A/N
Thanks for the reviews, glad you guys liked it.
I looked it up and Kawakaze does indeed have the same VA as Stella Vermillion. Though their attitudes aren't that similar…
Hope you guys enjoy what I have to offer. And sorry for the delayed update. (Updates are scheduled Weekdays, by the way. Anime-style.
"We'll be a platoon from now on, huh… I don't know exactly how it'll work, but I think I have an idea." Shiro states as the five students sit down on their respective bunks, with him sitting near the air-conditioning system with delight.
Yeah, we're going to go hunt witches and recover magical artifacts from the black market... Oh, wait…
"Judging from what you two have shown earlier… Maybe we'll be working together in those duels and stuff?" Erina ask while stroking her long ponytail-tied crimson red hair with a comb as she sits down on her bunk.
"Most likely, maybe we'll also get to work together in classes and the like?" Hikari now adds, lying down on her portion of the bunk, just below Shiro's, who is still enjoying his position near the air-con system.
"We're a platoon; we're supposed to work together, so yeah…" Aya adds, timid as ever. "What about you, Rakkun- eh, Shuu?"
Did she just seriously call him Rakkun? Have some originality dammit! You have to place your own name in the hall of density! Now that I think about it… Shuu sounds familiar as well… Oh, wait; he's the sidekick guy… I guess he wasn't content with just staying as a supporting character, eh? Haha.
"Well…" Shuu starts talking, adjusting his glasses upward with two of his right hand's fingers, as his left hand holds his smartphone. "I'm hoping that they allow us to help each other for the shipgirl commanding training. Maybe some information sharing or something..."
"Yeah. Whatever it is, this system will be a great help…" Hikari responds.
"Come on, let's not think about that for now! The night's still young, you know? Curfew's at 11 here, so why don't we guys get something to eat?" Erina recommends, smirking at the thought.
Ah, come on… don't take me away from my air-conditioner… But anyway, this'll be a good chance to add two more people to the list… Eh, that came off weird…
"I'll go with it." Shiro responds, as the other members nod their heads as well, including Shuu. "But we're still in our uniforms, though."
"That's fine! We're just going out for food, after all." She responds, sticking her thumb up.
"Alrighty then." Shiro utters, grabbing his sword hanging from the bed's frame. Standing outside the room's door with the rest of the platoon behind him, and with no actual reason, he decides to shout;
"Alright! 25th Platoon, Move out! Let's gain victory in the dawn's horizon!" He shouts, his loud voice reaching through the far ends of the corridor, making a few other students near him laugh as well. His own roommates respond with a shout of their own, followed by laughter afterwards.
It's nice… Haven't felt like this in a long time… But I'll never know, this may just be a one-time thing. Fun things never last forever. Having simple happiness torn away from me again would be pretty harsh. Keep that in mind, fate. Ah, now that I think about it…
"Wait, aren't the stalls outside closed by now?" Shiro, now having calmed down from his own joke, asks Erina, who came up with the idea.
"There's food being served at the rooftop." She responds, lively as ever. "It's my treat, since we're platoon buddies now, right? Consider it a welcome present of mine… or something."
Yay, at least my wallet won't cry…
"Oh, as expected of the Yamamoto family! Hey, hey, we're free to pick whatever we like, yeah?" Hikari inquires as they begin to enter the elevator.
"Sure! Whatever you like, feel free to choose! They might have some milk over there, you know!" She responds with laughter.
"Wha- H-hey!" Hikari responds, a bit shocked, only to look at Erina's chest, and then her own, only to feel more breast envy than ever.
"That's nice…" Aya utters in pure amazement at the thought of Erina letting them do as they please.
As they enter the elevator, Shiro notices the CCTV camera in the far-right corner, which he stares at and even letting out a smile towards it, hopefully to confuse the operator. Behind the screen, monitoring the cameras in the area is Katsuragi Keigo, commonly known as Zura, or, as he wants it, Katsura, who, along with the Director is monitoring some select students.
"What a lively bunch these guys are." Zura remarks, pointing at his monitor, which shows the 25th inside the elevator.
"I expected this." Director Yashiro responds. "I took into account Miyamoto's withdrawal from society and decided that putting him alongside people with somewhat similar experiences should bring out his true self and his maximum potential, and that applies to the other four as well. I know it sounds like a shounen manga cliché, but friends really do make people stronger. Which means more accurate data for you."
"Yeah… indeed. Though these duels of yours aren't exactly the best test of capabilities…"
"Nah, you'll see it soon enough. Though these duels have a flaw… they're fought against humans."
"What do you suggest we do, then?"
"We still have a lot of time. Make use of the data we'll get for now, I'll find a way. Anyway, here's the background info on the 25th you requested."
"Thanks, director." Zura then receives the brown envelope and takes out a few pieces of paper, which contains the information about the 25th platoon's members.
Yokosuka Naval Academy Head Department
YOKOSUKA KAIGUN GAKUEN - 25 SHIKEN SHOUTAI
DETAILED REPORT AND OBSERVANCES
(Note: All details are gathered from questionnaires, surveillance and other tests and reflect only initial results as of now.)
MIYAMOTO, SHIRO
1995 APR 2
FIRST YEAR, SEC. YOKOSUKA.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
CQC
Naval, Surface, and Aerial warfare
Linguistics
Field Commanding
WEAKNESSES
Firearms of any type
Mathematics
Socialization (Refer to notes for more info)
GENERAL DESCRPTION
Melee specialist and strategist, proficient in swordsmanship and field commanding. Untrained in long-firearms usage, has slight experience with small arms. Multilingual, fluent in German and English.
NOTES
Lost a large amount of family/clan members as a result of the early years of the Abyss War, slightly withdrawn from society. Shows potential in both shipgirl commanding and frontline fighting.
Weapons of choice: Folded-steel Katana, Colt Python .357
OZAWA, HIKARI
1995, OCT 8
FIRST YEAR, SEC. YOKOSUKA.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Firearms of all types
Naval Warfare
Field Commanding
WEAKNESSES
Melee Combat
GENERAL DESCRPTION
Firearms specialist and strategist, proficient in firearms combat and field commanding. Has slight experience with melee combat, but requires great improvement.
NOTES
Prodigy since elementary. Excels in every academic subject. Shows potential in shipgirl commanding and long range support. Has a history of separatism from other people.
Weapons of choice: CheyTac Intervention, Beretta M9 / Colt M1911, Combat Knife.
HIIRAGI, AYA
1995 SEP 21
FIRST YEAR, SEC. YOKOSUKA.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
First-aid
Close-range firearms
Naval Warfare
CQC (Melee Combat)
WEAKNESSES
Long-range Firearms
Field Commanding
GENERAL DESCRPTION
Supporting First-aid specialist with knowledge in close-range combat using firearms and melee weapons, but unconfident in field commanding.
NOTES
Shy. Trained in CQC, but is still a notch down of Miyamoto's. Has some potential in close-range support and usual shipgirl commanding but has problems in confidently making decisions, choices, and crucial orders. Shyness causes her to be withdrawn from usual people.
Weapons of choice: Combat Knife, FN Five-seveN
YAMAMOTO, ERINA
1995 JAN 18
FIRST YEAR, SEC. YOKOSUKA.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
CQC (Firearms)
Naval and Aerial warfare
Close-Medium range Firearms
Field Commanding
WEAKNESSES
Melee Combat
Long-range Firearms
GENERAL DESCRPTION
CQC specialist, proficient in short-mid range weapons and field commanding. Inexperienced in melee combat, indoctrinated with the art of naval and aerial warfare during childhood.
NOTES
Descendant of Isoroku Yamamoto, brilliant naval tactician trained since birth, has knowledge in close-medium range firearms. Melee Combat needs great improvement. Good potential in shipgirl commanding and front-line fighting. Family history causes her to distance herself from others.
Weapons of choice: Any melee weapon, G36c, Glock 17
NAGUMO, SHUU
1995 DEC 19
FIRST YEAR, SEC. YOKOSUKA.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Technical Operations
Naval warfare
Linguistics
Field Commanding
Technological Enhancement
WEAKNESSES
Firearms
Melee combat
GENERAL DESCRPTION
Technological specialist and strategist, proficient in serving behind the lines to assist others. Has only basic knowledge in CQC and Firearms, thus needing more training.
NOTES
Distant from most of society, spends most of his time on the web on forums and boards. An up-and-coming strategist with some potential for shipgirl commanding and behind-the-scenes support. Will most likely serve as the technological advisor for the 25th.
Weapons of choice: Any melee weapon, any firearm, custom Windows 7 build with fiber optic connection, quad surround sound speakers and tri-monitor display.
"Looks like we got a candidate for the most OP Platoon." Zura comments.
"They're not the only ones with an absurdly strong lineup. Just look at the 13th, the clash between those two would be quite a spectacular matchup… they'll have a hard time fighting each other…"
"The 13th and the 25th, huh… They seem strong… Man, this year's students are pretty good… maybe we'll get more admirals this time?"
"Yeah. It's a given that this year will produce plenty of junior admirals… but I'm more interested with this year's… special candidates."
"Of course. We wouldn't be doing all of these if it weren't for the new kids filled with potential, right?" Zura inquires, stretching both his left and right arms to emphasize the monitors.
"Mhm. This actually took quite a while to set up…" Director Yashiro answers, knocking on one of the monitor screens.
"Nevertheless, it will help our guys a lot to get more data about these guys. The only places these cameras won't reach are the bathrooms and the dorm rooms, after all. We'll know almost absolutely everything about them."
"That came off weird, Zura."
"It's not Zura, It's Katsura-."
"You wish. You don't even have a sword, and you aren't fighting against the bakufu."
"A man can dream, director… a man can dream."
Meanwhile, the 25th platoon arrives at the open-air rooftop, complete with a catering section, a bar of sorts and tables which allow accommodation for many people at once. There are other students on the rooftop as well, and Shiro notices that they're their seniors. The five students take their seats on a table near the edge of the rooftop, with a clear view of the campus grounds below.
"Looks great up here." Shiro comments, leaning on the handrails from his seat.
"Isn't it? The night is a very beautiful time…" Erina adds, sitting right next to Shiro.
"Yeah. You could say that again." Erina merely smiles at Shiro's remark, making him a bit embarrassed… somehow.
Wait, why am I getting embarrassed? Damn. I guess it's a given since I haven't talked to anyone like this for a while… but still… These guys… just feel right for me… Thanks, fate.
The 25th, scanning through the menu, picks their own food as a waiter awaits their inquiry, with each of them picking food to their liking, with the assurance of not having to pay anything thanks to Erina. After picking their food, they utter their orders to the waiter, who goes back to the catering area. Looking once more to the campus grounds, Shiro notices the brightly-colored fountain below, which catches his eye as he looks on. Erina catches on to this, as the rest of the platoon talk to each other.
"Hey, that looks pretty nice, yeah?" Shiro, noticing Erina beside her, asks.
"Yeah." She replies, looking at the fountain with the smile.
Now that I think about it, she's actually an energetic type of person… At first glance she'd look like one of those cold, serious-type ones… Wait, is it possible that she's only shown this side of hers to the platoon? Or is this truly her? Did she intend to change herself for a better chance at making friends? Well, if she did, then I can assume... actually I can't. I would rather talk to her myself than make baseless ideas… If she deems it to sensitive then I won't chase it down.. but I am a member of the 25th platoon. I must know them well.
"Eh, Erina… I'd like to… eh… talk with you later… if possible."
"Hmm, why not right now?"
"If possible… I would want it to be… in private."
"Ohoho? Ehh, could it be? Do you want to confess to me, Shiro?" She replies with a subtle but noticeable hint of sarcasm while looking at him with quite a mischievous grin, making him laugh a bit as he straightens up his seat.
Damn, I was laughing through that, but I could feel it… my heart skipped a beat back there…
"Everything can't be too convenient, can it?" He replies this time as the two laugh together.
"Hey, hey, what are you two talking about? Tell us, baka Shiro!" HIkari asks. Noticing their laughter.
"Well, nothing serious, really, right, Erina?" He asks, but doesn't get a reply.
"Ehh… Erina… You okay?"
"Ah… yeah!" She replies with a laugh, while being visibly red.
"I said something embarrassing earlier… yet I'm only feeling it now!" She thinks to herself.
What, is she embarrassed or something? What for? I ask myself this, yet I already know the answer. Anybody who said that would be pretty embarrassed… even I would...
As the platoon starts to go silent again, the waiter from before carries a tray towards their table, placing a plethora of tasty foodstuffs and premium-looking drinks which would be quite a luxury for most students, all at Erina's expense. She receives a check from the waiter and looks at the 5-digit figure before placing it down at the table…
"This is a one-time thing… alright?" She tells the rest of the platoon, who laugh afterwards.
"Well… the food is here… let's eat!" Aya timidly announces, as the rest respond with a "Yes!" with their chopsticks at the ready.
It's been a while since I ate like this… not to mention I'm with other people… to be honest, I'm not too confident with using chopsticks in public anymore. Shiro thinks with his peculiar bowl of ramen in his hand, with his cola on the other.
"I hope you don't mind me asking this, but what's with the weird food choice, Shiro?" The silent Shuu asks, as he splits his sticks and prepares to chow down on his rice with cube-cut pork on top.
"It's been a while since I ate this. I just missed eating it, that's all. Eating a lot of instant ramen just wants you to go eat the real thing."
"I see. Well then…"
"Itadakimasu!" The five-man platoon utters as they begin to eat their selected food, with Hikari on the spotlight, deliciously eating her braised beef with rice with amusing expressions.
Damn, that's cute… Wait, what am I thinking? …time to eat.
With chopsticks in hands, Shiro continues to chow down on the seafood-filled spicy ramen, slurping the noodles swiftly, then grabbing the bowl and chugging down the remaining soup. As if that wasn't enough at all, he tried to raise his hand towards the waiter, but he remembers that Erina was covering for the food, thus he sits back down instead.
Crap… I can't order another set like this… that'd be too shameless. I don't usually care about my image… but… this is a chance to start a new life, right here. I won't waste this.
"What's the matter, Shiro? Was the food not enough for you?" Erina asks, noticing a bit of hesitation on Shiro's part.
"N-no… it's not that… it's…"
This isn't good… I have to find an excuse!
"I… um…. I'm going to… wash my hands?"
"Oh, that so? Sure, go ahead." She replies, going back to eating her kara-age chicken with rice.
Going inside the washroom, Shiro washes his hands despite not actually planning to do so, but does it anyway in a sense of responsibility. While he washes his hands, he notices someone's footsteps and the familiar odor of nicotine behind him, and upon turning back, he notices Director Yashiro with his trademark pipe-cigar, washing his hands on the sink to his right.
"Fancy meeting you here."
"Ah, good evening, Director. Do you need something?" Shiro asks, turning off the water and heading towards the dryer.
"Just a couple of questions. So, how's life with your platoon-mates treating you?" The Director asks, applying liquid soap to his hands.
"Well, it's nice, definitely. Though I noticed something…"
"Yeah? What is it, kid?"
"I feel like, somehow… we have the same problems, one way or another…. I trapped myself inside the mansion for almost a year, Hikari's arrogance doesn't make her likely to have many friends, Aya's too shy to have effective socialization, Shuu is, well, that should be obvious… And Erina, somehow… I feel like who she is right now, energetic, friendly…that… isn't exactly her."
Yashiro sighs. "Before I explain that to you, want to have a smoke? Nobody will know." He asks, gesturing his pipe.
"I don't smoke, sir."
"Ah, not a fan of the good ol' Nico', aren't we?"
"If it's another Nico, then we'll talk, sir."
"Sorry kid, this Nico of mine won't go Nico Nico Nii on you."
"That's such a shame, huh, sir?" Shiro remarks as they both laugh.
"Indeed. Anyways, the reason I put you awkward bunch into the same platoon is because of that same reason. You guys have a hard time fitting in. What better way to remedy that than to let you fit in amongst yourselves?"
"Good point… so I guess that explains it…" Shiro replies with his sword still hanging on his waist, heading outside. "Thanks for explaining, director. I'll be off now."
"Wait. I need to ask you one last question."
"What is it?" He stops near the washroom's door.
"What do you think of the abyssals?"
Wait… why is he asking me this? Of course, the abyssal deserve to sink to the bottom of the depths!
The director has touched a very sensitive topic.
Shiro's deep seated hatred for the Abyss stems from the loss of his clanmates and close friend, Erika, which was also the reason for his isolation from the outside world. Of course he would come to hate the ones who caused her sister's death.
Since he's the director… I'm assuming he has to know my past.
"I believe you know the answer to that, director."
"I know that one of your closest acquaintances was aboard the unlucky JS Atago… up to this day, most of what happened there still remains a mystery… The ship was lost when it veered off course in a storm near sector 5-dash-2. Our shipgirls haven't been able to penetrate that far."
"Then you know my reason for such hatred." Shiro replies, grasping the hilt of his sword tightly.
"True, I do. But what I want to know is whether you'll go to great heights to exact that revenge."
"That is why I enlisted here, director. To become an admiral, command the shipgirls, and eliminate the abyss."
"That's a long way to go."
"But I plan to finish it."
"Well then, I know your resolve. I'm not exactly supposed to tell you this, but we actually have information about the Atago's status and whereabouts."
If there was such information in the first place… why didn't they tell it to the families who lost their children and friends that day…!
"Wha- then why didn't you announ-"
"It had to be done. We don't know the full extent of the abyssal's capabilities, but they seem to be able to break some of our encryption codes. Most of our naval communications have been left obsolete in the wake of their attack."
"Where are you going with this…?" He asks again, his grip on the hilt ever tighter.
"I'm saying that the abyss might know of our plans about the Atago. The Atago isn't just some ship which had lots of crewmen on it; it was the first ship to venture out to the deep abyss territories. It has tons of potential data that could help us turn the tides of this war. "
"But that data would be useless if the ship is already on the bottom of the sea… wait, that means-"
"Yes. There's a reason why we listed the Atago crew members off as merely MIA. I guess you didn't get the hint. Our last ditch attempt to re-establish orbital communications with other countries ended up doing something else, our satellite, for the entire 30 minutes it deployed its cameras before getting shredded to bits in the stratosphere, captured a figure resembling a destroyer on sector five waters. We assume that it was the Atago."
Wait, seriously? That means..!
"However, we do not know the fate of the crew. For all I know they could've been captured or even eliminated by the enemy… or worse."
"What could be worse than having the crew, along with my sister killed?"
"Torture. As I said earlier, they broke through our codes, but they won't necessarily trust every single radio broadcast. Take Midway '42, for example, that was radio deception at its best. These guys don't want to fall into that kind of trap, so torturing POW's seems like a good option."
Those monsters... Although there's a slim chance that Erika's still alive… I won't forgive them… No… I absolutely can't forgive them.
"I'll… kill all of them…" Shiro utters instinctively, with his hilt clearly shaking from how hard he's gripping it.
"Come on, you can't be Yuuichirou Hyakuya or Eren Jaeger. Listen, you can't save everyone, nor can you just kill every single one of your enemies as well. I came here presenting you a chance, thinking that you could've controlled your thirst for revenge like the others… however… it seems the time is too early." After hearing Yashiro's words, Shiro sighs, and calms down.
If I use my knowledge of… things in this situation, I'm guessing this chance he's talking about is in the form of some weapon a-la Cursed Gears, or actually allowing me to command the shipgirls or actual naval vessels. Of course I can't let my desire take over me… but…
"What do you mean about the others?" Shiro, having calmed down a bit, takes his hand off the hilt.
"Every one of you here has a desire, be it glory, revenge, or something like that… you're the first one I've approached, and judging from your reaction, I'll assume that the others still need time as well. Looks like this academy wasn't a mistake, after all."
"I'll just ask right here, director. What exactly is this… chance… you're presenting us?"
"I'll ask you something first. Have you ever heard of the First Squadron?"
The First Squadron.
An urban legend about the men who fought the Abyss on land with nothing but modern firearms, and even unusual weapons straight out of light novels including but not limited to sharp edged katanas, armor-piercing bows, electro-tipped crossbows, and even brass knuckles. Each description varies on whoever you ask about it, thus earning their reputation as a mere urban legend. What's more is that they fought these creatures without any other supporting machinery whatsoever, or at least, that's what they say.
"It's a pretty famous urban legend exaggeratingly depicting the men who fought on the shores of Japan before the Shipgirls."
"Yes… however, I'll tell you one thing. Whether or not you believe it is up to you, but The First Squadron is real, though most depictions of them are actually exaggerated and are pretty much fiction. But the fact remains, the First Squadron is entirely real."
"What does this have to do with the chance you're supposed to give me?"
"I'll have to tell you that when the time is right."
The hell is this, some sort of soap opera with perfect cuts on the most interesting parts?
"Oh, come on. Don't leave me hanging… sir."
"Sorry, but that's just how it works. If you really want to know that badly… You'll have to fit in with society once again, first."
"How does this that relate to the chance?"
"Teamwork and control. It's an essential key to all operations. If you can't coordinate with other people, then I have the right to say that omae wa mou shindeiru. Also, if you don't keep that vengeful rage of yours in check, which almost broke your hilt, you might end up endangering not only yourself, but your teammates as well. You'll learn that during the duels. About that, if you think that this new age of warfare is all about commanding shipgirls then you are gravely mistaken. Not only do you have to command those girls, you'll find yourself having to fight alongside them as well. They're not as proficient in land as they are in air, so if we find an Abyssal refueling depot, it's drop time."
Wow… I guess the phrase "the plot thickens" can be applied here.
"So, before I'll train you on that stuff, I'll need to see you making progress on the school. Also, not a single soul must know we spoke about this. Remember, you and you alone know this info in the school. With that being said, go ahead and live your school life to the fullest. Don't sweat the stuff I told you about just now. Worry about the immediate future, you know, socialize, make new friends, comrades, etc. Well, I took too much of your time. Go ahead, your comrades are waiting."
"Thank you for everything, director." He replies with a bow and heads out back towards the tables again.
Knowing that Erika might still be alive in there puts a smile on my face. She's a tough nut to crack, after all. It might be slim, however… I'll do my best to finally see her once more…. However, like what the director said, I must worry about what's infront of me for now. I will drive my desires, not the other way around.
"Oh, Shiro! What took you so long! We finished eating while you were away, you know!" Hikari shouts as she sees him approaching.
"Most of the platoon members might be girls, Miyamoto, but don't think nobody will notice you fappi-" Shuu states jokingly with his trademark double-fingered glasses-adjustment gesture, but he is cut off by a somewhat embarrassed Shiro.
"That's not the case!"
Damnit. Why'd he have to bring up fapping. Shit, now all I have in my mind is how that sly Erika discovered my little pastime… The hell was I thinking back then anyway. Oh right… I was probably all like "Hey, this feels good! Let me do it again!" Or something like that. Well, I will make sure that won't happen here. Absolutely not, yeah. I have an image now. He thinks to himself as his face turns jokingly determined.
"Oh, it seems I might've struck a nerve there." Shuu reacts. "I'll steer away from that topic then."
"Eew, Shiro-hentai! You do that gross stuff?"
"Heh, like you're that innocent."
THE HELL DID I JUST SAY! SHIT. I MIGHT GET LABELED AS A FUCKING INSENSITIVE IDIOT HERE, SAVE ME, FATE!
"Th-the hell are you saying, Shiro-hentai! I am a pure m-maiden!" She responds with a mix of stuttering and prideful tone while blushing.
Good, that wasn't as bad as I expected.
"Seems kinda odd coming from a 20 year old, huh?"
OH SHIT! STOP RUNNING OFF ALREADY YOU DAMNED MOUTH!
"Y-you bastard! L-like you're any different!" She replies, blushing even harder now.
Ouch. Yeah, I wasn't lucky enough to have the privilege of… doing that to someone.
"You got me." He raises his hands on the air. "Though it's not like anyone else here is actually different, right? Correct me if I'm wrong." The rest of the platoon shakes their head.
"With this we might actually earn the moniker "Virgin Platoon", eh?"
"Not sure if we should take it as an insult or an honor, though." Erina adds this time, as most of the platoon laughs except Aya, who keeps silent. Shiro notices this and decides to ask her something.
"Yo, Aya, you've been quiet recently… What's wrong?"
"N-nothing… It's just t-the first time that I'm talking w-with people l-like this."
"They say there's a first time for everything. This is no exception."
"Y-you're right…"
The atmosphere around the platoon turns silent as they all look up at the night sky to see the moon above, its white presence in the black sky almost makes it look like a huge yin-yang emblem, perfectly contrasting each other. The cold air blows through the platoon as they look above, reminding Shiro of one thing.
My air conditioner… awaits me.
"It's getting a late now, isn't it." Erina asks.
"Yeah, it's 9:30 now. Time flies by, doesn't it? Well, let's head back, shall we?" Shiro responds as the rest of the platoon head towards the elevator, going down to the fourth floor to settle in their bunk beds after a nice hot shower. Moving closer to him, Erina, almost as tall as Shiro, leans in on his ears and whispers to him.
"Hey, you wanted to talk about something with me, right?"
"Yeah, I did." He responds.
"I know a good place we can do that, I guess."
The elevator dings, and the platoon exits, but Shiro and Erina remain inside, much to the confusion of the other members.
"Where are you guys going?" Hikari asks, a bit curious.
"We'll be back in just a bit." Shiro responds, pressing the ground floor per instructions from Erina. Arriving at the lobby, they head outside and Erina leads him to a small, almost hill-like elevation overlooking the track field, and they sit down behind a tree, indistinguishable due to the lack of sufficient lighting, but still enough to see each other's faces.
This place… feels nice.
"So, what was it you wanted to ask me?" Erina asks, leaning her back on the tree.
"Well, before that… why'd you choose this place?"
"It's relaxing, really. And it's the place where I sat down earlier, so… I kinda like it here now."
Meanwhile, the rest of the platoon are a bit uneasy about the fact that Shiro and Erina are alone somewhere, and Hikari is the first to express her concerns.
"Hey… what do you think they're doing out there?"
"Hikari… please have faith in your comrades…" Aya responds.
"But they're a guy and a girl… alone! Who knows what they'll do!"
"Oh come on, HIkari. You're overreacting. Are you really that concerned?"
"N-no! Who'd be concerned about that idiot Shiro anyway!?"
"I didn't say anything about Shiro."
"Wha- well, uhhh…."
"Oh, I see where this is going. Well, well. The great almighty Ozawa Hikari-san has fallen for a man with a sword. How unpredictable."
"What are you talking about!? There's no way I'd fall for that idiot… Hmp! I'm taking a shower!"
"Go ahead… Oh boy, this makes my day." Shuu laughs.
"Rakkun, you tease people way too much…" Aya reacts.
"Come on, anyone can see from a mile away what Ozawa thinks about Shiro. I'm just… uh… saying it creatively?" He replies with a laugh.
Meanwhile… back underneath the tree…
"I see… Well then, about the question… The current you… were you, always like this?"
There's nothing but silence for a while.
Did I tick her off?
But Erina herself breaks that awkwardness.
"So, you saw through me, huh… True, I was trying to make a great first expression… Tell me, was it that obvious?"
"No, it wasn't. From their point of view, I'd say you were, in their eyes energetic and a fun person to be with. To me… well, it seemed like a façade. Like something is holding you back from doing that. You are fully capable of being the person we all saw. Yet, you choose not to. Tell me, what bothers you?"
"It seems odd for me to tell someone who I just met about my personal problems, but seeing as you'll be my comrade…"
"There's no problem at all. Trust me, I've done odder things."
"During my early years I was always… pressured. I wasn't able to be myself because of my family's regulations and such. I was expected to always become the best in anything, which made me become an object of jealousy for my classmates. I was always… hated, because I would overshadow everyone else. I wanted to be free-, but that objective became less apparent when I reached high school. Honor for the family, go home, sleep, eat, more honor for the family. It was always like that. I no longer cared for anyone else, I just wanted the day to be over with… Until the Atago incident happened."
Wait… she was affected by the Atago incident as well?
"My dad was serving aboard the Atago when it was lost at sea. He was excommunicated along with my mother, even before I began going to school, since they defied the Yamamoto Family Code, so my grandfather raised me harshly, strictly adhering to the code. When I heard news that the Atago was lost, and that there was little to no chance of dad coming back at all… I was… devastated. It made me change my outlook on life… That painful shock that made me human once more, at least, a bit. I am trying to rebuild my life, and this academy has a way to do just that… but… my family… the code… I-I…" Erina couldn't stop getting emotional and started to cry, which shocks Shiro.
Oh, so that's why… Now, what do I do…
He wraps his arm around her and rests her head upon his shoulder, literally giving her a shoulder to cry on. As he does this, he can't help but say a few words to at least help calm her down.
"Listen. Those family codes or something, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you follow the code that rests in your own heart. You create your own path, whether it will be of flowers or thorns is up to you. You are the master of your fate… The captain of your soul."
"C-cheesy… but thanks…"
"That doesn't sound insulting coming from someone who's crying on my shoulders."
"Y-yeah. I guess you're right…"
"To tell you the truth, someone I know served on the Atago as well. I'm pretty surprised to meet someone who has experienced such pain as well…"
Of course, I can't tell her about what the Director told me, but at least I have to help her, right?
"M-me too…"
"If you need help, I'm here-, no… we're here. On behalf of the 25th platoon… Let me carry… half of your burden." He utters, reaching out his hand.
I hope I pulled that off correctly…
"Y-yes! I look forward to working with you, Shiro!" Erina, wiping her tears off, shakes Shiro's hand. Suddenly a light, possibly from a flashlight illuminates the somewhat dark area they were sitting in, and upon inspection, the light's source is from a student wearing the standard uniform albeit with a read armband on his right arm, with the words "Council" written on it. Shiro assumes that it's the student council, and upon inspection of the time through his wrist watch, discovers that it's almost 11 already.
The hell…
"I didn't want to disturb you freshmen since you were having a deep conversation, but I have to apologize. It's almost curfew time, and I'll have to ask you to return to your dorms." The student council member requests, and the two students stand up.
"O-of course. Let's go, Erina." With a nod, the two head back to the dorms, but are stopped as the council member calls them out.
"Oh, by the way, you actually made that Kusanagi part sound convincing. I commend you for that."
Damn, he noticed, huh. Well, of course. This is what you get after reading through an LN with a lot of spare time on my hands.
"Well, it fits." He responds.
"Indeed. Well, good night then. Oh, right. Assembly's tomorrow at 0800 hours. Be there, alright!"
"Of course!"
After entering the elevator Shiro and Erina talk about what to expect during their return to the dorm room, and upon entering the room itself, notice Shuu teasing the pajama-clothed Hikari a lot as Aya sleeps soundly on her bunk with her pajamas on.
"Well, what are you going to do if they actually did do that?"
"I-I'm going to scold them, of course! I-it's immoral!"
"Well, I don't know what to do with you… Why not ask them instead?" Shuu points to the newly arrived Erina and Shiro.
"What did we miss?" Shiro asks as Hikari runs straight towards Erina.
"Erina! What did this pervert do to you, huh? Are you okay? Did he harass you or something?"
"N-no…"
"Come on… stop thinking of me as a pervert already. Wasn't I already an idiot to you?"
"Ah right, thanks for reminding me, Baka-Shiro."
"I guess that's fine. Anyways, assembly's tomorrow at 8AM. Be sure to set your alarms, cause I ain't waking anyone up. Most likely, I'll be the one who needs to be woken up." He states as he hangs his sword on his bedframe, unbuttoning his uniform and pants and grabbing his towel."
"H-hey, the hell are you doing?" Hikari, with her eyes covered, asks the boxers-clad Shiro.
"Getting ready for a shower, of course. There's nobody using the bath, right?"
"Yeah, you're free to go." Shuu answers instead.
"Well, then. Erina, want to go first? I'll wait for you."
"S-sure! Thanks, Shiro!" She replies, carrying her towel and change of clothes inside the bath.
"No problem. What about you, Shuu?"
"I prefer to use the bathroom last because of some… problems… I may encounter." Shiro, understanding what he means, nods.
"I see… Must be rough, huh."
"Yeah. It's just a temporary thing, though. I ate some bad stuff back at home."
"That so? Good luck then."
"Thanks man."
I have a feeling that this'll turn out nicely. I'll just have to do what the director said and I'll have a chance to see Erika again, and help out Erina with her dad as well. Oh fate, how you pull our strings is a wonderful mystery.