, Akatsuki didn't speak. When Inazuma finally turned to look at her, she shook her head. "I should be the one thanking you. It means so much to me that I have someone that I can rely on—more importantly, a friend who I can trust with everything. Thank you, Inazuma."

Inazuma worked up the courage to open her mouth. "U-Um… me too. Erm… I feel the same way."

"Was I being too formal? Sorry."

"N-No, it's okay." She smiled. "I'll support you in every way I can."

"Of course. I'm counting on you like always." She held out her root beer. "Shall we have a toast for that, Miss Secretary?"

"Yes!"

"To our fleet's great success!"

They knocked their cans together and drank their root beer. It was only until she finished her drink when she realized that it could have been better if the commander had shared the toast with them too.

They spent the rest of their time together in silence. She was happy that Akatsuki was slowly opening up to her, but as she happened to look into her deep purple eyes, she knew that something didn't feel quite right.

A subtle tinge of… sadness?

Disappointment? Regret?

She forced these thoughts out of her head and sighed. Was she overthinking things again?

Twenty past midnight, they were called to the bridge for an emergency meeting. When Inazuma got there along with the others, the tension was thicker than she had imagined. The commander was at the forefront with an unmoving expression on his face. Right away, he revealed the meeting's agenda:

"I received tip of an ongoing abyssal movement close to our ship route. Numbers are yet to be known, but I'm sure everybody knows where this is going, right?"

Everything was calm and motionless for a moment, and then escalating into a muffled hubbub as questions were thrown around one after another. But just as Inazuma expected, he ignored them and pressed the current matter at hand. Despite the confused and wary looks cast on him, the commander didn't budge one bit. Sure enough, he had made his point and the meeting proceeded on his unspoken terms.

"Should we inform the CO to divert the fleet's course?" the ship captain asked.

"Too risky," the commander replied. "As long as we don't alert the enemy of our plans, we should be fine as it is."

"I see," Yurie said. "This is obviously a trap, but we can use it against them if all goes well. We'll let them strike first, then we parry for our counterattack."

"But it is certainly odd that our roving reconnaissance planes haven't reported such activities," Kumano said.

Prinz Eugen nodded. "They're getting better at masking their positions. What do you think, Murakumo?"

Murakumo had a stern expression on her face. "You know what? I'll keep my mouth shut for now."

"Oh? That's new," I-8 replied.

The blonde cruiser flashed a grin. "I know, right?"

The commander looked up from his portable terminal. "According to my intel, the enemy is also organizing a carrier group from the south." He walked towards a computer panel under the overhead monitors and keyed in the approximate coordinates of the enemy fleet. With a final tap, his inputs were reflected on the map. "We should expect air raids to commence not more than an hour from now."

"H-Hey, that's close," Akatsuki mumbled.

"An abyssal carrier group, huh?" Yurie paused. "If we could determine their precise location, we should be able to get the initiative before—"

"No, we're not falling for that. We'll hold our ground instead and protect the other flank—that's where the main strike force is going to attack."

Everyone was stunned. "Another fleet from the north?" the captain said, looking at the monitor. "You sure about that?"

"We won't see them coming on radar since they've already taken their positions along our route. They'll try to catch us by surprise and overwhelm us before we can even mobilize."

Yurie frowned. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could have—"

"If we're going to argue about this again, then no, I'm not holding back anything this time. It's absurd that you really think that I would sign my own death warrant for something so petty."

"That's not what I—" She shook her head and sighed. "Let's just get this done, okay?"

He nodded. "That's all I can give at the moment. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Wait," Murakumo said. "If you know this much, do you know why they're targeting us?"

His face showed hesitation, but he gave an answer nonetheless. "I have my hunches, but they're nothing concrete—merely distractions at best."

"Of course you don't."

"Are we all set?" the captain asked. "We're linking up everyone for an emergency conference."

"Please do," Yurie replied.

One by one, the monitors displayed the bridges of the other ships. As soon as everyone was accounted for, Yurie relayed the current situation and the danger they were about to face. Aboard the NMS Novus, Commander Rolm was nowhere near pleased with the news, but the commander was quick to shut him up:

"You're not wrong—I'm just some arrogant civvy pretending to know your trade, and I wouldn't try to argue against that." He paused, glancing over his shoulder. "I'm not oblivious to the fact that my peers see me as a selfish upstart who thinks that he knows everything. But you know what? I'll bear that title proudly if it means keeping every ship in this fleet afloat until we reach port."

Inazuma balled her hands. Is that how you truly feel towards everyone?

"And in case you were forgetting one important bit, you're just as responsible to anything that might happen to this fleet. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be a laughingstock for failing something as simple as an escort op."

The communication window from the center monitor turned black. "He cut off the line," the captain said. "Heh. Looks like you pissed him off."

"He'll come around once they finally made their move."

The other captains and fleet commanders looked distraught, but they seemed to have gotten his message.

More information trickled in as they drew close to the sea sector where the Abyssals would initiate their assault. Approximately twelve minutes later, the supply fleet entered combat procedures as enemy planes appeared on radar, approaching from the south. All of the fleet girls had already taken up their positions as they waited for further instructions.

"I must say that it's frightening how accurate his intel is," Murakumo said. "Just who exactly is he?"

"Uh, you know that he can hear you, right?" Prinz Eugen said.

"Well, I think we're free to fill the gaps in if he doesn't want to talk about it. I did my homework and I'm sure that idiot definitely has a hand in this."

"Sir Einrost? I don't get you."

"Multiple large mag-ion signatures detected," Aster said. "Expect unique variant abyssal ships in the pursuing fleets."

"I did a quick cross-reference processing," Freya said, "and I can confirm at least one princess-class and multiple demon-class from the northern fleets."

Gunfire already erupted from the other side of the fleet, lighting up the cloudy night sky.

Inazuma felt the gravity of the situation weighing down on her shoulders, and she couldn't help but steal glances at her friends if they ever felt the same way. They were more than prepared, but the success of their plan still hinged on execution.

"Who knew that an escort mission like this would get so intense?" Maya said. "Give them a good beating for me, you hear?"

"First torpedo wave inbound," Yurie said. "Get ready, everyone!"

Tall pillars erupted ahead of them, creating a wall as the underwater interceptors did their work.

It also was their cue to retaliate as the two counteroffensive fleets set off to their respective targets. Inazuma's group was tasked to neutralize the enemy's support fleet north-northwest of the supply fleet, while Murakumo and Akatsuki's unit headed northeast to intercept the enemy's main force.

"Inazuma," Aster said. "The enemy fleet launched another set of torpedoes."

"Copy that." She focused her senses, causing her eyes to glow saffron. Soon, she saw the flickering outlines of the enemy torpedoes, slowly becoming brighter as they drew closer to them. "Get ready, everyone! We'll rush in at full speed!"

"Are they even trying?" Sendai said. "That spread is just too wide!"

"The enemy fleet started to move," Hatsuyuki said. "What now?"

"We take out the escorts first, then the bigshots."

"They picked the wrong fleet to mess with," Uzuki said. "But it's just what I needed right now."

Nagara looked over her shoulder. "They almost had you last time. You can't get those thoughts into you or—"

The pink-haired destroyer smiled. "I know—it's just me being excited and all!"

Inazuma kept her eyes on the incoming torpedoes, but it had been a huge mistake to focus on the spread alone. Abyssal submarines burst out of the gaps with blades in their hands, lunging towards them. At the same time, the torpedoes went off around Inazuma's team, effectively pinning them down from their positions.

Inazuma raised her arm, deflecting a vicious strike from a Ka-class submarine. She quickly countered with her shoulder mount, but the enemy leaned to her right and produced another short blade. The abyssal plunged it into the destroyer's thigh, causing her to stumble and collapse backwards.

Her vision became blurry as she inched away from the abyssal submarine. Engulfed in a golden glow, the enemy looked down at her and brandished yet another blade. She pounced on the destroyer with an eerie laugh.

Increasing her mag-ion output, Inazuma rocketed backwards and launched her torpedoes. The submarine wasn't able to submerge in time and she was swallowed up in a chain of explosions. Inazuma pushed herself away from the water's surface, landing on her two feet as she continued to skid for some more distance. She held up a card from her pocket and her torpedo mount transformed into a depth charge launcher.

"Is everyone okay?" Inazuma asked.

"So-so, I guess. We have to—" Uzuki growled. "Fumizuki, don't lure that thing here!"

Sendai's laugh broke out, drowning out a nearby explosion. "That's cute—they thought they have us at a disadvantage! We'll show 'em!"

Inazuma rubbed her cheek with her forefinger. "U-Um, are we really okay?"

Sensing a torpedo coming up to the surface, Inazuma concentrated her mag-ions into her legs and sprung backwards, but the abyssal submarine from earlier appeared from her left. She blocked the enemy's blade just before they were knocked away by the torpedo blast. She regained her bearings midair, extending her arms to perform a handspring. But when she was back on her feet again, she let out a cry. The throbbing of her thigh approached the unbearable, rendering her whole leg useless. She found herself kneeling afterwards as she clutched the area around the stab wound.

The bleeding head of the Ka-class submarine emerged before her, chuckling. "How does it feel? I shall have you enjoy a slow, pitiful death," she said. "After all, it would be a shame if I didn't get to relish this moment."

The destroyer's shoulder mount extended slightly to get a clear shot, but a dagger-like object pierced her shoulder as she was about to fire her gun. And before the pain could even register, the enemy already lunged and grabbed her by the neck. She struggled as the submarine's weight pressed her into the water.

Droplets of seawater rained on them as the haunting visage of the Ka-class submarine filled her vision. "It seems like your friends aren't any better. Worry not, they will be joining you soon enough."

Inazuma coughed out seawater as her shield turret rotated ninety degrees. "N-Not yet!"

A shell dart slammed into the submarine's waist, but it only elicited a chuckle from the enemy. "A fitting end for a helpless child like you."

"It… didn't work? A-Ah, I pressed the wrong tri—"

An agonizing shriek pierced the air as the enemy was reduced into a convulsing mess. Her screams were soon punctuated with a powerful crack, sending the submarine in a wide arc across the sky. "Ha! I've always wanted to punt a submarine like that!" Nagara extended her hand. "Can you stand?"

But just then, another abyssal submarine rushed behind the light cruiser. Inazuma pulled herself up and fired at the attacking enemy. Two direct hits made short work of the submarine as she plunged back into the water.

The cruiser crouched next to Inazuma. "Thanks—I thought I had her that time. These guys are no benchwarmers," she said. "Are you okay?"

Seeing the lengthy gash on Nagara's arm seemed to have worsened the sensation in her leg, but she had to act quickly. She gritted her teeth as she focused her energy on removing the blade in one swift pull. The pain that followed almost caused her to blacken out. "S-Sorry! Give me a few more seconds!"

As she was preparing to extract the blade in her shoulder, an enemy shell slammed next to them. "Looks like we won't get any timeouts." Nagara recalled her core structure and crouched in front of her. "Come on!"

"P-Piggyback?! But you can't move as fast without—"

"Better than a sitting duck, right? Besides, I'm used to this!"

"I'll draw their fire," Sendai said, activating her searchlight. "Cover me, you two."

"Roger," Hatsuyuki replied.

"No need to ask," Uzuki said.

The shelling became more intense as the abyssal surface ships made their approach. Inazuma's fleet returned the favor with their own guns, but the mere presence of enemy submarines proved to be a huge nuisance towards their counter-maneuver tactics. The interceptor hives they deployed provided extra safeguard, but it didn't discourage the submarines one bit to keep up with them.

"Heads up!" Ram said. "Time for your long-awaited support shelling!"

Not long afterwards, a wave of shells struck the enemy fleet from above. The momentary break from enemy fire allowed them to focus all their attention on the submarines once more:

"That took a while, Fusou!" Sendai said. "We'll cover you, Fumizuki! Get 'em!"

Fumizuki released a concentrated burst of mag-ions beneath her feet, launching herself into the air. The resulting water ripples, charged with her own energy, gave away the positions of the submarines, and the destroyer didn't waste a moment to hurl a depth charge into the nearest target.

Seconds later, a powerful shock wave erupted outwards, causing everyone to steer clear of the huge torrent that consumed the area. The other pillars that followed the first one paled in comparison. Sendai whistled. "Did you get her?"

"I dunno," Fumizuki replied, "but she won't be coming up again for sure!"

Sendai performed the same maneuver. But in her case, she was quickly shot out of the air before she could chuck the depth charge in her hand.

"Uhh… you still have your searchlight on," Nagara said.

"She did that on purpose," Uzuki said. "Hey, stop screwing around!"

Sending a quick thank you to her damage control crew, Inazuma tapped Nagara's shoulder. "My leg is still a bit stiff and sore, but I can move now at least. Thank you."

"Good timing then! Looks like our main event is about to kick off."

In the midst of the fiery muddle, the outlines of the abyssal ships came into view. A Light Cruiser Demon and a Tsu-class cruiser unleashed thunderous salvos, forcing the fleet girls to break off into different directions. Without giving Inazuma's fleet time to regroup, the abyssal destroyer escorts rushed into the fray, tracking their preys' movements as their mouths flashed with every shot.

Inazuma swerved to the right as an approaching Ro-class destroyer fired an intense blast. The moment they passed each other, she launched a salvo of her own, nailing a good chunk of its portside. The enemy destroyer, now emanating a crimson hue, made a sharp turn and retaliated just as quick with its main gun. Inazuma reacted a second late as she shielded herself from the explosive shell. As the smoke cleared, the enemy was already upon her with its mouth wide open.

She released a depth charge beneath her feet as dived out of the abyssal destroyer's path. The Ro-class crashed into the water but didn't have the chance to resurface—the depth charge it happened to devour went off, sending numerous armor fragments all over the place.

When she thought that she could finally take a breather, the Tsu-class cruiser took notice of her and immediately closed the distance between them with a heavy kick. Inazuma leaped sideways as the cruiser slammed the water's surface with her massive fist. She trained her gun mounts on the enemy and released another salvo. However, the abyssal cruiser blocked the shells and returned fire with her forearm turrets.

Inazuma steeled herself as she took a few shells. Her upper body fared better with the last second use of her shield. The bottom half… she wouldn't even dare to venture a glance. All she knew was that her underpants were exposed now!

And to make things worse, both of her legs tensed up and stopped responding. The blast from the abyssal destroyer shook her system far more than she had imagined—she had overestimated her own strength, but she had no intention of ending it there so quickly either.

She mustered her embarrassment and humiliation, and fired her guns at once. A fierce blaze enveloped the abyssal cruiser, but she was still standing despite taking the shells at a closer range. She lowered her head as if staring down at Inazuma and scooped the destroyer out of the water.

Uzuki raised her portable turret. "Put her down right now!"

"No fair—why are they picking on Manager?" Fumizuki said. "We'll teach these bullies a lesson!"

"Are you okay in there?" Hatsuyuki asked.

Surprisingly, the cruiser's palm was spongier than what Inazuma first assumed. Her captor's grip was unnaturally firm, but not on the level that would cause great discomfort. "I… I'm okay. But where's Sendai?"

Sounds of cannon fire suddenly ceased as the Light Cruiser Demon sailed next to them. "What's wrong?" Sendai asked. "Running out of steam?"

The demon cruiser crossed her arms. "Empty bravado will only harm you in the long run. Frankly, I thought I would get a decent challenge out of this chore, but I expected too much."

"Hearing you talk like that actually pisses me off more."

"Unfortunately, the damage is already done. I can have some fun while we're still here at the very least."

"U-Um, so your fleet is a diversionary force too?" Inazuma asked.

"More or less."

To her surprise, the abyssal cruiser actually gave an answer! Maybe she could push her luck further? "B-But why are you targeting us?"

"I don't know."

"Huh? Y-You mean that?"

"Why would I waste precious time chasing a supply fleet around?"

"No offense, but isn't that you guys usually do?" Fumizuki said. "You know, attacking everything indiscriminately and stuff."

"Too many questions!" Her body flared up a ghostly blue. "They haven't told me anything either!"

Nagara rubbed the back of her head. "Uh… then why are you here again?" She suddenly ducked as the Light Cruiser Demon fired a turret. "Wow, that's a short fuse you got there."

Her eyes squinted as she looked at the Tsu-class cruiser. "Release her. I want to break a sweat fighting these shrimps."

"Is this a trick?" Hatsuyuki said.

She laughed. "Nonsense! I can do whatever I want as long as I can keep you girls here—a proper consolation for dragging me out here in the first place."

Inazuma landed on the water with a splash. She turned around and bowed. "A-Ah… thank you."

"While the result has already been decided, you still better not disappoint, little one."

She shrunk under the abyssal cruiser's gaze before returning to her friends.

"How are you holding up there?" Ram asked. "Fusou's busy at the moment, but give me a beep if you need extra firepower!"

"We're good," Sendai said, grinning. "Can't wait to wipe that smug off her face."

"I'm more worried about Akatsuki and the others," Inazuma said. "Are they—"

"That won't do!" the fairy replied. "Focus on what's in front of you right now!"

"C-Copy that." Inazuma began reviewing a status report sent by her fairy crew. That's something that he would say. I haven't heard his voice for a while…

"Doncha worry! We're talking about some of Auspice's finest! They're doing pretty well against two princess-class ships!"

The Light Cruiser Demon extended her arms towards them. "Well then, we shall see if you will be able to provide the challenge I seek!"

"Bring it!" Nagara launched herself towards the demon cruiser. The Tsu-class cruiser made her move, intercepting the punch with the back of her hand. She fired a turret on her other arm, but her target was already long gone. Nagara had already gained distance, firing all her guns from her opponent's starboard side. "Come on—keep up!"

Meanwhile, the rest of them coordinated to overwhelm the Light Cruiser Demon. As expected, it was proving to be a tough fight—the five of them were scoring some hits, but their attacks barely did anything to slow her down. And true to her word, she wasn't showing the greater parts of her abilities just yet.

Inazuma tossed her anchor to Fumizuki, who caught it overhead. "We'll have to create our own opening!"

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Fumizuki asked.

"We have to try!"

"I'm in!" Sendai said. "Could be fun!"

Fumizuki hurled a depth charge towards the demon cruiser to screen their approach. Shells whizzed through the wall of seawater, but the two destroyers had already closed in and caught the still reeling enemy with their chain.

Inazuma channeled her mag-ions into the chain as Fumizuki passed the anchor to Sendai. The light cruiser made a pass around the enemy before tossing it back to Fumizuki. The cruiser struggled to break free, but the chain remained strong and intact.

Pulling on the chain with both hands, Inazuma leveled her shoulder turret at their target. "Now!"

They let loose alternating salvos as the abyssal cruiser was engulfed in a hazy blaze. Their incessant shelling didn't give her any form of opening, pelting her from every direction.

But even in the midst of the barrage, the abyssal cruiser's mag-ion level wasn't diminishing at all. In fact, it was increasing rapidly. The buildup of energy eventually reached its peak, collapsing outwards. Inazuma held her ground as the shock waves disturbed the vicinity and the immense surge of mag-ions ruptured her chain like glass.

Two figures broke out of the dense smoke cloud. The one with the vaguely shaped silhouette collided with Sendai, while the humanoid figure went straight for Fumizuki.

"Look out!" Uzuki shouted.

Fumizuki went full reverse as she fired at the Light Cruiser Demon, but the abyssal cruiser already moved close enough to deliver a right hook. The destroyer blocked the blow with her forearm plating, but it broke her stance and sent her skidding across the water. As if it wasn't enough, the abyssal cruiser quickly followed up with a cannon blast.

The subsequent explosion made Inazuma's knees weak. "Fumizuki!"

"S-She separated?" Uzuki said. "Wait, she has legs?!"

"Don't fret—you'll get your turn soon."

Two blasts put a stop to the cruiser's advance. Hatsuyuki appeared from her right, striking her with a spinning kick. The abyssal cruiser blocked the blow with her forearm and grabbed the destroyer's ankle with her other hand. She landed a quick jab on Hatsuyuki's chest and slammed her on the water twice.

Skirting from the enemy's portside, Uzuki launched a few shells of her own. To their horror, the abyssal cruiser used Hatsuyuki as a shield. She aimed her forearm turret on Uzuki. "A little bit quick on the trigger, I see."

"Please let her go!" Inazuma cried.

She grinned. "Make me."

Hatsuyuki suddenly bent over and released a concentrated shot to the cruiser's face. She fell to the water, letting out a soft chuckle. "You asked for it."

The blast sent the abyssal cruiser flying backwards, but she splashed through the water and reappeared next to the now standing Hatsuyuki at a short amount of time. Her eyes seething a darker blue hue, she dug her claws into the destroyer's stomach and tossed her away like a ragdoll. "Then how is that for a favor?"

Uzuki and Inazuma moved in and renewed their attacks, trading shells once again with the enemy. Their distraction gave enough time for Sendai to close the distance and land a swift sweeping kick on the abyssal cruiser's neck. She tossed a depth charge behind her. "Here it comes!"

The Light Cruiser Demon's familiar half charged towards Sendai, only to be consumed by a towering water spout. Purple bolts broke through the geyser, but they struck nothing as the fleet girl glided to the side. Along with the two destroyers, she sent as many shells as she could discharge into the deluge.

However, the familiar was nowhere to be found when the water settled down. "Where did it—" Sendai gasped. "Crap."

A bright blue flash lit up cruiser's feet before she disappeared within a massive explosion. At the next second, the Light Cruiser Demon burst out in front of Uzuki and drove a fist into her waist, followed by another punch to her gut. Uzuki fell on her knees, holding her midriff.

"See?" the abyssal cruiser said. "I only lowered my guard for a moment and you girls are suddenly all uppity."

Inazuma aimed her forearm turret at the cruiser, but she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Their combined shelling wasn't even enough to take her down—would it actually make a difference if she hit her with a few more shots?

The abyssal cruiser smiled, seemingly aware of her inner predicament, and crossed her arms. Her familiar half hovered beside her. "What's wrong? Just standing there staring at me won't—"

Her eyes narrowing, she put a hand over her ear as she stared at the southern horizon. Her expression changed from a look of annoyance, confusion, and then astonishment. She returned her gaze to them. "Color me impressed. It's just one after another now."

Uzuki looked up, wiping the blood leaking out of her mouth. "W-What are you talking about?"

"I have to postpone our dance."

Sendai sneered as she tottered towards them. "Don't tell me you're running away."

"Think what you want—there's no more fun to be had here anyway. Perhaps you lot will actually pose a threat the next time we meet."

From the mouth of her monstrous familiar, a vicious streak of energy crashed into the space ahead of her. Mag-ions were condensed at a single point, crackling as it expanded outwards. Inazuma was thrown off her feet for quite a distance while the intense heat from the energy surge seared her skin.

The disturbance in the area eventually died down after a minute. She slowly stood up and rushed towards Hatsuyuki. "Is… Is everyone okay?"

"S-Sorry, Manager," Fumizuki said. "I'm done for tonight."

"How about Nagara?" Uzuki said.

"W-Wait, why do I get a special mention?"

"Oh, good. Don't give us the silent treatment next time—it's sending me the wrong signals, you know?"

"Don't write me off just like that! That Tsu-class keeps getting up every time I hit her!"

Uzuki stared at the shrinking figures of their enemies. "They're going back south."

"Should we pursue?" Sendai asked. "I mean, just give me a minute to catch my breath and—"

"Do I have to jump in and tell you the obvious?" Yurie sighed. "We already have enough problems to juggle around."

"Like what?" Uzuki asked.

"We have detected another engagement further north," Aster said. "The combatants are closing in towards us as we speak. Initial signature readings indicate that majority of the contacts involved are abyssal ships, but we also confirmed the presence of the two Irregulars that we have previously encountered—Operator Scylla and her escort, Charybdis."

Inazuma's chest started to tighten. "What about Akatsuki and the others?"

"They have sustained heavy damages, but the enemy fleet had disengaged and proceeded to rendezvous with the rest of their allies. As for which party they belong to, we do not know."

"Did I hear that right?" Uzuki said. "They're actually fighting against each other?"

Nagara shrugged. "Well, they are a hot-headed bunch."

Inazuma shook her head, glancing at the shattered screen of her forearm terminal. "Then we should hurry! They need our help!"

"We should return for now. In this condition, we won't be able to do much."

"B-But our friends might get caught in the crossfire and—!"

"Calm down, Inazuma," Yurie replied. "I've already ordered them to fall back for now."

Hearing those words washed away her trepidation. Most of it, at least. "O-Okay."

"And to be completely honest, your commander is making our lives much more difficult. Can you talk to him about this?"

"All of his channels are off. I don't think I can help either."

The other end was silent for a moment. "Inazuma, I'm sorry."

"H-Huh? Why are you—"

"He was just watching you girls being played around by that demon-class cruiser and he didn't seem to care at all. He was delusional to think that you girls actually stood a chance against that fleet." Her voice broke down. "I... I could have done something—anything to help you out there. I-I'm really sorry."

"U-Um... what matters now is that we're all safe, right?"

She racked her brain for something else to say, but nothing came up.

The resulting void she left in the comms frustrated her.

Thankfully, Yurie seemed to have regained her composure with a deep breath. "Please hurry back. This isn't over yet."

Uzuki rubbed her head. "They're at it again, huh? What's with all this drama?"

Sendai grinned. "Yeah, why the long face, Inazuma? We'll rush right back into the action after we patch ourselves up."

"Uh, that's not what she's worried about," Nagara replied.

As soon as they secured Fumizuki and Hatsuyuki on their floaters, they made their way back to the supply fleet. They boarded Chariot using the aft platform and brought the two critically-damaged destroyers to the shed where Maya and a few crew members were waiting.

Relieved that her friends were finally being treated, she plopped down on a bench next to Uzuki. Her body felt heavier now that she had the chance to relax, her muscles throbbing at the slightest movements. The distant booms of gunfire seemed to be even more subdued as she let herself wallow in the vacant recesses of her mind.

Clearing up her thoughts like this always helped her settle down. But this time, it didn't help her in the slightest. Unwanted thoughts invaded the soundless space, pushing her back out to reality.

There was abyssal fleet. And there was the commander.

The light aircraft carrier Chitose, along with a group of fairies, brought over a cooling case filled with formulated drinks and other mag-ion replenishing goodies. "Good to see everyone in one piece," she said. "That's all that matters, right?"

Maya sat beside Uzuki. "I heard you got your asses kicked."

"We walked into that one. Their submarines were a pain."

"Things might turn out different if I was there with you."

"Yeah, whatever." Uzuki pulled out a pink-colored rejuvenator bottle. "This is strawberry, right?"

"I think so?" a fairy replied.

She narrowed her eyes. "You're not sure?"

Inazuma drank hers in two gulps as Luna landed on her lap. "Are you okay, Miss Inazuma?" The fairy held out a card case. "It must've been a scary fighting a demon-class ship."

She removed the cards inside and replaced them with her exhausted, damaged equipment cards. "Y-Yeah, it was a close call. I'm still worried about Akatsuki though."

Luna smiled as she took the card case. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's strong."

She patted the fairy's head. "I haven't seen Fusou yet. Where is she?"

"She was covering for me in the meantime," Maya replied.

Chitose took a soda can out of the container. "Yeah, we managed to pinpoint the carrier fleet, so we're now retaliating with long-range, wide-area bombardments."

"Man, after all that trouble, it feels like I did nothing tonight."

"Huh? You shot down twenty-seven planes and you call that nothing?"

"You might want to hear this, Miss Inazuma," Aster said. "I will relay the channel's audio to your terminal."

The cards in her hand vanished as Inazuma activated her terminal's channel receiver. "There."

"Tethering link—it should come up shortly."

"—about this? This could go both ways, human."

Inazuma increased the system's volume, enough to be heard by everyone around her. Commander Rolm's voice blared out of the speaker. "You have no room to talk like that. You're a scum to this planet—why should we even listen to you?"

"In the end, there's only one intelligible person in there that I can reason with. Isn't it about time you run the stage for them? I can only tolerate so much."

"W-Who is she?" Inazuma asked.

"Southern Demon," the fairy replied, "she claims to be the ringleader of the raid."

When her question was met with an uncomfortable silence, abyssal battleship heaved a sigh. Her hollow voice sent chills into Inazuma's core. "We know you're in there, Liberator! I didn't think you would stoop this low just to help these wretches have their way with everything!"

"Who are you talking to?" Yurie asked.

"Who else?"

Everything was still for a moment. Then out came the commander's irritated voice. "What do you want?"

"L-Liberator?" Rolm uttered. "Yuu, what's the meaning of this? Are you collaborating with the Abyssals?!"

"Talk."

"Do you have any idea what that ship is carrying right now?" the battleship asked.

"Enough questions. Just get to the point."

A short pause. "Oh? So you truly are clueless. A shame, but I'll let you figure that out on your own. It's your forte, after all."

Another bout of silence transpired before he spoke again. "Commander Rolm, I need a copy of the fleet's manifest—down to the last container."

Rolm snarled at him. "You're just going to believe her? We don't have time to play their petty games!"

"Regardless, I'm not that inclined to help you with it when it's clear that you attacked us first."

The battleship chuckled. "To be fair, if it weren't for me intercepting a transmission coming from you… well, let's just say it would be quite a free-for-all to witness. Not that it matters to you, am I right?"

"And what makes you so sure that we'll hand the thing that you want from us?"

"Come now—we both know that you're far beyond that kind of thinking." Her voice became more restrained. "But if you were so keen in stopping us here, I'd imagine that you already lost all mental faculties for even trying."

"Give me a moment."

She chuckled again. "Take your time—my girls are entertaining themselves with these miserable knockoffs. They sure can take a beating."

"This is outrageous!" Rolm said. "Apprehend that trai—"

Inazuma winced as her terminal let out a grating static. "The channel was terminated," Aster said. "At least we can now confirm that one abyssal group is indeed fighting another."

"But what the hell was that?" Maya said. "Is he really—"

"He fits the bill, right?" Uzuki said. "That would explain everything that he knows about the Abyssals. He has contacts on the other side."

The heavy cruiser scratched the back of her head. "Writing's already on the wall, but there is something else that's bothering me."

"What else is there? We don't even know if he's on our side!"

"So... there is the possibility that he could be working for them," Chitose said.

"He's deliberately withholding information from us, and we'll never know if he's also tipping off the enemy either."

"Y-You brat," Maya said, glancing at Inazuma.

Uzuki did the same. She made an apologetic face when their eyes met. Inazuma shrunk in her seat. "I understand… but I just want to know why. Am I not trying hard enough?"

"Why are you feeling sorry for yourself?" Uzuki asked. "It's not your fault."

"But still—"

Kumano's panicking voice burst out of Inazuma's earpiece. "Commander Yurie!" she said. "Murakumo and Akatsuki—they suddenly shifted course to intercept the hostile ships that managed to slip through the infighting!"

Yurie attempted to contact the aforementioned destroyers directly, but to no avail. "Th-They're not responding," she said through gritted teeth. "What's gotten into those two?"

"We cannot wait any longer—we need to catch up to them!"

"Kumano, do not engage! I repeat—"

Out of nowhere, a sharp cry resonated from afar. A large swell appeared on the horizon, approaching at an alarming rate. "What in the world is that thing?" Chitose said.

"Looks like a whale to me," Maya replied.

"Bake-kujira," the commander said. "Don't let it get close! Point everything we have on that automaton!"

"Yuu, why are they attacking?" Yurie asked. "I thought they gave us time to—"

"That automaton isn't theirs."

"What?!"

The two Navy escort destroyers trained their guns and unleashed full broadsides on the colossal automaton. The explosions hindered the Bake-kujira's movement, forcing it to take cover underwater.

"Hachi, track it down!" Yurie said. "We need all fleet girl units to get prepped for—"

An emergency broadcast came through Inazuma's terminal:

"W-We need help!" Prinz Eugen cried. "They… they took Murakumo. P-Please, he—"

An explosion rang out, and then came Kumano's voice muffled by static spikes. "Two… caught… we… help… hurry—"

"Tch, we lost contact," Yurie said. "D-Did we hit a dead zone?!"

"Negative," Freya said, "but there's a small-scale interference field in their location. We're working on getting through it."

"This is one hellhole we fell into." Maya stood up and summoned her armaments. "We gotta hurry then."

Inazuma rushed towards the platform. "I don't know if you can still hear me Akatsuki, but just hang in there a little longer!"

"Don't."

Her legs suddenly froze. "C-Commander?"

"Stay here and protect the fleet with the others."

Inazuma gasped. "B-But what about Akatsuki and everybody else?"

"Do I need to remind you why we're here in the first place?"

"We can't just abandon them!"

"Listen, the Bake-kujira can soak up even more damage than that Umibozu we fought before. And I'm not even sure if we can bring it down without suffering heavy losses. We'll need every able fleet girl just to even the odds."

"Th-There has to be some other way," Yurie said.

"Multiple abyssal ships detected!" Aster said. "They are being deployed from the Bake-kujira!"

Shells started flying to their direction, slamming the ship's mag-ion field. "It's either them or this whole fleet, Yurie," the commander said. "Your choice."

Yurie growled. "I… I'm sorry, Inazuma. The fleet takes priority, but I promise that I'll dispatch a squadron as soon as—"

"B-But what if it's already too late? They need us! Please Commander Yurie!"

"Dispatching a squadron now is just reckless," he said. "We lose everything if we fail here, Inazuma."

"We haven't even tried! Commander, I'm begging—"

"Inazuma, just stop." His exasperated tone shook her being, heart and body. "You can't save everyone."

She sobbed, rubbing her eyes with her blouse sleeve. Her legs felt weak, but she resolved not to give in. "I understand now."

"Then you have to get in position. Help out Maya with the—"

"You've always hated the Navy, but you're no different from them after all! We're just numbers that you play around as you see fit!"

"Is that supposed to change my mind? Stop wasting my ti—"

"Shut up!"

Before she came to her senses, she had already leapt over the bulwark. Gushing water columns pervaded the sea before her, but she didn't care. She had to get to Akatsuki and the others, fast.

As she was about to accelerate, Sendai landed in front of her and spread her arms. "Inazuma, don't! He's right—we need to stick together!"

"No, he's not! Are you just going to abandon Jintsuu too?"

She shook her head. "You have to trust him!"

"Sendai, please! If you're not going to help, the least you can do for Akatsuki is to let me go!"

Pressed for time, she aimed her forearm turret at the cruiser. Sendai's eyes only narrowed. "You won't."

"Please get—"

Sendai was suddenly struck by an explosive shell. A speeding figure motioned her over. "Hurry!"

She followed Uzuki as they sped through a formation of abyssal destroyers firing at them. Some broke off and chased after the pair, but Uzuki's depth charges were slowing them down. The pair left their pursuers behind in no time, pouring all the mag-ions they could spare to set their core engine to Overdrive.

Inazuma looked over her shoulder for the last time. The Bake-kujira had assimilated one of the Navy destroyers, with its skeletal frame coiled around the ship's hull.

Chaos unfolded before her eyes, but it was too late for her to turn back now.

When they got to the first fleet's whereabouts, Akatsuki was the only one left standing. In front of her were Scylla, Charybdis, and a Ta-class battleship.

The abyssal operator noticed the pair. "Oh, I didn't think they would actually send help."

Akatsuki glanced behind her. "I-Inazuma? What are you—"

The abyssal battleship rushed in and planted a fist into the destroyer's stomach. "Too bad, we're just about to wrap this up."

"A-Akatsuki!" Inazuma cried.

Charybdis raised her blade and launched herself towards the destroyers. Inazuma and Uzuki quickly fired at her as they bolted to the left, but they were cut short with the explosions created by the Ta-class battleship. Left out of options, Inazuma stepped in front of Uzuki and blocked the downward slash from the Irregular. The blow rattled every bone in her body, leaving her open for a follow-up jab to the side.

With that single blow, she collapsed forward as she wrapped her arms around herself. She heard Uzuki calling out her name before a blast drowned out everything else.

"Y-You two… why are you even here?!" Akatsuki shouted. "I told him not to—!"

The Ta-class battleship kicked Akatsuki back down. "Tch—this brat is stubborn, I'll give her that." She crouched down and brought down another punch on the destroyer's face. "Not for long though."

She began to pummel Akatsuki into a bloody mess, and Inazuma couldn't do anything but listen to her friend's anguished cries. She wanted to help, but she couldn't even muster the strength to stand up again. Her screams came out as a gurgle, struggling not to choke on her blood.

"Stop," Scylla said. "She's already close."

The battleship grabbed Akatsuki and stuffed her inside a pod on Scylla's back. "Done." She licked her bloodstained fingers. "It's about time we head back."

Inazuma reached a tipping point.

All her built-up frustrations. All her self-loathing.

She released it all at once, unleashing something that she didn't know she had.

"Give her back…"

Her voice sounded coarse—half desperate, half pleading.

"Give her back… please…"

Overshadowed by a familiar yet forbidding sensation clawing out of her chest.

"I said, give her back!"

With this newfound strength, she reignited her Overdrive to full power and charged towards the abyssal ships one more time. Her fist slipped through the battleship's guard, connecting to the stomach. The battleship's assertive demeanor crumbled. Each blow was too quick for her, forcing her into the defensive.

It was only until Charybdis's intervention that she had acquired distance from the destroyer's assault. The battleship's eyes reflected a ruthless blaze as she closed in once again.

Inazuma was quickly overpowered. Her aggressive, clumsy maneuvers only hastened her downfall:

Her left arm got sliced off.

Her core structure riddled her back with countless shrapnel.

Her body, battered as it was, took direct hits from large-caliber guns.

A hopeless battle—a punishment for her foolishness.

But she couldn't care less. She muttered Akatsuki's name over and over.

Her solace. Her only ray of hope. Her anchor from the consuming madness.

Her body felt light for a moment. As she happened to look down, she saw a glistening blade protruding out of her chest. The sight of blood staining her blouse made her gag uncontrollably.

A single kick pushed her off the blade. "Shouldn't we take that one too?"

"Well, if she didn't have a gaping hole in her chest, then she would have been a nice extra."

"Suit yourself."

"Leave the rest to our toys. We can't let them catch up to us."

As her consciousness began its descent into nothingness, a girl's face emerged from the depths. Pale hands grazed her cheeks as two purple orbs gazed into hers.

"Stay with me. I believe you're not ordered to die yet."