Based on what kind of world i had been thrown into, I could forgive you for thinking that this one would end with me running straight into a oversized carrier battlegroup and then being bulldozed on top of that, Unfortunately, or perhaps in good fortune. Life in the trenches or on the seas just doesn't work that way, Most people will not ever shoot at someone with their rifle and more than often, it was just going to be dull, mind-numbing monotony. After all, I had already enough craziness in the form of me apparently being subsumed in my sleep. If anything, you're probably stuck at the office. grinding away at your time.

This was basically what i had found myself in, After the novelty of getting turned into a kanmusu had worn off, I'd found the whole experience now insanity inducing, Yes. Being able to skate on the surface was magic by itself, but several hours and the threat of sirens or either abyssals had ensured that i was never able to enjoy it, There wasn't a lot to do aside from staring at the clouds, staring at migrating birds and hoping i was able to spot something leaping out of the water. Sure, i was trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but i didn't even see a single soul for miles ahead.

Just as it so happens, I happen to be part of that modern generation that needs to be occupied, like. OCCUPIED by something 24/7, constantly soaking up information like a dry sponge. Tending to get very sleepy and delirious if i wasn't on my computer or phone. Well, It meant i was very bored, without anything to stimulate my hippocampus, Yes. I can try screwing around with my own physiology, but that was a sure ticket to disaster if something went wrong on top of me already being paranoid enough, So for now. I had to dedicate myself to hours upon hours of cruising on the high seas, as best as a isolated shipgirl can do.

Hmmmmm...

"Hey..." I grumbled, knocking the back of my hand on top of one of my main batteries.

Immediately, the 'virtual' crew responded. and i got the sensation and impression of something poking out of my rigging, At least, that's what it felt like.

I blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. As if things hadn't gotten weird enough. Not to mention how fast 'it' had popped out of nowhere. When you looked at me like that...

"Is there anything we could use for gunnery operations?" I asked. "I'm not even supposed to be here, and i never once had any form of naval training..." My voice waned off, my eyes staring at the guns on my machinery, What use are even railguns or liquid propellant cannons if the idiot using them doesn't know how to make use of them?

The expressionless avatar's responses were low. Almost too soft to hear, but i clearly heard them loud and clear. What i felt told me that there was some, and that they would go looking into the cargo bay.

And with that, as quick as the impression appeared, It was gone, One second they were here. Now next second they weren't. Honestly, i had to wonder how any of that worked. How did these avatars of what passed for a fairy 'crew' worked here in Azur lane if there wasn't no manjuu? Were they like ghosts? Slendy? I shook off that train of thoughts, I had a gut feeling that it was just probably a side effect of kanmusu-based life, much in the same way that neurons coordinated with each other. And I had bigger problems to fry, So. I instead set about on waiting for that 'fairy' to come back.

It had found some with a proud feeling, and i got the impression of it holding something over its head.

"Hmm." I muttered, brushing my hair back. "Get all main batteries ready, We're going to train in gunnery operations."

Before i knew it, The 'fairy' was tilting its head at me, Pouting a little bit and with a expression of exasperation painted onto it's face. The mental impression of its avatar only stayed beside me, for the most part. and the feeling that I should save up on ammunition stocks until I managed to make my way back to friendly territory.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm being cautious here, We're not alone out there, and whatever is out there is very much hunting us down."

I rubbed the roof plating of my main guns softly. "And besides, I told you, I never once served. but in a situation like this, I have to. if we want to live."

The frowning virtual fairy didn't say anything, didn't react to the order either.

And when i turned back around to get a proper look at it, Sure enough. It had vanished to my surprise. How did that work? What in the... nevermind.

A few minutes later, and already I was tossing out some false targets, In reality. this takes much longer than you would think, When you're dealing with huge distances, it takes quite a while to set up these dummy things. Once I had a good group set up, I went back to mentally looking through how my guns operated, how i could aim .

Intentionally, I had them spaced out in a zig zag pattern, If i had wanted to know the range of my main guns, then i simply could just fire aimlessly into the horizon and watch the shell to get some idea, For the most part however, I just wanted to develop my skills and overcome my fears about open flames or loud blasts.

"Now..." I mumbled, letting out a small yawn. "How do shipgirl guns work? It is a mental thing, or...?" I won't lie, I was actually feeling somewhat scared, Yes. I was familiar to how naval guns worked. No, I wasn't familiar to the idea of essentially a explosion happening inches away from my face, Am I going to also get knocked down as well when i fire?

Closing my eyes, I willed myself into aiming with a small whisper... much to my consternation and nothing happening. Letting out a small frustrated sigh, I tried again, this time just telling them to rise, And with a slow. discontinuous groan, Main batteries began to elevate. Then I told them in my mind to lower, which was translated in the form of my guns depressing as low as they could go,

Soon enough, doing the same mental exercises with traverse had them responding as well, and I tried telling them to both rotate and elevate as well. even if I stumbled over my mental sentence of words a few times

Of course, It also revealed a serious problem, Never once had I ever actually done the unenviable work of indirect fire, It's not like looking through a tank gunsight and shelling a mountain from the other end of the bloody-all swiss plains, The issue I had was that there was absolutely nothing to aim down, and shipgirl biology being what it is. these guns were on either side of me, All of this meant gun convergence and all the issues of offset sights even if I could use them.

Think about it, Imagine you're the gunner operating a 40mm Mark 51 director with the sight bars removed and mounted onto a handbar a meter away from you, That's the best example i can give.

Of course, I already knew how far away I was, and I wasn't moving, The only problem? I just couldn't point and shoot, Wind was a possible factor as well. and... ugh... how does one compensate for that kind of stuff? Shooting ships in 3D Warthunder or WoWs that doesn't involve the threat of getting mauled or outright death behind a computer screen? I was whacking my mind for any ideas!

"Hold on, Do i have anything on me that might help?" Wasn't it... I only just realized something, Surely if i was a shipgirl. There was a chance that i was also a modern shipgirl as well, right? At that moment, I briefly cursed myself. calling myself a idiot for not thinking about it as I concentrated on the thought, mentally calling out for any computer. anything that could help me...

And as soon as i let my mental voice ring out, my vision blurred out for a brief moment before various computer displays flickered into existence in my vision.

"What in the bloody...?" I exclaimed in surprise, shaking my head and rubbing my eyes as my vision settled down. the heads up display still very much there like I was looking through a VR headset, I let out a brief, almost sarcastic laugh. but soon enough, that confirmed my suspicions.

406mm Mark IV/FLARE

...

406mm guns? FLARE? What? I had to blink a couple of times to make sure it wasn't lying, 406mm guns. and the ones designed for the Lion-class before the end of the battleship era. They were in triple turrets, yes. But why FLARE? Were these the same guns? It was the name for a electrothermal chemical ignitor. So why was it attached to the designation?

I took a closer look at my turrets, more specifically. looking down the barrels despite the obvious dangers, Sure enough. these barrels weren't flush, there were bars at the muzzle that looked a lot like radiators, and boxes were mounted on the front plating of these gunhouses. Combined with the fact that I apparently had the ability to materialize a freaking HUD inside my eyes, The only thing that matched me was maybe a modernized Iowa, But why? Even the modern Iowas didn't have electronic computers back then!

Still, 406mm guns. That means i at least get to play with the big girls.

With too many questions in mind, and especially with the revelation of the whole HUD-eye and the fact my main batteries apparently were on a british design yet modernized with electrothermal technology. I decided to mosey around and sit down on the water... and successfully, much to my shocker.

Why did i suddenly begin to worry about my true nature, despite the whole transformation freakiness and the fishy stuff going on?