Nagato shouted, building up her resolve. Katori took a wide swing and a whistle resounded in the air. The battleship instinctively tried to move away, but to no avail. The pointer struck her back. However, instead of pain, all she felt was training cruiser's amusement.
"Did you really think I will whip you, Nagato-san? This kind of punishment has been banned decades ago, even if it wasn't, the admiral would have scrapped me if I committed to it. I thought Kongou-san was supposed to tell you such things…", Katori was doing her best to not laugh.
Nagato stood still, hands still on the wall, completely lost, with no idea about what transpired a moment before.
"Uhm, N-Nagato-san… I hope I didn't scare you too much…", after a moment of silence, Katori started regretting her joke, suspecting that she made the battleship angry.
"Uhm, no, don't worry about it. I deserved a punishment, but didn't expect this… I guess it's good as long as it works.", Nagato got on all four again. "Thank you for your guidance!"
"Now, now, Nagato-san. Let's proceed with the training.", the training cruiser now felt guilty. She handed Nagato her uniform and pointed at the door slightly in front of them. "Please, change. Normally you'd have no more than thirty seconds. For today, I'll give you one minute."
Nagato rushed to the changing room. Slightly panicked and stupefied, she left her clothes in a mess and reported back to Katori.
"Not bad, fifty seconds. Now, let's go.", the cruiser checked her watch and signalled Nagato to follow.
Katori stopped in front of a small door leading to a pen-like space. Its walls were elbow-high and over a meter wide. Each wall was ornamented with a few cranes of different sizes.
"Stand between the lines. Or do you need an invitation?", Katori mocked an inviting gesture after opening the door.
"Done.", Nagato acknowledge fulfilling her teacher's request.
"Now, turn on the console to your right. There's a small switch on the right side. Memorize its position.", only now, Nagato noticed that the training cruiser's voice turned stern and ordering.
After a short search, Nagato's finally managed to turn on a display. Three colourful squares labelled "Sortie", "Training" and "Exercise" were displayed on the screen. Partially trying to impress Katori with her initiative and partially because of impatience, Nagato pressed the middle, green button.
"Nagato-san, did I ask you to press the button?", the cruiser smacked her pointed on of the walls.
"N-no. I… I just thought…"
"You don't think, you follow my instructions.", Katori hit her open palm.
"Y-yes, sir!", Nagato stood on attention.
"Sir?! Who do you think I am? It's sensei to you!", Katori didn't resemble her kind and warm self from several minutes before.
"Y-yes, sensei!"
"Now… Press the confirmation button and hold it. It will read your fingerprints."
Nagato quietly complied and the sound of turning gears filled the room.
"Arms in front and don't move.", Katori continued.
Momentarily, the gears went quiet and the battleship could hear the rolling of chains and within seconds her rigging was lowered from the ceiling, boarded by a bunch of fairies. The equipment stopped at the height of Nagato's waist. It was ridden of turrets and AA guns, making the battleship realize how ridiculous it looks. Immediately the fairies on the rigging started rushing around and Nagato soon felt a light prick around her lower back.
As the chains were let loose, Nagato's finally felt the weight of her equipment, as the fairies started manning the cranes.
"Good. Now, it's time for fitting.", Katori standing in the pen next to Nagato's, pointed at the display.
The screen differed from the one before. Looking like a folder file, the screen had multiple labels lined at the top. Some, like torpedoes, were greyed out, while others, like main gun turrets were all differently coloured. Below, she could see several dark grey circles and a large square reading "No photo" in the middle.
"Select the main guns."
The battleship did what was asked of her, and four of the circles turned brighter.
"Now, press the first circle and select the 41cm gun turret mount. You can swipe your finger across the screen to see more choices. Repeat this four times. Again, memorize this."
Once again, Nagato followed Katori's instruction and a list of main guns, ranging from small to large calibre appeared. The battleship chose the first 41cm gun turret she found and repeated the routine three more times.
"Now, confirm, and proceed with radars and AA guns. We'll go through engines, seaplanes and anti-torpedo bulges some other day.", Katori once again used her pointer to present the right button.
"Yes, sensei!", Nagato's finally regained her ability to speak.
After being done with the fitting, the cruiser noticed that under normal circumstances this has to be done in less than five minutes. She then proceeded with the same process with blazing fast speed.
"Now, I'll show you how to launch properly. I don't expect you to pull it off on your first attempt, so relax."
"I'm looking forward to your guidance, sensei!", Nagato shouted enthusiastically, wisely ignoring Katori's jibe.
"This part can be quite tricky, as there is no universal method to it. In short, you will have to build upon what I teach you today."
Sounding a little bit disappointed, Katori proceeded to tell Nagato that the trick to perfect launch is placing the centre of your mass in a way that will make the rigging's weight as botherless as possible. Unfortunately, this position varies based on equipment's shape and weight, but also Shipgirl's posture. As a pointer, the training cruiser showed her pupil how Mutsu used to position herself.
"Uh… This feels right, I think. What next, sensei?", uncertain Nagato asked after some adjustments to her posture.
"Just let the fairies know you are ready to launch. Normally you should announce your launch loud and clear, letting everybody know who's going in. Let's try this now."
"Uh… Uhm…"
"Is this some sort of new command?", not amused, Katori sent Nagato a fiery glance.
"Uhm… Battleship Nagato, sortieing!"
A countdown from ten to zero began on the display hanging above Nagato's launch pad.
"Not very creative, but it's enough.", Katori coldly accepted battleship's clumsy announcement. "Training cruiser Katori, setting sail!"
As another countdown began, the front wall of the pen occupied by the battleship broke in half, sending both of its parts outwards. As the gate opened a ramp revealed itself. Diving downwards at a steep angle, it led directly into the dark blue abyss below. Nagato's heart began thumping. She'll be back at sea at last.
However, before she realized, her pad launched forward. Surprised Nagato somehow managed to hold her balance, but going downwards the speed kept increasing making it progressively harder. After a very long second, Nagato's feet finally touched the water. Soon after, her face followed.
As she tried to pick herself up, Katori swished right next to her. Splashing water around the cruiser took a sharp turn and stopped directly over soaked Nagato.
"Again.", was all she said, crossing arms on her chest.
Stupefied Nagato tried standing up only to fall down again.
"Be mindful of your rigging. Right now it's pulling you down, because your movements are completely oblivious of it.", Katori offered a hint.
Taking the advice, the battleship began to slowly pick herself up. Adjusting her posture all the time, she managed to straighten her back. Splash. Nagato landed on her bottom.
"You rushed it at the end. Again and faster, we don't have whole day.", Katori remained unrelenting.
Not planning on giving up, Nagato tried again. And again. And several more times before she finally managed to hold a shaky and uncertain balance.
"Nothing to look proud about, it took Mutsu three attempts less. You need to work harder, Nagato-san.", the training cruiser immediately wiped the proud expression from her student's face. "Now, back up. I'll wait for you here."
"Ka-Katori-sensei, I don't know how to move.", the battleship averted her eyes to hide her embarrassment.
"Haven't you watched other Shipgirls? You need to show more initiative if you want to become the fleet flagship, Nagato-san."
At this point the battleship realized that her teacher might be overly demanding, but she does that with her students' good in mind.
"I guess there's no way around it. Watch me closely, I'll do it slowly.", Katori let out a disappointed sigh as she gave in.
With Nagato's eyes locked on her, the cruiser leaned forward and began slowly sweeping her feet. Left, right. Left, right. Soon she picked up speed and had to leave the hangar to slow down without hitting one of the walls.
"Was this presentation enough? Alternatively, you can ask your fairies to turn on your engines and use only your propellers, but this way you won't exceed one knot speed. I guess in this case, it's enough.", Katori explained after stopping in front of her student.
Preferring safety over speed, Nagato focused and recalled the day she summoned her crew's spirits for the first time. Mimicking her behaviour from that time, she ordered full ahead. A few seconds later, she started moving at an amazing speed of half a knot.
"Certainly full ahead…", Katori sneered, fixing her glasses. "You don't need to be so vocal about your movements. Just think about them. The same goes for…", but she couldn't finish as Nagato was already adjusting her course to head towards the ramp several meters in front of her.
"Wait… Sensei, how are you just walking on the water?", the battleship finally noticed that her teacher was casually walking right next to her as if taking an evening stroll.
"Oh? Why wouldn't I? If I can float it means I can also walk. I thought it's obvious.", now Katori was the confused one. "But, don't even think about it. You need to master the other techniques.", she added quickly after seeing Nagato slowing down.
This routine kept going on for another few hours, until Nagato's finally got her first launch right. With near perfect balance, the momentum of her drop down the ramp pushed her out of the hangar into the open sea. Feelings and memories of the distant past flooded her mind. Over hundred years earlier, she was launched into the sea for the first time. This very moment marked the beginning of her return to the ranks of the defenders of Japan.
The pleasant breeze, the sound of waves and the weak rays of December sun entranced Nagato. Nothing outside that very moment mattered anymore. Instinctively, she started sweeping her feet, mimicking Katori's movements from few hours earlier. The wind picked up and started smacking her face with more and more force. Spitting clouds of smoke her engines were slowly increasing their output and Nagato's speed kept rising. She felt free again. For the first time in eighty years.
Smack! Her trance was brutally broken by Katori's pointer.
"Did I allow you to go off on your own?"
"I-it just felt so amaz… amazing, sensei. I couldn't get a hold of myself."
"Nagato-san, must I remind you that despite Vice Admiral Hara's approach this is still military and your job is to… Never. Lose. The. Hold. Of. Yourself!", Katori accented this last part as if her life depended on it, smacking her open palm with each word. "If we were in the Solomons, you could have been dead by now!"
"You are right, sensei. I apologize, I cannot act on a whim.", the battleship hanged her head down and apologized after a moment of silence.
"As long as you understand… Now, get back to the launch station and we'll go through the un-equipping process. You've had enough for today it seems."
Knowing that she disappointed her teacher, Nagato only nodded and slowly sailed towards the hangar. Once there, Katori walked her throughout the disarmament process, which turned out to be the exact opposite of what she did at the beginning of her training. Few minutes later, the battleship headed towards the same changing room she used before.
"Before we officially conclude today's training, a few words about the uniform. You will take it with you and take a good care of it. Every time you are on duty, no matter whether you sortie or not, these are the only clothes you ought to wear. Off-duty, it's up to you. Akashi can issue a spare one and I recommend asking her to do so.", Katori proceeded with the closing statements after Nagato left the changing room and tried to give back her uniform. "This said, I expect you to show properly dressed tomorrow morning. Dismissed.", she summed up saluting Nagato.
"Thank you for your hard work today, sensei. I will do my best to make you proud.", the battleship returned the salute and headed outside.
"Nagato-san, before you go. I've made a list of body parts which you should work on strengthening.", the training cruiser's voice was soft and warm again as she handed Nagato a sheet of paper.
"This… Thank you, sensei!", the battleship took a deep long bow.
"There's no need for honorifics after the training. Just call me by my name.", these words made Nagato even more confused about her teacher's personality. Was she the demonic drill sergeant or a warm and caring teacher? "Oh, right… Amagiri or Kinu can help you choose the right exercises. Kinu might be hard to catch as she's the leader of the convoy fleet, but Amagiri spends most of her helping others at the gym.", a warm smile decorated the cruiser's face as she finished speaking.
"R-right… Thank you, Katori!", Nagato reached out for a handshake.