"…So, you're saying, that place was used as a place to research power cells and power adapters?" William asked Jenny.
"Yup, there's problems with trying to produce weapons and other machinery with sufficient power, output, and storage enough to sustain it for some time. Azur Lane and Crimson Axis even tried to emulate a Siren's pulse laser cannon…That ended in a building sized gun prototype, can you guess our main problem?" Jenny asked William back.
"Power related issues. We have enough to produce a sufficient amount but not the space to put the big power generator. We have enough to fire an energy weapon but no means to control it safely, and we need a method to store power for immediate use but sufficient enough so it could be used multiple times before recharging it…I think I see why this research is needed." William said to Jenny in a serious tone.
That is their basic problem, fix that and the improvement could steamroll out of the scientist's mind and ass alongside being mass produced in the factory…well, most of it. William is a firm believer that if they could solve the energy issue then the improvement would be easy to produce, most of the theories are limited mostly by that one problem. Jenny softened her gaze, she leaned in on William's desk while staring at William who wore his serious yet passive face because he struggled NOT to stare at her exposed and beautifully shaped cleavage…Oh my, was that her dog tag squeezed between two mounds of-
"…My my, commander. You know, I like intelligent men like you~?" Jenny said to William with a sultry tone.
"Ho? I'm by no means a university graduate, you know?" William asked Jenny while he narrowed his right eye.
"Doesn't matter, you immediately figured out most of the problems. That's a plus in my book-" Jenny said to William as she leaned in further.
"Ahem! We're getting off topic here, please return to our previous discussion." Hood suddenly cleared her throat then said out loud.
Jenny directed her stare toward Hood which caused her to widen her eyes. Hood looked at her with a firm gaze on her blue eyes and a little frown on her pink lips…Holy shit, that woman is jealous for sure! Jenny could see the fact that Hood didn't like her being all chummy with William here even though the man was totally fine with her acting this way. She also looked to William's left and saw Prinz who looked at her impassively, but she somehow could see the radiating red aura around her…So, because she likes to live longer, Jenny decided to stop messing around...for now.
"Is she your wife or something?" Jenny whispered toward William who widened his right eye.
"Anyway, you said you're an engineer and a tech expert. Can you figure out how to create a sufficient platform for this power generator and the power cells?" William asked Jenny…William tried to avoid this topic.
"…You do realize that I'm an engineer with combat training and took a specialized subterfuge class?" Jenny asked William while she smiled smugly.
"…Yes or no?" William asked with a half closed eye.
"Of course I could! But I just can't build it instantly, I need time to design and test the whole system first. Even though I'm not sure those people at central headquarters could create it in short notice, they would've produced something by now." Jenny said to William as she returned to her seat.
"That's probably due to different research priorities, they're currently working on something different and the priority is not with power generation theory." William said to Jenny.
"Ah well, that makes sense…So, what do you want to build first?" Jenny asked as she folded her arms.
…William rubbed on his chin, what to start? High Powered Assault Railguns (He always wants this one)? Hover Tanks? Spaceships? Orbital Weapon Platform? Faster than Light Travel? No, he's getting ahead of himself. If it were up to him on how to proceed, he'll solve the main problem first which is power source…The best they got right now is nuclear reactor and that needs an entire complex to run, have that kind of space on this island, and they certainly couldn't outfit it with the ship girls' rigging…William felt he need to consult Akashi before he even tries to mess around the girls' rigging, it's their lifeline out there, and he only wanted the best for them.
"…Can you miniaturize a nuclear reactor?" William asked Jenny after thinking for a bit.
"…Do you even know how nuclear reactors work?!" Jenny asked William as she frowned on the idea.
"Just the basics of it." William said to Jenny while he cringed a bit.
"And I could give you dozens of reasons on why miniaturizing them would be an absolute bitch of an effort, which could take an entire decade with our current technology!" Jenny said to William while she frowned.
Yikes, in ten years they wouldn't even be here to argue if this continues on! What kind of energy weapons could they create? Directed laser? Pulse laser? Plasma bolts? See? The choices are a lot, but they only have so little time…William is no expert when it comes to determining the technological advancement priority or even where humanity should go next…They agreed on creating energy weapons, but how do they make it portable? Perhaps Jenny has an idea for this one…
"…Okay, so what do you suggest?" William asked Jenny, he couldn't figure out what kind of energy weapon they could make right now.
"My suggestion? We start with something simple first. So, imagine a gun. It used a bullet to fire its projectile, but let's change the bullet into a power storage item. Let's pretend that one of those things could fire thirty…take your pick for the projectiles?" Jenny said to William while she smiled.
"Plasma bolts?" William said immediately.
"Too complicated for now but I guess that could work with the right setting and design…So, imagine one of those power storage items could provide sufficient power to arm this weapon to fire thirty plasma bolts from the contained then superheated gas which was weaponized by the power given from the item. Thirty bolts fired, kachack! Pull the slide, eject the drained item, and load another one in the chamber. It works with the same basic function as our current firearms, but the bullets are catalysts not as the projectile itself. If one magazine could fit thirty of these items, then you could get nine hundred shots before you even need to change your magazine. The best part? We only need to create those batteries and then figure out what kind of projectile we want to fire…I already got a design in mind." Jenny said as she rambled on.
…William, Hood, and Prinz stared at Jenny with mouth opened in bafflement, confusion, or amazement…They already got a design for an energy weapon, but the size was the same as a freaking building because of the power generator. Change the goal from miniaturizing a huge power generator like a nuclear reactor into a disposable small battery, then it'll be much easier to create! Even if one battery could only fire one shot, it's still heck of an improvement! William stood up from his seat, approached Jenny and shook her hands with an amazed look on his face.
"…BRILLIANT! Motherfucking breakthrough over there! I would've given you an award if I could, Jenny!" William said to Jenny while he grinned widely.
"Finally, someone who speaks my language! People would often get bored with this theoretical talk!" Jenny said to William while she also grinned widely.
"Ja, to be honest, this nerd convention still doesn't make any sense to me." Prinz said out loud while she shrugged.
"Prinz, Ms. Jenny over here just managed to propose a basic system to deliver weaponized energy payloads! It's still in theory but it could work! I'm sure with the right research, this could turn into a full-fledged weapon! Here's a number to Mrs. Diana Blaze, contact her as soon as you can. She's the head researcher for the physics and engineering section in central headquarters, explain what you just said to her, and I'm sure she could help you out. If she asks who you are, just give your name and drop mine as the one who told you to!" William said to Jenny as he sent her a contact number.
"Got it sir! Man, I'm so excited!" Jenny said to William as she grinned widely.
Jenny bolts out of William's office with her phone in record speed that puts Usain Bolt's record to shame, as soon as she's out of the room she immediately calls William's mother…William, Prinz, and Hood were left in amazement at the speed she managed to exit the room. William closed the door to his office while he smiled exasperatedly, he's not keen on keeping the door to his office open…you could never know.
"…You sure turn into a different person when you talk about stuff like that, milord." Hood commented from behind.
"I admit I am; she possesses a great theory. Now, we would only need to realize the concept." William said to Hood while he smiled.
"Do you think it's a really good idea?" Hood asked William.
"I do. Even if she still holds the rank of sergeant, she's got bright ideas. A diamond in the rough, Hood…What do you think about what she said?" William turned around then asked Hood about Jenny.
A conniving harlot who tried to seduce William, Hood felt she needed to put her foot down regarding this entire matter with…Oh, did William ask her about WHAT she said other than HOW she thought about Jenny? Hmm, honestly Hood didn't really get it about what they were talking about. She understood that the need for new weapons, and energy weapons would be a great addition to their arsenal, but she's at a loss when Jenny started talking regarding the technical details…William seems to get it though, so she's fine with it.
"If I have to be honest, I don't understand much of it. But you and her understood each other's words, I'm sure it's an improvement worthy of pursuit." Hood said to William while she smiled.
"That's…a big amount of confidence you have there." William said to Hood while smiled wryly.
"You have proven yourselves in both combat and strategy, it's only natural for me to put my trust in the commander who pulled us through multiple times." Hood said to William while she smiled.
"Have to agree with Hood, kommandant. I don't know if it'll work, but if it fails, we could learn from it and if it does work it's a direct improvement for us. That's a win-win, isn't it?" Prinz said to William.
William stared at Prinz; she spoke the truth with those words. No matter the outcome, it'll be a good thing because if it succeeded then it could be implemented immediately, and if it fails then they could always try again. William then opened his drawer, the technical details regarding the event he planned to hold in a few days. Each faction leader already received this with the exception of Bismarck…So why didn't William use his phone or something? Official business like this required a hard copy, which also meant he needed someone he could ask to be a courier.
"Yeah, you're right…Anyway, Prinz, I'd like you to hand this to Bismarck." William said to Prinz as he showed her the envelope.
"Aww, making me the delivery woman?" Prinz pouted cutely at William.
"…Fine…What do you want as a reward?" William asked Prinz, he knew this would be the outcome with her…all the time.
"…I'm free to choose?" Prinz asked William while smiled she smugly.
"Within reason, please." William said to Prinz with half closed eye as he sat down.
"Accompany me drinking tonight." Prinz immediately said to William.
"…That's it?" William asked Prinz in confusion…honestly, he expected worse.
"Ja, any problems?" Prinz asked while frowning a bit.
"No…We could go drinking tonight." William said to Prinz.
"Wunderbar~…Then, I'll see you tonight, kommandant~" Prinz said as she approached William.
She sensuously walked toward William, bent down a bit in front of him as her boobs dangled in front of William. Prinz took the envelope from William's hand in swift motion, she then proceed to walk outside the office…her hips swaying sideways like a pendulum clock as she walked out, the sways were so smooth and the jiggle was so on point that Isaac Newton could produce a 500 page book worth of physics research from the observation data alone. William couldn't take his eye off of them because he's a man for fuck sake! After the door was closed William slumped on the back of his seat.
"…Damn tease." William muttered to himself.
"It's rude to stare at a lady in such a way without her consent, milord." Hood reprimanded William, of course she would…
"Well, I can't help it if that's her intention, don't tempt a lion with fresh meat." William said to Hood in serious tone.
"Honestly…Anyway, I have taken the liberty to notify the Manjuus to start the preparation. They replied that it would take at least two days to prepare everything including the equipment, I would suggest that we should also plan our schedule." Hood said to William as she moved to his left side.
"Kongou already sorted it out, check your email." William said to Hood.
Hood cocked her eyebrows in confusion as she took out her smartphone and checked her emails, she saw one that was left unread and opened it…William was right, Kongou already did it and it was done in detail. Why was Hood unaware about this? It's not wrong for William to ask the other secretaries to do the job required, but she's supposed to handle this one.
"Milord, may I ask why I am not told regarding the completion of this schedule?" Hood immediately asked William.
"That's…probably my fault, Eldridge's kidnapping did make me forget to tell you. I'm sorry about that, I only want to lessen your burden." William said to Hood while he frowned when he just remembered something that he was supposed to do.
"I see…I understand, thank you for being thoughtful. However, please confirm everything in the future milord…I don't want any misunderstandings to happen between us." Hood said to William while she smiled.
"Noted…So, what do you think?" William asked Hood regarding the schedule.
She wasted no time inspecting the schedule that Kongou created, she carefully skimmed the contents of the document while making sure that there's no errors on the time management…Hood didn't find any errors, she smiled at Kongou's work, and she put her phone back in her pocket. Kongou was trained by the Royal Navy before her return to Sakura Empire after all, she is not surprised when Kongou could do administrative work like this easily.
"I believe it's all set. So…what do we do now? Our work is done for the day." Hood asked William.
"Sit down, let's chat." William said to Hood while he smiled.
Hood took some time to process his words before she whipped her head toward William who stared at her while smiling and expecting an answer, this would be the first time William asked Hood for afternoon tea. She wordlessly smiled and nodded her head, William got up and sat on the sofa as Hood went and joined him. Pouring the tea into two cups, William handed one to Hood who accepted it and sipped it. Well, it's not warm anymore but the taste is still there…Neither she or William bothered to get up and reheat the tea.
"Quite rare for you to invite me, milord." Hood said to William while she smiled.
"Is it? Well, I guess I've been spending too much time with Illustrious in the afternoon. Sorry to leave you out, Hood." William said to Hood while he smiled apologetically.
"It is fine milord, having you invite me today make up for all of it." Hood said to William then sipped on her tea.
"Alright." William nodded his head.
"…So, how are you today?" Hood asked William.
"Eh, I'm fine…Though, if I must say, I think I should go out to the town more…It's been a week since my last visit, I want to explore a bit." William said to Hood.
"Didn't Commander Johnson warn you about the potential of Crimson Cleanser agents being present there, milord?" Hood asked William, she narrowed her eyes.
"Well, nothing I can't han-" Williams said to Hood while shrugging.
"Bravado won't save you from a bullet." Hood immediately interjected; she won't have this one.
"…You're worried." William stared at Hood with pursed lips.
Worried? He bet his arse that Hood was worried! Did he even consult with her regarding his decision to infiltrate the facility? How she felt when she finally saw him again on the battlefield only to see him with heavily damaged armor? Despite his success in rescuing Eldridge and pulling them out from the Siren ambush he was left with bruises around his body due to multiple gunshots? How does she feel whenever William went out to the town without someone accompanying him? Call her a worrywart but he's cutting it close too many times already! His attitude regarding the event that could cost him his life was too lighthearted sometimes, Hood asked him regarding the damage to his armor yesterday and what's his answer? 'Bah, none of them could pull off a headshot well' and 'they could try harder if they want to'…Hood was tempted to tell him to knock those jokes off, but it was crowded last night with Eldridge so she held it off. Now there's only both of them, she will give him a piece of her mind.
"Of course I am! Sometimes you're taking this entire matter with them too lightly, I know you're among the best Azur Lane has and that was proven yesterday! But you can never know what will happen, just because they're not Sirens doesn't mean you can downplay the threat!" Hood said to William with a firm tone.
"…I know, they've proven it with Yuri, Michael, and Charles." William answered while he stared at the floor.
"…Oh right…Pardon me, I may have stepped out of the line." Hood said to William as she frowned a bit and looked to the side.
"…Nah don't worry you're not, it's my jest that sometimes gets out of hand…You're only worried for me, thanks for that." William said to Hood while he smiled.
…How could he forget about this!? He already thought that Hood was a worrywart to some degree, him acting recklessly only served as fuel for the fire! William remembered that Hood often checked in with him a few times a day whenever she couldn't be by his side, she cared for him that much, so he shouldn't act recklessly! If even a lighthearted remark like he said before triggered her, then it's safe to say she put up with his shit for so long that she finally had to burst…
"You know, I'm glad to have you as my secretary." William said to Hood without looking at her.
"Really?" Hood asked William.
"Yeah…You helped me a lot these past few months. You helped with paperwork, you helped with military planning, you kept me from being an arse with the budget too…Honestly, I don't know how I would do without you by my side, Hood." William said to Hood while he smiled softly.
"That sends mixed signals, milord." Hood said to William while she smiled a bit.
"You could interpret it however you like, Hood." William said to Hood while he smirked.
"Fufufufufu…Really, you used my own words against me." Hood said to William after she giggled.
"Counter attacking is an important tactic too, be sure to remember that." William said to Hood while he smiled.
"Agreed…Then, how about…a kiss? As my reward?" Hood asked William while she blushed a bit.
"…A kiss?" William asked Hood with a widened right eye.
"Mhm. A kiss." Hood said to William while she nodded her head.
…Is it just him or did Hood get bolder these days? Whoa, it's not like he minds kissing a girl as beautiful as Hood, it's just…Damn, William felt that Hood wasn't joking with this one, so he's going to be a man and fulfil her wish. He put down his tea cup, getting himself closer to Hood who also put down her tea cup while smiling. William's right hand reached out for Hood's left cheek, he touched it, caressed it feeling the softness with his palm…Hood closed her eyes, as if she's relishing the touch, her left hand reached up, it grabbed William's right hand, caressed it, and then she opened her eyes as she stared directly into his eye…William was completely mesmerized by how beautiful Hood looked like right now with her half lidded blue eyes, her pink lips were a bit apart, and she looked angelic in William's eyes right now. He knew Hood's beautiful, but man he never knew she's this beautiful up close…Both leaned closer while closing their eyes and both of them waiting for their lips to touch each other. A kiss as a show of appreciation, a fitting reward for Hood and a privilege William glad to have.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Shikikan-sama? Are you inside?" It's Shoukaku!
"Yeah." William replied out loud quickly.
The door was opened and Shoukaku came inside, she saw both William and Hood having afternoon tea with one another and staring at Shoukaku with their tea cups on their hands…That was a close one! As soon as they heard the knock, both William and Hood opened their eyes then quickly took their respective tea cups while pretending to be as normal as possible even though their hearts were beating in quick rhythm. Looks like Shoukaku didn't suspect a thing as she walked in while smiling as usual, she then sat on one of the spare couches in front of William and Hood.
"How can I help you, Shoukaku?" William asked Shoukaku.
"Yes, I came here to report our return from the regular patrol along the isle." Ah yeah, William just remembered that she led the patrol fleet for today.
"Alright. Let's hear it." William said to Shoukaku then sipped his tea.
"I'm relieved to say it's all clear, we detected no threats from all sectors and the convoy that's scheduled to arrive today managed to safely enter our waters without damage. However, a few sailors on board the civilian ships reported seeing a big black fish along the horizon around eighty four kilometers away from our base inside Sector C. Our assumption for that black fish is a Siren submarine." Shoukaku said to William.
Well as far as he knows the large fish that has a black color are orca whales and that creature's natural habitat was nowhere near this island, they could safely assume it's a Siren submarine that those sailors saw to the east of their base…Okay, William was sure that many of his ship girls were capable in performing Anti-Submarine Warfare or ASW for short. Last time he checked the base also got lots of sonar equipment and depth charges to combat them, but he plans to conserve the ship girls' combat capabilities for any potential attack those Sirens might launch in the near future…
"It's not a stretch to assume so. Did they know about the existence of this base? Wait, that's a dumb question, of course they do…Well, I don't want to expend resources unnecessarily, so I won't deploy a fleet to do investigation and hunt submarines. However, I will contact our neighbor Commander Johnson to let him know of this situation." William said to Shoukaku.
"Milord, don't we have some fuel to spare for close range submarine hunting? I believe our oil stock is almost full, we should really put it to use before our oil storage becomes full." Hood suggested to William.
"I plan to send some for Johnson's mass produced corvettes, those things are armed with depth charges and sonars and being nimble enough to chase those submarines if they need to." William said to Hood.
"Would he be willing to do your job?" Hood asked William with an unconvinced expression on her face.
"Hell, I'm giving him a job, so he won't get bored. He'll accept, trust me on that." William said to Hood then winked at her.
"If you say so." Hood replied while she smiled then sipped her tea.
"I'll trust your decision, shikikan-sama…Other than that, I would say everything is in order." Shoukaku said while she smiled.
William sounded so confident regarding the fact of Johnson's acceptance to handle this situation, well it's because William talked a bit with Johnson during his way to rescue Eldridge. Johnson said that their base has been lacking action for the past few weeks, they found nothing interesting, and it's been nothing but silence from the Sirens. So, imagine what Johnson's reaction was when William told him that he was ambushed by Siren infantries crowding the facility he was supposed to infiltrate? Not happy that's for sure, William had to promise Johnson to involve him when another Siren related issue came up. That man is itching for a fight with them yet it's not because he's a warmonger, Johnson is anxious regarding the Sirens because he and his men lacked the experience in combating them. Unlike William who has faced those things twice now, the men and women that fought the Sirens with William back on Terania went missing to this day…alongside their recording and experience…
"Perfect. Anything else?" William asked Shoukaku.
"Also…Nagato-sama and Mikasa-san requested an audience with you, milord, they are waiting in our dormitory." Shoukaku informed William.
"Okay, do you know what they want to talk about?" William asked Shoukaku as he put his tea cup on the coffee table.
"I'm afraid I have no clue, shikikan-sama. Shall I accompany you there?" Shoukaku asked William while she smiled.
"Very well. Please wait outside, Shoukaku." William said to Shoukaku after he nodded his head.
"Hai~" Shoukaku cutely responded.
Shoukaku got up, bowed a bit, then exited the room while closing the door. Hood put her tea cup on the coffee table, and she tidied up the set because it's time for them to leave the office. William headed back to his desk, he opened the drawer and took a few things from it and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Hood was done as she waited for him, she smiled somberly. William noticed her expression…She wanted that kiss so badly huh? Without any kind of words or warning, William marched to Hood as he quickly but gently reached for her left cheek with his right hand. Then he swooped in, like a dive bomber attacking a ship. Connecting his lips without any kind of reservation, William kissed her gently while caressing Hood's left cheek…The usually composed lady of the Royal Navy, the Mighty Hood was reduced from the mighty battleship and adviser to the queen into a school girl who blushed when their crush became their first kiss. William pulled his face away from Hood, he got a good look at the blushing Hood with widened eyes, and her mouth stammering as she left speechless.
"…Cute." William commented while smirked.
"I…I…" Hood failed to form any coherent sentence.
"Well, I'm leaving. Lock up the office for me, dear" William said to Hood while he smirked.
William swooped in again and this time he pecked Hood's left cheek then walked out of the office with a triumphant grin. He brought down Hood, who's known for her elegance and grace to a stammering and blushing mess, he'll call that a victory! Shoukaku tilted her head to the left in confusion when she met with William outside the office, but she shrugged as she chose not to say anything regarding the shit eating grin on his face…Hood was left standing in the middle of the office, her left hand on her left cheek as she was stunned from the act. Her legs then gave out as she kneeled on the floor...What an experience! Holy hell Hood could replay what just happened in her mind for a thousand times today! She's filled with lots of emotions right now, happiness, surprise, and embarrassment being the most prominent ones among them. Hood thought she was prepared but no amount of preparation could ready her when he did that so suddenly, she thought her heart would stop beating for a while…Hood narrowed her eyes as she stared at the door, the intensity might as well melt the office door with how hard she stared at it…Yet, she smiled when she did that.
"Sneak attacks are so unfair…" Hood muttered to herself.
…Night rolled in and guess what time it was? Yeah, William liked to keep his promise with Prinz so he walked toward Ironblood's dorm. Strolling in the evening, accompanied by dim streetlights and occasional pesky mosquitoes! William repeatedly smacked those little buggers, but they're more relentless than Zeroes dive bombing Eagle Union carriers during the Battle of Midway! William hastened his walking pace while he scowled before he finally reached the Ironblood's dormitory…A grey mansion like building in the middle of a rose garden, Ironblood dorms don't look that different from the Royal Navy's dorm. To the untrained eye that is, because there're so many little differences in its aesthetics to it. Since he's the base commander, William could casually open the front door without any reservation, and he's faced with the large hallway painted in dark red paint with a floral motif in gold. William walked in further when he was surprised that the whole building was devoid of any activity, where did those girls go? William's got a theory, so he walked toward the mess hall of the dormitory…Wait, if the girls had a mess hall in their dorms, why do they still walk to the cafeteria for food?
"…Ah, kommandant." William turned around and saw Bismarck who walked toward him.
"Bismarck, I was wondering why the dorm seems empty." William said to Bismarck as he approached her.
"Everyone is in the mess hall; we're having a little celebration after our exercise today as well as the success of our previous operation." Bismarck said to William.
"Well…I'm sorry for not holding one, we usually did it in the canteen." William said to Bismarck while he frowned a bit.
"It's fine kommandant, we understand that we are a bit busy with the preparation for the summer event" Bismarck said to William while she nodded in understanding.
"If you don't mind, can I join you ladies for tonight?" William asked Bismarck while he smiled a bit.
"By all means kommandant, we're more than glad to have you with us tonight." Bismarck replied to William.
The door was opened by Bismarck and William went wide eyed at what he saw, they could hear laughter roared inside the mess hall alongside occasional sounds of utensils clattering. William never saw how the Ironbloods celebrated but his prediction wasn't far off, he stepped inside and the girls noticed that their commander was present among them. William hasn't visited the Ironblood dormitory at night, he mostly visited them during the day so to see him here right now did surprise them a bit.
"Kommandant! Good to see you here!" Karlsruhe said out loud while she grinned.
"Come in! Come in! We got enough food to last us all night!" Konigsberg said to William while she smiled.
"Hmm, that smells delicious." William said while he smiled after the smell of food assaulted his nose.
"Believe me, the taste is even better." Tirpitz said to William while smiled a bit.
"I'll take your word for it, Tirpitz. By the way, where's Prinz?" William said to Tirpitz then asked out loud.
"Looking for me, gut aussehend?" Prinz answered to William.
The man looked sideways to the right and found Prinz seated on the bar stool with a glass of cognac in her right hand, she swirled the liquid in the glass then wiggled her eyebrows while motioning William to approach her with her left hand. Of course the bar would be Prinz's favorite hangout spot, drinking and snacking were her most favorite pastime (other than teasing people around the base).
"Why am I not surprised?" William asked Prinz with half closed eyes.
"Why should you?" Prinz asked William while smirked.
"Good point." William said to Prinz as he approached her.
"Ah-ah, first, you dine with us!" Gneisenau said to William while she smiled as she grabbed William's right arm.
"Fine. Just don't fill up his stomach too full, I need him fit for the duel tonight!" Prinz said to Gneisenau then downed her glass filled with cognac.
Gneisenau led William to one empty seat beside Scharnhorst and Z23, he sat as Z23 and Scharnhorst filled an empty plate with food and put it in front of William. Turkey, sausage, roasted bread, there's a lot of options for William to choose, but since he'd like to drink with Prinz, he thought he only should eat moderately…got to save some space for the liquid.
"You're free to choose kommandant." Z23 said to William.
"Hmm, roasted wiener?" William asked out loud as he used his fork and stabbed a sausage.
"By all means. So, what do you think?" Z23 asked William while she smiled as he munched on the sausage.
"…Bloody hell, this is delicious! So, who cooked all of this?" William asked out loud.
Almost everyone within the mess hall raised their hand upwards in response, William stared at the ship girls before he swallowed the sausage. That answered his question on how did they managed to cook so much food in a short time, they may not be the Royal Maids but their cooking product couldn't be laughed at since its deliciousness rivalled the food that usually made by Belfast and the other maids…Do all of the ship girls know how to cook?
"…Okay, brilliant work everyone." William said out loud while he smiled.
"Team effort kommandant, everyone worked this afternoon to prepare this dinner." Bismarck said to William with a glass of beer on her right hand.
"I approve, you ladies should cook more. Hey, can I have these sausages wrapped?" William asked Gneisenau who stood behind him.
"For sure, kommandant." Gneisenau said to William as she prepared to wrap the sausages.
"Hahaha! Hear that schwester? Herr Kommandant likes my weiner so much!" Scharnhorst said to Gneisenau after she laughed.
"Context, schwester Scharnhorst." Gneisenau said to Scharnhorst with half closed eyes.
"I'm glad that the stereotype about Ironblood girls can't cook is disproven, this also serves as preparation for the upcoming summer competition event." Bismarck said to William, ignoring the misleading remark that Scharnhorst said out loud.
"Nice, I believe you'll give the maid team from the Royal Navy a fierce competition." William said to Bismarck.
"We'll show them." Bismarck declared with a confident smile on her face.
After William ate the delicious dinner, he walked and met Prinz who already went through her first bottle of cognac without any problems whatsoever. William walked on the bar, picked a bottle of bourbon from the shelf filled with assortments of drinks and a glass. He put the glass on the bar table, put a large chunk of ice in it, poured the bourbon in the glass, and then raised the glass toward Prinz, and she answered it with toast using her own glass against William's, then both of them chugged down their drink.
"Welcome to Ironblood's bar kommandant. As you can see, we got lots of beverages to sate your needs or fulfill your tastes." Prinz said to William while she smiled smugly.
"And why did I just know about this is beyond me, I should visit more often." William said to Prinz then huffed.
"Ja, you should. Or better yet, maybe you should move your room here? We can have 'fun' everyday~" Prinz said to William while she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Define 'fun'?" William asked Prinz with half closed eyes.
"Take your pic…drinking? Training? Or perhaps…night battles~?" Prinz said to William in a seductive tone.
"Night battles? Why would we be busy ourselves fighting…Oh…THAT night battle." William said to Prinz as his eye widened in realization…
…Prinz just indirectly/directly dropped a bomb that she would like to do some 'bumping' with William, he was honestly surprised since Prinz was usually a lot more subtle in her approach (probably alcohol influence). William subtly stared at Prinz, she's beautiful, her boobs are bountiful, she got perfect curves on her hips, meaty thighs, and one of the greatest asses he ever saw…Honestly speaking she's very attractive, no men could resist her (except for those who worship flat chest).
"…What do you think?" Prinz asked William as she sipped her cognac.
"…Hahaha, I admit you're attractive. But-" William said to Prinz.
"Aww, is that not enough of a reason?" Prinz pouted cutely.
"I'm…not the type to do a one night stand." William said to Prinz as he shrugged and downed his glass of bourbon.
"…Let me tell you something, even though I might get killed for telling you this directly." Prinz said to William while she smiled smugly.
"Whoa, what's so dangerous about it?" William asked Prinz as he poured more bourbon to his glass.
"Do you know how many ladies here that have an 'attraction' to you?" Prinz asked William while she narrowed her eyes.
Prinz, Belfast, Hood, St. Louis, Illustrious, Shoukaku, Atago, and Zara were pretty clear on their intentions, and William honestly could deduce that these ladies…liked him. Vestal, King George V, Wales, Enterprise, Rodney, Nelson, Avrora, Formidable, Arizona, Ayanami, Z23, Kongou, Hiei, Brooklyn, Graf Zeppelin, Hornet, Cleveland, Mikasa, Takao, Zuikaku, Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Tirpitz, and Bismarck were in a grey area…They did show some signs of being interested in William, but sometimes William wasn't sure about how they actually feel. And that's not accounting for the others who might be just as interested but William hasn't noticed yet…Holy shit, the perks of living inside a base with beautiful girls.
"Honestly? I've seen several signs of it, I'm not oblivious to the signs…You included." William said to Prinz as he sipped on his bourbon this time.
"Then, do you know how many mature and hormonal ladies that are on this base? How most of their growing desires could overload at any time?" Prinz asked William with cocked eyebrows.
"…Okay, that's a lot." William grimaced at the thought...that's a lot of puss-
"Kommandant, you have to realize that it won't be long until someone makes a move on you." Prinz said to William.
Well…Prinz was a little too late on that one, Belfast already kissed him twice, he already kissed Hood this afternoon, and he suspected that the others would make their move soon…Okay, so far, it's only a kiss but what about next time? If their hands feel like exploring it won't end well, well actually it would end good, but what about the long term consequences? What if one day he's getting some action then one by one the girls barged inside to take their turns? He could die due to snu snu!
"…Someone already did huh? Is it Belfast?" Prinz immediately went to hit him on the citadel!
"…Yeah." William answered while he looked to the side.
"Well played Bel…well played." Prinz said out loud then downed the glass filled cognac…wow…
"She's not the only one." William said to Prinz while still looking to the side.
"Let me guess, Hood?" Prinz said to William, another hit to the citadel!
"Not wrong…What should I do?" William asked Prinz then downed his glass of bourbon.
"I don't think there won't be any men who wouldn't want to be in your position, kommandant…I'd say, go for it." Prinz said to William while she smirked.
"I'd say that's going to open Pandora's Box, we could never know how things would go." William said to Prinz as he poured bourbon to his glass.
Yeah, if he had to be honest, he could never know what would happen if he decided to get into a physical relationship with the girls on this base. Prinz understood regarding William's dilemma, the girls on this base could be a bit…forceful in their approach. But she thought that William didn't have any other choice, she knew William didn't have the heart to refuse the girls' advances…and she knew that William did have interest in them.
"Exactly. But sometimes all you can do is to go forward, right? Besides, I think that's the whole point of Admiral Lena's presentation…She purposely make us aware regarding sex, even though most of us didn't put too much thought on it. Now that you're here, that changes everything…" Prinz said to William while she swirled the liquid on her cognac glass.
"…Alright…I guess sooner or later everything could go out of control if I don't start responding to the situation quickly." William said to Prinz with serious expression…
"Wise move, kommandant. Your night might just be more 'enjoyable', if you do that." Prinz said to William while she smirked then licked her lips sensuously…her plan is working.
"Hmph…I just hope this won't backfire later." William snorted then drank his bourbon.
…Prinz realized one thing regarding William's hesitation, she just realized it after thinking about it for a while…First, William was raised with the mindset that he could only marry one girl. He didn't come from a noble background, those nobles were fine with marrying a woman, then having a mistress or two. William was by no means a British Lord, he's just a normal man from an average family which happens to have a former special operations soldier as a father, a renowned scientist as a mother and a talented author as his sister…Okay, maybe not so average family.
"…Kommandant, are you the type that believes in monogamy?" Prinz asked William while she frowned a bit.
"…Honestly, yeah." William said to Prinz while he shrugged, she's right regarding her hypothesis.
"…Then I'm sorry, that won't work here and you know exactly why." Prinz said to William with serious expression.
"Figures…Oh well, here's to the future filled with chaos and uncertainty." William raised his glass toward Prinz.
"Cheers~" Prinz said while she smirked, then toasted with William…
.
…A few days later, the awaited day has come. William was comfortably tucked in his blanket with the AC raring in his room, yup the big man needed a lot of time to recharge his battery before he could function for today. Ahh, what a comfortable temperature for him to sleep in despite the drops of water hitting his face…Wait, drops of water? William groggily opened his eyes, he woke up to see dark grey clouds above him…He's supposed to be in his room! Looking around, William found out that it was his room but it was trashed so much it's almost unrecognizable, the paint has worn off, the furniture was old and dusty…William's got a bad feeling about this…He got up, inspected his surroundings and himself. He somehow wore an Azur Lane forestland camouflage BDU with armor plating alongside various attachments on his torso, then he saw an unknown gun on the floor. Taking it and inspecting the gun, William could see it's a carbine sized firearm...Bullpup styled, digital camera scope, and William predicts it has around thirty rounds judging from the magazine size. William took the magazine out and saw it was filled with what appears to be 5.56mm rounds…Alright, this will do.
Taking an immediate alert stance, he exited his supposed room with gun at the ready…The hallway was deserted, William looked outside, but it's nothing save for heavy fog. Dammit, what kind of dreamland he's stuck in now? William could choose to walk out or head to his office first, he decided the office. He heard several whispering sounds and raised his gun; this is not funny in the slightest. William decided to fuck it as he walked upstairs and arrived on his office, he tried to open it but it's locked. William shrugged as he raised his leg, then kicked the door down…The door broke down, revealing the room to him. The inside of it was an exposed office room as if its ceiling was blown off, the desk was split into two and the sofas were upturned. William walked further in and looked outside to see that the heavy fog still obstructed his view of the base. All of a sudden, he saw a blue flash moved quickly in front of him inside the fog, and William instinctively raised his weapon.
"Oi." Someone suddenly said out loud.
William turned around with his carbine pointed toward someone behind him, without any other warning William was choked by someone…again. William saw who choked him, a humanoid cladded in black scaly armor with slanted glowing blue visor. William instinctively squeezed the trigger for the gun and fired the carbine one handed toward the creature's head, the bullets certainly made contact with it but after expending thirty 5.56mm rounds towards it? The helmet looked unscathed…William widened his eye in response, William used the carbine and smacked it to the creature's head which didn't do much except for breaking the carbine…he's in serious trouble right now.
"Hmm…Relentless." The creature said out loud in a filtered voice.
That creature threw him off the building, William landed on his back and despite the pain it gave him he immediately rolled back. Shit! He got no other weapons on him except for the combat knife. William took out the blade from its sheath, held it, prepared his stance and set himself for melee combat. The fog was still thick as hell, and William couldn't even see past for five meters in front of him…Focusing everything on his hearing, William took on all sounds near him…The smooth wind, the sound of waves in the distance, and footsteps? Alright you bastard, come closer! William is ready to fight! The footsteps got louder and William turned around with the knife swinging, however his right hand was caught by that creature.
"Attentive." The creature said out loud in a filtered voice.
Using his left hand, William jabbed the creature straight in the head and it worked as it recoiled. The grip on William's right hand loosened a bit, William freed his right hand and tried to stab the creature in the neck. The creature noticed as it blocked William's swing, the creature also launched a left hook. William backstepped then launched a hard swing with his left leg which the creature grabbed, but it was followed up by William spinning on air with his left leg as anchor and then using his right leg to hit the creature. The creature's head swayed a bit and it slammed William to the ground as an answer to that move which resulted in him losing his knife, damn that was painful!
"…Cunning." The creature said out loud in a filtered voice.
William coughed as watched the creature raised its right fist and brought down upon him who moved his head to dodge the strike. He immediately grabbed the creature's arm and lifted it up, damn this thing is heavy! William lifted the creature and smacked it to the ground, William quickly mounted the downed creature as he managed to land his right fist at the creature's face. William felt intense pain on his right hand, he just struck a metal helmet with his bare hands! What a dumbfuc-
"Tenacious." The creature said out loud in a filtered voice.
The creature got up and threw William off of him, he landed and set his stance for unarmed combat…William didn't know a single thing of what's going on right now, all he knows is that whatever this creature is, it's dangerous as heck. The creature however didn't set any stance, it only walked forward a bit before it looked at William as if it's inspecting him. William's getting anxious, what will it do? It doesn't show any signs of trying to attack him at all…
"…You'll do." The creature said to William in a filtered voice.
"…Do? For what?" William asked the creature; he didn't lower his stance even for a bit.
"To fight the Sirens…You'll do." The creature said to William in a filtered voice.
"Huh? How can you be so sure!? Not even I believe I could put a meaningful dent on them!" William said to the creature while he narrowed his eye.
"Believe me when I say this, you are capable…The ship girls are the key, don't forget that." The creature said to William in a filtered voice.
…William gasped as he opened his eyes and found himself in his room…his real room. William regulated his breathing as he scanned the room for anything suspicious or out of place, he found nothing and he laid back down on his bed. Seriously, what the hell was that dream? Premonition? What about that creature wrapped in black scaly armor? It looked like the Siren Infantry he fought several times before, but it can talk? Sheesh, just as William's about to ask that thing regarding-
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Master, pardon my intrusion." It's Sheffield.
Sheffield opened the door to William's room; she saw William already awake then curtsied at him. Usually, Belfast was the one who came to wake William up, but if it's Sheffield or the other girls then that means Belfast was quite busy…With the activity they're about to do it's safe to assume that Belfast would be unavailable for today, Sheffield waited by the nightstand as William sat on his bed while rubbing his right eye.
"…Morning Sheffield." William greeted her.
"Good morning, master." Sheffield said to William while she bowed a bit.
"How's everyone doing?" William asked Sheffield.
"The maids are busy doing last minute checks and adjustments for today's event, Belfast has asked me to wake you up and help you prepare for the day…As for the schedule, you should be ready by eight o'clock, then you will wait for the guests' arrival." Sheffield explained to William.
"Pretty simple one." William commented as he got up from bed.
"I purposely simplified it, so your bedridden brain could understand it easily." Sheffield said to William as she closed her eyes.
"…Thanks?" William said to Sheffield in unsure tone while he smiled wryly.
He wasn't sure whether that's a sarcastic jab or a downright insult, but oh well…William stretched for a bit, loosening his joints and warming up his muscles. He quickly hit the bathroom for a morning shower, cleaned himself, combed his hair, and dressed himself with a t-shirt and boxers. He got out of the bathroom to find Sheffield already prepared his clothes for today, quickly equipping his uniform with Sheffield's help, the both of them left William's room in less than fifteen minutes since Sheffield came inside. William walked inside his office, he found Souryuu inside the room…Wait, Souryuu?
"Ah, shikikan-sama." Souryuu said to William.
"Souryuu, what can I help you with?" William asked Souryuu while he smiled a bit.
"I need you to view these papers regarding the manifest for today's event items, the items will arrive in fifteen minutes according to the schedule that the Manjuus gave us." Souryuu said as she held several papers on the clipboard that she carried with her.
"From High Command?" William asked Souryuu as he went inside the room.
"Hai." Souryuu replied while she nodded her head.
"Master, what about your breakfast?" Sheffield asked William.
"Please bring it here." William said to Sheffield.
"Understood, master." Sheffield said to William while she bowed a bit.
Sheffield left the room as William proceeded to sit in his office chair, he viewed the papers regarding what High Command sent them for this event. Let's see…all of this were box of clothes? Wait, is this the uniform that they're going to use for today's event? There are labels for the clothes too, but no indication on what's inside. The manifest didn't give any description for the clothing but the boxes were already sorted based on the events that will be held, it will be prepared accordingly by the Manjuus too…
"Souryuu." William called his secretary.
"Hai?" Souryuu responded to William.
"Who gave you this?" William asked Souryuu.
"By email, shikikan-sama. It was sent from High Command through our usual channel." Souryuu said to William.
"Then it could be anyone in Central Headquarters…This might make me sound paranoid, but please contact the Manjuus and double check the boxes." William said to Souryuu with a serious expression on his face.
"Right away, shikikan-sama." Souryuu said to William.
…By nine o'clock in the morning…Breakfast was done, manifest check was done, other administrative nonsense was cleared, it's time for them to proceed with today's event…For those of you who don't know, William was given a suggestion to hold a summer event dedicated to strengthening the relations between all sides on the base and who doesn't love a good competitive event between the ship girls with a history of…Now that William thought about it, this event would backfire horribly if he let the girls let loose too much. So, the event will be going for three days with lots of competition events, this will be one heck of a summer for William ever since high school summer camp. The preparation was complete, now they would only need to wait for the guests to arrive. Not long after William thought that, the main gate for the base was opened by the Manjuus as a- LIMOUSINE?! WHAT THE FUCK?! William thought that the guests would use SUVs, but he never thought that they would use a limo! Anyway, the limousine was escorted by several gray colored Humvees with Azur Lane Elite Guard Units riding inside them.
The convoy entered the base and slowly approached William who stood in front of the administrative building with his secretaries flanking him, the girls also crowding around to greet the arrival of their guests. The convoy stopped in front of William, the limousine being directly in front of him…The rear door was opened, several men wearing suits came out of the limousine. William knew who those people were, they must be Azur Lane Intelligence Agency Secret Service. Now, compared to Eagle Union's CIA these people were saints, but William still didn't trust them as he secretly ordered the Manjuus to guard the restricted areas and keep a close eye on these outsiders…After the guards and the escorts disembarked, someone stepped out of the limousine, and it was Lena who smiled as she walked toward William.
"Fancy seeing you here." William commented to Lena.
"I wouldn't want to miss this one, had to blackmail my way to be allowed to come with them." Lena said to William while she smirked.
"Oh my…" Illustrious said out loud with a hand covering her mouth.
"Ms. Illustrious, I was joking. No need to worry." Lena said to Illustrious while she smiled.
"…So, where's that wanker?" William asked Lena.
"He'll be out momentarily…Also, you still haven't forgiven him?" Lena asked as she looked back toward the limousine.
"I did. But that still doesn't excuse him for being a bastard." William said to Lena.
"Sheesh Will!" Lena said to William while she frowned.
The next person came out of the limousine and just like everyone predicted, it was Lucas who wore his blue officer uniform while looking around the area while smiling, and his personal secretary who put on her best professional face. The secretary had long jet black hair with emerald eyes, she wore the same uniform as Lena. Lucas then walked ahead to meet William and Lena, the ship girls around them tensed for a bit since the High Commander of Azur Lane himself descended to their base. They need to put on a good impression, none of the girls want to tarnish William's name.
"William!" Lucas said to William in an excited tone while he walked with open arms.
"Lucas…" William only gave a halfhearted response.
"Come on! Don't be so cold to me! I thought we made up with each other?" Lucas said to William while he smiled widely.
"Last time we met you-" William was about to retorted.
"Milord." Hood said to William in a firm tone from his backside.
William looked back to see Hood shaking her head sideways a bit, she clearly disapproved of William's attitude toward their High Commander. Sighing as he massaged his left temple, William resolved himself to put up with whatever nonsense this man in front of him might come up with. For additional information, William was already uncomfortable with Lucas' grand plan, but his attitude toward William also changed as the man tried to befriend William actively…Naturally, William put on his maximum defense and guard around him with Lucas encroaching upon his territory.
"Fine. Welcome to the base Lucas, I hope you're here not to mess around?" William asked Lucas with half closed right eye.
"What are you saying? Of course I'm here because of the competitive event. I look forward to the amazing show." Lucas said to William while he smiled.
"Good." William simply responded.
"Also, we brought a plus two with us." Lucas said to William in a nonchalant tone as he looked back to the limousine.
"I see…Wait, plus two?!" William double backed as he stared at Lucas.
The limousine door was still open and from the inside two other people came out, William widened his right eye when he saw who it was. A man with shoulder blonde hair, icy cold blue eyes, an intimidating gaze, and dressed in a black and red uniform. There's a woman behind him with equally blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, crimson colored eyes, beautiful as hell, and dressed in the same uniform albeit skimpier, and she wore a thigh length skirt instead of black slacks. These two were the Crimson Axis Council Chairman and his personal secretary…William smiled as he looked at Lucas who also looked at him.
"What a surprise…You son of a cunt." William said to Lucas while he smiled, despite the tick mark on his forehead.
"Well technically, I was born from a cunt so you're not that far off." Lucas said to William while he smiled smugly.
"Enough, both of you." Lena suddenly said out loud from behind them.
Lena pinched both William and Lucas by their sides which resulted in two of them jolting in shock, a silent agreement/ceasefire was encoded by their stares, and they nodded at each other as the seal of agreement…The chairman walked toward William while keeping his firm gaze, as if measuring William immediately as soon as he laid his eyes on him. William walked forward to greet the chairman, William offered his right hand, and the chairman grabbed it before shaking it firmly.
"William Blaze, I presume?" The chairman asked William.
"Correct. Welcome to the base, sir…" William said to the chairman.
"Erich Von Sternberg. But please, call me Erich." The chairman said to William.
"Very well, your liege…And you are, milady?" William asked the secretary.
"Theresa Gunther, pleased to meet you Kommandant Blaze." Theresa said to William while she smiled a bit.
"Well met…Shall we head for the meeting room?" William asked both Erich and Theresa.
"By all means." Erich said to William.
William led the VIPs to the conference room inside the command center, Hood and Belfast stood by his side while the other secretaries dispersed to prepare for the event. The VIPs and William had to discuss several things first before they could proceed with the event, everyone took their respective seats with William being flanked by Belfast and Hood, Lucas being flanked by Lena and his secretary, and Erich sitting beside his secretary. Suffolk, Sheffield, and Kent walked inside carrying trays full of refreshments such as cakes and drinks. Then, they talk about the event while enjoying the refreshments…William explained what the events would be, technical details with Belfast, and planning elaboration with Hood. Both high commanders have agreed to stay on the base for three days; they will sleep in the administrative building's spare guest rooms while the soldiers, and the secret service could return and stand by Johnson's base. Why? Because the ship girls themselves were the ultimate protection in one packaging these VIPs are going to get, they won't need additional ground forces.
"Commander William, is there any possible issue that might come up during this event?" Erich asked William.
"Well, there's two possibilities. One, the Sirens attack us in a sneaky beaky like way during the event. Two, the ship girls fighting amongst themselves will be the demise of this base…your pick?" William asked Erich while he smiled bitterly.
"Sirens." Lucas said to Erich.
"Agreed." Erich said to Lucas.
Welp, William guessed that these two didn't know the full might of ship girls going on a rampage and how many close calls William had to defuse within a week. Since experience is the best teacher, William opted to let these two experiences it for themselves. Hood checked her wristwatch and saw that it's almost time for them to start the opening ceremony. The ship girls must've been waiting for them to complete this formality meeting…
"Milord, I believe it would be best to begin the event right away. It's almost nine o'clock." Hood advised William.
"Yeah, you're right… Day one, opening ceremony, assortments of athletic games for the whole day, and buffet dinner by night." William said to the two high commanders who nodded their heads.
"Let's get going then." Lucas said to William while he smiled.
"But wait. One more thing I want to ask, we receive lots of boxes filled with what appears to be clothes. High Command was the one who sent it for this particular event, care to explain?" William asked Lucas while he folded his arms.
"Ah that, I've been thinking that in order for this whole event to succeed we need more…immersions." Lucas explained to William.
"Immersion?" William asked Lucas with cocked eyebrows.
"Yes. So, each of those events would be perfect if the girls wore the suitable uniforms in those boxes." Lucas said to William while he grinned.
"Uniforms? Wait, so if the first event for today is an assortment of athletic games. You mean what's inside those boxes are school PE uniforms?!" William asked Lucas with widened right eye.
"Putting it bluntly, yes...To be specific, the ones from the Sakura Empire. You know, those shirts and tight bloomers?" Lucas asked William while he wiggled his eyebrows twice.
Hood put on her usual elegant smile despite what she heard and Belfast kept her composed professional face at all costs, William on the other hand had his jaw dropped alongside Lena who apparently wasn't told about this at all. Erich stared at Theresa and vice versa, both of them weren't well versed on this kind of culture but they are certain that it's quite outrageous to some degree based on William's and Lena's expression. William and Lena knew Lucas could be unpredictable with his executive decisions sometimes, but who would predict this perverted fuck to do this?!
"Lucas…Don't tell me when it's time for beach volleyball on the second day…" Lena asked Lucas as she facepalmed.
"School swimsuits!" Lucas said to Lena while he smiled innocently.
"Cooking competition?" William asked Lucas while he frowned.
"Maid clothes!" Lucas said to William while he smiled innocently.
"…War games?" William asked Lucas in a dreaded tone.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous Will" Lucas said to William while he waved his hand dismissively.
"Phew…at least he still had-" William sighed in relief and muttered.
"Have you ever played 'that' particular doujin game with girls wearing BDUs?" Lucas suddenly asked William.
BRAK!
William smacked the table in front of him while he groaned in frustration while Lena struggled to hide her reddening face in shame, this is an event that will be held in collaboration with Crimson Axis representative who's got zero fucking clue regarding the stunt that Lucas just pulled! Honestly, this is out of line in all directions…Lena chose to give up, she would not be the one who will fix this clusterfuck that could result with Lucas getting an earful from the finance department. William however sighed before he looked at Lucas…
"…Tell me honestly, what do we get by 'participating' in this outrageous plan of yours? If I'm going to expose my ship girls to a dangerous degenerate like you, I must make sure that we would receive extremely handsome compensation before proceeding." William asked Lucas while he scowled.
"I will give you seventy five percent extra funds starting next month, direct approval for base expansion without additional cost, and a promise to be the first one who will get our newest equipment and research result effective immediately." Lucas said to William immediately with a serious expression.
"You son of a bitch, I'm in." William said to Lucas with serious expression.
Now Hood stared at William with widened eyes, Belfast put a hand over her gaping mouth, and Lena looked at William as if he had grown another head. Did William just seriously agree to this for the sake of their base improvements?! If they had to admit, the base does need additional funding but to go along with that plan as the requirement? Hood stared at Belfast as if asking whether William's breakfast was spiked with something, Belfast frowned a bit as her answer…
"…Belfast." William suddenly said to Belfast.
"Yes master." Belfast answered to William.
"Brief the ladies…I want them to be prepared for this nonsense they're about to face." William said to Belfast with serious expression.
"As you command, master." Belfast said to William as she bowed a bit then left the room.
Belfast closed the door before she frowned, oh she wasn't sure how the ship girls were going to take this news. Few of them who were 'bold' to 'borderline shameless' might not mind with this change regarding the outfits they have to wear during the events, she felt bad for those who were naturally shy…Regardless, orders are orders and Belfast intended to carry out her master's order to the fullest. She quickly notified everyone with her phone to gather at the academy conference room, this briefing will be hectic for sure.
"…Are you sure about this, milord?" Hood asked William while she whispered at him.
"If this is what we have to do for our improvement, then all we have to do is to go through it like usual." William said to Hood while he whispered back,
"…I hope you're right, milord." Hood said to William with half closed eyes.
"…I hope I'm right too, Hood." William said to Hood with half closed eye as well.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement, Will." Lucas said to William while he smiled.
"No touching or I will kick your ass out of this base! Not even your rank as high commander will save you from me!" William said to Lucas while he scowled.
"Don't worry! I got manners!" Lucas said to William while he grinned.
"…I have to be honest, admiral…Your commanders are either insane or eccentric, no wonder your forces are quite hard to beat and reckless…" Erich said to Lena in an astonished tone.
"…Welcome to Azur Lane, I guess." Lena said to Erich before she sighed hard then facepalmed for the umpteenth time today.
Updated: 03-11-2021 (Beta Readed by Culture-Hunt3r)
Phew, done for this one, sorry if it's a bit shorter than usual as I have to focus with my field practice so…not much time to write currently. Despite that though, I'd like to thank you dear readers for the follows, favorites, and the lovely reviews! Let me know your thoughts and uh, I might be a bit too rushed in releasing this one so if you find any issues don't hesitate to tell me alright? I'll get the next chapter done hopefully still during January…
Until next time!
- Dasmara