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.

14. A step forward?

"Any reason why I am not included in this one?" William asked Lucas while he folded his arms.

"You're a field commander, while this does concern everyone, including you, it is not by any means your responsibility to handle…Enough said." Lucas said to William with a serious expression.

"How do you plan to find them?" William asked Lucas again.

"They made a very sloppy move on this one, there's only several people that knew about this event, and that's because in reality, this event isn't an official event held by Central Headquarters…It's an event held by me." Lucas said to William while he smirked slightly.

…All of this is just a trap? So, Lucas and Lena have been suspecting an inside job for quite some time that they chose to hold some form of event to lure an assassination attempt. Reckless? Heck yeah, Effective? Fucking yes…Looks like the plan was a success, four submarines approached their base just to kill the three of them? Most likely with cruise missiles nonetheless. William had to admit Johnson's words rang some truth, not to brag or anything but if all four of them died then it's safe to say the future isn't looking so bright for Azur Lane…

"…All of this is nothing but a giant trap?!" William asked Lucas with a widened eye.

"Putting it bluntly, yeah…I already suspected that ever since your release from the Deep End. Crimson Cleanser has been getting even more active than ever before, they're getting desperate…They know that if we have to pull out, supposedly, the most dangerous operative we have to handle this entire mess, it won't be long before all of them perish." Lucas said to William while he smirked a bit.

"…It is as we feared, Azur Lane is compromised. It's no wonder Crimson Cleanser could strike down Yuri, Michael, and Charles at the same time. Why did they know about the existence of this base? There's a reason why they knew where Eldridge was located…If you think about it, those locations are top secret which means there's a traitor in Central Headquarters…Now, since it's on Central Headquarters it would be more reasonable for Lucas and I to investigate this problem from within…It'll take some time, but I'm sure we'll find out who." Lena said out loud while she scowled.

Everything made sense when Lena put it like that, any of those attacks won't be possible to do without some insider leaks from Azur Lane itself. If they managed to get a drop on them like that a few times in the past, safe to say someone had to get past the Azur Lane Intelligence Division, and those who did it are someone they would want to watch out for…

"If I may Lucas, my secretary and I could help with your traitor problem." Erich suggested to Lucas with a serious expression.

"While I appreciate the help, with our current situation it will be too risky with open investigation…If you still wish to help, you could do so from within Crimson Axis. You know what to do, right?" Lucas asked Erich while he smiled a bit.

"Of course…We'll see what we can do. What do you plan on doing when you find them?" Erich asked Lucas while he folded his arms.

"Make an example of them." Lena blurted out loud.

"You'll kill them?" Erich asked Lena with an intrigued look on his face.

"Not necessarily…There are other ways in ruining someone's life without having to kill them, we'll have to be careful with what we do in this situation." Lena said to Erich while she shrugged.

…William found himself a bit disappointed, honestly speaking he just found out how his three best friends got killed like that, and he felt the long dormant bloodlust that hadn't awaken ever since the Battle of Verdun where he massacred an entire outpost in pure cold blooded murder. There's nothing more he would like to do than to 'talk' with these traitors and then finished them off with his own bare hands because those bastards deserved it, he'll make sure they won't be able to cause any further harm to any of them…the world doesn't need those scum-.

"…Don't give me that look Will, you know how our world works." Lena said to William with a frown on her face.

"While I do want the traitorous son of a cunt beheaded for what they did, I'll play along with the rules. But promise me one thing…Let me talk to them before you sentence them." William said to Lucas while he scowled.

"Done…Now, I'll suggest you return to the event. This one event exists for the ship girls to bond, you included." Lucas said to William while he patted William's shoulder twice.

"You're not going to go back here?" William asked Lucas with his eye widened.

"Well, what can we do? We have urgent matters, can't spend our time lollygagging on your base, and have fun while traitors threaten to destroy Azur Lane from within." Lucas said to William while he shrugged.

"I understand." William nodded his head in response.

Lucas may be a perverted bastard with a tendency to act not like men his age but he could be dependable, cunning, and a firm leader when the situation demands it. How do you think a man like him could be the High Commander of Azur Lane? How did you think he rose through the ranks? Lucas may not look like it, but he's the one that Azur Lane counted on during the Great War between them and Crimson Axis…A little fun fact, Lucas and Erich often clashed with their forces on the battlefield by leading them directly…You'll be surprised to know that the two of them could be friends easily despite such history…

"Rest assured. When the time comes to bust them, we'll let you know." Lucas said to William.

"I was hoping you'll say that, Lucas." William said to Lucas while he smiled a bit.

"We'll need our Ace for some cleanup. You're not getting rusty now, are you?" Lucas asked William while he grinned.

"Don't forget who rescued Eldridge back then Lucas, I'm still at my top game." William replied confidently while he smirked.

.

…William escorted Lena, Lucas, and Erich to the helipad where a black hawk helicopter landed and picked up the VIPs. The helicopter immediately took off when the VIPs were aboard, William then returned to the dock area. He contemplated on the fact something feels off, Johnson said that they didn't lose a single corvette during the engagement with the submarines that supposedly have cruise missiles, and there's four of them…Johnson also said that the crews and the submarines didn't possess any identification signals, it's highly possible that those subs were owned by Crimson Cleanser…

But why attack them? Their entire purpose is to wage war with Crimson Axis isn't it? What good is it in attacking Azur Lane themselves? Because if Crimson Axis retaliates then the only thing stopping them from conquering the world is Azur Lane itself. Furthermore, Azur Lane and Crimson Axis are joining forces to face off against the Sirens and Crimson Cleanser plus they knew about the attempt to make the two factions back into killing each other…William couldn't figure out what's the true purpose of those four subs, he needs more evidence and proof. But he supposed he could let Lucas and Lena handle those, he got an important job to do right now. William reached the dock area and saw that the ship girls loitered around with the fight arena being empty, he cocked his eyebrows at the realization that he might take too long and now the fight was over. None of the girls seemed to notice him arriving in the area, he then stopped to look at George who sulked a bit while Wales talked to her as if to cheer her up…Guess William knew who won the fight just from that alone.

"Is it over?" William asked Enterprise who stood beside him.

"Ah commander, we're currently resting before the final showdown. Hiei and Zara would be fighting for the last-" Enterprise explained to William.

William felt water dropped on his nose, and he looked up only to have his face swarmed by rainwater that fell from the grey clouds, fucking what mate? A storm during summer!? What the fuck is wrong with Earth's weather!? The weather is almost unpredictable and could change so suddenly! It's the definition of Mother Nature going through a period! Wait…Do the ship girls ever go through a period? Because-. William shook his head sideways quickly, got to get his mind out of the gutter!

"…Rain? In summer? Really?!" William said out loud with a half closed eye.

"Those thunder clouds are almost black sir; shall we continue the match? Imagine Zara and Hiei dueled under an intense rain storm, crossing swords with each other as they fought to be the best warrior on the base…Sounds poetic, don't you think?" Enterprise asked William with a hand on her chin.

"I admit that does sound admiring, but I don't want you ladies to spend some time in the infirmary later…Attention, this is William Blaze. We will stop the event for now due to the weather and will continue tomorrow at 8 AM! Change your clothes ladies, you have free time until dinner, dismissed!" William said out loud to the ship girls.

The ship girls looked dejected and some sighed as they dispersed from the area, Manjuus immediately moved in to save the electronic equipment and few things that's vulnerable to water. William made sure none of the ship girls lingered in the dock area before he nodded to himself and walked away followed by Enterprise by his side…

"Commander, where's Admiral Lena?" Enterprise asked William.

"She has to return to the headquarters alongside the High Commander, and the Chairman, they have some urgent business they need to settle." William explained shortly to Enterprise.

"Oh, that's a shame, I was hoping they could stay for dinner…What are you going to do now, commander?" Enterprise asked William again.

"My room I guess, better rest for a bit…catch you later, Enterprise." William said to Enterprise while he nodded his head.

"Yes sir!" Enterprise said then she walked off in a different direction.

He felt a bit sluggish today, guess his laziness instinct kicked in that he wanted to do nothing except for laying on top of his bed inside his own room and the cold weather really further enhanced his whims to slack off. Luckily, there was no paperwork to do today, so he really could take it easy…William opened his room and he heard someone gasping. William narrowed his right eye as he took out his revolver and kicked the door open. William pointed his gun toward someone inside his room, a little lady with green hair, cat ears and shocked face.

"Nyaa?! Don't shoot me!" Akashi said while she raised her 'hands' upwards.

"This is trespassing, it'll be purely self-defense on my side." William said to Akashi while pulling the hammer of his Colt Python revolver.

"Booo! You're one mean shikikan! Don't worry, I'm not here to steal nya!" Akashi said while she furrowed her eyebrows.

"So, you're here to rob me?" William asked Akashi with cocked eyebrows.

"…Not exactly." Akashi said to William while she looked to the side.

"…What do you want then?" William asked Akashi as he sheathed his revolver.

"Lucas-sama gave me this, I'm here to consult you regarding what to do nya." Akashi lowered her hands while she talked to William.

Akashi took out a hologram projector, put it on the floor, and activated the device. The projection shown was a humanoid armor design. The design is quite streamlined with emphasis on its smooth surface, armor looked balanced, not slim enough to look fragile, yet not bulky enough to hinder the movement, and it appeared to cover the whole operator's body, so there's a huge chance of it being waterproof or vacuum sealed…Is this what the Science Division in Central Headquarters worked on? Why now? Why did Lucas give this design to Akashi and not him? As far as he could tell, this armor would definitely improve his combat prowess…

"…That motherfucker." William said out loud while he scowled.

"Nya? You didn't seem pleased, shikikan?" Akashi asked while she frowned.

"How hard was it for him just to give me this directly? Why give this to you?" William asked out loud toward Akashi.

"Lucas-sama told me that this one version is free to produce and modified as we like, he said that this is his gift as thanks for today's event nya." Akashi explained to William.

"…That damn bastard is being too generous, it's starting to creep me out." William commented while he scowled.

"Do you know why nya?" Akashi asked William with a hand on her chin.

"I think I know why, but I don't want to talk about it…Explain this armor to me, Akashi." William said to Akashi with a serious expression.

"Mochiron nya…This is a protective armor design derived from Plan Bellator Luminis, the armor design doesn't have a name yet but initial designation for the armor is APBAM-1 or Albion Protective Battle Armor Mark One. Sleek, light but durable and hard hitting piece of hardware…What he gave me is just the shell, the outer armor part alongside the internal hydraulic system to move the armor, and it still has several missing components before it could be used." Akashi explained briefly to William.

"Such as?" William asked Akashi.

"First of all, it doesn't have the power generator or operating system to make the armor functional and the under suit being nonexistent. To make matters worse, those are expensive nya." Akashi said to William.

…See? This armor still has a lot of issues to fix before it could even function! At least the rest are quite easy to produce with the exception for the power generator which William still had no idea on what to use as one, maybe he should leave this one for the experts? Because honestly, he was taught how to kill, not how thermonuclear theory could be harnessed inside a small generator to produce electricity! William rubbed his chin as he contemplated the size of the generator…It has to be small enough to fit on the armor backside without making it too conspicuous to target, then the only option they currently have are batteries!

"…Do you have an idea for the power generator?" William asked Akashi.

"For the first test, we could use batteries but I doubt it could move for more than five minutes nya." Akashi said to William, that would be the case huh…

"For a prototype version, I won't mind that…How about the operating system?" William asked Akashi.

"Piece of cake nya, it won't take two days just to make the basics." Akashi explained while she smiled smugly.

"The under suit?" William asked Akashi with a narrowed eye.

"I could make that in just three days nya." Akashi answered while she grinned.

Akashi is quite intelligent, borderline genius even, but her greed often gets in her way…William started to think on how much will this one armor set cost, the armor plating, the under suit, hydraulic system, operating system for the integrated heads up display, power generator, or supply. All of that could cost millions and William didn't want to use his savings in his bank account to be honest, William stared anxiously at the waiting Akashi with her ears twitched in anticipation…He braved himself to ask, he needed to know the cost.

"…How much does all of this cost?" William asked Akashi regarding the cost.

"Millions…But the good news is we have the necessary resources, shikikan, you won't have to spend much money. Do you agree on building this nya?" Akashi asked William, huh…if they got the resources then-

"Of course I agree…Can you customize the design so it could be 'flexible'?" William asked Akashi while he smiled a bit.

"Hmm…You're asking a lot of me shikikan nya…" Akashi said to William while she smiled in a scheming manner.

"…I'm willing to pay with red gems." William said to Akashi as his eye went half closed.

Red gems or simply gems were the resources someone within Azur Lane or Crimson Axis threw in whenever they wanted to get shit done, exotic resources that's even more valuable than gold coins that the military used as currency. Red gems, hard to get, very useful if William wanted exotic stuff or no-nonsense transactions, and he's going to give some to Akashi just to make sure this project went off without a hitch huh? William remembered he didn't have a lot of those…He might need some for further projects soon, he better gets some ready.

"You're very dedicated one nya! Then in that case I accept wholeheartedly!" Akashi said to William while she grinned.

"…In that case I want the best result even for a prototype, as soon as the prototype is a success, I want improvement immediately for a functional armor." William said to Akashi while he folded his arms.

"Thank you for your patronage and consider it done nya! Well, that's all for now. Matta nya!" Akashi said to William as she stood up then walked to the door.

"Bloody capitalist cat…" William muttered to himself.

Akashi grinned as she exited William's room, that cat is going to be the reason why he's broke. He thought to himself on how he would look with that armor, yeah…He felt like a space marine already, all he needs after that is a jet thruster…Yup that's an idea that could be implemented later in the future when they could solve the power issue, with that he could move freely with the ship girls on top of the water and that could be a game changer…Though, facing off with Sirens ship girls is still something he doesn't want to do anytime soon. His mother might know something, William pulled out his phone and dialed his mother's number.

"Mum?" William asked Diana when he heard his call was picked up.

"Will. Been a while since you called." Diana said to William on the phone.

"Yeah. Hey, I was wondering, did you know anything regarding APBAM-1?" William asked Diana on the phone as he laid himself down on his bed.

"Albion?! How did you know that!? Supposedly that's an unfinished design! Who told you that!?" Diana asked William on the phone in an exasperated tone.

"…Who do you think?" William asked back on the phone with a half closed eye.

"…Ah of course, that jackson bollocks! I told him already that the design is still unfinished, and it would take an additional few months before it could be finalized, hah!" Diana said to William on the phone then sighed loudly.

"Don't worry about it mum, we'll conduct our own research here. Maybe in a few weeks we'll get a result with Albion." William said to Diana on the phone while he smiled a bit.

"I don't mean to be pessimistic Will, but not even the brightest scientists in Central Headquarters could make the armor work without running into power issues. The hydraulic system, the armor operating system all require a lot of juice, something only a nuclear reactor could provide for long term use." Diana explained to William on the phone in a matter of fact tone.

…Well, William sure that Akashi could solve that problem and the Manjuus certainly could do the heavy work much faster than those eggheads at headquarters. Besides, Akashi was the one who often had to deal with basically new technology that their best scientists may take some time to understand, while she could implement it into their arsenal easily…at least that's how Hood described what Akashi had done for them, but he trusts Hood's judgment so by extension he trusted that Akashi could deliver.

"We'll get around that, first we'll prove that the armor could move, then we'll solve the power related issue." William said to Diana on the phone.

"You sound so confident; would that Jenny girl be involved with this one?" Diana asked William on the phone with an unsure tone.

"That's all according to Lena, but I figured we could manage by ourselves here…I'll let you know if the armor works properly." William said to Diana on the phone while he smiled a bit.

"Yeah, thanks for that, what you did just took a load off from our research priority list so thanks a lot Will." Diana said to William on the phone with soft tone.

"Don't mention it mum…I'm looking forward to using it too." William said while he grinned.

"Ah of course you'll use it…But you're no Iron Man Will, so don't go overzealous okay?" Diana said to William on the phone.

"Hahahaha, will do mum." William said to Diana on the phone after he chuckled.

.

…William opened his eyes so suddenly; did he just fall asleep!? William looked around and noticed that it's already dark, he checked his wristwatch, and it said 06:51 PM…Great, he fell asleep after calling his mother, and he completely forgot about the dinner event which would start in nine minutes. William immediately entered his bathroom when he smelled something bad, and it's him…He sighed as he took off his clothes and took a shower, after he got himself cleaned, he opened his wardrobe and noticed…He lost most of his clothes, are they still in the laundry? William grabbed a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a crimson vest. This is all he got huh? A semi-formal outfit? Better than dressing up with a t-shirt and short pants…William exited his room, and he immediately went to the dinner event that's currently held in the canteen which had been modified a bit, he strolled casually with hands inside his pockets when he noticed movement near the rear entrance of the canteen. William narrowed his gaze as his right hand reached for the revolver strapped on his back while he walked slowly toward it. He saw the thing that caused movement near the rear entrance. She was Hipper who checked on the electric box with a flashlight in her right hand and clipboard in her left hand. She heard William's footsteps and she turned toward him.

"Ha? What are you looking at!?" Hipper asked William with narrowed eyes.

"Hello to you too, Hipper. I was wondering, where are the others?" William asked Hipper while he smiled a bit.

"Already inside, I'm running a last minute check for the power adapter…Well what are you waiting for!? Get in!" Hipper told William while she pointed the clipboard at him.

"Right, thanks for the hard work!" William said to Hipper while he waved and grinned at Hipper.

"I don't need your praise, dummkopf!" Hipper shouted to William while her cheeks reddened a bit.

"…Was it that hard to be honest with herself?" William muttered to himself while he smiled.

The door to the canteen was opened, and William entered the canteen, he witnessed that everyone was already on site. Most of them already sat while enjoying their buffet dinner served near the entrance. William took a glance at the assortments of meat, vegetables, cakes, and fruits waiting to be grabbed and consumed which caused William to smile widely…Oh this is going to be good! He was about to head toward the buffet table when he saw someone walk towards him. Belfast, dressed in her usual maid clothes walked toward William with a smile on her face.

"Welcome, master." Belfast greeted William while she bowed her head a bit.

"Hey there Bel…Everyone is already here?" William greeted Belfast back while he smiled.

"Yes, I think you're the last one to arrive. Did something happen?" Belfast asked William with curious eyes.

"I…fell asleep, what can I say? The weather is very comfortable." William said to Belfast while he grinned and shrugged.

"I agree…If you need something please don't hesitate to call the committee members." Belfast said as she left William to attend another matter.

"I'll keep that in mind." William said to Belfast while he smiled a bit.

The buffet table was so tempting that William walked towards it while he grinned at the thought on what should he eat first, the beef, the chicken, the fish…Okay, that's all meat, he has to eat some vegetables before Belfast found out and told him off again for not eating vegetables then threaten to shoved some down his throat when he's being jackass about it…William quickly grabbed an empty plate, he started filling his plate with assortments of meat and some vegetables to the side. He's so engrossed in his anticipation to eat that he didn't hear someone approaching him from behind, that person only smiled at what they saw…

"I suggest you don't eat too much, milord." Hood said to William from his back side.

"Are you underestimating my stomach capacity, Hood?" William asked her while he turned his head around to meet her.

"On the contrary, the night is long so you might want to save some room for dessert." Hood said to William while she smiled softly.

"Dessert goes to a different part of the stomach, you know?" William asked Hood while he smiled.

"Is that so? Then by all means…That also means you should refrain from drinking this 1945 Speymalt that Admiral Lena gave to me, you could get sick." Hood said to William while she smirked a bit.

…Did William hear her right? Did Hood just say that she got a rare and expensive brand of alcohol that was made decades ago with her at the moment? William stopped what he's doing as he slowly looked at Hood straight in the eyes with a deadpan stare, he then slowly put down his full plate to the table, and he witnessed Hood pulled out a bottle from her purse that William immediately observed…Yup, that's indeed the real deal but just to be safe William still felt like asking.

"…What did you say?" William asked Hood.

"1945…Speymalt." Hood said while she smiled then shook the bottle a bit.

"…What do you want Hood?" William asked Hood as he averted his eye to his left side.

"Oh? You know I'm currently bribing you?" Hood asked William while she cocked her eyebrows.

"You damn well know how to butter me up…So, what do you want from me?" William asked Hood again as he picked up his plate.

"Nothing much. How about the seat beside you and your attention for the night?" Hood asked William cheekily while she smirked.

"Lady, you just got it." William said as he approached Hood.

"…But still, it kind of worries me that it's so easy to bribe you." Hood commented while she frowned a bit.

"Don't worry…Only a fine lady such as you could do that to me." William said to Hood while he grinned.

"Flatterer." Hood said to William while she smiled softly.

A bit farther from that location two maids observed what happened between Hood and William, both of them had varied expressions between each other. Edinburgh put a hand over her gaping mouth with widened eyes, Belfast stared at what happened between her master and her friend with a shadow casted over her eyes with a serious expression and little frown on her beautiful face. Edinburgh noticed that her master had been getting some attention from the ladies around the base, but she never expected that Hood would be the one in an offensive position like tonight…

"…Did you see that? Did you see that!? Lady Hood can't be underestimated, she may not look like it, but she's quite aggressive in her own sense!" Edinburgh commented while she shook Belfast's left shoulder.

"Ho…" Belfast commented while she stared at two of them.

"…Bel? What's wrong?" Edinburgh asked Belfast when she noticed that Belfast didn't comment much.

"Oh nothing dear sister, I just remembered that master's room may need some caretaking. Would you please take charge here for a bit while I go check? Thank you." Belfast said quickly to Edinburgh before she walked away.

"Wha? Wait, Bel?! Sheesh, I never know what she is thinking." Edinburgh said out loud with hands on her hips.

Hood and William walked to an empty table while they greeted the ship girls that they passed along the way, they chose a table close to the stage where several Manjuus played soft jazz songs. William pulled up a seat for Hood to sit, once she sat down William sat on the opposite of her while he put down his plate on the table. William took a spoon and a fork, and he's going to stab the lamb chop when he saw someone approaching from Hood's backside, red hair, big tits and a soft scheming smile, yup she's Zara…

"Zara?" William asked Zara.

"Mind if I join you, comandante?" Zara asked while she smiled.

"Errr…" William said while he stared at Hood.

"It's fine Ms. Zara, please have a seat." Hood said while she looked at Zara and smiled a bit.

"…I thought you're going to mind it?" William whispered toward Hood.

"I'm not so unreasonable to hog you to myself all night, milord. The others would undoubtedly-" Hood said to William with a serious expression.

"May I sit here, shikikan-sama?" Shoukaku asked William from behind.

"Errr, sure." William said to Shoukaku.

Zara and Shoukaku sat at William and Hood's table, carrying their own plates filled with their own dinner. They started to eat while occasionally talking about mundane things, William himself started to calmly eat his portion because Hood observed him while she elegantly ate her own portion…She would tell him off if he wolfed down his food, that happened once, but William didn't want to talk about it.

"You seem to like the beef slice, Zara-san." Shoukaku commented to Zara, who enthusiastically ate her portion.

"Why yes, I'm quite hungry since the fight this afternoon…Too bad comandante, you couldn't see the fight happen." Zara said while she frowned a bit and stared at William.

"…Yeah, I got held up a bit with official business." William said to Zara while he cringed.

"What happened?" Hood asked William with cocked eyebrows.

"Putting it bluntly, something happened at Central Headquarters, that's why Chairman Erich, Admiral Lena, and High Commander Lucas left this base in a hurry…Shame, the committee team went all out with their dishes." William explained to the girls who nodded in affirmation.

Hood took out the alcohol bottle from her purse, and William nodded his head while Zara alongside Shoukaku oohed in approval, they each grabbed a glass as Hood poured the smooth brown liquid to each glass. William raised his glass and the two others toasted then downed the content of their own glass, William felt the nicest and strongest kick he ever experienced because he had to wince a bit when he downed the entire content in one big gulp.

"This is delicious!" Shoukaku commented after she downed her glass content.

"I approve of this one." Zara said to Hood after she licked her lips.

"Wow…what a strong kick. What are you waiting for Hood? Come on, drink up." William commented before he suggested to Hood.

"I'm not too fond of alcohol, milord…" Hood said to William while she smiled a bit.

"It will be another story if it's tea, am I right?" Shoukaku asked Hood while she poured more liquid into her glass.

"That's not true, I do drink other stuff you know?" Hood said to Shoukaku while she narrowed her eyes.

"Mineral water doesn't count, Hood-san." Shoukaku said to hood while she wiggled her eyebrows.

"You make it seem like I'm obsessed with tea." Hood said to Shoukaku with a little frown.

"Aren't you indeed obsessed with tea?" Shoukaku asked Hood with a little smirk on her face.

"What makes you say that, Ms. Shoukaku?" Hood asked Shoukaku while she pouted a bit.

"Half the time we see you, a cup of tea is on your hand." Shoukaku said to Hood while she smirked.

"That's simply-" Hood said to Shoukaku in a firm tone.

"Alright alright, as amusing as this is, I have to stop this from going any further. Shoukaku, don't tease Hood so much." William said to Shoukaku while he grinned.

"Tch, I got found out~" Shoukaku said to William while she looked to the left side and pouted cutely.

"…All of that just to bait her?" Zara asked out loud after she sipped her drink.

"Teasing someone is a methodical practice Zara-san, hook and sinker wouldn't do much without first baiting them to the spot. Once you get your victim in the kill zone, you could toy with it however you want." Shoukaku explained with half opened eyes and a menacing smile.

"Ah…You've been hanging out with Prinz too much." William said to Shoukaku with half closed eye.

"I admit that she and I are becoming fast friends~, I'm interested in learning her methods…She said that it even works on you~" Shoukaku said to William while she stared…with scheming eyes…

"…When Shoukaku master that art, I'm in serious trouble." William muttered to himself while he looked downwards.

The Manjuu band stopped playing as red curtains behind them raised upwards, and someone walked out from there as everyone's attention was directed at them. Illustrious walked out onto the stage as the Manjuus turned on a spotlight and directed it toward her, she was dressed in her usual clothes without her large hat. In her hand she carried a mic, she played it in her hands a bit to stave off her nervousness…She never performed in front of the crowd before and she's not immune to embarrassment, Illustrious however determined to see this through since she already registered her name for the performance.

"Someone's on stage?" Zara asked out loud while she looked at the stage.

"…Illustrious?" William said out loud in wonder.

"Ah, so she's the first performer." Hood said out loud while she smiled widely.

The band started to play a soft song; the melody was so familiar to William that he instantly remembered his mother since she often watched the movie where the song was heavily used. My heart will go on, Titanic, and man he heard it often enough back during his teenage years since it's his mom's favorite movie. Illustrious spent no more time as she walked forward, she spun once to follow the song's rhythm then she stared at her audience with the mic grasped firmly between her two hands and held in front of her pink lips.

"…Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you. That is how I know you go on~…Far across the distance, and spaces between us. You have come to show you go on~…" Illustrious sang beautifully in a soft tone.

The audience clapped when Illustrious began singing and William was no exception, he found that the rumor was right regarding Illustrious being good at singing. Her tone was soft, she synced well with the melody of the song and her gentle smile as well her subtle sways were definite plus. William leaned on his seat, he poured his empty glass another dose of alcohol, and he sipped on the liquid while enjoying Illustrious' surely radiant performance.

"…Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on…Once more, you open the door and you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and on~…" Illustrious sang as she held her right hand upwards diagonally, she's like drowned herself into the song.

"…Blimey, she's good." William commented while he smiled in approval.

"Illustrious is secretly a good singer after all." Hood said to William while she leaned back on her seat.

Illustrious noticed that William was among the crowd and she smiled softly, her confidence just got a massive boost to sing the next line while she poured out her feelings and did her best to immerse the song that she's currently singing. William noticed that Illustrious looked straight at him, he raised his glass while smiling then winked at her. Illustrious smiled widely when she saw that, she stepped forward to get a closer look at his face…

"Love can touch us one time, and last for a lifetime. And never let go 'till we're gone…Love was when I loved you, one true time I'd hold to. In my life we'll always go on~…" Illustrious sang while she swayed her body to the sides repeatedly.

"…Did she indirectly just…" William said to himself in a low tone.

"…Near, far, wherever you are. I believe that the heart does go on…Once more, you open the door. And you're here in my heart, and my heart will go on and on~…" Illustrious sang as she closed her eyes while she smiled.

"Whoa, she held nothing back huh?" Zara said out loud while she rested her head on her right hand on top of the table.

William's got a feeling why Illustrious chose this song and safe to say his hunch screamed 'Dammit man! Don't be so dense! You know why she chose this song!' William smiled softly as he watched Illustrious preparing herself for the end part. The music picked up as the song nearly reached the end, Illustrious opened her eyes once again, and she locked her eyes toward William's wide right azure colored eye who stared at Illustrious as if he's been bewitched by the charm she radiated somehow. She took a deep breath; this one would require quite some energy to sing.

"…You're here! There's nothing I fear! And I know that my heart will go on…We'll stay forever this way! You are safe in my heart and my heart will go on and on!" Illustrious sang while she extended her right hand forward, as if offering her hand toward William himself while she smiled softly.

There's a bit of silence as the crowds waited for the end of the song, few of them had their mouths agape in amazement…The song ended, Illustrious curtsied while she smiled widely, and the crowds exploded in appreciation while they clapped furiously. Some even gave Illustrious a standing ovation like William who got his cheeks reddened a bit, though he wasn't sure whether that was from the implication of the song Illustrious sang or the alcohol that he drank.

"Huh, damn…Once a knight in shining armor, stays a knight in shining armor huh?" William muttered while he clapped his hands in standing ovation.

"Bravo!" Zara said out loud while she stood up and clapped her hands.

"Encore! Encore!" Saratoga said out loud while she clapped her hands.

"Illustrious-san is quite bold huh?" Shoukaku asked out loud while she clapped her hands.

"Well played Illustrious…" Hood softly said while she clapped her hands.

While they clapped their hands, some of the girls knew why Illustrious chose that song, and they smiled in respect at her while vowing to themselves that they won't lose. Hood smiled as she took an empty glass, she poked William's right hip, and he looked toward Hood with a glass on her hand, William cocked his eyebrows at his thought on why the hell Hood changed her mind regarding her drinking?

"…Hood?" William asked Hood.

"I'd like to drink, mind pouring me a glass?" Hood asked William while she smiled a bit.

"Huh? Okay? Just don't drink it in one go-" William said to Hood as he poured the alcohol to her glass.

…As it turns out, even Hood couldn't follow instructions properly in some cases. She downed the entire content of the glass without reservation. Zara stared in respect at her while Shoukaku whistled in awe, it didn't take long for her to fall on the table with red cheeks. William sighed hard as he took Hood with her and excused both of them from the canteen, midway through getting out from the building William bumped into Belfast who just entered the canteen.

"…Belfast, there you are. Mind helping me with Hood here?" William asked Belfast while he carried Hood with his left shoulder.

"Oh my, did she drink?" Belfast asked William with a hand over her mouth.

"Yeah…Is she this weak to alcohol?" William asked Belfast back with a half closed eye.

"In a sense…She touched black tea more often than mineral water too, I'm not surprised." Belfast said to William while she shrugged.

If that's the case then none of them should be surprised…Belfast looked at Hood who groaned as William supported her to stand, she figured that Hood won't get far even with William helping her walk, so she motioned William to lift Hood in his arms.

"Come, I'll guide you to her room." Belfast said to William as she started to walk ahead.

"Right…hmm, she's lighter than I thought." William said out loud as he switched to carrying Hood in princess carry.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Belfast said to William while they walked.

"…Where have you been Bel? I didn't see you during dinner." William asked Belfast with cocked eyebrows.

"Oh, I went ahead to check up on a few things." Belfast said to William without looking at him.

"Okay…" William answered while he cocked his eyebrows.

The walk toward the Royal Navy's dormitory was filled with nothing but footsteps, crickets singing, and the occasional faint sound of waves on the beach. William occasionally checked on Hood to see if she's getting sick or anything, but she's quite strong that even when she's almost completely wasted she managed not to puke…Belfast glanced sideways to look at Hood, why did she drink? Hood is by no means a lightweight, so her getting drunk when it's not even past 9 PM yet confused Belfast quite a bit.

"…Hood supposedly isn't this weak to alcohol, what did she drink?" Belfast asked William while she looked back toward him.

"1945 Speymalt, downed an entire glass." William said to Belfast with a half closed eye.

"…I am not surprised in that case." Belfast said to William while she frowned a bit.

Hood stopped her groans as she stared at William from below, she's so out of it with a flushed face while she reached out to William's cheek with her left hand. William widened his right eye as he stared down at Hood who stared at him with a drunken gaze, she then suddenly giggled uncontrollably that baffled William as he's confused on what did she find so funny that she managed to laugh like he just told a killer joke of the century. William and Belfast both waited for Hood to clarify herself while they walked, all the more reason to bring Hood inside her room as soon as possible.

"Ufufufufufufu! Milord, you're making funny face! Ufufufufufu!" Hood said to William as she giggled.

"…Giggling uncontrollably? Yep, you're drunk, Hood." William commented while he smiled bitterly.

"I am not! I could still take on Avrora…and Prinz…in a drinking duel!" Hood said as she poked William's right cheek multiple times.

"Not those two because that's a death wish for you Hood, you better rest. I'm taking you to your room." William said to Hood with a firm tone and furrowed eyebrows.

"Ah? Are you going to fuck me? I feel little horny though…Let's fuck~" Hood said to William in drunken sultry tone.

Almost slipped, that's what happened to William when he heard those words come out from supposedly one of the most composed and polite ladies in his life. Even Belfast who's known for her composure was shocked when she heard Hood said that, she turned her head toward Hood so fast it should have given her a whiplash. William sighed hard while Belfast smiled bitterly, that was quite unexpected…

"What the hell woman?! Why are you so vulgar when you're drunk?!" William asked Hood back with faint redness on his cheek.

"Admit it! You want to don't you!?" Hood stared at William accusingly while she grinned.

"…You need to sleep…" William chose not to continue this conversation.

"But I don't want to go to bed now~!" Hood said out loud in a whining tone.

"…Is she this blunt, clingy, and spoiled when drunk?" William asked Belfast with a half closed eye.

"Yes…There's a reason why she doesn't drink, when she's drunk Hood is anything but what she preaches." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Elegance huh?" William said out loud with a half closed eye.

"Awww don't be shy, give me a kiss, let's start…with that." Hood said to William while puckered her lips a bit.

"I'm not kissing you when you're drunk." William said to Hood in a firm tone with serious expression.

"Tch, stingy bastard…" Hood clicked her tongue then she pouted, oh hell that was cute!

"Wow…I'm so regretting not recording all of this." William said out loud while he smiled.

They finally reached the Royal Navy's dorm, Belfast led William through the corridors and stairs into the third floor where Hood's personal room is located. William noticed that Hood quiet down a bit, she closed her eyes as if she's asleep but William could hear the low groans coming from her lips. Belfast twisted the knob to Hood's room but turns out it's locked, Belfast reached for her pocket however and produced a key that she inserted into the keyhole. Belfast then proceeded to unlock the door, makes sense for the head maid to have the master key for the Royal Dormitory but William just knew about this.

"Through here." Belfast said as she led William into Hood's personal room.

"…She's quite a handful when she's drunk." William commented as he put Hood above her bed.

"I admit she is." Belfast said to William as she looked at Hood.

"…Milord…where are you going?" Hood asked William with a tone full of mirth.

"I'm heading back to the dinner event, Hood. You'll stay here." William said to Hood while he turned around.

"No. You. Stay!" Hood said as she sat up on her bed.

"Wha? Don't say that like I'm a dog or-" William stopped and turned around with furrowed brows.

"Stay!" Hood said to William while she pointed her right index finger on him.

"Gah for fuck sake…Fine, here I am!" William said as he approached and stood by Hood's bedside.

"Lie down, here!" Hood tapped the empty spot beside her on the bed.

William shrugged, this may cause further problems but eh fuck it because Belfast still in the room, and she could prevent any mishaps from happening. Because he felt confident that Belfast stayed in the room, William lay himself on top of Hood's bed and rested his head on one of the pillows there.

"…Bel, what is she doing?" William asked Belfast who stared at him with amused eyes.

"I don't know, but let's see how this goes first." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"You want me to go along with her drunk wishes?!" William asked Belfast with disbelief laced on his voice.

"Yes. Maybe she will calm down after you do what she wants." Belfast said to William as she stared at him.

"…I'm counting on that hypothesis." William said to Belfast as he laid back down.

"…Ehehehehe…You're so warm…you smell good, William. '' Hood said to William in a giddy tone as she snuggled on his neck.

"…Oh that's just not fair, only when you're drunk do you call me by name?" William asked out loud while he frowned.

"Shut up! You're only my hugging pillow…The one I named Willy, doesn't talk back, is not muscular enough, not handsome, doesn't smell good, and can't even drink tea properly." Hood said to William in drunken haughty tone.

"…Ouch?" William said out loud while he cringed, that hugging the pillow is obviously supposed to be him…

Hood apparently squeezed William tightly, her well-endowed breasts squeezed his right arm tightly, her legs tangled on his right one, her scent combined with her perfume enticed his nose, her alcohol laced breath tickled his neck, and that caused his mind to take a nose dive downright to inappropriate area where his imagination become wild enough to caused his pants to tighten. William widened his right eye when he felt it, the familiar sensation that he interpreted as a sign of fuck up in this situation. He looked down and saw his crotch had bulged painfully, Belfast stared at William's crotch that had a large bulge that threatened to unzip his pants zipper by itself…the testament on how big his main gun was.

"…Shite…Um, Bel, could you please look away a bit?" William asked Belfast politely.

"Hmm…Did Hood arouse you, master?" Belfast didn't do that as she asked and kept staring at William's crotch.

"If I have to be honest, yes! Could you free me from her grasp? She's quite strong, and I don't want to lose control then do something inappropriate to her!" William said to Belfast with a serious expression.

…Belfast may have vowed that she belongs to her master both body and soul, but she never said that she will fully obey her master orders, a privilege she could take advantage of when she saw something that will benefit greatly to herself or her master.

"…I have a suggestion~" Belfast said to William while she smirked.

"Spill it." William said to Belfast.

"According to research, if a normal human male penis stands erect for few hours without rest it could cause some permanent damage to the tissue. Seeing the situation now, it is possible that your penis would be erect all night, and it could cause impotency in the end." Belfast said to William as she approached his side on the bed.

"That's not helping at all Bel! I need a solution for this mess!" William said to Belfast with a widened eye.

"We have to calm your penis down, that's the solution." Belfast said to William as she kneeled by his side.

"How?! Do you want me to masturbate here?!" William brazenly asked Belfast.

"Even better…I'll help you out." Belfast said to William while she smirked.

"Huh?" William could only let out that sound in his brain crash.

Belfast climbed aboard the bed and sat on William's legs while carefully positioned herself, so Hood wouldn't be disturbed, luckily for her Hood untangled her legs away from William's own and Belfast could sit freely on top of his leg.

"W-W-Wait a second! You're not serious are you!?" William asked Belfast in shouted whispers to avoid waking Hood.

"No master, I am Belfast. Sirius is still away from this base." Belfast answered cheekily as she smirked.

"Ha? Who the hell-" William narrowed his right eye toward her.

"Now…Let this head maid service you…I'll make sure to make my master satisfied~" Belfast said to William while she smiled…seductively.

Belfast wasted no time as she approached William's crotch, she took a whiff on it as if to ingrain the smell directly to her brain…the head maid is secretly a pervert. Methodically and seductively, Belfast went out to reach William's zipper with her mouth, she bit on the zipper before she slowly pulled it down and exposed the bulge covered in white boxers that was already wet due to pre-cum staining it. Belfast undid William's belt then pulled down his pants and boxers, she gasped a bit at the rising monster that appeared from its hiding place. An 18 centimeter, pulsating, circumcised penis stood erect in front of Belfast's face. She smirked a bit as her right hand gently touched William's cock, the owner of that beast was in a dilemma between stopping what Belfast did or let this continue because damn it's been a while since he rubbed one out! She started to stroke his cock gently, moving her hand up and down slowly and William felt a pleasure he hadn't experienced ever since years ago…Belfast increased her stroking pace, her glove made of silk enhanced the stimulus around William's penis.

"B-Bel…" William groaned as he stared at Belfast.

"You're quite big aren't you master? This one over here would definitely please any woman~" Belfast said to William while she smirked seductively.

William widened his eye when he felt something warm wrapped his cock, Belfast used her tongue to wrap his cock before she gave a through lick from the base all the way to the bulbous tip. She used her tongue to lightly prod on his urethra before she used her tongue to licked the penis tip in circular motion, she then gave his gland a wet and powerful sucking kiss that forced William to growl in pleasure. Belfast continued to stroke his rod, she set the speed at random so William couldn't know when she would speed up or slow down…He had a hard time controlling his ejaculation.

"H-How are you…so good at this?" William asked Belfast.

"I've looked through some references." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"That's your favorite pastime or somethi-. Oh!" William said before he groaned in pleasure.

Belfast didn't want to hear any of it as she put his gland inside her mouth while she licked it in circular motion, she stared at William directly in the eye before she slowly bobbed her head slowly up and down…Fucking sexy! That's what ran inside William's mind when he saw Belfast gave him (quite possibly) the best blowjob he ever got while she stared sexily at him, he briefly looked at Hood beside him who still asleep despite the constant slurping sounds Belfast made…She also took the liberty with her left hand and grabbed him by the balls, naturally that sentence described that he fucked up big time but, on this context, he felt extra pleasure from the gentle testicle massage he got from her. William sure Belfast already trained for this; he has a hard time restraining himself from cumming!

"How does that feel?" Belfast asked William while she smirked.

"…Really good." William admitted to Belfast.

She put William's penis back inside her mouth and wrapped it with her pink tongue, she then combined everything by licking the tip, bobbed her head up and down while she massaged his balls. That's what people would call an all-out blowjob right there, and man William who hasn't gotten some action for two fucking years was helpless against Belfast's full frontal assault. He felt something bubbling and he know he won't even last for a minute, but he got his own pride because no way in hell he's going to ejaculate this quickly when this hot maid gave him a blowjob…Oh who is he kidding, the dam will break loose like Niagara Falls at this rate!

"Bel, I'm cumming!" William said to Belfast while he gritted his teeth.

Belfast widened her eyes as William's penis spurted thick ropes of cum like a dam broke loose. William became tense as he came inside Belfast's mouth. Belfast felt her mouth filled to the brim, and she swallowed the thick sperm inside her mouth while she kept pumping William's penis to make sure everything was let out…What a release! William felt he came much more than when he rubbed one out by himself, she's just basically milked him! Before long Belfast stared at William directly in the eye as she swallowed the rest of the load of thick cum, turns out he wasn't finished yet because as soon as Belfast released his cock from her mouth, he released the rest of his load that splattered into the head maid's face…William coated Belfast's beautiful face with his cum, giving her a nice facial and believe it or not it's a complete accident. Belfast looked like she didn't care, she gulped down the rest of cum inside her mouth effortlessly.

"Did you just…" William was left speechless at what he saw.

"Mhm~…So thick, like jelly…You're quite backed up, master~" Belfast said to William with a sultry tone then she licked her own lips.

…That's a big mistake he made tonight because that's all it takes for him to get hard again, though not as strong as steel yet William's main gun did get erect and ready to fire another salvo. Belfast smirked while William frowned in embarrassment, that gun of his was so honest! But man, he had to admit, if Belfast was willing to go for another round even after he came, he's more than willing to do it now because screw it, he's in knees deep already.

"…Oh my, looks like once is not enough? In that case, I might need to redouble my efforts. Ufufufu~" Belfast giggled while she once more stroked William's cock.

.

…William woke up feeling fresh to be honest, last night he had to ejaculate three times before his erection died down, and he could be freed from Hood's tight grasp. He didn't rejoin the party as he immediately headed back to his room, he sat, and contemplated what really happened because holy hell he got a blowjob and what kind of sane man wouldn't be happy about it?! But really, that was really risky what he did with Belfast, and he stumbled upon this question…Was that a onetime thing only or was Belfast willing to do it again if he asked her? No, he knows how this works…

Belfast subtly dropped the hint back then that all he needed is to ask. But he still felt like he should be careful, there's no way in hell he reported this to Lena or High Command because god knows what kind of plan they got for him if they knew he was involved sexually with the ship girls. In a sense he was spoiled already by Lucas regarding the grand plan, William was sure that if Lucas got a wind that if William started to get sexually involved with them, he will surely tell him to have sex with the intention to impregnate the girls…That caused him to sweat in nervousness, but aroused at the same time. He imagined himself pinning down Belfast in the mating press position while he filled her womb to the brim with his load of fertile sperm to impregnate her, while Hood laid down beside them waiting with her legs spread open with her vagina drenched as she fingered herself in eagerness to be fucked-

SMACK!

…William slapped himself as hard as he could with a widened right eye as he regulated his breath, WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE THINKING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR FUCK SAKE?! God! His libido wasn't getting any better with that blowjob, it gets even worse now! The fault of an active man with raging hormones! He needed to calm down his overly eager main cannon strapped on his crotch, William looked at the clock on his bed stand, and his problem was solved immediately as his erection died on its own because it reads 08:22 AM, so that means he missed the final fight between Zara and Hiei. He quickly bolted to the bathroom, took a quick shower, dressed quickly, and left his room to head toward the dock area…Guess what happened next?

"…How is this possible? Did you not want to watch me fight? How can you oversleep?" Zara said to William while she pouted and folded her arms.

"I uh…" William failed to come up with an excuse, he as well tried to avoid looking at her giant boobs that were emphasized by Zara by folding her arms underneath it.

"Is that an attempt at an excuse that I hear? Don't you have something else to say to me?" Zara asked William with a cold menacing tone and shadow casted on her eyes.

"Yeah…Zara, I'm terribly sorry for what happened alright? I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you…" William said to Zara while he stared at her straight in the eyes, he genuinely felt bad for missing the fight.

"…At least you got the guts to admit your mistake…Bene, you owe me for what happened comandante, so clear your schedule tonight!" Zara said to William while she pointed her right index finger to William's face, man she must be pissed…

"Will do ma'am." William said to Zara while he nodded his head.

Zara didn't spare him any smiles as she left him alone near the empty fight arena, she walked quickly and still in full fury that William wasn't brave enough to call out to her…Man, he screwed this one, he also needed to apologize to Hiei too. Fortunately, he didn't need to look very far as he noticed Hiei stood on the pier while she stared toward the sea, all by herself under the grey clouds with strong winds and waves crashing into the concrete pier around her. William braved himself, he's at fault and as a gentleman it's his supposed nature to apologize. He made it close enough to touch her, but he didn't tap her shoulder instead he called out to her.

"…Umm, Hiei?" William said her name with an unsure tone.

"Ara, shikikan-sama." Hiei said as she turned around while she smiled a bit…Damn, even she could still smile despite him messing up.

"Look…I'm sorry for not witnessing the final battle, it was my fault and uh…I was hoping that I could make it up to you." William said to Hiei while he subtly rubbed his right hand.

"…I was hoping that a certain shikikan could witness me during the fight. I think if he did, the fight would be more intense than before." Hiei said to William while she stared at her sheathed katana.

"Oh…Is that so?" William said out loud while he looked to the right side.

"Because of the absence of that man, I was not able to perform at my very best…That certain man better take responsibility~" Hiei said to William while she smiled meaningfully.

"…A stroll this evening, what do you think?" William asked Hiei while he smiled a bit.

"Ufuufufu…I would love to go." Hiei said while she smiled.

Honestly speaking, Hiei was a lot gentler, and she could still smile so from that interaction William could come to a conclusion. Zara won the fight; she's pissed that he wasn't there to congratulate her directly. Hiei lost the fight, she wasn't pissed, but instead dissatisfied with her result and lack of apparent 'motivation'…William thought that there's something wrong alright, Belfast didn't come to wake him up for some reason. Usually when she couldn't do that, she would send someone else to do so, but she didn't so something was up…Someone hid behind a stack of boxes near William and Hiei, her yellow eyes stared toward William while she noted down several things on the notepad she carried.

"…Guilt tripping shikikan is the best way to get what you want; this info will sell nicely…Mwehehehehe." The stalker muttered while she laughed evilly.

"Did you hear something?" William asked Hiei while he looked around.

"…No?" Hiei said to William despite the fact she saw a pair of green cat ears behind the boxes.

.

…A girl with waist long crimson hair, blue eyes behind black oval glasses, who also wore an Azur Lane Blue Officer Uniform stared intently at the monitor in front of her, she inputted several commands on her keyboard concerning the program she ran on the computer. The girl sighed when the program displayed 'No match found' writing in bright red, she took a glass of coffee on her table's left side and sipped on the cold coffee which caused her to blanch upon tasting it. She put the glass back on the table as she returned to type new set of command, it's been a long day and her coffee already went cold…She heard some footsteps from her back and she looked behind, she saw Lena approached her while she yawned…Looks like she hasn't gotten enough sleep too.

"Hey Lena." The girl said to Lena while she smiled a bit.

"Do you have results, Nora?" Lena asked Nora as she looked on Nora's display screen.

"Just some bits and pieces, at least now we know a bit about those subs…Those Nautilus subs that Commander Carl Johnson sunk near the isle? They were the subs that we 'thought' to be sunk during Operation Guillotine." Nora said to Lena while she kept typing.

Operation Guillotine was a failed naval operation during the Great War where a combination of Royal Navy and Eagle Union fleets assaulted an isle controlled by Ironbloods at the Gulf of Aden, they set up a naval base over there in preparation to rendezvous with the Sakura Empire fleet that crossed the Indian Ocean as reinforcement. Both forces clashed to wrestle control of the area, Azur Lane even brought thirteen submarines for the operation that unfortunately were sunk with depth charges by Sakura Empire cruisers and destroyers. One of the most devastating naval defeats Azur Lane experienced in the Middle East campaign, the whole campaign was a mess to begin with.

"That operation was a total clusterfuck, you're telling me that from thirteen submarines reported sunk four of them reappeared just like that?" Lena asked Nora while she folded her arms.

"With the chaos that's going on during that operation, it would be easy to sneak out four subs out of the combat zone. We're currently running through our entire database to search for any appearance of the missing crew members of those subs." Nora explained to Lena.

"This makes the theory regarding the traitor inside Azur Lane even more likely...Do you have a list of suspects?" Lena asked Nora while she rubbed her chin.

"I've done what you told me to do and so far, no one has come up yet…I might need to be more creative in my approach." Nora said to Lena while she pointed toward her computer screen.

Lena stared at the computer screen and inspected the program that Nora ran. Lena wasn't that good with computers but even she could notice that the analytical program that Nora ran lacked good evidence to come up with a conclusion on who is the traitor among them. Lena knew few things to begin with, the traitor has a high rank since most of the info that was leaked was only known to those in the upper management, the traitor is quite adept with computers because they bypassed the Azur Lane Battle Network security system without being flagged and one thing that really concerned her, this traitor quite possibly knew how the bureaucracy within Azur Lane works, so they could always find a gap to exploit in order to do their activity…Lucas and her were being quite careful to the point of paranoia.

"Alright…Keep your eyes and ears open, I want anyone who accessed the database regarding 'that' specific part other than Lucas and I to be tagged." Lena said to Nora as she tapped her left shoulder.

"Whoa, don't you think you're being paranoid, Admiral?" Nora asked Lena with cocked eyebrows.

"At this point I'm not taking any chances-" Lena said to Nora with a serious expression.

Alarm blared all over the room and everyone scrambled to their stations, all of the operators quickly cross checked with everyone inside the headquarters as well checked on their system. Nora was about to sip her coffee and immediately put her glass down as she changed the display from the analytical program into Azur Lane Battle Network specified for Central Command Operation, by now everyone was sure that this is not a drill and someone really pushed the alarm button for real.

"…What the hell!?" Lena asked out loud.

"Alarm over sector A-17!" One operator shouted from across the room.

"Isn't that our archive room?! Lock down the whole headquarters, no one gets in or out!" Lena said out loud

"But ma'am, some of the cargo planes are going to take off soon-" One operator said out loud to Lena.

"I'm initiating the Overlord Protocol; I'm taking direct command until High Commander Lucas Carville arrives on site…I want the entire headquarters locked down, now!" Lena said to that operator with a serious expression painted on her face.

Overlord Protocol, a protocol created in time when the High Commander of Azur Lane couldn't take command and dire situations happened, so someone high ranked needed to take control of the situation management. Naturally, only those within Azur Lane High Command Council such as Lena could initiate this protocol, and since Lena was the only high ranked personnel who was on the control room, she'd have to do it…So far this protocol never had to be initiated since Lucas usually bolted his way to this room whenever emergency happened, his office was only few meters away from the control room after all. But Lena hasn't seen him even after half a minute passed, he leaves her no choice.

"Yes ma'am!" The operator immediately obeyed her.

"Send a squad to sector A-17 immediately, non-lethal takedown only." Lena said to Nora while she scowled.

"Fireteam Nordic, you're the closest to A-17. Head there and apprehend the intruder, non-lethal force only." Nora said to a fireteam leader through the radio.

"Roger that ma'am, we're on it." Leader of Fireteam Nordic immediately responded on the radio.

To think someone would dare to infiltrate Azur Lane Headquarters? They asked for death. Unless given explicit orders, any infiltrator would experience a shoot on sight welcome policy from the guards. Lena watched as the whole headquarters locked down any entrance, and delay anyone who either tried to get in or out from the site, she looked to the large screen in front of her to witness another alarm tripped in Sector A-17, and this one section on that sector being breached make her came to a conclusion that gave her goosebumps.

"…Further intrusion detected over archive room, ship girl documents section!" Nora said out loud while she monitored her screen display

"Whoever that asshole is, they're up to no good with the ship girls! Intercept them at all costs! Double time it!" Lena said to Nora.

"Fireteam Nordic, what's your status?" Nora asked the leader of Fireteam Nordic again on radio.

"Still searching for the intruders Olympus, we'll notify you as soon as we-" Leader of Fireteam Nordic said on the radio before they heard something fall to the floor.

"Lead is down! I repeat, lead is down!" A member of Fireteam Nordic said on the radio.

So, the infiltrators set up an ambush for the security team, Lena heard gunfire on the radio and Nora displayed a screen from a CCTV in the area. They saw several Azur Lane personnel who carried MP5 SMGs taking cover behind walls while being fired at by one person with an MP7 fired in one hand toward the guards, everyone assumed that the lone man was the infiltrator. The guy went back inside to the archive room, the guards immediately pursued the infiltrator while one stayed behind with the wounded leader of Fireteam Nordic.

"Contact! Contact! Fireteam Nordic in pursuit! Eyes on intruder! Caucasian, blonde haired, around 180 centimeters tall, and wearing Azur Lane Urban BDU! Armed with an MP7!" Another member of Fireteam Nordic said on the radio.

"Roger that Nordic, we're sending backup…Myrmidon Guard Brigade, you are cleared to mobilize and apprehend the intruders. Secure the area! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!" Nora said out loud on the radio.

The Myrmidon Guard Brigade are the guardians of Azur Lane Central Headquarters, the brigade consists of an elite unit that is specifically tasked to guard central headquarters and its surroundings. Trained to be the most elite among Azur Lane units, they however lacked real combat experience since let's be honest…no one really wants to fuck with Azur Lane central headquarters which looked like an impenetrable fortress. These men and women on the elite guard brigade spend the majority of their day training and they naturally itched for some action, all of them quickly sprang into action when they heard that the headquarters got some intruders…Finally, some real shit to shoot.

"Understood ma'am, moving to sector A-17 now." One member of Myrmidon guard said on the radio.

"We will now seal every entrance to Sector A-17, good luck everyone." Nora said out loud on the radio.

"Alright…This should restrict that intruder's movement." Lena said out loud while she narrowed her eyes.

"Activity…Experimental research document section, someone is up to no good huh?" Nora said out loud while she scowled.

"No kidding. What's your thought on this, Nora?" Lena asked Nora as she also looked at Nora's computer screen.

"Well, I came to two conclusions. First, this is all part of their plan to infiltrate our central headquarters and get their hands on hard data copy. Two, we got too close to the traitor that they panicked and strived to escape from here…Actually, make that three…This is but a start to an attack, a diversion." Nora said out loud while she typed on her keyboard.

The large screen suddenly displayed two sectors of the central headquarters suffered some damage and the operator quickly displayed the large overlay of central headquarters and focused on the sector near them, the two displays shown that the maintenance access way doors were blown off as few dozen men dressed in black poured out of the doors carrying various small arms weaponry. Lena felt like one of her veins just popped trying to contain her frustration and stress, Nora sighed because she probably just jinxed their whole situation with her hypothesis.

"…I hate it when I'm right." Nora said to Lena with her eyes half closed.

"Security breach detected over sector D-6 and C-17!" One operator said out loud.

"CCTV feeds on the main screen for those two groups, now!" Lena quickly ordered the operator.

The large screen in front of them displayed two CCTV views where they could see a group of armed men dressed in black moving in tactical formation while they shoot their guns at the employees, many of them fight back by using their sidearms, but they were still affected by the suddenness of the attack to coordinate any effective resistance. Lena grimaced at what she saw, this is not good…Just as she thought that the door to the command center was opened as Lucas entered the room running, the man's face looked serious as he looked at Lena.

"…What are they after?" Lucas asked out loud as he approached Lena.

"There you are! Where have you been?!" Lena asked Lucas with hands on her hips while she scowled.

"I was on the toilet alright! My asshole won't cooperate…what's the situation?" Lucas asked Lena again.

"We got an initial breach over sector A-17, we suspected the intruder was accessing documents regarding the ship girls and experiment records. A fireteam is currently pursuing the intruder, until we got two security breaches over sector D-6 alongside C-17, and that's the display in front of us. The Overlord Protocol is in effect sir, shall I hand the authority back to you?" Lena explained the whole situation before she asked Lucas.

"Yeah. Attention everyone, Overlord Protocol is no longer active…High Commander is retaking direct command from Admiral Helena McAllen." Lucas said out loud and the operators quickly relayed the message to everyone.

Ship girls document section and experiment records? Well, Project Custos Terrae wasn't exactly a secret among them in Azur Lane, so Lucas didn't worry too much about it. What worried him was the fact that he kept the plan for the genetic modification a top secret project and several files on the records could be tied to that experiment attempt, if it leaked out then safe to say it'll be a complete uncontrollable mess that will fuck up everything they have planned and caused some unforeseen consequences.

"…Nora, get me Commander William Blaze." Lucas said to Nora with a calm tone.

"He's on the line sir." Nora said to Lucas while she smiled at him.

"You have his number on speed dial huh?" Lucas asked Nora while he smirked a bit.

"Well, you often contact him, it's only natural that I saved his number." Nora said to Lucas while she shrugged and smiled.

"…Commander William Blaze here." William answered the call.

"This is High Commander of Azur Lane speaking…Commander Blaze, I want your base on alert and the ship girls on stand-by for sortie as soon as I give order to." Lucas said to William with a calm tone.

"Did something happen? I need the details first before I could take any further action." William asked Lucas with a concerned tone.

"Central Headquarters is under attack by infiltrators and we're currently trying to control the situation, there's a possibility that your base will also get hit. I want everyone to be ready for any possibilities." Lucas explained to William the outline of the situation.

"…Got it, you could notify me for an update over the battle net. We'll prepare ourselves here, good luck central command." William said to Lucas with a serious tone.

Lucas smiled, William did know when he has to act serious and when he could fuck around regarding his relation with central command. Lucas racked his brain to think, who are these people who attacked them? Crimson Cleanser is surely a prime candidate, but frankly speaking they lacked any elite personnel that could execute this kind of attack that required a high coordination effort, are they the Gemini Squad that managed to kidnap Eldridge? Seems likely, but not even he could be sure without additional evidence.

"Sir! We lost a fireteam over sector D-5." Nora said to Lucas while she stared at her computer screen.

"I see…Nora, can you predict their movement?" Lucas asked Nora while he folded his arms.

"…Still too abstract for the moment sir." Nora said to Lucas in dejected tone.

"Hey…I think this would help." One operator said out loud.

The operator switched the display of the large screen in front of them, the screen showed them a YouTube page with a live broadcast video. The video showed them a perspective of the attacker, this one guy carried a G36C with red dot scope, and he mercilessly fired at anyone even when they're unarmed. Lucas scowled, a rare sight coming from him. If there's one thing he couldn't tolerate is the massacre of the non-combatants, even though he knew sometimes it is necessary when there's no other option, but these people did it because they can…an honorless cur like them don't deserve any respectful treatment from him, he'll make sure of it.

"…Live broadcast over YouTube?" Lena asked out loud while she squinted her eyes.

"Yeah ma'am, transmitted directly from one of the intruders…Must've had a GoPro strapped on their helmets." One of the operators said to Lena.

"Look at the title 'It will be done, Azur Lane Central Headquarters Assault'…These guys either way too good or they are cocky as fuck." Nora said out loud while she scowled.

"Broadcast this information over our battle net, tell the guards to use this broadcast as reference to hunt them down." Lucas gave his order to the operators in the control room.

Everyone immediately gets to work by coordinating with everyone to put a stop to these attackers, Lucas observes the broadcast as he tries to learn anything…These men knew the layout of the headquarters which could be disorienting for newcomers, they've been planning this attack for a while. They shoot their weapons precisely toward the center of the mass, they are trained bastards. They shoot anyone who stands in their way, they are merciless killers. Safe to say, who they fought here wouldn't surrender that easily…Lucas felt that these men won't stop until they die.

"…They're good." Lucas commented as he narrowed his eyes.

"They keep advancing sir! Multiple targets passing sector B-9!" Nora said to Lucas while she typed on her keyboard.

"Seal off all entrances to sector A-1" Lucas said to Nora.

"…Control is not responding!" Nora said out loud with a surprised tone.

"What do you mean it doesn't work?" Lena asked out loud to Nora.

"Someone jammed it! I-I can't get a lock on who! We lost control around sector A!" Nora said to Lena with a serious expression on her face.

"…The traitors?" Lucas asked out loud.

"It's possible…Nora?" Lena asked Nora.

"…I got their movement pattern; they have passed every important section before us…There's a huge possibility they are heading for section A-1!" Nora said to Lena and Lucas.

Both Lena and Lucas stared at the large screen again as they watched the simple simulation of the infiltrators movement prediction that Nora created, they all came to the same conclusion that their target is the command center. If they targeted the control center directly then there's a big chance that they will attempt to assassinate Lucas, this is not a silent assassination attempt, but a loud one gun blazing to spread terror and send a message.

"…What's the status of the guards in the entirety of sector A?" Lucas asked out loud to the operators.

"…They're not responding to our hail, sir! The jammers must've also disabled our radios!" One operator responded to Lucas.

"Then contact them through the battle net!" Lena said out loud to the operator.

"Stand by…It's message only, ma'am." The operator said to Lena.

"Doesn't matter! Tell the Myrmidons to gather around our control room immediately! We're under imminent attack!" Lena said out loud to the operator.

"Yes ma'am!" The operator responded as he began to type rapidly.

The entire control room heard automatic gunfire just outside the room and all of the personnel inside the control room looked toward the entrance behind them, more than one of them stood up from their station while they looked at the double door entrance nervously. Lucas took out his custom built S&W 500 Hand Cannon from a sheath underneath his jacket, checked the rounds on its cylindrical magazine then pulled the hammer back. Lena reached for her FN Five Seven handgun she had on her back hip and took it out, she disengaged the safety and pulled the slide to load the first 5.7 caliber rounds to the firing chamber.

"Get ready!" Lucas said out loud to everyone inside the room.

Everyone took out their sidearm and took cover on anything that could potentially shield them from bullets, their work stations, concrete pillars, and some even huddled close to one another trying to make use of their chairs…Lena hid behind a workstation with Nora who nervously took out her USP.45 handgun while Lucas was just across her also hiding behind a work desk. Both of them waited patiently for the attackers to breach their only entrance to the room, as soon as that door was breached dozens of guns inside this room would surely be fired…But the attacker hadn't breached the door, even after one minute had passed.

"…They took their time huh?" Lena said out loud with her gun pointed toward the entrance.

"…I don't like this." Lucas commented as he tightened the grip on his revolver.

BOOM!

"Here they come!" Lucas said out loud as he started to fire his revolver.

"Grenades! Get down!" Lena shouted to everyone in the room.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Flashbangs exploded and it did blind several operators while those who were quick enough emerged from their cover then started to fire their sidearm, the attackers and the defenders exchanged bullets and harsh language but the defenders knew they were severely outgunned. Most of them were operators who spent the majority of their time with their computers instead of training on the firing range, that's why most of them were pinned down by precise fire from the attackers…save for some people. Lucas rapidly executed six attackers in quick succession with his hand cannon that McRee would yell 'Damn son!' if he ever saw what he just did. Lena fired her handgun rapidly, but she still scored headshots each time, she ran out of ammo on her magazine so she ducked down for cover, ejected the magazine, inserted the fresh one, disengaged the slide lock, and fired at the attackers again all in under three seconds. A bullet grazed her hair, but that didn't deter Lena from aiming her handgun toward the bastard who shot at her and put two rounds on his forehead. Two more attackers appeared from cover near the door, but before Lena could shoot them Lucas stole the kills by rapidly firing his revolver again.

Lucas ducked down as several bursts of bullets hit the desk in front of him, he looked at Lena who nodded her head once toward him. She raised out of cover while she fired several shots, and Lucas followed suit by firing at four attackers who died when the large magnum bullets penetrated their heads and throats. The remaining attackers were about to attack again, but they had to cancel it because dozens of Myrmidon Guards arrived on site and they don't mess around by shooting anyone who dare point their guns toward them. The operators alongside Lucas and Lena still fired at anything that moved near the entrance, that's until one of the guards shouted out loud.

"Stand down! Stand! Down! We got them! Contact eliminated!" One Myrmidon Guard shouted out loud.

"Alright! Double check every single one of those fucks! If any of them is still alive, make sure they don't die! I want them interrogated!" Lena said to the Myrmidon Guard who could only nod his head.

Lena heard someone groaning beside her, and she saw that Nora got hit on her upper left chest area, she quickly set Nora who leaned on the table down to sit on the floor and leaned on the table. Nora trashed around in pain while Lena tried to put some pressure on Nora's wound, based on the size it looked like she got hit by a 5.56mm round, so someone who shot her used a rifle. Lena checked on the wound and noticed that the bullet went through her and exited to her back, won't be a pretty sight for a while, but at least her chance to live is quite high.

"Nora, it's okay! It's okay! It's just a flesh wound! You'll live!" Lena said to Nora with a calm tone.

"…It hurts, Lena!" Nora said to Lena while she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Wait a bit…" Lena said to Nora while she stood up.

After she looked around the room, Lena quickly approached a first aid kit box near the corner of the room. Lena quickly ripped the box from the wall and checked the content, she has everything she will need for first aid. Lena quickly heads back toward Nora; she took out a morphine injector and took out the needle cover. Lena injected the morphine into Nora to eased her pain, that should make it a bit easier for her.

"There, that should help with the pain. Stay still Nora, I'll treat your wound." Lena said to Nora.

Lena took out all the stuff to treat Nora's gunshot wound, she administered first aid efficiently and effectively. Her knowledge that she gets from basic training and experience really helped her, Lena successfully treated the entry and exit wounds to buy Nora some time and prevent her from bleeding out…Lena stared at Nora's clothes which were drenched dark with Nora's blood, Lena frowned as she helped Nora sit on an empty chair and leaned her on it so Nora could rest.

"…You're a lifesaver…Thanks a lot, Lena." Nora said to Lena while she smiled.

"Don't sweat it, friends help each other. Now relax, the medic will be here in a moment." Lena said to Nora while she smiled.

"Sir, we got the first intruder. He's apprehended in sector E-1." One Myrmidon Guard reported to Lucas directly.

"Take him in and make sure he can't escape; I don't care how you do it." Lucas instructed the Myrmidon Guard calmly.

"Sir!" The Myrmidon Guard saluted at Lucas and left the area.

Lucas opened his revolver cylinder; he ejected the empty bullets before he pulled out a moon clip fresh with bullets. Lucas inserted the rounds on the moon clip to the revolver's empty cylinder, he closed the cylinder, and spun the gun in his right hand twice before he gripped the gun again and sheathed it in the holster hidden on his back belt.

"Nice rapid shot back there." Lucas commented to Lena while he smiled a bit.

"…You're not so bad yourself with the revolver." Lena said to Lucas as she shrugged.

"I've gotten a bit rusty though, should practice more often on the range…Who taught you to shoot like that?' Lucas commented and asked as he massaged his right temple.

"Will did, during basics." Lena said to Lucas while she smiled a bit.

"Heh, the man is a pro with guns." Lucas snorted as he walked and looked at the large display screen.

"…So? What's the purpose of all this?" Lena asked Lucas while she folded her arms.

"…I think it's some form of message, the fact that they could strike us so easily, hack our system, and not be afraid to publicize it around the world…These bastards aren't afraid to die too…" Lucas said out loud while he rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"Agreed…I'll handle the interrogation with that first intruder. You, you, with me, there's a possibility that's not the last of them." Lena said to Lucas then the guards as she walked toward the entrance of the control room.

"Just don't kill him, Lena." Lucas said to Lena while he smiled bitterly.

"I won't do that…yet." Lena said while she scowled then she inserted a fresh magazine into her FN Five Seven handgun.

.

"This is just in, an unknown armed group just assaulted Azur Lane Central Headquarters and broadcasted the attack directly on YouTube. The video quickly went viral as people began questioning Azur Lane's competency in their security measures since it appears these people managed to breach their central command relatively easily, so far there's no official statement yet from-" The reporter on TV said on the news channel.

"…This world isn't any better than the one I left two years ago…" William muttered as he turned off the TV inside his office.

"…Shikikan-sama, the event is already canceled as you instructed." Souryuu said to William.

"How are the ladies' reactions?" William asked Souryuu curiously.

"Disappointed for sure…Even Bismarck-sama looked dejected, I guess she really wants to show off her cooking prowess." Souryuu said to William while she flipped several pages on her clipboard.

"I see…we have no choice on this one, Central Headquarters was attacked, and there's a possibility that they will attack this base too." William said to Souryuu.

The world can't catch a break it seems, just as William thought things could be peaceful for a bit another mess appeared to show its face. William already sent a message to Lena, he asked about her condition and brief situation that happened over at the central headquarters, but so far, he hasn't received any reply from her. He couldn't blame her for the lack of response since she's probably busy cleaning up the mess and maybe gathered some information from those surviving attackers if there's one…

"I will go over and make sure the defenses are active." Souryuu said to William while she bowed a bit.

"Alright. Thank you, Souryuu." William said to Souryuu while he smiled.

Souryuu exited William's office and left only one other person inside the office beside William, she's Enterprise who still contemplated the current situation while she stared at her phone. Enterprise just witnessed the live broadcast few seconds before it was taken down from the website, she gripped her phone at the thought that peace won't be something they could get anytime soon…Enterprise rose up from the couch as she stared at William who frowned as he walked toward his seat, he looked worried and pissed at the same time.

"…Have you seen the YouTube live broadcast, Enterprise?" William asked Enterprise as he sat on his seat.

"I did just now, commander." Enterprise said to William as she put her phone in her pocket.

"Your thoughts?" William asked Enterprise while he leaned on his seat.

"Professional, precise, and they know where they're going…In my opinion, they're a professionally trained unit." Enterprise said to William while she frowned a bit.

"Mercenaries is the most likely possibility…But how much they were paid to execute that suicide mission?" William said out loud while he nodded his head

…Everyone automatically assumed that Crimson Cleanser was the responsible party for this attack, it also possible for them to hire mercenary service though William didn't know any mercenary group who was bold or dumb enough to accept a job in striking Azur Lane Central Headquarters that not even Crimson Axis dared to knock on the back door. William thought on Lucas' words back when he called, there's also a possibility that his base would come under attack so he better be prepared…William looked at Enterprise who stared at him, she would be best suited for this task.

"In any case, I want everyone to be on standby. Everyone should be ready for immediate sortie if required or ground combat like last time we were assaulted...Enterprise, I hope you don't mind but I want you to patrol the nearby area for any hidden threats. Take several others with you, make sure that you ladies are equipped to deal with anything from jets to submarines." William ordered Enterprise on what to do.

"Yes sir, how long should we patrol the area?" Enterprise asked William.

"Two hours would do…Sorry to send you and the others out in bad weather like now, seriously, something is really wrong with Mother Nature this year." William said to Enterprise while he stared at the window behind him.

"Don't worry about it, I'm more than happy to ensure our safety. I'll be going now; we'll notify you if we find anything." Enterprise said to William while she smiled confidently.

"Got it, good luck out there." William smiled as he nodded his head.

Enterprise saluted then quickly exited William's office, William was alone at last…Belfast couldn't be reached, Hood also couldn't be contacted, Prinz was busy in the dorms for something, Kongou was busy with Haruna and Zuikaku…None of his secretaries were currently available, granted there's no work for today, but he still felt something was off in this case when none of them dropped by for even once to his office today. Perhaps it's a sign that he should enjoy his alone time? Didn't he kind of complain to god that the girls didn't give him some space? William thought on what to do, but he couldn't find anything to do except for…Yeah, fulfilling his promise to Hiei, that could work…William grabbed his phone and quickly dialed Hiei's number, asking her for a simple date shouldn't hurt.

"…Hiei? Hey, the weather is kind of bad, but I still want to fulfill my proposal. How about we chat in my office? I could brew us some tea." William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Just the two of us shikikan-sama?" Hiei asked William in a soft tone.

"Yup, no one else around." William said to Hiei while he leaned further to his seat.

"I'd love to…I'm on my way, shikikan-sama." Hiei said to William.

"I'll be waiting." William said to Hiei before he hung up the call.

---

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

Warning! Viewer discretion is advised! Oh wait, I should put that at the start of the chapter? Too bad…Anyway, that's my first attempt at writing 'steamy scenes' which in actuality I want to make longer but I realized I've gone past 15k words on this chapter so I cut it short…sorry about that, I regretted the fact that I underused Belfast's greatest assets…Nevertheless, I want to thank you readers for your review, follow and favorite with this story. I really appreciate your feedback. Let me know your thoughts, I'll get the next chapter out soon (I hope) so stay tuned until then!

Until next time!

- Dasmara