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.

24. Recovery and contingency

…William opened his eye slowly, a white ceiling he's all too familiar came into view, and he sighed…so what happened to him this time? Organ damage from the close proximity grenade explosion? Or maybe any other wounds that they didn't detect? William didn't know, but perhaps someone could explain to him the full extent of his injuries later. He tried to sit up and succeeded in doing so, William took a careful look at his own body before he noted that it's still bandaged everywhere with gauze in multiple places…He winced when he tried to take a deep breath, something must've happened to his ribs. William noted that the room he's in currently is the ALASUC base infirmary, oh man he's already home…

The man noted that there is an IV connected to his right hand because his left hand was fully bandaged. There was also the fact that he couldn't move his fingers too much without wincing in pain. He also couldn't hear anything on his left side, which means he's half deaf…Man, he really did it this time. How long would he need to be in bed rest? But he'll take this any day compared to being dead, didn't exactly have any complaints when he could still escape with his life intact. William frowned when he remembered what got him to be like this…Midnight had spared him, that's why he survived. He couldn't help himself to feel so weak because that survival of his wasn't earned, Midnight could've just finished him off, but that guy for whatever reason saw 'potential' in him and chose to let him live. William wondered. If the positions were reversed, would he be able to do that?

"Commander!" Someone said out loud.

William looked to the right and saw someone by the door. It's Enterprise who looked surprised at him. Enterprise was in charge of monitoring his condition for a bit as Vestal made house visits for the wounded Sakura Empire carriers, she had gone to the toilet for a bit, and came back to see William already sitting on his bed. Enterprise smiled widely as she went closer to him, who stared at her before he broke a small smile, at least there's someone he could talk to right now.

"Enterprise…How's the base while we're gone?" William asked Enterprise.

"We're doing fine sir, it's you we are worried about! Vestal said that your x-ray scan showed a hairline fracture on some of your ribs." Enterprise explained to William.

"Figured as much…Hey, do you know I'm half deaf right now?" William asked Enterprise while he smiled bitterly.

"Which side?" Enterprise immediately asked back.

"Left one. Close proximity flashbang explosion, had to do it." William said to Enterprise.

"…We never knew you're half deaf until just now…Alright, I'll tell Vestal about it later, so maybe she can help with that." Enterprise said to William while she smiled.

"Thanks." William said to Enterprise.

"Do you want anything?" Enterprise asked.

"…Some snacks would be nice, I'm hungry." William said.

Enterprise nodded her head as she turned around, where would she get a snack when it's close to midnight here? She could always make one to be honest until she got a better idea, MRE's! Vestal would spank her for being a bad girl, but she honestly didn't have the time nor ingredients to make something right now, oh well she hoped he wouldn't mind. Enterprise walked away, but she stopped midway as she turned around to stare at William, the man looked to be deep in thought about something…

"Sir?" Enterprise asked William.

"Hmm?" William hummed in acknowledgment.

"It's good to see you again." Enterprise said to William while she smiled widely.

"…Ditto on that, Enterprise." William said to Enterprise as he also smiled.

Sneaking to her own room is pretty easy, and she grabbed some MRE packaging she stored in case she wanted to eat it, occasionally. Enterprise made her way back to the infirmary and met with William again who cocked his eyebrows when he saw Enterprise with several packaging of MREs, not exactly what he had in mind when he said he want some snacks but…oh well, he's pretty hungry and perhaps MRE's could suffice for now. Back in the day, meals like this always saved him whenever he had to be in the field for a long time, he didn't really mind the taste because when someone goes hungry any meal would turn delicious…

"Here, pick what you like." Enterprise said to William while she smiled.

"You still have some? I thought Vestal forbids you from stockpiling these." William asked Enterprise while he smirked a bit.

"It'll make good late-night snacks; besides she did give me permission to eat this once in a while." Enterprise said to William while she smiled.

"I see, aren't you afraid of getting fat because of snacking in the middle of the night?" William asked Enterprise as he inspected the MRE packaging, salted beef jerky? Don't mind if he does!

"Heh, I don't! My exercise and everyday duty are enough to burn any excessive fat and calories!" Enterprise said to William with some kind of proud smile.

"Well good to know that." William said to Enterprise as he opened the MRE packaging.

He popped some jerky into his mouth and started chewing…Not as tasty as Belfast's cooking to be sure, but a really welcome meal when he's this hungry. William decided to fuck manners as he rapidly eats the contents of the MREs, when he's done Enterprise handed him another package which he took with sheepish smile. Enterprise also took one as she also started eating, having a friend snacking together late at night is kind of fun.

"Enterprise, sorry for taking too long. Shoukaku is really afraid of needles so it took some effort to-" Vestal suddenly said out loud.

Both William and Enterprise jerked in their place when they heard Vestal's voice and dread assaulted them when she stopped speaking all of a sudden. Vestal stood in the entrance as she stared at both William and Enterprise. Vestal didn't know whether she should be shocked that William was awake already or the fact that Enterprise and William are both currently wolfing down some MREs, they all know one thing though…some lecture would hit both William and Enterprise.

"Shite." "Crap." Both William and Enterprise said out loud in reflex.

Surprisingly though Vestal only smiled as she went closer to both of them, that caused the both of them to be cautious because she didn't immediately lecture them. Vestal is just honestly glad that he's awake now, she had been worried that William won't wake up anytime soon, but it seems she was wrong. He's quite resilient…

"Commander, it's good to see you awake already. Shall I explain your injuries this time?" Vestal asked William while she smiled…menacingly.

"Uh…organ damage?" William asked Vestal while he cringed.

"Close proximity grenade explosion with an armor that's not designed for any Explosive Ordnance Disposal activity, you are lucky none of your organs popped from the shockwave, but I still took some precautions." Vestal said to William as she stood beside him.

"…Yikes." William said while he cringed.

"I've applied Regel to your IV liquid, it should help your organs recover from any potential and latent damage. But sorry to say, your left ear would have to wait." Vestal said to William while she checked the IV bag.

"Wait, you knew?" William asked Vestal with a widened eye.

"Based on the wound on your left hand, it matched with a close proximity flashbang explosion. Judging from your tendency to wear an eye patch, that means you will look away to the right and expose your left ear. Close proximity of all those, and you get a ruptured eardrum." Vestal said to William.

"…You could be a forensic scientist, Vestal." William said to Vestal in amazement.

"Thank you…now, finish that up and let's do some tests. Enterprise, go and ask the lady secretary to come down here." Vestal said out loud as she grabbed her medic bag.

"Got it." Enterprise said out loud while she smiled.

Enterprise quickly walked out of the infirmary and she immediately headed for the Royal Navy dormitory, she entered the building then walked straight toward a specific room on the third floor. Enterprise approached the white wooden door and knocked it a few times, the occupant of the room opened the door and faced Enterprise directly. Hood rubbed her eyes open while she's dressed in her white nightgown, her blonde hair fell down on her shoulder and back, she then stared in wonder at Enterprise for showing up in front of her room so close to midnight.

"…How can I help you this late at night, Enterprise?" Hood asked Enterprise while rubbing off her sleepiness.

"Vestal requested for you, Hood. Commander is conscious, he's awake now." Enterprise said to Hood while she smiled a bit.

Hood's sleepiness immediately disappeared as she widened her eyes, she quickly went inside her room to grab a light brown coat from her cupboard. Once she put it on, she quickly walked out of her room as she closed the door which caused Enterprise to follow her from behind. Hood walked quickly toward the infirmary and opened the door to see William on top of the bed.

"…Lord William." Hood called out his name.

"Hey there Hood, fancy seeing you." William said to Hood as he turned his head to see her.

"I will go and order some hearing aid device for him now, Enterprise let's go." Vestal said out loud.

"Alright. Hey commander, if you need anything just text us." Enterprise said to William while she smiled.

"Got it, thanks." William said to Enterprise while he nodded.

Vestal and Enterprise then left the infirmary, only Hood and William remained in the empty infirmary room as they stared at each other. Hood smiled as she walked closer toward William who managed to crack a small smile when he saw how she dressed, must've gone straight to this room when she heard William's wide awake. Hood sat on his bedside before she didn't hesitate to wrap her hands around him and rested her head on the crook of his right neck. William went stiff for a bit in nervousness before he returned the hug, to assure her that he's there.

"…You didn't sleep yet?" William asked Hood as she released the hug.

"I was, until Enterprise woke me up. You arrived with a bloodied torso and looking half dead just this noon, it really drained me to see you like that." Hood said to William as she stared at his face.

"Really?" William asked Hood.

"Yes…Vestal said that the stitching near your armpit from the shrapnel was opened but what really did you in was your exhaustion, I've heard everything from Bismarck." Hood said to William while she frowned.

"…I suppose you have a few choice words for me then." William said to Hood while he cringed.

"I do…but, just seeing you made it back here alive is more than enough for now. I know you did it out of survival, not recklessness, so I'll let you off the hook. That reckless dive with a fighter jet to ram Purifier however…" Hood said to William with a narrowed gaze.

"Nothing gets past you huh?" William asked Hood as he looked to the side.

"Like I said, I've heard everything" Hood said to William.

"Hah…I suppose." William sighed before he said to Hood.

Before they even arrived at the base Bismarck already called her to ready four stretchers, Hood frowned deeper each time when she saw Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Hiryuu, and William being wheeled to the direction of the infirmary. After demanding some explanation from Bismarck and Mikasa, both of them participated in debriefing and told her everything that has been going on in Furushima Isle. The battle was a defeat for humanity with tremendous casualties both on the civilian and military's side, they lost a lot of good men even with reinforcement from Sakura Empire's mainland. Hood sighed in frustration, she knew that victory or defeat will always happen in wars, but what went wrong that made the engagement in Furushima turn into a bloodbath?

"…I've been thinking about resting for a bit." William suddenly said to Hood.

"Rest?" Hood asked William with cocked eyebrows.

"Yeah, from any frontline combat for a while. I want to heal myself first…and train. That Siren who I fought? He made me realize that I need to get stronger, need to be better than I am now…I rely too much on luck, and my current skills are quite rusty. I was being reckless…do you know what I felt when I was choked by that Siren? Fear…I'm afraid to die, I still have so much regret…that's why, from now on I will try to live my life to the fullest." William said to Hood while he looked down on his own blanket covered feet.

That's also one thing that she never thought to hear, a male Siren. In all her experience when fighting a Siren, their ship girls and those peculiar ones like Observer Alpha and Purifier were the ones she encountered. So, they have male members too. Not the ones like their Troopers who almost seemed robotic in their attitude or the savage minded Brawlers, a fully sentient male Siren, and there's two of them. One seemed to be interested in talks while the other talked with his fist, William encountered both of them, and he was beaten badly with the last one…Hood made a mental note to get some information from Azur Lane's database to see if any of them also encountered those Sirens, they will need all the information they could get.

"I see…if that's what you wish for, I shall do my best to help you." Hood said to William while she smiled.

"Thank you, Hood...you know, your face was the first that flashed before my eye in the brink of death." William confessed as he leaned on the pillow behind his back.

"…I don't know whether to swoon that I'm the first you remember or scold you for that dark humor." Hood said to William while she pouted a little.

"Hahahahaha…either way, it was what really happened. So, do you want to go somewhere on a date?" William suddenly asked Hood after he laughed a bit.

"…Ufufufufufufu!" Now it's Hood's turn to laugh.

"Ouch, that silly huh?" William said to Hood while he smiled bitterly.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just that your eagerness is adorable…I'd love to go on a date with you, but with one condition. I'm deciding where we are going." Hood said to William while she smiled sweetly.

William has made up his mind, with everything that's been happening and how he experienced it now, he was sure that dancing around the issue won't cut it anymore. He knew how the girls felt and the girls knew he had interest in them, both sides made it clear that they could advance their relationship should they choose to but because William limited his advances due to that deal. Heck he didn't want to miss any opportunity…Didn't Lucas already agree upon his terms? Then what is he waiting for?! Go for them Will! Those ladies are waiting for your response! William couldn't help himself but to think about the what ifs, and that includes if he's forcefully removed from command…Well, he will know who's throat to slit by then, so he tries not to think too much about it.

"Alright then…By the way, Hood." William said to Hood.

"Hmm?" Hood asked William while she hummed.

"You let your hair down." William commented while he smiled.

"Ah, yes…I believe this is the first time you've seen me like this." Hood said to William while she touched her hair.

"Yeah." William said to Hood while he nodded.

"…Do I look strange?" Hood asked William while she smiled.

"Nah, you're as beautiful as ever." William said to Hood as he twirled his hand around her hair.

"Ufufufu, thank you" Hood said to William while she smiled softly.

.

"This is quite the crowd." Enterprise commented out loud.

"Yes, but many of us made up our minds that we will visit him today." Wales said to Enterprise.

"But so many of us in the morning? Won't the room be a bit cramped for all of us?" Lexington asked out loud.

"Well, in a sense this is a small celebration for his survival. As long as we aren't rowdy, I think Vestal would be fine." Hornet said out loud with hands behind her head as she grinned.

"That I am, please don't cause too much ruckus when we're inside and clean up when we're done." Vestal said out loud.

"Ja, anyway where's the cake?" Bismarck asked out loud.

"Right here, baking this up in a short time is quite a challenge when the head maid is away." George V said to Bismarck as she held a large sized cake in her hands.

"Sara, no pranks when we're inside, got it?" Lexington said to Saratoga.

"Why would I pull off a prank when we visit our injured commander?" Saratoga asked Lexington with a smile.

"How about the noise maker that you stored inside your skirt pocket? Did you intend to wake him up with that?" Lexington asked Saratoga as she smiled menacingly.

"Yikes…" Saratoga muttered with a nervous smile.

"Uwaahhh, I didn't know you could be that mean." Z23 said to Saratoga while she frowned.

"I-I'm not! This is a precautionary device in case the commander needs some nudging to wake up!" Saratoga said out loud.

"Are you really bringing alcohol as a get well soon gift, Eugen?" Zara asked Prinz as she pointed at a bottle of whiskey on her hands with red ribbons tied on the bottleneck.

"Alcohol has been known to numb pain and provide temporary escape from reality, something I think Herr Kommandant would need very soon…By the way, what did you bring?" Prinz asked back at Zara.

"Comandante seems to have quite some liking to the pasta I made." Zara said to Prinz as she showed her the container she held.

"Helena, Louis, sorry for being late!" Cleveland called out as she stopped beside them.

"There you are." St. Louis said to Cleveland while she smiled.

"Ah Cleveland, sorry the group's just too large so they couldn't wait long." Helena said to Cleveland while he smiled apologetically.

"Don't worry, it's because sis took a while getting ready." Denver said to Helena.

"Whose fault is it again? You're the one who hid my cape!" Cleveland said to Denver.

"Hey it's Monty! Not me!" Denver said to Cleveland.

"Wow, we might have to get in with groups if there's this many people." Mikasa commented while she smiled.

"Indeed. Where are the rest of the Sakura girls, Lady Mikasa?" Queen Elizabeth asked Mikasa with a confused tone.

"Ah, they are currently helping Hiryuu, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku. The three of them need intensive care, but it seems Hiryuu would take the longest to recover." Mikasa said to Queen Elizabeth.

"Ufufufu, milord will certainly be happy with how many girls cared for his wellbeing." Illustrious said out loud.

"Will he be happy with the bouquet, big sis?" Unicorn asked Illustrious.

"I'm sure he will." Illustrious said to Unicorn as she smiled softly.

"Don't worry, Unicorn! He will appreciate our effort in gathering the flowers! I'm sure he'll be happy with this!" Javelin said to Unicorn while she smiled.

"I thought so too, yes." Ayanami said out loud.

"So sleepy…" Laffey muttered as she walked.

"When I said that we could visit him, I didn't mean everyone at once." Hood said out loud before she sighed.

"Well, what do you expect? Everyone already asked for permission to visit when he just arrived." Warspite said to Hood.

A large group of ship girls is currently walking together to the infirmary to visit William who arrived yesterday. It's still six thirty in the morning, but everyone is ready to make the visit with their own gifts. Hood made the announcement last night that William is already awake, and the ship girls could make some visits if they wish to, she didn't expect to get collective agreement to visit him in the morning while few others decided to do so later. When Hood prepared herself for the day, she found that the ship girls had already gathered in front of the administration building. She had no choice but to fall in and join them since she had planned to come by again today.

They eventually arrived at the infirmary, they proceeded to calmly and in an orderly fashion enter the ward he's in but one by one they found out that the person in front of them froze so suddenly. The ones behind got curious, so they piled to the side only to freeze as well, because in front of them right now in the center of the room stood William Blaze himself covered in bandages, but his crotch part was devoid of clothing and exposed for the world to see as he's still frozen in some kind of weird Jojo muscle flex pose with his main gun stood erect because of the morning wood buff status. William looked at them like a fish out of the water, and both sides took significant amount of time just to understand what the fuck is going on.

…Enterprise's mouth went agape with red cheeks, Wales went wide eyed with an O shaped mouth, Lexington covered her mouth as she stared, Hornet went rigid as her eyes kept locked at the tower between his legs with a red face, Vestal shut her eyes and by extension her whole red face with her own hands as she shook her head, Bismarck went red faced as she closed her mouth as she stared like Hornet, George V actually had to steady herself because she almost dropped the cake she held with the view in front of her, Saratoga freeze as she covered her eyes with her hands, Z23 did the same with Saratoga but she sneaked a glance through the gap between her fingers, Zara went wide eyed at the view, Prinz smirked widely at the view, Cleveland leaned on St. Louis for support with red face, St. Louis stared with red cheeks while she smiled, Helena actually passed out and was held by St. Louis, Denver made a complicated face, Montpelier averted her gaze while she frowned and with red cheeks, Mikasa closed her eyes while she smiled awkwardly, Queen Elizabeth stuttered as she try to look at anywhere else than William but failing greatly, Illustrious covered up Unicorn's eyes as she stared with red cheeks, Javelin went wide eyed at the sight, Ayanami only blushed as she stared, Laffey was too sleepy to care, Hood went wide eyed before she facepalmed, and Warspite only stared with wide eyes and bright red face.

""""""""""KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"""""""""" Multiple girls screamed in the same time at the sight of the manly cannon.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL BLOODY FUCK?!" William shouted out loud in a combination of surprise, embarrassment and regret all at once.

"COVER IT UP!" Enterprise shouted at William.

"WITH WHAT?! I JUST WOKE UP, AND I'M ALREADY COMPLETELY NAKED!" William shouted back.

"KYAAA! BLOODY PERVERT!" Queen Elizabeth shouted out loud as she grabbed then threw a pillow from one of the spare beds which William caught and used it to cover his crotch.

"THANK YOU! NOW COULD ANY OF YOU GET ME SOMETHING TO WEAR?!" William asked out loud with red cheeks.

…Oh man, William was naked by the time he's awake and seeing no one around in the room he decided to do some stretching. But midway something triggered in his still sleepy mind that he decided to flex his muscles and do some manly poses, that was the plan until the door was opened…William felt like grabbing a spare gun from any armory, shoot himself in the head then the heart if he's still alive because he's that embarrassed after being seen naked by so many girls at once, and he found out his dong became harder than ever…wait a second, did he just seriously think that? William shook his head to clear out his thoughts and moved on from that traumatic event. The ship girls were around him, as he was now dressed in hospital robes, but the atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a blade. They really needed some icebreaker for what just transpired. Fortunately, Hood managed to do it, how? She simply started talking to William and one by one the others joined in. They talked about a lot of things, but mostly about how the commission went. William was quite happy to be honest, the ship girls are so caring about him that they are willing to wake up early just to visit him…

…The talk stalled a bit when they saw William hesitated from talking about his duel in detail even though he gave them the story regarding how he got the injuries. What can he say? That he's getting thrashed around like an actual thrash? He's ashamed to be honest, no one likes to talk about their defeat, and William's no different. The girls thought their commander lost his fighting spirit, but they are more than relieved when William said that he will train himself, so he could fight better in the future. At least they know that their commander is also quite stubborn in the right way. The ship girls volunteered to teach him so now he got the basics on what he should do, for example he's determined to get better in sword fighting, and Warspite was more than glad to have him as her disciple. His form supported the two-handed sword fighting style, and she didn't doubt that he had the strength to swing a large sword around easily, the Siren infantry would be in deep shit if he got better at it.

Mikasa also recommended several Sakura Empire ship girls if William was ever interested in Eastern sword techniques, many girls used the katana and some used the naginata. The thought of learning something new intrigued him, but he wonders if he's really got the time to learn both techniques at once. Not going to lie being someone who could adapt to whatever technique was required to sound cool, as he witnessed with Wales back then when she switched from her regular technique into a fencing one at the drop of a hat. With that, his proficiency with all bladed weapons would be guaranteed…But he thought that he will decide when he's actually healed up, right now he just needs to focus on resting after all that mess.

They stayed for a bit, all the way until ten in the morning where everyone started to do their daily activities. William though he's free for a bit, but the smile in his face immediately died when Hood came back with stacks of papers and documents while she smiled, oh he's not getting away from his responsibilities especially if he couldn't move…Four hours later, William furrowed his brows as he read one of the documents. Griffin & Kryuger Private Military Group requested ship girl help for their operation in Somalia for a High Value Target extraction, since they don't have many naval assets they would need help, and when they heard Azur Lane accepted commissions, they asked for some support…Battleships alongside carrier support, and they are willing to pay with red gems for the full fire support package? Holy shit, their commander wants this target so bad that he's willing to cough up rare resources. Alright, both are win-win, but the mission has to be successful.

"You look bored, milord." Hood suddenly said to William.

"Being confined to bed rest is really depressing." William said to Hood as he signed the document and put it away.

"I thought you have no problem staying still for hours when playing a game?" Hood asked William while she smiled.

"It's a game, I had fun with it." William said to Hood while he smiled.

"Oh, so you're not having fun when you're with me?" Hood asked William while she pouted.

"That's not what I meant, you purposely used that to start a teasing war, and I read your move first concerning you wanting me to flirt with you." William said to Hood as he grinned.

"I see you've done your homework. But admit it, you'll do it anyway right?" Hood asked William while she smiled.

"Heh, you're that desperate for some affection?" William asked Hood while he grinned even wider.

"Oh touché! In my defense, even an elegant lady must seize the target of their own affection, and if it means being assertive, then so be it." Hood said to William while she also grinned.

"I do admire your efforts…But you still haven't called me by my name." William said to Hood as he smirked.

"Did I?" Hood asked William as she also smirked.

"Well, only once, and you were drunk, so that doesn't count." William said to Hood while he shrugged.

"Hoo…well then, as you wish my dear Wi-" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"Pardon my intrusion." Someone suddenly said out loud.

The door to the infirmary was knocked then opened as a young woman entered the room, Belfast dressed in her usual maid clothes entered the room while smiling. She approached both William and Hood who smiled in return, William did wonder where Belfast was until Hood explained that Belfast left to lead a Royal Navy commission team for some job. That was the reason why Sheffield substituted for her back in the dorm, the head maid actually volunteered to handle this commission to Hood since…yeah, she said she needs exercise too once in a while.

"Belfast! Hey, it's been a while." William said to Belfast while he smiled.

"Certainly it has, master. I am glad to see you awake." Belfast said to William as she also smiled.

"How was the sortie, Bel?" Hood asked Belfast as she grabbed the necessary paper regarding the commission.

"We encountered a small fleet of Siren mass produced ships; we took care of them during our return journey. We successfully completed our mission without losing a single ship we escorted." Belfast said to Hood.

"Good, I assume none of the ship girls got hurt?" Hood asked Belfast.

"None of us require any treatment other than a fresh batch of clothes, a warm bath, and a delicious supper." Belfast said to Hood while she smiled.

"Good work out there Belfast, in that case have some time off for the rest of the day. You and the commission team earned it." William said to Belfast while he smiled.

"As you command, master…well then, since I'm off duty I'll be taking my leave now. Get well soon, master." Belfast said to William then curtsied.

"Thanks Bel." William said to Belfast as he nodded his head.

Belfast turned around and left the room, she was honestly glad that William managed to return although not in a good condition. Hood watched Belfast leave before she looked into the commission document she held. After skimming the paper, she grabbed a stamp before marking the commission as a completed one. Both of them resumed their work, William grabbed another document and read it…Wait, it's one of the papers concerning food delivery to their base. Let's see…fresh meats, vegetables, and unhealthy amounts of Oxycola and Coolant? Who ordered all of this? Well, seeing they'll need that food in the near future William just shrugged and signed the paper even though it cost them quite a bit on the gold coins.

"Speaking of which, where did you send Belfast to?" William asked Hood.

"Small escort task to Hawaii, a flotilla of transport ships needed to deliver food and essential supplies to Hawaii, and they're afraid they will get raided by the Sirens given how they often appear in the Pacific region." Hood said to William.

"I see…Okay, job's done." William said to Hood as he put the last document to the stack on his nightstand.

"Yes, it is…So, anything you want to do?" Hood asked William while she smiled.

"Well…a walk to the park sounds good, it looks like it will be a chilly afternoon." William said to Hood.

"Then let's go. Ah, I will head over to the admin building to store these documents first. Don't go anywhere without me, got it?" Hood said to William as she picked the paper stacks.

"Yeah yeah mum, now off you go." William said to Hood while he smirked.

Hood shot him a look to which William could only laugh at before she left, she didn't like to be directly or indirectly called old huh? Not like anyone would have a problem regarding how she looked, she looked to be in her early twenties to be honest and even William looked older than her…especially now when his beard started to grow again. Will he shave it again? Having a beard could be a nice change once in a while, though he's not sure how the girls will take it. His musing was interrupted when someone opened the door to his infirmary room, a person who had half of her face and body fully bandaged, and she approached William with a bright smile.

"Shoukaku?" William called her name.

"Ohayou shikikan-sama, how are you doing?" Shoukaku asked William as she sat on the stool that Hood used before.

"I should be asking you that, are you sure you're allowed to walk around?" William asked Shoukaku while he frowned a little upon seeing her condition.

"My physical wounds are nothing compared to the wounds in my pride~" Shoukaku said to William with a cheeky tone.

"Yeah, I could agree with that one." William responded as he rolled his eye, that was relatable.

"I hear you got your butt kicked, isn't it supposed to be the other way around~?" Shoukaku asked William while she smiled.

"Don't rub it in, please." William said to Shoukaku while he frowned.

"Alright, alright, I won't~" Shoukaku said to William as she smiled and held her hands up.

…Should Shoukaku be out of bed right now? She didn't seem to be healthy enough to move around already, but ship girls are stronger than ordinary humans so perhaps his assumption won't matter much. She sat and smiled as she stared at him, William started to feel anxious since why on earth she do that without saying anything? William looked down and inspected his own body to see if there's anything out of place, he didn't find anything.

"…Anything I can help you with?" William asked Shoukaku.

"Just want to see your face, shikikan-sama. Looks like your luck holds out, my kiss seems to work wonders~" Shoukaku said to William while she smiled.

"Yeah, I'd admit…But I don't believe it'll hold out forever, I need to stop relying on it too much." William said to Shoukaku while he shrugged.

"Ara, is that so…How about touching one of our lucky ships before every battle? Yukikaze, Enterprise, or even St. Louis? Which one do you prefer~?" Shoukaku suggested to William while she grinned.

"The three of them sound good." William honestly responded.

"Ara, no can do~. Pick one" Shoukaku said to William,

Who to pick then? Yukikaze? She'll bite his hand off if he suddenly headpats her out of nowhere. Enterprise? William thought that she wouldn't mind him touching her as long as he asked nicely and properly. St. Louis however, hmm…well, a simple act of touching her could turn into something else. William shook his head sideways to clear the thought, he's been thinking more perversely again. Does that mean his libido is about to hit the roof? Damn, guess the stress accumulated quicker than he thought…

"…St. Louis then?" William answered in a questioning tone to Shoukaku.

"Why? Because she has bigger boobs?" Shoukaku immediately asked William while she smiled.

"That's not what I-" William said to Shoukaku with a widened eye.

"Admit it, you want to touch those balloons, don't you?" Shoukaku asked William while she grinned.

"Hah…yes, I'm a man, and that would make me quite happy. There, you satisfied?" William said to Shoukaku with a half-closed eye.

"Oh, very. I believe St. Louis-san will be happy with that~" Shoukaku showed him her phone which was on voice recording mode.

"…SHOUKAKU!" William shouted at Shoukaku in shock.

"Hahahaha! See you later shikikan-sama! Get well soon~" Shoukaku said to William after she laughed and she stood up to leave.

"Shite, I'm done for." William muttered to himself.

…Hood came in a few minutes later, she helped William stand up and make sure he's steady enough to walk without support. After she confirmed that he's strong enough, the both of them started walking toward the park. It was a chilly and cloudy afternoon alongside being quite windy, but that didn't bother the two of them. Hood found an empty bench which she chose to sit on, William sat beside her and leaned on the bench as he sighed…walking that distance was that tiring? He's not even fit to walk around, how much longer should he rest? William looked ahead and saw a bunch of destroyers playing around the grassy area underneath the large tree, it's the Mutsuki and Fletcher class destroyers.

They were playing some kind of baseball game? William was surprised that Bogue didn't join in, maybe she had something else to do. Hood and William watched the game, the destroyers sure had fun. William thought about it, some of the…no, many destroyers have childish or early teenager physiques and act like one despite being a ship girl. What's the deal with that? Is there any destroyer out there with mature bodies? His musing once again had to end when Fumizuki swung her bat, the ball went off course, and headed straight toward his head. William's reflex kicked in, and he caught the ball just a mere inch away from his face. The sudden movement caused Hood to recoil in surprise, but strangely, William was equally surprised as she was. Why? He didn't think he had the strength to pull off such a fast movement yet.

"Careful with your swing!" William said out loud as he threw the ball back at them.

"H-Hai shikikan! Gomenasai!" Fumizuki said to William as she bowed.

"Those destroyers sure are rowdy, it was fortunate that none of them like to cause any problems." William said out loud.

"Sure they are, William." Hood said to William.

"Wha…" William's head jerked toward Hood at lightning speed.

"What? Belfast did interrupt us before." Hood said to William as she smiled at him.

"…Heh…wow, hearing you say my name felt different." William said to Hood while he grinned.

"In a good or bad way?" Hood asked William.

"Good of course…You know there's only one thing we miss here." William said to Hood.

"What is it?" Hood asked William with a confused gaze.

"Some light meal." William said to Hood.

"We could get some later. For now, let's just stay here and enjoy the view." Hood said to William while she smiled.

"Yeah, let's do that." William said to Hood as he nodded his head.

They watched the destroyer play some more until they called it quits and rested on the area by sitting around the trees, it seems those children could also get tired despite their seemingly endless bound of energy they have. Kisaragi walked towards them and Hood called her out, Kisaragi stared in confusion. but she approached them nonetheless. William stared at Hood as he wondered why she called Kisaragi over, Hood then took out her phone as she showed it to Kisaragi.

"Ms. Kisaragi, could you do me a favor?" Hood asked Kisaragi while she smiled.

"Hai? What is it, Hood-san?" Kisaragi asked Hood.

"Please take a picture of us." Hood said to Kisaragi as she scooted over closer to William.

"Hai. Smile!" Kisaragi said out loud as she took the picture.

"Hope I didn't look like a daft in that picture." William said out loud.

"We'll find out~" Hood said to William.

"H-How is it?" Kisaragi asked timidly as she handed the phone back.

"This is a good photo, thank you. Here, share it with everyone alright?" Hood said to Kisaragi as she handed her a fistful of candies.

"Thank you, Hood-san!" Kisaragi smiled widely before she went off to see the other destroyers.

"You had some candies?" William asked Hood.

"You're saying as if I didn't like to munch on one." Hood stared at William with cocked eyebrows.

"What can I say? You don't look like someone who has candies in her pocket." William said to Hood as he shrugged.

"True, but appearance could be deceiving." Hood said to William while she smiled.

"Fair enough…is that the reason why you wear such heavy clothing?" William asked Hood.

"Could you elaborate?" Hood asked William back.

"Well, your uniform looks quite thick, and I presume you wear several layers. It's summer, don't you want to wear something lighter?" William asked Hood.

Yeah, this is the mind boggling one about Hood. It's summer, forty degrees celcius out in the open is very possible, and she could withstand that kind of heat with the thick clothing she wore without breaking a sweat? How the fuck?! William would've gone out with a thin t-shirt or even topless if dress code rules or public decency didn't matter. William noted that he only ever saw Hood with casual clothes once, and that's when they're heading for the pastry back when they're about to meet with Lena and Lucas, man she looked gorgeous back then-

"I have no problem whatsoever with this dress." Hood said to William as she inspected her clothes.

"Any particular reason why?" William asked Hood with a narrowed gaze.

"I just didn't like to flaunt my body around; a lady should always be elegant." Hood said to William while she smiled confidently.

"I see." William said to Hood as he stared at the destroyers who ate candy together.

"Is that disappointment I see in your face?" Hood poked William's right cheek as she asked while she smiled.

"Haha, to be honest yeah, a bit. But I'm more concerned that you might get heat stroke from the heat." William said to Hood while he smiled back.

"Hmm…I never experienced that before." Hood said to William.

"There's always a first time. Better prevent it…If you're that reluctant, at least take the cape off." William said to Hood.

"Well, why don't you help me a bit here?" Hood asked William.

William cocked his eyebrows before he moved his right hand toward Hood, she only stared at him as William tried to take off her cape. Doing it one handed proved to be quite challenging, so William used both hands to take off her cape. After he took off the cape and put it aside, he took a chance to take off her hat too in the process.

"A lot cooler, isn't it?" William asked Hood while he smiled.

"I'd admit, it is." Hood said to William.

"Listening to you two from here, I almost got diabetes from all the sweetness in the air." Someone suddenly said out loud.

"The hell?" William said out loud in wonder.

They heard rustling from the trees behind them and someone dropped down from above, that person was none other than Enterprise's younger sister. Hornet grinned and adjusted her hat as she stared at William and Hood who stared back at her with surprised faces. None of them could predict that Hornet was lounging on top of the tree, but William should've known regarding her habit to take a nap outside. Hornet grinned as she approached her commander and his secretary, who knew her favorite spot proved to be a lucky spot to hear how the both of them interact in…private.

"Hey there sunshine, didn't know ya could be up and about outside already." Hornet said to William while she grinned.

"Vestal did give me some clearance…How can I help you, Hornet?" William asked Hornet.

"Thought I should let ya know that Sakura Empire gals will be holding the welcoming party in their dorm, Ms. Nagato was pretty insistent about the place." Hornet said to William while she smiled.

"I don't see any reason to refuse, but would it be enough for everyone to attend?" William asked Hornet, Sakura dorms are huge but would it be enough?

"It's an outdoor party as far as I know, ya know how big Sakura Empire dorms are right?" Hornet asked William.

"Then we're in, what time?" William asked Hornet as he leaned on his seat.

"Seven thirty at night, casual dress." Hornet said to William while she winked.

"See you there and then, Hornet." William said to Hornet while he smiled.

"Aye aye~. I'll be leaving now, big sis told me to meet her on the pier. Oh, and Hood? He's got a point~" Hornet said out loud while she grinned and left.

"Why thank you for clearing that up." Hood said to Hornet while she pouted.

"…One thing to note off when you pick a place for our upcoming date, please pick somewhere private." William said to Hood.

"Ufufufufu, understood Will." Hood said to William after she giggled.

"I could get used to you calling my name." William said to Hood while he grinned.

"But only in private, you hear?" Hood said to William while she smiled softly.

"Aww, embarrassed?" William asked Hood while he grinned.

"More like not declaring war to the other ladies, yet." Hood said to William while she grinned.

"Hmph, how considerate." William snorted as he commented.

"Great things come to those who are patient~" Hood said to William while she grinned.

.

…Nightfall and it's time for them to attend the welcoming party in the Sakura Empire dorms, William had to struggle with his own preparation…a lot. What can he do? He struggled to bathe, put on his own clothes, or even wake up properly. All he managed to get done was to clean his crotch area which wasn't bandaged. William briefly thought that giving up was a great choice until he heard some knocking on the door which he answered, then the door was opened only to see Belfast wearing dark blue one-piece dress standing in front of his room.

"Good evening master." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Evening Bel." William said to Belfast.

"You look to be in a predicament." Belfast said to William while she smiled wryly.

William was sprawled on top of his own bed while only wearing boxers, he stared at the ceiling of his room with a poker face. Belfast wordlessly entered the room, closed the door, and she opened his wardrobe. William snuck a glance at her to see Belfast picking out a few articles of clothing, then she went to the bathroom doing god knows what. Around five minutes later, she came out with a bucket of warm water and a small towel. She also wordlessly took off William's bandages around his body and the gauzes which revealed so many stitches underneath it. Belfast dipped the towel to the bucket, squeezed it, and then carefully wiped his body to clean it.

"You know, I didn't think you'd go this far." William said to Belfast.

"Of course I will, full service is what a maid should give to her master at all times." Belfast said to William.

After she cleaned him up, Belfast took out the gauze and bandage. She expertly put on the gauze over the injuries before she bandaged him just like he was before. Belfast then dressed William up in his casual green t-shirt, jeans, and some sneakers before she looked back and judged his appearance. Belfast nodded her head in approval before she put the black blazer on him, yes, they are the clothes that he alongside Takao, Atago, Zuikaku, and Shoukaku shopped back in Sakura Empire…After Belfast make sure he's ready, she put on his eye patch on him before both of them left the room with Belfast insisting that William should use a wheelchair for now because how far they're going to walk. William agreed without any resistance, he knew he'd collapse midway if he forced himself.

"It's quite chilly despite it being summer." William commented as a gust of wind blew upon Belfast and him.

"I think it will rain soon; I heard it was pretty hot earlier in the morning." Belfast commented as she pushed William's wheelchair.

"Agreed…Bel?" William looked behind to see Belfast's face.

"Yes master?" Belfast asked William as she stared at him.

"Nice dress, you look lovely." William said to Belfast while he smiled.

"Why thank you for the compliment, master." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"…You know, I thought you'll spend the rest of the day resting." William commented out loud.

"I had enough rest and was ready for duty near dusk, but Edinburgh told me to take it easy at least until tomorrow morning." Belfast said to William.

"What a caring sister you got there." William said to Belfast.

"Certainly. I should do something for her later." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Why don't you two take some time off and spend it outside the base? You know, go into town, do some shopping, and spend your time for sisterly bonding? You rarely take a day off anyway; I won't mind you being gone for a day." William said to Belfast.

Belfast thought about it, when was the last time both of them enjoyed the day together as sisters? It's been a pretty long time to be honest, and Edinburgh did help her a lot these past months, Belfast should show Edinburgh her gratitude. William suggested going outside the base? It's a good suggestion, perhaps both Belfast and Edinburgh could go out to watch some movies, go for a meal together, or even spend some time just window shopping and see if there's anything that could catch their interest. The more Belfast thought about it, the greater the plan sounded in her head.

"…That's a brilliant suggestion, master. Then perhaps this weekend might be a good time, I'll ask her later." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Splendid…Sakura Empire cuisine and quite possibly a very enjoyable night, I'm glad I'm still alive…the things you find more enjoyable when you've brushed against death." William commented as he saw the Sakura Empire dorm in the distance.

"Isn't that not the first time you almost died during your entire military career, master?" Belfast asked William with a confused gaze.

"Yeah, but…this is the first time where I'm actually THAT scared of dying." William said to Belfast while he stared on the ground.

"…I heard from Hood that you planned on training; may I know what kind of training it would be?" Belfast asked William.

"I don't have the specific details yet, but it would be a lot of training...I realized that I've been lacking on training myself after I got here, the Sirens will always continue to adapt, and we should also do the same. I realized that I lack some specific skill sets, I need to improve myself if I ever hope to survive against them." William said to Belfast.

"In that case, master, allow me to help you as best as I can. Whenever you need to relax after you train, you only need to ask." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Hearing the head maid herself say that, I kind of wonder how you will make me relax." William said out loud while he smirked.

"Well, I have a large selection of techniques. Relaxation aromatherapy, comforting music, or even…massages" Belfast said to William as she leaned on him.

"...Massages? What kind of massages?" William asked Belfast.

"Yes. A wide range of massage options~" Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"I'm eager to find out." William said to Belfast while he grinned.

"Shall we start here~?" Belfast whispered in William's right ear in a seductive tone.

"Whoa no, let's take it easy. If we're late all sorts of rumors will surface, and it'd be a pain in the arse to deal with it." William said to Belfast while he looked at her in shock.

"Ufufufufu. If you say so." Belfast giggled before she resumed pushing the wheelchair.

Too stimulating that's for sure! Man, when Belfast whispered to him in that sexy and seductive voice his spine tingled in excitement. He'd agree to do a 'test run' if they didn't have somewhere to be right now, not going to lie…Eventually they arrived at the Sakura Empire dorm, and in front of its gate, they saw Souryuu leaning on the wall, she stopped leaning as soon as she saw William and Belfast as she approached them while smiling a bit.

"Welcome shikikan-sama, Belfast-san." Souryuu greeted as she bowed a bit.

"Hello Souryuu." William said to Souryuu as he nodded.

"Good evening to you, Ms. Souryuu. You're the welcoming committee?" Belfast asked Souryuu while she smiled.

"Yes, I was entrusted to bring shikikan-sama directly to meet with Nagato-sama and the others before heading for the party." Souryuu said to Belfast.

"Lead the way." Belfast said to Souryuu.

The three of them went inside the Sakura Empire dormitory that looked like eastern styled mansion. William has been here a couple of times, but he's certain that he could still get lost inside the confusing interior. Souryuu led them to a room with a large sliding shoji double door, she opened it, and William saw several members of Sakura Empire ship girls inside. There's Nagato who sat in the middle end of the room with the large balcony behind her, there's Amagi alongside Akagi, Kaga, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku who sat in front of Nagato while facing each other in the seiza position. Akagi widened her eyes and smiled as she approached William before she kneeled in front of him, the man could only cock his eyebrows in wonder.

"Shikikan-sama! Ah, it agonizes me to see you still in this state! Do you need some help? I could help you with anything~" Akagi said to William while she smiled.

"Thank you for your concern, Akagi. But I'm fine." William said to Akagi while he smiled.

"Please don't trouble master, Ms. Akagi." Belfast said to Akagi from behind while she frowned.

"Ara, such hostility~" Akagi said to Belfast as she noticed Belfast frowned even deeper.

"Might be because you being cringy with your clingy attitude senpai, fufufufu." Shoukaku said out loud while she giggled.

"Shoukaku nee…" Zuikaku said out loud beside Shoukaku while she facepalmed.

"Ho, looks like some kouhai of mine need some discipline after this." Akagi looked back at Shoukaku as she grinned menacingly.

"Um, Akagi nee-" Kaga said to Akagi with half closed eyes.

"Quit it you two and sit down." Amagi said out loud.

The sheer steel on Amagi's tone was enough to force Akagi to sit back at her previous place and Shoukaku to stop giggling, Belfast wheeled William forward then stopped before she stood beside him as Souryuu proceeded to seat herself beside Shoukaku. William looked around and he noticed that Zuikaku was present, the said woman stared at him before she gave him a weak smile. William could see that her entire body was also bandaged like him though unlike Shoukaku her face seems to be fine, William didn't see Hiryuu yet, so maybe he'll visit her after the party. Nagato bowed at him while she still seated, William only nodded his head in return because he couldn't bow when he sat above the wheelchair with his injuries.

"Shikikan-sama, welcome to our humble abode." Nagato said to William.

"Is there something you wish to say in this enclosed room, Ms. Nagato?" William asked Nagato.

"Hai…Shikikan-sama, may I be allowed to go into the town tomorrow?" Nagato asked William as she sat down.

"…Ha? You're asking permission for that?" William asked Nagato with a confused face.

"Am I not allowed to go?" Nagato asked William while she frowned.

"What makes you think I won't allow you?" William asked Nagato further.

"Um…back then on Sakura Empire, I wasn't allowed to leave the castle…" Nagato said to William while she looked down on the floor.

"Ms. Nagato, this is the ALASUC Base, it's your current home, and I don't have any rules that forbid any ship girls to visit the town. All I asked when you're out there, is to take precautions and not to flaunt your identity as ship girls' identities are military secrets. You want to go out and have some fun? Go ahead." William said to Nagato while he smiled.

…He'll be honest, William may know some of Sakura Empire customs through manga and anime, but he has zero knowledge when it comes to their religious customs! If he remembered correctly, Nagato is some kind of priestess or spiritual leader that performed many religious ceremonies back in the Sakura Empire. Now that she's here that duty also involves being the fleet representative, he heard from Hood that Nagato still leads occasional ceremonies in the Sakura dorms…So, being a priestess like that requires her not leaving the premise back in Sakura Empire huh?

"Nagato-sama, his answer is as exactly as the one I already told you. You don't have to worry about breaking tradition or rules." Amagi said to Nagato while she smiled.

"It is as thou say, Amagi-san…I'm terribly sorry to trouble thou with something as measly as this, shikikan-sama." Nagato said to Amagi and William as she closed her eyes.

"Think nothing of it. So, who will go with you?" William asked Nagato.

"I already asked Mutsu and Mikasa-san to accompany me, shikikan-sama." Nagato said to William.

"And where are you planning on going?" William asked Nagato further.

"…M-Movie theater." Nagato answered while blushing a bit.

"Interested in a new release?" William asked Nagato as he leaned on his wheelchair.

"Hai, I've seen its trailer, and it really intrigued me." Nagato said to William.

"I don't see any problem. Ah, just one thing, you should go out with casual clothes." William said to Nagato.

Fortunately, he remembered to bring that up, Nagato always used her priestess garb whenever he saw her. If she's going out to the town, he believed Mikasa would be more than enough to chaperone both Nagato and Mutsu, but because they need to keep their identity hidden, it would be wise for them to go out with casual clothes…Wait the fuck up William, how will they hide the feline ears they have? Nah, there's no need. William thought that with proper decoration they could make it as natural as to make it seem the ears are part of the accessory, William sure they'll figure something out.

"Casual clothes?" Nagato asked William as she tilted her head to the left a bit.

"Yes, and don't deploy your rigging unless absolutely necessary." William said to Nagato.

"Hai, there's just one problem…I…don't have casual clothes." Nagato admitted with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Oh…Bel, does anyone in the Royal Navy have spare clothes that fit Nagato's size?" William asked Belfast who stood beside him.

"Few do come to mind; I'll be sure to ask them after this celebration." Belfast said to William.

"I extend my gratitude to thou, shikikan-sama, Belfast-san." Nagato said out loud as she bowed to them.

"N-No need to bow, really…That being said, we do take some time here, shall we go to the celebration area?" William said out loud.

"Ah, hai, we almost forgot about that. Let's go." Amagi said out loud.

They went out to the dormitory's backyard and saw that it's already crowded with the girls loitering around, soft music played in the background by a band of Manjuus, lots of food was served, and alcohol flowed freely. The ship girls from all factions mingled with one another, even the representatives such as Enterprise, Bismarck, and Queen Elizabeth are already on site. William was being wheeled by Belfast, and she stopped beside the food table, but not even a second since she stopped Akagi approached from ahead of William with a large bottle of alcohol in her hands.

"Shikikan-sama, shall we drink together?" Akagi asked William while she smiled.

"Sure, sake?" William asked Akagi.

"Hai, the finest sake that was stored only for occasions such as this." Akagi said to William as she poured a glass for him.

"Wow…yeah, this is great." William said to Akagi after he downed the glass.

"Oho, shikikan is a strong drinker, eh?" Kaga appeared from Akagi's back and said to William while she smiled.

"Bloody hell yeah I am." William said to Kaga while he grinned.

"Ara ara, shikikan-kun. Your cup is empty." Atago suddenly appeared beside William and poured more alcohol into his glass.

"Why do I sense you're trying to get me drunk, Atago?" William asked Atago while he frowned.

"Such a cruel accusation! What's wrong in sharing some drinks with your commanding officer?" Atago faked a hurt expression before she winked.

"Hahaha, I'm just joking…Pour me some more!" William downed the glass before he said to Atago.

"With pleasure!" Atago said to William as she poured more alcohol at his glass.

"Shikikan-sama, here, some onigiri. Say aahn~" Akagi offered the onigiri in front of William while he took a bite.

"…What's the stuffing?" William asked Akagi after he swallowed.

"Tuna, is it delicious?" Akagi asked William while she grinned.

"Oh, very." William said to Akagi while he grinned.

"Kommandant! Enjoying the night, aren't you?" Prinz appeared from behind William and snuggled to his right cheek.

"Hey Prinz, you're here to join us?" William asked Prinz while he grinned.

"I was about to, and I think you'll find my company enjoyable because I brought these." Prinz showed William a bottle filled with light brown liquid.

"Whiskey? Nice." William said to Prinz while he smiled widely.

"Straight from our local Ironblood inventory, shall we open it?" Prinz asked out loud while she smirked.

"Shikikan-sama, some tempura?" Shoukaku suddenly appeared while holding a prawn tempura at William while he also took a bite.

"Uhm! Delicious!" William said to Shoukaku after he swallowed while he smiled.

"Here, have some more onigiri." Akagi said to William with the onigiri in her hand.

"Oh no, he needs to finish this tempura first senpai." Shoukaku said to Akagi as she held the tempura to William's face.

"No, he needs to finish the onigiri first." Akagi said to Shoukaku while she smiled menacingly.

"Calm down both of you, he needs to drink the whiskey first." Prinz said to both Akagi and Shoukaku while she smiled smugly.

"Ara Prinz-san, this is the Sakura Empire's welcoming party, so he really needs to finish the sake first." Atago interjected while she smiled confidently.

"Milord, it's good to see you." Illustrious suddenly appeared and greeted William.

"Good to see you too. Having fun?" William asked Illustrious.

"Oh yes milord, and I would be delighted if you could accompany me throughout the evening~" Illustrious said to William as she leaned in a little, showing off her impressive cleavage.

"Wow…Well-" William said to Illustrious as his eye wandered toward Illustrious' cleavage.

"Hey, come on, this isn't going to finish itself~" Akagi said out loud as she directed William's focus back on him.

…Not too far from the crowd surrounding William, Belfast scowled in pure annoyance and frustration because she left him a bit just to get William a plate full of food and some drinks. She left for two minutes, TWO MINUTES! And when she came back William was drowning in women! Belfast huffed as she turned around and left with the dish she prepared, but before she could go too far from her position Belfast saw another woman that was fuming just like she is while leaning on a Sakura tree and sipping a glass of sake. That person is none other than William's personal secretary, Hood, who dressed in her usual clothes but without the cape and hat…Belfast approached her and stood beside her, both looking at the scene in front of them before they collectively sighed.

"Evening Belfast." Hood said to Belfast.

"Good evening, madam Hood." Belfast said to Hood.

"What a crowd." Hood commented at the sight in front of them.

"Yes. I reckon it will be a catastrophe soon." Belfast said to Hood.

"Should we stop it from happening?" Hood asked Belfast then sipped on her drink.

"Do you think you could walk into that crowd of thirsty ladies and come out unscathed?" Belfast asked Hood with cocked eyebrows.

"…I don't think so, especially if there's Akagi there…this will quickly turn into a brawl." Hood said to Belfast with half closed eyes.

"I agree…In the meantime, I propose we stay here for a bit and only interfere if things go sideways." Belfast said to Hood.

"How do you do, Ms. Secretary." Amagi approached both of them while she smiled.

"Ah, Ms. Amagi. Yes, we are fine." Hood said to Amagi while she smiled.

Both Hood and Belfast then returned their attention to William, who's still being surrounded by multiple girls, Amagi followed their gaze, and she sighed a bit. Well, it would seem Akagi has decided to join in on the ship girls in wooing their commander, and Amagi didn't expect that her little sister would be so interested in their commander in such a short amount of time. It's been a while since she saw Akagi being clingy like that, last time it was her who had to deal with that clinginess, but now it's their commander. Hope he has saint-like patience because Akagi could be a bit…forceful in her methods.

"…Hah…Akagi, turned out a bit differently than I hoped." Amagi said out loud before she sighed.

"She is a bit clingy." Hood said to Amagi while she frowned a bit.

"She's just caring, a bit too much perhaps. It seems she's taken quite the liking to shikikan-sama." Amagi said to Hood as she leaned on the tree.

"Indeed, I hope she won't cause too much trouble." Hood said to Amagi while she smiled.

"I'll be sure to stop her if she goes overboard." Amagi said to Hood while she also smiled.

"Some sake, Ms. Amagi?" Belfast offered Amagi a glass of sake that she's about to hand to William before.

"Ara, arigatou." Amagi said to Belfast while she smiled before she took the glass.

"…Ms. Amagi, I want to ask Lord William regarding the vacant position for strategic advisor. I planned on having you be one, do I have your consent?" Hood asked Amagi with a serious expression.

"Ufufufufu…funny, he already said that he wants me to become one back on Furushima." Amagi said to Hood while she smiled.

"Is that so? That is just splendid, you could become one immediately." Hood said to Amagi while she smiled.

"Ufufu, ah let's not get too ahead of ourselves. We still need his direct approval…By the way, Hood-san?" Amagi asked Hood after she sipped on the sake.

"Yes?" Hood responded to Amagi.

"Won't I be taking your job if I become one?" Amagi asked Hood curiously.

"Ah no, I'm the one you check in with whenever Lord William isn't available. I'm basically his second in command and the one who summed up the details for him." Hood said to Amagi while she smiled.

"Good." Amagi nodded her head while she smiled.

Belfast and Hood smiled in return until they returned to see William's current condition and only found the wheelchair being empty with the previous girls nowhere to be found, naturally the both of them started to look around because William wouldn't be able to go far except if he's kidnapped. They soon found him on the stage where a band of Manjuus were playing soft relaxing music with the musical instruments, he spoke to the Manjuus for a bit, and those chickens nodded their heads eagerly. One of the Manjuus let William have the keyboard, William grinned as he set the keyboard's settings before he took the mic in front of him.

"I'm here on the behalf of those ladies over there who say that I couldn't play any musical instrument. You know what? I do know how to play the keyboard!" William said out loud as he pointed at a group of ship girls.

"Prove it!" Prinz shouted out loud.

"Bah, fine! Alright boys, let's hit them with a classic." William said to the Manjuus.

On second thought, playing a keyboard with his busted left hand might be a bad idea. William moved his left-hand fingers bit by bit for warm up, after he felt his left-hand fingers able to move well to some degree William flexed his right hand. Now that he's ready, William decided to play some notes to make sure he got the right setting…the notes sounded just like how he intended it to, William let out a grin and hoped that he didn't get rusty from two years of not playing any piano or keyboard. Muscle memory, don't fuck this flexing show.

"Anyone know what I will play?" William asked out loud.

"We're eager to find out!" Enterprise said to William.

"Alright then, here's a hint…I, Giorno Giovanna, have a dream!" William said out loud while he grinned.

And just as he said that, he immediately hit the keys in the rhythmic and systemic order of the song that he's playing while the Manjuus behind him quickly played their own part. Il Vento D'oro, the one piece that made him want to learn piano back during the first year of high school and spent years so he could play it perfectly. The music flew freely and when the beat dropped many of the ship girls started dancing along with the music, not many of them actually knew where the song was from, but it was so catchy and had sick beats that they danced anyway.

"He must be drunk." Hood commented out loud while she smiled.

"That's indeed a big possibility." Belfast said to Hood.

"Is there anything he can't do?" Amagi asked out loud.

"I think he's that kind jack of all trades man, learned everything he could, and while not the best at it, at least he could do it." Hood said to Amagi while she shrugged.

.

"What?!" Lucas asked out loud as he leaned on his seat.

"He's out of action temporarily, it's his own decision." Nora said to Lucas as she held and read from her tablet.

"Damn…what else did Ms. Hood tell us?" Lucas asked Nora as he stopped leaning on his seat but to his desk.

"She suggested that we should refrain from giving him any field assignments for a while, that includes any form of commission from the others as well…Written in full report by herself, would you like to see the report sir?" Nora asked Lucas as she showed him her tablet.

Lucas narrowed his gaze at the pad before he shook his head. He could read it later, but at least he already knew the outline of the situation. Yup, he really didn't like what he heard, and the fact that William lost means they should be prepared for the worst. Though, he was glad that few things did come to light on that commission. They now know it's possible to utilize the Wisdom Cube as some sort of power generator, it's because how else could ALASUC manage to make the base design for Albion Battle Armor into an actual working power armor. They also know that Sakura Empire have successfully miniaturized an entire nuclear bomb into one small rugby sized device, it's a massive improvement compared to their standardized bombs and ICBM warheads.

"No, it's fine…This severely limits our options though. Do you think we can execute this without him?" Lucas asked Nora while he frowned.

"I have some confidence that Task Force Pluvia is sufficient to execute this kind of mission, but without Helena's approval I wouldn't be able to command them." Nora said to Lucas as she smiled a bit.

"…In that case, I want you to get a unit to do a clean sweep in New York. Snuff every one of those bastards out." Lucas said to Nora with a serious face.

"What about rules of engagement?" Nora asked Lucas.

"We have no time to follow the Geneva Conventions and be a saint, unless they surrender with their pants wet. I want a shoot on sight policy." Lucas said to Nora while he scowled.

"Got it sir. I'll prepare a team right away." Nora said to Lucas as she saluted him.

Nora turned around and exited the room, when she opened the door from inside Lucas' office, she was greeted by Lena herself who's about to knock on the door. Both ladies smiled at each other and exchanged short greetings before both of them were on their merry way. Nora went to prepare the team that Lucas asked for while Lena went inside Lucas' office and shut the door. Lucas was busy signing a few documents on his desk before he looked up to see Lena, Lucas immediately put down his pen.

"Ah, just the one I want to talk to." Lucas said to Lena while he smiled.

"Shit really went down on Furushima huh?" Lena asked out loud.

"Yeah, to sum it up your ex needs some extended vacation. Why don't you go and see him?" Lucas asked Lena while he smiled.

"I'm not taking any chances when Lockwood is on the loose…God, we almost got him!" Lena said to Lucas while she scowled.

The smile on Lucas' face instantly disappeared when the talk headed into that direction, he himself was pretty pissed at the situation. To sum it up, these past few days Lena and Lucas identified the 'traitors' within the Azur Lane intelligence division after gathering sufficient evidence regarding their involvement with Crimson Cleanser and the Marry chemical attacks. It's a two-way operation, Lucas led the Azur Lane Military Police to apprehend those within the intelligence division in a surprise raid on the headquarters itself, while Lena led a group of Azur Lane Commandos to apprehend or neutralize Anthony Lockwood in his private mansion within Iris Orthodoxy.

Lucas' surprise raid worked perfectly, dozens of personnel, and several high-ranking members of the division were caught with their pants down and the surprise raid within the headquarters, though predictable, was executed with such rapidity that they couldn't react. Lena's side, however, had to suffer failure. The raid was executed at night where the commandos stealthily infiltrated the perimeter of the mansion, but Lockwood somehow found out about the raid. He was able to escape in the nick of time, and the unit failed to take down the helicopter he was using to bail out of his mansion, Lena was fuming for two days because of that.

"Of course he'd be tipped off by the traitors." Lucas said to Lena while he scoffed.

"…What's our next move?" Lena asked Lucas.

"Same as before. We keep hunting him down." Lucas said to Lena with a serious face.

"Shouldn't we handle the hideouts of Crimson Cleanser first?" Lena asked Lucas while she cocked her eyebrows.

"I already told Nora to handle the one in New York. Erich handled the one in Osaka, what remains is in London…You know I planned to include William on this one, any business with Ronald should include the two of you. But with his condition, he needs to rest for quite a while." Lucas said to Lena while he shrugged.

"Don't worry, he already has enough to dealt with the Sirens. I'll be the one handling the operation in London." Lena said to Lucas with a serious face.

Oh he bet she couldn't wait to get her hands on Ronald, busting four safe houses at the same time, then there's a good chance that they'll find him holed up there. But if what he knew about this entire thing with Crimson Cleanser is true, then it could be guaranteed that their higher ups are elusive enough to avoid their efforts to capture them by various tricks in the books…Lucas, however, was determined to put an end to this entire drama because with Crimson Cleanser's existence they're forced to split their forces in two, and he didn't like it. He pretty much wants to end this as quickly as possible and Lena would definitely be someone who could get it done, but he's pretty much concerned about her state at the moment…She hasn't been stable in regards to this entire problem with Crimson Cleanser.

"…Alright, take every intel we can get our hands on. But promise me one thing, Lena." Lucas said to Lena with a serious face.

"What is it?" Lena asked Lucas.

"Don't engage him if you see him." Lucas said to Lena, he's sure Lena knew who he was talking about.

"…You're going to make me lose my chance to avenge my brother and Jenny." Lena said to Lucas while she deeply frowned.

"You can do as you like when we got him in our hands, kill him, torture him, I don't care. Just don't take any unnecessary risks." Lucas said to Lena while he also frowned.

"I don't believe it'll be that easy." Lena said to Lucas while she smiled bitterly.

Oh she could already imagine how troublesome this raid will be, she has resolved herself that she and William will be the ones who will put an end to Ronald, but if William couldn't participate then she pretty much will do it herself. Lena doubted that Ronald would be stupid enough to remain in a safe house which he should know would be compromised by now, but if he's there…she'll be more than happy to put a bullet between his eyes.

"When is it ever in this line of work, eh?" Lucas said to Lena while he grinned.

"Fufu…By the way, I've read the report from Hood." Lena said to Lucas.

"All of it?" Lucas asked Lena.

"Of course, that's why I took so long to get here…Now that we know something that powerful exists, I was wondering whether that genetic modification plan has made any progress." Lena said to Lucas as she folded her arms.

"Going smoothly, very smoothly. I'd expect direct test results within months' time." Lucas said to Lena.

"Any possible side effects?" Lena asked Lucas while she narrowed her gaze.

"There is, testing with some rabbits is errr…" Lucas said to Lena before he stopped and looked to the side.

"You look hesitant. Come on Lucas, don't keep me in the dark." Lena said to Lucas with half opened eyes.

"Gah fine…The first few months? They are basically sex monsters, the hormone production during the modification process was so overwhelming, they're basically horny overtime. This is a rabbit we're talking about, of course their sex drive is quite high already…But the results make us wonder on the effects on a human." Lucas explained to Lena regarding the side effect of the genetic modification.

"As if William would have a problem, I think several ship girls are more than willing to get into his pants." Lena said to Lucas while she folded her arms and stared at him with half closed eyes.

"…That's not what I suggested for some side effect treatment, but hey, good suggestion nonetheless. Think we could get some research sex tape from it?" Lucas asked Lena while he grinned.

"Dude…" Lena actually stared at Lucas with a disgusted face.

"Haha! Kidding, don't worry I'm a bastard but I know the line…Other than that, we basically see the desirable growth from the modification. Stronger muscles, faster reflexes, increased endurance, and even slight changes to their appearance." Lucas said to Lena after he chuckled.

"Hope this slight change didn't involve any claws or fangs." Lena said to Lucas as she shrugged then smiled.

"Nah, just their fur color and eyes. They changed into different colors when the process was completed, it's another side effect, but I guess it won't be much of a problem if William did experience it." Lucas said to Lena to reassure her.

"I see. Well, let me know when Lockwood turns up, this time I'll go with Pluvia to capture him." Lena said to Lucas as she turned around to leave the room.

"You're willing to pull your task force from combat against the Sirens just to catch this one man?" Lucas asked Lena with an intrigued tone.

"It's time to put this bullshit to an end, and I'm willing to go lengths to make sure it will." Lena said to Lucas with a determined face.

Lena then closed the door to Lucas' office, the man inside stood up and looked outside the window to see the view of Azur Lane HQ in the middle of harsh rain. Lucas contemplated everything that's been happening, what should Azur Lane do next? What did the Sirens actually plan? Lucas decided to turn on the TV in his office for some ambient sound which coincidentally was on the news channel. The news talked about the usual situation around the world, the Siren War, public figures keeping the public morale strong, some propaganda broadcasts, military recruitment advertisements, and some news regarding the weather. Lucas then heard the door to his office was knocked once again, and it was opened a few seconds later. A black-haired woman with a low bun hairstyle, dressed in a black turtleneck sweater, cream knee length skirt, and wearing a lab coat entered the room. Lucas caught the face of the person from the reflection on the window, he sighed a bit before he turned around.

"Diana." Lucas greeted Diana Blaze, William's mother.

"Lucas, I'm here to report." Diana said to Lucas as she offered him a folder.

"Report eh, what do you have for me?" Lucas asked Diana as he read the contents.

"The team completed the exoskeleton model for Plan Bellator Luminis' 'Heavy Infantry' unit, and the testing cleared out all doubt regarding field application, but your next demand is quite…unreasonable, something that I didn't expect from you." Diana said to Lucas while she put her hands on her hips.

"Oh? Your team was mad?" Lucas asked Diana while he smiled.

"Mad is an understatement, they started ranting about you not knowing anything concerning science, especially in engineering and physics. I think they're right, since you asked for a hovering warship." Diana said to Lucas while she frowned.

"I thought the Wisdom Cube would solve everything?" Lucas asked Diana while he grinned.

"Listen here you piece of-" Diana said to Lucas while she scowled.

"Whoa! Easy, you need some rest if a small joke like that blows your fuse off. Calm down, take a seat." Lucas said to Diana with his hands raised.

Diana sighed out loud as she sat down on the chair in front of Lucas' desk. The man went to the side a bit to make some tea, while Diana massaged her right temple as she tried to prepare her argument regarding the current matter they're about to discuss. Lucas put down a cup of jasmine tea in front of Diana, she took the cup and sipped its contents before she put it down and stared at Lucas, who enjoyed his blend of coffee…Lucas needed to convince Diana for this one, she's one of the brightest minds that humanity has and already served within Azur Lane for years. Her loyalty is unquestionable, so he felt he could speak more details to her without having to worry much, he needed to do that if he wanted her on board.

"All I asked for is a design, not the actual thing." Lucas said to Diana as he put down the cup of coffee on his desk.

"Yes, I know, but even designing it would take months! Not to mention those months we spend on this very advanced planning of yours? We could create something that's immediately accessible to us. We can worry about a hovering warship like in those sci-fi movies after we sort out the current plan, alright?" Diana said to Lucas while she frowned.

"Even though we knew we could create a functioning one?" Lucas asked Diana with cocked eyebrows and a little smirk on his face.

"…Look, I was half joking about disassembling a mass-produced Siren destroyer model. Besides, how do you know that their engine provides sufficient thrust power?" Diana said to Lucas with half closed eyes.

"Think about it. Their portal capabilities, they didn't even use propellers to move the ship on water which means it has significant thrust power already, and I'm willing to bet this month's paycheck that the ship is environmentally sealed. It's a literal space ship!" Lucas said to Diana while he grinned.

"…While maybe you're right, the request is still going to mess up with our schedule, Lucas." Diana said to Lucas as she folded her arms.

"I'm willing to take three months' setback or even more if possible, so you and your team could work together to put up a working prototype design. A test ship the size of a modern frigate would be a good start…You don't need to worry about actually creating it, I'll handle that part." Lucas said to Diana while he smirked.

…Diana cocked her eyebrows as she leaned on her seat, let Lucas handle creating it? Wait, did he really have a group ready to construct something that has never been created before? Diana believed he could do it though, Lucas is a resourceful man and having the entirety of Azur Lane at his own disposal would mean it's child's play for him to gather those kinds of people. Diana also thought about it, a prototype spaceship the size of a modern-day frigate? It's quite large, but a sufficient platform for a test bed. That also means if they want to test it out, they would have to somehow replicate or reverse engineer a Siren mass produced ship's engine…The more she thought about it, the more convinced Diana is regarding the possibility of creating this prototype, but there's still one thing she didn't get. Why?

"…Okay…if you're this insistent, but answer me this…why did you suddenly divert from the original plan?" Diana asked Lucas, she is honestly curious.

"…I realized that even Project Custos Terrae didn't have any sort of backup plan. That ship would be the first step in creating one." Lucas said to Diana while he stared down to his desk.

"And this is supposed to be more powerful than the ship girls?" Diana asked Lucas regarding the prototype warship.

"Yes and no. We can't replace the ship girls with these ships, they're too valuable and useful. I hoped that these ships would be a standard in the next few years though, equipped with the best arsenal humanity has, including the ones from Project Custos Terrae." Lucas said to Diana.

"But it's still a fleet of mass-produced ships in the end…I'm not a strategist like you and Lena, Lucas. How do you plan to win a war with that?" Diana asked Lucas in a confused tone.

"Who said anything about winning?" Lucas immediately said to Diana.

It's not about winning the war? Then what is it about? It was right there and then that Diana widened her bright blue eyes in realization, this is not for winning the war, but it's for the endgame nonetheless…Lucas actually thought what would happen if they lost the war, he really thought out a way, if they lost the fight against the Sirens! He asked for a hovering warship with an environmentally sealed hull? He's asking for a space warship! If he's asking for a space warship, then the conclusion for the escape route is space!

"…You intend to escape to space!?" Diana asked Lucas with widened eyes.

"Well, not me. I'm dying on this planet, sooner or later. It's for our civilization…Let's be realistic here, we only have a small chance to win against these aliens. If we have to seek a new home out in the vast ocean of stars? Then so be it. Humanity must continue to live on, even if we have to leave our home behind. We started to get the necessary things bit by bit, we could achieve it through the raw untapped potential of the wisdom cubes. We just need to figure out how it actually works." Lucas said to Diana with a serious face.

"…So, this is for a worst-case scenario? Mass exodus to outer space?" Diana asked Lucas with solemn expression.

"…Basically. It'll be even better if we could develop that portal technology the Sirens are using for our own ends." Lucas said to Diana while smiling somberly.

"Yes, there are lots of questions regarding that. The Sirens keep showing up from the portals…but from where? There has to be some place on the other side of the portals, like their planet or even some kind of staging area." Diana said to Lucas.

"Combine that with the potential for a habitable planet out there for humans, sending a probe to that area to inspect its biosphere, and seeing if it is suitable? Boom, sayonara Earth, hello Earth 2.0." Lucas said to Diana while he smiled widely.

"…This is some mad plan, hah…" Diana said to Lucas before she sighed.

"Some great inventors and explorers in the past were considered mad, look what they achieved?" Lucas asked Diana while he grinned.

"Right…I guess some steps could be taken in this field early on. I'll see what we can do." Diana said to Lucas with eyes closed, oh hell she's now committed to this one.

"Splendid Diana, I owe you one." Lucas said to Diana as he smiled gratefully.

"Oh you owe me? Then raise my paycheck and buy me a plane ticket. I want to visit William." Diana said to Lucas while she grinned.

"Hoho, consider it done ma'am." Lucas said to Diana while he smiled widely.

"Good, how soon can I go?" Diana asked Lucas.

"How about this weekend?" Lucas asked Diana back.

"I'd love to, thank you." Diana said to Lucas while she smiled.

…Diana stood up from her seat, she started to walk away from the room before she stopped just before she exited the office...That backup plan that Lucas said to her would only be initiated if they lost this war, right? If they win, then they won't have to escape to the stars, right? Diana was pretty conflicted about this, but she had to keep her head on a swivel. There's so many hazards and challenges regarding this escape plan, and the colonization of the other planet, if they indeed found one. They could also die slowly in space during their journey, but Diana thought it's better than staying on a doomed planet waiting to get killed in the corner…Humanity has to survive at all costs.

"Lucas." Diana called out his name as she looked back.

"Yes?" Lucas asked Diana.

"…This entire plan…this would only be implemented if we lose, right?" Diana asked Lucas.

"Only if we lose." Lucas confirmed it to Diana.

"…Then let's win this." Diana said to Lucas with a serious expression on her face.

"Believe me, I'll die trying…" Lucas said to Diana with an equally serious face.

---

Updated: 14-02-2022 (Beta readed by Culture-Hunt3r)

…Optimism is a great thing to have, but one should always prepare for the worst. The war with the Sirens will take everything humanity has, and it's time for them to start preparing for any scenarios. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and the reviews everyone, have to say that this story is the longest I ever wrote, and it's been quite the experience. Next one might take a while because of one thing, grinding…Why? RICHELIEU STILL REFUSES ME! Man, I know I'm quite sinful with my hentai bookmarks and some smut writing, but please grace my dock with your holy presence. I've been waiting for you! I can guarantee you a permanent spot on my secretary roster! A flagship position alongside your sister and an oath ring waiting for you! Shit, I can't believe I'm this desperate for a waifu…Oh well, sorry for the rant, I just need to get it out somehow because yelling it in my house will grant me an instant whooping.

See you next time!

- Dasmara