Disclaimer: Kantai Collection (Kancolle), all of its characters, and musics belongs to their respected owner. The only things I own here is my OCs. This fanfict may or may not be canon. Besides that, I've got nothing else to say. So with that, please take a seat, grab your drink, pick your snack, and have a pleasant cruise (or read).


Chapter 4 "The Mystery of Heart"

In one part of the base, one could find rows of dormitories allocated specially for each class of the fleet girl. The biggest among them is none other than the one allocated for the many destroyer class fleet girls. The room inside the dormitory differed one from another as to satisfy each class' unique personality. Some are large enough to accommodate more than six girls, others can accommodate up to four, while the majority of the room is designed to be used by a pair of fleet girls. In one of those pair room, one could see that it has been filled by a pair of girls. At the moment, the two of them were soundly asleep.

"…Ugh…" But all of a sudden, one of them stirred and moaned. The other, seemingly undisturbed by her comrade's voice, continued to slumber in peace.

"…No…P-Please…" As her voice became slightly louder, the girl stirred even more, making her blanket almost fell off. "UWAAHH!" Her shout filled the whole room as she woke up. With sweat pouring from her forehead and rugged breathing, she looked above her and found the sight of the ever familiar ceiling in her room. After spending a few seconds calming her mind and her raging heartbeat, she moved her sight so that her blue colored eyes could see the bed placed not far from her own.

On that bed she could see the same blanket over what seemed to be her soundly asleep friend. Her blonde comrade seemed to be still deep in sleep judging from the soft breathing sound she made. She couldn't really know because she was sleeping on her side, making it impossible for her to know for sure. Looking at her, she felt a slight relief that her unexpected shout didn't disturb her friend from her slumber. But her slight relief was washed away immediately by her memory of her recent dream.

"…No…" She covered her eyes with both hand as the memory played inside her mind all over again. "Yamashiro-nee…" A single name came out of her mouth accompanied by trails of tear that flowed out of her eyes uncontrollable and a soft sob. She tried to control her sobbing as best as she could so not to bother her friend.

Unknown to her, her blonde comrade was awake from the moment the other girl shouted. But she also had the same intention of not disturbing her roommate. Only a single word came out of her mouth.

"Shigu-chan…" It was so quiet that even she was almost unable to hear that.


The sound of heavy object made impact was heard in the Admiral's Office as a tall stack of paper was put down onto the coffee table. Murakumo then peeked behind the stack and then asked the one in front of the stack.

"Is this all, Major?"

"Yes, that would be sufficient for now. Thank you, Murakumo-san." After thanking her, The Major took the upper-most sheet and then began reading it in silence.

"Murakumo, here is the validation sheet for the latest expedition." The Admiral put forward a stack of paper. "You can double check them and archive them later." Without waiting for her secretary ship to reply, she took another sheet from her own pile of paper and immediately worked on that.

"Yes, Admiral," said Murakumo as she took the stack of paper. After flipping a few pages on the top of the stack, she then nodded. "Is there anything else, Admiral?"

"Bring me the record for the past two months' expedition and sortie."

"Is that all, Admiral?"

"That is all, Murakumo," said the black haired woman without ever moving her gaze from her own work.

"Do you need anything else, Major?" The white haired fleet girl turned her face toward the guest of the base.

"No, that will be all, Murakumo-san."

"Understood. Then if you excuse me." She bowed to them and then left the office after picking up her polearm which she left near the coat hanger.

With Murakumo left the office, the Admiral was left alone with her senpai. For a few minutes, there was no conversation between them. The silence made the sound of the clock on the wall ticking much louder than it seemed.

"Senpai," said the Admiral, breaking the silence in the room. "How's your work?" She threw the question with her attention still on the paper.

"About a quarter done," said the Major without looking at her. "I'll finish it in an hour or so."

"I see." A rather casual and calm reply came from her.

After that, the two of them kept working on their own share of work without saying a single word. A few minutes past, one of them broke the silence again.

"And how about you?" This time it was the Major who asked.

"I might be done much sooner than you." A slight pause came after that. And then she continued. "I have less paper to check than you."

"I see." The same casual reply this time came from him.

And once again, silence filled the room. They continued on after that without saying a thing about anything. An hour finally passed and each of them was down to their last sheet of paper.

"Done" "Finish."

Similar remark that marked the end of their current work came at a precisely the same time. The Admiral leaned back to her chair as she stretched her back slightly, making a few cracking sound from her shoulder. The Major who sat on the sofa also leaned on his back while staring at the ceiling with absent minded looking expression on his face.

"From your expression, your little problem still hasn't been solved, eh Senpai?" The Admiral said to him.

"It hasn't." A short reply came from him. "And from yours, it seems that it has affected her performance. Am I right?" Hearing that, the Admiral let out a sigh. "How worse is it?"

"It's not as simple as that," said the Admiral with a slight head shakes. This gesture of hers made him raised one of his eyebrow. "Her performance is not in any way hindered or decreased. But…" A pause from her came accompanied with another sigh.

"But what?" Clearly interested at where she was going to, he asked her after moving his gaze toward her.

"That girl didn't lose her fighting spirit, but instead…"

"She became reckless and rush on forward, disregarding her own safety?" The Admiral nodded after hearing his statement. "She became like that blonde friend of hers."

"You mean Yuudachi-chan?"

"Yeah, her." The Major nodded after hearing that name. "When I fight against them, she was the reckless one between the two. Shigure-kun seems to be the calmer one. So that sudden outburst of hers really made me wonder about my own judgment about her."

"She usually is. I could at least assure you on that." Her words were filled with confidence. "Don't worry about it, Senpai. You're not the only one who got confused after seeing her behavior that day."

"That is not a very reassuring statement." He scratched his head. "That just means that my source for clue would be very limited."

"You can take my name of that list of yours then. I'm at lost myself, Senpai." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Hmph, thanks for the helpful suggestion." His tone was filled with sarcasm. "Aren't you her superior?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm as confused as you are." While massaging her temples, she let out another sigh. "I've never seen her like that before. Even at the time when she was assigned here the first time, she has never shown that kind of behavior."

"And it is just my damn luck that I happen to get here the time she showed that side of hers?"

"Not just that." She waved her finger in front of her face. "You happened to be the one that triggered that side of her to surface."

"You sounded so sure of that." He frowned a bit when hearing her accusation. "What make you so sure of that?"

"Her last sentence before running out of the office."

"Her last sentence?" After a few seconds, he let out a groan of annoyance as he finally remembered the sentence. "Ugh, yeah, that."

"See?" She looked at him. "I'm not blaming you or anything, Senpai. But the fact that you have a very high possibility for being the one that pulled that trigger inside her remains, you know?"

"I know, I know. Sheesh." He let out a heavy sigh. "And how long has it been? Three days?"

"Four if you count today. And that makes it three days of worrying expedition and mission about her."

"Heh, what a caring superior you are, Admiral."

"Don't go there." Hearing that, her face turned sour. "You know that one slip might mean a loss of life in the battlefield. You know that very well."

"I know, I know. Sheesh." Hearing her irritation filled statement, he couldn't help but gave the same reply as before. "Sorry about that. I'm just at lost here."

"We're on the same boat here, you know."

"Not a very happy boat, I can tell you that." He let out a dry laugh as at his own joke. "But don't worry, I'll solve it. I just need time."

"Unfortunately, the more time you spent on that mission of yours, the more time she might endanger her own self or her friends in the expedition." She leaned forward and looked at him with a serious expression. "We can't have that. That's a price way too expensive. We can't afford it any time of the year. Ever."

"Understood." The Major then jumped from his previous position to a standing position, surprising the black haired woman. "Moping around here will do me nothing good."

"Where are you going?" She asked him as the Major put his sword on his belt and then walked toward the coat hanger.

"I'm going to gather information." Flapping sound could be heard as he took off his coat. It became louder as he started to wear it.

"From where?"

"Oh just from an acquaintance of mine." He then took the hat off the hanger and then placed it firmly on his head. "A close acquaintance of mine." A small grin appeared on his face as he said that, making her feeling rather uncomfortable.


"Argh! I can't write it right!" A shout filled a certain room located in one of the building inside the base's perimeter. "I have so much data, but I can't write it down? ARGH!" The girl shuffled her own violet hair in frustration, making it much messier than before. She looked at the clock that was put on her room. "Ugh, I've been here too long." She looked around her. In front of her was sheet after sheet of paper which has numerous scribbles that she has deemed unworthy and thus has been tossed aside. A few splatter of ink decorated her desk, a clear sign that she has worked for quite some time.

She then moved her gaze toward herself. Her clothes were wrinkled and dirtied with a few spot of ink here and there. As she lifted her hand, she also noticed the same mess on her hand.

"Ugh, I need to get myself cleaned first." Pushing herself upward, she looked at her rather empty paper. "Maybe I'll get some inspiration."

She then walked toward the door. As her hand reached out to grab the handle, she noticed the sound of footsteps from behind the door.

"Huh? What's with the–GUAH!" Unfortunately for her, she was unable to finish her sentence as she was rudely interrupted by the door that opened suddenly and hit her directly on her face.

"A-Aoba-nee!?" A voice came from the door as the violet haired girl covered her nose that was crushed by the door. "A-Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

"Ugh, it h-hurts, Kinugasa-chan" Aoba rubbed her nose while looking at the new voice.

The girl called Kinugasa stood in front of her wearing a very worried look. She has a similar looking hair as Aoba, only a bit lighter in color compared to her. She leaned closer to her, trying to check her friend's condition. "Are you okay, Aoba-nee?"

"No, I'm not." She rubbed her nose again, trying to lessen the pain. "Sheesh, could you be a bit more careful next time?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I have urgent news!"

"News?" At the mention of the word 'new', Aoba looked at her with gleam of interest visible in her eyes. "What is it? What is it?" She grabbed and shook her friend's shoulder with so much vigor. The pain from before immediately vanished as she heard that sacred word. "Tell me!"

"W-W-Wait a m-m-minute!" Unable to speak properly while being shaken like that, Kinugasa tried to stop her friend." I'll tell! I'll tell!" She quickly agreed to her request. "Just s-stop s-shaking me!"

"Okay!" She let go of her friend immediately. In a flash, Aoba grabbed her notepad and her pen, ready to write down everything her friend will tell. "Tell me!"

"Ugh, this is one side of you that I like to avoid, Aoba-nee," said Kinugasa as she tidied her clothes that were wrinkled up thanks to her over excited friend.

"Just tell me, Kinugasa-chan. I need all the inspiration I can get right now."

"Huh? Are you in one of those things people called…Uhm…slump?"

"Err, a bit hurtful to admit, but it seems so." She then leaned toward her friend. "And that's why I need that news from you!"

"O-Okay, not too close!" Kinugasa shoved her back a bit. "But I think rather than news it is an –"

"An order." As a new voice entered their conversation, the two girls quickly shifted their attention to the speaker. At the sight of the speaker, Aoba couldn't keep her composure as a chill attacked her spine.

"Oh, Major. I thought you said that you will wait for her." Kinugasa, unaware of her friend's expression, greeted the Major with a smile on her face.

"It just seems a bit rude to not show up when I am the one tasked to send the message." The Major showed a smile. It was a smile that reminded Aoba of their previous meeting, thus making her more and more disturbed.

"M-Major, w-what are y-you doing here?" Unable to compose herself, Aoba stuttered her question.

"My, my. I am just here to send a message that you will do a mission." In contrast to the panicky looking Aoba, the Major looked very calm.

"See? It's not exactly a news." Kinugasa looked at her friend. "So go now. Doing a sortie is a first priority, you know?"

"Err, about the mis–"

"Listen to her, Aoba-san." The Major then quickly left the room. "I suggest you hurry."

"B-But Major, I–" But she can't finished her sentence as the Major glanced back at her. She was frozen in her place as she saw that smile of him.

"It is for everyone's best interest that you hurry." After smiling at her, he then looked at her friend, Kinugasa. "Isn't that right, Kinugasa-san?"

"But of course!" Once again, oblivious to the sudden change of atmosphere, Kinugasa reply with a rather carefree expression. "Just go, Aoba-nee. It might give you the inspiration you needed."

"Hahaha…yeah, inspiration." As she glanced toward her oblivious friend who waved at her, she let out a heavy sigh. Resigning herself to her fate, Aoba could only follow the trench coat wearing man with lifeless steps, waiting for her so called mission.


For a good few minutes, the two have walked out of the heavy cruiser dormitory. Without knowing where their destination was, Aoba only choice was to follow him closely. With each step, her brain was filled with another question. She knew that whatever mission he was talking about, chances are that it didn't come from the Admiral.

While she was analyzing the situation, the man in front of her stopped. Instinctively, she also halted her step and then looked around the place. She also noticed that he also did the same thing as her. At that moment, she just realized that the two of them has stopped in a warehouse in the far end of the base. She could see some crates and boxes lying around the path that leads there. But she failed to see anyone there. It was a mystery for her that she just realized that they were walking there. And then, she heard the Major's voice.

"Ah, this looks like a good spot," said the Major with a rather calm voice. "Quiet, open, and most of all," he turned around to face her, "secluded and far away from anyone to interfere." The sentence was then closed with a single grin toward the heavy cruiser fleet girl.

Hearing that last part of his sentence and looking at his grin made her took another step back from him instinctively. Her whole body tensed up and she could feel cold sweat started to drip from her forehead. Those simple words and simple gesture were enough to bring her alertness meter to the max. As her eyes glanced around, her mind was already in the process of making a possible escape route in case things went bad for her.

"I see that you're not in the best mental condition at the moment, Aoba-san." His voice was calm. It made her even more uncomfortable. Inside Aoba's mind, he is a man that becomes much more dangerous as his voice become calmer.

"Heh, what made you say that?" She tried to cover her emotion, but she herself know that it was no use and far too late for that.

"Anxiety, fear, and uneasiness." He walked closer to her. He raised his arm and then pointed toward her. "Your expression, your body, your sentence. They told me everything."

Like a frog under the gaze of a deadly snake, Aoba couldn't move. Frozen in place, she has never thought that a simple human being could do that. To instill fear so much with just simple word and expression, she was much more convinced that the man in front of her was indeed a much more dangerous man then the rumors has said.

Slowly, the distance between his hand and her face reduce. With each passing second, the hand of a man she feared was getting closer to touching her face. Unable to do anything, the heavy cruiser fleet girl could only look and pray that she will not be harm.

But then all of a sudden, his hand stopped in midair, inches away from touching her face. At the sudden turn of event, she looked at the man with rather confused eyes.

"Ah, wondering why I stopped, didn't you?" Being read easily like that made her turned her stare into a glare. Anyone who looked at her would be able to feel the sole hatred filled into the glare. "That's because you are already influenced by my gesture alone. And that, Aoba-san, is your first lesson for the day."

As Aoba still glared at him, the Major reached into the pocket of his trench coat. He pulled out an object and then showed it to the girl in front of her.

"…What's that?" she asked him with a cold tone. The object in front of her looked like a small box that seems to be made from plastic. No writing or label was placed on any side of it.

"Take it and open it." He looked at her. "You'll find out."

"Do I have a choice?" She looked at him. Her question was answered with a smile from him. "Figures." Knowing that, she took the box and quickly opened it. A pair of small device was placed inside the box. She took one of the devices that looked somewhat fragile. "What's this?" said Aoba as she took a closer look. "An earpiece?"

"Correct." He nodded. "That is a modified earpiece." He then took the other piece. "Tapped the small button on the top and then put it on." After saying that, he pushed the small button and then put it on himself. Not knowing what else to do, Aoba did the same.

Seeing that she has put the device on, the Major turned around and took a few steps away from her. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not knowing what he is planning to do. "What is he planning–"

"I'm planning to test the device, Aoba-san." A sudden voice took her by surprise. The thing that surprised her was that the voice came from the device on her ear. "And judging from your surprised look, it works wonderfully." She could see him smiling from that distance, making her a bit irritated.

"And I suppose you can hear me too."

"Correct."

"Okay, how do I turn this off?"

"Same button." A short reply came from the device. She then pushed the button without taking the device off. As she done that, the Major walked toward her again.

"So why this?" She asked him. "Is this for the 'mission' you just said that time?"

"Once again, I'll say that I like an understanding person." He smiled. "Yes, this is for your mission."

"What should I keep my eyes and ears open about?" Hearing her quick reply to his statement caught him by surprise a bit. "I don't have any choice, right?" She said with a cold tone.

"Correct." He nodded. "You should keep your eyes and ear open for one person."

Aoba looked at him once again with a raised eyebrow. Seconds later she then asked. "Who?"

"Shigure." He could notice her slight surprise after hearing that particular name.

"Shigure-chan?" He nodded.

"Correct. The second ship of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers, Shigure."

"Why her? Did she make a mistake or something?"

"No, Aoba-san."

"Then why?" She looked at him while crossing her arms. "Surely you're not the type that likes to stalk a young girl without any reason?"

"She didn't do anything wrong. But her performance is rather… how should I say it?" He tapped his chin as he looked for better word. "Ah, worrying. That's right."

"Her performance is worrying?" The violet haired girl asked her superior. "How so?"

"That's the thing I want you to look for, Aoba-san. Look for how worrying her performance is and also why her performance is worrying."

"What a vague mission this is, Major." She snickered. "Don't you think that a quick look at the report from the office will be enough to tell you that?"

"Aoba-san, if it is enough, why would I need to ask you to do investigate?" He shook his head at her question, irritating her much more. "The report given to the office could only tell so far. I need more information. And you," he pointed at her, "are the right girl to do it."

"Hmph, I'm honored to hear that, Major. But I don't see the reason for me to do this mission of yours, Major."

"Well, besides that one video that I might 'accidentally' show to anyone here," he took a glance at Aoba who looked kind of worried at the mention of a certain video and then continued, "you would do your comrade a favor of keeping them alive."

"Huh? Who? You?"

"No, it is Shigure and her teammate." And once again, Aoba raised an eyebrow at that.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute there," said Aoba while waving her arm. "This is getting more and more confusing by the minute, Major." Hearing that, the Major let out a small sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"I know it is. And that is also the same for me and your admiral. That's why I need you to ask around for the whole story since we also don't know the whole story."

"So you want me to look and ask around for the cause of her worrying performance? Is that my mission?"

"Correct. And I want to you use that device to report it to me. Don't let anyone know that you are working for me."

"Hmph, easier said than–"

"Or else there will be dire consequences." His warning was delivered with a sharp and strict tone, stopping her sentence. "I don't want to make any unnecessary trouble here in the base, Aoba-san. And I hope that you feel the same."

"R-Roger, sir." Feeling the seriousness of his statement, she could not say anything but that. He then placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Good. Now as I promised, I'll teach you your first lesson in the art of collecting information. And that also include how to manage your emotion and expression."

"…Yes, sir." A rather unmotivated reply came from her. But the Major ignored that and started teaching her.


"Okay! I think that's what I call a good sortie, everyone!" A loud shout roared from the place located not far from the dock. "Good work everyone!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" At the sight of a group of four fleet girls gave their salute and response with a rather energetic voice, their eyepatch wearing leader nodded in satisfaction.

"Is there anything else schedule for us today, Tatsuta?" The purple haired Tenryuu asked her comrade.

"Hmm…I don't think so, Tenryuu-chan~" And as usual, she answered with a bit of a melodic tone.

"Okay, I guess it is free time for you all. Don't be late tomorrow!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Once again, the four destroyer fleet girls gave their reply.

"Yes, that's a good response!" She nodded with satisfaction visible on her face. With a beaming face, she then left the other four with the glaive carrying fleet girl walking beside her.

After seeing that their commanding officer has left, the four went to walk with a much lighter step. Relieving the tense of their previous expedition, they chat idly as they went their way toward their dormitory.

But while they were walking merrily to their dormitory, Hibiki suddenly walked to their front and then raised her hand, stopping the other three from continuing. The three of them looked at their silver haired comrade with confusion.

"W-What is it, Hibiki-chan?" Inazuma was the first to ask her about her rather sudden action.

The silver haired destroyers put one finger in front of her lips and then said with a rather quiet voice. "Listen."

Although still didn't know what's going on, the three Akatsuki Class destroyers fleet girls followed their friend's instruction to be quiet and listen. For a brief few seconds, neither of them was able to pick any sound as their friend suggested. But then they heard something.

"Did you –"

"Yes, I did too." As the two brunet in the team confirmed that the really did hear something, Akatsuki looked toward a direction.

"Is it coming from there?" She asked the other. They became quiet again and concentrated to pick the sound better.

"I said wait up!"

The moment they heard that sound, Hibiki dashed toward the direction the voice coming from. Behind her, the three followed closely.

After reaching a wall, Hibiki leaned close to the wall. She looked back to her friends and once again put her finger in front of her lips, signaling them to stay quiet. They nodded and then walked slowly toward her. Hibiki then peeked from the side of the wall carefully to avoid compromising her location.


"It's nothing, Yuu-chan." A voice came from the distance. "I am perfectly fine."

"Lies!" And another familiar voice was there. "You've never been this reckless-poi!"

"I was just a bit careless. That's all." In contrast to her blonde friend's loud voice, Shigure answered her with her usual tone.

"A bit Careless!? You've almost hit by the enemy's torpedoes!"

"Like I said I was–"

"Twice-poi!" said the blonde as she raised two fingers into the air. As she looked at her friend with a very worried expression, she walked toward her. "What happened to you, Shigu-chan? You've never been this bad. Even Nagato-san and Mutsu-san asked me about you."

After hearing that, a silence swept over the two. For a few seconds, the two just stood there facing each other without saying anything. Then Shigure let out a heavy sigh.

"…So I'm beginning to be a burden to the fleet." She muttered to herself.

"What!? A burden!?" Her friend's voice roared as she heard that statement from her. Even though Shigure muttered with a low voice, she was still able to pick up that very statement that made her almost explode. "What made you say that, Shigu-chan? They don't see you as a burden-poi!"

"The fact that… I made the fleet worried. Isn't that enough to show that I have become a burden to the whole fleet and slowed them down?"

"Huh? No, no, no, Shigu-chan!" Yuudachi shook her head multiple times, making her blonde hair flailed around. "They're worried about you because they care about you. Not because you're a burden to the fleet-poi!"

"…" Shigure didn't give any reply to her friend's statement.

"What happened to you, Shigu-chan?" Once again, Yuudachi threw the same question to her close friend. "You've been like this ever since that day. Ever since you ran away from the Major-poi."

Hearing that, Shigure's body tensed up. She grabbed her own arm and tried to calm herself down.

"I'm fine, Yuu-chan. I might need… some rest. I'll… be fine." She gave her friend a smile. All of a sudden Yuudachi hands grabbed was placed on her shoulder, surprising the black haired girl.

"Shigu-chan! What really happened?" asked the blonde with her bright red eyes staring at her.

"Y-Yuu-chan, I said I'm just–"

"Shigu-chan! Please…" The blonde pleading tone came into Shigure's ear. "You're making me worry. You rushed into the battle. You shot the enemies without calculation. That's usually my job-poi!"

"…Yuu-chan."

"But worst of all…I almost see you being shot to death at the sea. I…I…just can't bear to see it, Shigu-chan." Yuudachi shifted her gaze aside, unable to bear the thought of her friend dying in front of her.

"…I'm sorry, Yuu-chan…"

"So please, Shigu-chan, what really happened with you?" The blonde once again shifted her gaze toward her friend. "You were really out of it for the past couple of days-poi. If it's something I can help, please tell me. I'll help you all the way-poi."

"…Don't worry, Shigu-chan. This is…" She put her hand on her friend's hand and gently removed them from her shoulder. "This is…something I have to take care of myself."

"Take care of yourself? Why?" Her question was thrown with an honest confusion. At that, Shigure once again showed her smile.

"Because…No one should help me with this."

"Not even me-poi?" Shigure shook her head slowly, making a slight hint of sadness appeared on the blonde's expression.

"No, it would be…selfish of me to ask you that."

"Why, Shigu-chan? It's okay to be selfish some times." Still unable to understand what her friend really meant, she pushed on to question her.

"I know. But that time is not now, Yuu-chan." She shook her head after she said that. "It's just… not now."

"I still don't get it, Shigu-chan. What do you mean by–" Her sentence was left hanging as she heard a sudden movement near their place. "Who's there!?" Yuudachi shouted at the direction of the sound. Without waiting, she dashed toward the place and looked over the wall. But she found no one.

"What is it, Yuu-chan?" Shigure walked near her and also looked at the place where her friend was currently looking around to spot anything. "I don't see anything."

"That's strange-poi" said Yuudachi as she scratched her head. "I'm sure I heard something."

"Are you sure?"

"Argh, maybe not." She scratched her head some more, making her already messy hair becoming messier. "Maybe I also need some rest. Argh! Let's just go, Shigu-chan." Yuudachi grabbed her friend's hand and then tugged it as she walked away from the place.

"S-Slow down, Yuu-chan."


On a place not far from where the two Shiratsuyu-class destroyers girls were having a conversation, four girls were trying to catch their breath. And it seemed that the one trying to catch her breath the hardest was the black haired Akatsuki, who were hunching her back and putting her hands on her knees to support her. While the two brunets were leaning on a nearby wall, the least fatigued looking member of the group stood up while looking around them, making her white hair fluttered slightly on the air.

"I think we're fine," said Hibiki to her friends.

"*huff* Are y-you *huff* sure?" Clearly not in the best condition to speak, Akatsuki asked her for confirmation.

"Positive," said Hibiki with a nod. "I don't see anyone around here."

"Actually where are we?" After gaining enough control over her own breathing, Ikazuchi asked her while looking around the place. "Isn't this the warehouse?"

"No wonder this place is so quiet." Akatsuki raised her body up and wiped her clothes. "Hmm? What is it, Inazuma-chan?" Noticing that her friend wore a rather worried expression, Akatsuki asked her.

"I'm…worried about her."

"You mean Shigure-chan?" At Ikazuchi's question, Inazuma nodded. "I'm worried too. Usually she is very composed and calm. But to think that she was almost hit by…" She shook her head several times without finishing her sentence. "Ugh, I don't even want to think about it," said Ikazuchi while her shoulder shuddered slightly.

"Have you heard anything about it? I mean from the other girls?" Akatsuki asked the other. Unfortunately, they all shook their head.

"That's the first time I've ever heard about her being like that." The stoic voice of Hibiki seemed to become an answer that represented everyone's thought at that moment.

"Every time I see Shigure-chan sortie, I never noticed anything strange-nanodesu."

"Me neither. If I didn't hear and see it in person, the thought would never even cross my mind," added Ikazuchi while frowning a bit.

"Is there something we can do to help her?" Inazuma looked around. "I'm…really worried-nanodesu."

"We all are, Inazuma-chan." The other brunet put her hand on Inazuma's shoulder. The warm feeling soothed her worries slightly, but she still wore the same expression on her face. But then Ikazuchi's attention turned to the black haired member of the group. The cause was that she seemed to be in deep thinking. "What is it, Akatsuki-chan? Something on your mind."

"Hmm…did you all remember what Yuudachi-chan was saying at that time?" Hearing that question, the other three looked at her. "Try to remember what she said."

"What she said? I think she said–Oh!" Hibiki eyes widened as she half shouted that response, making Inazuma and Ikazuchi looked much more confused than before. "She said that Shigure-chan was like that since the time she ran away from the Major!"

"Oh! Yes, yes. I remember. She did say that-nanodesu!" Inazuma nodded as she remembered the blonde fleet girl's words.

"…Uh wow…Now…that is..Uhm, rather…"

"I know…" Ikazuchi's trailing words were answered by Akatsuki. Both of them wore a rather sour expression.

"What is it?" Hibiki tilted her head as she asked her two friends.

"Uhm, how do I say it? I'm…uhm…" Akatsuki scratched her head while trying to finish her sentence.

"What is the matter?" This time, it was Inazuma that threw that question.

"You know…the Major is kind of…Err…" Still unable to find the correct word, Akatsuki looked to Ikazuchi, asking for help.

"Uhm…hard to approach?"

"Ah, yes, yes! That's the word! Hard to approach!"

"Hard to approach-nanodesu?" Inazuma imitate her white haired friend and tilted her head to while asking that question. "Really?"

"Yes! Well…not really. I guess it is because of the rumors that have been around in the base."

"Oh, you mean about how he is a mysterious person and such?" At Hibiki's question, both Ikazuchi and Akatsuki nodded. "I guess…that does make it difficult to start a conversation with him."

"B-But, isn't he always there when we do our practice?" Inazuma said to them with a rather unsure tone.

"Yes, he did. But we never talk with him outside that. I mean…it's difficult to strike a conversation with him out of nowhere. All the conversations we have were either about our performance or about our mission."

"And the one who talk with him is either Tenryuu-san or Tatsuta-san, right?"

"Oh…yeah. We never started conversation with him by ourselves-nanodesu." A slightly dejected expression started to surface on Inazuma's face. "Now what?"

"Now we…" Once again, the black haired Akatsuki failed to finish her sentence.

For a brief few seconds, neither of them said anything. Many thought kept turning and turning inside their own mind. But no matter what, they can't find another step but that. Although there was no solid cause that made them afraid to strike a conversation with the Major, the fact that they were still feeling a bit unfamiliar with him stopped them from doing that.

"There's no other choice." Hibiki broke the silence. "We have to ask him directly."

"Eh? Directly?" Akatsuki almost shouted that reply. "B-But, don't you think asking the Commander first will help?"

"I think that might make her worried." Hibiki looked at them. "I don't want to make her worried."

"Hibiki-chan is right." Ikazuchi nodded at her friend's suggestion. "The last thing we need is to add more worry for our commander."

"Agreed-nanodesu!"

"Ugh, then that means we have to ask him ourselves?" Akatsuki slightly shook her head at that statement of her. "I guess…we have no choice."

"Don't worry!" Ikazuchi said to her with a proud voice. "We can do it!"

"Yeah, we can." A slight smile crept on Hibiki's face as she agreed with her friend's statement.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the Major!" Inazuma's voice was filled with the same excitement as her friend's. But then she noticed Hibiki's attention was elsewhere. She was very quiet and just stood there with her gaze on something. Curious, Inazuma asked her. "What is it, Hibiki-chan?"

"There," said Hibiki wile pointing at a certain direction.

"What? Where?" As the other three followed her direction, their eyes widened.


"Do you understand that, Aoba-san?" The Major asked her as the two of them started to walked toward the main path.

"Well…if you mean the theory, I do. But if in term of practical…" Aoba scratched the back of her head as she tried to remember the load of information her superior just gave her. "I might need some practice. A lot of it, I'm afraid."

"That's good for now," said the Major while tidying up his hat. "Learning the theory is just the first step. The real challenge is in using that theory in the real world. Unfortunately, I can't help you much in that part of the subject."

"Geez, what kind of a teacher are you? Leaving his student in the darkness like that?"

"The kind that let them grows and shapes their skill by their own experience." After that, he patted her shoulder. "That's the kind of teacher I am."

Aoba only looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Weirdo."

"I am. I won't deny that." He shrugged at her comment. "But I think it is better than forcing them to adopt my own way. At least that will mean that the way they choose will be their own unique way."

"Hmm, a bit logical." Aoba tapped her chin and then gave another comment. "But still weird for me."

"I'm not going to argue about that, Aoba-san." He shrugged again. "Just remember to use that," said the Major as he gestured into his own ear.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." A rather spiritless answer came from the fleet girl. "Just don't expect too much for me. This is a rather difficult case."

"Ah, unfortunately, I expect much for you." He grinned at her.

"Sheesh, way to go for putting pressure on me." She shook her head. "I guess I'll be going now."

"Good. Keep in contact." He nodded. "And remember."

"Don't let anyone found out." She said with a small scowl. "No need reminding me that every time."

"Good. I'll be seeing you." After hearing him saying that, Aoba turned around to exit the place.

"You're not going back?" asked her without turning her head.

"Maybe later. I like it here. Quiet and nice."

"…Whatever." After that, she walked away from the place, leaving the Major alone in the quiet place.


"I-Isn't that Aoba-san?" Akatsuki asked with a stutter. "W-Why is she here with him?"

"Do you think that it was a secret rendezvous?"

""R-Rendezvous!?"" Hearing that word, both Akatsuki and Inazuma shouted.

"Who's there!?" A shout from the violet haired heavy cruiser fleet girl surprised them. "Show yourself!"

Hearing that, Inazuma covered her mouth. Akatsuki was too slow to cover her own mouth, but it was already covered by her two friends. The four of them stay behind the cover of the wall and held their own breath, hoping that their heavy cruiser comrade would not find them. None of them dared to peek out of the wall to see whether they were found out or not.

"Show yourself!" Another shout came from Aoba. But the four Akatsuki-class destroyers shut their mouth tightly, refusing to make a single sound.

For a brief few seconds, the violet haired Aoba just look into the direction of the sudden shout, waiting for anything or anyone to show up. After that, she shook her head and looked around.

"…I guess I'm just imagining that." She massaged the area between her eyes and then let out a sigh. "Better take some rest for now." After muttering that, she continued her walk to get out of the warehouse zone.

The Akatsuki-class destroyers wait patiently as they heard the sound of footsteps slowly disappeared into the distance. Even after the footsteps disappeared completely, they refused to come out of their hiding. Only after a few minutes of waiting, they were finally convinced that it was safe for them to come out. The first one to peek out of the wall was the white haired Hibiki.

"How's it?" Ikazuchi asked her.

"Safe." Hibiki nodded. "It's safe."

"Good." Ikazuchi let out a breath of relief after hearing that. She then felt a slight tap on her hand. "Hmm?" It was from her black haired friend, Akatsuki."Waah! Sorry!" said Ikazuchi as she pulled of her hand out of her friend's mouth.

"Howah! I thought I was going to die!" Akatsuki then took a deep breath. "You know, the two of you were too panicky! A real lady would never be easily spooked like that!"

"Said the one who were trembling in fear." Ikazuchi teased her with a smile on her face.

"T-T-Trembling!?" After hearing that, the other two looked at her and realized that her shoulder was indeed trembling, making her pout. "I was not!"

"You were!"

"Was not!"

"You were!"

"Hawawa! P–Please stop fighting!" Inazuma waved in panic seeing her two friends argue with each other.

"You'll warn the Major about our location." At the mention of a certain man by Hibiki, the two stop bickering, although they still looked unsatisfied with the result of their argument. But it seemed that they have put that aside for another time. Looking at that, Inazuma breathed out a sign of relief.

"Now what? We can't just stand here doing nothing-nanodesu."

"I know that. But…," Ikazuchi paused for a while than scratched the back of her head, "I don't really know how to ask him."

"…Hate to say it, but I agree with Ikazuchi."

"How about asking it straight from him?" Hibiki's suggestion was received with mixed reaction. Inazuma looked at her with a questioning expression, Ikazuchi scowl a bit, and Akatsuki shook her head. "Have any other suggestion?" At her question, the three girls looked at each other. "I took that as a no."

"But are you sure that's okay, Hibiki-chan?" Inazuma looked at her friend, trying to make her reconsider her decision. "This case is rather sensitive-nanodesu."

"For me, it is exactly because the case is so sensitive that I don't want to ask him in a roundabout way. That might risk us acquiring the wrong information or even waste time," said Hibiki as she pulled down her hat slightly. "Although that is not the best one, that is the best one I can come up with for the time being."

"And unfortunately time is not exactly in our side." Ikazuchi looked at her. "Isn't that right, Hibiki-chan?" At her question, the white haired girl nodded.

"W–Wait a minute! Are you guys sure about this?" Akatsuki asked with a rather panicky voice. "I mean, it's the Major we're dealing it. Shouldn't we be more careful about it?"

"I know that. And I'm sure Hibiki-chan knows that too." Ikazuchi glanced at her white haired friend for a second and then returned her attention back to Akatsuki. "But I'm afraid there is no other way around except asking him directly, at least for now."

"Ugh…when you put it that way…" Before Akatsuki could finish her sentence, she could feel a warm feeling on her hand. She looked at it and found Inazuma's hand gripping hers.

"Don't worry, Akatsuki-chan. I'm sure it's going to be all right-nanodesu." Her sentence was then finished with a smile from her. At that, Akatsuki went silence for a while. And then she let out a sigh.

"C'mon then." She looked at the other three. "…Before I change my mind."


For a good few minutes, the four Akatsuki-class destroyer fleet girls looked around the place for any sign of the base's independent auditor. At first, they were sure that they could find him not far from the place where they saw him together with Aoba. But after failing to find him, they split up into two pairs to search for him. While the first pair that consisted of Hibiki and Akatsuki went toward the beach, the Ikazuchi and Inazuma pair went toward the exit of the zone, fearing that he might have left the premises altogether.

Maneuvering over the maze of crates, Hibiki couldn't see any sign of the man they were searching for anywhere. Only crates after crates were there in front of her eyes. Behind her, Akatsuki was also trying to look for any clue that might lead them to the man.

After a few minutes that seemed like forever, Hibiki's head lifted up.

"What is it, Hibiki-chan?" Noticing that, her partner asked her. "Found a clu–"

"Quiet," said Hibiki as she placed her finger in front of her lips. "Listen."

Following her instruction, Akatsuki closed her eyes and tried to listen closely. She then immediately able to picked up a sound near them.

"Is that…humming?" Hibiki nodded at that. "Let's go then." This time, Akatsuki led in front as she tried to search for the source of the humming.

Shortly after that, they arrived at a place near the edge of the base. After moving carefully among the wooden crates that were lining along the way, they managed to find the man sitting on a crate not far from their current location. With his sword left standing near him with its hilt leaned onto to wall, he was leaning his own back on the wall as well with his eyes closed while humming a somewhat foreign melody to the two fleet girls.

For a brief few seconds, the two didn't dare to disturb the moment, choosing to just observe him quietly from behind the wall. Although they knew very well that they cannot gain any progress without confronting the man, they still couldn't disturb him. There was a slight feeling of melancholy that made them unable to just march in toward him and strike a conversation.

"Do the ones who were sneaking on me have something on their mind?" Still with his eyes closed, the Major suddenly spoke. "I certainly don't mind the company." A small smile appeared on his face.

Being found out by the person they were silently observing on, the two exchange glances while still behind the wall. Hibiki nodded and after that she went out of their hiding first. Closely behind her, Akatsuki followed her.

"We apologize for our impolite action." Hibiki started the conversation with an apology for hiding from him.

"Forgiven," said Jurou with a nod. "Now shall we get into the main topic?" After saying that, he opened his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him.

"Main topic?"

"Of course." He tilted his head slightly to his side. "Isn't that why the two of you were looking for me? Or am I mistaken here?"

"You knew?" A bit surprised that he predicted their reason, she decided not to hide it anymore.

"Well…a hunch." He then gestured toward the whole. "That's all I can give you as a reason."

"Ah…I see." Not knowing how to react to his rather vague reply, Hibiki only reply with a rather flat agreement.

"So, what can I help you with?" He leisurely asked without shifting from his sitting position. "Or do you want to sit first? Make yourself comfortable?"

Once again, the two exchanged glances as they heard his carefree reply. It was making them rather hesitant how to start asking him about Shigure's case.

Thinking that doing what he said might help them finding a suitable way of starting the conversation, the two of them sat on a nearby crate while facing the Major.

"What were you doing here, Major?" Hibiki opened the conversation with a simple question.

"I was trying to relax. Just look around you." Jurou gestured with his hand toward the whole place. "This is a nice place to be. Nice view. Calm ambience. I like it here."

"But do you have to do it here? I mean, this place isn't really what you can call comfortable." Akatsuki commented on his opinion regarding the place.

"For regular people this might not be the best place. I agree with that." He paused a bit and looked toward the sea. After that he continued. "But for me this is the best place to calm my mind."

"Is there something's the matter, Major?" Hibiki asked after hearing the last part of his statement.

"Hmm…I would be lying if I said no."

"Is it about Shigure-chan?" Akatsuki was caught by surprised that her friend steer the conversation directly toward that direction. She then switched her sight toward the man in front of them, trying to see his reaction.

"…Ah, I see." Contrary to her surprised, the Major wore a rather calm expression. It was as if he expected that coming from them. "Is that what you want to ask?" At that, the two girls nodded. "What did she say?"

"Uhm…She didn't exactly say anything."

"Hmm? So how did you exactly know about it?" After hearing Akatsuki's answer, the Major felt rather curious. "Oh, did Yuudachi-kun tell you?"

"Err…No, she didn't." Hearing that, a small smile crept on his face. He expected that answer. After all, the two of them in his mind were not the kind of girl that would easily tell anyone about something like that. "We kind of…somehow…uhm…overheard." Akatsuki confessed rather hesitantly.

"Overheard?" He raised one of his eyebrows. "Between Shigure-kun and Yuudachi-kun?" His suspicion was correct as the two destroyer fleet girls nodded together. He then leaned his body forward and asked them. "Tell me everything." Without any excuses to refuse that request, the two shared their story.

While the two explained everything from the beginning, Jurou's expression stayed the same. He looked at them seriously with full attention.

"And after that, here we are." Hibiki finished their explanation with that. "We want to ask you about it."

For a brief few moments, the Major didn't say a single thing. In fact, he just sat there and looked at them. His gaze was neither filled with worry, anger, or anything. The two of them looked at him and saw as if the man was in a trance, which made them rather worried. Now they kind of regretted that they told him everything.

"Tell me." His sudden voice startled them a bit. "Why do you want to know the whole story?" There was no hint of suspicion or anger in his question. The only feeling they could feel from that was curiosity. Pure curiosity. At first, the two stayed quiet. Hibiki glanced at her friend and she glanced back at her. Without saying anything to each other, the two nodded, as if they have reached an agreement.

"Because she's our friend." The two answered in unison. Their reply once again made Jurou raised one of his eyebrows.

"And do you need to know that just because she's your friend?" He asked further.

"We're worried about her." "We want to help her in any way we can." The two gave their answer without missing a beat. Jurou looked into both of them and found that they wore such a confident expression as they gave them their answer to his questions. Not an ounce of hesitation was visible in their eyes, making him unconsciously grinned a bit.

"I see," said Jurou as he leaned back to the wall behind him again. "I understand about your concern. To tell the truth, I have similar concern. And you girls," said Jurou as he pointed at them, "proved that my concern was, unfortunately, not misplaced. For that, I thank you. But then…I guess I have to tell you about the whole story, right?" And with the nod of the two, the turn to tell the story fell into Jurou's hand. Unlike the two, he told them only the bare minimum. He especially left out the part where he showed the two his ship but he went into every detail at the end of the story that told the event that led to Shigure's startling action.

At the end of his explanation, he massaged the bridge of his nose and then said to them. "I have no idea why she did that."

"And it seems that it has affected her since." Hibiki voice contained a hint of dejection. "I'm…worried about her."

"We all are, Hibiki-kun. We all are," said the Major with his gaze pointed upward to the sky. "I was hoping that you girls might know something about it. But I guess…" He looked at them after saying that. "Nothing comes in mind too after hearing that, eh?" The girls stayed silent. He took that as a no toward his question. "If you girls don't know it, I'm probably the same."

The mood around them turned heavy and dark. Although the Major didn't show his worried, his words were certainly more than enough to convey his feeling. As the sound of the wave that crash on the edge of the dock became background music, the three of them stayed silence, busy dealing with the thoughts that ran amok inside each of their own mind.

"If this continues, do you think she might…d..d..d…"

"She might die?" The Major finished what Akatsuki couldn't. Hearing the word has made the two shivered. "From Yuudachi-kun's story, she might. Unfortunately, it might be as soon as her next sortie."

"Please don't say something so ominous!" Akatsuki shouted to him. Realizing that she was acting impolite, she quickly tried to calm herself down. "F-Forgive me, I d-didn't mean to shout."

"Forget about it." The Major waved her hand at her. "I can really understand that. You know that in the battlefield, casualty is…" He didn't finish his sentence. The Major then looked down while stroking his chin. His unusual action made the two fleet girls looked at him with a rather questioning expression. "I know this might not be the right moment, but I have to ask." He looked up to the two girls. "Can you girl…die?" Just as he expected, his question made them look at him with a much more confused looks than before.

"…What do you mean?" Akatsuki looked at him with a rather complicated expression as she asked him.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, so listen first." He then straightened his back before starting his explanation. "You are not what people would call an everyday young girl. But you have the appearance of a normal girl, if you exclude the rigging behind you and the weapon you use that is. So, maybe the correct question is, what exactly are you? What is a fleet girl?"

The moment the Major threw that question onto the conversation, the two exchange glances with each other. For a couple of seconds, they didn't open their mouth.

The both of them just stood there with a crossed arm while tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Now that you ask that…"

"We're…not really…sure." As the two gave their answer, the Major looked unsatisfied for a brief second. But the expression immediately disappeared, leaving his usual calm expression on his face. "But we can die. I'm sure of that."

"Why?" He was on the verge of saying 'because you have seen one of you die?' but able to keep that statement to himself. There was no point of saying something that might incite more trouble than necessary.

"Because we're alive." The answer came from Hibiki. It was an answer filled with such confidence that took him a bit by surprise. "If we're alive, we can die. Isn't that true?"

The Major scratched the back of his head after hearing that answer. He wasn't sure what to feel at that answer of hers. In one hand, the statement was a very logical one. But on the other hand, the fact that these girls weren't human made him doubt about that. But for now, he just stayed on the fact that they might for now.

"Okay, I understand." He let out a sigh after that. "I do apologize for asking that."

"That's all right, Major. We are, after all, not exactly a human." Hibiki said while wearing her usual stoic expression.

"But then you don't really know what you really are." The Major once again leaned his back against the wall. "That's just made the matter with Shigure-kun more complicated. A dozen or more possibilities opened up." He let out a sigh.

"Is there…something we can do?" Akatsuki said to him. "We're worried about her."

"Something you can do, eh?" He tapped his chin while thinking what the destroyer fleet girl could help with the problem.

He actually feared that they might make the problem much worse by acting carelessly. But he couldn't just dismiss their good will just like that. They have shown him how worried they are about the black haired Shiratsuyu-class destroyer. As he looked at them, he felt more and more conflicted.

The two girls just stayed there looking at him without saying anything. They wait for their superior to say anything first.

"Hibiki-kun, Akatsuki-kun." He opened his mouth and called their name as he straightened his back. "I assume that both Inazuma-kun and Ikazuchi-kun has similar intention to help her, right?" They nodded at him. "I see. For now, let's watch how things unfold."

"Huh? We just wait?"

"Correct and incorrect." He quickly answered Akatsuki's question. "We wait. That's correct. But not 'just wait'. We observe."

"Is it because this case is delicate." The Major showed a rather satisfied smile after hearing that from the white haired girl. It seemed that she understood that faster than her black haired girl beside her.

"Correct, Hibiki-kun. I don't want to act recklessly just because we're worried about her. If it will help her, that's good. But what if it just worsened the situation?"

"…I see." Hibiki answered with her usual stoic tone. Beside her, Akatsuki showed a mixed expression. At one point, she agreed with him that it might worsen the condition. Although at another point, she couldn't just wait and do nothing. But it seemed that Akatsuki kept that in her mind, refusing to say I out loud.

"Just observe her condition for now. Be discreet so that you can avoid hurting her feeling or anything. The last thing we want is to hurt her feeling."

"Understood." Hibiki answered with a nod.

"I'll do my best." Akatsuki also answered him.

"Good. Then run along now." The Major once again closed his eyes.

"What about you, Major?"

"I'll stay here for now. I'll inform you if I have anything else in mind." He opened his eyes and looked at them. "I hope you'll do the same."

"We will." The two answered in unison.

"Good to hear that." After that, he closed his eyes again.

The two then bowed to him and left the place.


"Hey, Hibiki-chan." After leaving quite some distance from the Major's place, Akatsuki called her friend who was walking in front of her. "Do you think we can trust him?"

"The Major?" Akatsuki nodded. "I don't exactly know. He didn't show any sign that could make me doubt him at the moment."

"But he also didn't show anything that could convince us to trust him, right?"

"True. Unfortunately for us, our only choice for now is to trust him."

"Ugh…I guess you're right." Akatsuki didn't really hate to admit that. But she had to agree with that since she also couldn't give any logical reason to doubt the Major. While still feeling unsure of their decision, she could feel someone grabbed her hand.

"Don't worry, Akatsuki-chan." Hibiki flashed her friend an honest smile. "For now, the only thing should focus on is to help Shigure-chan."

"…You're right." Akatsuki returned back her smile with one of her own.

"Isn't that what a lady should do?"

"Of course it is! Trust a real lady like me to do it!"

Hearing her friend has returned to her usual self, Hibiki smiled again. After that, they walked back to join their two brunet friends.


Even after the two Akatsuki-class destroyer fleet girls left, Jurou was still in his previous position. A lot of things were running around inside his mind. But little by little, he could focus his mind and reached a few possibilities for the main cause of the rather strange situation he was at the moment.

All of a sudden, he could feel a slight buzzing on one of his ears. He reached the side where he felt the buzzing and pushed the earpiece that was placed on that side.

"Come in."

"Ugh, this feels weird for me." A familiar voice came from the other side of the line.

"Don't worry, Aoba-san. You'll get used to it soon enough." Yes, it was from none other than the residence journalist, Aoba. "So any news? This is faster than I expected."

"Well, you can thank those two destroyers for that."

"Destroyer? Let me guess. Inazuma-kun and Ikazuchi-kun, right?"

"Huh? How do you know that?" A slight sound of surprise came from Aoba. "Wait, wait, wait! Let me guess this time. Akatsuki-chan and Hibiki-chan, right?"

"Yes, you guessed right."

"Ugh, this is getting messier than I expected."

"So I presumed they asked you about our little meeting, didn't they?"

"Yeah, they did. Ugh, it was very difficult to fool those girls."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I was showing you around the base. At first, they wouldn't believe me. Especially Ikazuchi-chan. She kept saying that it was a rendezvous or something."

"Hahaha... She's an interesting one. Well, at least you managed to convince her, right?"

"Barely. I think. Fortunately for me, they switched topic right away."

"It's about Shigure-kun, right?" The Major answered right away.

"…I supposed those two also did the same?" Her voice contained not even a bit of surprise after hearing that.

"Yeah, they did."

"After hearing their story, I think the situation was much worse than you've expected, huh?"

"Yes, it is, unfortunately. Whatever it is that happened, has affected her so much that it might endangered not only herself, but also her teammate."

"Did the Admiral know about this?"

"Probably not. I guess her teammate didn't tell her about it so that she wouldn't get in trouble. Pretty considerate of them. But it might not give the result they wanted."

"So what do you suggested? Telling her right away? That might only make her worried. And it seems that making her comrade worried would make Shigure-chan's situation much worse."

"I can't suggest anything. Our conversation has too many 'would' and 'might' in it, meaning that our conversation only walks on probability and assumption. And assumption is the worst enemy we can have to make a decision, if that is the only thing we have."

"Okay, okay, I understand that. And now what?"

"The same thing I said to the other two. Observe. For now."

"How about her safety and her teammate?"

"Better to leave it be than making it worse. I'll discuss it with the Admiral later on. Don't worry, I won't mention your name."

"You better not or I will have a harder time to move in this crazy mission of yours."

"Got it. So anything else?"

"One more. Do you think gathering information from Yuudachi-chan will make matter worse?"

"Why? Do you want to interview her?"

"For now, she seems to be the best person in my mind. But let me ask you this for now. How difficult that would be in your opinion? I mean judging from your previous experience with them."

"Hmm…Yuudachi-kun is a very straightforward girl and she seems to be rather on the naïve side. But then again, that might give you some difficulties while doing it. But…well, I guess so-so." For a few seconds, the Major went into silence. After that, he opened his mouth. "I'll leave it to your judgment for that. I can't exactly come up with precise evaluation since my time with her was short."

"Understood. Oh, got to go. I'll contact you later."

"Roger that." After that, a slight click came from the other side, signaling the end of the connection with the other line. Jurou let out a sigh. "This is getting out of hand too quickly." He looked up to the sky and noticed that it has changed color into that of an evening sky.

He then pulled out his tablet and then swiped his hand onto the screen. A certain name appeared on the screen and he tapped on that name, making another screen appeared. Seconds after that, his finger danced on the virtual keyboard and then he finished with a single tapped on the virtual button that showed the word 'Send'. A picture of an envelope appeared on the screen and flickered a bit. After that, he put the tablet inside his chest pocket.

"Now then," said Jurou as he jumped from his position. He stretched his back a bit and then looked toward the sky again. "I guess I have to make my move sooner than I expected."


*In an unknown part of the world

N: Good day to all of you out there! We meet you again with me, N-san, in our lovely little corner at the end of the show! And as usual, we have Camera-kun here with me!

C: Hello there!

N: And we have our previous guest again here. Let's all welcome the ever dedicated and diligent, Imuya-san!

I: Thank you for having me here, everyone! And thank you for the nice introduction, hehehe…

N: Ah, but I'm only telling the truth. And it seems that we have another one with you. May I know who your friend is, Imuya-san?

I: Let me introduce you to one of my closest comrade, I-58!

?: Hello! I-58 here! You can call me Goya.

N: Oh, another submarine fleet girl! Very nice to meet you Goya-san. And we all welcome you to our little corner at the end of the show.

G: Glad to be here, N-san. And I have to say that we are in a very wonderful submarine-dechi!

N: Oh ho, Imuya-san said the same too. Well, I'm already convinced when she said that. So I'll be more than convinced now. Isn't that right, Camera-kun?

C: Yes, sir! It certainly is.

N: So let's start with Goya-san. You're Imuya-san close comrade, right? So I presumed that you have also been patrolling the sea around here too?

G: Yes, I have. Together with the other submarine girl we patrol the sea around here and also do some cruising to collect resource-dechi.

N: Oh, very interesting. So where do you get those resource, if I may ask?

I: Forgive me, but that is military secret, N-san.

G: We are not allowed to disclose that information with you.

N: Ah, a shame, but I understand that. We all need to follow the rule, right?

G: We all are. Thank you for understanding it, N-san.

N: Don't worry. That just showed how loyal the two of you are to your superior. Speaking of which, it seems that we have an appointment with her later on, isn't that right, Camera-kun?

C: Yes, sir. It seems that it is about the management request to let one of their fleet girls to be interviewed by us.

N: Oh, interesting. Let's put that aside for now. For now, I want to talk with the two of you, especially about the Major. Heard anything new about him?

I: Oh, we did, we did, right Goya?

G: Yup! It seems that another rumor is circulating-dechi!

N: What is it about? Let me hear it.

G: We heard that he fought another one of our friend. It's the…who is it again?

I: It's the Shiratsuyu-class duo. Shigure-chan and Yuudachi-chan.

G: Oh yeah, that's right! Those two-dechi.

N: From your conversation, it seems those two are quite famous.

I: Yeah, they are. At first, they are just run of the mill fleet girl.

G: But after their upgrade, those two feels like a different girl.

N: Upgrade? Do you mean as in their equipment?

G: Uhm, not just that-dechi. You know that fleet girl is not normal human, right?

N: Yes, I was informed of that, although not in detail.

I: The thing is, N-san, there is such occasion that if we upgrade ourselves, we will have more than just improved equipment.

G: And those two is a prime example of that.

I: Not only their appearances changed, their performance and attitude is also changed.

N: Oh, really? Now that is a very interesting information.

G: And those two has changed so much that most of us thought they were newcomer-dechi.

I: But the most shocking thing is that their performance on the battlefield.

N: They become that powerful?

I: Not exactly powerful. But their teamwork looks like that of a dance.

G: The "Loyal Hound" Shigure and the "Ferocious Hound" Yuudachi.

N: Wow, that's some nickname they have.

I: You think so, right? And to think that the Major has fought those two.

G: Incredible, right? I really want to meet him more-dechi.

N: She hasn't introduced him to any of you yet?

G: No, she hasn't. It just makes us wonder more and more.

I: The more she kept him in secret, the crazier the rumor that circulated among us.

N: So the two of you never meet him until now?

G: No-dechi.

I: We were too busy cruising in the cold sea.

N: Ah, talking about the cold sea, I seem to forget about the treat we prepared to give the two of you.

G: Hah? Treat?

I: You shouldn't have to trouble yourself, N-san.

N: Trouble? Nonsense! It is an honor for me to do that to the one protecting the peace!

G: Protecting the peace is a bit too much, you know, hehehe…

I: We're just doing our job.

N: Ah, a prime example of a dedicated soldier. The happier I am giving you these small treat. Oh, there it is.

C: Please enjoy these hot cocoa. I'm sorry that it is the only thing we can serve here.

G: Oh, thank you so much!

I: Please keep this a secret from the Admiral, okay?

N: But of course! It will be our little secret. Now while the two of you enjoy your drink, I think it is time to read the comments since we are getting near the end of our show. And please take your time, it is quite hot.

I: I'm sure we will, isn't that right Goya?

G: Yup, we will-dechi!

N: Ah, good to hear. Then let's start reading the comment! So, how much this time, Camera-kun?

C: As same as the number of last episode, sir.

N: Huh? Three?

C: Yes, sir.

N: We have one for our first episode, two for our second, and three for our third? Quite an interesting coincidence, eh? Well, no matter.

Let start with the first one. It is from Alkhemia8! Thank you for following the show! And it seems it is a question about the Major's ship. So it is a boat with stealth? Hmm, is it really that special? What do you think, girls?

G: Well, as a submarine, we deal with boat that tries to evade our solar detection daily-dechi.

I: They usually try to mess with out radar. But that is the extent of stealth we have ever encountered.

G: But if the stealth we're talking about is in about full cloaking technology, as in we can't see it even if it is in front of us.

I: Then it is a different thing entirely, right? So it is incredible if there is a technology that can really make you invisible entirely.

N: Yeah, it is, isn't it? But since I don't have any real clue about his ship, I can't really say. So unfortunately, we can't really say about the boat since we have absolutely no clue about it.

And next we have zero the raiden! Thank you for that! We'll strife to give you the best there is. And next we have Audiodelus! Thank you to you too! Oh, I have a very interesting question after reading the letter. Imuya-san and Goya-san, I know that this might sound private, but is there any interesting and hot rumor in the base that deals with romance?

I: R-R-Romance!?

N: I know, I know. This might sound rather personal and seems to be on the gossip side, so feel free to decline answering it.

I: I h-have not heard–

G: Yeah, there is-dechi.

I: What!? Why haven't I heard about it!?

G: Because you were too engrossed with that smartphone of yours, Imuya.

I: Ugh, maybe I was spending too much time fiddling with my phone.

G: Yeah, you are-dechi. If you want to hear it, try to ask Iku. The girl has a ton of it. Don't know why and where she got that from, though.

N: Is it not from Aoba-san?

I: If it is, I should have heard it since Aoba also put her news in the web.

N: Oh, so it is from, how do I say it, an underground line?

G: You can say that. There's a ton of it and the girls love to talk about it. From a simple crush, to sister-like relation, to hot adoration, even to a rumored intimate relation.

N: How interesting. Very interesting.

I: I need to talk with Iku after this. And I mean, a long talk.

G: Yeah, you're missing on it a lot-dechi.

I: Ugh…

N: Well, I love to talk about that, but it seems our time is up. So once again, thank you for being here, Imuya-san and Goya-san. I really appreciate it.

I: The pleasure is all ours.

G: Besides, we also get to have a nice treat, hehehe…

N: Ah, glad that you like it. So ladies and gentleman there you have it, we will see you again later, don't forget to send us your comment (aka Review). Thank you for watching, have a nice day, and stay healthy and out of danger, everyone! Bye!