AN: Well, the last two chapters were a bit risque so this one'll be pure slice of life/cute fun times. I'll be taking requests for characters people would like to see so send in some suggestions if you want.

Disclaimer: Kantai Collection is property of not me so don't go around saying it is

Everyday Life With the ARI (Abyssal Reform Integration)

"Hoppou-chaaaan! Get back 'eeerrreee!"

"Those aren't toys, Hoppou-chan!"

"Waaaah! Stop! Stop! You're going to break them!"

The cries of my carriers echo throughout the hall as they chase the tiny Abyssal around the building. Well, considering that she's currently running around playing with a couple of Type 0's and Reppu's. Apparently, she had snatched them from the carriers during their drills and had run off with them. Unfortunately, since Kuubo and Wanko were both indisposed at the moment, they couldn't supervise her which is what lead to what is currently happening right now. Ryuujou was leading the charge with Houshou and Zuihou following close behind her. Kind of hard to believe that she's managing to outrun those three. No. Scratch that. She isn't even trying to run. She's just playing. This is... sad.

Sighing, I decide to go help the carriers.

"Hoppou-chan!" I call out to her while waving. "Over here!"

The small girl ground to a halt before turning to face me. When she saw that it was me who called for her, she immediately took off sprinting towards me. Meanwhile, the Ryuujou and Zuihou smashed into the wall she stopped in front of. I'll just leave Houshou to take care of them. To be honest, I don't really know what the big deal is. We can just replace the ones she breaks anyways since we have so many materials.

"Master!" The little speeding bullet cried happily as she jumped into my arms. She snuggles into my chest as I pat her head. "Master..! Play!"

I shake my head and hold her out. "I'm sorry, but I have some work to do. I promise that I'll play with you later, though. For now, just go play with those nice onee-chans over there." I tell her while pointing towards the group of carriers.

The little bundle of joy nods enthusiastically and smiles brightly before taking off towards the others. She's really almost rivals Shimakaze in terms of energy. I'm glad that she's managed acclimate herself to the base so well. It worried me that the girls here would discriminate against the Abyssals that were sent here, but they all welcomed the group in with open arms. To be honest, I don't even know who captured them or how they did it in the first place, but I'm kind of glad they did. Turns out, the Abyssals aren't that different from Ship Girls. We... haven't actually got any information out of them yet, though. The only thing we know is that they're getting orders from somebody or something.

Ugh... I'm doing it again. I always start thinking about work and get lost in my thoughts when I'm walking around. Walking down the hallways of the CCC, I wave and greet everyone I pass by, but I don't see who I'm looking for. Where could they be?

"Hey, Suzuya," I call out to the heavy cruiser. "Have you seen Kuubo and Wanko?"

The heavy cruiser puts a finger to her chin while thinking for a minute before answering. "I think they might be at the torpedo range. Why? What's up?"

"Oh, nothing important. Just need to tell them something. Thank you."

I bid Suzuya farewell and headed off towards my destination. The steady clicking of my shoes hitting the floor is all that can be heard around me. Until I notice a third click enter the rhythm. An extra tap could be heard every time I lifted my leg to take another step. It was barely perceptible, but it was still there. And only one person on this base does that.

"You know you don't have to follow behind me, Wo-chan," I say to the Abyssal carrier without looking back.

This time, she doesn't try to mask her steps, but instead speeds up and catches up to me. She still slightly keeps her distance, though. Most likely because of her headpiece. It certainly does take up a lot of space. We had to remodel a lot of the buildings so that they had larger doorways since she constantly got stuck in them whenever she went through one.

"So, what've you been up to?" I ask her. Not that she can answer properly, though. For some reason, only the strong "boss" type Abyssals have the ability to speak, and even if they do, their speech is incredibly stilted. The girls have been teaching them how to speak as part of the "reformation" program, so it's a bit easier to communicate with them now.

"Wo..."

The slow tap of her cane along with our footsteps is all that can be heard around us. Compared to the usual chaos of the base, this is a very appreciated reprieve. I can enjoy the wonderful weather in relative peace while walking with one of my family. Speaking of which, I guess Wo would be the shy cousin type.

My thoughts are interrupted by a slight tug on my sleeve. I look towards the source of it, and see Wo pointing at a group of Ship Girls. On closer inspection, the group appears to be Satsuki, Shouhou, Tone, and. Kikuzuki.

"Wo... Friend... Go..."

"You want to go hang out with them?"

Wo nods shyly and shuffles her feat.

I give her a warm smile and place a hand on her shoulder. "Of course. Don't let me stop you."

The Abyssal nods gratefully and runs off to meet her friends who are already waving to her. It certainly was a tough road getting to this point, but the hard work definitely paid off. This entire war seems so pointless. No doubt it was the Abyssals whom attacked first, but if they can be this peaceful, then I don't understand why they would choose to fight. My wish for this to end peacefully still seems like a long ways off.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I continue making my way towards the firing ranges.

Once I got there, I noticed that the place was empty. Strange... There are usually at least a couple of girls here practicing. Not to mention that there weren't as many girl wandering around the base either. Where was everyone? I didn't send anyone out on any expeditions so there should be even more people milling around. Then again, they could just all be taking a lazy day and staying in their dorms.

"Hello?" I cup my mouth and call out. "Anybody there?"

No reply. In fact, I think my voice just echoed.

Not even the two Abyssals I was looking for were here. Suzuya did say that they might be here, so they could have already left. Still... that doesn't explain why the base is so empty today.

"Admiraaal!"

Turning to the direction the voice came from, I see Fubuki jogging towards me, and waving. Maybe she can tell me what's going on here.

"Hey, Fubuki. Where is everyone?"

"No time for that right now," the destroyer says while grabbing my hand. "Hurry up and come with me!"

She starts dragging me off towards the central building without another word. Jeez. She might as well just pick me up and carry me at this point. It looks like we're heading for the cafeteria for some reason. Fubuki stops just short of the door and gestures for me to go in. I nod and slowly push the doors open, and step inside.

""Admiral! Thank you for all your hard work!""

A chorus of voices rings out and shakes the building as the entirety of the base personnel shouts that phrase out. Surrounding all the Ship Girls crammed into the cafeteria are party decorations of all shapes and sizes, and at the front of the crowd are the Abyssals.

Wanko stood behind the others with Hoppou sitting on her shoulders. Kuubou is off on the side trying to keep a bored, uninterested look. Ru, and Ta are grinning proudly while Ka... well... she's just being herself.

"Everyone... What in the world is all this?"

Fubuki walks past me to join the others and says, "How about we let Kuu-chan explain."

I look expectantly at the Abyssal carrier. The girl turns red at the attention and shuffles her feet.

"We... Decided to throw... you a party... because you... are so nice... to... us... and work... so hard..." Kuubou says while looking off to the side.

Wanko speaks up next. "It was... Kuu's idea to do... this... but she... didn't know how... so everyone... helped us..."

I see. So that's where everyone was. But... Kuubou, huh? Truly a tsundere.

"Now!" A high-pitched voice sounded out from the loudspeakers set up on the makeshift stage the girls somehow made in here. "Let's get this party started with a song from everybody's favorite idol! Naka-chan!"

The cafeteria dissolved into complete chaos soon after as the music started with Naka singing (trying to sing) one of the many, many songs she wrote. Wanko waded through the sea of girls and hefted me onto her shoulder next to Hoppou.

"Master..! Master..! Play..!" she chanted while happily waving around a miniature Zero model.

As I'm playing with Hoppou, the other Abyssals all gather around and join us.

"Thank you... Admiral..." Kuubou says to me.

"You don't have to thank me for looking after you all."

Ru nods, while Ta smiles.

Wanko looks up at me and says, "Yes... but you protected us... too... The other admirals... wanted to destroy us... but you... took us in... and cared... for... us..."

That's true... I fought hard for them to be transferred to my base as POWs, and in the end, I managed to convince them that I'll be able to integrate them into our society. Of course, I also had to give up quite a bit for it, but as long as the least amount of blood is shed, I'll be happy. Although, I'm pretty sure that I didn't tell anyone about that. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I specifically told the girls that it was the top brass' idea for the ARI. How did they find out?

Well... whatever.

It's been a while since I could last wind down so I think I"ll enjoy this to the fullest.