Told you guys, didn't I?
Going to write a lot more frequently.
Disclaimer: I suck at relationship development arcs. Mostly because I am seriously awkward as well.
Disclamer (2) : Walls of text inbound.
Slight meta: I thought about this while I was going to sleep after writing the last parts. Please do note that these guys are indeed speaking Japanese. It is written in English because, well, my audience speaks English. Just imagine it's subtitles or something.
More meta : I am a man who cannot walk the path of explosions, nor can I heed the tenets of the Axis sect, for my wish is to protect people, and then some.
Yes, my tastes are unconventional.
~Idealize
Yokosuka Naval Academy / Kaigun Gakuen
Student's Dorm Rooms
Room 401 – Home of the 25th Platoon
1924HRS
Right after having a chat with his peculiar sword, Shiro and the rest of the 25th huddle around in a circle with their VCM's as they work together to clear most of the early maps and unlock the early powerlevelling spots in order to do the event on the easiest difficulty possible, as recommended by the director.
"Shiro, you got Naka yet?" Shuu asks, leading the platoon in terms of advancement as he struggles to clear one of the early obstacles of a first-year– 2-4.
"Not yet." He responds. "What's strange though is that she's supposed to be common, according to the seniors at the network. Annoyingly common, in fact."
"I guess that's the so-called RNG-sama at work. Naka dropped first for me during my search of all the Sendai-class for the third fleet quest."
"So you've done it, huh. Pretty fast, I must say."
Looking at this guy, that comes as no surprise... heh, who am I to talk. I'm literally right behind him. Such is the NEET life.
"Well, at least you know you're a NEET." his sword intervenes in his thoughts.
Sheesh. Get back in the sword.
"Yeah, well, third fleet's really helping with my expeditions. I got the second fleet on full-time expedition 2, while I'm sending the third fleet on the recently unlocked ones to continue the chain. The guys at the network have been really helpful, but now I've got another problem..."
"What is it?"
"Unlocking the fourth fleet requires all of the Kongou-class battleships."
"I was expecting you had those girls already, didn't they say it's recommended to have 4BB's and 2CV's when trying out 2-4?"
"That's just bruteforcing it. While sending a light fleet on that cursed map proved to be a clusterfuck, 2 kai'd BB's with an AP day-spotting setup alongside two kai'd CA's with Radar day-spotting and two CV's proved to be quite useful, just that the compass is fucking with me."
… What.
"How did you get that many ships and good equips in such a short span of time...?"
"Well, first off, let me tell you that I'm almost out of resources and I might be done for the day anytime soon. As you might've guessed, I did some construction and development, and with help from the network guys, I was able to get some AP shells, 2 apparently rare Type 32 surface radars, 2 BB's and even a carrier, and oh, Akagi's a quest reward, so that's one less CV to worry about. Anyways, I got my second carrier Shoukaku, or third if you include my CVL Junyou, then Kirishima, my first and only Kongou-class BB so far, then Yamashiro, a BB that turns into a BBV, apparently trading in firepower for the ability to carry seaplanes. Fair enough for me, I guess. I showed them a screenshot of my base, and they told me to stop construction for a while and keep clearing maps alongside sending out expeditions, especially Exped 2. Levelled my two CA's Haguro and Maya to kai, max modernized most of 'em and here I am."
"You already max modernized most of them? Just how much ships do you already have?"
"You'd be surprised how many Nakas, Nagaras and Kisos drop for me."
… Seriously?
"Please give me your luck, Shuu."
"I wish."
After hearing of Shuu's great advancements, Shiro decides t try out construction himself. Entering in a standard Battleship recipe, he closes his eyes and hopes for a Kongou-class, or better yet, A Nagato-class.
He takes a deep breath with his eyes closed as he taps on the confirm button.
He opens those closed eyes and sees the timer.
Who are you~? He thinks cheerfully, still unfazed by the "saltiness" of the Virtual simulation called KanColle, as stated by the veterans at the network.
He activates the flamethrower, getting even more hyped.
It's...
An Ise.
"Hey, Shuu. Who's... I...se?"
"Ah, Ise. She Kai's into a BBV, so best level her up at the highest map possible. You might also want to set her as FS in PvP battles instead, if you want a less resource-eating method."
"Yeah, I heard PvP gives a lot of EXP. These are just composition battles, right? Not human vs human?"
"Yes, it's just a "clash of equipment and compositions." No human intervention whatsoever, just RNG. Oh, and after you get Ise to Kai, you might want to try out the extra operation 1-5."
"Ah, that submarine-filled map, right?"
"Yeah. Preferred composition according to the network is 1CL or DD, 1DD or CL, 1BBV and 1CVL. Don't overdo it, though, it'll bloat your HQ level, and extra operation maps get harder with a higher HQ level."
"I see, Thanks. You seem to know a lot about this already."
"You can call it game sense. And also the fact that the network guys are helping me a lot."
A small grumble can then be heard. Hikari seems to be frustrated about something.
What's wrong with her this time?
"I don't know, go check her out, mister 'burden carrier.'"
Damn it, Lalatina.
"I told you, don't call me that!"
But you looked just like her.
"That's your fault!"
No, it's yours.
"You- Ah, whatever, go ask her already, whatever!"
Sheesh. Why is my sword so tsun.
"Hey, Hikari, what's the mater?" Shiro finally asks, after quarrelling with his weapon."
"I'm not sure whether to advance with someone on critical..."
"The hell are you thinking, retreat!" Shiro's voice suddenly goes higher. As if there was anger beneath it.
"B-but if I retreat now, I'll waste the chance of taking out the boss... casualties area acceptable, it's wa-"
"Didn't you hear me, I said retreat!"
"Hey, why are you ord-"
And there, he was triggered.
"Do you have no soul, woman!? Are you willing to throw away someone's life like that!?" Shiro, genuinely angry, exclaims in a large voice, borderline shouting. However, he understands that he's getting too emotional. Hikari merely looks at him with embarassment and shame, along with surprise. She never expected a reaction like this from a usually calm-headed person such as Shiro. He pauses.
"I thought you'd be able to comprehend that fighting with one less ship in your fleet would mean less firepower. Don't expect that you'd be able to take down the boss with five ships. It's better if you retreat, repair, and head back out. You'd only end up... wasting a life." Shiro's last sentence felt heavy, as if it had hit him instead of his intended target.
Flashbacks of Erika ensue. Wasted lives, expended for a failed cause. He never really understood why they'd send a human-crewed vessel into the depths of the abyss, unescorted by shipgirls. Was it a diplomatic move? He'd think to himself for the past few years now. He had already come to the conclusion that the Atago was sent to the abyss for as little reason as to keep appearances. He did not blame the captains and the commanders, who spent most of their careers bowing and apologizing in shame for the blunder. He did not blame director Yashiro, who had shared intrigue with him recently. Rather, he blamed those politicians and higher-ups who dare not even to talk about the incident.
Damn it, why am I mixing that up with this! This has nothing to do with that! I shouldn't have just exploded in front of her like that... His thoughts suddenly shifted to seriousness that even his sword kept silent throughout this.
"A-ah Hikari, I'm-"
"I'm sorry. I'm already retreating." After a tap on the screen, Hikari immediately drops the VCM and rushes out of room 401. Slamming the door behind her with tears running down, everyone freezes. They stare at Shiro, who is absolutely frozen in place.
...Why...?
… Why did I do that...?
...What is wrong with me!?
His sword couldn't even make a remark anymore.
As he prepares to chase after Hikari, Shuu stops him in his tracks.
"Stop. Not yet. Give her some time. Don't think that running out after her will solve everything. Give her an opportunity to think about why you did that, and why you were right to do so."
"..." Shiro just stood there, silent while the two girls left carefully observed the two guys. He finally sits down on Hikari's bunk bed, tapping the pillow that he slept in earlier, which she kept hugging for quite a while. There, everything fell in place. Although he already had an idea about this before, he didn't want to believe it. Although it may sound extremely narcissistic, he had figured it out. He now knew why she reacted so weirdly like that, instead of the generic tsundere "What the hell is the matter with you, i-idiot!"
For the past couple of days, he had played dense.
He knew it.
Yet he lied.
He lied to himself.
He lied to them.
He lied to Hikari.
He did not want to believe it, despite its obviousness.
It was partially because of his awkwardness, but mostly due to the fact that he knows the pain of getting left behind first-hand.
The pain of having lost someone close.
That feeling of desperation.
That feel when someone's gone.
Yes, Miyamoto Shiro is a tormented man.
He did not want to pass that torment to someone else when his time comes.
Thus, he played dense.
He had already offered himself as a sacrificial lamb, to be alone forever, in order to make everyone around him smile.
Because he knew the pain that had tormented him for these past years.
He wanted to bear the pain by himself to save everyone.
Quite the ideal hero of justice.
But that ideal is as flawed as any.
If you want to make everyone happy by being unhappy, you'll only end up doing the opposite.
Everyone would be unhappy.
His ideals weren't going to save everyone.
By the end of his life, he would just drown in his ideals and die.
Alone.
Forsaken.
Blinded by misguided righteousness.
Here, Miyamoto Shiro knew the flaws of his ideals.
He knew of another Shirou's ideals, but never expected it to be so similar.
Everyone has a reason to live and a reason to fight.
If that reason is not for yoruself, then there is no reason for you to continue.
You live for yourself, and through yourself, you'll make everyone happy.
Your smile will make others smile.
Your misery will solve nothing.
That is why Miyamoto Shiro's ideals are meaningless.
At least it didn't take a future version of himself to go back in time and try to kill him to make him understand that.
All it took was a pillow and a dose of Fate.
The best lessons in life can somehow be learned from the unlikeliest of places... like an Eroge VN.
Miyamoto Shiro was in a deep state of thought after grabbing the pillow.
There he knew that his denseness eventually bit him back on his ass.
After jokingly thanking Nasu in his mind, he decides to set things straight.
Only main characters can be truly dense.
"Yeah, right."
He doesn't even bother retorting his sword.
"Shuu, I'm coming after her."
"Hmm. You've finally noticed, huh. No, I think you've already noticed for a long time. You were trying to lie to yourself."
"Yeah... I guess so."
"Someone oblivious would've followed my advice and given her time, since that would be the best option... for someone who is incredibly dense... But given your reaction... you've definitely noticed it and have made up your mind. I assume you know what to do. Go ahead, my friend."
"Thank you." Shiro remarks as he dashes for the door. He doesn't even bother taking the elevator and rushes straight for the lightly-used stairway, running through the open area and finally reaching the lobby after a couple flights of stairs. Gripping his sword, he scans the area inside and outside the lobby, too awkward to ask the attendants or anyone else. Unbeknownst to him, Tech Director Zura and the school's director Yashiro himself are tracking him through the numerous CCTV's installed around the school.
"Now, I know this kid's probably looking for someone, why doesn't he ask thea ttendant over there, see?" Zura asks Yashiro who is standing right behind him, observing as well.
"That's his weakness. He has a hard time with other people, didn't you read his profile?"
"Hey, I never expected it to be this bad! Why would he bother looking for someone if he has a hard time with other people?"
"Because that someone is probably his squadmate. Scan the CCTV's for any 25th Platoon members."
"Okay." Zura types a few strings of code into the facial recognition system and awaits further information as Shiro is still struggling to find Hikari on the lobby.
Damn it. She must've went out or something. Let me try checking the roof.
"Good choice, Shiro. If she's not there, you can use the place as a vantage point."
That's what I was thinking.
Dashing back to the multiple flights of stairs once more, Shiro ignores the looming fatigue from his limbs and mind as he sets his sights on his goal to find his squadmate, determined to rectify his insensitive mistake stemming from his facade of denseness. He finally reaches the roof, but his feet feel like they're ready to give up anytime. But he disregards it and goes through the last stairway and then finally the arch on the entrance to the roof's restaurant of sorts. The night sky calms him down a bit as his search continues.
Where... is she...?
Meanwhile inside the tech room, Zura's facial recognition system detects a 25th platoon member.
"Got a hit. Ozawa, Hikari. On the roof... There. Four-seated table near the roof's edge."
"Good timing. Looks like he's arrived there as well... See?" Yashiro points at the screen to a certain man with a sword on his waist.
"What do we do now, boss?" Zura asks the director.
"Switch it to screen saver, let's go grab a bite, and let those two kids sort their problems out for themeselves."
"Sounds good to me." he replies as he switches the footage to a bouncing ball and leaves the lightless techroom with Yashiro.
Hey... that's her, isn't it?
"Yeah, that's her." his sword replies to his thoughts.
Good... now... What do I do...?
"Wait, you came here not knowing what you were supposed to do? Just apologize to her already!"
Well, yeah, that's what I was planning to do...
"Liar."
Sheesh. Let me think already... Got it. I'll just do it nice and simple.
The rooftop is filled with young lovers showing their affection to each other, with the tone set by the beautiful moonlight. Shiro moves past the crowd of lovey-dovey people and moves slowly behind Hikari, who is sipping her mango fruitshake with a straw. Someone was apparently planning on sitting near Hikari, but upon seeing the swordsman he takes a step back and fades into the crowd. Shiro then takes a deep breath and musters the courage to sit down right beside her on the four-seated table, underneath the light of the waxing crescent moon.
"Hey, uh... I'm sorry."
"Dude, that's so weak."
Shut up, I'm trying my best here, Lalatina.
"It's fine..." Hikari responds. "It's my fault for running out like that, anyway... I shouldn't have made you guys worry. Really, I'm such an idiot." She tries to assure him as she looks down on the the ground, a bit depressed, but Shiro closes his eyes, suddenly makes a bold move and gives her a hug outta nowhere, like a certain wrestler's finisher. With his mind as awkward as ever, he hopes that his warm embrace might prove his genuine apology, even if he really doesn't need to go that far... But Hikari smiles at this gesture, blushing and pretty much happy by now.
"No... I'm the idiot... for many reasons... right?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Come on, let me bask in the moment already, Kurisutina.
"There's no -tina! Hey, what the hell are you doing with my name! At least decide on one already!"
Fine, Lalatina.
"Not that one either!"
Please read the mood for me... just this time... please...?
"... Alright.. I'll bug you for my name later though!"
Fine, fine.
"Yeah, you are... Idiot." She responds as Shiro ends his awkward embrace.
"See? That's the Hikari I know. Seriously though. I've done a lot of bad things. I really am an idiot, it seems."
"What do you mean by 'bad things'?"
"Well, for starters, I made you cry."
"I-I did not!" She exclaims, although a closer look at her face shows the reddish eyes, definitely cried.
"Your face says otherwise."
"... Maybe just a little bit."
Shiro takes the time to stare at her beneath the moonlight while she looks away in embarassment. She looks like a somewhat shorter Yukinoshita Yukino under these conditions – but less cold and more tsun than ever.
"They say … 'ignorance is bliss.' "
"How is that related?"
"Let me ask you something then... However you interpret it and whether you answer me or not depends on you... Why me?"
She stares at him for a bit, then realizes the question and blushes.
"W-what are you t-talking about?"
"Call me an egoistic narcissist bastard all you want after this, I can take it, but if you can... please, answer the question. Just, why me?"
"I-I don't understand you at all, you idiot!" She responds, definitely trying to evade the questions.
Tsun will be tsun, it seems.
"Yeah."
Including you.
"Wha-"
"I guess I'll have to ask you that question some other time then... Too bad... The moon's pretty beautiful tonight, yeah?"
"... Shiro..."
What?
"...Did you just..."
…
OH SHIT.
I JUST WANTED TO CHANGE THE TOPIC BY COMPLIMENTING THE MOON AAAAAAAH
"Well, I think you two would make for a great cou-"
Nope, that'd be a disaster.
"Why?"
Because I am an egoistic narcissist bastard who knows nothing but to swing his tsundere sword and fail mathematics 24/7/365. On a more serious note, I don't mind, but I need some time, at least. I may have just known that playing dense isn't the best thing to do, but I just can't go and do stuff like that immediately.
Meanwhile, as he talks to his sword, Hikari is... uncontrollably blushing. It's as if she doesn't know how to react in the situation. Shiro's blunder in words shocked her... and it looks like her identity gimmick of tsundere is falling out.
"W-w-what are you suddenly blabbing about..."
Shit, gotta do damage control, damage control!
…
Let's assess the situation, Lalatina.
"I told you, not that name!"
Let's discuss that later.
It seems she does not want to throw her tsundere gimmick away, even if my "confession" was true.
"It seems so indeed."
What is this, some sort of amateurish fanfiction written by an inexperienced writer?
"Hah, just imagine, your fate being in the hands of an beginner. What could possibly go wrong...?"
Everything. Well, if I go along with the flow, I should be able to get out of here a single man.
"Why don't you want to be with her?"
Because I already said it earlier... Also...
"Also what?"
I want to get to know her a bit more.
"I see."
Well, I'm off. Hope this works.
"I was just complementing the scenery, what's wrong, Hikari?" Shiro utters with the straightest face he can manage.
"Ah, eh... nothing, yeah." She looks away, looking pretty cute, at that. Shiro can't help blushing.
…
"Shiro..."
I know. I can't help it.
"S-shall we go back, then, S-Shiro? Our f-food should've been delivered q-quite a while ago..."
"Y-yeah... can't expect E-Erina to treat us again t-this time..." They both awkwardly laugh, as they head down back to the dorm rooms.
…
"Oi, keep yourself together, you're being too obvious!"
I can't help it, okay? I've just felt the recoil of everything I've said!
Even in the elevator, their awkwardness reaches no bounds. Nothing but catchy elevator music fills the airwaves as they wait for it to arrive on their floor while they turn their heads slightly away from eachother out of embarassment and sheer awkwardness.
"Shiro... this feels like some lovers quarrel or something."
Shut up, Lalatina.
Ding.
The elevator arrives at the fourth floor, and awkwardness reaches up the eleven when Shiro couldn't ven open the door for Hikari without blushing uncontrollably. This is where Shiro's confidence fades and the full blunt of the recoil of everything he said is being felt. Even the sight of a single strand of hair triggers uncontrollable blushing for both parties. As they enter the room, silence ensues, and Hikari enters the bathroom.
"Shiro... what did you do?"
"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
"I'll tell you later when the dust settles."
"Good enough for me... well then, let's get back to the grind."
Meanwhile in Rostock, Germany...
The man known as Hans sits in the middle of Warnemunde port's logistics center, surrounded by various machinery and operators operating operations, only separated by four corners of glass that makes up his office. Reading some documents in his table, he begins to think about the European Theater of Operations in this Abyssal War.
The once civillian port was seized by the nearby Naval Base in order to allocate more space for naval operations. Franco-German coalition agreements have made it possible for both parties to dock in their ports, making exchange of vessels and technologies easier. Blohm & Voss, Germany's largest shipbuilding company have also began the production of their own shipgirls with assistance from Japan. Through risky technological exchanges made by cargo ships, the former allied nations have banded together once more to become the pioneers of shipgirl engineering, even the Italians got their slice of the Shipgirl project recently, and there are now reports about American and Russian projects underway.
"Looks like we're going to win this, after all..." he mumbles to himself in straight Deutsch.
The door of his glass-covered office opens.
"Sir. You called?" Someone wearing a similar uniform to Hans asks in English this time.
"Yes, Captain Thacht. I'd like to brief you on the Queen Anne's endurance trip. It seems I have to tell you this personally."
"Please, just call me Shade, sir."
"... You really like that name, huh."
"Well, you guys did decide on it..."
"I wasn't there when they saved you at Normandy."
"But High Command did ask everyone to submit suggestions, right? I asked Raeder about it."
"Raeder, huh. Well yeah, we sent our name suggestions..."
"So, what did you want to name me as?"
"Honestly I would've liked to call you Jeriko or something. But Donitz and the 13th just had to pick Shade since it sounded cool..."
"Well, with respect sir, Shade does sound a lot cooler."
"Let's get on with the briefing already."
"Okay."
Hans hands over an envelope to Shade and he begins to read the contents.
"As you can see, this is the final test of the experimental vessel Queen Anne's Revenge II... Why the hell did you name it like that, anyway?"
"Just look at my surname, sir."
"Hey, I always thought it was spelt as Teach, you know."
"If you look at historical records you can see tha-"
"Never mind that, let's continue. The Q.A.R – Part of the Versuchsgefäße Projekt, better known as the Z Program. That old bastard Raeder didn't want to fully rely on the Shipgirl program, and I believe he has good reason why not."
"Why?"
"Well, most of our first ships are going to Japan anyway as part of the contract. Blohm & Voss didn't even bother to negotiate for lenient terms in exchange for the riggings blueprints... Two destroyers, and even Bismarck and Prinz Eugen have already been sent out to them... and there was another one inbound..."
"What happened to her?"
"Well, she was onboard the fleet that got stuck at Vella Gulf... That's what I'm going to talk to you about."
"Okay."
"Let me just..." Hans grabs a paper from his desk's drawer and prepares to read it aloud.
"Okay... here we go. Q.A.R Mk. II Endurance Test is a go. The Q.A.R Will be loaded with the default loadout of SKC 155mm guns alongside it's complement of Phalanx CIWS and ASROCs. As one of the goals of the Versuchsgefäße Projekt, the Artificial Intelligence module installed on the Q.A.R will be modified to include an emotion emulator. Crew of the Q.A.R are asked to take good care of the ship. Personnel involved would be Flottenadmiral Hans Lindemann, Captain Shade Thacht, SMS Kaiser and KMS Scharnhorst. Route taken is stated on the map. First half will be the Germany-Australia-Japan route. Second half will be the Japan-Hawaii-America route. Final route will be a straight shot to the UK then finally France."
"They're really confident about the Q.A.R, huh. What about the abyssals, then?"
"This is where the stealth function of the Revenge will be tested. If not, we'll blast through them with the 15's and let them eat metal hell."
"Will we be really okay, sir? I don't think the Queen Anne can survive through tons of abyssals. The last sortie proved that..."
"Nah, it can. Armor's got improve, stealth is tweaked to the max. As long as we don't go full retard and shoot at abyssals, we should be fine... hopefully. Besides, we have Shipgirl escorts."
"About that, sir... how will we refuel and repair them? This is going to take quite a while, even with the Queen Anne's speed and large fuel capacity."
"High Command was kind enough to give us a few buckets."
"Ah, those things... how do they even work, anyway?"
"Those mixtures of pure green stuff contain nanomaterial particles that patch up riggings. Dump it into the girls' riggings while they take a bath and we should be set."
"These girls get shot everyday... it's a miracle they get through it with just torn clothes."
"Well, the riggings protect them, literally. When they wear the riggings, they are covered with a coat of nanomaterials that are invisible to the naked eye. The riggings can repair themeselves to a certain extent, but most of its nanomaterial contents are spent on protecting the girls instead, which is why it takes a long-ass time to repair the riggings without buckets... Being a dock engineer is tiring work."
"Well... is that all, sir?"
"Yeah. We'll move tomorrow. Also, I forgot to mention, we will go to Vella Gulf and recover those guys ourselves."
"... I don't recall that's in the plan..."
"It's not, though I already got Raeder's permission. Get some rest and prepare to move out tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Jawohl." he salutes and leaves.
Back at the Academy...
Everyone else except Shuu and Shiro are asleep after a tough day of grinding. It's 0137 hours, but they don't mind. Both men are stuck on 2-4.
"Well... Looks like I can't do anything anymore except send expeditions. How're you doing, Shiro?" Shuu asks.
"Well, after doing 1-5 I finally got Naka... but that's about it. I still need 3 more Kongou-classes. 2-4 is a pain in the ass..."
"I agree. Well, I got Haruna now, so I only need 2 more Kongou's... But my resources are down so I'm sending my second and third fleets to good expeds."
"My second and third fleet are on exped 2 and 5 right now... but I don't think I can keep up with the 30-minute exped while I'm sleeping."
"Too bad we haven't unlocked those long expeds yet. My network contacts say they're good while you're sleeping."
"Just signed up for the network today. I see why you know lots of things now, they're suprisingly helpful..."
"Yeah, and if you ever get bored, just drop by at the chat thread."
"You sound like a regular already."
"Well, I'll head off to sleep then... it's 1am already."
"Oka- Wait what!?"
"Don't you have a clock or something at the docks screen?"
"Yeah, I see it... but I think I forgot to look at it..."
"We have class tomorrow... so... let's get as much rest as we can, then... but before that, tell me about what you and Hikari talked about."
"You're curious, huh."
"I am a member of the squad, as a squad, we must look after each other, no?"
He's got a point...
"Well, yeah. So here's how it went..."
He explains everything from start to finish as he sits on Hikari's bed just beside her who's sleeping. Shuu can't help but laugh at some point.
"No offense, man, but that sounds too cliche'd... But honestly, I would've done the same."
Shiro yawns. "We should sleep now..."
"Aight."
Both proceed to their beds and prepared to sleep, but Shiro remembers something.
Oi, Lalatina.
…
Lalatina?
…
I guess swords sleep too, huh. I'll talk to you tomorrow then.
With that being said, he begins to close his eyes and falls to a deep sleep.
"I won't force you into your consciousness since you have class tomorrow and it's late."
Uh, right... Thanks, Lalatina.
"No problem- Hey, think of a proper name next time, okay!?"
Can't I just call you Lalatina? I've gotten... used to it.
"But I haven't!"
Alright, I'll think of a name for your sword form itself... but I'll keep calling you Lalatina in my head.
"...Fine."
Thanks, Kurisutina.
"There's no -tina! And don't just keep calling me by other names! Lalatina was already fine!"
See?
"You sly bastard!"
Don't call me that, my assistant.
"Since when did I become your assistant!?"
Bring forth the drink of intellectuals- the Doctor Pepper!
"Go sleep already!"
...Fine. But I'll be satisfied knowing that in some other worldline you have red hair and also my assistant.
"Don't get your hopes up."
A man can dream, Lalatina.
"Then start sleeping!"
And before he knew it, after just closing his eyes for what seemed like a moment, his phone played Bandit Radio.
It was already 0430.
Note to self... don't sleep too late ever again.
"Hey, you gonna go for some rounds again?" Shuu asks, already awake and fully bathed, clearly seen through his wet hair dressed in a jacket and jogging pants.
"...Yeah." Shiro replies sleepily as he grabs a choice of clothes, a towel, and heads off towards the bathroom.
"Aight then. I'll wait for you."
After quite a while as Shuu keeps tinkering with his VCM, Shiro finally emerges, dressed in a blue-and-white Addidas tracksuit with matching pants.
"Alright, let's move out."
"... You look like a Slav."
Now that I look at it... I think so too.
"Uh.. ehh... Cyka blyat?"
"A nu cheeki breeki iv damke." Shuu jokingly replies.
"Get outta here, Stalker."
"Enough references, shall we go, Ivan- uh, Shiro?"
"Okay, Vladm- Shuu. Davai davai!" Both laugh as they rush through the door.
After a couple hours of jogging and laughs, it was already 0630. They stop by the same vending machine and buy themeselves some water. During this time, Shiro squats and looks towards the clock tower.
I should go there sometime.
"For what reason?"
No particular reason.
Shuu notices the squatting swordsman holding his water bottle like how one would hold a vodka bottle.
"... Hey gopnik, let's go."
"Blyat, fine."
They return from the trackfield and began suiting up with their academy standard uniforms, the white suit with golden ornaments, almost the same as an actual admiral's uniform, complete with shouldercaps. Most of the platoon is still asleep, so both men get back in their VCM's and started re-sending expeditions and doing some light sorties for their dailies.
"... RNG why you do this..." Shuu comments. "Were my Naka scrap sacrifices not enough to appease you?"
"Well, it is RNG after all."
"I'm going to have to continue to let my resources recover, I can't do this with like 500 RSC's left."
"Go ahead, I'm just constructing stuff here."
"What do you want to get right now?"
"A Kongou."
"Same here..."
"One of the guys I met at the network when I first registered said that Kongou is going to be the least of my problems when I head on to world 3... She's going to be common as hell, so much that everyone can hastily max modernize their ships with the amount of Kongou-classes they get..."
"I got that too when I asked them... but it's hard to say whether it's true when we're not even there yet."
"We'll see soon enough." Shiro yawns as he says this.
More hours pass, the other members wake up and take their bath, and it seems Hikari still hasn't recovered from last night's incident. Shiro tries his best to act natural as all the members started preparing to go to the school building with their backpacks in tow.
Back to school, huh. Hopefully none of the useless crap this time.
"Oh, hey. Morning, Shiro."
Good morning to you too, Lalatina.
"I'm not even going to bother. So, have you decided on my proper name yet?"
Not yet.
"Ah, come on! How long will it take!"
Do you want me to rush it with a crap name? Give me some time and I'll make sure you won't regret it.
"... You have a point... fine then."
Alibi and Excuse skills level up!
"Hey, I heard that!"
Ay, blin...
The 25th finally reach the academy's main building. They enter it and see the first-floor cafeteria and reception area, alongside some bathrooms. Going up the stairway to the second floor, they see the faculty room on the middle and the first year rooms on the hallway to the right, while the second year rooms are on the left. Shiro looks up to the huge circular mosaic near the roof of the building, resembling the red Rising Sun – The naval ensign of the JMSDF. Noticing him stop for a bit, Aya calls him out.
"Ah, Shiro... we'll be late, so hurry up..."
"Yeah, Shiro, let's go." Erina adds.
"... Idiot." Hikari meekly utters.
"You heard them, let's go."
And they proceeded to the classrooms, looking at the names set on a paper right next to the doorways of each room. Shuu notices his name, so he calls out everyone. Upon closer inspection, it appears the entirety of the 25th platoon is assigned to the same room -
Section Yokosuka.
"Sounds nice, looks like we're all in here, huh." Shuu comments.
"Yeah. It's convenient we're in here together, honestly." Shiro responds.
"What, so you can copy Hikari's math answers?"
"Well, the fact that we can communicate easier and well... yeah, that. I assume you guys will help me out, right?" Shiro asks, looking straight at Hikari whilst trying to maintain a straight face as much as possible.
"Ah- well, I guess it can't be helped! I'll have to help this idiot out then! It is the obligation of one with knowledge, of course!" She laughs. Shiro smiles.
I hope last night is behind us, then.
"Hey, let's sit down close together, alright? The 25th platoon should stick together, yeah?" Erina recommends.
"Of course. Let's go in." The swordsman responds and they head inside the room together. The seats were arranged with five chairs stretching out towards the back, and three chairs for each row before a slight space for passage. Some seats were already taken, so they chose the five seats in the back area. Erina takes the leftmost seat in the second-to-the-last row, positioned near the back door with Aya right behind her on the last leftmost chair. Hikari sits on the middle chair, right next to Erina. Shiro, out of awkwardness, decides to sit behind her, right next to an unknown classmate, but Shuu sees this and overtakes him, sitting on his intended chair while giving off a smirk.
I'm not even mad... well played...
Shiro is then forced to sit down right next to Hikari as the latter noticably blushes a bit. Shuu takes out his VCM and begins retrieving and sending expeditions once more as the unknown person beside him looks on.
"Ehh, you have Sendai already...?" The new classmate asks.
"Yeah, it was tough farming for her class, but it was worth it. Name's Shuu, by the way. Nagumo Shuu. Call me Raku if you want. Looks like I'll be your seatmate for this year."
Heh, looks like he doesn't spare anyone from that nickname, huh.
"Ah, my name's Ayato. Sagiri Ayato. Nice to meet you."
"Ayato, huh. Which platoon are you in?" Shuu asks, in the mood to talk.
"Time to see if playing VN's and talking in forums really does help." he says to himself.
"I'm in the 13th platoon, you?"
"25th. These are my mates." He looks to Shiro and the others.
"I see, well, let's have a good year then..." Ayato utters.
"Yeah." Shuu replies.
"Well I guess it did help..." he says to himself again.
As the students inside the room mingle with eachother, a tall man, dressed in a very formal suit-and-tie enters the classroom, carrying with him an envelope with some papers. His loud footsteps echoed through the room despite the noisy background, forcing the students to silence themeselves as they noticed the teacher-like figure with a strict aura. The man looks towards the students and feels a bit depressed.
"Why does this happen every year... Do I seriously look strict...?" he mumbles to himself.
He then takes a seat on the teacher's table, putting down his envelope and facing the students.
"Welcome to the Kaigun Gakuen... Why does the air feel so tense... Anyways, I'm Nakabachi Shinzo, and I will be your homeroom teacher from here on out. Oh, right." He then writes his name on the whiteboard with erasable marker.
It's so tense in here...
"Why is everybody so silent? Am I really that scary or something? I won't take it as an insult."
He doesn't know how scary he looks in that suit? He looks like he could suspend us all for looking outside the room!
"Well... this happened last year as well, but we got along after the middle of the year... so I can't say I'm surprised by the reaction... Well then, let me start by calling you out individually then..." He starts rummaging through his paper envelope. "Ah, here it is! Now, when I say your name, please stand up."
After a couple of minutes of full-name calling, the room finally falls to silence again.
"Fools, said I, you do not know..." Shinzo started singing to himself, in good English, at that, as the silence fell and he began inserting the papers back in the envelope. It wasn't too loud, but was loud enough that Shiro could hear it.
"...silence like a cancer grows..." Shiro instinctively sang along to one of the classic songs he found catchy. That, and all the Vietnam war classics grew on him as he watched documentaries about it. He sang it with an almost perfect accent, no doubt, but the problem was...
He sang it too loudly.
The entire room heard it.
"Who was that?" The homeroom teacher asked. The students thought he was angry, but in reality, he was excited at the thought that someone knows the song. As he inquired, the entirety of the 25th platoon pointed at Shiro.
HOW COULD YOU SELL OUT YOUR PLATOON MEMBER LIKE THIS...!
"Nothing to be ashamed of, mate. You have a good voice." Shuu teases as he taps on Shiro's shoulder. Most of the students laugh as they hear this.
"He's right, you know."
Shut up, Lalatina! He retorts as his sword's laugh resonates in his mind. He stares down to his feet in embarassment. Hikari looks on pretty intently as well.
"Your friend's right, that was a good singing, kid... I'm surprised you know the song."
"I've always been a fan of the classics, sir..."
"Then you have good tastes, kid. See? We're talking! Come on guys, don't be shy, talk to me about anything! We don't have anything to do in homeroom for now, we're just waiting for an announcement."
"What announcement, sir?" One of the students asks.
"Finally, we're warming up, eh? Well, today, the schoolwide Capture-the-Flag event will happen!"
Capture-the-Flag...?
"In case you're wondering, you didn't expect orthodox teaching styles, did you? Well, there are some classes like those like boring-ass Linguistics, but for the most part, events like this will suddenly happen. Today is the icebreaker event for the second and first years, and the faculty has decided on a friendly CTF match to kick things off, then the next ones will be decided on the spot. The director will explain it better in the field of battle. So be prepared! Get excited! Feel the hype!"
He sounds like he's going to be participating as well, haha.
"You never know, maybe he will..."
Oh shit, you're right. That'd be scary.
"Uhh... sir? Where will it take place?" One of the students asks.
"Where? The school campus, of course!"
"Ehh!?" The students exclaim in unison.
"The school shall become the field of battle! Buildings will be garrissons! Rooms will become forts! Cafeterias will become command posts! Anything is possible." Shinzo cheerfully explains.
"Mic.. check.. eh, is this thing on? Zura, get over here, you lazy bum... Stop playing that ecchi human-cat game thing whatever and start fixing stuff." The speakers blare as some of the students laugh.
"Who're you calling lazy, by the way, it's not Zura, it's Katsura!"
"You wish. Now get over here and fix this thing."
"Uh.. It's already on, Yashiro."
"Ay, damn it. Thanks anyway. Wait a sec... did they hear everything?" The students laugh even more as they hear this.
"Apparently they did, Director."
"Damn. Well then. Nevermind all that. Students of the Kaigun Gakuen, please be prepared for rapid deployment. First-year students will proceed to Gymnasium 1 for equipment loadouts, Second-years will proceed to Gymnasium 2 for their own equipment loadouts. Everything else will be explained and clarified later on. Now, go forth and carve victory in the dawn's horizon!"
"Hey, Yashiro, doesn't that line sound way too cheesy?"
"Shut up, we've been using that line for a few years now."
"Sounds like a Jump manga thing."
"Don't complain, it sounds cool. Oh crap, I forgot to turn this off... … Please proceed to your stations."
Are those two klutzes or what?
"You heard him. Go on." Shinzo gives permission and the students start moving out of Section Yokosuka, along with students from other sections. Around 100+ first-years began to move towards the first gymnasium to pick up their loadouts, while the rest of the students, the second years, head out to the farther Gymnasium 2, which is probably on the other side of the campus.
I don't even know where the first or second gymnasium is. Man, I love going with the flow.
"This is where you're going to study and you don't know the locations? Wow. Best student ever. 10/10."
Lalatina, please...
The sliding doors of the gymnasium open as the crowd of students go in, and they encountered a mass array of white-colored weapons ranging from handguns to full-blown anti-materiel sniper rifles, probably polymer replicas, marked with an orange lines finish as some sort of decoration or symbol., neatly placed on shelves, cabinets, and racks.
Just how much funds are going into this school, anyway...
"Ladies and Gentlemen... Welcome... to the Arsenal." The director exclaims, emerging from the shadows of the dimly-lit gymnasium. "Feel free to pick anything, we have lots of stockpiled weapons here. Magazines and equipment are on the other side. Make sure to only carry what you can."
Lets see... There are some nice-looking guns in here, problem is... I don't know how to shoot them...
"Having a hard time, kid?" The director asks, right behind Shiro.
"Well, I don't actually know how to shoot these... so..."
"You should use what you already have experience with. Here." The director grabs a revolver from one of the shelves and hands it to Shiro.
"Colt Python .357. Packs a good punch, but packs huge recoil as well, but if I recall correctly, you used this against Ozawa. Well, in any case, once you master this gun, you can shoot any handgun out there... well, maybe except the .500 Raging Bull... that might break your wrist. Anyway, just don't try to go Saeba Ryo on this gun, since you're a beginner do try to shoot it two-handedly. They may be polymer replicas, but the weight and recoil were made to be the same."
"Thank you, sir." He graciously accepts.
"Also, here's something you might be trying to find." The director grabs something from the bottom shelves and pulls out a sheath with the waistbelt containing a polymer replica of a katana, made to look just like a real one, except with some orange marking designs.
"I took the liberty of measuring your katana during the opening duels. This should be the same size and weight of your current sword. It uses the same technology as shock batons and the shock knives, so feel free to stab, slash, and thrust. Nobody's going to get hurt, they'll just get shocked. And maybe you'll have the honor of saying 'You wa shock!'"
"I wish..." Shiro tries out the polymer sword and hoists it just below Lalatina, in the optimal Wakizashi position.
"Hey, don't ever think of replacing me, okay!"
Of course not, Lalatina. You'll be my sword forever.
"T-that... m-makes me happy..."
I'm sure it does...
"Really, it does!"
Yeah, yeah.
"Pro tip, kid, you're going to need an automatic for this one. You probably can't do anything good without one."
"I don't know how to shoot one properly..."
"Then consider this your baptismal of fire. Choose anything you like."
Staring at the guns in the shelves for quite a while, Shiro finally makes up his mind to choose the black-colored scoped assault rifle on the top right of the shelf, thinking that the scope attachemnt would help him with his aim a bit. He grabs it and visually inspects it by twisting it around with his wrist, looking at the fine details of the magazine-less AR.
"Ah, the SG 553. The result of a threesome between the Galil AR, AK-47, and the AWP. It's real-life companion doesn't enjoy the same stopping power the AK-47 has, but instead excels in the fact that it can pierce through even the toughest of kevlar vests out there. It's accurate when you use it properly, but the recoil might prove to be a problem in sprays, so fire it in semi mode or in short, controlled bursts."
"Okay then." He swings the sling around his neck and lets it hang freely as he grasps it firmly and tries out the scope.
"By the way, if you're done picking out your weapons you can head out to the equipment and ammunition section." the director announces as some of the students move on to the said section.
"These are your suits for today.
Transparent visor shock-helmets with built-in comms. These shut down once the system detects too much volts taken in.
Then we have these shock-armor battle jackets with gloves and ammo vests alongside shock-armor battle pants. They'll suddenly become heavy once they've taken enough voltage to simulate wounds or death.
Next up, we have the shock-armor combat boots, same deal, once they get shot, they'll suddenly become as heavy as a rock, your feet will be numbed, and you'll have to drag it to simulate foot wounds.
If your helmet takes too much damage- represented by volts, then all of the shock-armor sets will shut down, and you will be considered dead until you are brought back to your own camp, where your shock-armor sets will be reset, and you're free to fight again until the enemy flag is taken.
For your ammunition, you have shock-mags, each containing bullets charged with a non-lethal amount of voltage. The voltage will be picked up by your suits, which will calculate the extent of penetration, location, and damage, and then modify it's weight according to those values. Once you've taken enough voltage, your suit will shut down and you will be rendered immobile unless carried back to base by your mates. For melee weapons, they are essentially dull shock batons, so feel free to stab, slice, cut, thrust, etcetera. It will only shock your target.
Lastly, we have the grenades. We currently have three types of grenades, each student can carry one of each upon arrival and revival.
The first one is the standard HE grenade. These grenades work like RADARs, they'll calculate the distance upon detonation, and send in signals with varying data depending on the distance of a person. If you're too close upon detonation, then your suit will shut down altogether, I mean, lets face it, who survives a close range nade explosion? If you're a bit far, you might suffer light damages or sustain some wounds, ultimately depending on your distance from detonation. They are used by pulling the pin, releasing the handle, and throwing it as far as you can. Note that this thing does NOT identify friend or foe, so there may be friendly fire caused by this nade, so be careful. It also has mini-speakers which plays an explosion sound whenever it is triggered, which is also sent to your comms which will echo-play explosion sounds depending on your location from said detonation.
The second grenade is the smoke grenade. It's exactly as it says. It releases a smokescreen which last for 60 seconds.
The last grenade is the flashbang. Like the HE, it sends signals whose data depends on your location, but instead of all of the shock-armor sets, it only sends the data to your combat helmet. Since we can't afford too many actual flashbangs, these things send signals which trigger a "whiteout" of your combat visor and the flashbang sound effect on your comms. The duration and intensity depends on your location and whether or not you were looking at it directly.
That's it for grenades. There are also an assortment of scopes here which snipers may find useful.
Anyway, for platoon leaders, may I ask that you assign a field medic and a logistics officer. Post your platoon number and your designated Medic and Logistics officers on the designated thread on the network.
To give a bit of a background, logistics officers will work with other logistics officers to give their platoon's ground units a clear view of their environment. These officers will inform the units of any enemy infantry units, intercepted messages, and any intel. Logistics officers may set up anywhere they like, but they may be compromised by enemy troops as well, so they must also be wary of their own surroundings. These officers will be given access to multiple drones which they can use for scouting, but they may also be intercepted by enemy drones as well, so they will also fight a battle for air superiority. Drones cannot attack ground units, only other enemy drones.
First guns and complicated suits... then over-the-top gear and grenades... now drones? Who the hell is funding this place?
Field medics will rescue wounded and downed allied units while being supported by the intel from logistics officers, but medics may find themeselves participating in combat, so they will also carry guns with them as well. Medics are very important for the continuation of the war effort. If all of the year-level's units are down, then they will lose, even if the flag has not been captured. Medics can help wounded soldiers, but most of the time, it is better to deliver them straight back to home base."
"Well that's about it, I guess." the director ends. "Your starting position will be the dorms area. Flag placement is up to you guys, so decide on it. I will not spill the beans on where the second years will be. It will be up to your scouting abilities and the ability of the logistics officers to be effective with their drones and interceptions. Once you guys are ready, head to the lobby. We'll be observing through the cameras. The battle will start once we announce it. Good luck, kids."
"Yes sir." They respond in unison before going back to scouring the place. Shiro picks up 5 SG-553 magazines and 5 Python speedloaders alongside the standard three grenades before he signals his platoon to huddle up for a quick meeting.
"Alright. I've thought about it and I think I have a good idea for who would be our Logistics guy and Field medic. Aya, do you accept being a field medic? I just thought it would be a great match for you."
"O-of course! If it's what you say... captain."
I don't remember when I became captain.
"So, who'll play logistics, captain?" Erina asks.
"Wait wait, when did I become the captain here?"
"Well, you seem good at... playing the part." Hikari responds.
"She recommended it." Shuu teasingly adds.
"Hey-"
"Well, I'm honored to be the captain, then. Shuu, logistics is fine for you, right?"
"As much as I would like to run around the school carrying a gun and shooting people, I'd be fine with being logistics."
"Thanks. Erina, me, and Hikari will be the main ground units for the 25th then. Shuu, get us updated as much as possible. Aya, don't just focus on us if ever we get hit, go help out the other platoons too."
"Alright."
"O-okay!"
What am I feeling right now...
"Pride, it seems."
Hey, for once you make sense now, Lalatina.
"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"
N-nothing much...
"Guys... Thanks in advance for this wonderful opportunity to work with you."
"Shiro, you sound like you're about to die." Shuu remarks.
"I'm not dying here. Not until I fulfill my promise."
"Stop pulling death flags everywhere, man."
"Alright, alright. Let's suit up then. But first let me just post your names..." He pauses as he types the form in on the designated thread at the network, substituting the placeholder text for Shuu and Aya's names. Clicking "submit", he places the VCM inside his ammo vest and prepares to move out. "Okay. Let's do this."
The 25th platoon then began to take the Shock-armor suits from the ordered shelves and wore the armor suits over their uniforms, somehow fitting in nicely for all sizes. Re-hoisting his sword after taking it off, Shiro does the final tweaks to his armor, and then finally rejoins the rest of the platoon as they rendezvous towards the dorm building. The majority of the first-years decided that the flag should be placed on the dorm's basement kitchen, to lessen the risk of an enemy infiltration. Afterwards, the last of the students reach the dorms, and everyone was nervously prepared for a fun ride.
"Ehem, ehem. Looks like everything is in order on both sides except for the Logistics stuff now... In order to clear things up, Field Medics and Logistics Officers will have to set up somewhere where they think is safe. Buidlings are no exception, anything is possible. We've linked up the drones to the respective officer's VCM's. The first year's control computers should already be there right now, so, the 27 officers of each platoon should take one and set them up."
A truck arrives, carrying an entire rig of monitors and CPU's – 27 of them. It took a few more minutes for them to set up on the dorm room's basement, just beside the flag, but it was finally done. They've hooked up their VCM's to the control computers, the mics were set up, and everything was underway.
The lines of vanguard first-years were more than eager to charge towards the enemy lines. Shiro was no exception. He had grasped his SG-553 firmly for quite a while now, Erina also seemed hyped with her Nova Pump and compact G36c at the ready, While Hikari wanted to try out some long-range shots with her CheyTac Intervention and the classic M1911. The others were carrying weapons ranging from AK-47's with bayonets to Zastava Black Arrows... They looked like they could just run towards the enemy at any time...
"A little birdy told me that everything's good now. Okay. There are 27 platoons, made up of five members in the first-year level. The second-years have 23 platoons, made up of five members also. With a deficit of 20 members, the second-years are at a handicap. Will experience stand tall, or will the first-years pull through? We shall find out... in 3... 2... 1...
Carve victory in the dawn's horizon!"
Well.. here goes nothing...