Rule by TheBudgieAdmiral

10074: A positive rule for once: Providence would like to personally thank the anonymous benefactor that gifted her an adult calendar featuring her boyfriend ("Yes he is!") Marcus Harrington. She greatly appreciates the gift and has asked me to make this rule to express her gratitude.

The day was decidedly picturesque: Snow outside, the sun was shining, and Yokosuka naval base was feeling the Christmas vibes thanks to a healthy compliment of American shipgirls on visit.

Zuikaku was standing outside the carrier dorms, clad in a stuffed lime-green jacket and a long scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. To her annoyance, the cigarette in her hand had just gone cold, and so she fumbled in her pockets for a lighter, when the door behind her opened. Zuikaku turned around and faced Providence, the US guided missile cruiser that had come over to Japan with the latest convoy.

The two of them had met about a week ago when the convoy arrived, and they had gotten along well from the start. Providence had even assisted Zuikaku in pranking Kaga once, and both had shared a great laugh as the proud flagship of CarDiv1 was desperately trying not to panic as plumes of smoke rose from Akagi's expensive gaming PC. Obviously, the smoke was the result of a well-hidden fairy smoke grenade, but Kaga did not need to know that…

"Hi. You smokin'?" the cruiser asked and stood beside the carrier.

"Yeah. Want some?" Zuikaku responded, holding out a cigarette.

"Nah, I'm fine. Don't smoke."

Both shipgirls stood in silence for a while as the sky went cloudier and snow began to fall, but the American cruiser seemed to grow uneasy, shifting on her feet, and fidgeting with her hands.

"I knew you did not just come out here to share my company." Zuikaku said with a cheeky smile. "So, spill the beans: What's up?"

"Someone is on visit… From the Lake Erie…" Providence responded.

"The Ticonderoga in port? What's the matter?"

"Well, there's this marine corporal on board…"

Zuikaku shot her companion a sideward glance of amusement. "Noooo, don't tell me you have a boyfriend!" she exclaimed in a teasing tone.

Providence just shifted even more uneasily and blushed. But Zuikaku did not care much, she was busy laughing.

"You got a BF? Whaaat?"

"Will you stop teasing me already!" Providence shot back, red as a tomato. Or Kaga when you told her about her body temperature. Same difference.

"Nah, too busy being happy for you. Anyways, why do you bring this up?"

"Well…" Providence hesitated again. "You see, I wanted to ask him out to some place… I was hoping you could name a few nice restaurants here? With a good view? And a romantic atmosphere?"

"So it's new?"

"Yeah…" The cruiser looked to her feet. "In a way…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Anyways, is there a place you know? And… and could you ask him to come? I want to surprise him there."

Now Zuikaku was confused. That did seem slightly weird. "Why that?"

"Just do it, please. I'll be in your debt, okay? Just… just do it for me."

v

The next day, Zuikaku made her way through the tight and thoroughly confusing corridors of the Lake Erie. To any normal human, the windowless corridors and hatches would have made for an inescapable labyrinth. But Zuikaku, being a shipgirl, was built following the same universal logic, and what's more, she had support.

So you're looking for Corporal Marcus Harrington? the disembodied voice of the unsummoned spirit of the Lake Erie mused as they continued through her corridors.

"Yup, that's the guy."

A sailor looked up. "I'm sorry, ma'am?"

"Nothing." Zuikaku said quickly and continued on. After all, to ordinary humans without a connection to the spirit realm, it would seem like she was talking to herself.

He's with the marines, I'll show you there. Lake Erie said, smiling invisibly. Indeed, after a short walk they arrived at a door.

Here we are. I'll say goodbye already. Take care of yourself out there, you hear?

"You too, Erie. You too." Zuikaku breathed, and the spirit turned around and walked back to where she had come from.

Zuikaku sighed, and then knocked on the door. Almost instantly, it was opened, and a muscular black guy with a very proudly displayed mustache stood towering in front of her. "What's the deal?" he droned, chewing gum in mouth.

"I'd like to speak with corporal Harrington, please?"

The man turned around and bellowed into the cramped room. "FRESHMEAT!"

Ten seconds later, another man appeared in the door. He was not as neck-bendingly tall as the previous sailor, but he had a similar athletic build that showed nicely through the shirt he was wearing. Honestly, Zuikaku thought that Providence could have worse taste in men.

"Ma'am!" Now he was saluting her.

"S-stand easy." Zuikaku responded, slightly taken off guard by the formalities. "Can we talk in private?"

v

"I'm afraid, but you're going to have to tell Providence I won't be coming." Marcus Harrington was talking and Zuikaku tried her hardest to listen and not ponder on the fact that they were sanding closely together in a dimly lit closet full of brooms, mobs and similar things that someone outside could feel the impulse to use any second. This was decidedly awkward!

"She keeps asking me out, and every time it breaks my heart that I have to friendzone her, but I'm taken. I'm so sorry."

"N-no need to be sorry. Like, if I had known the entire story, I would not have bothered you with this." And not only could she have avoided this awkward closet talk but she could have saved Providence some time and dignity. Her friend could have at least told her the full story! Of how they had met, how he was married and how she had already asked him out on three other occasions!

"And all this with Christmas coming up… Jeez, what a horrible time to friendzone a girl!" Marcus now said and sighed. Mis hand met his face, and Zuikaku found herself watching the muscles in his arm flex.

"You know…" she said with one of her trademark cheeky smiles. "If you can't go out with her, maybe we can arrange something else for her. So she's not as devastated, hm?"

Marcus looked up. "Sounds good to me. What's on your mind?"

v

Providence was absolutely miserable as she trotted down the concrete hallways of Yokosuka towards the mess hall. Marcus had denied her. Again! Could he not see how honest her love for him was? How she needed him?

A sad sigh escaped her throat as she approached the door. Most were already there, including Admiral Goto on the podium and Kongou to his side.

Ten minutes and a short speech by Goto later (Providence did not bother paying much attention), the presents were distributed. Practically every destroyer present squealed in joy and marveled ad their comrades' presents. Many of the cruisers and battleships did the same. Kirishima opened her package, closed it again and blushed furiously. Tenryuu marveled at the quadcopter in her hands. Ashigara hugged Captain Yonehara and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Akagi was busy munching cookies.

"Here you go!" Someone (possibly Tatsuta) said and dropped a flat package on the table in front of Providence.

"For me?" she asked, confused. She was newly summoned, and while she and her sisters had a good connection, they rarely sent each other presents.

Providence took the gift and examined it. Whatever was inside was clearly made of paper, as the package could easily be bent. Anyways, time to open this thing up. Tearing at the red wrap, she slowly uncovered-

Oh.

Oh.

Oh this was good.

v

Ryuujou, sitting beside Providence, looked up from the mousepad emblazoned with her image, with a specific focus on her nonexistent bust. Someone had a shitty sense of humor, and she'd find the person sooner or later!

She was about to embark on an extensive, Kansai-accented rant when she noticed the US cruiser at her side had started shaking. She was also staring at something in her hands.

"Oi, Providence, you allright?" she drawled. No response. Ryuujou poked her shoulder. Also no response. The light carrier's eyes slowly turned towards the thing in the cruiser's hands – and promptly almost fell out of their sockets.

Providence's hands were quickly flicking through a calendar filled with men in rather mature clothing. So someone had gifted her an erotic calendar for Christmas. That was weird, but then again, Kirishima was hard to top.

What was also weird was that all the images only featured one guy, clad in various clothes (or not), in a variety of admittedly very attractive poses.

Meanwhile, Providence had reached the end, where a white page was garnished with a line in handwriting and – wait, was that an origami crane?

"For my favorite lovestruck cruiser – Marcus" Providence read out loud and began squealing with joy before getting up and running for her room.

v

Meanwhile, Zuikaku watched with confusion. She had placed her order three days ago, but because of material shortage, the idiots at the copy shop had not managed to get it done in time! What a disaster this was, or rather, would have been if… Someone had not had the exact same idea as she did. Anyways, she had gotten a wonderful plane-shaped clock from her sister, and they were now both leading the stream of shipgirls headed for their respective rooms.

However, something on the ground caught Zuikaku's attention, and she squatted down to take a closer look at the thing.

It was light, probably paper, folded into shape by experienced hands. Zuikaku turned it around – and almost fell unconscious.

"What's up, Zuikaku-neesan?"

In the carrier's hands was a beautiful blue origami paper crane. Zuikaku could have sworn the crane was shooting her a smug smile.

"That thrice-damned smug-faced glorious daughter-of-a-bitch…" Zuikaku hissed, and started laughing like a maniac.