Apocrypha felt a wave of relief when Zuihou's pace slowed, such that she no longer had to jog to keep up. "Zuihou, wait. Can we just- Okay, stop for a second!" she pleaded.

Zuihou stopped abruptly and in the same movement spun to face Apocrypha. "We don't have long before the shops close. Where do you want to go first?"

Apocrypha sighed, shoving down the frustration that threatened to bubble up from within her. It wouldn't help any, and Zuihou was already upset about something. What she needed was to figure out what had sparked the sudden change in mood for the carrier. "I can try to find my way around if you have things to do, Zuihou. I'm sorry Mackensen forced it on you. I should have planned ahead and gone to shops earlier in the day, so don't let me ruin your night, please?"

Zuihou let out a sigh. "Normally I would thank you for your leniency, Shikikan, but unfortunately Mackensen has made it… untenable for me to be anywhere else."

"Untenable how?"

"N-Nothing," Zuihou said, hesitant to explain further. "But you didn't answer my question. Did you have anything you were looking for? Anything you were going to buy that can get us started? We won't have time for window shopping at this rate."

Deciding to drop the matter, Apocrypha turned her gaze towards the various shops that lined the street they stood at the entrance of. "Where's Shiranui's theater?" she asked. "I wanted to check out the new film that she was mentioned to have made."

"It's too late to watch a full-length movie," Zuihou pointed out.

"I wasn't going to watch it in the cinema. I was wondering if Shiranui had any copies to rent out so I could watch it in my room with somebody. Oh, and for that matter, do you know any shops that sell board games or the like? I think if we can just get those two I should be good for the evening."

Zuihou pointed towards a shop painted so black that it looked like a localized and premature night had fallen upon it, decorated with everything from voodoo dolls and cobwebs to old lanterns and fake ghosts with embedded LED lights. "That's Shiranui's theater, and I know a place that sells board and card games a little further past that. If you can formulate any idea on what specifically you want from the second shop, then we can probably be in and out in fifteen minutes."


Apocrypha stepped out of the store, a plastic bag hanging from her hand containing a plastic DVD case, snacks and drinks, and a paper pack of cards - what the storekeeper had referred to as a game called karuta.

She had spent her time digging through almost every single option for entertainment the store had to offer, from the familiar to the completely unfamiliar. Cards, boards, puppets, books. But she had finally settled on something. A memorization game, the clerk had said, with lines of poetry on the cards for the other player to grab the matching card as quickly as possible.

Apocrypha couldn't read Japanese, and Vercingetorix almost certainly didn't either. But perhaps that would be part of the challenge. A sort of improvised memorization match where no two cards were the same yet each had a destined pair.

It had clearly been quite a while inside the store, as the glaring orange of the setting sun, while still largely coloring the sky, had already darkened, casting looming, long shadows upon the road for even the shortest objects.

"Zuihou?" Apocrypha called out as she glanced left and right.

Zuihou had said she would be waiting outside, but she was nowhere to be found.

In response, a hand poked itself out of an alleyway between two shops, one finger raised upwards in a 'give me a moment' signal. It was difficult to discern in the dark sunlight and shadows, and a hand could have belonged to anybody. But there was only one person around that was likely to have responded to Apocrypha's call anyway. Apocrypha's mind was quick to recognize that.

Apocrypha let out a sigh of relief as the gesture dried out the seeds of worry that had appeared inside her. Hefting the plastic bag over her shoulder, she approached the alleyway entrance. She opened her mouth to call out to the shipgirl she now knew to be just around the corner, but stopped short when she heard Zuihou saying something; something that didn't seem to be directed at her.

"- and in which case, I will be entrusting you with guidance back to the ryokan so you can do what you came here for. If you were to violate your promise against causing harm, know that it will reflect very poorly on the Empire for it to happen to a visiting foreigner on its soil. I don't think it's necessary to point out that I, let alone Lady Nagato, would not show any tolerance for that, regardless of the perpetrator."

There was no verbal response that Apocrypha picked up, but she had to imagine there was a nod of agreement from the other party as Zuihou made no further objections, still invisible due to the angle of the alley.

Speaking of the alley, Apocrypha was approaching it with brisk steps. Apocrypha's hand reached for the corner of the building adjacent to the alleyway, intending to pull herself forward into the sight of Zuihou and whoever she was talking to - whoever had made a promise to not cause any harm to… someone or another.

But another hand curled its fingers around the corner first, doing exactly what Apocrypha had intended to do herself: pull the owner out of the alleyway and into Apocrypha's vision, her figure tinged in equal parts sunlight-sharp orange and the darkness of shadows.

Apocrypha's heels instantly dug themselves to a halt when just a moment prior she had been walking forward. Her eyes registered the ponytailed grey hair. The drooped fox ears and enormously fur-dense tail. The blue kitsune mask on the side of her head, fighting back against the contrast of the orange sunlight and dark shadows that cast menacingly over her rather dour expression. And most notably, the katana that still hung from her waist, something that Apocrypha's mind instantly interpreted relative to the one who held it.

Apocrypha nearly tripped over her own feet stepping back to try and put a safe amount of distance between herself and Tosa. Her mind raced to pinpoint just what she wanted with her - and why Zuihou had apparently abandoned her to handle Tosa alone. She could only hope that Zuihou's words carried more weight with Tosa than her own did. "Um… Hi? Can you say something so I don't feel like I'm about to get stabbed?"

Tosa narrowed her eyes, studying Apocrypha. "I promised Zuihou that I wouldn't harm you. Not that I hadn't had half a mind to put an end to you if you'd failed during the operation."

Apocrypha couldn't help but sigh, more exasperated than anything at this point. "Of course. Why would I possibly get to go even 24 hours here without someone wanting to slit my throat?" she grumbled. "Kawakaze already beat you to the punch, just so you know. I'm kind of over it at this point. As an fyi, that's not a good way to make friends."

"Pardon?" came the only mildly interested inquiry. "Did you just say Kawakaze tried to kill you?"

"Yes. Thank you very much for your concern. It sure means a lot coming from my original would-be murderer," Apocrypha snarked.

Tosa snorted, a flash of what Apocrypha thought was amusement crossing her face as her tail swished behind her. "Don't misunderstand. I'm only surprised she left you alive. How did you manage that?"

"An angry Mackensen. Any more questions, or are you going to explain what you want with me?" demanded Apocrypha, reaching up to adjust the bag loop over her shoulder so it sat more comfortably, just in case she needed to run.

To her surprise, Tosa bowed slightly to her before straightening again. "I'd like to have a word with you on the way back to your lodgings, if you wouldn't mind. I think I unfairly made assumptions about you when we first met."

Apocrypha nodded in agreement to the request, but mentally rolled her eyes. You think?

She followed when Tosa began to walk, both remaining silent at first until Tosa found the words she wanted.

"Zuihou explained what happened after Mackensen steered your fleet into the Mirror Sea. How you didn't sacrifice her."

Apocrypha frowned, unsure of how she was supposed to interpret that. "Um… I'm sorry? Was I supposed to?"

Tosa shook her head. "Any of the others would have. She's 'only' a light carrier, easily replaced. That's usually the line of thought. So imagine my surprise to hear that you set up the fleet to protect her."

Apocrypha lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "She's still human. As long as I'm Commander, it's my responsibility to not throw away lives just for the sake of taking the easy way."

"We're warships, not humans," Tosa corrected. "Don't try to argue that you don't see it that way. All the others have only seen us for the weapons we are. Words alone won't convince us that you're any different. What you did for Zuihou and the rest of your fleet might be a start, though."

Apocrypha let that sink in, trying not to look at the advice as a standalone consideration, but in combination with how many of the other shipgirls in some manner had talked about wanting to be treated as normal humans, or at least as something more than strictly a weapon. If their experiences had made them distrustful of people's words, then her only option was to prove her intentions through her actions. It would probably still be easier said than done, but at the very least it gave her a direction to work in. That also meant getting to know the shipgirls beyond the history of the ships that each embodied, but it didn't seem as if many were willing to share with her outside of their professional lives. After all, somebody's past was a part of them, but a part that didn't necessarily need to be expressed or intimately connected to who a person was in the present.

She wasn't allowed to dwell on it for too long, as Tosa had decided to speak again.

"I don't know what it is that Nagato finds so special about you," Tosa stated, casting a glance over her shoulder at Apocrypha as if she hoped another look would reveal something. "But you've somehow earned her trust and brought Zuihou safely home. I will not for a moment start blindly trusting you, but you've proven my initial assessment wrong, and I believe you earned a fresh start to prove yourself to me and the rest of Sakura Empire. I hope you'll continue to make the effort like you have here. It may be sooner than you think that we'll see each other again in New York."

Apocrypha frowned at the last statement. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's not complicated. Nagato has decided that it's for the best to have a larger Sakura Empire presence at the joint base and send those who can foster a more cooperative relationship with the other factions, seeing as Akagi's presence there seems to have done the opposite."

Well, I wouldn't say TF 58 was innocent there, either, Apocrypha mused silently, recalling that there had been no lack of hostility from the Eagle Union girls when faced with the Sakura Empire ships. "So what does that have to do with you? Why are you telling me this?"

"I've volunteered to return to Azur Lane's New York base for the first rotation. But I would appreciate it if you'd keep this conversation between us. Something tells me Nagato would desire to be the first one to break the news to you. I don't know who else she intends to send, so it's not as if I have all the details."

Tosa had stopped at the foot of the stairs leading to the ryokan , turning to face Apocrypha, who was quick to nod in agreement to her request. "Anyway, this is as far as I go. It's better if we don't give Mackensen and Zuihou a reason to argue if Zuihou was supposed to be accompanying you."

Apocrypha glanced up toward the building, seeing that while most of the rooms were dark, a few lights still remained on. "It kind of seems like Zuihou doesn't get along with many people."

Tosa let out a small laugh. "You're wrong. If your basis is how she interacts with Akagi or Mackensen, then it's more accurate to say that it's those two no one can get along with. Zuihou just doesn't use appeasement or avoidance to handle them, so they butt heads a lot. Watch her with others. She's not so hard to understand."

"Right. Um…" Apocrypha shifted uncomfortably with Tosa's gaze on her, starting up the stairs before thinking twice about it and turning back toward her. "Thanks for the advice. I'll try to keep it in mind. And thanks for not killing me."

Tosa snorted, albeit a snort with a hint of amusement, and walked away without answering, leaving Apocrypha to climb the stairs alone. Apocrypha watched her for a moment before turning to finish her ascent and wander down the halls of the ryokan . She wished she'd asked Zuihou where Vercingetorix and Biloxi's rooms were, but it was too late for that. After all, she recalled that Zuihou, while supposedly close by, was staying elsewhere. She wouldn't know where to find her even if she wanted to. And she couldn't ask Mackensen lest she give away that Zuihou had ditched her.

To her relief, she spotted a pink-haired fox she recognized further down the hall, hurrying to catch up to the destroyer. "Hanazuki. Sorry. Can I bother you for a second?"

Hanazuki turned to face her, smiling as she bowed. "You're not bothering me at all. What can I help you with, Commander?"

"You can just call me Apocrypha," she corrected gently. "I was hoping you could point me to what rooms Vercingetorix and Biloxi are in? I wanted to check in on them, but I'm kinda lost."

Hanazuki nodded eagerly, retrieving a map of the ryokan's grounds and standing beside Apocrypha so she could see it while she circled and marked rooms with a pen, explaining which room belonged to each fleet member and how to get there before letting Apocrypha take the map. "I can show you to Vercingetorix and Biloxi's rooms if you'd like me to."

Apocrypha shook her head, but smiled to show her appreciation for the offer. "I wouldn't want to pull you away from your work again after I already did last night."

"Actually, my shift abruptly ended for tonight," Hanazuki explained, though she seemed more nervous or anxious about it than happy. "I guess they had someone else coming in for the night. I don't know what to do with myself without work to do, though, so I really wouldn't be inconvenienced by showing you to the rooms."

Apocrypha tried to hide her surprise at hearing Hanazuki had been let off early, worried that it was because she had pulled Hanazuki away to join her and Nagato for dinner the previous night. "Okay. As long as you're sure it's not interfering with your duties."

Hanazuki didn't hesitate to begin leading Apocrypha through the halls until she arrived at the room marked as Vercingetorix's on the map. Before she'd had the opportunity to knock, the door opened to reveal Vercingetorix, leaving Apocrypha to wonder if somehow the heavy cruiser had expected their visit, despite Hanazuki seeming as startled as she was. Hanazuki was quick to recover from the surprise, bowing before addressing Vercingetorix. "Apologies for the late visit, Lady Vercingetorix, but the Commander wanted to see you."

Vercingetorix glanced only briefly in Apocrypha's direction, her expression yielding nothing on how she felt about this development. After a brief, tense moment, she turned to return to the interior of her room, not bothering to wait for them to follow. "Come in if you insist. Lock the door behind you."

Apocrypha shared a glance with Hanazuki, who nodded in encouragement. "I can come in with you if you desire someone by your side."

Apocrypha considered briefly before shaking her head. "No. I owe it to her to talk alone. Could you go ask Biloxi to meet me at my room in…" She paused to check her watch for the time and mentally calculate how long this conversation with Vercingetorix was likely to take. "An hour and a half?"

Hanazuki's head bobbed sharply in a quick nod before she bounded off down the hall. As sincere as her offer to join Apocrypha likely had been, it was clearly an offer made in nervous hope that it would be declined. Apocrypha remained at the door a moment longer, trying to get control of her breathing before stepping into the foyer, making sure to close and lock the door behind her as directed. After removing her shoes, she stepped into the main room where Vercingetorix sat waiting expectantly, her sword laying across her lap while she polished it.

Apocrypha waited for her to say something until she realized that Vercingetorix had no intention of doing so. Equally silent, she took a seat across from her, silence enveloping the room as the minutes stretched on and Vercingetorix continued polishing the blade. The hiss of the sword being slid into its scabbard made Apocrypha flinch, but either Vercingetorix didn't notice or didn't care.

She set the sheathed sword on the sword beside her before folding her hands in her lap, her pale purple eyes locking with Apocrypha's grey-blue. "Why are you here? If you fear me, then you should not feel it necessary to pay me a visit."

"That's exactly why I'm here. It's because I'm sorry that I snapped the way I did," Apocrypha said, perhaps a bit too quickly, too desperate to make sure the crushing silence didn't take hold again. "I should have been more tactful. It's true that I'm afraid of the shipgirls, I won't hide that. I mean even just yesterday somebody casually mentioned how they could crush me to a sticky red stain with a shell in an instant if they so wished…"

Apocrypha let out a sigh before continuing. "I wanted to build relationships with you all on honesty, but the way I said it to you was unnecessarily harsh and hurtful, so… I understand if you're not ready to forgive me, but I had to come and try to apologize."

Vercingetorix was once again silent, searching for any grain of deception in Apocrypha's voice or expression. Finding none after a few moments, she relaxed the slightest bit. "I will not lie and say that this mends the hurt. However, I can appreciate your willingness to admit when you have made a mistake."

"Right. No. I didn't think apologizing was just going to magically fix what I said," Apocrypha promised, quickly shaking her head. "This is the start of redeeming myself to you, not the end."

Feeling the conversation threatening to lapse back into tense silence, she scrambled to reach into the bag she was carrying. "Um… I was out shopping earlier and grabbed something for you," she said, finally producing the pack of cards and holding them out to Vercingetorix. "I wasn't sure what you like to do in your free time and Zuihou was sort of in a rush, but -"

Vercingetorix raised an eyebrow, accepting the card pack but stopping Apocrypha from saying anything more. "You were out with Zuihou?"

Apocrypha shrugged, unsure why it mattered. "After the banquet Nagato held for the operation participants tonight, yeah. Well, I was with Mackensen for breakfast, but I don't know where she went between, like… nine that morning and then turning back up around dinner?"

Vercingetorix sighed, looking about to say something but suddenly not, her fingers stretching until she could pull her sword close enough to slide it from the scabbard again. "There's someone coming."

Apocrypha frowned, looking over her shoulder through the still-open sliding door to the door leading out to the hall. "I don't hear anything? Maybe just someone getting back to their room late?"

Vercingetorix shook her head, sword in hand as she got to her feet and approached the door, unlocking it and cracking it open just enough to peer into the hallway outside. She caught a brief glimpse of white hair as someone ducked back around a corner. She pursed her lips into a thin line, but chose to close and lock the door again rather than pursue whoever was out there.

"I really didn't hear anything -" Apocrypha tried to insist.

"If you've spent enough time around Gloire or her class's name ship, you'd understand the need to be suspicious of any sound that doesn't match its surroundings, no matter how small."

Apocrypha folded her arms over her chest, trying but failing not to pout at being interrupted again. "Gloire's not here, though."

Vercingetorix snorted. "I wouldn't put it past her to have found a way." Seeing the confusion and concern on Apocrypha's face, she chuckled a bit before sighing. "Jokes aside, my fear is more that the Sakura Empire would attempt to have spies set on you and Biloxi given your histories with the Eagle Union."

Apocrypha swallowed, tamping down the anxiety that suddenly started building up. "So you're saying I've probably been followed all day and not even realized it…?"

"Maybe, maybe not," came the response. "Their own set of honor principles may constrain them from doing such things, or it may be the motivation to pursue it all the more. It may be what unifies them, or it may encourage the pursuit of personal interest. Honor can be quite the flexible standard to the unscrupulous."

Coming back from the door, Vercingetorix sheathed her sword and walked back to where she was sitting, but instead stayed upright as Apocrypha raised her gaze to meet hers. "That aside, however, you've apologized for your actions that I overreacted to in my own right, and I can't in good faith entrust you to Mackensen or Zuihou's care. So…"

Apocrypha listened intently, not sure where Vercingetorix was going with this until she lowered herself to one knee, the hilt of her sheathed sword held in the opposite hand and the tip placed against the ground.

"Commander, I hereby swear to you that I shall remain at your side as your knight. Until we return safely to New York, or until you dismiss me."

A smile crept over Apocrypha's lips, even if the oath was somewhat dramatic. "Thanks. But don't worry about it unless it's what you want to do, Verci. Er… Sorry. Is it okay if I call you that?"

Vercingetorix laughed, finally allowing herself to relax and opening the card pack once she had taken her seat again. "It's fine. The priestess often addresses me that way, too, so I don't mind it."

Apocrypha breathed a sigh of relief. "So we're okay, then?"

"We're okay," Vercingetorix assured. "Now then, explain to me how we play this card game you've brought."


Apocrypha had assumed that Vercingetorix had a good memory, but she'd been surprised to learn just how good that memory actually was. The cruiser had no reason to lie about not knowing Japanese or never having played the game before, and yet she'd succeeded in winning the overwhelming majority of rounds they'd played until Vercingetorix had reminded Apocrypha that she had other things to do.

She'd declined the knight's offer of escorting her back to her room, choosing instead to try finding her own way using the map Hanazuki had given her. While she was glad she'd been able to somewhat make amends with Vercingetorix, her mention of potential spies hung like lead weights on her mind, bringing her back to the reality that it wasn't only the Sirens the shipgirls struggled against, but each other and their ideals. Even if physical clashes no longer took place - or at least rarely did - it didn't mean that the political clashes had in any way ended. And if that weren't enough, she didn't know how the operation had gone for the other fleets, but also knew it would be a waste of time to call Augusta and ask before she arrived in San Diego. The likelihood was that Augusta would refuse to share any details while Apocrypha was in Crimson Axis territory.

Then there was the secrecy around the Iberian Crown and whatever unknown position they held in this whole picture. And finally, the blueprint ships like Vercingetorix, and the strange battleship she had met in the garden. Dwelling on it, she could feel a headache building up and hurried her pace, not wanting to spend any longer concerning herself with such thoughts.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Biloxi waiting in front of her door, nearly colliding with her but stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, Apocrypha flinched from the touch, flushing in embarrassment and mumbling an apology to Biloxi.

Concern flickered in the cruiser's purple eyes as she searched Apocrypha's face, and Apocrypha quickly mustered a smile. "I was distracted. Thinking. And in a hurry. I didn't want you to be stuck waiting. Aaaand… No, I'm rambling. Sorry. Um… Here, just let me get the door…"

Biloxi stepped aside to let Apocrypha unlock the door, stepping in once the door had been opened and looking around. "Looks like Nagato made sure all the stops were pulled out for you, huh? This room is huge."

"It's a bit much," Apocrypha admitted sheepishly as they removed their sandals to continue into the main room. "I probably should have asked before I picked it out, but how do you feel about horror movies? Kasagi said at dinner that Shiranui's theater had released a new one, so I rented a copy."

Biloxi gave a bright smile, barely allowing Apocrypha to get the disk case out before she snatched it. "Don't apologize. I love a good horror movie. And if you get scared, you can always huddle with me," she teased with a wink.

Apocrypha nodded along, not wanting to burst Biloxi's bubble by admitting she often watched scary movies and had no plans to miss any part by using the cruiser to hide. Besides, she'd just managed to fix things with Vercingetorix. She didn't need to go and make herself seem like an ungrateful jerk to Biloxi - and Mobile would probably have her head if she did make that mistake.

While Biloxi set up the movie on the TV, Apocrypha sat on one of the cushions and began setting out the snacks and drinks she'd gotten. She smiled sheepishly when the crinkling of a caramel popcorn bag being opened made Biloxi look over, tossing a handful into her mouth. "Sorry. Couldn't wait."

Biloxi smiled and shook her head, making sure the disk player was on before taking a seat on a cushion beside Apocrypha and reaching over to grab a handful of the popcorn for herself. "You didn't have to go out of your way to make time for me, so you know."

"I wanted to."

Biloxi shrugged in response, not pressing the question further. Instead she reached forward and deftly selected play when the movie menu came up.

The movie was more cheesy than scary, but she had to admit that it wasn't terrible, or maybe that was the alcohol in the drinks getting to her. Considering Apocrypha had opted just for soda, that had left the cans of chūhai for Biloxi to enjoy on her own. It wasn't until she was four cans in and feeling the effects of the alcohol that she realized Apocrypha had found the ones that boasted a content of 9%. In any other situation Biloxi might have seen it as a challenge, but with Apocrypha that didn't seem a likely possibility.

She hadn't noticed Apocrypha get up when the movie finished, at least not until she'd finished off her… was it sixth or seventh can? Whichever it was, she was surprised to find Apocrypha standing in front of her with only a towel wrapped around her and another held in her hand to offer to Biloxi.

Apocrypha smiled apologetically as Biloxi took the towel with a questioning look. "I didn't know I'd have a room with a hot tub, so I don't have a bathing suit -"

Biloxi set her empty can aside, laughing at the apology. "None of us expected to be getting a vacation in the Sakura Empire. If any of us have swimsuits with us, I'd be surprised. The proper way to enjoy a Sakura Empire bath is with nothing on, anyway, but you're sure you're fine being together in there?"

Apocrypha's brow furrowed. "Should I not be?"

Biloxi shrugged, undressing and laying her own clothes aside so she could wrap her own towel around herself. "As long as you're fine with it. I'd hate to have things get weird and you leave, y'know? We kinda like having you around."


Outside the room, a white-haired woman pressed her ear against the wall with bated breath, waiting for the telltale rattle of the sliding door and wooden clopping that indicated the pair inside the room she was eavesdropping had stepped outside.

The woman pushed herself away from the wall and reached up to check her hair pins one last time, wiggling them to ensure not even a single strand of hair would dare get out of place, while using her other hand to run down the creases of her plain red kimono to ensure no looseness or wrinkles. The watchful and never-pleased eye of her keeper wasn't anywhere nearby, but she couldn't operate on the assumption that even the slightest failure of presentation wouldn't be found out via a report, possibly even a report by the two within the room.

After all, no matter how perfect her outfit was, there would always be a glaring detail that cut through even the most careful of arrangements: an anti-aircraft gun almost as long as she was tall, twin barrels protruding a notable distance above her head due to its lower end starting in the middle of her back. But most importantly, they were not a part of traditional shipgirls' riggings.

The mount of the guns was stitched and welded onto the flesh on her back, and rather badly at that, crusted scabs and burned, tender flesh tracing a circle of damaged skin along the circular shape of the mount, with a translucent roughness of medical cream applied too frequently and crusting solid. The guns swayed ever so slightly with almost every movement the woman made due to their own weight pushing them in whatever direction they moved, putting stress on the stitches and the 'seal' made by the burns.

It was a Type 96 25mm gun, the bread and butter of Sakura Empire's anti-aircraft defense. It was a permanent attachment to her body, necessitating an awkward cut hole on the back of her kimono, although that was the least of her daily inconvenience and suffering.

The woman reached for the door handle in a smooth motion to avoid movement on her back, and was surprised to find the lack of resistance indicating an unlocked state. But just as her hand squeezed to turn, a final failure of preparation flashed through her mind. She stifled an apology from rising out of her throat into auditory existence, and had to simultaneously stop herself from falling to her knees to bow for forgiveness. It was a pair of actions that were almost instinctual at this point, ready to perform on a hair trigger regardless of circumstance.

She frantically fished through her pockets and found a staff name tag she had been given. She raised it to pin on her chest but paused to read the singular word written on it, in Japanese and English.

Fukurou. "Owl."

The woman sighed as she pinned the tag to her chest for the pseudonym to be visible. Just another lie that joined ranks with her hair and outfit. But lies she kept not because she had something to hide, but because they were forced as a part of her.

As she turned the doorknob and pushed forward, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat from the trust of a guest being horribly betrayed by her actions. By all accounts (besides that of her keeper), the two people in the room had been well-mannered and friendly thus far. However, she quickly swallowed it down. The invasion of privacy was well worth preserving her own life. No day could be taken for granted, especially not a day where she had thus far managed to avoid a serious incident.

Even the thought of failure brought a shudder to her form from the thought of verbal lashings, perhaps being deprived of a roof in the chill of night or the highest heat of day, or if her keeper was in a particularly bad mood, she might suddenly appear at her side or make her kneel and give a resounding kick to the AA gun on her back, a blow where even a slight whimper from the agonizing pain wouldn't be tolerated lest it bring more blows.

So there was nothing further to do but to go in and do as she was told. She just needed any small action she could report to her keeper to twist into condemnation, and she would spare herself from being the one on the receiving end.

She busied herself with cleaning and tidying near the door out onto the balcony, able to listen to the conversation between Apocrypha and Biloxi without obviously looking like she was eavesdropping. It only took a moment for her to notice the empty chūhai cans, already formulating the story she could give to Akagi in her mind. In her haste to gather the cans as evidence for her claim, she failed to be mindful of the AA guns on her back relative to its surroundings until it was too late. The tip of one gun came to rest on the seat of a chair as she bent over, and the movement pushed it upwards, the searing pain as the movement shifted the base sending the woman falling forward to her knees.

By some miracle, she maintained her grip on consciousness, breaths hissing out from her clenched teeth as she tried not to vomit from the pain that radiated with every miniscule movement. She hadn't even registered the sound of the door opening and someone entering until she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch and whimper when doing so jostled the gun. "I-I'm sorry," she pleaded, reluctantly letting the person help her to her feet. "I'm so clumsy. I didn't mean to disturb you -"

"Stop. Just breathe," Apocrypha commanded, making the woman look at her. "It's just a small mess. It can be cleaned up. Are you okay, though?"

The woman took more deep breaths to steady herself, a shaky hand reaching up to try and reposition the offending gun, but Biloxi's voice from the balcony doorway stopped her.

"I thought it was strange that you were walking around with your riggings deployed. Step away from the Commander and dismiss your riggings at once, or I'll shoot," the cruiser threatened, her own riggings deployed and all guns focused on the intruder, while one hand gripped her towel to hold it in place.

"I… I can't," the white-haired woman tried to explain, quickly putting her hands up in surrender. "I swear they aren't loaded. I can release the magazines and you can see for yourself."

"Don't. Move," Biloxi demanded, approaching and reaching to release the magazines from the AA guns herself, surprised to find that they truly were empty. She shoved them back into place, making the other shipgirl wince at the force. "Identify yourself. Why are you here?"

"I- I was just here to clean."

"Don't avoid the question! Who are you? Are you spying on us?!" Biloxi demanded again, reaching for one of the guns like she intended to pull at it to make the woman talk, but Apocrypha quickly reached out to stop her.

"Biloxi, stop. She's obviously in horrible pain and terrified. Don't make it worse. Go relax in the tub and I'll be back out in a bit," Apocrypha promised, only releasing Biloxi's wrist when she felt her lowering her hand on her own. "Trust me on this, please?"

Biloxi nodded, shooting one last warning glare at the strange Sakura shipgirl before dismissing her riggings and going back out to the hot tub. Apocrypha watched to make sure she was going to stay put before looking at the intruder again. "If they're hurting you, why do you keep your riggings deployed?"

The woman swallowed nervously. "I… can't dismiss them. That's… I can't say anymore about it. I just physically can't make them go away."

Apocrypha frowned, but seeing how nervous she was decided not to pursue that line of questioning any further. "What's your name?"

"I… Um, it's…" The woman reached up for the nametag fastened on the kimono. But as she did so, she remembered that that would be a dead giveaway to her lie. It would have been something that anybody interacting with her would have quickly identified, but the situation involving her guns had likely caused a distraction. The sound of the door opening and a new voice cutting through her stammering spelled both her salvation and her doom.

"That would be Akagi's pet, one she wants to call Fukurou," Zuihou stated, leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest as if she was just passing by. "I question why you're here of all places, Mariupol."

Mariupol turned and bowed deeply to Zuihou, trembling in pain as the guns on her back swayed but refusing to whimper or budge from her bow. "Lady Zuihou, I was asked to attend to the Commander. I promise I mean no harm -"

"I know you don't," Zuihou interrupted. "It's who sent you that probably does. She got you to take over Hanazuki's shift out of nowhere, didn't she? Hard to call that anything but suspicious, especially if you make a beeline for the Commander the second she's in her room."

Zuihou stepped into the room and approached 'Mariupol,' who looked like she wanted to melt into the floor but knowing she was metaphorically glued in place.

"Shikikan, please return to whatever you were doing," Zuihou said. "I'll handle Mariupol and talk to Akagi."

Apocrypha nodded, but her confusion got the better of her. "I thought you'd gone back home for the night? Why are you here?"

Zuihou sighed and rolled her eyes, holding a hand up to stop Mariupol from speaking next. "Nothing more I could wish for, but you can guess who crushed that plan. Again. I wonder if that damn woman ever sleeps."

"Lady Zuihou, please, let me speak," Mariupol pleaded when Zuihou turned to leave the room with a gesture for her to follow. "I'm begging you not to tell Lady Akagi. I-If she finds out I was caught, that I made a fool of myself with my clumsiness -"

"And who exactly made you do those things in the first place? You're not a trained spy. I'll make it absolutely clear to Akagi that you have no fault in this."

"But…" Mariupol squeaked, seeming near tears from desperation rather than physical pain.

"I wouldn't discount a report to Nagato as well. She probably deserves disciplinary action for attempting to spy on a visiting foreign dignitary."

"Lady Zuihou, I -"

"The gall of that fox for doing something that'd cause an international incident when that was exactly what she accused the Commander of doing with Nagato, I swear. Sees the best of herself, assumes the worst of everybody else."

"What about when you walk away, Lady Zuihou?!" Mariupol demanded, raising her voice for the first time in what felt like years. "You can always leave and not engage with Lady Akagi. Lady Nagato will issue whatever punishment she sees fit and return to her duties."

The water in Mariupol's eyes threatened to blur her vision too badly, so she squeezed her eyes shut and let a few tears trail down her cheeks. "I have nowhere to fall in line but next to her, and my fault or lack of it will not change what happens afterwards. She will decide that releasing her emotions onto me would be worth the trade of my inability to do even the most basic tasks for days on end."

Mariupol gingerly lowered herself to her knees and leaned forward into a bow on the floor, the barrel of her AA guns just barely above the floor with how deep the bow was. Now that her face wasn't physically visible to anybody, Mariupol found a moment of opening to release yet more tears of desperation. "Please, Lady Zuihou. There is only so much I can take if that happens. The best way to help me is to pretend you never saw me today. If you so desire, I will leave immediately. But please, do not confront her about me. Your concern is relief enough from my perspective."

Zuihou let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear nothing concerning Shikikan is ever anything but ridiculously complicated… Fine."

Mariupol dared raise her head and gaze just enough to meet Zuihou's, trails of tears visible on her face and more welling up in her eyes although now seemingly given relief.

"Leave with me right now, and I won't tell Akagi about it. But in return, change what you report to her. If you already found something, then say some other inconsequential thing. If you didn't find anything, then make something up."

Mariupol's face went white despite her already pale skin. "Y-You want me to lie to Lady Akagi?" she stammered. "But I- I mean, I didn't come here to do such a thing!"

"Everything points in that direction, Mariupol. Anybody could figure it out. I'm not blaming you."

"B-But, if Lady Akagi were to find out that I withheld information from her, the result will be the same as if you confronted her directly!"

"Then come find me," Zuihou said flatly.

Mariupol blinked in surprise. "Wh-what do you mean? Do you mean to say you'd risk angering Akagi for my sake? I must decli-"

"You think I care if that vixen gets mad? I said what I said. If Akagi gets aggressive because of what I told you to do, run and find me. I'll shoot at Akagi if I need to; that's about how little I give a damn."

"I'll offer you the same thing, Mariupol," Apocrypha said grimly. "I have to leave tomorrow, but if you're ever at the Azur Lane base or near me, come find me if Akagi starts assaulting you. I'll defend you if I have to order shipgirls to point their riggings at her."

Mariupol's eyes flashed in a mix of shock and relief, before a sob that she had previously only been able to release alone bubbled out of her throat. She immediately turned herself around on the floor, ignoring the scuffs it was leaving on her clothes, and bowed again to Apocrypha, sniffles of crying audible.

"I came here to… spy on you for Lady Akagi and report anything that might constitute… a weakness for her to exploit or blackmail." Mariupol said between sobs. "But you're still… willing to offer me protection? Do I… really deserve such kindness from you?"

Zuihou raised an eyebrow at Apocrypha, but Apocrypha ignored it as she crouched to give Mariupol's head a pat.

"I can tell you didn't want to do this from the first moment you spoke," Apocrypha responded. "In fact, Mariupol. Look at me."

Mariupol tentatively raised her gaze again, seeing the iron in Apocrypha's eyes. A sort of deep-seated rage, but not one that was manifesting because the subject of such anger wasn't present and expressing it here would be of no benefit.

"I will say that I have a very personal reason to be very angry at Akagi now that I know of your circumstances, so let me help you if nobody else will. I will spare nothing."

Mariupol let out another sob, and she lowered her head to the ground again. "Thank you, Commander," she said with a voice wavering from a torrent of emotion. "I am forever in your debt."

"Well, never expected that level of support for what I impulsively decided to do," Zuihou muttered, scratching her head. "But if that's the firepower I'm getting for this sort of operation, far be it for me to complain. Mariupol?"

"Yes, Lady Zuihou?" came a reply from someone whose head was still against the floor.

"The Commander will keep her promises. I can say that much about her. So can you now keep the one you made with me and give the Commander time for the little meeting you interrupted?"

"O-Of course!" Mariupol said, hurriedly rising to her feet and straightening the creases on her kimono. "I apologize for taking up your time with this, Commander."

"Oh sure, my time is worth nothing…" Zuihou muttered under her breath, unhedged by neither Apocrypha nor Mariupol.

With another bow, this time while standing up, Mariupol walked towards the open door, already carefully bending down to retrieve her shoes from the tile floor near the entrance.

"Actually, Mariupol?" she heard Apocrypha call behind her. "One last question."

"Yes?" came the response as Mariupol straightened herself and turned around.

"I didn't realize it until now, but your name. That's a port all the way in Europe, isn't it? If I remember correctly it's in Ukraine… Are you from Northern Parliament?"

Mariupol froze, and her mouth was already opening to push out her usual in such a situation. Denial, excuses, empty, desperate declarations of her supposed loyalty to Sakura Empire, maybe even a tearful request to not pursue the subject further. But she managed to swallow it down, and managed a smile - quite the foreign feeling for her face without it being forced. "Yes, you could say I was born in the Northern Parliament. However, I will ask that this not be brought up with them, as I have no reason to believe that any shipgirls there would recognize me as one of their own."

Apocrypha furrowed her brow at the last statement, but decided not to press further as Mariupol, followed by Zuihou, stepped out of the door and disappeared into the hallway.

"Commander?" came a voice, this time from behind Apocrypha. She turned around to see Biloxi, her riggings gone but the same towel around her, standing there with her arms crossed. Her face had the expression of someone who wanted to appear frustrated but couldn't help but feel equal measures amused at the situation.

"You sure took your sweet time with… whatever that was. I have a feeling you've, once again, voluntarily gotten into something much bigger than yourself."

Apocrypha smiled apologetically, trying to stifle a yawn as her body chose that moment to remind her that it had already been late even before the incident. "I didn't realize it was going to take that long. But it was a good chance to start figuring out how to get Akagi in check. If she's willing to abuse someone from her own faction like that, I don't want to think of how she'd treat someone outside of the Sakura Empire. I want to put a stop to it before we find out how far she's willing to go."

"Suit yourself, I guess," Biloxi mumbled. "It's pretty late, so I should probably head back to my room for the night. Thanks for inviting me over."

Apocrypha shook her head, reaching out to grab Biloxi's wrist before she could move to retrieve her clothes. "Exactly. It's late. I can't let you walk back alone."

Biloxi looked at her curiously, laughing at the concern she saw on Apocrypha's face. "I can take care of myself. Akagi's plans have already been thwarted, so it's not like we have to worry about me being followed or attacked now."

"Just stay? Please?" Apocrypha persisted.

Biloxi sighed, looking over the room while trying not to get her hopes up too much. There hadn't been any actual confirmation that this was a date or any guarantee that anything would happen between them. "If I'm taking your bed, where do you plan on sleeping?"

Apocrypha only hesitated for a moment before giving her answer. "I, uh… I figured we could share? I-If you're okay with that, of course. I'm not gonna force you to do something you don't want."

Biloxi could feel a blush creeping to her face at the implications, but nodded in agreement to the suggestion. "Alright. I guess I'm staying here tonight, then."


Biloxi was the first to wake in the morning, her mind racing to try and make sense of what had happened - or rather, hadn't happened - last night. She could still feel Apocrypha's arm thrown over her waist and the woman cuddled up against her back, but she couldn't recall anything happening . Sure, she'd been tipsy, but not so drunk that she wouldn't remember the events of the night.

It was hard not to feel like a fool for expecting something that obviously was never going to happen, or maybe her expectations had been warped by the previous holders of Apocrypha's position. They had been far more forward in advances, but maybe that wasn't how it was meant to be.

With a heavy sigh, she carefully extracted herself from the clutches of her Commander as she mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, quietly getting dressed and leaving the room. She bypassed the dining hall, heading straight for the docks once outside. It was too early to worry about any prep on her ship, but at least it gave her something to keep busy with other than her thoughts. She was halfway through her second round of preparations when she heard someone tapping on her ship, surprised to see Zuihou down on the dock.

"Shikikan said you weren't at breakfast."

"I doubt you were either," Biloxi snipped.

"Ouch," Zuihou snarked back, unfazed by the fact she was obviously not welcome at the moment. "All I'm trying to say is that she was worried when she woke up, you were gone, and you weren't at breakfast. I thought maybe you were just excited to get back home, not that you'd be out here scrubbing your ship looking all pissed off."

"I'm just thinking," Biloxi argued.

"I'm smarter than that, you know. You might be able to fool an idiot like Akagi with her tunnel vision, but that's not my game. Something happened last night and you're dodging talking about it."

Biloxi had turned back to do more cleaning on her ship, but Zuihou's words had her back at the rail, the two glaring at each other from above and below. "You want to know what happened? Nothing happened. That's the problem."

Zuihou shrugged, glancing over toward something out on the water. "You don't need to be cleaning, then. Can I make a suggestion?"

"You're going to whether I want it or not."

"True," Zuihou admitted with a grin. "Mackensen's ship got out of the drydock last night. She could use someone to spar with and make sure everything's working okay. Might be a good chance for you to go blow off some steam."

Biloxi snorted, looking over toward the battlecruiser out further in the harbor. "I think I'd call that attempting to fulfill a death wish, not blowing off steam. Last I checked, the only ones insane enough to be light ships and square up against Iron Blood's monster battleships were the Polonia destroyers. If Akashi wants to see Mackensen in action, maybe she should volunteer herself as the sacrificial chew toy."

Zuihou couldn't resist laughing along with that. "I think I'd pay to see that. You're sure you're okay, though?"

Biloxi nodded after thinking for a moment. "I'll be alright. Weird to have you being nice to me, though."

"We can go back to the days we used to all try to kill each other if you want. Not gonna help against the Sirens, but if me being civil is a problem -"

"I didn't say it's a problem, Zuihou. I said it's weird."

"Okay, okay. Whatever. I'll have the kitchen box something up for you. You'll probably be hungry once we shove off in a few hours."

Biloxi managed a small smile, nodding. "Yeah. Thanks."


Apocrypha jumped as her communicator crackled to life, followed by Kasagi's voice.

"This is aircraft carrier Kasagi reporting in. Commander, your route out of the Sakura Empire's waters is clear of Siren activity. We will remain on standby until you pass through."

Apocrypha sighed in relief at the news. "Thank you, Kasagi. I hope we'll see each other again down the line."

She returned the communicator to her pocket, looking over the ships getting the final preparations from their shipgirls to shove off. Well, most of them. She could see Zuihou further down the line still talking to Shoukaku and Zuikaku, apparently in no hurry to get moving. Shaking her head, she made her way toward the trio, whose conversation quickly died down at her approach. "Almost ready to go, Zuihou?"

"Give me a little longer. I'm just finishing up," the carrier said. "Or maybe there's a better idea. Why don't we find a Mirror Sea nearby since according to you it's so normal to exit one and be halfway across the world. We could even spend a few extra days here."

Apocrypha sighed, not at all missing the sarcasm in her voice. "Just finish saying goodbye. Midway's group is expecting us and it'll be a long trip as it is."

She left Zuihou to finish saying her farewells while heading back towards Vercingetorix's ship, surprised to see Hanazuki waiting. "I thought you'd be working at the ryokan again."

Hanazuki smiled. "I was able to get a short break so I could see you before you left. It's been a joy having you here, Commander. Will you come back again?"

Apocrypha nodded without hesitation. "I'm not sure when, but I definitely will. I've enjoyed my stay here. Thanks to you most of all," she said, reaching out to pet the pink fox ears atop Hanazuki's head. "Or maybe the next time we meet is at the base I command. Then I can offer you hospitality for what you offered me in the last two days."

Hanazuki blushed, her tail swishing happily. "I would be honored. Have a safe trip, Commander."

Apocrypha smiled, giving Hanazuki's head one last pat before making her way up onto Vercingetorix's ship, watching the others free themselves and drift away from the docks. Eventually, the heavy cruiser pulled away, too, and when Apocrypha at last lost sight of the naval town, she retrieved the communicator from her pocket once more. One last thing to do to solidify their departure from the Sakura Empire and her return to a place she'd hoped she'd left behind forever.

"Midway, this is Apocrypha. Do you read me?"

"Read you five-by-five. Go ahead."