A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I originally planned on releasing this chapter on 8/20, which would have been the second anniversary of this story, but unfortunately I was too busy. Either way, since I didn't get a chance to say it on that day, thanks you to all of you who have reviewed/favorited/followed throughout these two years. As you can probably tell, I am a bit busier now than I was when I first started this story, but nevertheless, I will try and avoid having long delays in the future. I probably said this back during the first anniversary, but this story is special because it is the only thing I've ever written on this site that I've consistently updated and not given up on. I don't know what it is about Kancolle, but it is one of the few franchises that has managed to hold my interest for more than a couple months in spite of all its problems (and there certainly are many).
Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has read this story since that day back in 2017, and hopefully our interest in it doesn't die out anytime soon.
"Yeah, I bet ya missed ol' Suzuya, didn't you, sir?" Suzuya said with a big grin, her arm slung around Drake's shoulders as they walked towards the docks at the Tokyo Bay Naval Base.
"Of course. I barely managed to get by without you," Drake replied absently, most of his attention focused on flipping through a packet of papers he was holding.
"Hehe! I knew it!" Suzuya cheered obliviously. "So, what do you think of my new outfit? Cool, right?"
Drake glanced up from the papers to take stock of her. "Uh… You don't really look that different, to be honest."
Suzuya's expression soured. "But I got remodeled and everything!"
"From what I've read, not all of the remodels drastically change the appearance. But what really matters is if you've gotten stronger."
"Of course I have!" Suzuya declared confidently. "By the way, sir… Where are we going?"
"I was going to the docks because I need signatures from the captains of both the Manifest Destiny as well as Liberation for these documents. I don't know where you're going," Drake replied, turning his eyes back to the papers.
"Aw, don't be so cold! We've just been reunited, so can't you be a little more affectionate?" Suzuya whined.
"I'm your commanding officer, so I'm not sure that's a good idea," Drake reminded her. However, he couldn't help but smile slightly in amusement. "I have to admit, though, it is good to be back. Even though this place is technically across the world from my actual home, it feels really comfortable. Never thought I'd say that about a navy base…"
"It's not the place itself, but the company ya keep!" Suzuya patted him on the back.
"Yeah, there were no girls as cute as you back in America," Drake told her, deciding to play along.
"Stop, you're making me blush!" Suzuya squealed.
Drake walked to the docks with Suzuya attached to him and chattering nonstop in his ear about everything that he missed while he was gone. Most of what she said was weird gossip or amusing anecdotes, but to his surprise, she did mention a ground operation they went on in Australia where they ran into an Abyssal Princess. He got the general picture of the battle from Suzuya, but he made a mental note to look at the after-action report anyway.
When they finally arrived at the docks, they were greeted with the sight of the Manifest Destiny anchored right next to the Liberation. The massive aircraft carrier dwarfed the American heavy cruiser, and the Japanese heavy cruiser next to Drake looked up at the ship in amazement.
"Wow, that thing's big! I've never seen a ship that huge before!" Suzuya marveled.
"Yeah, it's the second-biggest ship in the world right now and the biggest aircraft carrier ever made," Drake informed her. "Its huge runway and hangar are made to hold many different aircraft, including those Lancers that came to assist us yesterday. A lot of the planes it carries can't be sortied from regular aircraft carriers."
"It must be like a city in there," Suzuya said with wonder. "Have you ever been inside, sir?"
"Nope. I mainly stuck to surface forces rather than the aerial side. At least until I was assigned to this base, that is… All right, I'm going to have to go aboard these ships to get the signatures, so this is where we part ways, Suzuya," Drake told her.
Suzuya pouted. "Eeeeeeh? Fine. But you can take me to dinner tonight to make up for this, right?"
"I don't know about that…"
"Nice! I'll see you at eight!" Suzuya grinned at him before leaving.
Well, okay, then, Drake sighed.
He was about to head to the Manifest Destiny first to get it out of the way, but then he saw two familiar figures standing by a vending machine. It was Fleet Admiral Wei and Iowa, and they were currently engaged in a conversation of some sort.
Fleet Admiral Wei? Was he commanding Liberation? Drake guessed. Nevertheless, Wei being out on the docks instead of inside the ship made it easier to find him. Drake was kind of afraid that he might get lost inside of the huge carrier.
Wei and Iowa noticed him as he approached and stopped their conversation.
"Captain Drake! Hello!" Iowa greeted with a big smile and a wave.
"Rear Admiral. Been some time, huh?" Wei nodded to him.
Drake saluted. "Sir. You came here on the Liberation, I assume?"
"Yeah, Van Dyke kinda forced me to," Wei scratched his head with a frown. "To make matters worse, now that I'm here, the admiralty is making me go to some PR event that they're holding in Tokyo in a few days. That's actually what we were just talking about."
"A PR event?" Drake questioned.
"It's a parade for us! Isn't that cool, sir?" Iowa almost yelled.
"Uh, yeah, it's something like that," Wei chuckled. "We're doing a joint event with the IJN where we're basically just going to answer questions from the media, maybe give a couple speeches. The purpose is to show a 'sense of unity' between us and the Japanese in an effort to convince the public that INFCOM is still taking the Abyssal threat seriously."
"I see. Good luck with that, sir," Drake said.
"Oh? Why are you talking like you have nothing to do with this?" Wei smirked. "You're the American admiral who has actually served at an IJN base. You're practically the guest of honor!"
"... I should have known," Drake sighed. He wasn't one for crowds or big events like this.
"Haha! Well, if I have to do it, I'm sure as hell bringing you along. Misery loves company, after all," Wei teased. "Anyway, what's that packet you're carrying?"
"Oh, it's the permits to dock here. I need your signature," Drake remembered, handing Wei the packet and pulling a pen from his pocket.
"Ah, paperwork, my old friend," Wei groaned, then simply signed his name over the front page, not at all where he was supposed to sign, before handing it back to Drake.
"Th-Thanks…" I guess if you're a fleet admiral, you can get away with this shit.
"So, how does it feel being back here? Gotta be better than Alaska, right?" Wei then asked.
"It doesn't look like this place has changed much. Even my flat was still the same as I left it, though most of the food is expired and the only clothes I had left there was a spare uniform," Drake said.
"I can say for sure that this is better than Alaska! Glad I'm out of that place," Iowa chimed in.
"Oh, right, do you know how long we are stationed here, sir?" Drake asked Fleet Admiral Wei. He didn't know if he was supposed to be here permanently, after all.
Wei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm… I don't think I was told anything about that since Van Dyke was technically in charge of you. You'll probably need to ask him, but you'll definitely be here for the next couple weeks at the very least. Probably longer since we never replaced your position at this base, and you've done enough to earn it back."
"That's good to hear. I have some unfinished business I needed to take care of," Drake replied. Even if they told him he wasn't going to stay, this time he wasn't about to go without a fight.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Wei smiled. "All right, Drake. I have to get back to the ship to make some calls, but I'll see you later. You should give me a tour of the base or something… By the way, do you happen to know if they've got any spare dorms open for Iowa?"
"That's all right, I'll just stay with Captain Drake!" Iowa slapped Drake on the back.
"Oh, that's convenient! Less hassle that way. See you guys later," Wei concluded as he walked off.
Wait, what? He just agreed to that? Drake blinked in surprise. Guess he didn't want to deal with the paperwork of putting her in as a temporary resident at the ship girl dorms… Great.
"Isn't that cool, sir? We'll be roommates!" Iowa beamed.
"Yeah… Hopefully no one gets the wrong idea," Drake shook his head. "Okay, I need to get Captain Eliot's signature, so you're better off staying back, Iowa. Why don't you go buy some groceries for the flat? You know where the base convenience store is, right?"
"Yes, sir! Do you have a spare key?"
Drake fished a key out of his pocket and handed it to Iowa. "Make sure not to lose it."
"Got it!" Iowa saluted. "I'll be sure to stock your fridge full of good stuff! I'll charge it all to the Navy's account."
Hopefully I don't regret this. Drake could easily think of many ways this could go wrong. Whatever. I'm just going to get Eliot's signature, submit this paperwork, and then go home to make sure Iowa doesn't fuck anything up.
As he boarded the Manifest Destiny, Drake wondered what Wei was planning to do about Colorado and Nelson, who had also come along with them. Did he even know they were here? He figured they would simply have to share rooms with other ship girls, just as Prinz Eugen was doing with Bismarck.
Drake walked into the heavy cruiser and made his way to the bridge with little issue. Most of the crew knew him from before, and now that he was alone and without any eye-catching ship girls tagging along, none of the sailors had any reason to pester him.
"Well, well, if it isn't our dear Admiral Drake," Captain Eliot grinned as Drake entered the bridge. He was surrounded by a few other officers, and he held up a bottle of rum. "Care to join us for a drink?"
Drake gave him a flat look. "Seriously? You're drinking right now? You do realize that there's a fleet admiral in the vicinity, right?"
"Who, Wei? That guy wouldn't dare come aboard this ship!" Eliot declared proudly, causing the other officers to laugh.
Drake wasn't amused. Instead, he just handed Eliot the paper he needed him to sign. "This is paperwork relating to your docking permissions. I need your signature here."
"Sure, sure. Here ya go, sir," Eliot handed the pen and paper back to Drake after signing it. "By the way, when are we going to disembark? I can't wait to explore this base! It's filled with cute girls like the ones you brought aboard, right?"
"I hope you recognize that every one of the ship girls on this base can easily kill you if they wanted to," Drake told him, cringing at the prospect of the Manifest Destiny's crew being given free reign to wander the base. "Anyway, I'm not in charge of that. If you want permission to disembark, you have to speak to Fleet Admiral Wei. Good luck with that."
Before Eliot could start complaining, Drake hurriedly made his exit. On one hand it seemed cruel to keep those sailors confined to their vessel, but on the other hand, there was a valid reason why they shouldn't be allowed on the base… Also might be an issue considering there was even more paperwork required for that too.
Instead of continuing to ponder the wonders of the military's love for bureaucratic bullshit, he decided to visit the base's hospital since he was by the docks anyway. A lot of the ship girls from the last mission had been able to heal fully after spending some time in the baths, but there were a few who still needed to stay at the hospital.
Drake entered the hospital and ran into Shiranui in the lobby. She seemed to be leaving, but she stopped and saluted when she saw him.
"Admiral, sir," she greeted in her usual serious, slightly cold tone.
"Shiranui. Good evening," he returned. Though she had been remodeled as well, Shiranui still looked pretty much the same as she had when he last saw her. "Were you visiting someone?"
"Just the members of our fleet, sir. I regret that I couldn't contribute more to the last battle," Shiranui said, a hint of frustration creeping into her tone.
"You'll have plenty more chances in the future," Drake assured her. "So, how are they? Any of them awake yet?"
"No, they were all still asleep."
"I see…" Drake was disappointed at that, but since he was already here, he might as well go visit them anyway.
"Sir… If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing these past few months?" Shiranui questioned, catching him off-guard.
"What was I doing…?" Drake was unsure of how to answer that. What had he been doing? Moping around in Alaska? "I don't know what I was doing. But I do now."
Shiranui's expression didn't change, but she seemed satisfied with that answer. "Right. I will see you later then, sir."
Drake headed up to the second floor, and when he went into the room that was used to hold the injured ship girls, he saw that they were all still unconscious, just as Shiranui had said. There were no nurses or doctors present at the moment, and the room was quiet save for the soft beeps of a few of the machines.
The rear admiral pulled up a nearby chair and sat down next to Shoukaku's bed. The white-haired carrier moved a bit when he did that, and her face contorted into an expression of distress, as if she were having a bad dream. Moments later, she awoke. She blinked rapidly, trying to recognize where she was, and when she turned her head to her side to see Drake, her golden eyes widened in surprise.
"A… Admiral?" Shoukaku muttered in confusion. "What… Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"
"You're still alive. You're at the base's hospital," Drake told her, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of her question.
"Oh… I see." Shoukaku quickly came back to reality. "But… What are you doing here, sir? I thought you left this base?"
"Yeah, but I told you I wouldn't be leaving permanently, right? I'm back now," Drake said.
"Really? This is so sudden," she replied, trying to sit up, but she winced in pain and slunk back down. "Ugh… I'm sorry you have to see me in such a pathetic state, sir."
Drake gave her an amused smile. "It isn't the first time, you know."
He thought that would lighten her mood, but instead it just made her look even more depressed. "I know. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. Maybe if I had been here the whole time instead of leaving for months and then only returning at the end of this battle, things wouldn't have ended up this way," he said, clenching his fists.
"I was the one in charge of this fleet during your absence, and I completely failed as a leader. There are no excuses for that," Shoukaku insisted softly, her voice tortured. "I thought that this time, we would finally be able to beat them… But the Airfield Princess took us out before we could even get to her. I could have ended up just like Kaga, and my stupidity would have made Akagi and Zuikaku share the same fate…"
Drake shook his head. "Shoukaku. You are a ship girl, and I am your admiral. There is a reason why officers like me exist, and that reason is to lead and support you when you go into battle. I understand what you're saying, and maybe you're right about everything that you just told me, but none of that changes the fact that you shouldn't have been out there alone in the first place."
"But you were ordered to leave your post here. You didn't make that decision yourself, sir," Shoukaku argued. "Well, I did hear that you punched someone in the face, but I know that's not like you. You wouldn't have done it if you knew they would have reassigned you for it."
Drake looked away. "The only reason I lost my temper like that was because I was frustrated at myself for failing so spectacularly. I knew I was too scared to face the Abyssals again, and I was angry about it. But since I was too weak to take my anger out on the true enemy, I took it out on others. Fleet Admiral Van Dyke knew that too, and that was the real reason I was reassigned. Both I and my commanders had lost confidence in my ability to fight the Abyssals and win."
"Oh…" was all Shoukaku managed.
"But that's over now." Drake stood up. "I'm still afraid of the Abyssals, I'll admit. But I'm even more afraid of what's going to happen if I don't fight them, and the battles I've fought since I left this base have only confirmed that. I won't leave you to fight alone again. That's a promise."
Shoukaku blinked in surprise, then smiled. "I will do my best to get stronger too, sir. To make up for the sorry sight I am right now, please watch me the next time we are on the battlefield. I won't disappoint you."
"The same goes for me. I'll see you later, Shoukaku."
Iowa walked up to Drake's flat, her arms full of brown bags containing various groceries.
"This is the place, right? Yeah, definitely," she said to herself, setting the bags down in front of the door.
Iowa produced the key Drake gave her from in between her breasts and unlocked the door, holding it open with her foot as she picked up the grocery bags and brought them inside.
Near the door, she noticed a pair of dusty, cheap-looking sneakers. I guess I should take my boots off before entering, then.
She flicked the lights on as there was very little natural sunlight entering the flat. Iowa picked up the bags again and deposited them on the kitchen counter. Before she started putting away the perishables, she opened the fridge to check if there was anything in there. She found a couple of cans of beer, a bottle of ketchup, and some bread.
Nothing too interesting… Some of this stuff is probably expired anyway.
Nothing looked out of the ordinary in the rest of the flat, except for the fact that dust had begun to accumulate. Iowa wondered if she should clean up the place before Drake returned, but she didn't even know if he kept a vacuum cleaner around. Aside from the dust, the flat was fairly neat and ordered, probably because there wasn't much furniture to begin with.
Iowa went into the bedroom. The bed had been made and remained untouched ever since Drake left. I wonder if he'll let me sleep on the bed with him… Nah, he'll probably be weirded out even when I tell him I don't plan on doing anything to him. I just hope he doesn't offer me the bed and then goes and sleeps on the couch. It's his flat, after all.
Noticing a couple pictures on his nightstand, Iowa picked one of them up. It depicted Drake with his arm around a pretty girl with brown hair and blue eyes, a rare smile on his face. Iowa recognized the girl from INFCOM headquarters and recalled that she was his cousin, though she couldn't quite remember her name.
She set that photo down and glanced at the other one. This time it was a picture of Drake and two almost identical blonde girls wearing school uniforms. The picture was taken during fall, as evidenced by the red, orange, and gold leaves on the ground and trees, and the three of them were standing in front of a large house. She assumed it was Drake's home.
Relatives of his? They look nothing alike. Then again, that brown-haired girl doesn't look like him either.
Iowa found herself wondering about Rear Admiral Drake in general. Of course, he was a captain when she first met him, and the rank kind of just stuck for her. He didn't seem to mind it, which was something she liked about him; unlike most of the commanders she had known during her career, he was much more relaxed and forgiving. While other officers saw her either as a weapon or just another sailor they could boss around, Drake treated her like a colleague.
When she was a warship, she had no problem being seen as a weapon and fully embraced that role, but now, the title chafed at her. Was it because of her human form? Did becoming a ship girl make her crave things that humans did, such as equality, acknowledgment, and friendship?
Eh, it doesn't matter. In the end, I'm still a soldier, Iowa figured.
However, even as she thought that, she knew that being a soldier and a weapon were two very different things. Drake's various struggles and transformations over the time she had known him were a perfect example of that; he always looked like he was fighting with himself as well as with the enemy. A weapon would never have that problem.
Human bodies and minds are so complicated. I wonder, are weapons and robots better for fighting than humans are? Iowa laid down on the bed as she pondered this, her long, blonde hair splayed out underneath her. Maybe not. After all, the reason why ship girls and Abyssals are so strong is because of human emotions and feelings, whether they be positive or negative.
Iowa stood up from the bed and went over to the sole window in the room, pushing aside the drapes to let some sunlight in. Being human definitely has its benefits. Though I'm glad to have served my country over the decades, now I finally get to fight for it because I want to.
As a ship girl instead of a warship, Iowa was very conscious of her importance to her country and to humanity as a whole, and she knew that billions of people were counting on her to do her part and defeat the Abyssals. Though this added a lot of pressure, it also made her feel at home at the same time. She knew she had a purpose in life, and it was fulfilling to be able to understand that purpose and fight with all her strength to make her goals reality.
Even so, she wondered what would happen after the Abyssals were defeated. Would she be able to live however she wanted, maybe like a normal girl? Or would she remain in the navy as a military asset or public relations figure, like she was when she was a museum ship? Either way, it didn't matter. Beating the Abyssals was the most important thing right now, and she wouldn't fail.
She then heard the door opening, and she walked out of the bedroom to see Drake and Colorado entering.
"Oh, Colorado! What's up?" Iowa greeted with a smile.
"Don't 'what's up' me! What do you think you're doing in here?" Colorado fumed. "You're not allowed to stay here! You have to stay on the ship or in the dorms with the rest of us!"
"Huh, why should I? And Captain, why did you bring her here anyway?" Iowa asked.
"She just saw me on the way back and followed me home because she assumed you were staying here," Drake sighed.
"It isn't fair! This place is way bigger than our room in the ship! I'm going to file a complaint with the Fleet Admiral!" Colorado whined.
"Don't bother. Fleet Admiral Wei is the one who forced this upon me in the first place," Drake informed her.
Colorado pouted, now at a loss. "T-Then… Then I'm going to tell Bismarck!"
"Wait, what?" Drake managed, but before he could stop her, Colorado was already out the door.
"Oops. Looks like you're going to be in trouble, sir," Iowa noted sheepishly.
Drake sighed again. "Yes, I'm sure I'll get a lecture from Bismarck about how I'm 'lacking in discipline' or something. But this whole thing is your fault anyway, so I'm not sure why I'm the one getting in trouble…"
"Hey, you're the superior, so you take the responsibility," Iowa grinned.
"Ah, yes, I wish I could blame all my mistakes on my superiors too," Drake shook his head. He then took a moment to look around his flat. "Looks the same as ever in here. Good thing they didn't give the place away while I was gone, though I did take the keys with me…"
Iowa smiled at him. "Don't worry, everyone believed that you'd come back! I knew you would too! Why do you think the Navy never bothered to send another officer in your place?"
"You're making it out like I'm some sort of special asset the Navy can't afford to replace, which definitely isn't true," Drake sighed. "Anyway, about that parade or whatever - do you know anything more about it? Fleet Admiral Wei didn't go into much detail."
Iowa scratched her head. "Hm… I think it's going to be held in Shinjuku, two days from now in the evening. I forget what time exactly. But like Admiral Wei said, it's just an event to show off the ship girls and to try and get everyone revitalized about fighting the Abyssals. I heard it's going to be broadcast on major news networks around the world, so it should be fun!"
"Around the world…?" Drake repeated dumbly, now even more reluctant to attend.
Iowa nodded. "Yep! Maybe you'll even become famous, sir!"
"Urgh…" Drake groaned under his breath. He had a bad feeling that he was going to fuck something up during the proceedings and embarrass himself. Hopefully not too many people would tune into the program.
"Hey, you still got paperwork to do?" Iowa asked, noticing the stack of papers Drake was carrying under his arm. "How about I help you out? You are letting me stay at your flat, after all."
Iowa didn't exactly seem like she would be good at doing paperwork, but since the remainder of the work was relatively easy, he decided it couldn't hurt to let her help.
"All right. You take this half of the stack. Just check this box and this box, unless it's this type of form, in which case you'll check that box instead…"
The two of them spent a good part of the next hour sitting at the kitchen counter, finishing up the paperwork. Iowa was surprisingly diligent, and even though she pilfered a couple cans of beer from Drake's fridge and downed them fairly quickly, it didn't seem to affect her work at all.
"Ah, finally done!" Iowa grinned, throwing down her pen with relief.
"I just finished as well," Drake said. "All that's left to do is take this back to the office. You want to come?"
"Sure, I don't have anything better to do," she shrugged.
The two Americans stepped out of Drake's flat and into the calm night air. There was a slight chill in the sea breeze as the fall season started to show itself, but aside from that, the scenery was pleasant and nostalgic, especially for Drake. The relaxing crashing of waves against sand could be heard in the distance, and the bright white stars shone boldly above the naval base.
"Hey, Captain," Iowa asked as they walked, "do you know that quote by President Kennedy?"
"Quote…? Oh, you mean the 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country' one? What about it?"
"I was just wondering… Do you ever feel like you're not doing enough? Like you're not doing what's expected of you?" Iowa wondered, glancing at the beach as they walked by.
"Hm, not really," Drake admitted. "I like my country, but I don't feel obligated to fight for it. It was my own choice to join the military, and sometimes I'm all too aware of the other, more peaceful and possibly more comfortable paths I've given up because of it… So yeah, not really."
"I see. I guess it's different for you. You weren't created for the sole purpose of being a weapon, after all," Iowa said. Drake detected a tinge of sadness in her voice, as if she were just realizing that no human would be able to fully sympathize with her situation after all.
"So you're worried that you're not contributing as much as you should?" Drake surmised.
Iowa sighed. "Yeah, I know it sounds stupid. But you know, back in World War II, I didn't really get to do anything. Well, I technically did, but even I knew that battleships like me wouldn't change the course of the war, and that we weren't really that important to the overall war effort. I just sort of wonder if the money they spent to build me was actually worth it. And even now, I feel like I've been able to help with the fight against the Abyssals, but I don't think I've done anything that makes me stand out from any other ship girl… I mean, Kaga and Yamato literally gave up their lives fighting for humanity. Shouldn't I have to put my life on the line too? Why am I fighting weaker opponents? It feels just like back in the War… The ones who actually did the real work are dead, and I'm just there to do the clean-up."
"You're right, it does sound stupid, probably because it is stupid," Drake said bluntly. "Kaga and Yamato… You don't want to end up like them. If you die, you'll be way less of a help than you would be if you were alive, so it's ridiculous to want to do what they did. And trust me, you have been a big help to both America and the rest of the world, even if you haven't done it in a dramatic fashion."
Iowa smiled sadly. "I appreciate it, sir. I can tell you mean what you say. And yeah, like I said, I know it's stupid. I just… Sometimes I find it hard to convince myself that I've lived up to my purpose in life."
"Hah, I think everyone feels that way to some extent. Very few people can say with confidence that they've fulfilled their purpose in life, and most of us don't even know what that purpose is in the first place. If you already know that much, then you're already ahead of us," Drake said. "Anyway, your life is far from over, Iowa. You'll have plenty of time to fulfill that purpose, and maybe you'll even find that all those little things you've done have added up to produce a big result in the end."
Iowa grinned more brightly this time. "Yeah, you're probably right. Thank you, sir!"
The two went into the Administrative Building to drop off the papers, though when they entered the main office, they found that there were already a lot of ship girls waiting inside.
"Admiral! There you are, desu! How come you didn't write to me when you were gone?" Kongou demanded to know, immediately pushing herself well into Drake's personal space.
"Kongou, good evening," he merely replied, trying to get past the boisterous battleship to deposit his paperwork on his desk.
"Hey, Kongou! How ya doing?" Iowa slapped Kongou on the back, almost knocking her over.
"Geh, Iowa! You've got quite a nerve, showing up like this and taking the spotlight from me!" Kongou complained.
"Hey, Admiral! You're late for our dinner!" Suzuya greeted Drake with a pout as he set his paperwork on the desk.
"Yeah, you're late!" Sendai repeated with a nod. Fubuki, Asashio, Amatsukaze, and Kiso were also with her. "We're all coming along too!"
"Yes! It's been so long since we last saw you, sir!" Fubuki said enthusiastically, apparently excited to have her admiral back.
Suzuya sighed. "I tried to stop them, but they forced themselves along anyway."
"Uh, all right," was all Drake could say. On one hand, this meant that he would probably have to pay for all their meals, but on the other hand, he couldn't just refuse them after seeing the smiles on their faces. He was surprised but also glad to see that his fleet members had missed him a lot.
"Hey! Don't just ignore me!" Bismarck stomped over to make her presence known. "Admiral, I heard some disturbing rumors concerning you and Iowa! They're not true, are they?"
So Colorado told her after all. Great. "I don't know what 'rumors' you heard, but no, they're probably not true. Iowa is just staying at my flat for a few days, that's all."
Bismarck's eyes widened in horror. "'That's all'?! Have you lost your mind, sir? This is unacceptable!"
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Drake replied. I should have known Bismarck wouldn't be convinced so easily, unfortunately.
"B-Because! You can't stay with her!" Bismarck shot back, not answering his question at all.
Iowa overheard their conversation and ceased tormenting Kongou for a bit in order to come over and throw her arm around Drake's shoulder.
She smirked at Bismarck. "What's the matter, Kraut? You got a problem with me?"
Bismarck fumed even harder at that. "Yes, I do! Why can't you find your own room? You can't take advantage of the Admiral like this!"
"All right, I think I'm going to head out," Drake decided, not wanting to get caught up in their argument.
"Oh? Are you jealous that me and Captain Drake are going to be sleeping in the same bed?" Iowa continued to goad Bismarck.
"What?!" Bismarck shrieked. She grabbed Drake's arm, preventing him from leaving. "Admiral! It isn't true, is it?"
Drake resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Would you stop being so easily -"
He was about to lay into Bismarck for being so obviously manipulated by Iowa, but the genuine look of betrayal in her blue eyes made him stop. He blushed, looking away from her.
"No. We're not doing anything like that," he simply said.
"Oh, gut," Bismarck said, relief clear in her voice. However, she quickly realized how blatant she was being, and she let go of his arm in a hurry and started blushing herself.
Iowa shook her head as she watched the exchange. "You two really don't realize how ridiculous you look, do you? You're lucky that no one but me was paying attention just now. Well, whatever. Let's get going! Captain Drake is paying for dinner tonight!"
Those words snapped the other ship girls out of the conversations they were having, and they cheered in unison at the announcement. Drake himself had no say in this, but since he expected it anyway, he simply resigned himself to his fate as the ship girls led him to Mamiya's Restaurant.
Ah, I haven't eaten here in a while, Drake thought as they arrived at the restaurant.
The inside of Mamiya's Restaurant was bustling, as was expected since they had arrived at peak dining hours. Aside from the ship girls, there were also some Japanese and American sailors inside, which he supposed made sense considering how many ships were docked at the harbor right now. Regardless, unlike the Manifest Destiny's crew, these sailors were well-behaved and seemed to be in their own little groups instead of harassing or gawking at the ship girls.
What surprised Drake even more was that Rear Admiral Genji was seated at a table with Vice Admirals Ehrhard and Bremerhaven in the corner. The admirals saw him as he walked in, and Genji turned and gestured for Drake to come over.
"Find a table for us, I'll be right back," Drake told Suzuya before heading over to where the three admirals were seated.
"Admiral Drake," Genji nodded in greeting. "Have you heard about the military parade?"
"You mean the one in a couple days? Yeah," Drake replied. "You all are going, right?"
"Unfortunately. We just received word from Admiral Helmholtz that we have to go," Ehrhard answered grumpily.
"The whole point of us coming here was to show the world that Germany is helping with the war effort, so the moment I heard about this parade, I knew this would happen," Bremerhaven said, also not looking happy about the prospect. Like Drake himself, Bremerhaven seemed to be the type to prefer more quiet and calm places.
"Hmph. I also think this idea is dumb, but it's not as if we can convince our superiors of that," Genji frowned. "Either way, we're not the only ones who don't like it. Have you seen the evening news, Drake?"
"No, I was doing paperwork. What happened?"
"Apparently it was leaked that there are a large number of American sailors in our port, which has made people unhappy," Genji informed him. "I don't know how it's possible that the information got out and spread so quickly, but it somehow did. Now there have been some small protests that have sprung up around the country, demanding that the foreigners get out."
Drake was confused. "Why would people be protesting? Japan and America are allies, right? What's wrong with helping each other?"
"I suppose you don't know since you've been out of the country for several months, but I would have thought that your superiors would have told you," Genji sighed at having to explain this. "In the past few months, there has been this false narrative being spread that the International Fleet and the other countries of the world are using Japan as a guinea pig against the Abyssals. As you know, most of the recent major battles have been fought in Japanese waters, and Okinawa was the first place completely taken over by the Abyssals. People have begun to think that INFCOM is just using Japan as a shield to absorb and weaken the Abyssals, only to throw us away when we have served our purpose."
"What? That's dumb as fuck. Plenty of foreign sailors have lost their lives trying to defend Japan, and it's not as if we choose which country the Abyssals are going to attack," Drake pointed out.
"Yes, I am aware of how stupid it is. However, the public can be easily deceived and swayed by emotions, so much so that logic has no effect on them," Genji stated. "Luckily the vast majority of the Japanese people don't believe this nonsense, but unfortunately, there are a small number who do, and even that much can be a threat to the coordination of the war effort, especially if the sentiment spreads. The Kenpeitai is looking into where these rumors started and if there is a specific organization or group that has been proliferating these narratives, but they haven't found anything yet."
"So I assume this is why our navies want to hold this military parade?" Drake realized.
"Yes. They think it will create good publicity for INFCOM, but in reality, I expect that it won't have any effect," Genji said.
"Those who already like INFCOM don't need a parade, and those who want the foreigners out are just going to become even angrier when they see this," Ehrhard agreed, shaking his head in disapproval.
"Well… I'm sure all of us are used to being dragged into things like this by now," Bremerhaven said, running a hand through his platinum-blond hair.
"Sadly that much is true. Anyway, I should get going. I'll see you all tomorrow," Drake gave his farewell after seeing that Suzuya was impatiently waving at him to come over to their table.
"Admiral! What are you wasting time chatting with those losers for?" Suzuya grinned as he sat down next to her. She then shoved a menu in his face. "Here, look at this! They got a new type of curry while you were gone!"
Drake spent the rest of the dinner having his ear talked off by Suzuya, who insisted on picking up where she left off earlier in the day. The other ship girls from his fleet were also eager to tell him what they had been up to in the past months, and they were curious as to what he had been doing as well. Though Drake normally didn't like talking a lot, especially when he was trying to eat, he had to admit that he was enjoying himself this time. In spite of the fact that he had been gone for so long, his ship girls still treated him like a comrade, and he was grateful for that.
The only problem was Bismarck, who kept staring at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He wasn't sure if she was still mad about what Colorado said, but he didn't feel like dealing with that issue any further tonight, so he decided to leave it for now.
The dinner went by quickly, and Drake and Iowa said their goodbyes to the rest of the ship girls before starting to walk back to the flat. However, Drake suddenly remembered he had one more stop to make before heading back.
"I'm going to take a short detour. You can go back first. You still have the key, right?" Drake asked Iowa.
"Yeah, I do," Iowa confirmed. She looked curious as to where he was going, but she didn't pry.
"All right. I'll see you back at the flat."
Drake started walking in the general direction of the beach. The night air was still as tranquil as it was when he first left his flat, and he took in a deep breath of the salty air. The refreshing, sharp feeling energized him, and in a few minutes, he reached his destination.
Still standing atop the small cliff overlooking the beach and the sea was the obelisk. Kaga's blue ribbon remained wrapped around it, slightly faded now but still dancing defiantly in the sea breeze.
Drake knelt down next to the obelisk and put his hand atop the ribbon. "I'm back."