Introduction
He reminds her of a comedian.
Zuikaku wasn't exactly sure where that came from.
Was it because of the happy-go-lucky air around him as soon as he appeared? She didn't think so. If any, she's more at ease because of it.
Or maybe it's the smile he presented to everybody. She had never seen someone of rank smiling that wide, so unsophisticated yet innocuous.
Or, as implausible and outrageous as it might seem, perhaps it's the Kansai accent? As he introduced himself, why did she find it so amusing, as if someone had tickled her? This was not even the first time she heard people talking like that—could she be the one being ridiculous here?
When she noticed Shoukaku keeping a straight face as the Commander spoke, the answer became clear to her.
She's the one being ridiculous.
"Ah, and you are Shoukaku's sister, huh? Zuikaku, is it? Looking great, I see. Your smile is as big as mine."
The now wide-eyed Zuikaku realized she had been smiling—maybe even grinning—and in her surprise and haste to straighten her own face, she bit her lower lip by accident. The Commander looked on as the carrier whined and withdrew the hand he was extending—The handshake can wait.
"Ah...Uh...Sorry, Commander...I, I didn't know. Sorry for being disrespectful."
"...Actually, I'm curious why you would feel the need to apologize; nothing is wrong with you smiling. Heck, I smile pretty much all the time. Besides, I'm from Osaka. We are rather fond of honest fellows," he said and laughed in such an animated manner that the officers escorting him looked at each other and shook their heads while Shoukaku stole a glance and smiled knowingly. Zuikaku had no choice but to weakly laugh along so she could better bear the embarrassment.
"...uh, I, I'll be in your care, Commander," she eventually managed after the laughter ended.
"Likewise. And with an amusing start such as this, I'm sure we will get along well."
The Commander laughed again after that. As this happened, Zuikaku could only wonder,
Am I the comedian all along?
Luck
"Commander, I have your mail."
"Oh, thanks. Just put them on the desk."
Skillfully balancing a stack of envelopes and a package on top, the secretary, Zuikaku, made her way to the Commander's desk and arranged them into several smaller piles to prevent them from toppling over.
The Commander observed them for a while and ended up ignoring them all, taking the package instead and smiling as he looked at the sender's name.
"You know, in the future, you could always tie these letters up into a bundle so they won't fall off," the Commander remarked as he put the package on his lap and took out a letter opener from his desk.
"Um, well, I thought I should hurry...Anyway, shouldn't you read through the mails first...?"
"I'm just going to look over the contents of this package really quickly. It's from my sister, and knowing her quirks, she's sending me pointless trinkets again, along with family news. That aside, I'm not going to be able to read those letters in one sitting anyway. I have a meeting coming shortly."
Nodding, Zuikaku watched as the Commander spilled the contents of the package on the desk. There were several letters, along with photos of people that she presumed were the Commander's relatives. The last thing to fall on the desk caught her—and the Commander's—attention.
"The hell is she sending me this for...?" He looked at it in amusement and tossed it to Zuikaku, who managed to catch it despite the abruptness.
"You can keep it if you want," The Commander said as he shoved the contents of the package into an empty drawer to be seen later.
"What is...this...?" Zuikaku studied the trinket. A small figurine of a fat little man—or a huge baby—sitting on top of a square pedestal; if it weren't for the elongated head, pointy ears, and the ear-to-ear, mischievous grin—which was vaguely unsettling in particular—she would've thought it depicted the Buddha.
"Oh, that's Billiken. Did you know he's a god?" the Commander answered, still looking amused. "Statues of him are aplenty in Osaka. People often rub their feet for good luck."
"The god of what…?" Zuikaku intoned. Honestly, she had never heard of such a god in myths. The sight of the shipgirl knitting her brows amused the Commander even more.
"Well, don't look so surprised, Zuikaku. Look closer, and you'll find out what kind of god he is."
Zuikaku shrugged and began looking at the figurine from all angles until she could see an English phrase inscribed in tiny letters at the base.
"...The God of Things as They Ought to Be...? she intoned, "and why in English...though?"
The Commander's smile grew into full-blown laughter at Zuikaku's blatant confusion.
"Well, Biliken's from America. Pretty wild, huh? Anyway, he's actually a god of luck. So what you're holding now is a good luck charm. And you know what? To receive one brings you even bigger luck. Well, I know you are known as the Lucky Crane, but having more won't hurt."
"...If that's the case, shouldn't you...be the one having it...?" Zuikaku mumbled, wondering why she was blushing for no good reason.
"Well..." The Commander stood from his chair after a look at his watch and put his officer cap on. "I already have a 'good luck charm,' so to speak. One whose feet I don't need to rub."
"...Huh...? What do you mean...?"
"See ya later, Zuikaku. Take care of this office while I'm gone, will you...?" The Commander walked away without answering. Just as he was about to exit the door, he paused, looked back, and smiled.
"Wish me good luck, yeah?"
As he said that, the Commander walked out of the office; Zuikaku could hear his laughter ringing in the hallway.
Still blushing, she looked at the Billiken again. The smile the Commander gave her before he left, she could see it on the figurine's face.
"Geez...what was all that about...?" She wondered aloud.
Sync
"…I've been wondering why you two missed lunchtime. Turns out you both decided to be a pair of workaholics, hm?
Shoukaku—entering the office unnoticed despite not intending to—remarked with considerable amusement when her sister and the Commander both dropped their pen and turned their attention to her simultaneously; they even shared the same mildly embarrassed look.
"With all due respect, Commander, you need to take five once in a while. It would be troublesome if you fall ill, don't you agree…?" Shoukaku admonished gently, getting a sheepish smile in return. "That goes for you too, Zuikaku," she turned to her sister, who responded with an amusingly similar smile.
"Ah…sorry. It's just…uh…I saw the Commander working hard…so, um, I just thought I must do the same…"
The Commander blinked, then laughed.
"That's funny because I was watching you and thought you were the hardworking one, and I *should* be like that as well."
"Augh…So it's like that, Commander…? Then— "
"Eh, no need to apologize."
While Zuikaku looked like she was about to blow up, Shoukaku simply shook her head.
Maybe they didn't know it, but she had been watching them and noticing how the two had been increasingly in sync lately—at times, both of them could even figure out what the other needed before they could say anything.
She thought it was cute, if not a little humorous.
But the most significant part is that through getting to know the Commander, Zuikaku has loosened up a lot, occasional awkwardness notwithstanding—the way Shoukaku sees it, they are more alike than they realized.
"Well then, I will take my leave…don't work too hard, okay…?" Shoukaku bowed and headed toward the door but stopped halfway.
"Oh, I almost forgot…thank you, Commander," she said with a meaningful smile; as she'd expected, they both looked baffled.
"…Thanks for what…?" The Commander and Zuikaku spoke at the same time.
"…I wonder…" Shoukaku giggled as she left.
"Geez, Shoukaku-nee," Zuikaku mumbled. She made a note to confront her sister later and ask her about it.
"Well, that's Shoukaku for you. Anyways, just like she said, though, let's take a break and get something to eat. Heard they have tempura down at the mess hall. Maybe there will be some left."
Hearing the mention of tempura, Zuikaku perked up and immediately rose from her seat, just as the Commander did.
"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go, Commander!"
"You can always go first, you know…?"
"…No, no. If any, you should…"
"Alright, alright, we are going together. After all—"
"'—I don't want to miss tempura as well,' right?" Zuikaku chuckled; not too long after, the Commander did the same.
"You know me."
Colors
"I'm back. Any interesting happenings while I'm gone?"
"Hmm…No. Nothing much. Mutsuki and Kisaragi were looking for you, and Yuubari's latest experiment almost literally blew up in her face, but that's it."
The Commander made a slightly disappointed face, almost like a half-pout, as he walked past the secretary's desk to his own. Zuikaku noticed he was carrying something that, at a glance, appeared to be a magazine.
"Now, now, Commander, a little peace is always good," she commented, having grown to appreciate that she wouldn't have to deal with constant trouble, even though, at times, she thought it made her soft.
"I suppose you are right. Well then, before I resume working, I will busy myself with this magazine Nachi lent me," the Commander said as he removed his officer cap and placed it near him.
"Lent? Forced on you, you mean."
"Forced on me, yeah. Well, she insists that I read it. Said there was something interesting inside. So, let's see…"
"… That's a girls' magazine, isn't it?"
The Commander flipped the magazine over and looked at the cover.
"Seems so. But why not? Sometimes you gotta keep in touch with your feminine side," He shrugged it off and began leafing through the pages.
Zuikaku sighed fondly before returning to her work. Such magazines were never among her interests, so she left the Commander to his leisure.
"Oh, I see… that's interesting, indeed…Hey, Zuikaku, check this out if you are done with that."
Zuikaku set her pen down. She was indeed done with that particular document, so she might as well humor the Commander.
"What is it?"
"This quiz. Check it out."
Zuikaku frowned slightly at the page shown to her, showing a table of several colors in varying shades. 'Predicting your future through the color you are drawn to,' the title said.
"I was initially skeptical about it, just like you are now. But then again, my results were pretty accurate. So, I'm curious about what yours will be."
"…Really? What are your results, then?"
"I'll tell you if you do it. Just trust your gut and pick the color you are drawn to the most. And no peeking at the results on the next page!"
Zuikaku sighed; the thought of declining did briefly pass her mind, but in the end, she simply decided to pick one quickly and be done with it.
"Alright, I'll pick this one, then," she said.
"Red, number two, huh? Okay, let's see... 'You're deeply in love...with loving people. Perhaps this color drew you in because you are craving a certain amount of vitality or life that is missing. You're missing a passion that has maybe faded away. It's up to you to light the fire again by being the one to express your feelings. This doesn't even have to be a romantic love, but it's definitely time to bring another life into yours.'"
"Huh….?" That was all Zuikaku could only say as she struggled to process the entire thing.
Deeply in love…? Missing a passion? What is this absurdity…?
"…Well, that was what it said. Of course, you don't have to believe it," the Commander offered, taking pity on the flustered ship girl. "While I did say my results were accurate, I think they were just coincidence."
"Um...Well…I guess…so," Zuikaku responded, still slightly dumbfounded.
Despite trying to convince herself that it was indeed just a coincidence, though, there was a lingering, nagging feeling that the message was right.
"…Um, well, what about yours, then, Commander?" She hastily changed the subject in one last attempt to distract herself.
"I picked pink number one; don't judge," the Commander replied. "Here's what it says: 'Continue looking for more love. You're a happy, positive person and grateful for what you have, but you know you want more. You may or may not be looking for romantic love, even just extra attention from strangers or gratitude from coworkers will help satisfy that void. The problem is that you can't just wait for that affection. Pink is a shade of the audacious and ambitious red! You have to make the first moves.'"
Zuikaku thought she could simply dismiss that; she was wrong. If any, it gave her a strange feeling she couldn't really put her finger on, on top of her already jumbled train of thought.
The Commander closed the magazine down and set it aside, all while looking so satisfied and utterly oblivious to his secretary's predicament.
"Well, if you ask me, it's a bit of good advice, in any case. Make the first moves, I mean. I think I'm going to ask a certain someone to have tea with me sometime."
"Good luck, Commander," Zuikaku said, not liking how she ended up sounding as if she didn't really mean it.
Then again, she wasn't sure if she really did.
Old
Zuikaku thought she should come to the pier at night more often, trouble sleeping or not. The zephyr sweeping over her face, carrying the faint smell of salt from the ocean and the light haze—all of them were pleasantly soothing, though apparently not potent enough to induce sleepiness in her. But then again, after thinking about it, she didn't want to go to sleep just yet and would take her time. There's no work tomorrow after all.
"…Oh. What a surprise to see you here."
A familiar voice broke the calm as the Commander appeared seemingly out of nowhere. While it did give her a slight start, she showed no reaction other than a humble nod.
Zuikaku noticed that instead of sleepwear, the Commander was wearing casual clothes—a kimono-like jacket over a shirt and the most worn-out, patched-up pair of trousers she had ever seen. In particular, the jacket was overbearingly loud, and it was pretty much guaranteed anyone could find him in the dark if they needed to. In contrast, what she wore was decidedly plain, and she couldn't help but feel a little underdressed.
She also noticed the Commander brought along a plastic bag from the convenience store in town, but its details had faded, indicating it was used.
"Little birdies shouldn't be up and about at this hour. Leave that to us, Showa-born guys," the Commander let out a chuckle at his own joke as he took a seat beside the carrier. The words immediately reminded her of Mikasa—calling someone a Showa-born fool is how her senior would rebuke anyone who managed the rare feat of angering her.
"Geez, don't treat me like a child," she protested, but as always, the Commander did not take her defiance seriously and responded with a protracted laugh.
"Okay, I will stop," he said after his laughter subsided, clearly insincere. "I'm going to treat you like an old lady from now on then."
"No, I don't want that either! Treat me as an adult!"
"Alright, alright, I will, I promise," the Commander held up a finger to stop Zuikaku from talking further. While he found her amusing when she was all flustered and jumpy, he was not the type to be heartless and milk them for all their worth. "Anyway, let's talk about something else. What brings you here?"
"…I can't sleep," the carrier replied in a hushed, wavering voice, the kind all self-conscious people would seemingly use. "You...?"
"Late night outing. An old man like me doesn't sleep much, so here I am."
"You are…only 34, Commander."
"Yes, that's old. Recently I'm starting to get gray hair, see?" The Commander pointed at his scalp; Zuikaku had to squint just to see that he indeed had one.
"…I suppose, as long as you don't pluck it, Commander, there's nothing to worry about," she said, repeating a beauty tip she happened to read some time ago. It was something she hardly needed, but she thought the Commander would appreciate it.
"Ah, yes. Guess I'll just let it be for the time being. Anyway, I brought snacks, so help yourself," the Commander said as he rummaged through the bag and took out a can of milk coffee.
As she watched him consuming the drink and again took notice of his choice of attire, Zuikaku could not help but think the Commander perhaps did look like an old man after all. All he needs to do to complete the image is to whip out a smoke and probably make some dumb wordplay.
He did neither and offered her the limited edition, takoyaki-flavored Jagariko he claimed was only sold in Osaka instead. She took one just to be polite but ended up having more after finding out she liked them more than she thought.
"Anyway," the Commander said out of the blue, "you said you had trouble sleeping. Something troubling you?"
"…No, it's just one of those nights where you seemed to be unable to, you know?"
"Is that so? I'm glad," the Commander sighed in relief. "Well, I'm not saying you are lying or anything right now, but if I may offer a piece of advice, don't keep your troubles to yourself as most adults would do. If you are worried, you can talk to someone you trust. Like Shoukaku, maybe."
Zuikaku uttered a muted laugh. Such old man-like advice was pretty touching; she had to admit.
"If you have troubles, Commander, would you allow me to lend an ear, then?" the carrier asked; seeing the Commander looking caught off-guard filled her with a certain feeling of triumph, even though he recovered from it very quickly.
"…If you are okay with that, Zuikaku, I will take you up on your offer. Not to sound unappreciative, though, but I'm curious; why did you suddenly ask that?"
"Oh, you see," Zuikaku began, ignoring the blush creeping up her face, "because I know you would do the same for me."