Tamayo Kiyomi was standing on the bow of the Kii, watching intently as the green profile of the island appeared in the distance. The middle-aged Asian woman had her black, graying hair up in a bun, and her stern features were adorned with a furrowed brow and a calculating expression as she reflected on how to proceed after disembarking.
The ASD system was safely secured aboard the cargo ship following them, and once they docked at the Azur Lane base, Akashi and her bulins would deal with unloading the contraption, so there would be no need to involve the crewmen; there was always the risk of some of them getting ideas and starting to wander around the port like annoying tourists.
But she didn't need to worry about it. She wasn't there to supervise the delivery of the ASD; she was there as an inspector in the stead of her colleagues to address the matter of highest concern in the Azur Lane council: the shipboys.
Because of course the matter of highest concern during a war with the entire world at stake was the sudden appearance of a handful of unregistered Kansen…
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of heels clacking on the deck, and she turned to face the newcomer. Her bodyguard and namesake of the warship she was traveling on was standing a few feet behind her, her long tachi sheathed at her hips and her tails swaying in the breeze.
"Tamayo-sama, Admiral Nimitz is here to speak with you."
The woman acknowledged her words with a nod of her head, turning to greet the Eagle Union officer; his own escort and secretary, Brooklyn, was walking by his side.
"Miss Tamayo, I've informed Commander Travis of our imminent arrival; he's already making preparations for our meeting," Nimitz announced. "He also said he has some very important news to tell us."
"Let me guess, Teitoku, something you told him to pass on as his own finding again?" Kiyomi asked, wrinkles appearing on her forehead as she furrowed her brow at him.
The man cleared his throat in a bashful way. "Actually, it seems that the other day he was able to get an audience with some high-ranking Elite Sirens and conduct a proper conversation with them, as crazy as it sounds."
The chairwoman's eyes widened in surprise, her expression mimicked by the two shipgirls present. Outside of stirring trouble by interfering with the relations between the factions, the Sirens never tried to parlay with anyone as equals, let alone to pass on information. It was a first in all the years they'd been at war with them, and Ryan Travis succeeded in such an endeavor. If the news had reached the council first, it would have most likely caused an uproar, given that the procedure hadn't even been officially approved.
"Truly? What an unexpected development," the woman mused.
"Indeed, and apparently, it was all thanks to the shipboys and their ability to speak with the Sirens inside their own Cubes," the Admiral said. "From what I was told, the lads have been teaching how to do it to our girls, and with excellent results to boot."
"Teitoku, please, I already know what those Kansen are capable of. You don't need to sell me on their value any more than you've already done," Kiyomi said, internally sighing. The Admiral had spent the entirety of the journey trying to convince her of the advantage of having the shipboys on their side as allies without antagonizing them, and it was on the verge of driving her nuts.
But she didn't get where she was by letting others influence her decisions.
"I know how much you value the opinion of that young man, but I'm not so easily swayed." The woman shot a glare at him, but then her gaze softened. "Fret not; I intend to conduct this inspection from a neutral perspective. If they are found deserving, I'll do everything in my power to help them with their plight." Of course, she had some concerns that needed to be addressed first; only then would she pronounce her verdict.
After hearing her words, relief washed over the Admiral, but he made sure not to show it, keeping his back and shoulders straight and his hands behind his back.
"And that is all I'm asking of you, ma'am."
.
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Ryan stood on the docks with Freedom, South Dakota, and Shoukaku as the small fleet made its way through the bay.
The manned cargo ship was being redirected by Akashi, Hipper, and Yuubari toward the workshop, where the group of Kansen and the bulins could unload the cargo and start tinkering with the ASD system before installing it, but that's not where the focus of the Commander was.
He nervously watched as the Sakura battleship pulled up right next to the piers to allow the two human officers and their retinue aboard to set foot on land before disappearing in a flash of light after Kii recalled it.
Admiral Nimitz had already told him over the comms that the person chosen as representative of the council was Tamayo Kiyomi, and he didn't know if he had to celebrate or despair.
He met the woman only once, during the celebrations for the reestablishment of Azur Lane. She was the chairwoman of the Sakura Empire delegation in the council and one of the most important spokespersons of the Crimson Axis in the alliance. Her stature far exceeded even that of Admiral Nimitz, who was escorting her.
She was one of the key figures from the Axis side who pushed for the reestablishment of the alliance. She was known to be a fair and honorable person and an active supporter of the shipgirls' rights, but she was also renowned for the strictness with which she handled every matter. He figured it was a good thing she was the one sent here since he could trust her to look at things from a neutral perspective, but at the same time, the slightest slipup on their part would be enough to have her turn her back on them, and they couldn't afford it.
Admiral Nimitz was the first to approach him. Ryan and South Dakota snapped a salute as the man briskly walked up to them, and after telling them to stay at ease, Nimitz grabbed his hand in a firm handshake and patted his shoulder with his other hand.
"It's good to see you again after so long, son," the elder officer declared.
"Likewise, Admiral," Ryan replied, then turned to the shipboy standing by his side. "Sir, this is Freedom, the man who saved my life." Ryan made sure his voice was loud and clear for everyone to hear as the Admiral trapped the shipboy with another one of his enthusiastic handshakes while Shoukaku greeted the chairwoman and her fellow Sakura Kansen.
"I finally get to meet you. You know, no one has ever given me as many headaches as you fellas have in such a short amount of time," Nimitz said with a bright smile.
Freedom grimaced at his words. "I'm… terribly sorry for all the trouble, Admiral."
"Now, now, don't take it too seriously. If you ask me, it was well worth it."
That drew the attention of the chairwoman, who turned her gaze to the group before approaching them.
"Good luck, son," Nimitz whispered to Ryan before stepping aside as the woman shot a glare at him.
A tense silence filled the air around them as she came to a stop right in front of the Commander. Ryan greeted her with a perfectly executed Japanese bow he learned from Shoukaku and the other Sakura shipgirls, saying, "Welcome, Miss Tamayo, and thank you for coming all the way here. I hope the journey went well."
The woman eyed the shipboy next to him up and down before returning the bow. "It was indeed a pleasant trip, Shikikan." She was being honest there; the journey had been oddly quiet. There was no sign of Siren forces along the entire way, only a handful of puny patrol vessels. It was odd, but she wouldn't dare question such good luck for once. "But we can set pleasantries aside. You know why I'm here. Summon the flagships. After I'm done with them, we'll discuss everything else."
"Yes, ma'am."
.
.
By now, the presence of the shipboys had become public knowledge, all thanks to a certain couple of officers and their blabbering crews, who couldn't wait to spread the word to every soul they met; the officers in question being Captain Decken and Captain Walker. Footage of the shipboys' feats they had captured during their meeting with them was already spreading like wildfire, and people from all over the world were wondering where those unknown male Kansen were coming from and how related they were to their beloved shipgirls.
It was only natural since the Kansen were presented to the world as the saviors of humanity, the Valkyries of the Sea, the heroines who'd free the Earth from the yoke of the Sirens. Their alluring looks made them all the easier to accept by the people when the governments introduced them to the public. Everybody knew that it was extremely hard to summon new Kansen from the Cubes and that they could only come out as women, but now, with the appearance of the shipboys, the general belief had been turned upside down, and it was bound to stir the excitement of the masses.
And when the masses get excited, the press begins asking questions, and when the press doesn't get answers, it starts making things up.
That was the main reason why the council was so worked up over the matter of the shipboys—because the Kansen snatched them away from their grasp before they could get their answers from them.
Sure, thanks to the appearance of the shipboys, Azur Lane had made more progress in investigating the Sirens during the last few weeks than it had since its reestablishment, but of course, all the new information they had obtained was classified, and even if they tried to quench the media's thirst for gossip with some smokescreen answers, it wouldn't take long before the people began making their own assumptions, and if word came out that said progress wasn't the product of their own work, the public opinion would begin questioning the utility of the alliance, and its standing would plummet alongside the prestige of those in the top positions.
And if that ever happened, they needed a scapegoat to point their finger at, which was why they were taking advantage of the shipgirls' latest transgression to put the blame on them, trying to paint them as unruly and out of control.
Unfortunately, no one wanted to embark on a perilous journey across the globe just to plant their foot on the ground and scold the shipgirls for their misbehavior, and Kiyomi felt compelled by her sense of duty to step up and take the matter into her own hands, even if she didn't share the same opinion on the matter as her fellow council members.
Her job was simple: to personally ascertain the situation and the intentions of the male Kansen and relay them to her colleagues, which meant that the alliance's future position on the matter of the shipboys depended solely on her.
She also had another job, though: give a piece of her mind to the shipgirls for acting behind their superiors' backs.
And that's exactly what she was doing...
"…I would have never expected such behavior from upstanding Kansen such as yourselves…"
Inside the conference room, the flagships were all lined up next to each other with grim expressions on their faces as the chairwoman chewed them out.
"…I'd expect that with all your experience as both warships and humans, you'd know better than anyone else how the chain of command works…"
The woman was striding back and forth with her hands behind her back along the line of shipgirls in front of her like a drill sergeant shouting at a bunch of recruits.
"…just like destroyers trying to hide their mischiefs... and you are supposed to be senior Kansen?"
The faction leaders winced at Kiyomi's words.
"…and you, Shikikan…" It was Ryan's turn to wince internally when the woman came to a halt at the end of the line, directly in front of him. "For going along with their plan when you should have promptly reported everything to your superiors... Your actions are borderline insubordination."
"Ma'am, if I may, it was my idea-"
"Don't you dare try to fool me, young man." The chairwoman slightly raised her voice at his attempt to take the blame. "I know for a fact it all started with two Kansen in particular…" She directed her gaze to the two shortest battleships in the room and walked up to them. Elizabeth and Nagato visibly flinched at seeing her approaching. The woman, despite being of average height, seemed to be towering over them.
"Queen Elizabeth… While your improper conduct doesn't fall directly under my jurisdiction, know that King George has decided to confiscate each and every one of your secondary residences as punishment," the woman declared.
"What?! He can't do that!" Elizabeth blurted out.
"If you have an argument, you'll have to discuss it directly with him." Kiyomi shut down her complaints, then turned to address the priestess, letting the queen seethe in anger and shame.
"And you, Nagato... I didn't think I'd ever have to say it, but I'm so disappointed in you..." Her words were as sharp as a razor. "You are supposed to be an example of honor and integrity, and yet the first thing you do when faced with such an important matter is take action behind your superiors' backs... Is this how the Priestess of the Sakura fulfills her duties?"
The battleship whimpered, looking down at her feet in shame, her ears flat on her head, and her lips sealed shut as the woman kept berating her.
The shipboys were also present on the other side of the room, watching the scene with their backs to the wall, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Kurama felt a pang of anger surge from within at seeing the poor battleship being targeted by the chairwoman and felt compelled to step forward to defend Nagato, but Kaga grabbed his sleeve right on time to stop him from doing something stupid.
"Kurama, stop. If you intervene now, you'll only make things worse," the carrier whispered as she kept him in place.
Kurama let out a deep breath, and once he calmed down, Kaga let go of his wrist and stepped back to lean over the wall again… only for him to step in the middle of the room, coming to a stop right in front of the flagships and behind the chairwoman, much to the carrier's disbelief.
"Oy, I think that's enough." His firm voice resounded in the room, followed by silence. The chairwoman turned to him with an indignant look as Nagato looked up at him in surprise. His brothers and the two human officers froze at his audacity, and the other flagships exchanged concerned looks. The only one who moved from her position was Kii, who stepped forward with a hand on the hilt of her sword in warning.
"I wasn't talking with you, boy. I'll be with you and your comrades in a minute, so get back in line and wait your turn," Kiyomi said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I won't stand by while my benefactor gets unfairly insulted," Kurama declared, keeping a respectful distance so as not to trigger her bodyguard. "Don't get me wrong, ma'am, you have all the reasons to be upset, but there's a limit to how disrespectful you can be. Nagato did what she did to help me with my predicament; she was aware of the consequences, but she still acted with the best interest of the Sakura Empire in mind. She's a kindhearted person and an upstanding individual, and she doesn't deserve to be called a disappointment."
"Especially by an uptight bitch like you," he added in his mind, but he didn't voice it out loud. He was able to keep his cool thanks to Kaga's intervention, and he couldn't mess up the situation any further.
"If you need to blow off some steam, do it with me. It certainly wouldn't be the worst thing that humans like you have ever done to me," Kurama finished, his gaze not leaving the woman's, his tails swaying slowly behind his back.
Her eyes peered into his, not even flinching under his gaze and his imposing figure. Suddenly, his back bent almost ninety degrees forward, his head firmly held down to waist level by Kaga, who once again stepped in to intervene.
"I'm terribly sorry for his impertinence, Tamayo-sama!" Kaga said, an apologetic expression was on her face as she kept his head down. "This guy's completely unhinged; I'll make sure to keep him in check from now on," she added, shooting a glare at him from the side.
Kurama didn't resist; instead, he decided it was for the best. He swallowed his pride and kept his head down under the shipgirl's hold as she mimicked his posture in front of the chairwoman. She looked down at them for a few seconds, seemingly pondering his words; the silence in the room was so thick they could hear the cogs in her head spinning.
Then the chairwoman scoffed. "And here I was thinking you all were just taking advantage of the shipgirls' good hearts. I was expecting a lot worse, but I must admit, I'm relieved that my concerns turned out to be unfounded." Kiyomi's unreadable gaze was replaced by a slight smile, and everyone in the room perked up at her remarks, Kansen and humans alike, while Kii relaxed her stance. "Raise your heads, you two, and tell me your name, boy."
Complying, the male Kansen straightened his back, peering into her eyes to gauge her intention. "It's Kurama."
"Kurama… You are right; I was being excessively harsh on Nagato, and for that I must apologize," she said as she turned on her heels and bowed to the short battleship.
Nagato was too taken aback to formulate a proper response. "T-Tamayo-sama, you mustn't..." she stuttered, but the woman ignored her predicament and addressed the male Kansen again.
"She's a great leader for our fleet, but I'm sure you've noticed how naive she can be at times. Sometimes I feel the need to remind her to toughen up a little."
While Nagato squealed in embarrassment, Kurama blinked at the chairwoman before letting out a small smile and another bow. "Please forgive my previous outburst, Tamayo-sama. Disrespecting you was the last thing I wanted."
"That's quite alright; if anything, I think I was able to get a good read on your mindset without having to put you through the wringer first," the chairwoman mused.
"Thank you, Tamayo-sama." Kaga mimicked the man's gesture, then grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the wall, shooting him another glare.
After that, the woman turned to address the Commander. "Shikikan, I believe we are done here. Let us retire into your office and discuss this meeting you've had with the Sirens."
Ryan had to shake himself from his stupor before replying, "O-of course, ma'am; this way…" he said, leading the way for the chairwoman toward the door and outside the room.
.
.
"You must be out of your mind!"
While everyone filed out of the conference room and left the building, Kaga grabbed Kurama by the arm and slammed him into the wall of the hallway, keeping him in place and glaring up at him. Silence followed her words as the shipgirl confronted him. He suddenly became overly aware of her proximity, and his heart began hammering in his chest.
Kaga had made her intentions with him very clear, but the two hadn't had a chance to properly talk things over after what happened, mostly because he skipped training the day after to avoid any embarrassing conversation with her. He was considering asking Emperor for advice, but he'd be damned if he gave his brother more material to tease him, so he decided to spend the previous day trying to put order in his chaotic mind by meditating, and now he was ready for the confrontation.
"Come one, don't tell me that watching your leader being chewed out like that didn't make your blood boil," Kurama said, holding her gaze.
"It's true, dammit, but it wasn't the right moment to snap at her. One false step, and you could have made things a lot worse for all of us!"
"Kaga, it's all right. Let go of him." A third voice intervened, and Kaga complied upon realizing it was Nagato herself who had lingered behind.
Walking up to them, the Sakura flagship addressed the male Kansen with an even tone of voice. "Kurama, while I appreciate your intervention, Kaga is right; Tamayo-sama came here to ascertain your intentions and determine how much of a threat you shipboys are. We were lucky she didn't take offense at your attitude; she could have just decided to go against you out of pure spite."
"I would have never done anything to undermine our already precarious position." Kurama averted his gaze from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, we could have just found another way to make her change her mind—maybe a more hands-on approach would have worked…" he mused aloud, waving off her concern.
"Um… you are joking… right?" Nagato inquired.
"Uh? But of course, Nagato-sama. I wouldn't dream of doing something so hideous," the shipboy said, his face taking on a devious expression.
Nagato breathed a sigh of resignation. "Let's leave it at that. Now I must go back to the others. Tamayo-sama may call for us again later. Kaga, keep an eye on him; see that he doesn't do anything rash... again," the flagship said, stepping away from them, to which the carrier responded with a nod of acknowledgement.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kurama called her out.
The shipgirl flinched, stopping in her tracks. She turned to face him again, hiding the bashful expression on her face behind the sleeves of her kimono, then performed a light bow and said, "Um, t-thanks for taking my side earlier... It was really nice of you." Then she scurried away from the hallway, leaving the two Kitsunes behind.
Kurama couldn't help the soft smile that appeared on his lips as he watched her disappear around the corner. Noticing his expression, Kaga cleared her throat, and an awkward silence settled between them.
"You seem to be getting along well with Nagato-sama lately," she drily commented. "It feels like yesterday that your mere presence terrified her."
"That's rich coming from you," he deadpanned. "You were shivering like a leaf when you asked me to train you along with Kawakaze, and look where we are now…"
"It must have been your imagination…" Kaga trailed off until she realized what he was saying. "What do you mean? Where are we right now?" She asked him.
"Don't play dumb with me, Kaga." Kurama decided to stop beating around the bush and be as direct as possible. "Why did you kiss me the other day?"
The white fox girl was about to reply, but he cut her off. "And don't even try to make up some lame excuses like your 'reward' or some other bullshit."
Kaga pursed her lips and sent him a sideways glance, then scoffed at him. "If you can't even figure it out by yourself, I shouldn't be wasting any more of my time here." She began walking away from him, but before she could go too far, she felt him grab her by the scruff of the neck and found herself pinned to the wall right where she was holding him earlier. The tables had turned once again; their faces were only a few inches apart, but this time, he was the one in control as he kept her in a perfect kabedon.
"I want you to say it out loud."
"You'll have to make me- kh…" Kaga had to hold back a yelp as his hand moved to brush her ear. His fingers traced the outline of the appendage until they reached the tip and began delicately stroking and twisting it.
Before she could protest, he leaned forward to catch her lips with his own, and soon she felt his tongue prod at her lips, asking for permission to enter. Not wanting to give in so easily, she denied it, keeping them sealed shut, but his other hand wandered down under her skirt, caressing her smooth, pale legs until it reached the soft flesh of her buttocks and pinched it. Then her lips parted in surprise with a yelp, and he took advantage of the opening to stuff his tongue into her mouth.
She tried to fight for dominance with her own, but this time, unlike the other, she was the one on her backfoot, and he was hellbent on denying her any room for control.
By this point, Kaga had lost all desire to fight back. She grabbed onto his clothes for support as he deepened their sloppy make-out session, aggressively exploring her insides and sucking on her tongue, cupping her cheek with his hand, and tilting her face sideways to get better access to her mouth as he orally dominated her.
When his lungs began burning, he was forced to relent and come up for air. Panting with exertion, they looked into each other's eyes; her cheeks flushed red, her gaze clouded with arousal, and her tongue hanging out in a perfect ahegao face almost made him lose his cool.
"I want you… now," Kaga finally managed to breathe out.
He smirked at her. "Was that so hard?"
After that, Kurama all but threw her inside the conference room, slamming the door shut behind him before pushing her toward the long, white table.
They were all over each other, making out as if their lives depended on it, or rather, he was all over her. Kaga was trying her best to keep up with him. His fervor was coming down on her like a waterfall, and soon she found herself stripped of her clothes, at least partially. Her uniform was yanked over her shoulders, freeing her sizable bust, her skirt was lifted over her belly, and her underwear was ripped and thrown away. His clothes were still on, and the way he was handling her didn't allow her to retaliate in kind; the situation reminded her too much of when she was daydreaming of him taking her inside Nagato's hull, but this time, she wouldn't allow it to play out the same way.
When her back hit the table and he placed himself between her legs, she struggled with all her might, and finally, she managed to reach for the hem of his green haori, effectively ripping it off of him, exposing his torso to the air... and the symbol of the Sakura Empire, branded with iron on his left pec, right above his heart.
She paused her struggling, and he also came to a stop, looking down at her in confusion. Her hand moved to his chest; the four claw marks marring it were still as clear as the day he showed it to her and the others.
She traced them with her own fingers pensively. Battle scars were a symbol of pride for warriors, and normally, a battle-hardened veteran like Kaga would have plenty to show off, but much to her chagrin, Kansen couldn't experience them because their healing abilities were much stronger than humans', unless the injury was so severe that their Cubes were left incapable of mending it, but at the same time, damage of that degree usually spelled demise for the Kansen before it could even get to that point.
Her mind inevitably wandered to what he said at that time. "When a scar gets engraved in your body multiple times in the same spot, it becomes harder for your Cube to heal it, until your mind just decides to keep it there, at least to avoid more pain."
There was nothing honorable about this one. She could only imagine the pain he had been put through and the shame bearing the mark of those who enslaved him had brought him. She gritted her teeth in frustration, wishing she could just sink her claws into his chest and rip it out of his flesh…
He delicately grabbed her hand to pry it off his chest, interrupting her musings. "Ignore it. Just focus on me."
His words managed to bring her back to reality. His hand reached between his legs to unsheathe his erect member from his pants. He aligned himself with her slit and prodded her wet folds with the tip of his girth, making her shiver in arousal and anticipation as she wrapped her legs around his waist, an invitation he would gladly accept. Her breath quickened, her eyes lost focus as lust took over, and her mouth parted in a moan as he claimed her.
Her soft and wet walls enveloped him in a warm embrace, and it took all his self-control to not just slam his hips into her folds and quench the arousal clouding his mind, but he managed to keep his cool. He took a deep breath and began slowly pumping his hips, making sure she got accustomed to his presence inside her.
But Kaga was having none of it. She grabbed a hold of his collar, bringing her face to his ear, whispering, "Don't you dare hold back on me…"
"Be careful what you wish for…" Kurama smirked. He grabbed a hold of her disheveled dress around her waist and slammed his hips forward, her wet folds easily parting to take his entire length up to the hilt.
Even though Kaga was prepared, the sudden intrusion took her by surprise. A loud gasp left her lips, leaving her out of breath. He pulled back until his dick was almost out, then did it again, spearing himself inside her, eliciting another loud gasp from the woman.
"Aah… Yes… like that… haah!"
Then he did it again and again… Each and every one of his powerful thrusts was accompanied by the sound of their flesh slapping and her yelps filling the room.
"Mmh… aah… Gods, this feels so good…"
Her voice was like music to his ears. Eager to hear more of it, he began picking up the speed of his thrusting and was rewarded with more of her lust-filled moans. The sudden change of pace forced her to wrap her arms around his neck for support, her sizable bust squeezing against his chest as she pressed their bodies together and he kept plunging into her depths with reckless abandon.
By now, arousal was completely clouding Kurama's mind. What brought him back to reality was the sharp throb of pain in his back. Kaga was also completely lost in the throes of pleasure, and she was unconsciously sinking her sharp nails into his skin, leaving thin gashes deep enough to draw the tiniest bit of blood.
In response, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, sinking his fangs into the pale skin of her shoulder. A gasp of surprise left her lips, and her insides tightened their grip around his member, making him groan in pleasure at the unexpected stimulation.
Realization suddenly struck him, and Kurama decided to do it again, but this time, he switched to her neck, nibbling and suckling on the spot he was biting as he kept pounding her snatch. His ministrations were enough to tip the shipgirl over the edge; her orgasms hit her with another loud moan, and at that moment, she tightened her grip on his back, sinking her nails deeper in, and her walls began spasming even more around his strained member. His last thrusts were quick and desperate as he felt pleasure build up from his loins, and when the pain mixed with it, he groaned loudly into her neck, slowly coming to a stop as he completely spent himself inside her.
Kurama remained sheathed inside her a little longer, leaning over her disheveled figure as they both panted in exertion. After catching her breath, Kaga sat up on the table, still keeping his waist in a leglock, then looked at her hands and grimaced at seeing the red under her nails. She was ready to bet that if she glanced at his back, it would be covered in scratches.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean it," she said with an apologetic tone.
"No, it's alright; I also went too far," he replied, moving his hand to her neck and brushing his thumb on the hickeys he left on her skin. They were already taking on a darker hue, contrasting with her usual paler color. "These shouldn't take long to disappear, but the others will ask questions. It's going to be such a pain…" the man grimaced.
"We can always tell them we had a fight... literally- mn!" Kaga paused as the shipboy leaned down with his head to plant a kiss on her other shoulder. She was still basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, which made her skin extra sensitive, making her shiver under his touch.
"And what are you doing now?" Kaga asked him, clearly feeling his member, still buried inside her, slowly springing back to life.
"The damage has already been done; might as well make more," Kurama replied, following the first with a trail of more kisses and bringing his hand up to squeeze her bust.
"Mmh… maybe in a more suitable place..."
"My room?"
"Sounds good."
.
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"So their leader said she'd temporarily decrease the intensity of their attacks around the globe." Kiyomi brought a hand to her chin in thought. "Normally, I'd take this kind of information with a grain of salt, but seeing that we met zero obstacles along the way, I'd say it's believable."
"This will give us a bit more leisure to set everything up, but we still need to hurry," Nimitz mused aloud.
The three humans were inside the Commander's office, sitting on the couches around the small coffee table, and had spent most of the time talking extensively about everything that transpired during his meeting with the Sirens. Ryan brought the other two up to speed on everything they were missing, filling in the blanks his reports couldn't cover, including the latest news from the Sakura Empire about Shinano being able to communicate with the shipboys' world.
On top of that, Ryan presented them with the complete plan of action him and the flagships had devised during the days they spent discussing, and both the admiral and the chairwoman were more than impressed with the result.
"I agree, Admiral. I'll let my escort take a well-deserved rest; after that, we'll depart as soon as possible with Nagato and her retinue for the Sakura Empire," the chairwoman declared.
"Does that mean…?" Ryan tentatively asked her.
"I will allow the shipboy named Kurama to come with us back to our homeland. After that, I'll depart to report everything to my peers in the council. I trust Shinano enough to leave this matter in her hands," she declared. "But I expect them to file a complete report on the outcome without leaving anything aside, and the same goes for your eventual investigation on the Ashes' whereabouts."
"Thank you, ma'am, for putting your trust in me… us, and them," Ryan replied, trying his best to hold back the trepidation in his voice.
"One last thing," Kiyomi added, nodding to the side at Kii, who produced a paper envelope and handed it over to the Commander.
Ryan raised a questioning eyebrow as he opened the envelope, revealing a bunch of papers full of printed writing and empty lines to fill in. He recognized them immediately; those were the papers necessary to request an identification document for Kansen.
They weren't rare in and of themselves, but if the chairwoman was handing them over to him in person, it meant...
"These are for the male Kansen; whether they like it or not, I'm assigning them to your command, even if only temporarily, until the whole multiverse matter is resolved," Kiyomi said. "Follow the usual procedure, and once finalized, no one will have the right to legally prosecute them without a good reason, but don't forget to remind them that they still need to follow the chain of command. I don't want a repeat of what happened with the flagships; is that clear, Shikikan?"
"Crystal, ma'am!" Ryan blurted out.
Admiral Nimitz smiled, nodding his head with a satisfied expression on his face. "And that takes care of that; I think it's time for us elderly to take a rest, don't you think so too, Miss Tamayo?"
Kiyomi shot another glare at him. "I'm not that old, you senile-"
Her comeback was interrupted by the door slamming open to reveal a certain blue-haired cruiser on the doorstep; her sudden arrival startled the officers and the Kansen inside.
"Helena, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Ryan asked in concern.
"I… I'm so sorry for barging in all of a sudden, Commander, b-but it's important," Helena stammered, her distress evident on her face.
"Calm down, young lady; sit down here and tell us what happened." Nimitz beckoned her closer to the couch.
Helena complied, taking in a deep breath. "Commander, I was finally able to decrypt that weird signal I was getting in my head."
"Signal? What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier; I didn't want to make you worry," Helena said, hanging her head. "It's the other Helena; she's been trying to get in touch with me this entire time. She's been sending me their coordinates' location along with a request for help."
Everyone was too taken aback to respond; the first to react was Nimitz.
"Well, damn…"
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AN: And with this, the setup for the next arc is finally done! Next chapter will not only go back a few days in time but will also have a shift in pov.
The chapter after that, instead, will be an interlude. It will also be very brief and include an announcement. In short, I'll be going on a short break, but I'll explain everything there.
After that, with chapter forty, the fourth arc of the story will officially start.
Next Chapter: Ashes to the Wind