Chapter 26: No Better Time

It had been only a few days after the visit, yet it felt like yesterday to him.

The days in between have been nothing but slow. Having tended to his duties and only once stayed around a Royal Navy tea party after being invited thinking it was a way to soften his strict nature. However, he thought of himself as a weight on the atmosphere the Royal Navy girls had established. Their insistence on his stay had him feel all the more guilty. He had become too tense with his subordinates.

It was early in the morning for Shikikan, early enough for him to be one of the few eating at the canteen. Having only made small talk with a few of the dedicated shipgirls that train this early. Shikikan sat in an isolated bench with his plate half-eaten of salmon and rice, feeling not particularly hungry to take another bite. However, he wasn't here for the food but rather a meeting that got arranged ahead of time with a somewhat detestable person.

Audible footfalls came from behind followed by calling. "Shikikan."

The doctor dawned a red and brown striped sweatshirt beneath her open lab coat with blue jeans and her hair down from her usual bun. "Corrian, what is it that you need?"

She plopped herself across from him, creating a low creak underneath her. "This is about your connections with the girls. Right now, we aren't too sure about the results."

"Give me more details."

"We made a few comparisons and the statistics are all over the place. They are either improving slightly or immensely. Comparing sister ships is challenging when each kansen is considered different classes."

"That sounds like a pain."

"It is," Corrian pulled herself forward as if to whisper to him. "The best that we have are Enterprise and Takao for these comparisons. They have consistent data but we can't be too sure."

If it wasn't irritating enough for this scientist and her constant requests, she was starting to drive the limits of hearing her out. The number of times these kansen-related problems and plans needed to be put in order. The worst part was that he didn't have a good excuse to decline.

Having to take a breath in to cool his mind from exploding out on her, he tried to reason with her. "Why don't you have someone else do this? Surely there is someone more willing to date these girls."

"We do have a few as a control," Corrian explained quickly since she anticipated what he was thinking. "Your powers to summon and relations to siren tech make things plausible that you are the only one who can affect them."

"Okay, enough beating around the bush," he gently put his chopsticks down, his full attention now on her. "Does this involve intimacy with the shipgirls again?"

"Glad that we have that out of the way then."

An exhale escaped him, dropping his head nearly hitting the table before stopping himself. "I'm not good at flirting nor do I want to be doing embarrassing things like this. Don't get me wrong, they are all beautiful but I'm not sure if everyone will be comfortable with my sudden behavior change."

"I'm not telling you to do it immediately, but I am telling you to start somewhere. It's been three months since we discovered this idea and you keep putting it off to the side."

"Well, I did have to run your fundraiser for our priority ships," Shikikan fired back dryly. "Besides, the public will view this negatively if they find out I've turned into some playboy."

"I'm sure you are getting the wrong idea; most would say that you have already done so or rather theorized. I would say be yourself, but I'm not sure if you are who I think you are. Be vulnerable, lead them, anything to make them fall for you. Trust me, it's easier than you would think. Now quit dwelling on the thought. Today is the perfect day, and you have time to think about what to do," Corrian stood up, striding by his side. "That watch that we made you should help you gauge your relationship with others. Best you get started with someone you know well."

She left swiftly for Shikikan to resume his morning, triggering him to deliberate what were only the hours to come. It was fair to say that he had put this off for too long, but was left uncertain as to what to do or even who to start with. Sure there were plenty of girls that were already familiar with him, yet who will help him jumpstart this experiment without losing his sanity? While saunter back to his office, he can only think of a few from each faction that might play along without suspicion, but not one that is absolute.

It was too early for Shikikan to exert this amount of effort into something he saw at the bottom of his list, yet it still bugged him even as he walked to his office. He couldn't let this whole intimacy get to his head, having set himself down to get to work immediately. It was rather normal for the first hour and a half, having diligently gone through the stacks without batting an eye. That was until his secretary decided to show up after having to attend to her daily duties.

"Good morning, Master," Belfast greeted him warmly, carrying a cup of tea. "Do you get a restful night?"

"Enough for me to run through these papers," Shikikan replied nonchalantly. "I might be able to score a free day if this is all that remains."

"Then shall I help you secure it, Master?"

"I would appreciate that, Bel," Shikikan smiled sincerely.

"Then let's not waste a second," upon setting his tea down, she brought herself to his side; nearly touching him enough for him to catch a scent of vanilla from the cruiser, and got to work analyzing the pages from the short stack.

There was no thinking to it, having gone page after page like a printer. Shikikan was certainly overjoyed that Belfast was such a professional at her work, but his heart unconsciously started to pound each time she handed the page for him to sign. Shikikan kept his eyes focused on the pages to keep his head out of the gutter. Trying as he might, the scent of vanilla emitted by the maid had his mind refuse to leave what Corrian told him. However, he wasn't the only one who was worried.

"Master? Are you feeling well?" the head maid was looking down at him with a troubled expression. "Do you need a break?"

"I'm fine, Bel. I'm… thinking too hard."

"Do you have a fever?" She placed her hand on his forehead for a second, feeling his heart palpitate faster.

"I don't have a fever," Shikikan serenely insisted, lightly pushing her hand away. "I'm just a bit troubled, nothing else."

The maid saw through his lie and was insistent on helping him. "Master, if you have concerns. I'm here to hear them out. You just have to come out and say it."

"I… ugh…" He counted in his head, breathing in and out momentarily while the cruiser stood by patiently – upon reclaiming his confidence, he spoke softly with his cheeks colored pink "...my family keeps asking of me to find someone special."

His head dipped, hiding his embarrassment from the maid as she stood silently over him. His cheeks darkened as he raised his head with his pride intact. Belfast stood silently with a stern face before coming to a hasty conclusion.

"Master, forgive my discourtesy," the maid bowed her head slightly. "Are you asking for help?"

Shikikan was quick to answer, but he could only tell the truth due to the uncertainty he has. "I have never had this kind of experience. Even if I were to be successful… I would not have the slightest clue as to what I would do."

He sighed due to his ignorance, his attention now on the maid as if she had an answer. The cruiser stared back blankly before he saw a lightbulb go off. She smirked slightly at the idea, having stuck her pinky finger out to Shikikan's confusion.

"After you are done promise me that you will wait for me at the fountain," Belfast instructed, her voice gentle and tinged suggestively.

Shikikan was confused but curious about what the maid had in mind, alternating between staring at her and the hand that hovered in front of him. "Can you explain why?"

Belfast merely smiled at his confused expression. "It will be better if you trust me on this."

Trusting her words he reluctantly brought his finger to curl around hers. She left promptly after the agreement, fueling his curiosity further as she ambled her way out of the room. A curiosity that he turned into little motivation as he began to start working away through the stack with a stern but joyous look.

Gradually he made it past the papers without issues or interruptions.

Shikikan had to remember where Belfast has specified to wait as he approached the center fountain of the base. A few shipgirls were hanging around the area; sitting outside of a small cafe and enjoying their sweets or out shopping and the destroyers playing their games while making a ruckus for the people around them. Although it slightly irritated Shikikan, the same can't be said about the girls sitting outside who didn't mind their screaming.

Upon arrival, Shikikan sat idly on the edge of the fountain, tapping away at his siren tech watch that he still has no idea what the indicators represented. The watch was responsive as it would light up, yet there was nothing more to the accessory than it showing all of the shipgirls that were on the base and their equipment. Other than that, the number next to the kansen's head was still a question without an answer.

"Master," the voice of a familiar maid diverted his attention.

Shikikan's eyes widened when he saw the white-haired cruiser. Belfast had changed her entire appearance from her everyday maid outfit into a casual outfit; tan shoulderless jumper, red scarf, black short skirt with matching stockings, and a red beret with a black bow. Belfast caught his gaze and smiled warmly, treading slowly towards the commander.

Shikikan subsequently broke his staring and got back on his feet to inquire. "What is with the outfit Bel?"

She frowned at his dense question. "For an impromptu date, Master. Now, let's get going."

Her words ignited his cheeks with a pink hue as she began to walk away with Shikikan telling her to wait for him as he unhesitantly caught up with the cruiser. His mind was still boggled by what she was trying to accomplish. They walked what seemed to be aimlessly in his eyes — not helped by the few girls that asked what he was doing with the stylish head maid. Able to only give them a shallow response of 'I don't know myself' or a shrug.

With Shikikan's patience going dry, he couldn't help but ask Belfast once more. "Where are we going? I need an answer."

"We're shopping of course," Belfast replied quickly. "If there is a place you would like to go to, I'm open to going as well."

"What are we shopping for?"

She let loose a sigh, turning towards Shikikan with a serious demeanor. "There are some things that you must know when on a date. The first is that you need to let go of the tension within you. If you keep this up, they will think that you are imposing on them with your lack of patience."

Shikikan frowned slightly at her critique as she stopped in front of a clothing store. "There are just some habits that I can't break I guess…"

The maid agreed, inviting Shikikan to follow her into the shop. "Let's first get you into some appropriate attire if you do decide to go on a date with someone."

While entering the shop, he immediately remembered the shop he had visited not long ago. Except for this time, there were a lot more of the port girls browsing and giggling at the clothing they tried as they spun around or frolicked with their friends. With most store sectors being for women, they had a difficult time finding something out of the minor sector of men's clothes. Despite Shikikan's many protests and arguments that he had clothing back at his home, the maid simply hummed a chipper tune

"Bel, why can't you just listen to me?"

"Master, it is best if you enjoy yourself as I've said before. Besides, there is no harm in a little trial~"

"I…" Shikikan had no other rebuttal, having stood idly by a few of the racks and started browsing the small selection.

With the minutes passing by and Belfast collecting an assortment of clothes for him. "Here you go. I believe that these will look great on you. I'll be waiting for you outside."

Shikikan had no more quarrels with the cruiser, other than that she had thoughtfully chosen the clothes for him. He couldn't reject them, silently taking the clothes and making his way into the changing room for an empty stall. Slowly but surely he started to change out of his uniform into his chosen attire. Most of the clothes looked at least half decent in his eyes, from solid blue polos to striped button-up shirts with skinny jeans and slacks.

"I still think I look better in my commanding uniform," Shikikan uttered with a tint of slight disgust at the checkered overcoat with a white tee. "If I need it, I'll wear one that looks okay."

"If you say so," the maid dismissed, hiding her slight regret. "Is there anything else you would like to do, Shikikan?"

"No, not in particular. You did ask me on this date on short notice, so I didn't have time to think."

"Not a single place at all?"

"Hmm…" Shikikan gave pause, closing his eyes to imagine an image in his mind before looking over at the time. "I guess some lunch would be a start."

"That sounds good, anywhere, in particular, you would like to visit?"

"I would eat just about anything," Shikikan smiled honestly. "I don't know that many restaurants around the base since I always eat at the canteen."

The cruiser immediately had a flash of thought evident when her eyes brightened. "There is a cafe that has recently opened. We can go if you are feeling a bit adventurous."

"I don't mind if you are interested," having disclosed their following location, they proceeded to check out his new wear without further distractions.

Having followed out with the purchase, Shikikan collected the bags – most of which weren't his due to Belfast having purchased some outfits for her co-workers. So kind of her to do such a thing for her subordinates… or perhaps it was a special occasion for whatever it was. It was peaceful with the sun radiating its warmth upon them with a light breeze chilling their skin as they strolled along for their next location.

It was quiet between the two, having not said a word since they have left the store and it felt like minutes since. Considering that the store might be a distance away, Shikikan tried finding something to break the ice.

"So… are you enjoying yourself, Bel?"

"Hmm~ Oh, has been good."

"I see… It feels like the first day here."

"What do you mean, Shikikan?"

"You know… my first day here when you toured me around the base? I kinda missed seeing the base for the first time," a slow smile crawling up his face while he reminisce about the memory. "This side of the base hasn't changed much."

"It hasn't changed at all." Belfast corrected.

"Oh…well that's… umm," Shikikan whispered to himself, embarrassed. "I swear it looked different."

Belfast turned her head to giggle at the commander's mistake to then apologize in response which he didn't take personally. Belfast decided to shift the subject in consideration of what happened.

"Does it get monotonous for you to come into your office, Shikikan?" Belfast questioned without sounding critical of his choice."You seem to always be the same when you come in and leave to get back home."

"Of course," Shikikan answered without hesitation. "I can't imagine only doing work for my entire life. Admittedly, I have a good friend that keeps me from becoming depressed."

Belfast's eyes shined in curiosity. "Really?"

"Yeah, he is flamboyant, snarky, and overall a complete idiot. How he hasn't thrown himself overboard is beyond me," Shikikan smiled. "He is here with the locals learning about art or whatnot."

"So he is here?"

"Yeah, and he visited once," Shikikan expression swiftly fell into regret. "Never will that happen again."

The maid's curiosity peaked, having not heard of the incident had her ask with slight interest. "What happened?"

"Well… I'm sure you will keep this a secret," Shikikan nodded his head from side to side as to tell the story. "He had a misunderstanding with another shipgirl and got tempted by her… appearance. Nothing indecent, but she did almost kill him. It was close, but I barely got there before it got nasty."

"Hehe, perhaps you are the one who keeps him from doing dumb things," Belfast remarked. "You two sound like good friends."

"Yeah, we are."

"We're here." Belfast stopped in the face of a cafe with the front window covered with a plump cat sitting in a coffee cup.

"Interesting," Shikikan stared, engrossed with the shop's feline mascot before opening the door for the cruiser. "After you."

The maid shook her head in appreciation, entering the establishment as Shikikan followed suit. Inside was a bit deprived of people, but the staff was hard at work regardless of serving the other kansens. However, they weren't standing for long as they were greeted by a familiar but friendly face.

"Welcome back, Master!" Choukai's bubbly words emanated the room.

"Hey, Choukai," Shikikan smiled. "Still cleaning up?"

"I'm almost done. For now… is it a table for one?"

"Two actually," Shikikan corrected.

"Oh, then please right this way," Chokai lead them, whispering to Shikikan. "I didn't know that you were on a date."

"It's not exactly a date," Shikikan clarified, alternating between looking at the overly joyous dress-up maid and the head maid. "It's more of a…an experiment."

"Well, I'm sure my sisters would be interested in this encounter~"

"Wait, no– What I meant was—"

"What are you two talking about?" Belfast interrupted with suspicion growing on her face.

"Nothing~" The two of them looked away.

After putting a plug on the conversation, Chokai left promptly with a cheeky grin, leaving both menus for them to browse. Shikikan didn't dare to look Bel in the eye – keeping his eyes glued to the text as he scanned for his meal.

The cruiser, however, found his behavior unacceptable; having to gently put a finger to pull the menu to coerce his attention as she looked him in the eye with him meekly doing the same with a guilty expression.

"You didn't tell me that you've been here before," Belfast criticized without sounding like a disappointed mother.

Shikikan apologized, hoping to reason with her. "I've only been here twice because I was curious and Chokai was working here. You were excited and I didn't know you were bringing me here."

She sighs, glancing at the menu before settling it down. "So the young lady convinced you?'

"She said that she is working in a new establishment with a few of her friends," Shikikan explained with lingering embarrassment. "I was curious and wound up here by myself, singing happy songs and petting cats. Speaking of which–"

"We haven't seen a single one since our arrival," Bel surveyed the room to see that there weren't any cats to be seen wandering or lazily napping on one of the towers or anywhere around the cafe in general.

"Hey! Watch it!" An irritated yet boisterous voice boomed from the back, tempting all of the customer's attention to tilt toward the source. "Hey! I'll end up crushing you if you don't move!"

A short moment passed before a small sea of cats came walking out and parting away for the kansen working. Although it was hard to see who it was, Shikikan was able to guess who the person was behind the bag of cat chow and booths.

Without a word, Shikikan left his seat to help out the shipgirl. "Need help there, Magdeburg?"

"Hmm?" Magdeburg diverted her attention to Shikikan, looking like there was weight had been pulled off her shoulders. "Yo, Shikikan! Yeah, can you help me with this cat problem? Kinda want to avoid stepping on these idiots."

"They're just hungry," Shikikan took the burden off of Magdeburg, taking the bags out of her arms as the kittens began following him instead.

"Thanks, homie," she proceeded to bump him in the shoulder. "You are a real help around here."

"Yeah… sure" Shikikan winced at the "light" bump that she gave him. "I like to feed them anyways."

"Sweet!" Magdeburg cheered, smiling ear to ear. "I can finally—"

"Magdeburg, I'll be taking a break in the back. Take care of the cashier for me," a voice called near the reception.

"Come on, Ulrich," Magdeburg complained. "Can't you have someone else cover for you?"

"You know how much I hate complaining," Ulrich fired back. "Consider the many times I had to cover for you."

"Fine, fine," Magdeburg reluctantly agreed before facing the commander. "Are you sure you don't want to work here? You are more qualified for this job than I am."

"I believe that you need this job more than I do," Shikikan politely denied. "I've got work and you have free time to do this. Perhaps it can… have you take in more responsibility and be a bit gentler."

"Aww come on, bro," without warning, Magdeburg locked his head in her arm with his head dangling dangerously close to her breast. "I'm not asking for you to wear a maid outfit. Now that I think about it…"

A devious smile crossed the Iron cruiser's face, causing panic to overtake Shikikan. That combined with the submissive position that he was in made for a reason to leave.

"Sorry," Shikikan hastily escaped her grasp by slipping his head through her arm before she could lock him in. "I can't keep my table waiting, but we will talk again soon."

Before Magdeburg could respond, Shikikan dashed back to his table, having apologized for his behavior before Bel could open up.

"Shikikan, please realize that a date means that it should be no more than you and the person you asked."

"Sorry… I just," purring, followed by a small mew had Shikikan stop and peer down at a small gray and black striped cat that leaped into his lap for a nap. "I'm only just learning… from a great teacher no less."

"There are etiquettes on such an occasion, Shikikan," Belfast lectured. "It is best that you know what to do and not to do."

"Alright, what are the important things I should know?"

"First, know that you shouldn't talk for a lady when it comes to decisions."

"Alright… the second?"

"Second, don't forget your manners around a woman. I think you have that so far except I'll dock you points for leaving without a reason."

"Fair enough."

"Are you two ready to order?" Chokai inquired notepad in hand and open ears.

"I'll have a scotch egg with some black tea," Belfast requested, the cruiser jotting down the order.

"And I'll uh… have sandwiches and oolong tea."

The optimistic waitress finished scribbling down their orders and thanked them as she walked off to get it prepared. In the meantime, Bel and Shikikan passed the time with some idle chat; skimming from topic to topic and from person to person with what has been going on in the past week or so. Soon with the arrival of their meal being delivered by Kashino.

"Ah, Shikikan. It's a surprise to see you."

"As to you. Not causing problems again right?"

"S-Shikikan!" The munitions carrier blushed. "It was a one-time thing!"

"So, I'll take that as a no?"

"Shikikan… Please stop teasing the poor girl," Belfast interjected.

"Well, thanks Kashino."

"Of course~ So please enjoy your meals," Kashino left with a light smile.

"I take it that something also happened between you and lady Kashino?"

"Here's the short of it. It was a few days after the grand opening, I was greeted by her and a bee got in and caused a small panic that got her… stuck in a door."

She giggled at the thought before stopping abruptly. "Poor girl. Well, at least she didn't get hurt."

"Physically speaking, it took twenty minutes to get her out," Shikikan continued, taking a bite out of the sandwich with one hand while the other gave a few scritches to the cat on his lap. "How long are you going to be here buddy?"

"He seems to take a liking in you."

"Nah, they are all like that when you feed them. Probably the most friendly group of cats I've met," Shikikan smiled genuinely as he continued to pat the cat's head.

Belfast took immediate notice and couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight. "You are quite the character."

"What?"

"It's nothing," Belfast finished the rest of her meal. "Is there a place you have in mind?"

"No… actually," he paused, thinking deeply before answering. "I think that we should watch a movie."

"Oh dear, do we have enough time to fit it in our schedule?"

"We can go right now, give me a second while I finish up."

Shikikan readied himself as he was about to stuff his gullet with whatever remained on his plate. Belfast immediately stopped him mid-way through trying to eat half of his sandwich by catching a hold of his arm.

"I can spare the time. I don't want you getting sick."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

After a few minutes of finishing up and the commander paid the bills for some questionably priced food. Perhaps it was more about the good service than the food. Instead of going immediately to the cinema, Shikikan decided to drop by a local market for some movie snacks that he was hoping to sneak in.

"Shikikan, you do realize what kind of trouble you can get in if they find out, right?"

"It's fine, they hardly check. Manjus or not, they are quite lenient when it comes to that. Pick a snack. I'll get some trail mix or something."

With her words seemingly ignored, Belfast decided to play along; running her fingers through the assortment of different snacks. Most of which she was familiar with, from crackers to small biscuit bags that aren't on par with her own, her eyes settled and caught a glimpse of a snack that she had seen but never had the time to try. Having decided and paid for their movie munchies, Belfast being too eager to try them undid the box to her selected snack.

"Bel, we aren't there yet."

"I'm curious as to what Pockey tastes like," Belfast pulled a stick before cracking down on it. "It's not bad. You should try some, here."

She drew another stick for him, holding it out for him to bite into. Embarrassed by the innocent approach from the maid, he captured the chocolate snack between his lips and began breaking it down.

"Tastes just how I remembered it."

"Hehe."

"What?"

"I see why it is such a popular Valentine's Day snack and why some of the girls gifted them."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

Without word or reason, Belfast wrapped her lithe fingers around his, gently guiding him alongside her as the ventured forth toward the cinema. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"But we don't know what we want to watch yet," Shikikan countered while simultaneously trying to catch his balance.

"It should be obvious, Shikikan. What better genre is there for this kind of occasion?"

Hello again loyal readers, thank you for getting this far into my story. The past months have been busy and unmotivating for personal reasons that I don't want to bore you with. Overall, I've been getting lazy and trying to plan out this story for weeks. That wasn't helped by the many holidays that I celebrated and getting into Tarkov for some strange reason. That and also having to rewrite five chapters is a lot. So for the upcoming chapter might take longer than what you have waited for so... sorry in advance. The rewrite and deletion of the bad backstory should be done fairly soon, then again I make bad promises. Again, thank you for reading and good day or night because I need to sleep because I'm writing this at 3 in the morning.