The rising sun was reflected in Bismarck's blue eyes as she silently watched it emerge from the horizon. She was standing atop the hill where the memorial to Kaga was, and almost reluctantly, she lowered her gaze from the sunrise to the obelisk.
A simple but strong stone, just like the ship girl herself, Bismarck thought as she stared at the obelisk.
She let out a breath. The early morning air was slightly chilly, and Bismarck didn't wear clothing that covered up a lot in the first place. But like most ship girls, the cold didn't affect her that much, and this much was only a mild discomfort.
"Maybe it should be you standing here instead of me," Bismarck muttered to the obelisk, speaking in Japanese as if Kaga were actually there to hear her. "After all, it was only because the Admiral decided to help me instead of you that you were sunk. If he had chosen you instead…"
Bismarck sighed. She knew it wasn't a simple matter of 'choosing,' and that the Admiral only helped her out because he believed in Kaga and was confident that Kaga could handle herself. On the other hand, he thought that Bismarck wasn't strong enough to win by herself, and he was completely right about that. If Drake hadn't been there to help her, she would have been the one who sunk.
"It was my own weakness that led to your death," Bismarck said with some difficulty. "I'm sorry. If I had been stronger, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
She paused for a few minutes, again turning her eyes to the peaceful sunrise.
"But you know, back in the War when I was sunk in the Atlantic, I knew nobody was coming to help me. But this time… Someone actually came for me. It was a nice feeling," she admitted. "That's why I can't regret it. I'm even more sorry for that, Kaga. You're the one who deserves to be standing here, but here I am, gloating, as if I…"
Bismarck couldn't continue. She looked down at the grass, ashamed of herself.
Even so, she could already imagine Kaga's response. The stoic carrier would give her the usual, emotionless look, and then say, 'That's just how war is.'
Except Bismarck couldn't find it in herself to just accept that. Even though she knew war was never fair, that didn't make her feel any better. Her thoughts then turned to her admiral.
Or maybe I should say our admiral, she corrected uneasily, glancing again at the obelisk. What was Kaga's relationship with Drake anyway? Did it go beyond commander and subordinate?
She had thought about this before, but recently, it had begun invading her mind once again. The two of them were really close. She was his secretary ship, after all, and we all saw how hard he took her loss. Did they… Did they love each other?
Bismarck's stomach churned at that, and she grit her teeth, once again completely disgusted with herself.
Why am I getting so upset over something that may or may not have happened, especially when Kaga isn't even alive anymore? And why does it hurt so much to imagine those two…
She stopped her line of thought there, because she knew exactly why. She recalled Drake's voice through the comms when he helped her through the battles at Okinawa and Lubeck, and she remembered his warm brown eyes on that beautiful night in Germany. A burning, tortured feeling enveloped her as she tried to deny her own desires, but that was becoming harder and harder. Even yesterday night when she was told that Iowa and Drake were sharing a flat together, she only just barely managed to hold in her true feelings.
It's no use. Admiral Drake…
Bismarck placed a hand on the obelisk with a somber expression. What should I do, Kaga? I was the cause of your sinking, but apparently that wasn't enough for me. Now I even want your admiral all to myself…
Of course, there was no reply, aside from the gentle sea breeze and the distant calls of the seagulls.
Back on that day I was first defeated by you in that practice battle, I could have never imagined that things would end up like this, Bismarck sadly reminisced. I wonder, could you have ever thought up this scenario? No, I suppose it wasn't like you to think about things like this.
Bismarck removed her hand from the obelisk. "I'm sorry, Kaga. Even on the first day I met you, you showed me how weak I really was, and I didn't get stronger in time to prevent all this from happening… But still. I will promise you that I will get stronger. I will protect humanity, I will protect our fleet, and I will protect our admiral. You gave up your life for all of those things, and I won't put anything less at stake than you did."
I don't know what Kaga would think about my feelings right now, and I don't know if she ever even felt the same way I do about the Admiral in the first place, Bismarck thought. But that doesn't matter. Kaga fought with everything she had, and I will do the same, even if that means I need to embrace these hidden feelings of mine.
She turned away from the obelisk and straightened her cap. Today… Today I'll finally tell the Admiral everything I need to say.
"Wow, this place is so cool!" Iowa declared as she took in the sights of Shinjuku, glancing up in wonder at the big red Kabukicho gate. The blonde battleship was wearing her normal outfit for a change, something she usually wasn't allowed to do in public.
Nelson and Colorado, who were accompanying Iowa, hurried to catch up to her. Both of them were also in their usual ship girl uniforms.
"Hey, we were told not to wander too far away from the main event venue," Colorado warned Iowa, glancing back at the main road, which had been cleared and sectioned off and replaced with a small stage and podium. There were also numerous tables and chairs positioned around the stage for important guests and reporters.
"We're not too far away! We can still see it, right?" Iowa pointed out.
Nelson was more interested in the venue itself rather than the event that was being set up. "Hm, so this is Kabukicho? It looks quite lively. I heard this place is home to many different clubs and bars! Exciting, no?"
"Yeah! We should go check them out!" Iowa nodded enthusiastically.
"Er, is that really a good idea?" Colorado wondered.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Iowa asked, confused. "But it's a shame that the sun just set. I think this place would be even better late into the night!"
"Yes, quite so! Maybe we can get permission to come back here once the parade is over," Nelson suggested. "I would like to try any and all of those bars, but unfortunately I believe I am supposed to be sober for this event."
Colorado sighed in defeat. "I just don't want to get caught up in this once you two inevitably get in trouble. I'm already under scrutiny for breaking all that silverware on the plane…"
"That sounds like a personal problem, Colorado. Anyway, you'll forget about all of that after a few drinks!" Iowa grinned.
Colorado was about to protest, but her attention was shifted to a tall woman who was walking towards the group. The woman was in her standard dark clothing, and her tan skin and silver hair made her easily recognizable as Musashi, currently the last surviving member of the Yamato class.
"Oh, hey, Musashi!" Iowa greeted cheerily in spite of the Japanese battleship's unfriendly expression. "We're going to go explore the city. Want to join us?"
Musashi frowned deeply, her cold yellow eyes clearly unimpressed. "No. I thought they told us not to stray far from the main venue."
"Some rules are meant to be bent," Nelson smiled.
"Whatever. It doesn't seem like any of the other ship girls are following that rule, so I have no interest in stopping you three either," Musashi replied. "But just to warn you, we have received reports of protestors gathering in this area who don't particularly like foreigners. The local police are trying to get them as far away from the main event as possible, but there is a chance you may run into them."
"What can a few protestors do to a ship girl?" Iowa scratched her head.
"You mistake me. I'm just letting you know beforehand so that you don't fly off the handle and accidentally severely injure any of them," Musashi clarified. "Well, not that I would care if you killed any of them, but I'm sure our superiors would. All right, that was all I had to say. Go back to whatever it is that you were doing."
The superbattleship then walked off, leaving the three blondes behind as they stood in front of the Kabukicho gate.
"She's quite straightforward, isn't she?" Nelson noted.
Iowa nodded. "Yeah, she's always been like that, but recently she's changed slightly. Neither of you two were there, but at the Battle of Okinawa, Musashi's older sister was sunk by the Battleship Princess. That's probably why she acts so cold and distant now."
"Hm, I see. Fortunately I've never had to experience the sinking of my sister, but I can imagine how difficult that must be for her," Nelson said more sympathetically this time.
Colorado looked uneasy. "The Abyssals can even sink a big battleship like the Yamato class, huh…"
"Yes. The Abyssal Princesses are incredibly dangerous," Iowa said in a serious tone. "You two may have gotten a short glimpse of them during the last operation, but you've never faced them in battle. Don't take them lightly."
"If even you are saying that, then it must be true." Nelson was beginning to look nervous now too.
Iowa realized that she was probably scaring the two of them too much, so she quickly changed the subject. "But never mind all that! It's not as if we're going to find any Abyssals inside of the clubs here, so forget about them for now! We've got to explore the city before we're forced to come back to the event venue!"
"Eh, you're still on about that?" Colorado said, exasperated.
"Of course! How many chances like this do we get?" Iowa insisted, her eyes sparkling.
"You two, look. It appears there are some more girls approaching," Nelson interrupted, gesturing over in the direction of the main event venue.
Sure enough, a familiar group of six ship girls were walking towards them, apparently having just spotted Iowa, Colorado, and Nelson from the main venue area.
"Oh, Bismarck! And the rest of you too!" Iowa greeted as Bismarck, Gangut, Roma, Littorio, Richelieu, and Warspite arrived. "Wait, how did you all get here?"
"Didn't you know? They were scheduled to fly in today," Nelson informed her. "This is an international event, after all. It wouldn't do to just have the three of us and the Germans, would it?"
"Yeah, that makes sense," Iowa agreed, turning to the newcomers. "You all didn't come by yourself, did you? I'm assuming they sent some military personnel too?"
"Yes, International Fleet Command sent a few officers as well. We were flown into the naval base and then driven straight here," Warspite said. "Bismarck was then kind enough to accompany us to find you three."
Bismarck looked annoyed by that remark. "The only reason I'm here is because I thought Admiral Drake might have come this way. You five just followed me against my will."
"Oh, come on, it's boring just sitting around watching sailors set up chairs and tables. What did you expect us to do?" Richelieu pointed out.
"Khorosho! This place looks quite interesting!" Gangut noted, ignoring the current conversation and instead looking past the red gate and into the crowds, clubs, and shops filling the Kabukicho streets.
"Hmph. Wandering the streets with this German hussy wasn't what I had in mind when we got here, but since everyone else was following her, I had no choice," Roma made her opinion known with a scowl.
"Now, now, let's not go there," Littorio nervously tried to calm her sister down.
Bismarck glared at the Vittorio Veneto sisters. "The sentiment is mutual. Who would want a bunch of useless Italians around anyway?"
"What was that, you blonde fool?" Roma shot back.
Warspite sighed. "It's a miracle that we made it this far without a scuffle breaking out, to be honest."
"All right, everyone! Enough fighting! Today we are all going to get along!" Iowa announced. "I was just saying this to Nelson and Colorado earlier, but how many chances do we get where we can freely wander around the streets of a cool city like this? Let's not ruin it by fighting. C'mon, we're all going to check out the bars and restaurants!"
"Actually, that's not what I had in mind," Bismarck crossed her arms sternly. "Like I said, I'm looking for the Admi- "
"YOSH! Nomimashou!" Gangut interrupted her with a loud yell.
"Yeah! Not sure why you said that in Japanese, but you get it, Russkie!" Iowa grinned.
"Ugh, I know what I just said, but now I'm regretting having followed you, Bismarck. Look what you've dragged me into," Richelieu complained.
"What? You can't hold your liquor?" Bismarck smirked. She herself was not to keen on going bar hopping right now, but she would never pass up an opportunity to tease a French ship.
Richelieu narrowed her eyes. "Of course I can. But instead of spending the night in these various shops of undoubtedly ill-repute, I would rather dine at a fine restaurant, preferably one that serves wines from the -"
"Right then, I'm tired of standing around! Let's get going, ladies!" Nelson was the one interrupting this time.
Nelson, Gangut, and Iowa led the way, heading straight through the red gate and into the crowded, energetic evening streets of Kabukicho. The rest of the battleships followed, some of them reluctantly.
Bismarck in particular felt like she shouldn't be there. After all, I do have to speak to the Admiral…
However, she had to admit that a part of her was glad for the distraction. She had been avoiding Drake the entire day in order to gather up the courage to tell him what she needed to say, and even though she thought she was prepared now, she was still nervous.
Argh, why! I had no problems speaking from my heart back in Lubeck! Bismarck cursed at herself.
Warspite glanced over at Bismarck. "Are you unwell, Bismarck? You look to be in distress."
"... I'm perfectly fine," Bismarck simply replied.
"Really… " Warspite clearly wasn't buying that. "Are you perhaps sad that Ark Royal couldn't come to Japan?"
"What?! Why would that make me sad!" Bismarck frowned at the mere mention of the British carrier's name.
"Then what is it? You don't appear to be yourself tonight."
"Like I said, it's nothing," Bismarck insisted, looking away from Warspite.
She glanced to the side shops and caught a glimpse of a woman poking her head out from behind a curtain in one of the shop windows. The woman smiled and winked at Bismarck, causing the ship girl to blush and look away from that too.
"Perhaps this area is not to your liking?" Warspite asked, suppressing the urge to laugh after having witnessed that interaction.
Bismarck didn't know how to respond to that. "Uh… I've never been to a place like this. And I only came here to find the Admiral, but I don't think he would be in this type of place either…"
"Your admiral? Rear Admiral Richard Drake, correct? If I recall, he is Admiral Snowbrook's nephew," Warspite tried to remember.
"Yes. I almost forgot that was the case since they look so different," Bismarck said. "By the way, how is Admiral Snowbrook? He is well, I hope?"
Warspite smiled. "Yes, he is still making trouble for many of his fellow admirals and subordinates, if that is what you mean."
The ship girls were stopped when a group of men approached them. They were dressed in mostly black, though their outfits were also fairly flashy with the expensive-looking jewelry and shirts and suits some of them wore.
"Hey girls! Are you lost?" one of them asked in accented English.
"Hm? No," Iowa replied innocently.
"Woah, it's a bunch of sexy Western cosplayers," another one of the men noted in Japanese.
"Idiot, are you retarded? These are those ship girls! Look at them!" a third shot back, also in Japanese.
"Oh, really? Fuck, they're so hot though…"
Nelson cleared her throat. "Pardon me, but we do speak Japanese. We can understand everything you're saying."
"Oho? That's interesting," the first man grinned and nodded, now speaking in Japanese. "So then, what are you all doing in this part of town? Looking for some fun?"
"Some drinks to be more precise. Would you recommend any bars?" Nelson asked.
"Hm, you should try the Golden Gai," the man said, gesturing in its general direction. "We can show you the way, if you want. Wouldn't it be more fun to drink together?"
Suddenly, a new but familiar voice interrupted. "Hey, hey, hey… What's all this?"
The ship girls and the Japanese men turned to see another group approaching. Dressed in civilian clothes and at the head of the group was Captain Eliot, and the other men with him were presumably his crew.
"Huh? Who're you?" the man at the head of the Japanese group asked gruffly.
"Speak English, buddy," Eliot grinned. "And the fuck do you think you're doing with those girls? The ship girls are property of the US Navy."
Only two of us are actually American, Bismarck thought as she watched the exchange. But if this guy and his crew are here, they're probably just going to cause trouble…
Iowa apparently had the same idea as she turned to the ship girls. "Okay, I think Captain Eliot can handle things from here! Let's go to that Golden Gai or whatever."
The ship girls nodded, all too glad to leave this scene.
"Oi, where you going!" the Japanese group leader yelled after them in English, but then turned back to Captain Eliot with a scowl after the ship girls ignored him. "Dumbass American! Look what you did!"
"Aw, did we upset the Yakuza bastards?" Captain Eliot continued to grin cheekily, apparently enjoying himself as his crew egged him on.
Luckily most of the attention in the area had shifted to the clash between the two groups, allowing the ship girls to slip away unnoticed. They walked until they arrived in the general area of where the man had pointed, and they entered into a narrow, brightly-lit street lined with numerous small bars, shops, and restaurants. Like its name suggested, the Golden Gai was indeed golden, both from the lighting as well as the beer that flowed within its establishments.
Her eyes sparkling in wonder, Iowa barged into one of the nearby bars, forcing the other ship girls to follow. The inside of the small bar was lit up brightly, and the shop seemed to only be composed of the bar itself and a couple of small tables nearby. There were very few people inside, but naturally they all looked up in astonishment as the strangely-dressed group of women entered.
"W-Welcome," the bartender greeted in English, trying to recover from the shock of the sudden influx of customers.
"Hello! We'd like some drinks, please!" Iowa declared, taking a seat at the bar.
"Oh… Sure," the bartender replied, still in a sort of daze as the rest of the ship girls took a seat, taking up all the space at the bar. "What drink do you want?"
"Draft beers, draft beers! That's what they drink in Japan, right?" Iowa enthusiastically yelled.
"Okay, nine draft beer…" the bartender looked exasperated, but he didn't complain about the extra business.
"Bien… She ordered for all of us," Richelieu pouted from her seat to Bismarck's right.
To the German battleship's displeasure, the other seat to her left was taken by Roma, and the Italian didn't seem to enjoy that placement either, though luckily she didn't do any more outside of shooting Bismarck a glare.
I seriously have to drink next to these two buzzkills? Bismarck lamented. She glanced over at Warspite, who was seated towards the end of the bar and to Richelieu's right. Out of all the girls here, Warspite was probably the one she got along best with, as much as Bismarck hated to admit that.
Eh, perhaps these two will lighten up after a few drinks, Bismarck thought as the bartender brought all nine drinks remarkably quickly.
Bismarck stared at the foaming golden liquid in the glass mug, then took a tentative sip.
Not bad, actually…
With that mental nod of approval, Bismarck picked up the drink and went bottoms up, downing the contents in a matter of seconds.
"Ahhh… " Satisfied, she finished the drink and put her now-empty mug back down on the bar, only to find that everything had gone quiet and that the rest of the ship girls were staring at her.
"Wow, the stereotypes really are true," Colorado noted.
Richelieu sighed. "How inelegant…"
"OHO! It's a drinking contest, then!" Gangut declared after she saw that, then began chugging her own beer as fast as she could.
Nelson gave Bismarck a thumbs up. "Good going, Bismarck!"
Blushing in embarrassment, Bismarck pulled her cap a little further down. "There's no reason for you all to be staring at me, you know."
"Come on, a beautiful blonde German drinking a full mug of beer like it's water? It's perfect!" Iowa declared. "Excuse me, bartender? Another beer for my friend here, please!"
Before Bismarck could protest, the bartender had already placed another mug in front of her.
Who is paying for this anyway? Bismarck wondered. She had a feeling Iowa was just going to write this off as expenses for naval operations.
"Maybe you should hold back a bit," Richelieu advised after Bismarck drank half of the second beer already.
"I probably have a higher tolerance than you do, so it should be fine," Bismarck shrugged. I could also use some extra courage if I do plan on speaking to the Admiral tonight…
"Hey, Nazi! I've finished my second one already! You are falling behind!" Gangut grinned victoriously, dangling her empty mug in the air.
"Um, please don't shout, especially not words like that," Warspite cautioned the Russian.
The boisterousness of the ship girls attracted the attention of the few other customers in the bar. A pair of Japanese women dressed in business wear approached Bismarck, Richelieu, and Warspite.
"Excuse me, but are you girls the kanmusu?" the first girl asked in English. She had neck-length black hair, and her eyes sparkled in wonder.
"Yes, we are. I suppose we do stand out a lot, don't we?" Warspite replied back in Japanese.
"Wow! You speak Japanese too?" the girl exclaimed with excitement, now switching to Japanese as well. "My name is Kono Tara, and this is Yamamura. She's a coworker and a friend of mine."
The second girl looked to be more reserved, and she had longer hair and beautiful, pale skin. "Hello. Nice to meet you all."
The three European ship girls introduced themselves.
"Such cool names!" Tara grinned in approval. "Hey, if you don't mind, can we sit with you?"
None of the three had any problem with that, and so Warspite and Richelieu moved down a couple seats, allowing Yamamura and Tara to take the seats in between Bismarck and the French ship girl. Tara immediately began chatting with Richelieu about her blonde hair, but Yamamura only stared at Bismarck without saying anything.
"Um…" Bismarck was getting slightly uncomfortable.
"Haha, sorry," Yamamura apologized once she realized she was staring. "You're very pretty, Miss Bismarck. You are from Germany, right?"
"Thanks… And yes, I am," Bismarck replied, blushing slightly.
"I was just thinking that you look a bit sad. Am I wrong?" Yamamura then asked.
"Er, I don't think so… I'm not really…"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something you didn't want to talk about," Yamamura quickly added.
Bismarck shook her head. "No, it's no problem. I'm not sad, I just have had a lot to think about lately."
"I understand. It must be hard being at war, especially against enemies like the Abyssals," Yamamura said with a melancholy look.
"It is, but that is our purpose. It's our duty to protect the world from them," Bismarck ensured her. The Abyssals were not exactly what was weighing on Bismarck's mind right now, but she was fine with letting Yamamura think that. She didn't feel like discussing the actual thing that was worrying her.
Yamamura giggled at that. "Sorry. You sound exactly like my fiance did."
"Is he in the navy too?" Bismarck wondered.
"He was." Yamamura's expression became downcast.
"Ah, I see. I am sorry for your loss." Bismarck cringed a bit at failing to pick up on that.
"Thank you. He died in the Battle of Okinawa. I know it has been several months, but it still makes me sad to think about it," Yamamura admitted.
Bismarck noticed that Yamamura was still wearing the engagement ring on her finger.
"Well, enough about that," Yamamura tried to smile. "Do you have anyone you love, Bismarck? I am sort of curious if they let the ship girls go out on dates and things like that."
"Me? No," Bismarck denied, though she was sure her flushed cheeks gave her away.
"Is that so?" Yamamura smirked, clearly not buying that. "Well, I guess it would be hard for ship girls to have romantic relationships considering the nature of your work. Also maybe your commanding officers would get mad at you, right?"
"Maybe," Bismarck smiled sheepishly. "But I think what is hardest is that we are constantly at war. I know you know this, but people are always dying, and relationships always have a chance of being abruptly ended. Even I have seen firsthand what happens when someone loses another who is close to them… I don't want to experience that pain, and I don't want to be the cause of that pain for anyone else either. I'm sorry if this is rude, but maybe in the end, those relationships just cause too much pain for everyone involved."
Bismarck thought Yamamura would be offended by that, but to her surprise, the Japanese woman just laughed.
"Oh, Miss Bismarck. You don't understand," Yamaura smiled. "Those experiences I've had with my fiance can never be taken away from me, not by the Abyssals and not by death either. I'll always have those memories in my heart no matter what happens. And even when I think about him and his last moments on his ship and how horrible they must have been, I tell myself one thing: he died knowing he was loved. He and I will have that much forever."
She paused, blinking away tears before continuing, then looked at Bismarck. "Miss Bismarck, if you have someone you love, please tell them before it's too late. Even if one of you or both of you don't survive the war, the bond you forge won't fade away. Don't leave any regrets behind, because they will drag you into the depths faster than any Abyssal shell or bomb will."
"I…" Bimsarck didn't know what to say to that.
"Oh, crap!" Tara suddenly stood up. "I have to submit my part of the project by tomorrow morning! Come on, Yamamura, we need to leave before the trains get too crowded because of the parade tonight!"
"All right, all right," Yamamura sighed, standing up. She gave Bismarck one final smile. "Goodbye, Miss Bismarck. It's your choice to make, but please remember my words."
"Bye, girls! Thank you for talking with us!" Tara waved goodbye at Warspite, Richelieu, and Bismarck before hurrying out of the bar with Yamamura in tow.
"That girl talked very quickly… Even though I'm good at Japanese, it was hard to keep up," Richelieu sighed.
"Yes, but she was interesting," Warspite said. "Who was the other woman, Bismarck? Don't tell me you just sat there silently the whole time?"
Bismarck didn't answer, and instead, she stood up and prepared to head out.
"Hey, Bismarck! Don't tell me you're leaving already?" Iowa yelled at her.
"The proceedings are scheduled to start soon, so yes, I'm leaving. You should too," Bismarck frowned at her.
Iowa groaned, but she evidently recognized Bismarck was right. "Okay, fiiiine… I'm just about over the monthly limit on the card the Navy gave me anyway."
Bismarck decided to wait for the rest of the ship girls to finish up. As expected, Iowa paid for everyone's drinks using her navy's account, but since they didn't drink much tonight (except for Gangut), the bill wasn't too bad.
As they headed out onto the night streets again, Bismarck's blue eyes were filled with determination. She put her hesitations and her apprehensions behind her, and now she would move forward. Whenever she fought, she fought with all her strength, and this would be no different.