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.

39. Respite

The Acheron dropship landed on top of the helipad above the canteen, its rear hatch lowered and the passengers immediately disembarked from the aircraft after a long flight. All of them are tired and want nothing to do but to grab a meal and then rest, they are greeted by three ship girls standing near the helipad. Hood, Bismarck and Newcastle greeted the arriving KANSENs with smiles, its important to welcome the new arrivals with warmth especially after their participation in currently the largest battle that humanity fought in the Siren War. After making sure the ship girls have disembarked from the dropship, Hood walked toward the aircraft to greet the last person to come out. Their commander, her lover, a giant donned in battle worn cobalt Serpent Armor finally stepped out of the aircraft and immediately spots her.

"Welcome back, dear" Hood said to William while she smiled softly with a tone full of mirth.

"Y-Yeah, good to be back, Hood" William replied to her, there's a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"My, I admit, you've become even more handsome than before" Hood said to William while she smiled as she stared at his face.

"T-Thanks, the mod really helped me on this one" William said to Hood while he smiled a bit.

"I'm sure that's the case" Hood said to William.

"Kommandant, welcome back" Bismarck said to William as she throws a salute.

"Thank you, Bismarck" William said to Bismarck as he returned her salute.

"Now, I'm sure you are quite exhausted from the long flight. Let's unwind for a bit, lunch is ready" Hood said to William.

"Brilliant. I'll join you soon, there's something I want to do first" William said to Hood while he smiled.

"Sure, don't take too long. Everyone! Please head down to the cafeteria!" Hood said to William before she instructed the other KANSENs.

…Everything is normal with Hood for now, although he knows that Hood is biding her time so he better prepare himself later. But forget about that, William has something that he needs to address before he could go down and enjoy lunch. William looked back inside the dropship's passenger bay and he saw someone who's donned in black armor, that someone is already a familiar sight lately and William couldn't be sure whether he should be uncomfortable or not. Nyx proceed to sit on one of the free seats and William followed suit by sitting across him, he will find out why Nyx make an appearance inside ALASUC base for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" William asked Nyx.

"What? Am I not allowed to visit?" Nyx asked William.

"You've been bugging me more often lately, I don't swing that way, mate" William said to Nyx with half closed eye.

"Ahaha! Sure, you're not, you've been having fun with the girls!" Nyx said to William while he shrugged.

"Alright enough pleasantry, what is it this time? I've survived your test" William asked Nyx.

"And now you know the truth, of what's going on in this world. The truth regarding the Sirens and their goal in your timeline" Nyx said to William in serious tone.

"Yeah, and that begs the question. Whose side are you really on, Nyx?" William asked Nyx, he's quite confused on this one.

"Me? In truth, I side with humanity. I want humans to be able to overcome their challenges, their problems and even their own nature to some extent. I'm doing whatever I can to make sure humanity still has their future, in the timeline that are worth saving" Nyx said to William in low yet amused tone.

"That's why you're working with the Sirens as well? There's that too, worth saving? What do you mean by that? What makes you determine that we are worthy or not? That kind of one-sided judgment is unfair isn't it?" William asked Nyx further.

"Maybe, but here's the thing, William. Humanity has endless potential, but they are hindered by their own drawbacks as well. I don't even have to explain to you on what are the things that holding humans back from making progress, you already knew why. Keep going in your current direction? You'll doom yourself; you know that but you can't change it due to the system currently running your civilization, sudden change would not be acceptable by majority of people, they have become comfortable with this kind of life even though it would eventually screw them over in the long run. You cannot change it without doing something drastic and as a human? You'll be seen as terrorist, rebels, traitors and that will really hinder your progress if you really want to change the world…That's where the Siren comes in, these particular Sirens are here to save you from yourself, by bringing in the loving pain for humanity. Like it or not, you will change and, in the end, you'll be grateful for it" Nyx said to William.

William agreed with Nyx to be honest but the way Nyx said it ticked him off, it's as if humanity has no chance of winning whatsoever against the Sirens. Frankly speaking, William himself have doubts after knowing the true extent of Siren's military might. But they can still win by appeasing them, but could that still be counted as a win if they follow Siren's end goal for them? It's not that the Siren's end goals are bad, they aimed to prevent humanity from self-destructing and if they could achieve that by murdering ninety percent of human current population? They will do it without hesitation. But still, who would be glad to have ninety percent of their race exterminated? William's more selfish side whispered that it's fine as long as the people he cared about lived. His more rational side argued that they will need substantial preparation before they can live sufficiently with modern technology where civilization has vanished…

"I see…So we're that far gone, is that what you're implying here?" William asked Nyx with grim face.

"I think you can still be saved, but not without an ocean of blood. All to change your way of living, to teach humanity a valuable lesson of humility…Sirens could've just come and talk properly with all of you, but think about it. What is the most reliable method in trying to rely your message?" Nyx asked William.

"Violence" William answered the question while he frowned.

"Because it's the fastest, leave the most lasting impact and everyone could understand it even with difference in language and culture. Now, if you're a pacifist you would already be hounding my arse the moment I agree with your statement. To be honest, I already know your answer. I just want to hear it straight from your own mouth" Nyx said to William in amused tone.

"…It's not like we won't understand if the Sirens decided to talk with us" William said to Nyx.

"...Your past still haunts you isn't it, Will? And they only know one language, one that you're very familiar with. You might want to deal with them, before they can cause tremendous irreversible damage" Nyx suddenly shifted the topic to William's past.

"…Someone else is currently trying to locate them, I'm still waiting for their Intel" William said to Nyx…he must've used mind reading to know about Crimson Cleanser fiasco.

"Ah, yes. But don't you think they're a bit slow? Your trusted Admiral Lena and High Commander Lucas?" Nyx asked William while he folded his arms.

"They're doing their best, alright? You and The Sirens meddling on New York really took a lot of their time" William said to Nyx while he frowned.

"Oh, so it's my fault? Have you ever thought on hunting them by yourself?" Nyx asked William.

"…I have responsibility as the leader of the KANSENs, I wouldn't leave them just because I want to kill a cancer to human race" William said to Nyx as he looked to the side.

"Well, then that is your choice. Just remember that you've made your decision, you will suffer the consequences" Nyx said to William as he stood up.

"Is there something you know about them? You're speaking as if you'd know that something will happen!" William asked Nyx while he frowned, because his words sounded like foreshadowing.

"It will happen, the question is when will it happen? Don't you think they should be prioritized?" Nyx asked William.

"…You're right. But that doesn't mean I can leave the girls by themselves; they are my responsibility. I couldn't neglect them for long and I know a solo hunting will definitely take a lot of time" William said to Nyx while he frowned.

"In the end, you're the one who decide what action you want to take…I hope you make the right one, William" Nyx said to William in somewhat somber tone.

With that, Nyx snapped his fingers to create a portal and went through it. William sat within the dropship as he stared at the dropship's floor, Nyx's wording and tone felt off to him as he felt that Nyx is being quite serious. Not that he's never serious in all of their past interaction, but it just felt like his attempt at humor is almost nonexistent on this encounter…William stood up, he keeps Nyx's words at the back of his mind as he went outside and descend into the cafeteria. He opened the rooftop access door and he was shocked by Hood who's about to open the door herself, the woman jerked back a bit in surprise before she smiled. William tensed up unwillingly, is this it? Is she going to execute her plan right now?

"There you are. Come, I've saved you a seat and lunch" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"Thanks, you're being quite sweet today" William decided to test the water.

"My lover has returned from the battlefield, its only make sense that I want to welcome him home" Hood said to William while she smiled softly.

"I-I appreciate it" William said to Hood while he smiled.

Hood circled her arms between William's left and she escorted him to the canteen, William would've been grinning like a grateful boyfriend being welcomed home. But knowing the impending doom is approaching him rapidly, even William couldn't help but to feel nervous in turn although he tried masking it by smiling at Hood…Come on, he fought off Siren army face to face, massacred many of them with his own hands and he even dueled Midnight then Nyx. Something like a pissed off girlfriend should not scare him, but it did! Seeing he has no way to defuse the ticking bomb latched on his left arm though, William chose to resign to his fate later. Both of them entered the canteen and Hood guided him to a table that has Bismarck, Elizabeth and Nagato seated together. William sits down after greeting the three ship girls and Hood put something in front of him, a plate fully loaded with rice curry alongside meat and potato chops. Hood urged him to eat and he did, he eat the delicious dish and finished them in record time…

"Delicious?" Hood asked William as she sat beside him.

"It is. I just felt that the portion is a bit small, until I remember that I've grown up" William said to Hood while he smiled a bit.

"It is your usual portion; I reckon the maids will have to prepare bigger portion now, you do need to eat more" Hood said to William.

"…I…feel that I've troubled them unnecessarily" William said to Hood while he smiled somberly.

"No, you aren't. And, it's a fair trade off in my opinion. Don't be too hard on yourself, dear" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"…If you say so" William said to Hood.

"…We have heard everything, kommandant. Regarding the battle and even why the Sirens come to our world" Bismarck said to William, she waited for him to finish eating before she broached the topic.

"Then there's nothing new I could tell you. But I haven't told any of you this, I don't intend to quit fighting them" William said out loud with serious face.

"I am glad to hear that, kommandant" Bismarck said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Are you prepared to fight them as long as you could, shikikan-sama?" Nagato asked William.

"I am invested on this fight now so I will die trying, with or without support. But how about you ladies? Will you continue the fight with me?" William asked Nagato, Elizabeth and Bismarck.

"Such question isn't needed to be asked, commander! We are already involved too much to stop; it will be disgraceful for KANSENs as a whole if any of us give up this fight! Rest assured, you can count on the fact that we are in this with you to the very end!" Elizabeth said to William while she smiled confidently, she could really act mature if she wants too…

"Wisely said, Elizabeth" Bismarck said to Elizabeth while she nodded.

"Hmph~! I believe so~!" Elizabeth said to Bismarck after she snorted haughtily.

"…So, all of you have come to a conclusion" William said out loud while he smiled.

"We have discussed everything the night before you arrived. We may have the form of a human woman, but our soul is still a warship. We are created in the past to wage war and preserve peace, having an enemy would just validate our purpose more" Nagato said to William.

"Not saying that peace would be boring though! There are so much to do other than fighting!" Elizabeth said out loud.

…Oh thank god! William felt a massive weight have been lifted off of his shoulder the moment he knew that the girls are going to keep fighting the Sirens despite the knowledge they've gained about their limitless foe. He won't be alone in the fight, but will they follow him if ALASUC has to go on without Azur Lane support? While in a sense they are already independent from Azur Lane or Crimson Axis direct influence, it would be another matter entirely if the selfish bastards got power and demanded ALASUC to be disbanded. It is within realm of possibility, William could only hope that Lucas and Erich played their cards well to remove them before they could become a direct annoyance, but that doesn't exempt them from trying on their own way-. Oh…William realized that their base could be infiltrated by human agents, missing ship girls won't be tolerated by anyone and it would greatly affect him and the base security in public eyes if there's a framing attempt by kidnapping any of the girls…He have to started improving their defenses and fast…

"…Will?" Hood asked William.

"Ah nothing. It's just that, I'm glad to hear that all of you want to slog through this…Well, I hope we can continue to be together from now on" William said out loud.

"Of course, shikikan-sama. We all would be glad if you're the one who lead us" Nagato said to William.

"…Oh yeah! I just realized this but, Nagato? You speak less formally now" William said to Nagato, he really did just notice!

"H-Hai, I consulted with Mikasa-san regarding my speech mannerism and she told me that…I should speak less formally so people could understand me better" Nagato explained to William as light blush crept to her cheeks.

"And not to come off as a stick in the mud, I believe that's what she said next" Elizabeth said to Nagato while she smirked a bit.

"C-Correct…that as well" Nagato said to Elizabeth.

"I see, it's refreshing to hear. I approve" William said to Nagato while he smiled.

"A-Arigatou, shikikan-sama" Nagato said to William while she smiled.

"Master William" A woman suddenly said to William as she approached him.

"Ah Bel, what is it?" It turns out Belfast is the one who called him.

"I just want to inform you that your new clothes have been sent to your cabin, your new uniform will have to wait for few more days however. It is quite unfortunate that most of your old clothes couldn't fit you anymore so we've taken some liberties to pack and store them" Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Please tell me you don't pack my jersey and hoodies?" William asked Belfast, those things are quite stretchy so it'll still fit him.

"Of course not, the material is quite flexible so I reckon it's usable even with your current physique, master" Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Okay. Thanks Belfast" William said to Belfast while he nodded.

"Think nothing of it, master" Belfast said to William.

"Belfast, make sure not to push yourself too hard" Hood said to Belfast while she smiled a bit.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam Hood. I know my limits; I will be sure not to overexert myself" Belfast said to Hood while she smiled.

Belfast walked away from the group to attend to her other business, William stared at her all the way until she exited the canteen. Their relationship hasn't changed, both of them are still master and servant despite William saying that it's fine for them to be more than that. But William started to notice that Belfast have been more 'affectionate' in a sense, she's a bit lax compared to her in the past and there's this hint of sweetness in her actions…William discarded the thought because he noticed four pairs of eyes drilling into him like a death star's beam and he turned around to see Hood, Nagato, Elizabeth and Bismarck staring at him with unreadable expression on their face…

"…What?" William asked the girls out loud.

"You got our head maid pregnant, commander" Elizabeth said to William with her eyes half closed.

"…Yeah…" William muttered to himself.

"I think it serve as a direct proof that the 0.8 percent chance is no longer applicable, kommandant" Bismarck said to William as she folded her arms.

"…Yeah…" William muttered to himself.

"I have notified Ms. Akashi on contraceptives procurement and Ms. Vestal is open for consultation, things have changed quite a lot around here ever since you received your modification" Hood said to William.

"…Yeah…" William muttered to himself.

"I also took some liberty to procure some materials concerning baby related items, the Manjuus will be able to construct them when the time comes…Are you alright, dear? You don't look so well?" Hood asked William.

"Oh nothing, just a bit tired that's all…" William said to Hood while he managed to cranked a small smile.

…That will definitely impact their day-to-day experience to some extent, he can already sense the awkwardness from this development! Most of the girls did treat him as usual, but to those who can be quite sensitive or aware of him as a man? Yeah, those girls need some time to chill down and get used to this new dynamic. There's even this one destroyer named Hamman, after knowing that William have been sleeping with other girls around, she's been quite protective of Yorktown. Whenever he talked to her, Hamman will always be around within reach while glaring at him in contempt. William did ask Yorktown about her behavior, Yorktown said that both of them has long history together and Hamman is a good friend to her and is just worried. As long as William don't do anything troubling for both of them, Hamman won't do anything as well because Yorktown have assured her that William is a good man. Still doesn't make her trust him though, but at least Yorktown tried.

William spends the rest of the lunch talking with the fleet representatives, getting updates regarding their situation and even talked a bit about their base security problems. They have to be sure not to let any outsiders in, Bismarck commented that the threat of having the little KANSENs being abducted should serve as enough reason to upgrade their mediocre perimeter security. Now? With a growing baby inside Belfast? It is imperative that they take measure to make sure that they won't be infiltrated so easily. The very thought of someone out there kidnapping KANSENs for their own goals is very realistic and given the current state of Azur Lane High Command Council, there is no doubt that ALASUC base is under strict monitoring from all over the place. Lucas words regarding this entire matter is quite simple, trust no one, even indirect message from him or Lena…So, an invasion from another reality by a highly advanced factions, loose terrorists that have been quite dormant for some time now and brewing political cold war on the upper echelon? William thought that he really got it good with a desk full of risks and potential disasters…Surprised that he hasn't shown wrinkles already due to the amount of thinking he kept on the back of his mind regarding all of this, but that might be caused by the daily sex he did that let out stress naturally…

He's kind of glad that he's not alone in facing those problems, no way he could try to mitigate everything while still having to command ALASUC effectively. His allies are helping him as best as they could, he'll let them fight on his behalf over there and focused on the more pressing matter that suited his specialty better. Sirens just thrown a massive middle finger to humanity on this timeline, New York's invasion won't be the last of them and even now various areas around the world have reported their sightings on their perimeter. None are attacking them at the moment, but their mere presence alone is enough to make the entire world's coastline to raise their alertness level to yellow. William is sure that it won't be long until another attack hit them somewhere around the world, he better be ready for another frontline shenanigans by that time…Night comes and William rested himself on the living room of his cabin, he's taken his armor off in exchange for red jersey that is quite comfortable to wear as a loungewear. The door to his cabin was knocked several times and someone entered his house, that someone is none other than Hood herself who carried a handheld bag with her that's undoubtedly filled with her stuff. It seems she planned to stay the night on the cabin.

"Hood, you're staying over?" William asked Hood.

"Yes I am, I hope you don't mind" Hood said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Of course not" William said to Hood.

"…Finally, we can be alone" Hood said to William as she plopped herself next to him on the sofa.

"You're that eager to spend time with me huh?" William asked Hood while he smiled.

"Of course, I have been waiting for today ever since you left for the front" Hood said to William as she put her bag on the coffee table.

"I see, well, we have all night so let's take it slow" William said to Hood as he leaned on the couch.

"As much as I'd like to just spend our time cordially, I do have something important I need to address with you first" Hood said to William, her tone is quite serious.

"O-Oh, s-sure. What is it?" William asked Hood as he sit right up.

"The secretaries and fleet leaders have discussed regarding your libido management. Based on Belfast report and testament, it seems that you will need a regular sexual release" Hood said to William.

"…I got a feeling that would be the case" William said to Hood as he averted his gaze.

"However, we couldn't come up with suitable schedule because this 'situation' is quite dynamic and will prone to changes. I know that there are other girls that want to sleep with you, thus trying to manage it completely would be a waste of time and manpower" Hood said to William, that makes sense.

"Right, that would be quite a mess" William said to Hood.

"So, here's a system that we come up with. The Royal Navy Maid Corps will be our trump card on this one, our majesty Elizabeth have commanded that the maids are to assist you by providing sexual service" Hood said to William in serious tone.

"The maids? Are they really willing to do this!?" William asked Hood as he taken aback.

"Yes, they are. They have sworn to serve her majesty and her wish is their command, rest assured though as I think none of them would object to this method even without her majesty's orders" Hood said to William.

"…You sounded so sure" William commented as he folded his arms.

"Just call it woman's intuition" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"All of them, even Sheffield?" William asked Hood as he cocked his eyebrows.

"Like I said, all available maids on this base. There are few more arrivals during your time in the front, they have been briefed regarding the situation" Hood said to William while she smiled.

…Elizabeth just hard carried him on this one, he thought that with only few girls that are okay with having sex with him at the moment then they are really going to be exhausted. Like it or not, having the maid corps servicing him will greatly help on this aspect. Considering his little maid fetish, the thought of Royal Navy maids servicing their master is a great turn on for William who often had his eyes on them whenever they cleaned the office while he worked. He didn't doubt that the maids will do it, but will they be okay doing so? They're still human with feelings, that is the reason William asked Hood on whether the maids are alright with this decision. He will feel bad if the maids are basically forced to do it because of their obligation and oath, taking advantages of them like that felt morally wrong for him.

"…Alright then. So, how will this work?" William asked Hood.

"A maid will be assigned to you every day, but whether they will service you depends on whether you already agreed to have sex with someone or not. If you don't have anyone, the maid will be available to serve you" Hood said to William.

"Okay, so do I need to notify anyone when there are ladies other than the maids for the day?" William asked Hood further.

"We already come up with our own ways so there's no need for you to do that" Hood said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Y-You've thought this through…" William commented as he smiled wryly.

"Of course, it's so we can continue to live harmoniously on this base. Don't worry dear, we've taken care of everything concerning this…You've essentially allowed yourself to be modified, for the sake of our future. The KANSENs respect you for taking that step, you can rest assured that none of us within ALASUC hate you" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"That's reassuring to hear, but I'm still quite concerned that I haven't even met with few of the new maids" William said to Hood, he doesn't really buy the 'everyone loves you' part but he'll pretend to on this one.

"There's nothing preventing you from getting to know them later, if pure sexual relation with them didn't sit well with you" Hood said to William.

"You're right, sorry for overthinking this" William said to Hood as he smiled somberly.

"It's fine, dear…We have recorded and cross referenced the maid's menstrual cycle, Belfast recommended that only the maid that is on her safe days should be the one to serve you. Given your reluctance on using condoms and your tendency to cum inside, I think this is a good recommendation. We can't have you getting everyone pregnant, there is still a war that we need to fight after all" Hood explained to William.

"Urgh. You ladies read me like an open book…" William said to Hood as he looked away in shame.

"Fufufufu…And that's it. So, all you have to do is to confirm whether you want to be serviced or not when the maid asks you" Hood said to William after she giggled.

"…I have to thank and commend you ladies for coming up with this kind of system, really" William said to Hood.

"Like I said before, it's so we can continue to live harmoniously..." Hood said to William while she smiled.

"…That's not all you want to talk about, isn't it, Hood?" William said to Hood as he pursed his lips.

"Oh?" Hood cocked her eyebrows as she stared at William.

"I got a feeling that you have something you want to say to me after our last phone call…Don't worry, I'm willing to hear you out. You're my girlfriend, I want you to speak your concerns and problems to me. I'm sure we can work things out" William said to Hood in serious tone.

Be a champion by facing your doom head on! Whatever's Hood dissatisfaction with him, William is willing to weather through it if that will improve their relationship in the end! He gave it some thought before Hood came here and come to a conclusion that he wants to settle whatever's hidden problem the two of them might have, he will initiate the talk if Hood doesn't broach the subject the moment she caught him alone. Judging by her widened eyes and her slightly parted mouth, William hit a bullseye and the woman racked her brain at lightspeed to decide whether to talk to William or not. Hood actually thought that this matter is quite insignificant compared to their day-to-day problems, but she got a feeling William won't let her go even if she bullshits her way through. He could be slow but he will eventually notice if there's something wrong, thus Hood decided to speak her mind to him. Communication is an important aspect in relationship, Hood doesn't want William to misunderstand and create unnecessary conflict between them.

"…Despite everything I've said to you, my willingness to share you with the other girls. I am still a woman who can be influenced by jealousy…To be honest with you, I thought that I will be the first woman among us to have a family with you. But destiny said otherwise, because who knows what could happen if your overflowing libido isn't taken care of during that time. I trusted Belfast to take care of you, it is within reason that she will end up bearing your child…I know that it's not wrong for that to happen, but that doesn't mean I couldn't feel frustration for being overtaken by the others" Hood explained to William in low tone.

"…So that's how you feel…Hood, did you see it as a race?" William asked Hood as he frowned a bit.

"In a way, yes, I am…Forgive me for being dishonest when I said that I'm fine with you being with the other girls as well, because deep down I did feel some uncomfortableness to the idea sharing you" Hood confessed as she lower her head.

"Then-" William said to Hood as his eye widened.

"Stop…Before you say anything regarding cancelling all of this for my sake? Don't…I can learn to accept this situation; I can't let my petty jealousy and desire to monopolize you to ruin this base relationship dynamic. We have responsibility to fight the Siren, an infinite foe who will drag us through death, destruction and suffering for a long time. Union is far more important to us all; my jealousy is just something petty compared to the threat to our survival" Hood said to William in firm and serious tone.

Her tone and expression managed to stun William; she is serious about her statement just now. So, this is what has been bothering her lately, the fact that she has to share him with everyone else actually doesn't sit well with her. But she realized that she couldn't have him to herself so she is willing to compromise, who was she to deny the other girls their feelings? She could do so, but don't expect everything would be smooth sailing after that. Then, she became his first official lover and she thought that instead of Belfast, she's the one who will be bearing his child ahead of everyone. But he hadn't received his modification back then, so the chances are next to impossible. Belfast easily conceived his baby and Hood felt that she is overtaken despite her efforts, then Illustrious finally resolved herself to step forward and that's that…When she thought about it, it is a petty jealousy to have in a situation like this. Number supposedly doesn't matter as William would still love her nonetheless, but she can't help it if that's how she feels.

Thus, the reason why despite her previous action, she chooses to keep this to herself. This is her bad habit, despite constantly trying to show her feelings, Hood has a habit bottling up her displeasure and discontent, tolerate things a bit too far on occasion and then she will finally explode as she lashes out when she has enough. This happened back when they were attacked by Crimson Cleanser with Marry Gas, she was quite frustrated with William going to the frontline all the time and she finally snapped back then. Both have resolved this problem though as they spend a long time talking, Hood understand that frontline combat is his specialty and William understand that Hood is quite worried. So? Both agreed that Hood will support him while William took extra measure of careful during the fight, problem solved as both compromised regarding their interest…This would be the second time, even though it's not as drastic as the first one. Turns out to solve it, all she has to do is to talk to him. She is his girlfriend and he wants them to be on best of terms, so any problems they might have need to be talked through no matter how uncomfortable or even petty it is.

"…Right…I'm sorry that I only noticed just now" William said to Hood as he stared at her.

"Don't be sorry. You've gained the necessary power to fight the Sirens directly, it is a big step to take. Besides, if I did monopolize you, there is no way I could keep up having sex with you every day. You're already quite formidable without the modification, it is good that I wouldn't be the only one to handle you" Hood said to William while she smiled softly, she spoke the truth about that one too.

"I have to agree with you there, I'm easily turned on nowadays that…well, I couldn't help it" William said to Hood as he closed his eye in embarrassment.

"My point exactly" Hood said to William as she relaxed her posture, so she can consider this done?

"…Hood, do you still want a child?" …Guess not, they're not finished yet.

"Of course, I want a child with you…But let's put the plan on making one on hold for a while, we have much to do in the next few months or even a year. I…wouldn't be able to raise a child effectively, at the moment" Hood said to William as she looked down to the coffee table…

"You know that you can temporarily withdraw from your position as my personal secretary? Besides, I will help you raise them" William said to Hood, if she really wants one then he's sure they can compromise.

"I know. But I wouldn't be able to take my mind off from work related issues, at least I want us to have a strong basic foundation before I want to entertain the idea of having a child again. In our current situation, as organization, we could still be easily dismantled if the people that High Commander Carville mentioned hold power…We don't want that to happen, but when it does, we better be ready with our contingency plan" Hood said to William in serious tone as she stared at him.

"…That is a good insight. Well, I respect your wish Hood and I want to let you know that if you ever change your mind then you can always talk to me about it" Hood said to William…she is right, that's an issue they have to deal with as soon as possible.

"I will. Oh, but that doesn't mean that you couldn't sleep with me. In fact, I don't want you to left me out so keep that in mind!" Hood said to William in serious tone.

"I wouldn't leave you out but don't always count on me to ask you directly, Hood. If you feel that you want to do it, just ask me and I will make time for you" William said to Hood in serious tone.

"Understood. Then, let's do it now" Hood said to William as she clapped her hands once.

"Eh? Right now?!" William asked Hood as he widened his eye.

"Yes, I want to try something with you. I have been quite frustrated for the past two weeks, bottling up my own emotion regarding what we just talked about isn't doing me any good so I'd like to let out some steam…Will you help me out, dear?" Hood asked William as she smiled softly.

"…Didn't you already let it out when we talked about it?" William asked Hood with his eye half closed.

"Some of it. But there are still some left, some that could only be let out by doing physical exercise with you" Hood said to William as she clasped her hands while she smiled.

"I see…So, what is this something new that you want to try?" William asked Hood.

"Do you love me, dear?" …Red flag.

"I love you" William answered without hesitation.

"Are you willing to be adventurous for a bit?" …Red flag 2.0.

"…Sure, why not?" William said to Hood as he shrugged.

"Would you promise to not hold it against me after tonight? I promise this is just for today" Hood asked William as she smiled widely…Red flag 3.0.

"S-Seriously Hood, what is this about? I wouldn't hold anything against you whatsoever, so please tell me directly!" William said to Hood as his nervousness rise bit by bit.

"Phew…I'm quite glad to hear that. Thank you dear" Hood sighed in relief before she smiled widely.

Then Hood reached for her bag, she rummaged the inside and then took something out of it that caused William to widened his eye in horror. William have fought both humans and Sirens alike, directly squaring off against war machines strived to kill him, he stared death directly on few occasions and not even the moment when he's at the mercy of Midnight on Furushima could be compared to this moment right now. William felt unbridled terror and horror swirled into one of pure fear as Hood took out a black panty, that would be fine if not for the large pink dildo attached to it and has the same size of his dick! What straight men wouldn't go pale the moment they see that monstrosity being pointed at them?!

"…A STRAP ON?!" William exclaimed out loud as he moved back in pure reflex.

"Yes. I read that it is important to try something new once in a while, it will be beneficial that I could at least get a taste on how is it feel to be in your position. You already agreed to go along with me, didn't you? Wouldn't you want to help me getting rid of my frustration, dear?" Hood asked William in sweet tone yet her words are quite menacing…

"…A-At least y-you have lube, right?" William asked Hood while he stuttered.

"Hmm? What lube?" Hood innocently asked William back.

"A-A-Ah…n-no lube…oh god…I'm getting dry docked…" William muttered as he looked at Hood in absolute terror.

"Fufufufuahahahahahahahahaha! Your face! I can't! Ahahahahaha! This is hilarious! Hahahahahahaha!" Hood laughed out loud without a shred of elegance on her.

"Ahahaha! Oh, you're joking! That's a good one dear, you really scared me there! Ahahaha-" William said to Hood as he laughed in nervousness.

"Who says anything about joking?" Hood asked William.

"…Eh?" William stopped laughing as he stared at Hood with widened eye.

"Don't worry, I will be gentle with you. I heard that guys could feel good with anal as well, ufufufufufu~" Hood said to William while she smirked like a sadist…

---

(Attention! The author decided to omitted this particular scene from public viewing with the amount of pain the author felt due to his sympathy for the main character as fellow straight men, he doesn't, wouldn't and couldn't stop any of the readers from imagining how the scene goes inside their own head however and would not be held responsible for any conjured scene inside the reader's mind thanks to their own imagination. Have a nice day!)

---

William loved Hood and he's willing to go lengths so she can be happy with him, but he'd never thought he will lose his own anal virginity to her! Heck, he never thought he'll lose it in the first place! But that's what happened! It's quite fortunate that Hood promised that this would be the first and last time she does this, saying that being the one who's thrusting is 'not her cup of tea'. Well, William and his own anus are glad that she felt so because he couldn't take it! He's only reluctantly willing to go through with the idea because of his guilt after hearing how Hood feels! It is quite fortunate that the celebration is postponed since that means William could spend the entire day resting, because he couldn't sit up properly for a while…Something funny though, he could fart silently most of the time now.

.

"Cheers!" Enterprise said out loud while she smiled.

Two days later, loud cheers followed Enterprise's word as the ship girls raised their glass in a toast, they sipped their drinks before music filled the canteen with chatter accompanying closely. ALASUC is having a celebration where every ship girl gathered inside the canteen, for their victory on New York and as welcoming party for the new Eagle Union girls. All of them know that this victory is negligible in the face of unyielding force known as the Sirens, but it's still a victory in the end that is one worth celebrating, not to mention it's already becoming a tradition within ALASUC. Drinks flow freely, plenty of food are served and happy atmosphere coated the entire building. Ship girls talked to one another, played games, enjoyed the show on a podium that was set inside the canteen and some just enjoying themselves in the corner. William leaned on the wall as he stared at Saratoga who's singing on top of the podium after Enterprise came down and sit with her sisters, she's singing an idol song that William haven't heard before. William was about to sip on his glass filled with cognac before he felt a tug to his left hoodie sleeve, he turned to the left and he saw Illustrious standing beside him with her hand on his left sleeve.

"Oh? Illy, what is it?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled.

"I want to talk to you for a bit, dear. Would you please follow me?" Illustrious asked William while she smiled.

"Sure" William said to Illustrious.

Illustrious dragged William outside of the canteen, the both of them stopped near the entrance when Illustrious turned around and looked at William while she smiled as her cheeks reddened a bit. Honestly, William wasn't sure whether it's from the cold or caused by her embarrassed concerning something, guess he could go for both. William was about to ask Illustrious when she took something out from her small hand purses that she carried, she then handed that something to William who already widened his eye the moment he received the pink thing. It's a pregnancy test pack, not just any test pack, a positive pregnancy test pack. William stared at Illustrious who's smiling widely and caressed her lower stomach for better implication, he guessed that his battle-ready sperm really did their job splendidly because Illustrious is officially pregnant…Welp, he's a father for two children now. William felt his smile grew wider by each passing second, he then walked forward and embraced Illustrious who hugged him back strongly.

"…You did it" Illustrious said to William in soft tone.

"Well, I wouldn't have done it if you didn't approach me, so I'd say we did it" William said to Illustrious.

"Ufufu, yes that is true…I'm so happy right now" Illustrious said to William as she looked up to him with blush decorating her cheeks.

"Me too, Illy" William said to Illustrious while he smiled widely.

"Do you think I will become a great mother?" Illustrious asked William as she looked at him uncertainly.

"What are you saying? Of course, you will. You're a good woman and one of the most caring people I ever known, I have full confidence that you will greatly care for our child and raise them well. Don't worry, I will do my part as a father as well" William said to Illustrious while he smiled.

"Thank you, I felt more at ease after you said that" Illustrious said to William while she smiled softly.

"Hehehe…Have you thought a name?" William asked Illustrious.

"I'm thinking of Lily if it's a girl and Leonard if it's a boy…Though, I got a good feeling it will be a girl!" Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

"Ooh, you're a psychic now eh? But yeah, those are good names" William said to Illustrious while he smiled.

"I'm glad you agreed. Now then, it's getting a bit cold out here, why don't we rejoin the celebration? People will get suspicious if we're gone for too long, all kind of rumors could spurt out of that" Illustrious said to William as she walked ahead toward the canteen's entrance.

"Alright, fine. You need to stop drinking wine, though" William said to Illustrious.

"Fufufufu, don't worry dear, tea is a perfect substitute" Illustrious said to William while she looked back and winked.

The both of them returned to the celebration, Illustrious joined her sisters while William went to the previous wall that he's leaning on. He downed his cognac to warm himself for a bit before he realized something, he hasn't eaten anything. Drinking during daylight and on empty stomach? Wow, how brave he is. William then decided to get something to eat so he walked toward the banquet station, he gets himself a plate, put a lot sausages, beef patty and hot sauce before grabbing a large glass of soda and sit near the corner to watch the performance on the podium while he enjoyed his lunch. William subtly looked around and noticed that Belfast is nowhere in sight so he'll take this chance to enjoy all meat dish, he grabbed a fork, stabbed into a patty, dipped it in hot sauce then bite it in half…Holy freaking hell it is delicious, he noticed that he could fit the entire patty into his mouth now as a testament of his massive size. William continues to eat as he pondered the fact that he grew larger and it felt natural, right now he's around two meters and thirteen centimeters tall and weight around one hundred fifty-six kilograms. A titan packed with muscles, no wonder he's capable all of the exemplary feat he performed on Operation Eagle Storm and his strength is only further enhanced with his armor.

…His mind couldn't help but to wander to the news Illustrious just gave him though, he still can't believe that it's that easy for him to make the girls conceive now. Damn, he could still remember how he gave Illustrious a thorough loving as he did his best to impregnate her back on Terranova. Hoo boy the memory still burns strongly inside him, it makes him want to grin like an idiot every time he reminisced about it…William closed his eyes for a bit and it ended with him imagining the face of two little girls with white hair in front of him, they spend their day like how a child would, given the best education with the number of teachers on this base, surrounded by caring people every day and could live safe under the protection of KANSENs and a father who is basically a god of war…Yeah, his paternal instinct kicked in hard and he really want to give them a loving home. But if by that time the Sirens are not yet defeated, then it's his job to make sure they could still grow up into a fine person under his protection-

"All the available women on this base and you choose to be alone?" Someone suddenly said to William.

"A man needs their own alone time too, Zara" William said to that someone who revealed to be Zara.

"Agreed, though why do you decided to be alone during celebration is quite puzzling" Zara said to William while she smiled.

"Well, sit with me then" William said to Zara.

"Huh? Sit on you? Oh, mio comandante~, I don't mind since it's you but at least take me out on a date first~" Zara said to William while she smirked.

"…Noted" William said to Zara while he smiled, having Zara sit on his face? William immediately put that on christmas wishlist inside his head.

Zara kept her smirk as she pulls a chair beside him and sit herself then put the plate and the glass she carried on the table, William noted that Zara has a plate filled with a burger, some french fries and a medium glass of soda. Huh, William remembered Zara mentioned that girls have smaller stomach capacity and apparently a burger and french fries is enough as lunch? William would've at least eaten three burgers alongside a plate full of the fries and he probably could still eat a full course meal. Ever since the modification, he's been eating tons of food. The doctors above the Terranova routinely checked his physique, they concluded that his body haven't reached its full potential yet and it will keep growing for a while. He gets hungry easily since his body subconsciously need constant supply of nutrition, coupled that with heavy combat activity or intense exercise caused William to steadily building his strength even more. Even without armor, he's already able to lift things more than five hundred kilograms…Not surprisingly, the ship girls could do the same although they will need intense training to be able to do that. He's basically the male version of a KANSEN species, his base strength is only further enhanced and that's the primary feature of the modification.

William might get the module that allow him to cruise the waters only with his feet like the girls, but he's most likely won't be getting a ship rigging. It's advantageous to have one, but it's not his style of combat at all. He will do well enough with powerfully advanced weaponry that he could held on his hands compared to ship rigging, the armor's Wisdom Cube could store things in it so it is possible…Honestly, he has absolutely zero clue on how it actually works even when he understood some aspect of the cube. William knows that it's a miracle item, could store things inside it, could summon ship riggings and even acting as a power source. But how come those feats are possible? What is exactly the cube's composition? Some said that it's composed of raw unknown energy, then why does it feel solid to the touch? Those are great questions but that's why William didn't become a scientist, he found all of those to be too complicated. Maybe it's due to his military training and education, he tends to lean on these basic questions. Could their scientist harness its potential? What are the consequences in using them? And is the cube useful for-

"Hmm, I understand that Signorina Honolulu got an amazing figure, but it's rude to stare at her intensely like that, comandante~" Zara said to William while she smiled a bit.

"…That's not my intention, I was just lost in thought" William said to Zara as he tore his gaze away from Honolulu who blushed heavily and frowned at him.

"What makes you drown in your own thoughts, hmm?" Zara asked William as she eat a fry.

"…Just, about this whole power thing, I guess" William said to Zara as he swallowed another patty that he dipped in hot sauce.

"I heard and watched your feats comandante, you're really are awe inspiring. Have you seen the comments on YouTube videos featuring you? Your fan arts? Memes even? Many are glad that you are around, comandante. Even some see you as a superhero" Zara said to William while she smiled.

"I really haven't seen much. I did saw few clips of me fighting the Sirens, did people really glad that I exist? Or are they just get swept in the moment due to the convenient situation" William asked Zara as he subtly clenched his fists.

"Admittedly, most are glad that you do. But there are few bunches of bastarde who can't really see the bigger picture and blinded by jealousy" Zara said to William while she frowned.

"Well…Can't say I'm surprised, Zara. There's nothing we can do, that's just how humans are" William said to Zara while he frowned a bit.

"You're taking this a bit too well, Comandante William. Those people are loud, they even started spreading baseless rumors about you. Many did defend you but don't you think you still need to put your foot down regarding this matter?" Zara asked William in scolding tone while she frowned.

"…It's the price of gaining exposure Zara, there will always be people like that. I can't go around and fight on every comment section, it's too time consuming and it will just feed on their ego that they could get my attention. We should deal with them in a more discreet manner" William said to Zara while he smiled a bit.

"I see, I hope you know what you are doing" Zara said to William.

"…You surprisingly care about my public image, Zara" William said to Zara while he smiled.

"You're the leader of ALASUC and your actions during this war has earn you enough merit both as our commander and a warrior. Those who try to discredit you despite all of that? They have zero respect from me" Zara said to William with serious face.

"Thanks for defending me, Zara. I'm touched" William said to Zara earnestly, it's good to know that she held him in such regards.

"Fufu, anytime comandante~" Zara said to William while she smiled.

"…You still eat so little" William commented as he looked at her plate.

"I did say that girl's stomach capacity is quite small, mine not excluded" Zara said to William.

"Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing" William said to Zara.

"Oh?" Zara cocked her eyebrows as she stared at William.

"You could feel full just by eating a bit, your fullness last longer and you already got energy to function for most of the day…that is a blessing. Unlike me who have to eat full portion or two and get hungry again few hours later" William said to Zara.

"…Well, I think it's a fair tradeoff for your superhuman strength. Just consider that and your libido as the price for gaining such power, nothing is free on this world. You gain something? You either loss something or pay for it in one way or another" Zara said to William.

"That's one way to look at it…I have to admit, I severely underestimate the side effect" William said to Zara.

"You think it wouldn't be so bad?" Zara asked William as she frowned a bit.

"I did think it will hinder me in some form, I just didn't think it'll be this constant…I imagined what would happen if there are no women willing to help me and there aren't any stable supply of food during this phase, I don't think I could stay sane" William said to Zara.

"Si, you could be starving and aroused. A very bad combination, you wouldn't be able to think clearly" Zara said to William.

"That's true…hah" William said to Zara then sighed.

"Well, enough with the gloomy talks, this is a celebration after all~! Oh look, they're dancing!" Zara said to William while she smiled.

True to her words, the song has changed to an EDM track played by the Manjuus and the girls are dancing around the podium. William cracked a smile as he saw many of the girls just take off and loose themselves, many among them are Eagle Union girls. William honestly have never been a dancer, so he chooses to sit this one out. Zara also apparently isn't too fond of free style dancing as she remains seated beside William while she enjoyed her lunch, William sneaked a glance at her and reveled in her Mediterranean beauty. He and Zara get along quite well, both hit it off naturally with one another and William had to admit that Zara is a real charmer especially with the way she talks. Zara knows a lot about Sardegna, the history, the customs and especially the cuisine. She could talk about her comrades back home in detail and she could especially talk about her sister for hours, but despite all that? There is one topic she never talked about and when William mentioned it briefly her tone became rigid and full of displeasure. That topic is The Sardegnan Senate, admittedly a collective group of elites that have made numerous questionable decisions in the past.

William don't want to pry too deep into it for now, but he tried to subtly gain information regarding what's going on in Sardegna through Zara and Carabiniere for one simple reason. Among the major nations in Europe, Ironblood is the only faction that have direct contact with ALASUC. Since their base hasn't any Iris KANSENs, William chose to start with Sardegna. Unfortunately, Carabiniere doesn't know much about what is going on above, she's also the type to receive orders and dutifully execute it anyway. Zara though, despite not the one being in direct contact with Sardegnan Senate, knows about their inner working and apparently their often-nonsensical orders. She didn't say anything explicit, but the hints are here and there when he talked to her about the chance of ALASUC getting more Sardegnan KANSENs…William got an awful feeling that if Sardegnan Empire send a commission to ALASUC, it could really be a pain in the ass to complete.

Just as he thought of that, his mouth is suddenly stuffed by bunch of fries. Zara smirked as she did just that to her commander, he really make it obvious whenever he is lost in his own thoughts. So, to bring him back to reality, she opted to play a little prank on him…Zara was anxious when she received an order to be stationed on ALASUC, but she managed to keep it cool as she never displayed it outwardly. After seeing that their commander is a good man and that the base is quite fun to live in despite the daily or weekly shenanigans? She is quite glad that she left Sardegna, her only regret is not being able to bring Pola alongside her. No matter, she will get her chance. Sardegnan Senate will eventually request a commission to ALASUC, how did she know that? Simple, Zara knows that Sardegnan Senate is playing with fire.

…The celebration ended and it's time to clean things up so they can return to their daily routine tomorrow, but William had other matters to attend to. He received a private message from Vestal who asked him to come and meet her inside the infirmary as soon as he's able to, the message sounded urgent that William immediately bolted toward the infirmary. He found Vestal sitting behind her office desk like usual, that caused him to cocked his eyebrows in concern that she didn't participate on the celebration. It immediately eased however when he saw that there is a Tupperware box filled with food from today's celebration, turns out he just didn't see her with how many girls attending the event.

"Commander, you came quickly" Vestal said to William as she looked at him in surprise.

"Your message sounds urgent Vestal, is there something wrong?" William asked Vestal as he approached her.

"Not exactly. You do have some time to spare right? This is going to take a while" Vestal asked William.

"The celebration is the only thing to do today so I got time. What is it that you want to speak of?" William asked Vestal back as he sat in front of her.

"…As a repair ship, my role also doubles as a doctor on this base, commander. The girls often come for routine checkup and some even asked me for health advice, including sexual matters" Vestal said to William.

"Uh, yeah, I see" William said to Vestal as he narrowed his eye, he already knew that.

"Belfast and Illustrious also often visited me, for advice regarding their pregnancy. I will be presumptuous that there will be more pregnant ship girls in the near future, so I will prepare myself to provide care and assist them as best as I can. To that end, I have requested Ms. Hood to furbish the infirmary with necessary machines and equipment, we even have an ultrasound machine being built by the Manjuus as we speak" Vestal said to William.

"…I'm sorry Vestal, but I think you're being quite roundabout. What is it that you really want to talk about?" William asked Vestal, he really want to know if there is something wrong.

"Ah, I was trying to ease you down to the topic but I suppose we can get on it right away. Commander, the news about Belfast and Illustrious pregnancy have reached all of the currently operational KANSENs on this world. As a result, everyone is now aware that you are capable on giving us a child. I believe that we have discussed this fact the day Belfast told us that she is pregnant, that's when I started to notice something regarding our reproductive organ…" Vestal said to William.

"Something? With every KANSEN?" William asked Vestal.

"…A day after the briefing regarding your situation was concluded, Bremerton request me to perform a check up on her. She said that her lower stomach part felt strange as she felt something throbbed to the left side of her approximate womb location. My check up on her reveals nothing abnormal, she's a healthy woman. Then few seconds after I completed my check up, Bremerton said something to me. She said that her lower stomach stopped throbbing when she felt a brief shudder and she somehow felt 'warm' for few seconds, she felt fine afterwards as if nothing happened. The next day, Atago approached me and she experienced the same thing as Bremerton, she also felt fine after she felt that brief shudder and warmness. This happened multiple times to the other girls as well, me included…I felt it during our flight back to this base, but unlike Bremerton and Atago I experienced it on my right side. Same symptoms, I felt my lower stomach's right side throbbed for a bit before I experienced that shudder and warmness" Vestal explained to William…

"…Have you run thorough check? Is it a disease that only affect the ship girls?" William asked Vestal with tone full of concern.

"That is not the case, commander. Bremerton, Atago, the other ship girls who experienced that and I all have something in common when that happens. It happened at our most fertile days on our cycle, what we experienced is what we called ovulation" Vestal further explained to William.

"You can sense it when it happens?" William asked Vestal, this is new info to him.

"Admittedly to some extent, yes. Women could sense their ovulation as there are few symptoms when it happened, but none of us have experienced anything to this detail, the very exact moment when we felt our ovary released an ovum. It is easier to tell when we have our egg ready to be fertilized" Vestal said to William,

"And you previously couldn't? How does that become possible for you now?" William asked Vestal.

"Bear with me for a bit, commander. This might not make sense but hear me out…The KANSENs all around the world knew about our compatibility with a normal man, we are more in touch with one another lately and often exchange Intel. Your 'fertility' is among them, all ship girls around the world knew that they could make babies with you now and believe it or not that's a game changer. I am not an expert concerning this matter but I got a theory, what if this happened because we are aware that we can have a child easily now?" Vestal proposed her little theory to William.

"The reason is convincing but that doesn't explain how it caused every ship girl to be affected. That's not how biology and evolution work, you would at least need several generations for a mutation to happen naturally. And not to mention, this change happened at the same time doesn't make any sense" William said to Vestal.

"Have you forgot, commander? Our very literal soul is a wisdom cube. The cube is capable of miracle and based of collective human consciousness, right? What if the cubes that become our soul are essentially connected to one another? And KANSEN collective realization of the fact that you are fertile triggered this change?" Vestal said to William…

Despite the admittedly embarrassing topic, Vestal's is quite serious and there is no hint of embarrassment whatsoever could be seen on her face. This woman blushed easily when she saw William naked and she is not immune from being embarrassed or startled, but when its time to work? She naturally discarded those feelings and distractions as she purely focused on her work, nothing can make her flinch when she's on her working mode…Wait, that's not what William had to thought, its this supposed change! You can't just throw in wisdom cube to the investigation board the moment anything weird or abnormal is happening, but it's the only reasonable explanation and a very convenient one at that! How the hell is that supposed to work?! How did the others outside ALASUC reacted? How can he be a trigger for this change? ONE MAN, causing a change indirectly to every KANSEN…All they have right now is speculation, but Vestal did come up with a good one.

"…That is quite farfetched, but I can agree with the possibility since wisdom cube is capable of creating miracles" William said to Vestal while he frowned a bit.

"It is the most believable theory. Everything lines up, the timing, the subjects and even the cause" Vestal said to William.

"…How can I, one man, manage to cause such change to hundreds of ship girls at once? Without influencing them directly?" William asked out loud.

"We may don't know right now. But we can't ignore the fact that the change did happened and other things could change in the future as well, I want you to keep this in mind" Vestal said to William.

If him being fertile causing the girls to start ovulate like that, William wondered what other mutation that could occur later down in the future. For example, all KANSENs started believing that ghost is real and all of a sudden, they can start seeing ghost all around? Or, every KANSENs on earth know that there will be food shortage so all of a sudden, their body become more efficient in their metabolism? The possibility is limitless AND William really does not want to find out on what makes them tick…He's starting to feel dread when he thought of what if all of the KANSENs lost hope in the future or it's so bleak they choose to discard their humanity; will they turn into something else? Something like the Sirens themselves? His mind briefly flashed toward the information of that alternate reality Enterprise and he shuddered unwillingly, he really doesn't want that to happen…

"…No way I could forget about what you just told me, Vestal…At least it's easier to know when it will happen so if any of the ladies want a baby, they know when to do it" William said to Vestal in low tone as he tried to push his thought on the back of his mind.

"Indeed, I think we won't have any problem with the way you and the girls had sex" Vestal said to William in matter-of-fact tone.

"…You knew?" William asked Vestal as he raised his eyebrows.

"I had to; I have to know what's going on if I want to consult the girls properly" Vestal said to William.

"Ah, it's good that the ladies are being honest to our doctor" William said to Vestal.

The consultation session regarding this part of life? Yup, it's the reason why Vestal has spare change of panties on the infirmary now. Yesterday, with the celebration being postponed, Vestal called the girls who already had sex with their commander for consultation and data gathering. She needs to know how William handled the girls during sex, and she choose to go through it in chronological order…Prinz Eugen was pretty blunt yet descriptive with her story telling, she even goes so far to elaborate on the feeling of her snatch being spread open by William's dick and the feeling of her inside being stuffed with hot sperm. St. Louis was tamer compared to Prinz in her description, she opted for describing the feeling more than the action. Hood did both as she described how it happened and how she feels about it, she said that she is completely satisfied with how he handled her. Belfast is the most experienced one among them so she can really describe everything, down to the little details such as his preference, movement pattern and habit during sex. Illustrious being the most recent one could tell Vestal how it goes from start to finish, the memory of her first time is really ingrained in her mind…After all of those raunchy stories, Vestal finished her consultation and she immediately head back to her room to change her drenched panty. Even with her working mode, she really couldn't help it, it's not a foolproof mode.

"…Wait, Vestal, you said that the ship girls often share Intel with one another…that is quite risky" William said to Vestal as he frowned.

"Of what? Information leak?" Vestal asked William.

"Yeah, I trust the girls on this base, I trust Lena and Lucas. I honestly don't trust the local government and I wouldn't know where those girl's loyalty lies without meeting them first" William said to Vestal in blunt manner.

"…Commander William, believe me when I say that won't be a problem. Ship girls are more interconnected than you think and we know that we can't one hundred percent trust the local government, at least until recently" Vestal said to William in serious tone.

"Do elaborate on 'recently'?" William asked Vestal as he folded his arms.

"…All ship girls have heard on how we operate here on ALASUC, they wish to join us, commander" Vestal said to William.

"Then what's stopping them? I think I've heard that there are orders to send them to this base" William said to Vestal while he frowned.

"If you think about it, the local governments don't want to lose their ace card that easily despite being in an alliance like Azur Lane and Crimson Axis. Despite the fact we will still come running for them in case the Sirens attacked, I guess it will be more comforting to have them within immediate command" Vestal said to William while she rested her hands on her table.

"I see…though they can't postpone that decision forever, unless they are buying some time for their cronies within the alliance to wrestle power from Lucas Carville and Erich Von Sternberg. With them gone, the decision to concentrate ship girl's power to this base will be easily revoked. Hell, this base might be disbanded as well, despite the achievements ALASUC attained" William said to Vestal while he scowled.

"After everything we have done? That is a bit extreme, don't you think?" Vestal asked William while she frowned.

"…You can never be too careful with those in charge above us, many of them only see us as military assets to shuffle around without considering other factors" William said to Vestal while he scowled.

There's a bit of assumption there, but it's a close truth. Military tends to give zero fuck on how someone feels, so its no surprise that William, the ship girls alongside ALASUC base is counted as military asset and that's that. William has no problem with that view, but not with the way some of those that goes against Lucas and Erich does...The ship girls being more interconnected is the result of an app that Akashi developed on Hood's orders, a special one that serve like an exchange forum between the KANSENs. The application requires the ship girl's face to be opened and even voice recognition as an added measure, then they could start a forum to exchange required Intel. Its seen active use for the past week and received positive feedback from all KANSEN users, that's how Vestal could say with confidence that the KANSENs don't trust their command one hundred percent, even those that are commanded by Azur Lane directly…especially after there are Intel 'slip' that described the cold war within the HQ that could result in a disaster and general hint to be careful with that info in mind.

"Hearing you said that, I've remembered something from way past during the second world war…Enterprise, despite all her efforts to win the war, her valor, her dedication to fight? She ended up being scrapped…your words really did hit home and the possibility is even much more real now. We might not end up in a scrapyard, but I fear we will end up in a far worse situation…We are genetically different than other humans, having the raw power of a ship at our beckon and furthermore, we can even be exploited for numerous horrible things with our form as a human woman" Vestal said to William while frowned deeply.

"Vestal, I won't let that happen to any of you" William immediately said to Vestal with serious face.

"The chances are high commander, especially in a losing war. Desperation breeds inhumane acts" Vestal said to William while she frowned deeply.

"I know and I will say this again, I will not let any of that happen, to any of you" William said to Vestal with serious face.

"…Thank you, I feel more at ease now. If there's one man I believe will stand up for us, I believe it is you" Vestal said to William while she smiled softly.

With Trident Initiative being activated in the past, they have freer reign as a unit to the point of becoming independent organization and THAT didn't sit well with many people that want direct control of their resources. Eagle Union want this, Ironblood want that, Royal Navy want there and Sakura Empire want here…Anyone with a functioning common sense could already see the problem in having multiple countries wanting the control of a combined KANSEN unit for themselves, so it is easier to have joint command to control them. But here's the thing, even joint command is consisted of multiple representatives from each country and believe it or not, still has their countries' interest in mind so there will be fraction within the council. Which is why, to avoid such clusterfuck, Lucas and Erich agreed that the unit should be free from any direct control and could be deployed without bias. Purely in defense of mankind, not one country.

Radical decision that has a lot of the ruling elite's panties twisted in a knot to be sure, but that's an outstanding move to ensure that ship girls' power won't be misused. The only problem? Finding someone to command them. Someone who has the will to fight in long term, unbiased with the previous war or their factions and most importantly, could care the girls like they are actual human being. Dozens of candidates are lined, but this is where Lucas used the chance to free William from prison. He full well knows that William could fit the requirements for commanding ALASUC easily, he is trained to be the best, has more than sufficient experience, he doesn't show any contempt for Crimson Axis despite being in the war against them and he really cared for those under his command. With that in mind, William Blaze is finally set free and made in charge of ALASUC since that day…It's not like he's free from corruption or outside influence though, which is the reason why Lucas and Erich often checked in with him, to make sure he's still could do his job. Biased as they are, they know the full potential of an insane commander holding a powerful fleet consisted of KANSENs. But so far, they like the odds that William is the right one for the job, one of the reasons why they poured so much support for the unit.

"I think we are getting sidetracked, so let's get back on topic…Commander, I want to do some health test on you" Vestal said to William while she smiled.

"Oh yeah sure, what do you need me to do?" William asked Vestal.

"Simple, answer some questions and do as I say" Vestal said to William while she smiled.

"The way you say it makes this feel like an interrogation and hostage situation" William said to Vestal with half closed eye and amused smile.

"Very funny commander" Vestal quipped as she smiled.

Vestal quickly performed medical checkup on William, nothing too drastic as it's just your regular medical health test you could get at clinics or hospital anywhere. After that, Vestal asked William many questions that related to his health such as his diet, his daily activity, whether there's anything stressful happening, has he been drinking or smoking recently. The test is concluded and Vestal concluded that William is fine physically but he should refrain from doing anything too stressful outside his work.

"…Well, I'll say that you are one healthy man commander. Your new body is growing nicely, with solid muscles and good reflex. Keep it up with balanced diet and proper workout, don't slack off just because you're already strong. Also, you need to relax as much as you could as stress could really impact your growth at the moment. So, if the chance is there, see to it that you didn't spend it to work overtime"

"Hahaha, alright then" William chuckled a bit then said to Vestal.

"Regarding your libido though, there's something I'd like to address" Vestal said to William.

"I'm…listening" William said to Vestal as he prepared himself.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too troubling. I have received data samples from Terranova's scientists, it turns out your sperm count also increased significantly. And, you can ejaculate with enough volume to completely fill a uterus. Illustrious also noted that you are able to make her womb 'bloat' with the sheer amount of semen being deposited inside her, I'd say you wouldn't have any fertility problems. But just in case, 'please drink alcohol in moderation and stop smoking'" Vestal said to William, she really stressed that last part.

"Err okay…so if any of the girls having hard time conceiving, the problem is on their end?" William asked Vestal as he smiled wryly.

"Perhaps. I haven't performed throughout check with everyone, but some of the girl's habits and work ethics could really lower their fertility" Vestal said to William while she frowned a bit.

"Ah, now that you mention it, that could be the case" William said to Vestal, he could already list several of them.

"Your large penis size would also be problematic for the girls with smaller build, so take extra caution if you decide to have sex with any of them" Vestal said to William.

"How about you, will you be okay with it?" William blurted out suddenly.

"E-E-Eh?!" Vestal couldn't help but to blush as she recoiled in surprise.

"…I mean, you are quite petite but you are well developed. I think you're around one hundred fifty-five centimeters if the database is correct, will the girls your size would be alright?" William internally cringed at his slip up, but he chose to pedal to the metal since the cat's out of the bag.

"A-Ah, I-I suppose. But please don't go too hard unless the girls requested you and slow down when they ask you to!" Vestal said to William while her face still red from embarrassment.

"Sure…Vestal, your face is bright red" William said to Vestal.

"Well…your wording makes it like you are interested in me sexually…" Vestal said to William as she looked to the side.

"I do" William bluntly said to Vestal.

"Eh?!" Vestal stared at William with widened eyes.

William does have some kind of attraction to Vestal. Nothing that will make him unable to hold it in though, it's more like of an interest that will surely grow with given time and it really did. She could alternate from being gentle and stern at the drop of a hat, but anyone won't have to worry about her stern side unless they purposely make her mad; Yup, ignoring her medical advice despite she strongly recommend to follow through her words or end up worsening the injuries or sickness is one of the surefire ways to do it. William did so few times and he did not find it amusing when Vestal was pissed at him, she's honestly one of the few women that could downright frightened him with the example being her ways in handling him after he just returned from retrieving Takeshi to cure Marry. Despite that though, she is a caring person who would go lengths to save a life. She worked especially hard during Operation Eagle Storm and the only reason why none of them has any Killed in Action casualty list during the fight, her healing powers are just like healing magic that could cure any physical injuries easily at the cost of a great burden to her. She takes her duty both as a KANSEN and as a doctor seriously, William felt touched every time he saw her resting after a hard day of taking care sick or injured people. It's a usual sight back on Terranova, he will occasionally head to the infirmary where she was stationed at and if she fell asleep on the chair or desk then he will carry her to a bed and tucked her in so she can rest properly.

She is a beautiful looking woman with young enough face that she can be mistaken for a teenager, she's a bit on the short side but that's not a problem at all for William and her daily outfit snugged in all the right places that he couldn't help himself but to stare at her. She got an ample breast that her clothes accentuated nicely, quite big for someone with her stature. Her finely shaped hips though? Hmm, William couldn't resist whenever Vestal has to bend over or squat, he could really appreciate the shape and believe that it will feel just right on his hands. Vestal herself couldn't help her mind going into the gutter, she always finds him to be attractive both in looks and physique and while she does have a problem with him not listening to her medical decree, he's a good man nonetheless. So, when Vestal was bombarded by the smut story the girls told her, she couldn't help but to imagine what if its her in their position…She liked the thought, but she is pretty embarrassed about the idea. Now? After William just boldly said that he is interested, she could really get that chance to get in the action…if she can say what she wants to him directly.

"Are you not? I would refrain if you are not interested" William asked Vestal with serious face.

"…I am…interested…But, please give me some time to think about it…" Vestal said to William in low tone with red face while she pouted, she did manage to squeezed out a response in the end.

"Alright then. You're quite dedicated to your job, I understand that will build up stress. I could help you with that" William said to Vestal with serious face.

"You don't mind with one-night stands, commander?" Vestal asked William.

"…In my opinion, it's more like casual sex instead one-night stands. I don't just sleep with anyone, but for you girls maybe I'll make an exception. If any of you feel that you want some sexual release, you could just approach me" William said to Vestal.

"…Admittedly, that would be far better than having sex with some random unknown man. I have no doubt that you would be able to satisfy anyone" Vestal said to William as she smiled a bit.

"Well, I'd like to think I aced my Kamasutra class and graduated with excellent marks" William said to Vestal while he grinned.

"Ahahahahaha! I'll take your word on it, commander!" Vestal said to William after she laughed.

.

…It's almost a week since William returned to ALASUC base, everything is going as normal as far as ship girls' daily shenanigans goes. William have returned to work with his new uniform, a special one for the commander of ALASUC and carefully crafted by the Royal Maids. His new uniform is consisted of white shirt with red tie underneath black military blazer, black slacks, brown office shoes, white gloves and black naval officer cap. It felt flexible and comfortable to wear, William has no idea how did the maids did it but he commended their flawless work. With his uniform being done, William returned to work as the base commander and cooped up behind his office desk trying to subjugate the paperwork needed to be done. After three days doing just that, he almost wished the Siren started attacking them again already so he could go and have a firefight with them…Fortunately, that wish is alleviated due to him getting a day off and he planned on spending it by relaxing around the house.

He jogged around the base in the morning with Enterprise, Essex and Zuikaku that somehow turned into a competition for the three of them. Eat some breakfast in the canteen while being accompanied by Avrora and Mikasa, both discussed the old times and William found out the two really have a long history on the battlefield. Then, he went home to see the maids doing his chore like cleaning the house and doing his laundry. Since they forbid him from entering until they are finished, William turned around and head for Akashi's shop instead to discuss about the Serpent Armor improvement and other armor concepts. After the talk, he goes outside and sit on the park as he watched the destroyers played around with Graf Zeppelin who has nothing to do for the day seated beside him. After spending hours outside, William finally returned home and took a refreshing shower before he sat on the living room as he booted up his game console. He has tons of games on his backlog and he intend to clear one for today, little did he know that plan will be thrown out of window very soon.

…Around two o'clock in the afternoon, someone approached his cabin's front door with the owner none the wiser. William is currently being engrossed in a new RPG game from Sakura, telling the story of a young man with amnesia and a cursed young woman who involuntary hurt anyone that touched her. Both bounded by destiny to journey together as they strive to kill five rulers across five regions, taking their power source and put an end to a three hundred years of oppression across the world. Engaging story and great combat, William knew he won't be able to clear this game within a day but he's just too hooked to care. That until he heard knocking on his front door, William paused the game and went to open the front door to reveal the guest. A beautiful young woman with flowing straight black hair and gentle looking topaz eyes staring at him while she smiled, William immediately recognized who she is.

"Hiei?" William called her name.

"Shikikan-sama, konnichiwa" Hiei greeted William while she smiled.

"What can I do for you?" William asked Hiei while he smiled a bit.

"I heard that today is your day off" Hiei said to William.

"That's correct, and?" William asked Hiei.

"I want to ask you to accompany me to the city, shikikan-sama. Would you like to?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"Is that so…Please wait for a bit, I'm going to prepare" William said to Hiei.

"Hai" Hiei said to William.

…He wanted to continue playing, but a date with a beautiful girl is just too good of an event to pass up. So, William head upstairs to change into a more suitable outfit for going outside. Hiei went inside and immediately noticed that William is playing a game, small part of her felt a bit bad that she disturbed his relaxation time but she crushed it with the reason being William has agreed to accompany her so it is fine. William then emerged from the second floor; he has changed into a grey sweater underneath black winter coat complimented with denim jeans. William then turned off his console before he and Hiei walked outside, they headed for the garage, grabbed a spare SUV and started driving to the city.

"…Is there something you want to do outside?" William asked Hiei as he drove the car.

"Hai, I have several things I want to buy and…I want to enjoy some time alone with you. It's been a while since we spend some time alone" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it…Sorry if you are feeling left out, Hiei" William said to Hiei as he frowned a bit.

"I understand with the number of girls you dealt with daily it would be hard for you as well, I'm just glad I could get my chances to spend some time with you" Hiei said to William with an understanding smile.

"…You're a good woman" William said to Hiei as he smiled widely.

"Ara, you think I wasn't before~?" Hiei asked William while she smiled teasingly.

"Not like that, I just found out that you are really considerate and thoughtful" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Ufufu, arigatou" Hiei said to William while she smiled softly.

William just remembered that it's really been a while since both of them spend some time with one another, both did talk briefly when William visited the Sakura dorm after Operation Phalanx but the last time they did spend time with one another privately? It's during the vacation on Eden. He did meet with Hiei on the beach and both spend some time walking along the beach in the morning shortly after breakfast, both talked about how they really enjoyed the vacation and discussed what facility from Eden that they could add to their base. William suggested the recreation center where they could place lot of practical games such as billiard or even bowling alley. Hiei however suggested the more sport-oriented facility like a tennis field, school gym and indoor pool…Hiei did make a great suggestion so William really considered her idea, he planned to add them subsequently and right now the Manjuus are tasked to build a school gym first since it can be used for other purpose.

Whoops, getting sidetracked there for a bit. William is glad that Hiei asked him out today, he want to get to know her but with how many girls are around him daily he could really have some trouble managing his time. Hiei isn't as assertive as the high-profile girls like Prinz who is borderline shameless, so it is easy for her presence to slipped his mind. When she isn't though, she really commanded his attention. Seriously, William couldn't get over the fact that every KANSEN is beautiful but still managed to keep their own charm that makes them unique. Hiei? She is the epitome of Asian beauty, coupled that with her refined manners and one will think that she is a lady from one of the Sakura Empire's aristocratic family…While drowning in his own thoughts and occasionally talked with Hiei, they finally arrived at a shopping mall. William escorted Hiei as she guided him to the place she wanted to visit, William only has one guess when it comes to women asking men to accompany them to a shopping mall. Yes, a clothing store would come to mind most of the time.

"Why do my prediction is correct regarding this one?" William asked Hiei as he stared at the boutique in front of them.

"It means you already understood some aspect in women, I think" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"I hope so" William said to Hiei as he shrugged.

"Hope so?" Hiei asked William as she cocked her eyebrows.

"No offense, but your kind could be quite unpredictable" William said to Hiei as his eye went half closed.

"Ahahahahaha, none taken, I could see where you're from when I consider some of the girls in our base…Well, shall we?" Hiei said to William after she laughed a bit then she went into the store with William following her closely behind.

"Welcome! What can we help you with, dear customer?" The storefront lady said to Hiei while she smiled.

"I'm here to browse your collection, I will call you when I need some help" Hiei said to the lady while she smiled.

"Certainly, miss" The lady said to Hiei as she left her alone…Hiei do know how not to get bothered by them.

"Any particular clothing you want, Hiei?" William asked Hiei as he followed her around the store.

"I'm looking for winter apparel, some of mine has become tight recently" Hiei said to William as she scanned the clothing on display around her.

"Tight? You're gaining weight?" William blurted out before he realized what he said as he widened his eye.

"Mou, shikikan-sama, you need to be more tactful around girls" Hiei lightly scolded William while she pouted cutely.

"S-Sorry, that's a slip of a tongue" William said to Hiei as he cringed while he rubbed the back of his neck.

"…But I guess I did grow somewhere on my body" Hiei said to William as she looked down on her own body.

"I honestly fail to see it, you looked perfect" William said to Hiei while he stared at her and smiled.

"Ara ara, maa, is that so?" Hiei asked William while she smiled as her cheeks became slightly red.

"Yeah" William said to Hiei.

"Do you like my figure?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"What kind of straight man doesn't?" William answered as he cocked his eyebrows.

"Hmm, soudesuka" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

Hiei actually knew where she's grown that caused her clothes to feel tighter, those areas are her chest and hips. Hiei purposely didn't say anything and judging by William's eye when she mentioned that, she think he have a pretty good idea already…William let Hiei browse around the store for a bit longer before she found a set of clothing that caught her interest. A white turtleneck sweater that looks very comfortable and a long red skirt with floral pattern, it honestly looking pretty casual and homey and William guessed that's really the true aim why Hiei chose the clothes. Hiei held them up on her hands as she turned around and shown it to William.

"Do you think I will look great in this?" Hiei asked William.

"…I think you will, but why don't you put it on so we can judge for real?" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Sure, please wait a bit" Hiei said to William as she walked to the changing room.

William waited outside for a bit and he looked around the boutique, it's a pretty large store with few employees around. He had gone shopping with the ship girls' multiple times on this mall but this would be the first time he visited this store; he'll note this location incase the other girls want to shop for clothing. With the big size, there's a chance that they'll find whatever they're looking for quicker and not spend the time combing through the mall…Hey, it's tiresome sometimes, William doesn't really care for clothes shopping but he'll accompany the girls if they want to. His eyes caught someone checking out clothes at the corner of the shop, she honestly looked familiar for some reason. A brunette with long hair, wearing a fashionable red beret and black overcoat…Wait, she just glanced at him? She has red eyes…Where have she seen a girl with her features before? Akagi? No, she looked different. She wore round glasses and she didn't have fox ears and fox tails…

"What do you think?" William suddenly heard Hiei asked his opinion.

Once he turned around, William found himself smiled widely in approval. Hiei looked great in that outfit! The turtleneck sweater hugged her body nicely, the long floral red skirt mesh well with it and she wore fashionable white winter boots. Oh! And her hair is done in a high ponytail, she really looked like a newly married wife in this getup! All she is missing is a wedding band on her finger to complete the look. Well, William did like how she's dressed, even the color matched her usual attire so he'll give his approval.

"Whoa, I recommend you take that home" William said to Hiei while he smiled widely with a thumbs up.

"I see we agreed that this apparel is quite fitting for me" Hiei said to William as she twirled once to give him a throughout look.

Then, it begins for real as Hiei took some time choosing additional clothes. William became a fashion show judge as he holds the power of approval over Hiei's outfit, but it's a hard thing to do because everything she picked really suit her! Whether it's turtleneck sweater, hoodie, long skirt, jeans, everything she picked and mix matched suit her very well! William got a feeling that she really knew what she is doing and just decided to try it on to give him a little fanservice or something! In the end, she decided to buy all the clothes she have picked and both of them walked to the cashier.

"I ended up choosing quite a number of clothing" Hiei commented at the pile of clothes on her hands.

"It's fine to let loose once in a while, Hiei" William said to Hiei.

"Would you like it bagged or to be sent to your house, dear customer?" The cashier asked Hiei while she smiled.

"I'd like to have it delivered. Please send it here" Hiei said to the cashier as she handed her a card showing an address.

"Certainly" The cashier said to Hiei as she started inputting the info to the desk computer.

"Here you go" William suddenly handed his credit card to the cashier who took it immediately.

"Eh?! Shikikan-sama, I can pay for them myself" Hiei said to William as her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's fine, think of it as a thank you for taking me out today" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"But I feel bad, it is your hard-earned money" Hiei said to William while she frowned.

"So? In the end, it is me who choose how to spend it, right? It's fine Hiei, because I want to" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"…In that case, I shall humbly accept. Arigatou gozaimasu, shikikan-sama" Hiei said to William while she smiled and bowed a bit.

Ah, the new trend of shops and store having an option to deliver their product straight to your chosen destination is really the future! Really makes it easy for you to go shopping and not hauling cargo everywhere you go once you're done; this makes heavy use of various delivery company all around the archipelago that specialized in quick delivery using multiple method ranging from ordinary shipment by bike to the new premium drone delivery service. Not sure how it goes everywhere else, but here on Azure Archipelago, it's how majority of the shopping goes. The address that Hiei gave to the receptionist is a particular building located in the downtown of the archipelago's capital, Valencia. The building served as warehouse even when it looks like an ordinary office, it's where deliveries to ALASUC being shipped to and the place where Manjuus will sort the delivered stuff, checked it for any potential hazards before shipping it back to ALASUC base. It is the reason why the base occupant's online order is always delivered to their rooms by the Manjuus, those chickens repacked the whole thing too in their own inspected and safe packaging. Good news, they are completely safe. Bad news? The Manjuus knew who ordered what…

With the clothing shop part being done, both William and Hiei decided to walk around the mall to do something else. Honestly, Hiei only has the clothing shop in mind and chose to wing it when they arrived at the mall. As the result, both of them walked aimlessly inside the building as they try to find something that could pass the time. After walking around for a while, William and Hiei stumbled upon an arcade. It's a place where both could spend some time together, but is it really a place for a proper girl like Hiei? William honestly has doubts that Hiei is the type to play games.

"Do you want to stop by, shikikan-sama?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"Nah, I'm here to accompany you. Let's go to the place that you like to go" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Hai, then let's head inside" Hiei said to William as she walked toward the arcade.

"…Wait what? Didn't figure you as someone who are interested in arcade games" William said to Hiei as he followed her.

"That is a severe mistake you must avoid in the future shikikan-sama, assume nothing and ask the woman herself whether she is interested or not" Hiei advised William while she frowned a bit.

"…That is a good piece of advice, really…" William said to Hiei while he pursed his lips.

…Yup, he really shouldn't assume things with the girls, Hiei got him good with that one. Next time, he should just ask them directly instead presuming things. What are the chances that Bismarck who looked stern is actually a softie who liked to cuddle with a plushie before she sleeps? Not that William would know since he never entered her room, but the chances are there isn't it? That would be the greatest gap moe in the world if it really happened. Hiei went over to the counter, talked with the employee for a bit before she returned to William while she held a red card with the arcade's name on it.

"Since you paid for my clothes earlier, let me treat you for a bit" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"I see no reason to refuse. So, what do you want to play?" William asked Hiei.

"I want to try that whack-a-mole game. Let's see which among us has the best reflex!" Hiei said to William as she challenged him while she smiled.

"Oho you're on, Hiei!" William said to Hiei while he grinned.

While he did have to hold his power back so he won't break the machine, he is quite confident in his speed and reflex. William believed that he'll give Hiei a proper challenge, both slid the card to their machine before both of them pressed start together. The machine let out a noise and various goffer like creature dressed like a cartoon robber appeared, William and Hiei was ready with their stick and started bonking them left and right. Both are really into it, admittedly games like this always managed to bring out the competitiveness in people…After one minute straight though, William has his eye widened and jaw dropped as he looked at the score difference between him and Hiei. She blew him out of the water, the double-digit in their score difference really dealt a blow to his confidence.

"I…lost" William said to Hiei while he smiled wryly.

"Ufufu, it would seem I still bested you when it comes to pure reflex and speed~" Hiei said to William before she snuck her tongue at him, damn cute!

"You're really good, I have to admit that" William said to Hiei while he shrugged.

"Arigatou, how about we race one another next?" Hiei said to William as she pointed at the row of racing game console.

"I'm in" William said to Hiei.

Both of them approached the driving game, they sat next to one another and decided to race each other with some NPCs accompanying the race. After sliding the credit card, both choose their cars. William grew up playing this kind of game and he admittedly has a bias toward Mazda so that's what he selected, a crimson Mazda RX-8 with manual transmission for an added kick while Hiei settled with a white Mitsubishi Lancer with automatic transmission, after that they both choose the course and selected an uptown urban area…The race is on and proved to be quite intense, William basically had to turn on his sweaty mode as he strived to be number one in the race. Cutting corners with perfectly timed drifts and even ramming opponents into road hazard, what a gamer. He finished first and William pumped his fist, haha in your face, bots! He had to stop celebrating though when he saw Hiei finished around twenty seconds behind him, in the last position, after clumsily driving to the finish line…

"…You're going on a driving lesson with me in the future, Hiei" William said to Hiei in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Fufufufufufufu, I guess driving isn't really my strong suit~" Hiei said to William after she giggled in slight embarrassment.

"I can see that" William said to Hiei with half closed eye.

"Let's try the claw game next, shikikan-sama" Hiei said to William as she pointed at the claw machine near them.

"Claw game? They are usually rigged, but let's try it anyway. What do you want, Hiei?" William asked Hiei as they approached the machine.

"…Hmm, I like that penguin plushy" Hiei said to William as she pointed at the several blue penguins plushy inside the machine.

"Roger that" William said to Hiei as he received the card from her.

William immediately tried to get the plushy for Hiei, first try is basically opened the door to the salt mine for William as the veins on his face surfaced due to the claw clearly not grabbing on the plushy properly. The second try, the claw did get to grab the plushy he targeted but the shaking when it goes back up caused it to fall down. The third try is a complete bust as the claw failed to grab the plushy again, the game is seriously testing his patience. William took a brief glance at Hiei who still watched him trying to get the plushy with enthusiastic smile and hopeful eyes, he really doesn't want to disappoint this girl. So, William tried again and turns out fourth time is the charm as the claw successfully latched on the penguin plushy and dropped it down to the reward slot, William pumped his fist as subtly as he could while he retrieved the plushy and handed it to Hiei.

"For you" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Wah! It's soft and gorgeous~! It smells good as well~" Hiei said to William while she held the plushy close to her face.

"Is it within your expectation?" William asked Hiei while he smiled.

"Fufu, I'd say beyond" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Good to know" William said to Hiei while he smirked a bit.

"Shikikan-sama, why don't you prove your prowess in your combat ability?" Hiei suggested the next game as she pointed at a shooting game.

"Shooting games huh? Why not. Want to play it with me?" William asked Hiei.

"I'd like to watch for this one. I really haven't seen you fight in the frontline directly shikikan-sama, so I'd like to at least get a visualization" Hiei said to William as she smiled.

"Okay then, I'll make sure to put on a show" William said to Hiei.

Time Crisis 4, quite an old game for today's standard according to William, but its an instant classic that he is very familiar with. Strange, many of the games on this arcade is quite an old one that he used to play back on Royal Islands as a young boy. William slid the credit card, choose to play single mode and then prepared himself. The moment the opening cutscene is over and he heard the familiar 'ACTION!', William immediately took off. William precisely shot at the enemy mobs, double tapping each of them just to be sure. He shown that he could utilize the additional arsenal that the character has quite well, too many mobs on screen or horde of bioengineered cockroach swarming him? Machine gun did the trick. Want to make sure the enemy is completely finished in one shot or fighting a flying insect swarm? Shotgun is his best friend. Enemies grouping together? Grenade launcher solved the problem. Due to his excellent play, a crowd has started to gather around them and watched how William wiped the enemy mobs easily.

"…Too easy" William commented while he smirked as he completed prologue and stage one without getting hit even once.

"Impressive, shikikan-sama!" Hiei said to William while she smiled widely.

"Thanks-"

The moment William turned around, he immediately noticed something in an instant despite the crowd around Hiei. There's a phone in front of Hiei's thighs, set in camera mode, aimed a bit upward and managed to capture a shot of her white panties with her skirt being held by another hand. He saw a hand wearing black watch with a quite striking design and one covered in white sleeve, William immediately got a lock on the perpetrators but he pretended not to notice as he set the trap. William put the gun joystick down and approached Hiei, he got a good look on the suspects as he put on his best ignorant smile at Hiei. The two of them didn't budge because they will look madly suspicious if they bail out when William approached them, the man decided to bid his time…he'll get these two motherfuckers.

"Let's try another game" William said to Hiei.

"Eh? But you can continue to the next stage, you know?" Hiei pointed at the game screen showing its still playing.

"Don't worry, I've shown enough right? Boy, want to take my place?" William said to Hiei then asked the young boy next to her.

"Eh? Can I?" The boy asked William as he smiled widely.

"Go ahead, have fun" William said to the boy while he smiled.

"Thanks mister!" The boy said to William as he walked toward the game console.

"Let's go" William said to Hiei who nodded at him.

William might lead Hiei away from the Time Crisis console, but his eye subtly remained on the two perpetrators. He'll get them once they're out of Hiei's sight, Hiei stopped walking as she watched two girls played a dancing game and both of them freestyling like its second nature to them. William stopped as well and he was quite impressed with how those two girls could matched their dances to the button prompt on screen naturally.

"You're interested in the dancing game?" William asked Hiei.

"Ah, not really, I am not good in dancing like that. I want to watch though" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"I see, admittedly those two are good. I have seen my fair share of people killing it on dancing games like this" William said to Hiei as he reminisced on how two of his school mates used to do the same as the two girls here.

"Have you ever tried them, shikikan-sama?" Hiei asked William.

"Haha, only once and I embarrass myself in front of a crowd with how stiff I am" William said to Hiei as he smiled wryly at the memory, he can't dance free style for shit.

"Ara, you're not a good dancer?" Hiei asked William as she tilted her head a bit.

"Admittedly no, but I'm quite decent for the classical ballroom dances. Never really interested on the free styling like those two" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"That makes us having something in common" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"We do? Well, I'm glad to hear that…Oh yeah, Hiei, I'm going to the toilet for a bit" William said to Hiei.

"Alright" Hiei said to William as she continued to watch the dancers.

Time to go on beast hunting mode, William saw the two guys walking together outside the arcade and he swiftly closed in on them as stealthily as possible. He managed to grabbed their shoulders and hold it firmly with his hands as he told them to stay quiet, then he dragged them both into the hallway near the janitor's office. William noted that there is security camera so he makes sure that they are in direct view with these two bastards' face shown to the camera directly, after making sure he got his base secured? William begun his confrontation.

"…You know, I've seen this kind of trope before and it pissed me off to no end to see it happening right in front of me" William said out loud.

"What are you talking about?" One of them feign ignorance.

"I'm talking about you two taking underskirt shot" William said in matter-of-fact tone.

"Quit screwing around dude, you have no proof" The other guy said to William.

"You. Your phone, please. If you didn't do it then you have nothing to worry about, I just want to do quick inspection" William said to the guy who has black watch.

"I have my rights of privacy as a citizen-. Hey!"

William had no time for bullshit as he forcefully took the phone from the guy's hoodie pocket, the two guys was about to confront him physically until they noticed. William doesn't budge even for a bit despite them trying to wrestle the phone away from his hand, both of them realized that physical confrontation with him would not end well…William scrolled through the gallery and sure enough, he found the evidence of Hiei's underskirt panty shot. Cold rage started to bubble inside him but he tried to hold it in, it would not be good if he murdered civilian here, no matter how much of a scum they are.

"…This is quite a high-quality picture; I don't doubt it will sell well. Although, have you thought about the consequences of taking an underskirt picture of my friend?" William said to the guys.

"Alright fine, you got us. But she's just your friend, right? Come on, it's not like she's your girlfriend or anything! We cause no trouble and you lose nothing! Chill dude! You can delete the picture yourself and we can be on our merry way. Won't do it again, promise" One of them said to William…

"Is that so" William said out loud as he took out his phone and snapped the picture of the two.

"Hey! What the fuck?!" One of them angrily said to William.

"I need some guarantee, you know? This will make sure you two behave" William said to the two guys as he stored his phone.

"Don't think just because you're huge that we're afraid of you!" One of them angrily said to William.

"You son of a bitch!" The other guy just straight insulted his mother.

"…No one calls my mother that and get away with it easily…" William muttered …That does it, William will make sure these two to regret ever being alive.

"Delete that picture, now!"

One of them reached for something behind his hoodie, William immediately focused on the guy in front of him especially his right hand as he waited for the right moment. Time felt slowing down as William's adrenaline spiked, he waited for a bit longer until he could make out the shape of a handgun. A small one, Glock 26, but still a dangerous weapon nevertheless. Before the guy in front of him could rack the slide to load the chamber with 9mm parabellum however, William's own hand shot toward the gun in lightning speed. He grabbed the gun and smacked the guy's face with the weapon so hard he stumbled toward the wall and hit his head harshly, the other guy also has something too and it turns out to be a pocket knife. William grabbed the hand that held the knife, twisted it so hard that he's sure that he snapped his elbow joints before smacking the guy's head to the wall as well…Two of them thought they could take on Azur Knight in direct fight? Such arrogance resulted in the two of them being downed on the floor unconscious…William walked toward the CCTV and shown it the perpetrator's phone, displaying a collection of underskirt panty shots.

"I'm threatened under a gun point so this is a self-defense, here's the proof that they've done a criminal act, an underskirt photo. Tell the security coming this way that and make sure these cunts got proper jail time" William said out loud.

William set the phone on silent mode then thrown it to the trash bin, making the sure the CCTV recorded his action. Its so these cunts won't be able to delete the evidence while leaving a clue for the security to retrieve them, William then took out the Glock's magazine, pulled the slide back to make sure it's empty then pushed it forward to disassemble the gun and thrown them to the same trash bin as well…There, problem solved. Violence could solve any problem, but only if its exerted in pin point precision at the problem itself. William walked away but the moment he came out of the corridor, he recoiled in surprise. Because Hiei stood still as she stared at William with complicated expression on her face, her hands gripped the penguin plushy tightly and William immediately racked his brain on how to talked properly about this…No doubt she witnessed what he did, potentially listening in on everything too. While he did that to make sure the photos aren't spread around, he doesn't have to actually cripple the perpetrators to that point back there…

"H-Hiei" William decided to call her name.

"…I've seen what you did" Hiei said to William in low tone.

"Ah…well…" William knew what to say next, but he struggled to find the words to justify the violence part as even that's a bit too much for self-defense.

"…For protecting my honor and dignity, arigatou gozaimasu, William-sama" Hiei said to William in earnest tone as she bowed in front of him.

"Eh, you're not mad?" William asked Hiei as his eye widened in confusion.

"Why would I be? You left them alive, didn't you? Besides, a part of me felt satisfaction knowing they got what they deserves" Hiei said to William as she raised her head.

"…I just don't want the legal trouble, honestly" William said to Hiei as he looked to the side.

"But still, I want to thank you for addressing that problem. I am ashamed to say that I didn't notice such act being committed to me, I must be better at paying attention to my surroundings" Hiei said to William while she frowned.

"…Its fine, let's just consider that a water under the bridge now" William said to Hiei.

"…I think it would be impossible for me to forget that, William-sama" Hiei said to William while she looked at the floor as her cheeks reddened slightly.

Hiei immediately noticed that something is wrong when William suddenly stopped playing as if he is quite uncomfortable being there, Hiei then decided to wait to see what's bothering him. When he said he want to go to the toilet, William assumed that Hiei kept her eyes glued to the dancers. It turns out that she followed his movement around the arcade, the moment she saw him approaching two unknown guys before escorting them out? Hiei knew something very wrong has happened. She watched William called those two guys out, Hiei watched as she subtly gripped on her skirt uncomfortably after knowing that someone has taken a picture of her panty. Then William beat them down, it happened so quickly that it ended under five seconds even…Hiei knew that William cared for them, but now she knew that he will go so far to the extent keeping the trouble under wraps so Hiei won't found out about it as he resolved the problem. Well, it is unfortunate that she did found out, although he has nothing to worry about as her opinion on him improved even further…

"Well, just don't make a big fuss out of it" William said to Hiei.

"Fufufufu, wakarimashita" Hiei said to William after she giggled.

"…It's getting late already" William noted as he looked outside the window and noticed that the sky has turned orange.

"Why don't we stop by on a restaurant for some early dinner?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"Great idea, any restaurant in mind?" William asked Hiei.

"Ordinary family restaurant would be fine with me" Hiei said to William.

"Alright, let's go" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

Both Hiei and William walked around the mall once again, seeing if there are any restaurant that tickle their fancy. After walking around for five minutes, Hiei said that she'd like to eat Sardegnan dish as she pointed at a Sardegnan family restaurant. William agreed with her, won't hurt to try the other Sardegnan food other than the pasta that Zara made for him in the past. They entered the restaurant and pick a seat by the corner near the large window displaying the twilight urban scenery currently happening outside, not too long after they seated themselves, a waiter approached them while carrying two glass of water. She put the water on their table as she waited for a bit for William and Hiei to browse through the available menu, eventually its Hiei who's the first to decide on what she want to eat.

"Are you ready to order, dear customer?" The waitress asked both Hiei and William while she smiled.

"One lasagna and an iced tea, please" Hiei said to the waitress.

"…Make that two" William said out loud.

"Okay, two lasagna and two iced tea. Please wait for a bit" The waitress said to William and Hiei before she walked away.

"…Any reason for why you pick Sardegnan restaurant?" William asked Hiei.

"Hai, I have a fondness for foreign culinary arts that I even spend my off time learning to cook them, Sardegnan cuisine is the one I know the least so I planned to taste the lasagna we ordered before I will learn to make them. To create a food that could fulfills the heart and stomach, one must be able to appreciate their taste first" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Spoken like a true chef…Regarding the Sardegnan cuisine, have you tried to ask Zara? I think she's a good cook and her pasta is delicious" William said to Hiei while he smiled a bit.

"I did, she taught me how to make an Sardegnan Risotto" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Oh really? When?" William asked Hiei.

"Not too long ago, when you were participating on Operation Eagle Storm" Hiei said to William.

"Ah is that so…How's the base while I'm away?" William asked Hiei, he already get the gist of it from Hood but he wanted to know if there's anything noteworthy that she didn't tell him.

"Nothing drastic happened, sure there are some shenanigans here and there but it's mostly peaceful" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it" William said to Hiei, he got a feeling that something did happen that the entire base decided not to speak of…

"Many are worried about you though, William-sama. Even I do" Hiei said to William.

"Worried?" William said to Hiei as he cocked his eyebrows.

"Hai…When we heard that your genetics will be modified, many of us are concerned that something could go very wrong with the procedure" Hiei said to William while she frowned.

"The procedure is quite safe since my genetic material is the one the scientist used to during the experiment, so my body naturally attuned to the catalyst when the operation begins" William said to Hiei.

"If I may ask, how does it feel?" Hiei asked William.

"…The operation procedure is quite simple; I was injected by a catalyst serum. Few seconds later, I could really feel the change around my body. Even with the pain killers in my system, I could still feel the pain and discomfort as my body grew in real time. After that painfully discomforting sensation, I only have hours to recover and get used to my new body. It feels natural now, but back then immediately after the procedure? I had to really adjust. My strength multiplied beyond human limits, I had to conditioned myself to my new giant body and learn to move it with restraint…Hours after that short rest and adjustment, I donned my newly modified armor and spend some time further adjusting myself. Then, I took a plane heading straight for New York to join the battle…I let loose, that's when I found out the extent of power that I have been given. In human eyes, I could be seen as a monster who has overflowing libido and unsatiable hunger. But I was seen as a hero instead, maybe that's because the troops don't know how I handle the side effects…" William said to Hiei while he smiled bitterly.

…William haven't confided about this to anyone, not to Hood, Vestal, Lucas or Lena…Actually, this whole thing regarding his modification? The whole implication hit him in full force just after he returned to ALASUC base. William has been given the necessary power to fight the Sirens directly without fear as he can even went toe to toe with Siren KANSENs directly, he also has become a symbol of hope to humanity due to his feats during Operation Eagle Storm. Expectations for him are massive and he is not sure whether he could live up to it. Not to mention, the talk with Johnson back on Terranova revealed that while he is humanity's best hope, he's also a big potential enemy that could be taken down once his usefulness is up. People counted on him to fight the Sirens while at the same time they are afraid of William, and he couldn't tell who is which at all. The side effects too, needing to eat more isn't as fun as one might think. While William do like to eat good food, it doesn't mean he like having to stuff something into his stomach every few hours or so. Not to mention his libido that require daily release, he is in luck that there are girls who are willing to help him with that…So, between having a large crosshair on his back from both Sirens and humans, massive expectation being put on his shoulder due to his power and the changes to his body that he has to adapt with? William got a lot on his plate recently, no wonder Vestal noticed that something is bothering him and strongly advised him to take it easy as often as he could.

Monster, while he's indistinguishable as a human, he is a monster to normal people…William now could truly feel how the ship girls felt regarding their humanity, William easily said they are human just like any others that have been given unique power to fight as a human sized warship. But that was when he was a human, now that he is closer to a KANSEN than a human? It isn't as simple as he thought in the past…He is still technically a human, but he could be categorized into subspecies now instead Homo Sapiens. He won't lie, he subtly felt some kind of…alienation. Not that the humans didn't acknowledge him as one of their own, it's just that William felt some kind of distance now that he is different in some aspect. It's hard to put it into words, but the closest he could think of is like being part of a group but you watched them from a distance as they did their business? Something like tha-

"…A monster on our side is far better than a human who's not, for we can never know the truth on who is which" Hiei said to William with serious tone.

"Hmm?" William hummed in wonder at Hiei's words.

"That's what I've read on a novel, a quote coming from a king who has to accept the help of a monster to protect his kingdom. In the story, he eventually found out that the monster he sided with is more honorable and noble hearted than the humans who seek to kill it. The monster, despite its harrowing look is far better than the humans who looked far more beautiful than it ever does…You might be monstrous in strength, it would be understandable for some to fear you. But what is more important is what's inside of you. Your values, your reason to fight and even your resolve, beautiful form is nothing is nothing if what's inside is just a rotten core of a human being. So, don't be discouraged by your strength, William-sama. Take pride in it and use it to protect those who you care about…" Hiei said to William in serious tone.

"…Strong, beautiful and wise, you're really a great woman, Hiei" William said to Hiei as he smiled softly.

"Ara, you think so?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"I am…The real weight of the power just settled in after the battle so thanks for consoling me, Hiei...I should also be less caring on how strangers see or think of me" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Good to hear that, William-sama. It would be better for your mental state if you don't really consider strangers opinion on you much, some might be good for you but they tend to be rare. They don't know how you live your life after all" Hiei said to William while she smiled gently.

"Noted…I just realized this, but you've stopped calling me with shikikan" William said to Hiei, he noted that she stopped calling his title ever since the arcade.

"You just noticed? Ufufu, do you dislike it?" Hiei asked William while she smiled.

"No, it makes us feels closer when formality is thrown out of bounds" William said to Hiei as he leaned on his seat.

"Indeed. Then, should I start calling you by name from now on?" Hiei suggested to William while she smiled a bit.

"Whenever we're not in formal situation, feel free to do so" William said to Hiei, he'd like for the girls to take it easy with him during off work.

"Wakarimashita~" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

…William believed there's a proper title for a woman like Hiei, from the language lesson that he got from Sakura girls. If William isn't wrong, it's called Yamato Nadeshiko. The meaning apparently is the personification of ideal Sakura woman, a title that he could fit into several Sakura girls in his mind right off the bat and Hiei is among them. Hiei already won him over purely as a person, even more so with her swordsmanship and her apparently cooking skills. A kind, wise, beautiful woman who can cook amazing food and kick ass when she has to? Yeah, William had to be honest, if he did meet Hiei during his high school days then he has zero doubt that he will be crushing hard on her. As an adult? She's really an ideal woman in his eye. Even so, William wouldn't rush things with Hiei. While he does have attraction to her, if she is not interested then he will back down…Damn, he has been getting so confident in approaching women, how many do he want as a lover?! William has no answer to that question, he is just living the moment ever since he almost got killed by Midnight and that included being honest with his desire.

"Here's your order dear customer, enjoy!" The waitress returned with their order.

""Thank you"" Both William and Hiei said to the waitress.

"…Smells good" William said out loud as the lasagna's aroma hit his nose.

"It is…Let's see how it taste" Hiei said to William as she grabbed a knife and fork.

Both started eating their lasagna, William's taste bud immediately got assaulted by the powerful Sardegnan spices. He certainly enjoyed the chicken meat fillings, some of the vegetables, with a hint of tomato sauce and cheese accompanying it. Each bite felt fulfilling, it's felt good enough that if he lives on a certain anime universe about cooking, he will definitely experience a foodgasm. William glanced at Hiei and he cocked his eyebrows in confusion, Hiei keep eating her portion but her face alternating from smiling and frowning, did she have complicated feelings regarding the lasagna? William could ask her that later after he finished his portion, he knew that this portion won't be enough to completely sate his own hunger however, he will probably cook another meal once they get back home…William finished eating first and Hiei did so couple of minutes later, the man gulped down his iced tea and sighed in contentment.

"It tasted good, I had to admit that fact. What do you think on the lasagna, Hiei?" William asked Hiei.

"Hmm…the ingredients are well meshed together but I can slightly taste the over seasoning. It is good, but the taste is a bit strong than what I expected" Hiei said to William.

"You prefer the milder version of this?" William asked Hiei as he stared at her in intrigue, he's honestly fine with it.

"I do. However, I will compare it with the recipe and test it for myself whether this is the actual supposed taste or not. But I must say the taste grew on me the longer I eat this lasagna. This should be a good measurement for the lasagna I will make in the future" Hiei said to William.

"You really like cooking, huh?" William commented while he smiled.

"I am" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"How good you are with the other cuisine?" William asked Hiei, he want to know her mastery level.

"I'd like to think I'm quite good despite my limited recipe" Hiei said to William while she smiled confidently.

"Limited recipe huh…then how about Sakura cuisine? How good are you?" William asked Hiei further.

"I don't intend to brag, but I aced them all~" Hiei said to William…while she smirked confidently.

"Really?" William asked Hiei.

"Hai. You can have the entire Sakura dorm testify regarding that~" Hiei said to William with absolute confidence while she smirked, that is HOT.

"Whoa, I'll take your word for it…Really, I haven't found the slightest bad thing about you, Hiei" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Did you forget that I couldn't drive well?" Hiei said to William, her confident smirk turned into wry smile.

"Yeah, but that can be remedied easily. Not skills, but personality wise" William said to Hiei.

"…Then perhaps it's my kindness" Hiei said to William after she went silent for few seconds.

"Kindness? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" William asked Hiei as he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"…Too much of it could be a bad thing, William-sama…Kongou nee-sama once told me that I could be too considerate, always prioritizing others over myself. In some situation, it could be a noble thing to do but that is not always the case. There is some situation where I should be more selfish yet I choose others over myself, prioritizing their happiness over mine…" Hiei said to William as she glanced outside, as if she recalled something from her memory.

…A shortcoming stems from a positive trait? It is possible to consider it as such, if there's too much of a good thing. Hiei is naturally kind, but sometimes she could get overboard with her kindness. She once spent an entire day after a combat with Eagle Union ships tending to anyone who might need her help around their base. As a result, she neglected to take care of herself by not getting enough rest. Kongou, as the eldest sister of their class, immediately dragged Hiei back to their housing by the time she found out about it and give her a proper scolding. She commended Hiei's considerate nature, seeing that she's among the fortunate enough not to get injured. But she needs to learn how to manage that kindness as well, she could get taken advantage of without her realizing if she didn't set limits for her own, no matter how wise or smart she is…While she is no longer considerate to a fault as she is in the past, Hiei still struggled daily with the exact amount of consideration she should give out to those who need her help.

"I see…how about now? You realized your shortcomings, have you fixed it?" William asked Hiei.

"…I'd like to think that I made good progress, but I also think it couldn't be completely fixed…It's a part of being Hiei, a part of being who I am as a person, not as a ship…True perfection felt artificial, I think that even someone who seems perfect will definitely have something that others could consider as their 'imperfections'. I am not excluded, William-sama. You might see it, the longer you know me" Hiei said to William in serious tone as she turned to stare at his face directly.

"…I understand, that's a good insight" William said to Hiei as he looked down to the table as he soaked up all this new info about her.

"I am glad that you could gain something out of that" Hiei said to William while she smiled a bit.

"…You know, I think it is fine for you to indulge on your desire as long as you understand the consequences" William said to Hiei, he could also benefit from that sentence.

"Hai, I have done so already" Hiei said to William.

"Oh?" William cocked his eyebrows, she did?

"I have desire to spend time with you, William-sama. To get this privilege, I had to fought Akagi-san and Shoukaku-san in a shogi match. I am glad I decided to do so, for now we seem to be closer than before~" Hiei said to William while she smiled softly.

It is not any secret among the ALASUC girls that William is an open target for those who dare to get close to him, there are unspoken rules that you could go for him and no one should be mad for he will care of all of them regardless of your relations with him anyway. The meetings committed on ALS Terranova the day Belfast announced her pregnancy? The girls pretty much agreed that he is for everyone to share so there is no competition to be held among them to romance their own commander, if they want to be in that kind of relationship or just want to get closer to him? Then go ahead! Pretty sure he'll be overwhelmed at first, but he'll learn to manage along the way…Hiei already has interest in him for quite awhile since his arrival to ALASUC base, she is not alone in this situation but figured she'll take things slow; she will respond if he ever shown a direct interest to her though. That until one thing led to another and suddenly William has more than few girls that he's in relationship with.

If Hiei didn't say or do anything then she might never be closer to William as more than a co-worker, she is quite complacent and her reserved nature means she won't be able to command his attention with many bold girls competing for his attention daily. She won't get on his radar unless she managed to get him to be alone, that's why instead of competing directly in the front like those girls do? She opted to use the more subtle and personal approach. It's the reason why she invited him to today's date, she wanted to make her presence to be more known to him and it goes well as far as she's concerned. She will play the long game, by making him becoming more interested in her and…reaffirm her own feelings along the way. She knew he is a good man and good commander on the surface, but how is he deep down? She wanted to know him better, she wanted to be sure whether the man she's crushing on is the right one for her. If she wants to know that, then she will have to gamble with her chances that there is a possibility that she is not his type…Hiei got a good feeling that she's in the right direction though, all she has to do next is to pedal to the metal.

"Is that so…congratulations on your win then and I'm glad we could get to know each other better, Hiei" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Ufufufufu, the feeling's mutual. Akagi-san was practically seething when she lost the match with me, it is quite funny to see her acting like that once in a while" Hiei said to William after she giggled.

"Ooh, you must have dealt quite some damage" William said to Hiei while he smiled wryly.

"Perhaps she just wants the chance to spend some time with you and quite frustrated that she lost it, William-sama" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Maybe I'll buy some sweets for her and Shoukaku to enjoy, they did put some effort after all" William said to Hiei, even with her winning she is still thinking about her opponents.

"Ah, then shall we be off? We could try to get some from this mall" Hiei suggested to William.

"Okay. Let's go" William said to Hiei.

After paying for their meal, both of them combed through the mall for half an hour in search for sweets for Akagi and Shoukaku. William settled with two medium assorted chocolate boxes, then the both of them went home…Needless to say, Akagi and Shoukaku was touched, grateful and became quite clingy to him when he gave them their gifts. Both asked them to stay a bit and as a result, William spent some time on Sakura dorms being accompanied by those two alongside few other Sakura KANSENs. Hiei took that chance to cook him additional dinner and proved her cooking abilities, safe to say William had no doubts that Hiei did mastered Sakura cuisine…Around nine o'clock, William decided to return home and probably relaxed for a bit by continuing the game he played this afternoon before going to sleep. Hiei escorted him to the dormitory entrance with a wide smile on her face, that's what happened when the situation could be considered keikaku doori (keikaku means plan).

"…I have a wonderful time today, William-sama" Hiei said to William while she smiled.

"Likewise. I enjoy our little date" William said to Hiei while he smiled.

"Would you mind if we go on more dates in the future, William-sama?" Hiei asked William.

"Not at all. Just ask me and we can arrange that, Hiei" William said to Hiei, he won't mind to go on another outing with Hiei.

"Arigatou William-sama, I wish you have a pleasant night and please be careful on your way back" Hiei said to William while she smiled widely.

"Thanks, good night Hiei" William said to Hiei as he left the Sakura dormitory.

William started walking back to his cabin, he felt a bit sluggish? Ah, it's the kind of feeling that you get after you had a great time outdoors and your physical and mental fatigue suddenly crashed on you to make themselves known. On his case? Maybe it's a more of a mental state, he wanted to go back and relax after a day full of interaction with the girls since morning. Oh right, a maid from Royal Navy will actually take care of him tonight, he almost forgot his daily libido management for he is too distracted with the hecticness of today. William arrived on his cabin and saw two pairs of shoes just behind the front door where the shoe rack is located, William knew the maid has arrived but he recognized the other pair easily. William walked inside after taking off his shoes and sure enough, he found Hood seated on the sofa and Newcastle who just served her a tea. The woman turned her head around the moment she heard the front door being opened and she smiled at him.

"Hello there, Will. I've made myself at home, I hope you don't mind" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"We've talked about this. You're my girlfriend so I won't ever mind, as long you didn't wreck the place" William said to Hood.

"Heavens dear, I would never do that. That being said, I do have something I want to speak with you…No, I don't bring any strap on with me, William, ufufufufufu you silly man~" Hood said to William then giggled when she saw dread assaulted his face as he guarded his ass.

"…Can never be too careful ever since that day…" William muttered to himself.

"Master, please take off your coat" Newcastle said to William.

"Ah, sure. Here you go" William said to Newcastle as he handed her his winter coat.

"I will bring some tea for you shortly" Newcastle said to William as she walked away from the living room.

"Thanks" William said to Newcastle.

Newcastle is the kind of girl who don't want to complicate things and like to do anything straight to the point, she's a bit like Sheffield but unlike her deadpan attitude, Newcastle is more of the honest type and will speak her mind directly instead bottling up her feelings. If Newcastle loves you, she will tell you straight and would not hesitate to loathe you directly if she hated your very existence. But that doesn't mean she is quite distant and rigid as she is one of the comfiest people William ever known in their approach to life, she really liked ordinary days where she could just enjoy slow daily life and will not hesitate to remove something that threatens them. So, Newcastle is the maid for tonight? While they did talk with one another and that William is seemingly on her good grace, he won't lie that he felt quite nervous since this will definitely change their dynamic...But let's leave that thought for later, William thought that Hood must have something important to say if she is waiting for him to come home in person.

"So, what is it?" William asked Hood as he sat next to her.

"We have received a commission from Iris Orthodoxy, a request for us to deploy sizeable force to Mediterranean Sea" Hood said to William.

"So, they finally contacted us officially. I was wondering on why they seem to be quiet after the great war" William commented, about damn time he would say.

"Admittedly, they prioritized on rebuilding and they haven't been attacked by the Sirens yet, at least until recently" Hood said to William.

"Recently?" William cocked his eyebrows as he stared at Hood.

"The request is to deploy to Mediterranean Sea and helped the Iris ship girls with their mission. There's an Iris facility on a certain isle that is being encircled by Siren forces, they haven't begin attacking but it's only a matter of time until they do so. The facilities defenses will hold for a while, but it will not last against continuous assault without outside help. We have no clue of the Siren's motives nor their objective on that area at the moment, but to counter them? The Iris government decided to send the Iris ship girls who have been tasked to reinforce the said facility, but there are some complications…" Hood explained to William, her pink lips frowned near the end of her sentence…

"Complications? What kind?" William asked Hood, he could smell the stench of a problem.

"You should already know that back then Iris Orthodoxy was split between Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion, while the country is already reunited at the present time some aspect of their forces hasn't done so, there are some…grudges, I believe" Hood said to William while she frowned.

"Namely the ship girls, I reckon" William said to Hood, oh this doesn't sound good.

"That is correct…The Iris ship girls are still separated between those that previously sided with Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion, the rift between them is big enough that both sides refused to cooperate with one another actively…We don't really know what's going on between them, our backchannel communication with them is only for Intel and doesn't extend to their personal matters so we are really in the dark regarding this one" Hood said to William while she frowned.

"…How about the details for the commission, Hood?" William could feel this gnawing feeling of dread brewing.

"They want ALASUC to deploy as a guaranteed close reinforcement for the combined Iris Orthodoxy ship girls, both leaders of the feuding girls, Miss Richelieu and Miss Jean Bart have agreed to at least 'tolerate' one another if they are commanded by someone. Iris Orthodoxy couldn't find anyone willing or capable to do the job, so they requested us and specifically you to lead them. They have seen what you can do, they want you for this one" Hood said to William as she massaged her left temple, even she found this to be quite a hassle.

"And just like that they dropped the entire problem into our lap like a hot potato. I have to unite then lead two sides of feuding ship girls against the Sirens? I could see this going really well" William said to Hood as he leaned on the sofa.

"You really think so?" Hood asked William as she widened her eyes.

"No, I was being sarcastic" William said to Hood while he frowned.

Apparently, despite the country already reunited, the KANSENs decided to fuck that and keep their old feud going until now? How did Azur Lane High Command are not aware of this?! If he's not mistaken, the situation concerning the two faction is a lot more complicated than one is fighting for free Iris while the other was formed as independent state that took advantage of the situation to do their own thing while remaining allied with Crimson Axis...Well, William's problem is more to the KANSENs themselves. There must be something going on with them that prevented them from coming together as one unit, William doubt that it's due to their loyalty to the country. Because both are fighting for Iris, just in different faction born from the fall of the Orthodoxy and with the country being united once again? It won't be a problem…No, William suspected that this problem runs deep into the personal relations between the KANSENs themselves. Something kept them from truly joining forces despite being in the same faction, he has to find out what in order to get them to work together.

"…What's the catch?" William asked Hood.

"On the completion of the mission? Those ladies are yours to command from then on, they will also be stationed on this base. Seventeen Iris Orthodoxy KANSENs, that's the reward for you after you reunite them and beat the Siren forces sieging the facility. This is quite a predicament and frankly speaking, it's not a problem we should meddle in directly. But we can't let this chance go, William" Hood said to William.

"Yeah, agreed. We need more details on the conflicting KANSENs, if we want to resolve their feud even temporarily then we're going to need to find the root of the problem and the current situation between the two of them. We need to do this along the way since that sieged facility won't have long, this is going to be a tough one" William said out loud while he scowled.

Something is quite off though, Iris Orthodoxy willing to hand all of their KANSENs to ALASUC in one go? Seventeen ship girls are without a single shred of doubt a massive reward for such a simple commission to help as reinforcement. Maybe it has to do with the fact that William has to keep the Iris ship girls working together? Or has it something to do with the nature of the facility they're going to protect? The lack of details for this commission unease him, Hood would've said more details regarding the facility they're going to protect if she knew something about it…Aside from that, the prospect of getting the Iris Orthodoxy on ALASUC base is something they can't pass up. William would need to put his S tier performance here, not just as a warrior, but as commander and diplomat as well.

"I have no doubt that it will. What are your orders, dear?" Hood asked William.

"Assemble our taskforce primarily comprised of Royal Navy and Ironblood KANSENs. I want you, Bismarck and Elizabeth to participate on this one, feel free to get everyone else to fill our numbers" William said to Hood.

"Royal Navy and Ironblood? We have a history involved with their separation; you know?" Hood said to William with an uncertain smile on her.

"Exactly. I want our unit to serve as an example of unity to them, that it's time to let go old grudges and move on. Then again, if it's caused by their own internal affairs…well, I hope that we could at least get them to work together temporarily during commission and settle their problems here" William said to Hood.

"When you put it like that, it's a great idea. Let's hope it won't backfire later" Hood said to William while she smiled.

"They're a lost cause if that happens" William immediately said to Hood.

"I will notify her majesty and Bismarck regarding our deployment and let our contact know that we accept the commission" Hood said to William as she took out her phone.

"Good, we're taking off tomorrow morning after breakfast…Its time to roleplay as an armed diplomatic counsellor, never a dull moment on this Siren War" William said to Hood while he pursed his lips.

---

...I am saltier than a dead sea with no Shimakaze in sight and dozens of dupes sitting on my dock while running out of resources! Bloody fucking flying cuntasaurus hell! I just want you to sortie on the same fleet as Suruga! You two earned your reunion after Crosswave! Well, I hope you guys got better luck than I do, my sympathy for those who still don't get her. For those who got Shimakaze? Well, good for you~ (gritting teeth sounds)…Okay, enough ranting. So dear readers, can you smell it? That smelly smell? Oh yes, don't think for a sec that the girls aren't going to do anything that High Command is basically in the state of cold war. And what is this? Potential collective power that could be a game changer? Oh, and Little Illustrious is confirmed! Who else going to want his babies eh? There are sure a lot of development on this chapter! But hey, Iris Orthodoxy is sorted by the spotlight at last! Though it would seem that there are some kind of mess happening with the KANSENs, what would William do and what will he stumble upon in Europe? Find out in the next chapter! I have no guarantee when it will come out though, so once again, I ask dear readers for your patience with this series. Thank you for the follow, favorite and review dear readers…Oh, just a bit of info, I will rework some of the lemons on previous chapters so please don't be surprised if it changes.

Well then, adios muchachos! Matta kondo na!

- Dasmara