Commander Blaze, a front line commander story

by Dasmara

Meet William Blaze, a veteran who royally screwed his last mission and was thrown into prison. But when The Sirens invaded, Azur Lane High Command need him once more and so he is reinstated. His new job? Command the beautiful ship girls and give The Sirens big F you in the face. Join them as William balanced his daily life between dealing with the girl's antics and killing Sirens.

13. Fan service or some horse shit!

"Afternoon ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today in order to begin this event that shall be known as Friendly Summer Memories! This event is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between us all, for three days you're going to compete with each other, learn with each other, and be friendlier with one another too! This event might focus on competition, but through that competition you can see how capable your allies are! You will learn to respect each other, and you will value each other more! This is a straight friendly competition, no riggings allowed during the matches, and those who break the rules…shall be subjected to a punishment that we've prepared, so play nice!" William said out loud in front of a large mass of ship girls.

…Those words that William spoke of would be thrown out of the window as soon as the competition started, he could guarantee that. But at least he tried to be direct and gave them instructions on what to do, then he would only need to handle whatever conflict that might happen during the event…God, he felt drained just at the thought of it. William glanced to his right side and saw Belfast who subtly tapped her left wrist which functioned as a code to 'finish quickly' to William, he looked toward the ship girls again and he smiled a bit.

"For today, we will hold an assortment of athletic competitions! Since the number of ship girls between each faction is unbalanced, all of you will be sorted and grouped into four primary groups named Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omega. In each event or game, you will rack up points for your team and become the top lead...The group that wins this event? Will receive a grand prize sponsored directly by the High Commander of Azur Lane and the Chairman of Crimson Axis!" William said to the ship girls while he smiled.

The ship girls oohed in intrigue and excitement, well that shall serve as the motivation for the girls to compete in this event. Both Lucas and Erich agreed to provide a reward fitting for the winning team, but no one except both of them know what the rewards are. William nodded his head to Belfast who stood on the left side of the stage, and she nodded her head in return. Belfast then contacted someone on the radio, and Edinburgh alongside Suffolk came toward the stage while they carried a box and a tablet.

"Now, you will draw a slip from the lottery box! There are two options, white means you're a member of the team with the team name already written on the slip or red which means you're the leader of that team! Best of luck to you and see you during the event! Now, line up ladies!" William said out loud to the ship girls.

"You sure this will divide the power evenly between each team?" Lena asked William from his right side.

"Of course not, we're relying on blind luck over here…unless somehow the box has been rigged or something." William said to Lena with half closed eyes.

"…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Lena said to William while she frowned.

"…Thanks for jinxing it." William said to Lena while he frowned back.

"You're the one jinxing it first." Lena said to William in a dreaded tone.

"Double jinx then, holy shite." William said to Lena with a half closed eye.

…It took around half an hour for the team to be sorted and the result was…okay? Alpha Team was led by Prinz, Beta Team was led by Formidable, Delta Team was led by Zara, and Omega Team was led by Kongou...William and Lena cringed a bit when they looked at the list on the tablet that William held, this is not going to go well. William looked again to see that the girls already lined up with their respective teams and the leaders stood at attention…

"Alright! You got your teams, now we will give you thirty minutes to conduct strategy meetings and change your clothes…then we will commence the first event for today!" William said out loud.

.

…William, The VIPs, and few ship girls who have been chosen as the committee for the event arrived at their first competition event location which is spare land at the docking area. The place has been converted into a makeshift track for running painted white by the Manjuus, even now a few of the Manjuus were still doing their final checks before they cleared off the area and stood by to the side.

"...Baton Relay huh? Never a fan of it." Lena said out loud while she smiled a bit.

"You're never a fan of outdoor activity, Lena. That's why you joining the military was the surprise of a lifetime." William said to Lena while he sneered at her.

"Well, you're the one to blame regarding that!" Lena said to William while she scowled.

"Me?! What do I have to do with that?!" William asked Lena in a surprised tone.

"Hey hey, save the extra energy alright? We have a long day ahead!" Lucas said to both of them while he smiled.

""Stay out of this, old man!"" William and Lena said to Lucas while they scowled at the same time.

"Whoa okay! Damn, you two are in sync even when fighting each other." Lucas said out loud while he backed up with his hands raised.

Lucas left William and Lena to argue with each other while the ship girls accompanying them smiled in exasperation, he approached Erich who stared to the sea from the seat that was prepared for the judges and spectators. Lucas noticed that their respective secretaries were currently talking to each other near the running track, he could see that both of them wore either tired or exasperated look. Ah, looks like both of them found something in common. Lucas shrugged as he stood by Erich's left side and stared out toward the sea.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Lucas asked out loud.

"Ja, always like to stare out since I was a little boy…The port at Hamburg, it never gets old...Tell me something Lucas, how did you feel when you discovered the Sirens for the first time?" Erich asked Lucas without looking toward him.

"Technically I'm not the one who discovered them, our first encounter with them happened over-" Lucas said to Lucas while he smiled.

"Stop stalling and answer me, Lucas." Erich said to Lucas while he frowned.

"…I was afraid, an entire fleet wiped off, and it took significant resources to hide the truth from the public's eyes…I got this feeling of witnessing the end of an era, or the world we know of back then. But I'm prepared to fight to the end, I will make sure that this world would remain existing for her…And for that, I had to be the man she hated. In order to protect her happiness, I have to be hated by her…and I'm okay with that." Lucas said to Erich while he smiled somberly.

…Lucas couldn't forget the first time a report came to central headquarters, it was regarding the sighting that was confirmed as unidentified floating objects over the Southern Atlantic. Azur Lane immediately dispatched an expeditionary fleet as a contingency; that fleet was wiped off the face of the earth within five minutes. Lucas could still remember each ship within the fleet sunk, they all sunk mostly because of ship girls…Siren ship girls. Since then, he vowed to fight those creatures. He will fight them in order to secure their future. Lucas knows he just witnessed the arrival of doom; Earth won't stand a chance if they let the Siren run rampant…

Things got even worse during the Great War with Crimson Axis, he deduced that's how he slowly lost it with himself. The Sirens might only send small teams or a few ships during the war, most of the jobs were carried out by Crimson Axis but even so that small force always wiped them off…that's why information regarding them wasn't available during the war. They are losing the fight, until ship girls come to existence and help them win against the Sirens and halt Crimson Axis advances...That buys them some time and possibly gives them hope to defeat whatever spawn of evil that the Sirens are.

"By her, you mean your ex-wife?" Erich asked Lucas as he sat down.

"...Who knows." Lucas said to Erich as he sat down too.

"Hmm? If it's not her then…" Erich muttered to himself.

That's what caused his ex-wife to divorce him, the combination of every mess that happened for the past five years. But Lucas chose not to dwell on that thought further because he saw William and Lena arrive at their position with neutral expressions, both of them sat beside each other while talking about something that Lucas couldn't quite figure out what. He heard 'kiss' 'ship girls' 'night battle?' and 'many more'…Lucas smirked devilishly; oh, it's happening quite faster than he expected. It won't be long until-

"Lucas, no cameras." William suddenly said to Lucas.

"…Aww, I was hoping to add it to my album." Lucas pouted cutely which caused William to look disgusted at him.

"No. Means. No." William said to Lucas in a firm tone.

"…He has an album for that kind of shit?" Lena muttered with a horrified look on her face.

"Anyway, here they come." Erich said out loud.

Dozens of ship girls approached the area they were on, they gathered at the area as they waited for further instructions, and for the Manjuus to finish preparing the track. In that time, William felt himself enter a whole new world and with a new fantastic point of view as he felt he'll be busy searching for the category cosplay on the forbidden website tonight…William entered the zone, a condition where you're so focused at what you do that the world around you is irrelevant because of the beauties in front of you.

"Umm. This is a bit…tight." Enterprise said to herself.

"What are ya saying sis? This uniform is quite liberating to move around!" Hornet said to Enterprise while she smiled at Enterprise.

"Come on Helena, it's not that bad, right?" St. Louis asked Helena while she smiled.

"B-B-But, Lou!" Helena said to St. Louis while she blushed.

"Grrr…this is embarrassing." Honolulu said while she grumbled to herself.

"Oh dear…I think I should wear a bigger t-shirt…this one is a bit uncomfortable." Illustrious said to herself.

"These pants are a bit too short don't you think, George?" Wales asked George to her side.

"As the Royal Knights, this much shouldn't embarrass you, my little sister." George said to Wales while she smiled confidently.

"Well…I could see why Sakura Empire issued this cloth for their Physical Education class." Hood commented to herself.

"Rodney! Seriously, I should blast the head of whoever that thought this is a good idea to implement! Bloody perverts!" Nelson said to Rodney with red cheeks.

"Now now sister, I think that won't be a good idea. What if it's the chairman himself who has the idea?" Rodney said to Nelson while she smiled.

"Not bad…I might keep this for later use~" Prinz commented while she smiled smugly.

Enterprise was busy checking her school PE uniform, Hornet smiled as she warmed up herself, St. Louis was trying to calm Helena down who fidgeted while she blushed at the same time, Honolulu covered her face while she grumbled about something, Illustrious fidgeted since her clothes were a bit tight on her chest area, Prince of Wales' cheeks reddened a bit at the shortness of her bloomer, King George V still had her usual confident pose, Hood didn't seemed to be embarrassed as she fixed her bloomer pants, Nelson argued about something with Rodney who smiled while she tapped Nelson's shoulders, Prinz walked sensuously, and…what about the others?

"…This doesn't really accentuate my butt, isn't it?" Formidable said as she checked her…rear part.

"Mou…it's uncomfortably tight to be honest." Kongou said out loud as she looked at her clothes.

"Um…can I use my usual clothes?" Vestal asked out loud while she walked.

"This is somewhat…embarrassing." Tirpitz said behind Bismarck while she kept close to her.

"Don't be schwester, it's alright, no need to be embarrassed." Bismarck said to Tirpitz while she smiled reassuringly.

"I always want to try this outfit once; the bloomer is a bit tight though." Shoukaku said to Zuikaku while she smiled.

"Hai, but mine is quite fine Shoukaku nee. Maybe that had to do with your bigger butt?" Zuikaku asked Shoukaku while she stared at her own ass.

"…Do you really want to be punished that badly, Zuikaku?" Shoukaku said to Zuikaku with a menacing smile plastered on her face.

"My, I could already imagine what kind of 'play' I could use with this." Atago muttered while she smiled widely.

"This might need some time to get used to." Takao said out loud.

"…Is this the biggest size they got?" Zara asked out loud.

Formidable checked her rear part constantly, Kongou frowned a bit at the tightness of her clothes, Vestal smiled awkwardly while she rubbed her left arm, Arizona hid behind Pennsylvania while she looked around the area, Bismarck kept her composure while Tirpitz looked at few other girls, Shoukaku and Zuikaku talked to each other about their bloomers, Atago smiled confidently, Takao fidgeted to get used to the clothes and Zara was…wow! Her clothes didn't fit well and it exposed her belly for the world to see! The rest of the girls? The clothes didn't look out of place with them…Not too sexy nor awkward, perfect and beautifully fit!

"…Sweet hallelujah! Bless those who invented bloomers! Ah, grown women wearing school PE uniforms is a true masterpiece!" Lucas said out loud while he grinned perversely.

"…Okay…Now I understand why Lucas wanted to do this…" William said out loud while he frowned and rubbed his chin at the same time.

"…Well, not me. I understand that they looked strangely…sexy. Is this what guys are into?" Lena asked out loud while she frowned a bit.

"We got a live one right beside me." William said to Lena while he threw his left thumb toward Lucas.

"I see…They do look charming. I approve." Erich said out loud while nodding his head.

Takao and Atago walked a bit to the front of them, Takao dropped her towel on the ground behind her, and Atago seems to have found something on the ground that she missed. Both of them turned around and bent over at the same time, Lucas, William, and Erich unconsciously leaned their bodies forward on their seats while looking all serious at two beautiful asses being presented in front of them. Strong wind blew at the dock and Zara's clothes raised upwards that exposed her large breasts cladded in a black bra, an event so gorgeous that caused the three men on the judging seats to lean even further on their seats with narrowed gazes. Prinz stretched herself to warm up and accentuated her breasts alongside her ass which caused the three of them to hold on to the desk in front of them due to leaning too far, Lena looked to her sides before she sighed in exasperation…

"Men…hah." Lena muttered to herself then she sighed.

"Well sorry for being normal!" Lucas said to Lena while he frowned.

"Gather around everyone! The event is about to begin!" Belfast said out loud to the ship girls.

"…Alright! This competition is called the baton relay! I figured you girls know what to do already and the fact that each team requires four people! So, get your representatives out now! 1st Place will receive 100 points, 2nd is 75 points, 3rd is 50 points while 4th is 25 points! Make sure to get your team's best runners out there!" William said out loud to the girls.

"Hi everyone! Welcome to the first competition for the Friendly Summer Memories Event! My name is Helena McAllen but please call me Lena, I'll be your commentator for today alongside my co-commentator and analyst in one, our dear William Blaze beside me! We also serve as your judges, but don't worry, we will be impartial with our decisions!" Lena said out loud with the microphone in front of her.

"Good to be here Lena! Honestly, I figured this event would be a great idea from the start when I was recommended to hold one, despite some hijinks with the communication between us and High Command regarding the outfits for this event I'd say it turned out quite well! Only god knows how this end though because we might just have one of the fiercest competitions on Earth ever in a moment! This might as well have rivaled the Olympics! I'm dearly excited to see this through!" William said out loud with the microphone in front of him, Lucas looked at William with cocked eyebrows.

The girls quickly set up their representatives, the judges, which consisted of William, Lena, Lucas, and Erich, sat as they waited in anticipation. Team Alpha sent out Warspite, Avrora, Ayanami, and Z23. Team Beta sent out Formidable, Hood, Bismarck, and Cleveland. Delta Team sent out Takao, Sheffield, Baltimore, and Scharnhorst (Holy shit, the advantage Delta Team has!). Lastly, Omega Team sent out Carabiniere, Gneisenau, Tirpitz, and Zuikaku. Each of them lined up on their respective positions inside the track, all according to the strategy that each team had agreed upon before...The first line up was Warspite, Cleveland, Takao, and Gneisenau. Second line up was Avrora, Bismarck, Sheffield and Zuikaku. Third lineup was Z23, Hood, Baltimore, and Tirpitz. Fourth line up was Ayanami, Formidable, Scharnhorst, and Carabiniere…Team Alpha had a red baton, Team Beta had a blue baton, Team Delta had a yellow baton, and Team Omega had a green baton. Everything was set, they were ready for the competition.

"Everyone ready?" Belfast asked the committee members on the radio.

"Souryuu, ready over here." Souryuu said to Belfast on the radio.

"E-Edinburgh here, I'm in position Bel." Edinburgh said to Belfast on the radio.

"Suffolk here Madam Belfast, I'm ready." Suffolk said to Belfast on the radio.

"Hipper here, let's get this over with." Hipper said to Belfast on the radio.

"Langley here Ms. Belfast, we're set." Langley said to Belfast on the radio.

"Excellent…On your mark! Get set!" Belfast said out loud.

Belfast who stood beside the starting line fired her wrist cannon equipped with blank rounds upwards and the first line up immediately sprinted forward, Warspite, Cleveland, Takao, and Gneisenau dashed forward as fast as they could. Warspite despite being a battleship proved to them that she's not to be messed with in a speed contest, Cleveland ran forward with a smile on her face, Gneisenau put on her war face as she dashed forward as if she's a destroyer, and Takao didn't hold anything back while she sprinted. The spectators chanted their support as loud as they could, the atmosphere on site heated up within seconds.

"Oh! What a great start! Cleveland and Takao immediately went for the lead with their speed! That seems to be a fierce competition with no clear victor! Warspite and Gneisenau are not that far behind them both, surprising when considering Warspite and Gneisenau classified as battleships! What are your thoughts, Will?" Lena asked William with the microphone.

"It's to be expected that the cruisers would be in the lead, but Gneisenau and Warspite managed to stay close to them! Is it because they didn't equip their rigging for this one? That's certainly a plausible theory. Does that mean the ship girls would be roughly equal if they didn't equip their riggings?" William asked out loud with the microphone.

"Well, I won't assume anything just yet Will, this would be the proving ground for that theory though! Twenty if it's not?" Lena asked out loud with the microphone.

"Twenty if it is relevant, you're on." William said to Lena with the microphone.

"We're maybe allies now, but I'm not going to lose, Cleveland-san!" Takao said to Cleveland with a serious face.

"Ditto on that! I'm aiming to win too, Takao!" Cleveland simply responded to Takao while she grinned.

"Hmm…This is harder than I thought." Gneisenau said out loud while she ran.

"Yeah…you sure those two air bags won't be a burden?" Warspite asked out loud before she frowned…Gneisenau's breasts flailed around, did she not wear a bra?!

"Whatever do you mean, Warspite?" Gneisenau asked Warspite innocently.

"…Never mind." Warspite said with half closed eyes.

They kept their speed and pace, despite the initial position Gneisenau was the one who reached Zuikaku first. Second place was Cleveland, followed by Takao, and then Warspite. Each respective second runner immediately bolted forward when they received the baton, the chant from the spectators and supporters heated up even more as the second runners pushed to their maximum speed with their feet instead of their riggings.

"Make us proud." Gneisenau said to Zuikaku with a neutral face.

"Leave it to this crane!" Zuikaku smiled confidently as she dashed forward.

"Here ya go, Ms. Bismarck!" Cleveland said while she grinned.

"Good work, leave this one to me." Bismarck then ran after she received the baton.

"Sheffield-san, onegaishimasu!" Takao said to Sheffield.

"Understood, Ms. Takao." Sheffield said to Takao then she started to run.

"Sorry for being last!" Warspite said to Avrora.

"It's fine, I'll make up for that." Avrora smiled confidently then she started to run.

Bismarck, Zuikaku, and Sheffield ran as fast as they could and none of them talked to each other, no taunts, no quips, no remarks, nada. They solely focused themselves only on one thing, running. That however changed when Avrora slowly gained on them and then managed to passed the three other runners without much problem. Bismarck widened her eyes before she put even more speed, Sheffield narrowed her eyes as she assumed her position whenever she's in pursuit mode, and Zuikaku clicked her tongue as she started running past her maximum speed.

"Holy moly! You see that, Will?! Avrora just passed through three runners without any sort of problem!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

"Yeah! I figured Sheffield would be in the lead considering her combat capabilities, but I was proven wrong this time!" William said out loud with the microphone.

"A head start for you, now go!" Avrora said to Z23 as she handed the baton.

"Ja! Danke for the help!" Z23 responded before she bolted forward as fast as she could.

"Don't make me give you the same treatment at Denmark Strait by failing this one!" Bismarck said to Hood while she handed the baton.

"Hahaha! Will do, Madam Bismarck! Witness me!" Hood said before she also ran forward.

"Tirpitz-san, here you go!" Zuikaku said while she handed the baton to her.

"Jawohl!" Tirpitz said before she started to run.

"I apologize for being last, Madam Baltimore." Sheffield said to Baltimore.

"Don't sweat it! I'll turn around the situation!" Baltimore said while she smiled cockily.

Just like she said, Baltimore managed to slip past Hood, Z23, and Tirpitz easily with her athletic body and incredible speed gained because of her daily exercise. The three other ships who were left to eat her dust put on their war face as the three of them started to run even faster, Baltimore looked back and smiled confidently that she managed to turn a potential defeat to their win.

"Looks like it's Baltimore's time to shine! She easily outran three ships in a single dash!" William said out loud with the microphone.

"Whoa! Not going to lie, it's impressive that she even managed to beat a destroyer in a speed contest!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

"Finish it!" Baltimore said to Scharnhorst and handed her the baton.

"I'll show you how fast I can run!" Scharnhorst said out loud while she ran ahead.

"Go! Don't let Scharnhorst win!" Tirpitz said to Carabiniere then handed her the baton.

"Si! I won't let my pride as a destroyer tarnish in speed competition!" Carabiniere said to Tirpitz as she sprinted ahead.

"Go forth victoriously, Ms. Formidable!" Hood said to Formidable while she handed the baton.

"Certainly, Madam Hood! Beta Team for the win!" Formidable said as she ran ahead to chase Carabiniere.

"Scheisse! Last one, we're counting on you! Ayanami!" Z23 said to Ayanami while she handed the baton.

"Hai, makasete kudasai…" Ayanami said to Z23 as she ran forward.

"…I should go out and jog in the morning…from now on." Hood commented as she panted and watched Formidable run from behind.

"Agreed on that…some workout would be good." Z23 said while she also painted.

"Right, it would seem we need to add our stamina for any ground based activity." Tirpitz said while she regulated her breathing.

"Hahahaha! Well, I won't mind giving you three some tips on that, but first let's see who would win this race!" Baltimore said to them three in a cheery tone.

The final runners were doing their best to reach the finish line, Suffolk and Hipper were the ones who held the ribbon that indicated the finish line. The four ship girls almost tied in their distances as they sprinted without caring regarding their tiredness or their stamina reserve, all out or nothing. Ayanami started while running toward Carabiniere, Formidable, and Scharnhorst who were beside her who showed no signs of tiredness, they were determined to win this one. They were approaching the finish line fast, their distances with each other only differed by a few centimeters and the crowds were getting wild!

"Here we go folks! The final run! This would be a close call in my opinion!" Lena said out loud excitedly with the microphone.

"Agreed. Belfast over there is ready with the high speed motion camera, we'll be able to determine the winner from that. This is it! They are 100 meters away from the finish line!" William said out loud excitedly with the microphone.

The four runners approached the finish line quickly, Hipper and Suffolk tighten their hold on the white ribbon while Belfast readied her camera…The crowd got wild as they reached the end, the four runners passed the finish line at the same time! Or did they?! The crowds were getting wild, and there's some confusion on who won the race. Hipper stared at Suffolk for confirmation to which Suffolk grinned awkwardly because she couldn't figure out who won. Belfast managed to capture the picture however, she stared at it with complicated feelings before she walked toward the judges who sat with confused expressions.

"Please tell me you got that in the picture?" William asked Belfast who approached them.

"I did, but I'm not quite sure if this counts as a win." Belfast said to William while she handed the camera to him.

William took the camera and all the judges surrounded him to get a look at the winner, the four runners indeed finished the race at the same time but there's one important thing to note. The one who touched the white ribbon first is the winner, which means the winner is…Formidable. How did the judge get that result? They examined the picture closely, all four of them stood in the same line, but Formidable big breasts were the thing that touched the ribbon first…

"For real?" Lucas asked William with cocked eyebrows.

"Yeah…Anyone mind about this evidence?" William asked out loud.

"If that's how it happened." Erich said to William while he shrugged.

"I'm cool with it." Lucas said to William, of course Lucas would be cool with it!

"Unheard of, but oh well." Lena said to William while she frowned a bit.

The judges alongside Belfast looked upon the expecting spectators and runners, they were waiting for the final decision regarding the winner, and honestly speaking, William wasn't sure how to break the news without being too blunt…William looked to his sides, Lena, Erich, and Lucas shrugged as they left the method to break up the news to him…Dammit, no support whatsoever from his fellow judges, William chose to do this…without mentioning how Formidable won.

"So, we got a winner." William said to the spectators.

"And who is it, kommandant?" Scharnhorst asked William out loud.

"After reviewing the evidence and discussing it among the judges, we agreed that the winner is Team Beta!" William said out loud, Team Beta immediately cheered in excitement and accomplishment.

"Wait, how the hell is that possible?! They finished at the same time!" Cleveland asked out loud with furrowed eyebrows.

"Formidable touched the finish line first." William further explained.

"With what? Her giant jugs!?" Zuikaku asked out loud.

The silence was so apparent that they could hear the sound of waves hitting the docks and seagulls that flew above them, William's silence was an enough answer for the ship girls…William and Lena cringed when they saw the girls with disbelieved expression, oh fate didn't even want to cooperate with them regarding this one! Zuikaku alongside the other participant for the baton relay waited for William's confirmation, the man sighed before he answered truthfully…

"…Yeah, that's what happened." William said out loud while he looked to the side.

"Outrageous!" Tirpitz shouted out loud from the field.

"It's completely within reason for the win, schwester!" Bismarck said to Tirpitz.

"Bah!" Scharnhorst said out loud as she turned around in dissatisfaction.

"Tch, tsurui!" Zuikaku said out loud toward Formidable.

"Son of a-" Cleveland said out loud with widened eyes.

"It's unbelievable that you won despite that Royal Navy's lumbering carrier-" Carabiniere said out loud.

"You take that back!"

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Planes suddenly appeared above the area as Formidable stared murderously toward Carabiniere who ran at maximum speed as Fairey Albacore aircraft buzzed above the field while dropping bombs toward her, the other ship girls either ran for safety or tried to save Carabiniere and stop the silently enraged Formidable from wrecking the dock which could cause casualties if she kept this up. Lucas and Erich immediately ran for the nearest cover while being escorted by Belfast and Suffolk, William and Lena stood with half closed eyes while they watched the utter chaos that's currently happening in front of them. Ship girls firing at each other, some even ran for cover…

"…How long?" William asked Lena with half closed eyes.

"…Thirty two minutes." Lena said to William with half closed eyes.

"Dammit…I was too confident when picking one hour before shite happened." William said as he reached for his pocket, he handed Lena a bundle of cash as Lena took it with a satisfied smile.

"Well apparently no one could predict this entire mess Will, having the girls in this kind of competition itself is like carrying old munitions on bumpy roads." Lena said to William then she smiled wryly.

"…You want to break this one up?" William asked Lena while he stared at her.

"I figured you're the one who's got more influence with them? Why not show them that old 'Drill Sergeant' persona? Kind of missed the guy, and you're good at imitating him." Lena asked William while she smiled deviously.

"…The girls won't like it…" William said to Lena then sighed…he stood firm as he took a deep breath…

"Here we go~! Ufufufufufu!" Lena muttered while she giggled and took out her phone in recording mode.

"…OI MAGGOTS! STOP THIS NONSENSE AND LINE UP IN FRONT OF ME! NOW GODDAMMIT! I WANT YOUR ARSE READY BECAUSE I'M GOING TO DRILL IT SO HARD THAT YOU WILL NOT FORGET ABOUT THIS DAY EVER! LINEUP! LINE UP FOR FUCK SAKE! IF BY THE COUNT OF FIVE YOU'RE STILL NOT HERE, I WILL PERSONALLY DRAG YOUR ARSE, AND YOU'LL WISH I NEVER-" William shouted so loud the seagulls scurried off from the area, the rest of the sentence was so vulgar that not even the author of this story wanted to portray the event in further detail…

.

…Half an hour later, the situation returned to normal after William just pulled an immersion of his old drill sergeant back at the academy and frankly speaking his throat was sore after that act. That caused the ship girls to stop whatever they were doing and immediately stand at attention while listening to William ranting about camaraderie and fire control discipline inside the base for ten minutes, rapidly firing off rants without stopping like an MG3 during Maginot Line offense with the Ironblood machine gunner…After he was satisfied with his rant, William ordered the girls to prepare for the next competition which is the Javelin and Dart competition in one or affectionately called the Javelin Yeet? To put it bluntly, a ship girl will be given three throwing javelins, and they have to strike the target in order to accumulate points that will determine their ranks. Sounds simple? Heck no, they had to stand one hundred meters away to hit the 5x5 meters circle target, and it's not that easy!

"…Welcome back folks! We're currently here for the second competition which is Javelin Yeet! Errr, no, we're not throwing Ms. Javelin over there, we're talking about the real Javelin. Long and white, just the way I like it!" Lena said out loud while she grinned with the microphone.

"…Umm, that could be taken out of context easily, Lena." William said to Lena with the microphone.

"What? I mean my melee weapons; you know I like to use swords?" Lena asked back to William with the microphone.

"Never mind…Anyway, this javelin throw won't be your usual javelin throw because we set it up like a dart game. There's one large target that we've prepared like your standard dart board, each ship girl from their respective team will be given three javelins to throw. The final score will determine their ranking, so it would be wise for each team to send out their best shot!" William explained with the microphone.

The girls descended to the field once more, the area was crowded once more with ship girls that showed no signs of dispirit despite William's harsh rant a few minutes ago. They learned their mistakes and that's what's important, William quickly forgave their mess despite the holes in the docking area…For the second competition they moved to a different area a bit further than their previous track field, this one located on the edge of the docks with tall walls that protected against high waves and strong wind.

"Alright, from Team Alpha we got our very own Enterprise! Flagship of this base's first fleet, she's known to be very accurate with her bow and arrow! We don't doubt her strength, but can she give the same accuracy when she uses a throwing javelin instead of her bow!?" William asked out loud with the microphone.

Enterprise stood at the white line designated for the ship girls to throw the javelin toward the target, Enterprise took one of the javelins from the ground, felt the weight in her right hand before she set her stance…The whole area turned quiet all of a sudden as if to let Enterprise focus on herself. Enterprise regulated her breathing, steadied her hands, and focused her eyes on the target. Belfast and Suffolk stood beside her left with a high speed motion camera, military digital binoculars, and score board ready to judge the competitors…She felt herself ready, Enterprise narrowed her gaze as she stepped back a little before taking her throwing stance. She will aim for 150 points, which will ensure Team Alpha's victory over the other teams! Enterprise dashed forward and then she threw the javelin in her right hand. Everyone was left amazed at the velocity the javelin blitzed through the air and they struggled to look at the place where the javelin landed, they searched the large dart board but they couldn't find any javelin stuck there. Belfast watched the entire process through her binoculars, she double checked her camera and found no picture snapped. Belfast had rigged the dart board with an impact sensor, that should let the camera take pictures automatically when the sensor detected an impact based on the javelin thrown at it so that means…

"Overshot!" Belfast announced out loud.

"Say what?!" Enterprise asked out loud while she stared at Belfast.

"I'm dearly sorry, Enterprise, your javelin was thrown upwards and missed the board." Belfast said in a matter-of-fact tone toward Enterprise.

"Wow! Overshot! We almost forgot that the ship girls possessed tremendous strength so they should calculate the direction, wind and energy put into the throw better. Ladies! I urge you to strategize with this one, putting maximum power isn't always the answer!" William said out loud with the microphone.

"Agreed on this one. Ladies, let me give you a little hint…Know your surroundings, know yourself. You know both of them, this would be a piece of cake!" Lena said on the microphone while she smiled softly.

"…Hmm, I'm quite curious. Where did the javelin end up?" Erich asked toward William and Lena.

"Bah, probably somewhere on the sea-" Lena said while she smiled confidently.

William's phone rang and he took a look at the caller's ID, it's Carl Johnson. William cocked his eyebrows as he stared in wonder, what did Johnson want with him? So far there's no mission being executed and security around the area was guaranteed with Johnson's mass produced ships on patrol, his jets in the air, and infantry on standby ready for combat anytime…That means Johnson called regarding security breach, that's the only explanation. William quickly pressed the answer button on his phone, he brought the phone to his left ear.

"Hey Carl, what is it?" William asked Johnson in a serious tone.

"William! Explain to me how the fuck a two meter sharp rod hit my office, went through the wall, hit the corridors, ended up in my base's courtyard in broad daylight, and it came from the direction of your base with no warning whatsoever from you?! Who threw that huh!? A Tarzan overdosed on Viagra and Steroids!? Seriously man, whatever that threw this thing you better get it under control! I don't want-" Johnson ranted toward William by phone.

"Alright mate I get it! We-" William said while he grinned sheepishly.

"How could you get it if-" Johnson was not having it, he will get his point across.

"Sheesh! Couldn't you yanks ever hear what we have to say first before jumping to-" William said to Johnson with half closed eyes.

"You pompous brits never listened anyway! You-" Johnson fired back to William over the phone.

…William stood up as he left the area for a bit while he 'talked' with Johnson in order to argue regarding the mess that Enterprise made, both of them were involved in deep talk with serious tone and insults occasionally thrown at each other as Lucas facepalmed at the infighting inside the organization he led. Lena shrugged, she'll let William handle that one as she looked on the field filled with spectators that's currently waiting for the go order from the judges.

"Alright, we'll let our commander deal with that! Let's continue the competition but please Enterprise, don't overshoot again, alright?" Lena asked Enterprise on the microphone while she frowned a bit.

"Y-Yes ma'am! I'm sorry about that one!" Enterprise said to Lena while she frowned.

"Nah, you can say that to William later. Carry on, Enterprise!" Lena ordered Enterprise while she nodded her head.

Right, no more failures this time as she didn't want to burden William more than she already did to him, she would need to play this carefully…Enterprise set her stance once again then she ran a bit as she threw the javelin in her right hand, she threw it lower this time, and the javelin struck its target. The crowds clapped their hands, Belfast looked through her binocular then checked the photo captured on the camera. She smiled a bit as she looked at Suffolk, she also looked toward Belfast with her notes ready to record the number.

"40." Belfast announced, the crowds oohed in awe.

"Understood, 40." Suffolk said as she noted down the number.

Enterprise felt good, she needed to hit the bullseye in the middle. It's a red dot fifty centimeters in diameter but from one hundred meters away it's really tricky to hit, especially with a javelin…Enterprise threw another one, everyone watched as the javelin flew in the air before it hit the target. The javelin lodged perfectly on the large board, once again Belfast cross checked the evidence and then looked at Suffolk.

"32." Belfast announced out loud, the crowd's reaction sounded mixed.

"32…Ms. Enterprise, final score for Team Alpha is 72." Suffolk said to Enterprise.

"I see...Thanks, at least I've tried my hardest despite the mistake I've made." Enterprise said to Belfast, she only nodded her head while she smiled in response.

"Team Alpha scored 72 points! That set the bar quite high already, but let's see how the other team's fare! Next up would be Team Beta, Nelson is Team Beta representative, and she's one of the famous Big Seven! No doubt about the strength of her cannons, so let's see how she does without them." Lena announced out loud with her microphone.

Team Beta's representative stepped forward and behold its Nelson, the ship girl approached the throwing position while she fidgeted and looked around in nervousness. Nelson looked at Belfast who waited for her to begin, Belfast nodded her head encouragingly while Suffolk gave her best smile with thumbs put up toward Nelson. Nelson gulped in nervousness…You still asked why? Nelson was trained in swordsmanship not spear throwing! She had no idea how to correctly throw a ball, so a javelin is out of question! Nevertheless, Nelson was not one to quit, and she took her responsibilities seriously so she picked one of the javelins up.

"Here we go, Nelson is about to make her first throw! Any comments, Will?" Lena asked William with the microphone.

"Nothing for now other than let's see how this goes." William said to Lena with the microphone while he smiled a bit.

Nelson calmed herself as she ran forward then threw the javelin, it fell short around thirty meters away from her throwing position. The crowds murmured at the sight, Nelson frowned deeply as she took another one, and she took her position to throw it…But she hesitated, what if this throw also fails? She's only got three chances for scoring points, so she has to make every last one count, and she already blew one…She heard the murmurs get louder and she looked around in confusion, until her eyes landed on William as he approached her directly without his officer jacket.

"C-Commander?" Nelson asked out loud when she saw William.

"Need some advice?" William asked Nelson while he smiled a bit.

"N-No! I'll manage on my own! I will learn as I go!" Nelson said to William while she frowned.

William huffed wordlessly as he walked toward the javelin that was on the ground, Belfast was about to warn him regarding the danger until something clicked in her head so she only smiled…William took the javelin before he returned to the throwing position, Nelson looked at him as she instinctively stepped aside because William stood at her throwing position. He stared at the target before he casually walked back, then in split seconds he sprinted forward and throw the javelin toward the target…The javelin flew in the air and it landed on the target, the crowds murmured because William could throw that thing for one hundred meters easily while some even clapped! How strong is his upper body?! William walked toward Nelson, grabbed her hand, and put her in the throwing position.

"Did you see that, Nelson?" William asked Nelson as he smiled.

"Y-Yeah." Nelson answered William.

"Assume throwing position, now." William ordered Nelson.

"Alright." Nelson said as she set her throwing stance, William came to a conclusion after his observation.

"…I see the problem. You must've let go of your javelin just a little bit late, and your right hand becomes rigid…do it like this." William said to Nelson.

William performed his javelin throwing technique bit by bit without the javelin, Nelson carefully observed the technique he used, and the timing when he released the grip to his javelin. William took one of the spare javelins and handed it to Nelson, she grabbed the rod, walked toward the throwing position, and she looked at William who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Stay calm, you can do it." William said to Nelson while he smiled.

William believed that she could do it, everyone could and all they need are little pointers, and they're set to do this. The spectators watched in anticipation, they didn't know if Nelson could do this or not but if what they knew about Nelson was right then they knew she's got this one after she got coached like that. Nelson looked at her target while she controlled her breathing, Nelson stepped back before she sprinted forward and threw the javelin. The rod flew and then hit the target, the crowd cheered and Nelson smiled widely as she quickly took another rod.

"15!" Belfast said out loud and Suffolk noted it down.

"A hit ladies and gentleman! Nelson has hit the target! Looks like whatever William taught over there works eh? Not too shabby, but there's no way Team Beta could catch up with Team Alpha now. Doesn't matter, you ladies could always make do in another competition." Lena commented with the microphone while she smiled widely.

Nelson threw the rod again just like how she saw William did before and the javelin hit the target once again, Belfast smiled while she watched the target through her binoculars. The crowd cheered out loud at the sight of Nelson managing to land her second shot, Nelson pumped her fist, and she instinctively grabbed William on her side and hugged him…As you might expected the crowds stopped cheering and the situation replaced by uncomfortable silence, Nelson realized what she did, stared at the confused William who looked surprised and she pushed him in reflex that caused him to fall on the ground. Nelson folded her arms as she struggled to look at everywhere but the man that just helped her while she blushed, oh she did that while pouting cutely too.

"30!" Belfast announced out loud.

"30…Ms. Nelson, Team Beta got 45 points in total!" Suffolk said to Nelson while she smiled.

"M-Mistakes do happen, thank you." Nelson said out loud before she walked quickly to the side of the field.

"45 in total, tough luck Beta Team but you could still catch up so chin up! Next for Team Delta, oh my, we got Javelin to throw a Javelin! That's some meta shit! Since she's named Javelin, we could be sure that she's going to kill that board over there!" Lena commented while she smiled excitedly.

Javelin walked down to the field while she waved at the spectators, William walked back toward the judging desk and passed Javelin along the way while he hung his right hand up which Javelin immediately answered with a high five. She walked to the starting position, she saw Hipper taking off the javelins that Nelson threw before, and she gave a thumbs up toward Belfast who nodded her head. Belfast looked at Javelin and she immediately understood that she could begin her throw, Javelin walked toward the new set of javelins and picked three at once.

"Whoa whoa whoa! She picked up three at once?! Well, I don't know how skilled Javelin is at throwing 'javelins' but this is pushing it! Since many things I've considered normal in this world have been wrong in the last six years anyway, let's see how this goes!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

Want to impress her commander? You bet your ass she wanted to! Now, she only tried this several times already but she managed to pull off this maneuver well enough, and she's sure this won't break the rules…Javelin controlled her breathing, she stood at the throwing position, but she didn't have any intention to get a running boost. Javelin spun her body once and threw the first javelin, she wasn't done though as she continued the spin and threw another one. Finally, she jumped while she rotated in the air as she throws the last javelin toward the target, all of that under five seconds…The three javelins all hit the target as Javelin landed and she winked at the audience while she makes a peace sign, they cheered on her performance, some gave her standing ovation, some clapped and some murmured with each other.

"Pardon my language but holy fuck! That was amazing! I mean, that's straight out of the movies! Will, I think you should put her as a vanguard and arm her with more throwing javelins." Lena said to William with the microphone.

"Normally I would've asked what the hell is wrong with you for the idea but after seeing this with myself, that suggestion isn't half bad! Belfast, how's the score?" William said to Lena before he asked Belfast regarding the score with the microphone.

"30, 30, and 24!" Belfast said out loud from the field.

"Ms. Javelin, the final score for Team Delta is 84 points in total!" Suffolk said to Javelin.

"Yes! I did it! Thank you! Thank you!" Javelin said out loud happily as the crowd cheered on her.

"Fantastic performance from Javelin! She's not named literally that for nothing eh? Now for our last contestant from Team Omega…Hmm? She's Mikasa! Ladies and gentleman, we're about to witness the former flagship of the combined navy in action wearing a PE uniform…This is starting to sound like a bad fan service episode." Lena said out loud with the microphone.

Mikasa walked on the battlefield bashfully because she had to wear that PE uniform issued by Lucas (said man was grinning perversely in his seat), Mikasa reached the throwing position, and she took one javelin. She stepped back little before she dashed forward while she threw the javelin…Somewhere on the base, a group of Manjuus diligently marched while they carried several boxes. One of them chirped loudly, the other Manjuus looked back and saw that one of the Manjuus got the fur on its head shaved clean with a javelin rod that hit the box it carried…Back at the competition arena, Mikasa cringed as she witnessed her first throw going overshot, what's with their first throw with the exception of Javelin always being a failure?!

"Overshot!" Belfast declared out loud.

"Dammit!" Mikasa said while she cringed.

"Second overshot of the day! Ms. Mikasa, calm yourself! Focus on throwing the javelin!" William said to Mikasa with the microphone.

"I-I'm trying! These clothes don't make it any better!" Mikasa said to William with red cheeks.

Mikasa grumbled as she took another javelin, she then threw that one without any kind of preparation. The javelin flew unsteadily toward the target but it hit the target nonetheless, straight in the middle…Belfast widened her eyes as she checked her tablet that is connected to the camera. She's got so many questions but apparently Belfast will settle with luck. The crowds were wild in disbelief, confusion, or amazement at this.

"Bullseye! 50 points!" Belfast announced out loud.

"Yattaze!" Mikasa said out loud while she pumped her fist.

"That's got to be dark magic over there! How the hell is that possible!?" Lena commented out loud with the microphone.

"Amazing luck for a haphazard throw." Erich commented out loud.

"Welp, a lucky throw is a lucky throw. I've seen one pilot riding a jet providing ground support then got shot through the head, crashed into the hill, and that's caused by a haphazard machine gun fire. Worst of all, it's friendly fire from the squad he supported." William said to Erich while he frowned a bit.

"Ah I remember that case, that pilot call sign is Bamboonium if I'm not mistaken. What a dumb call sign…Furthermore, that squad also wiped off an entire village full of civilians and planted the evidence too. One of the most satisfying court martials I ever did; I believe the leader is a total jackass too." Lucas said while he smiled in remembrance.

The last throw for the Javelin Yeet, Mikasa now smiled in confidence as she took another javelin while she confidently threw the javelin toward the target, and it struck the target once more, though not in the center. Regardless, Mikasa managed to get Team Omega not to be in dead last position. Belfast nodded her head; the match was over as she watched Hipper who took out the javelins stuck on the board.

"11!" Belfast said out loud.

"11…Ms. Mikasa, the total score for Team Omega is 66." Suffolk said to Mikasa.

"Not a dead last, that's something." Mikasa said to Suffolk while she smiled.

"And that's the end of it, folks. The winner for today's match is Team Delta with 84 points, second place is Team Alpha with 72 points, third place is Team Omega with 66 points, and lastly in fourth is Team Beta with 45 points! You all did well despite some hiccups, don't worry that you could still make a comeback in the next competition, so don't be sad if you lost this one!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

.

…Well, at least there's no major incident to handle other than fixing Johnson's office which was damaged by the javelin that Enterprise threw. William almost couldn't believe that Enterprise managed to throw a javelin a kilometer away easily, and it still possessed enough potential energy to go through several walls, he shouldn't mess with her in direct combat…The last competitive event for the day is called the CQC Playground, it's a real competitive event that was proposed by Lucas directly. What's a CQC Playground? It's self-explanatory, really. And in order for the competition to run effectively, each of the girls would be given an all-fit skin tight suit filled with sensors (William's got a feeling that Lucas used this opportunity to field test the tech) that simulated damage and determined the 'health' of the combatants. You're out of hitpoints? You're out! For this one, they reused the track field where they placed a fighting ring above it. Four Teams, four fighters and one winner…This will be a short but tough fight. William, Lena, and Erich stared incredulously toward Lucas who held the sample of the all size, tight body suit that was outfitted with sensors.

"…Let me guess, it's also used to measure the girls' three sizes?" Lena asked Lucas with half closed eyes.

"It's purposely made to hug their body tightly…Hmm, I see where this is going. You're a true degenerate." Erich said to Lucas while he rubbed his chin in wonder.

"Is this your fetish? Cosplays?" William asked Lucas in a blunt manner while he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wow! You people are so rude! I still can't believe you three are in the upper levels of the leadership board!" Lucas said to them in outraged tone while he frowned.

"Technically, I'm not that high in ranking. I'm just a commander." William asked Lucas as he shrugged.

"Whatever! Listen to me you uneducated and uncultured swines! This tight cloth is the prototype undersuit for Plan Bellator Luminis Soldiers! This one is tailored for women that are designed to hug their body, making it easier to move as if they are naked and would be very effective when used for special operations activities! Made of a special composition of lightweight yet durable and thick Kevlar weave, vacuum sealed, keeps the user's body temperature in optimal temperatures and the best of all…This cloth is almost bulletproof against pistols and SMGs." Lucas explained with pride in his tone.

"…Alright, you made your point…Doesn't mean the girls will like it." William said to Lucas as he crossed his arms once more.

"That's your job to convince them Will, we're counting on you." Lucas said to William while he wiggled his eyebrows.

"No, you're counting on him." Lena said to Lucas while she crossed her arms.

"Tch, you little traitor!" Lucas said to Lena while he scowled.

"…I'm so going to regret this." William's shoulder dropped as he walked out with the bag full of those suits.

…It took William several minutes to reach the preparation room for the girls that will be participating in the CQC Playground while he carried a large bag. William entered the preparation room and was greeted by the sight of the girls that looked at him while they still wore the school PE uniform. Team Alpha sent Hiei, Team Beta sent Wales, Team Delta sent Zara, while Team Omega sent George V. All of them noticed William entered the room and they gathered around him; they knew he would be the one giving the briefing for this one.

"Milord, do you have the briefing for us?" George asked William.

"Yeah…I take it you ladies have read the rules?" The girls collectively nodded their heads at William's question.

"We're glad that the weapons are varied, shikikan-sama, but why do I sense that's not all you want to talk about?" Hiei asked William while she narrowed her eyes.

William kept his face composed as he took out the all size suit from the large bag that he carried, Wales was the one that took the suit first as she inspected it…After around half a minute, Wales widened her eyes at her conclusion regarding the suit she carried in her arms. The other girls also looked toward it before they widened their eyes and stared at William with accusing eyes, the poor man who was just a victim of the circumstances immediately raised his hands in the air. He immediately proceeds to explain to the girls regarding the deal that Lucas offered him and how it will significantly change this base, all William asks of them is to cooperate with the idea for the time being.

"…It's not like it's all bad, we got to try a bunch of different outfits." George said out loud while she shrugged.

"I agree on that, but this one makes you essentially naked!" Wales said to George while she pointed toward the cloth that she held.

"Technically we wouldn't be buck naked…but it's still embarrassing." Zara said as she rubbed her left arm.

"But with this more of our sisters could come to this base." Wales said as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"…Some sacrifice had to be made, it seems. Let's get this over with." George said out loud as she took the cloth.

The girls nodded their heads as each one of them took the clothes from the bag, they inspected it in their hands before they realized that William was still in the room, so they shoved him out to the corridor before they shut the door. William grimaced guiltily as he walked away from the waiting room after he delivered the clothes…Not going to lie, William did have the desires to see the girls in that skintight suit just like Lucas because he's a man, however, unlike Lucas he couldn't be as honest as Lucas which caused William to respect the man for his shameless honesty. He felt bad putting the girls in this position, he will formulate a plan later as a sort of compensation for all this trouble…While walking toward the arena, William stumbled upon Illustrious who was staring at the arena from behind Akashi's shop. What is she doing out here by herself? William looked at her and her surroundings for clues and he saw that Illustrious brought a lunch box alongside a small thermos. Ah, she must be having lunch here…But lunch was over one hour ago, why did she just start now? William didn't want to intrude on her alone time so he turned around to leave, but fate said 'No, fuck you! Be a gentleman and say hi to her!' to William because Illustrious turned around and saw him.

"Lord William!" Illustrious called out to him while she smiled softly.

"…Illustrious. Enjoying your lunch time, I take it?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled a bit.

"Yes I am. George was kind enough to help Belfast and the others in preparing lunch this morning. I always enjoyed the dishes they made…This particular apple pie is quite exquisite." Illustrious said to William while she smiled brightly.

"I see. Just don't eat too much, you could get fat." William said to Illustrious as he smiled teasingly.

"Milord, that wasn't a nice thing to say to a lady!" Illustrious said to William while she pouted cutely.

"Hahahaha! It's just a little joke, don't worry." William said to Illustrious while he smiled.

William sat down beside Illustrious, she opened the lunch box she had with her and took a slice of apple pie. She held it in front of William while she smiled brightly, William could only smile in return as he opened his mouth, and Illustrious fed him the apple pie. He munched on it while he relished the taste…Hmm, Belfast and George working together in the kitchen could produce any five star restaurant tier delicious dishes, how about adding Hiei and Vestal to the mix as well? Hey, that's an idea…

"Hmm…I like the pie." William said to Illustrious while he smiled.

"How about we eat some of this for afternoon tea?" Illustrious asked William.

"Not today I'm afraid, we might be too busy in the afternoon." William said to Illustrious while he smiled apologetically.

"Aww, I was hoping for some 'alone time' with you." Illustrious said to William while she frowned a bit.

"Then, let's count this as one?" William asked Illustrious.

"Ufufufufu, let's do that then." Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

Illustrious took this moment to lean herself on William's left side, William only smiled as he and Illustrious looked toward the preparation for the CQC Playground. They saw the Manjuus setting up the equipment and the spectators started gathering around the fight cage. William noted that Illustrious hadn't participated in any of the competitions for today, why was that? Illustrious took another slice of apple pie and started to nibble on it…William subtly glanced at Illustrious who ate her pie like a hamster, fucking cute-

"Milord, what you did for Ms. Nelson back then, how sweet of you to do that." Illustrious said to William.

"I just want to help." William simply responded while he smiled a bit.

"Yes, we know…But you go so far as to go down to the field personally just to teach her, may I know the reason?" Illustrious asked William while she tilted her head.

"She's a hard worker and takes everything seriously, one of the few people I can't joke around with, or I'll get a cannon shoved up my arse…But she mostly deals with everything on her own, a bit too 'tsundere' to ask for help. Unless I shoved up my offer like before, she would refuse it. I just want her to realize that there's some things in this world that you need other people's help with, that asking for help isn't a weakness…" William said to Illustrious while he looked forward to the arena.

Illustrious hummed and nodded her head in acknowledgement, Nelson could be a little bit stubborn but she's willing to learn if she didn't know about something. That's why when William saw that Nelson seems to be lacking the necessary 'technique' to throw the javelin he immediately went down to instruct her, he had learned that Nelson's tsundere streak is the requirement when he had to deal with Nelson, so he just needed to get used to it…William opted to change the subject, maybe he should talk about Illustrious herself?

"So…why haven't you participated in any of the competitions, Illustrious?" William asked Illustrious.

"We already divided the roles in my team milord, safe to say today is not my day." Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

"Is that so? Can you give me a hint on the competition you will participate in?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled a bit.

"Nope~!" Illustrious answered cutely while she smiled.

"Tch, you tease!" William commented while he smiled a bit.

…By prediction alone, William already got an idea on what competition Illustrious will participate in, but he will humor her. William's attention was directed toward the judge desk where he could clearly see Lena stared toward him and Illustrious, Lena saw that Illustrious took this chance to be alone with him…It didn't take a genius to know her intention, Lena only smiled as she returned her attention to the large crowd in front of her. Illustrious quietly took out her phone, she set the front camera, and she took a picture of her leaning on William's left arm while the man looked ahead…William kept looking at the preparation process until he heard the sound of camera shutter and that's when he looked toward Illustrious, she took that chance to take another picture, but this time with William looking surprised and she winked toward the camera.

"…Hey, you know taking other people's pictures without their consent is considered rude?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled.

"Oh my, I just can't resist the temptation~" Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

"If you ask nicely, I wouldn't mind taking a picture with you." William said to Illustrious.

"Ufufufu, but that won't give me the desired expression~." Illustrious said to William while she smiled teasingly.

"…That makes sense." William said to Illustrious with a half closed eye.

"…Milord, I volunteered to be an entertainer for tonight's dinner." Illustrious said to William.

"Entertainer? Are you going to sing or something?" William asked Illustrious.

"Yes, you're right…Will you be there? Would you be my audience tonight?" Illustrious asked William with a hopeful gaze on her eyes.

"Hmm, what would you do if I didn't?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled mischievously.

"Now don't be such a meanie to me milord~" Illustrious said to William then she puffed her cheeks.

"Hahahaha! Yeah alright, of course I'll be there. I have to accompany two of those top leaders for dinner, so I will definitely be there, you know?" William said to Illustrious while he smiled a bit.

"That's a relief…Then, please stay tuned for my performance tonight. I've been practicing for the past few days just for tonight." Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

So that's what happened when Illustrious didn't ask him to join her for afternoon tea these past few days, all because she was practicing for tonight's performance. Anyone know how credible Illustrious is in singing? Safe to say, she could fit in with Lexington well when she sang, but she did so rarely. Not that William ever heard her directly, he heard the info from Belfast that apparently Illustrious often sang when she's in the bath…Alright, let's not go there William, you don't want your mighty capital ship cannon between your legs to activate when you imagine Illustrious' naked figure. Her boobs glistening due to the soapy bath water, the inviting pink nipples, the wonderful glistening mid riff of hers, that glistening plump ass of hers, and the beautiful slit between her-. William quickly snapped his legs together as subtly as he could, he felt something growing between his legs, and he doesn't want to be absent for a while from this competition just so he can have a round beating his meat into submission! Or until it pukes white fluids!

"I'll be there, I expect a great performance tonight." William said to Illustrious while he smiled softly.

"You can count on it, my dear Lord William." Illustrious said to William as she raised herself.

It's almost time to begin the event, both Illustrious and William walked back toward the arena together. Both of them walked in silence, just before they parted Illustrious reached up and planted a quick peck on William's right cheek before she walked away while she winked at him. William only winked back at her as he spun his body toward the judge desk…He's not so easily flustered after what happened with Belfast and Hood, a simple kiss wouldn't faze him anymore. More than that however…William sat on his seat beside Lena and Lucas, both of them looking at him with knowing smirks plastered on their faces.

"…What?" William simply asked them both.

"You work fast." Lena commented while she smirked at William.

"It's not like I'm chasing girls left and right like the horn dog to my right." William said to Lena with half closed eyes.

"Hey now young man, I'm not a rapist-" Lucas stared at William with a tick mark on his forehead while he smiled.

"Calm yourselves. Let us begin the competition." Erich said out loud, he's not having this nonsensical argument.

"Right…Everyone! Gather around! We're going to begin CQC Playground in a few moments!" Lena said out loud on the microphone.

Everyone gathered around the ring which was also equipped with a large TV screen as the fighters appeared in the area, the other ship girls made way for them while they cheered for the fighters. Hiei waved around while she smiled softly, Zara only smiled as she kept walking toward the fight ring, Wales put on her firm face with light blush decorated her cheeks, while George put on her best smile as she walked and waved at the spectators. The best part? All of them wore that skintight suit. Lucas, William, and Erich fell silent as they analyzed the ship girls who wore the suit…It looked like the breast jiggle was more accentuated with the suit, each of the fighters got their curves highlighted on point, and the three men smiled at the beautiful sight at once…

"Hehehehehe…yeah boi." Lucas commented as he chuckled perversely.

"…Is this also a form of tactics against male soldiers?" Erich asked William with a serious gaze on his face.

"I think it would be effective in my opinion. The tightness, the flexibility, and the firmness could provide a 'tactical advantage' for the woman operator…even better if there's a zip in the middle." William said to Erich with a serious gaze on his face.

"That suit would serve well within Crimson Axis to be honest. Can we also produce those suits?" Erich asked William.

"I don't mind, but you should probably ask Lucas regarding the permission." William said to Erich as he shrugged.

"Welcome to the CQC Playground ladies! Here we shall see how great each team's representative is in close quarter combat! I will now explain the rules for a bit. You can't do any lethal attacks in any form, you're only allowed to use your weapons to attack. Each round will last for one and half minutes, a maximum of three rounds for each fight. If you're disarmed, you lose automatically. Each fighter has a base health of 100 points that would reset on each round, 10 will be taken out if your limbs are hit, 20 if you get hit on your torso, and 50 if you get hit in the head, so aim for those head strikes eh? Everything is clear so far?" Lena explained out loud to everyone present with the microphone.

""""Clear!"""" Hiei, Wales, Zara, and George said out loud toward Lena.

"Good. Let's begin the fight! Draw up the roster!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

Suffolk held out a small lottery cup and drew a slip while Edinburgh noted the order of the fight, they set up the fight in this order. Hiei against Wales and Zara against George, if one thinks about it, they would realize that each of the girls sent by their representative mainly carried swords around and didn't hesitate to use it in CQC situations if forced to. That means, this would be a swordfight…First up, Hiei versus Wales and both of them walked toward the fight ring…Wait, sword fights aren't supposed to happen in a ring?! But since the area had been set up, it would be a waste not to use it…The weapons for this one was made from fiber reinforced plastic, had blunt edges, not heavy yet strong enough to withstand harsh punishment and quite balanced, so it's easy to use. However, since the representatives each team sent were swordsmen, the only weapons missing from the weapon cage inside the locker room were the swords…Hiei and Wales climbed aboard the fight ring, they stared at each other to prepare themselves. Hiei slowly took out the katana from its sheath, she set her stance and swung her katana a few times slowly and elegantly…Wales slowly took out her longsword, swung it downwards diagonally once and held it in front of her face.

"Are you ready, Wales-san?" Hiei asked Wales while she smiled softly.

"Anytime, Ms. Hiei…Let's have a fair one." Wales said to Hiei as she stared seriously at her.

Wales set her stance while she held her sword one handed lower in front of her, Hiei set her stance by holding the katana with her own two hands in front of her. They waited for the match to begin. Hipper wore a black and white striped polo shirt with short black pants with a whistle necklace and went into the arena. She stood between the two fighters as she reminded them of the rules, when both Hiei and Wales nodded their head in acknowledgement Hipper stood back for her own safety…Souryuu appeared before William and put a fight bell in front of him, Belfast had changed into a white sports bra with black bloomer pants, and she went up the arena with a large rectangular plank. She raised the plank which had written 'Round 1' while she circled the arena by walking sensuously as she put her best smile on her face, naturally William and Lucas raised from their seats with fist pumps, and they roared in excitement.

"Will, bell." Lena said to William while she frowned.

"Yeah, I know. She looks fine as hell, doesn't she?" William said to Lena while he grinned.

"Not that white haired sexy wife material and a maid in one package, you twat! The fight bell!" Lena said to William while she scowled.

"…Oh right, dammit!" William said to Lena as he used the fight bell.

DING! DING!

Hiei waltzed forward with an upwards diagonal swing and Wales immediately countered by parrying the strike, that first strike was followed up by another swing from the same side, then another, then another, and another while Wales parried every single one of Hiei's strikes…Hiei may look gentle and calm but her fighting style with her katana is so aggressive! To be fair though, not many of them ever saw Hiei train or employ her skills with a katana in real combat. But now they got a real sense of Hiei's close quarter combat capabilities, and no one would like to mess with her (Except for those who like challenges, they already made plans to ask Hiei in a sparring match). Wales learned that Hiei's strikes only served as a test, Hiei was testing her defense. When Hiei launched another swinging strike Wales deflected the strike to her left side before she launched a stab to Hiei's exposed midriff, they heard a beeping noise, a sign of confirmed hit, and Hiei lost twenty points…Hiei widened her eyes as she dashed backwards, she smiled as Wales is the one going on offense now. Wales thrust forward with her blade that was easily deflected by Hiei's katana, Wales retracted her longsword while she spun and delivered an overhead strike at lightning speed. Hiei smirked as she back flipped, landed, and went on offensive once more.

"Damn…This would be my first time witnessing Hiei in a sword fight, she's quite deadly." William commented out loud.

"Huh? Weren't you supposed to know everything regarding your ship girls, Will?" Lucas asked William as he cocked his eyebrows.

"Well, they do have things they keep secret too…It's just with Hiei, I mostly saw her use a spatula instead of her katana." William said to Lucas with a serious gaze.

CLANK!

Wales and Hiei clashed and locked blades in the middle of the arena, the crowds got wild as each of the spectators supported each of their representatives. Wales pushed Hiei back and launched another stab which hit her on the torso, another beep sounded, and Hiei already lost forty points. Hiei stopped smiling as for the first time in public, she put on her serious face. A cold, meticulous gaze was directed at Wales as Hiei raised her katana and set her stance…Wales knew one thing, playtime is over. Hiei took a step forward, Wales did the same. Hiei took another step, Wales also did the same. Soon, both of them were in range…but none of them moved to strike.

"…This is it." George commented while she watched the match.

"What do you mean?" Zara asked George while she folded her arms.

"This will be the determining blow. It's either Wales or Hiei." George said to Zara while she smiled.

The two combatants stared at each other, daring their opponent to move first…Wales moved to the left and Hiei moved to the right, Wales smiled as she made her decision. Wales feinted by putting her leg forward quickly that made her look like she's dashing forward, Hiei took the bait as she also moved forward. Wales quickly closed in with another thrust attack but Hiei only smiled confidently, Hiei quickly moved her body to the left a bit then she swung upwards. Wales dashed back but it was too late, her longsword flew in the air before it fell down on the arena…William smiled as he used the fight bell.

DING! DING!

"Winner, Hiei! For disarming her opponent!" William said out loud with the microphone.

"…She's very skilled." Erich commented while he smiled a bit.

"Yeah. The more you know." William commented while he rubbed his chin.

"First round ended with Hiei as the winner! Now get ready for the second round!" Lena said out loud with the microphone.

The crowds cheered once more as the two fighters prepared themselves for the second round, this could be the determining round. Wales picked up her fallen longsword, she set her stance once more, and Hiei did the same with her katana. The two of them stared at each other once more, blades drawn toward one another…Belfast climbed aboard once more and this time she carried the plank that had 'Round 2' written on it while she walked around the arena, she came down after she did an entire lap, and William used the bell once more.

DING!

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

Not even one second passed since the bell was ringed and both Hiei and Wales immediately dashed forward with blades swinging, their blades clashing between them in lightning speed as both of them tried to find gaps within each other's defense to exploit. But on closer look, everyone would notice that Hiei was the one on defense while Wales attacked relentlessly by doing heavy swings toward Hiei who had to put some strength on her guard. Wales changed her style midway, she thrust her sword to Hiei like fencers did and in just two seconds they heard five beeping noises. The crowds that supported Wales immediately cheered, the rest murmured in wonder and amazement.

"U-Unbelievable! Wales immediately flipped the tables!" Lena said out loud with widened eyes.

"…That's amazing! Fencing with a longsword? Then stabbed her opponent five times under two seconds? Her strength, reflex, and concentration are not to be trifled with!" Erich commented as he approved of Wales's combat prowess.

"She's among the finest swordswoman among the Royal Knights according to the ladies from the Royal Navy, but I never thought she could switch style midflight like that." William explained to Erich while he smiled in approval, then he rang the bell.

DING! DING!

"Winner, Wales! By scoring five torso hits, deducting 100 hit points from Hiei!" William said out loud with the microphone.

William started to notice that there's a pattern, all the fights ended quickly and not as dramatic as the ones he saw in movies and anime (seriously, one of them could trade blows with one another and still have the fucking time to do flashback filler for entire episode!). Then that means, the girls fight without holding anything back, they fight to win not for show…William felt something tugged his left sleeve, he looked to the left and saw Eldridge who wore her PE uniform…Damn! She looked like a genuine preschooler!

"…William." Eldridge called out to William.

"Yes Eldridge, what is it?" William asked Eldridge with a soft tone.

"Hug." Eldridge simply said to William while she extended her arms toward him.

"Awww! Come here!" William said as he lifted Eldridge up while he smiled.

William lifted Eldridge up and placed her on his lap, Eldridge rested on William's lap while she dangled her legs. William took several candies out from his pocket and handed them toward Eldridge who took all of it, she unwrapped one and she immediately put it into her little mouth. William didn't seem to mind with Eldridge sitting on his lap, Lena observed that Eldridge's face didn't change much despite her ahoge twitching around in excitement…William asked Eldridge if she wanted anything else, and Eldridge cutely shook her head sideways.

"…So, when did you become a doting father?" Lena asked William while she stared at him.

"Huh? Oh, she occasionally would approach me just to do this ever since I rescued her from that island." William said to Lena while he smiled a bit.

"She got attached to you huh?" Lena commented while she smiled.

"I think this is how I will become if I ever have a daughter, that typical muscly and doting father." William said to Lena

"WHEN you have a daughter." Lena said while she smiled at William.

"Heh. That's one hell of a prediction eh?" William asked Lena while he narrowed his gaze at her.

"With what I've seen and heard before? It's not a far stretch." Lena said to William with a knowing smile and shrugged at him.

Lena knew it's only a matter of time for that to happen, though she admitted that those girls lack aggression! Maybe that's because their opponents take their time? It seems that there are none that are too ambitious in trying to win him over, that's why they make slow progress on this matter. The judges witnessed Hiei and Wales about to go for their final round, the crowds cheered and the referees readied themselves…However, fate decided to be a cunt today. William's phone rang again and it's from Johnson. William frowned a bit as he answered the phone.

"Yeah?" William asked Johnson on the phone while he patted Eldridge's head.

"William. My corvettes just reported in, they sunk those submarines that were reported by the civilians. Good news is they're not that good in combat so they sank easily, and they barely scratched my corvettes…Bad news? They're not Sirens." Johnson explained to William on the phone.

"…Not Sirens? Then who? Oh…Don't tell me…" William said to Johnson on the phone while his eye went half closed.

"Preliminary evidence suggested that the crew were humans, no identification on their uniform, no numbers, or visual signals on their subs…Crimson Cleanser is the likely candidate." Johnson said to William on the phone.

…Yeah, as far as he knows Azur Lane doesn't have any submarine fleets nearby at the moment. But if Crimson Cleanser was indeed the ones who owned the sub, then it's grave news. Crimson Cleanser is a terrorist group that supposedly doesn't have much support, so how come they manage to get submarines that easily?! Someone must've been backing them financially, there's just no way they could do this within such a short time!

"…How did they possess a submarine? They're growing too fast! Someone must've fed them, what class of subs were they?" William asked Johnson while he frowned.

"Nautilus Class, ballistic missile capable…Listen, someone wants to kill all of you at once! You, Admiral Helena, High Commander Lucas, and Chairman Erich getting killed in one place would ensure the end of any effective resistance against Crimson Cleanser and the Sirens! Whoever they are, they knew about this event and that means…" Johnson said to William on the phone regarding his prediction.

"This event only known by High Command Council of Azur Lane, two of them are here and select other people from Crimson Axis Council…Crimson Axis won't benefit anything from murdering us with all of this Crimson Cleanser fiasco, that means Azur Lane is the one most likely betraying us…Someone within has turned traitor." William said to Johnson on the phone as he grimaced at the conclusion.

"Good accusation, but we need proof." Johnson said to William on the phone.

"Of course…investigate those subs thoroughly, I'll take care of the business on my side first." William said to Johnson on the phone.

"Roger that, good luck" Johnson said to William on the phone.

"You too, mate…I need to apologize to Illustrious huh?" William said to Johnson on the phone before he muttered as he ended the call.

"William?" Eldridge asked William in a concerned tone while she tilted her head to the left.

"Don't worry about me, Eldridge." William said to Eldridge as he patted her head once more.

…Just when he thought he could have a day off watching the girls competing and this plot had to come up, screw you writer! William looked at Erich, Lucas, and Lena who already stared at him because they knew something came up, and he nodded his head once. The three of them immediately raised themselves and left for the command center. William saw Belfast standing by, and he instructed her to come and meet him. She widened her eyes a bit before she ran toward William, this one looked urgent.

"Belfast. I need you to take control of this event for now." William said to Belfast.

"Did something happen, master?" Belfast asked William.

"Yeah, I'll explain more later. Just keep the event running, alright?" William said to Belfast as he stood up.

"It shall be done master." Belfast said to William while she bowed a bit.

"Eldridge, be a good girl now." William said to Eldridge while he smiled a bit.

"Yes." Eldridge nodded her head.

William got up from his seat while he put Eldridge on it, he walked away from the dock area and straight into the command center. He entered the command center where the large screen was already lit up with Johnson's face displayed on it, the Manjuus around the room operated the computers, Lena already on call with someone, Erich and Lucas talked about something until they heard William arrived into the control room…Right, it's time to leave the fun behind a bit, they got some traitors to bust down.

"Right…Let's get this over with." William said out loud while he scowled.

"Erich and I have talked, William. You will not be participating in this one." Lucas said to William with a serious face for the first time today.

"…Wait, what?!" William asked out loud with widened eyes, well…that's new…

---

Updated: 03-11-2021 (Beta Readed by Culture-Hunt3r)

Some dood: Metal Gear Solid vibe huh? Got to admit, I've played them (except for Survive, screw that one!) so I might get some inspiration out of it ahahahaha. Well, I'm glad you enjoyed this story mate and thank you too for taking your time reading through this story.

…Well shit! This one went through a few rewrites, hope you guys like this one…Thanks for the review, follows and favorite dear readers! Let me know what you think, also, would you guys like shorter chapters or keep it as usual?

Until next time

- Dasmara