"How exactly did you know we were here?" Jean Bart questioned the other flagships. She had her left arm all bandaged and gauzed up, attached to her torso, which was also covered in bandages.
"Your carrier sent a distress signal; we only happened to pick it up," Queen Elizabeth flatly replied, unbothered by the woman's hostile glare.
"And you also happened to be casually following our same course? Say what you want, but I don't buy it," the Vichya battleship retorted.
"Jean, remember what I told you? Be on your best behavior," Richelieu reprimanded her sister.
"I see your sister hasn't changed a bit, Cardinal," Elizabeth scoffed, taking a sip from her cup.
"Don't talk like I'm not here, you midget of a Queen."
Elizabeth choked on her tea at the offensive moniker.
"Jean, that's enough!" Richelieu raised her voice. "Elizabeth was so kind to invite us to travel together, but I had to turn her down because I knew you'd make a fuss about it; and for your information, I was the one who relayed our course to them, just in case."
"What?! And when were you planning on telling me?"
"I wasn't."
The four flagships were discussing the most recent developments inside the bridge of Hermione's vessel, though with the animosity between Jean Bart and the others, the discussion was bound to take a turn for the worse. Luckily, Bismarck was there to bring back some semblance of order.
"Ladies, these pointless arguments will get us nowhere. We have more important stuff to talk about." Her firm and stern voice was enough to make them all settle down. Even Jean relented to her words.
"Like what?" Jean Bart asked. Of all the flagships of the alliance, Bismarck was the only one she had a shred of respect for. After being forcefully dragged into the Crimson Axis, the relations between the Vichya and the Iron Blood were, to say the least, strained, even now that the war was over. But despite the grudges between the two factions, Jean had come to respect Bismarck as a leader during the few interactions they had in the past. Even though her respect translated more to tolerance than actual esteem, it was enough to save the blonde woman from her verbal abuse.
"Oh, I don't know. The meeting we are about to attend? The fact that the Sirens have a shipboy as a hostage? Or maybe the fact that there's another group of Sirens from another world ready to invade us?" Elizabeth replied mockingly, still upset at Jean for calling her a midget.
"What are you talking about, Madame Elizabeth?" Richelieu inquired, perplexed.
"It's exactly what it sounds like, Cardinal. The Sirens from our guests' world may have set their eyes on us," Bismarck answered with a grave expression on her face.
"May? We are discussing the possibility of an invasion, and we are not even sure about it," Jean Beart exclaimed, baffled.
"The boys said it's all conjecture. They are pretty sure that the Siren they attempted to interact with was trying to communicate with its kind. They said it was sending them the 'coordinates' of our world, almost like a distress call, but they are unsure whether it was successful or not," Elizabeth said. After the incident with that Cube, Leviathan and Emperor had explained to them how exactly their Sirens' time bullshit worked. Going back in time and creating another timeline was relatively easy for them, but ripping the fabric of reality to travel from one world to another was a completely different story. The exact method eluded even them.
"It doesn't matter. However slim the chances of an actual invasion may be, we can't afford to ignore such a threat," Bismarck stated.
"Yeah, if they do come, they won't find us with our pants down," Jean Beart replied, being on the same page.
"I'm glad we all can agree on something," Elizabeth said, sending a dirty look at the Vichya battleship.
"Don't get used to it," the Vichya battleship retorted.
Before the two could go back to bickering, Richelieu intervened, "How do we say this to our superiors? Will they even believe us when the only thing we have to back up our claims is the word of two unregistered male Kansen?"
"They might not be willing to listen to us, not after we took the shipboys away without notice. I'm pretty sure they had plans for them, but we got in their way before they could act on them," Bismarck said with a frown.
"Unfortunately, the only thing we can do at the moment is wait until we get to Azur Lane. We'll bring my servant and the others up to speed, and we'll figure out a way to deal with the higher-ups during the meeting," Elizabeth declared.
"I agree. It's going to take a couple more days before we arrive. For now, we should all take a rest, especially you two," Bismarck said, looking at the two French battleships. Richelieu's injuries were a lot less severe than her sister's, but she had also received plenty of hits during the battle. Both of them were showing clear signs of fatigue, so it was best for them to retire to their cabins.
"You could say that. I was looking forward to taking a nap after everything that happened," Jean said, standing up on her feet and heading for the door.
With that said, the discussion came to an end, and the four flagships went their own ways, some to rest, some to deal with their other affairs.
"Good work, Hermione. You are dismissed."
Hermione smiled at the praise and curtsied to Queen Elizabeth before turning on her heels and walking away. The maid had just finished reporting to her flagship what she had heard from the conversation between the two male Kansen, and even though the subject of the discussion was nothing noteworthy, it wasn't up to her to say it, so she just relayed the exchange as she heard it. Now that she had carried out her queen's orders, she was free to go back to perform the rest of her duties.
All the shipgirls of the Orthodoxy had received damage of varying degrees during the battle. They were now resting inside their cabins, and it was her duty as a maid and as the owner of the vessel to check on their needs. There was nothing she could do to help Dunkerque, since she was encased inside Emperor's weird contraption, but she could still attend to the needs of the others, like Le Triomphant, who had trouble just standing straight with the awful wound on her back.
"Ah, Hermione. I was looking for you."
Emperor's voice reached her from behind, and she stiffened in her tracks. Being inside her own vessel gave her knowledge of the exact position and movement of every individual aboard it but didn't allow her to tell them apart. She was prepared to meet the Kansen who was approaching her location from the hallway, but she didn't expect them to be the person she had been spying on until that moment.
She turned around and met his gaze as he came to a stop in front of her. "What can I do for you, Master?" She asked him, lightly bowing her head to him.
"I was hoping you'd know where Chaser is; I wanted to apologize to her for raising my voice earlier," he told her with a demure smile. His usual mischievous look was replaced with remorse, and his short, dirty blonde locks, without his trusty tricorn hat, framed his face in a way that accentuated his sad expression even more.
Initially, Hermione didn't know what to make of the man. During the short time they spent together, the shipboy had been very open about his intentions and very forward with his advances, but she wasn't worried about it; she knew how to defend herself in case he ever went too far. But he never even tried to cross the line. On the contrary, his teasing was more on the playful side, and the more time she spent with him, the more positive traits of his personality she noticed; traits that normally would have been overshadowed by his sly and sardonic nature, which she was starting to suspect to be just a facade. In truth, he was a very mellow and caring person, and he showed that in the way he acted around Chaser and the smaller Kansen, taking on the role of the doting, encouraging elder brother.
That's why the scene he had made with the Vichya flagship had left everyone speechless. She wasn't expecting him to be so prone to rage and to act so inconsiderately towards his sister. But after eavesdropping on his conversation with Leviathan, she couldn't hold it against him. She couldn't even imagine the grief he was experiencing. If she were in his place and one of her beloved sisters were in the hands of the Sirens, she'd probably lose her composure too.
"I believe Miss Chaser is still in her cabin. Would you like me to escort you there?"
"That would be much appreciated."
Emperor followed the maid through the corridors of her hull, passing the doors of the various cabins in silence so as not to disturb the sleeping Kansen inside, until they reached what was supposed to be Chaser's room.
"Thank you, Hermione, and sorry for the trouble," he told her with a gentle smile.
"No trouble at all, Master. As a maid, it's my duty to dedicate my all to you," she replied, using the same words as her beloved mentor and friend, Belfast.
"Every time you say that, my heart skips a beat," Emperor said, bringing a hand to his chest with a smile. "If you are trying to make me fall for you, know that it's working."
Hermione brought a hand up to her lips to hide a smile. "Surely you must be jesting, Master."
"I've never been more serious in my entire life," he said approaching the door and giving it a couple of light knocks. "Also, you are free to listen in to your heart's content like you did earlier, if you want. I'm not about to hold it against you or anything." With that said, Emperor entered the room and closed the door after receiving the go-ahead from the shipgirl inside.
Hermione's smile faltered a little as her cheeks took on a deeper shade of pink. She moved to approach the door, but it opened again, revealing the amused expression of the shipboy only a few inches from her face. "Oh, and tell Elizabeth that if she wants to know something from me next time, she'll have to come and ask me herself. Thank you, sweetheart," he said, brushing one of her braids behind her ear and winking at her, then closed the door behind him for good, leaving the maid as red as a tomato and with a very bemused expression on her face.
"Brother, what was that all about?" Chaser questioned Emperor once he closed the door to her room a second time.
"Did you hear everything?" He asked, noticing that there was another person in the room. Unicorn was sitting on her bed, hugging her plushy, clearly a bit uneasy with his presence. She had all the reasons to be, after all; she was there with everyone else when he made that scene with the Vichya battleship.
"Not everything, but enough to understand what's going on," Chaser said, then remembered that she was still upset at him and turned her head away, pouting.
Emperor chuckled under his breath. He was expecting to find her in a pool of tears and was ready to go down on his knees to implore her forgiveness if he had to; but apparently, Leviathan had overexaggerated his statement. Of course, that didn't change anything; he still had to apologize for acting like a dick.
"Chaser, I'm sorry for yelling at you," he apologized, hanging his head in shame.
Chaser didn't even want to acknowledge him, but upon noticing the genuine expression of hurt on his face, she relented. She approached him and wrapped her arms around him. He did the same, not expecting the sudden hug, and the two held each other for a few seconds.
"Are you okay?" Chaser asked him.
"Yes, now I am," he replied.
The two separated and smiled at each other. Unicorn looked up at them with sparkles in her eyes. She fidgeted in place, as if trying to say something.
"Ah, right. Emperor, Unicorn has been meaning to ask you something for a while," Chaser said. "But then you spooked her with how you acted earlier," she whispered the last part into his brother's ear, then approached the shorter carrier, who was still hiding her face behind her stuffed animal, and encouraged her to step forward. "Come on, Unicorn, there's no need to be nervous."
The purple-haired shipgirl stiffly got closer to him. Gathering all her courage, she lowered her plushy and addressed the shipboy. "Um… Mister Emperor, sir, is it okay if..."
He bent down on one knee to get to eye level with her so that she wouldn't feel intimidated by his height.
"Is it okay if I call you big brother?"
There it was—the long-awaited question.
Since they set sail, Unicorn had been following him around like a duckling the entire time, but never had the courage to actually try to speak with him. His attempts at breaking the ice were also futile, since every time he tried to talk to her, she'd just run away in panic. Until, thanks to a little encouragement from Illustrious, she had asked him, with her puppy eyes, to tell her a story right before going to bed. The busty carrier told him that the purple-haired shipgirl had been bewitched by him and his stories since they first met in Devonport. He didn't have it in his heart to deny her, and from that moment on, his brotherly instinct kicked in, and he started doting on her as if she were truly her little sister.
Of course, he knew exactly what his answer was going to be.
He patted her head and gave her a warm smile. "Of course you can, little one. I'd love to be your big brother."
He already knew about her wish because Chaser told him a few days before. The purple-haired carrier always wanted to have an older brother but had already come to terms with the idea of her dream remaining as such. When he came along, she started to get her hopes up again, and after gathering all the courage she had, she confided in Illustrious first and Chaser later. Of course, both of them had been very supportive and encouraged her to open up with him.
And when he answered her positively, she felt ecstatic. Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and she started swaying on the balls of her feet excitedly. Emperor had to hold back a laugh at the adorable display.
"Isn't that great, Unicorn? You found yourself a big brother," Chaser cheered next to her.
The shorter shipgirl hid her face behind her plushy again to not show the red that was spreading on her cheeks and nodded vehemently. Such was her happiness that she was unable to properly formulate a sentence.
"I-I'll go tell big sis Illustrious!" She declared, running away from the room, disappearing behind the door in a heartbeat, much to the amusement of the two escort carriers.
"Are you all right with this? You won't get jealous or anything?" Emperor asked his sister half-jokingly.
"Please, brother. As if I could be jealous of a pure soul like Unicorn," she scoffed at his assumption. "But enough of all that. What was that with you and Hermione earlier? I want you to tell me everything." A wicked grin appeared on her face as she dragged him to take a seat on the bed. He could only sigh as he began to satisfy her thirst for gossip.
"The answer is no, Commander Travis," Admiral Chester William Nimitz replied with his usual stern tone of voice.
"But sir, we are talking about a whole 'nother world here, with Sirens that are completely unfamiliar to us. It's worth looking into it further," Ryan tried to reason with his superior over the comms.
"The alliance is investing all its resources and effort into the matter of the ASD. There are no spare funds to divert to investigate such an implausible matter as the multiverse," the Admiral replied sharply.
"With all due respect, sir, the Sirens' time-control shenanigans were also considered an alien concept when it was first brought up, and yet we've come to take it as a serious possibility over time; how is this any different from that?"
"It's different in the fact that such information comes from the mouth of an unregistered male Kansen who claims to come from another world and to have spoken with a dead Elite Siren," Nimitz replied, using the same words he heard the top brass utter.
"Sir, that male Kansen put his life on the line to save mine and that of my fleet. If that doesn't make him worthy of trust, then what would do it?"
"I know, and I'm grateful for that. I would love to meet the lad in person and offer him a beer myself, but things are never that simple, and you should know it," the Admiral said, pausing for a second to breathe out a sigh. "The brass are not happy with the Kansen and their attitude. They think they are getting ahead of themselves."
The Commander grimaced and averted his gaze from the screen. The laws to preserve the rights of the shipgirls only applied to registered Kansen, which was one of the reasons why they were pressuring him so much to capture one of the Ashes as soon as possible. When the flagships reported the presence of the shipboys to their respective leaders, everyone was ready to take the male Kansen into custody to interrogate them and maybe even experiment on them. But Queen Elizabeth and the others had anticipated them, taking the shipboys away from their clutches, and were now bringing them all to the safety of the Azur Lane joint base with the excuse of an impromptu meeting. Of course, they didn't request permission from their superiors first, and they inevitably came to see it as an act of defiance toward them.
"Is the situation that bad?" Ryan was almost too scared to ask.
"No, no, they are just whining as they usually do, but you never know what the last straw might be. That's why I'm telling you this is a delicate matter; if we push it too much, we risk making things worse."
Ryan hung his head and pursed his lips. "Sir, please, these guys only want to be together and go back to their home. Is there really nothing we can do to help them?"
"I'm sorry, son. At the moment, the only thing we can do is wait for things to calm down." With that, the Admiral dismissed the Commander.
Ryan saluted him smartly before ending the video call and slumping into his seat with a long sigh.
"Why do things always have to be so complicated?" He wondered aloud, rubbing his temples.
It was the night following the party, and he had spent the entirety of the day working, as usual. Belfast and Shoukaku helped him out as much as they could with paperwork, and he was grateful for that; at least he got to spend some time with the Sakura carrier, even though they couldn't properly enjoy it since it was during work hours.
After lunch, just before he was about to call it quits, he received the call he had been dreading the entire time. Admiral Nimitz was the one of the few people allowed to contact him directly; the man was basically his liaison between him and headquarters and the only way Ryan had to keep up with the state of the alliance and the decisions of the higher-ups.
His demeanor may appear stern and disinterested at times, but he had a heart of gold, and the interests of the Kansen were one of his top priorities, which was one of the reasons Ryan was chosen as Commander of Azur Lane in the first place. Nimitz had personally interviewed every single candidate available, and in the end, he chose Ryan, deeming him the most suitable person for the position. Of course, he wasn't the only one who had to make the call, but his words carried enough weight with both his subordinates and superiors that he could influence everyone else's decision to a certain degree.
The conversation went as he expected. The Admiral had asked for clarification about his report on the mission, and the Commander relayed to him every single new detail he had received from Freedom about the Sirens, though without mentioning the possible identity of the Creator and its implication.
When it came to the "multiverse," Nimitz didn't budge. There was no way to address the issue of the male Kansen without upsetting the leaders of the alliance. The brass didn't trust the words of the shipboys; some of them even considered them dangerous and wanted them under close surveillance and ready to be interrogated. The fact that they all slipped from their hands because of the shipgirls themselves wasn't helping with their paranoia.
Luckily, Nimitz had accepted his proposal to pass on the other information they got from Freedom as something uncovered from Ryan's own investigations. It should help fulfill the expectations of the higher-ups, and it could give them room to breathe at least until the end of the meeting between the factions.
Ryan wished he could do something more, but if even the Admiral was against the idea, then there was nothing else he could do. "How do I tell this to Freedom and Sparviero?"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he stepped outside the room and found Belfast patiently waiting for him. She noticed his grim expression and asked him, "Master, you look troubled. Did the consultation with the Admiral go badly?"
"Not exactly, Bel." The two walked outside the building, and Ryan explained the situation to the head maid.
"I see, this is quite the conundrum," Belfast frowned.
"Yeah, that's a way to put it. Do you have any idea where Freedom or Sparviero could be? I want to take this off my chest sooner rather than later," he asked the maid.
"I believe they've already retired to their room, Master, and forgive my presumption, you should do the same," Belfast declared in a serious tone. "You've been working nonstop since we've returned, and all the recent developments have taken a toll on you. How long has it been since you've taken a moment to unwind properly?"
"I... don't remember," he hung his head and conceded to the head maid. "You know what? You are right, Bel. I think I'm going to take a dip in the hot springs, and then I'm going straight to bed. I haven't been there in a while."
Belfast raised an eyebrow at him, and the corner of her lips quirked up in a smirk. "I believe it's a splendid idea, Master."
When Akashi and her bulins built the hot onsen, the Sakura shipgirls were ecstatic. The building was separated from the rest by a long cobbled pathway, and it was built right next to one of the rocky cliffs that cornered the right side of the base because, according to Akashi, it was the best spot to get maximum value from it.
The Sakura shipgirls visited it regularly, their excitement quickly spreading around base, and soon, all the other Kansen started using the hot springs whenever they had the chance. Pulled along by their enthusiasm, the Commander himself had decided to try it at least once.
Of course, him being the only man in a base full of women was bound to cause trouble if he were to just enter the building without a care in the world. For that reason, rules were established. The onsen were open from nine in the morning to eleven in the evening, and the shipgirls were allowed to use them the entire time except from ten to eleven, which was the men's turn to use them, that is, Ryan's turn.
Unfortunately, he only got to go a couple of times, because busy, and now that Belfast had brought it up, he figured it was the perfect chance to rediscover the pleasure of the hot water.
And now, he was alone in the outside pool, with his back to the entrance, leaning against the corner of the tub, his body entirely submerged up to his shoulders, and his head resting on his bath towel.
The hot water was doing wonders for his tired physique and mind, washing away the stress and fatigue of the last few days from his body.
He was so relaxed that he didn't notice the noise coming from the changing room until a voice called for him.
"How's the water, Shikikan?"
"It feels heavenly," he said with a slurred voice. He snapped his eyes open and sprung upright, turning his head toward the voice.
It was Shoukaku. She was standing a few feet behind him, her long white hair up in a bun with a traditional Japanese hair clip, clad in nothing but a white towel that barely covered her form. It was so short that it gave him a perfect view of her toned, pale legs up to her upper thighs. The shipgirl was able to keep it on only because she was holding the fabric with one hand right in front of her chest, squishing her breast in an endearing way.
Ryan was so surprised he didn't know what to say, so he just stared at her breathtaking form, slack-jawed.
Shoukaku brought her other hand to her cheek in a falsely demure gesture. "Shikikan, please don't stare at me so much; you'll make me blush."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I..." he averted his gaze, took a deep breath, and cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure. "What are you doing here, Shoukaku?"
She giggled softly at him. She took advantage of the fact that he wasn't looking to let her towel fall to her feet. "Last night, the others kept you all to themselves, and today, we've barely spoken a few words to each other because of work. I'm just here to make up for it."
"And how did you know I was here?" Ryan asked, despite having his suspicions.
"A certain someone told me," she replied as she approached the tub and dipped her foot in it before slowly immersing herself right next to him, letting out a long sigh of pleasure.
Once the shuffling to his side came to a stop, Ryan turned his gaze to her. Her glistening pale skin, her bare shoulders, her enticing nape, everything about her that was always covered by the white fabric of her kimono was exposed for him to admire. Even her chest, which was half covered from his gaze by the water of the pool, was a lot more... abundant than he expected; her everyday attire was too conservative for him to notice sooner.
"You are still staring, Shikikan," she reprimanded him playfully.
"Sorry. You look really good with your hair up."
"Ah, thank you." She wasn't expecting the genuine compliment and brought her hand up on instinct to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear like she always did, before realizing her blunder and blushing like a maiden.
Ryan scooted slightly closer to her and brought an arm around her back, his hand coming to rest on her side. Shoukaku shivered at the contact and did the same, leaning her head on his shoulder.
They stood like that for a few minutes, both content to just enjoy the intimacy they coveted so much, until Ryan broke the silence.
"So, have you heard about Massachusetts and Freedom? Apparently, they are a thing now." He knew exactly what he wanted to ask her, but he didn't want to just blurt it out of nowhere.
"Yes, I'm so happy for them. Are you trying to go somewhere with this, Shikikan?" She asked him, openly spurring him on.
"I mean… After what happened, you could say that maybe we are also in the same position, kinda… sorta..."
Shoukaku had to stifle a laugh at his clumsiness. "Shikikan, you were acting a lot more confidently yesterday when you confessed your love to me," she teased him. "I know how stressful these last few days have been for you, and if I remember correctly, we didn't get to finish what we started last time," she added with a sultry tone of voice, and he gulped at the implications.
Ryan felt something touch his inner thigh and slowly make its way upward to his groin. Shoukaku's lithe fingers wrapped around his stiff member, and she started delicately stroking him.
The Commander hissed through his teeth, and his hand, which had been resting idly on the shipgirl's waist, went to grab a handful of her rump, eliciting a gasp from her. He leaned down with his face, and she met his lips halfway through; the two kissed with fervor, exchanging saliva and intertwining tongues, while Shoukaku kept slowly stroking his member.
They kept going like that until Ryan instinctively started bucking his hips in her hand, and Shoukaku realized it was time for the main course.
She put a hand on his chest to push him away and let go of his phallus. Ryan went to lean with his back against the corner of the tub, and she moved to sit in his lap, straddling him with her legs and wrapping her arms around his neck.
She gazed into his eyes and couldn't resist teasing him a little after seeing the enamored look he was giving her. She started grinding her hips into his lap, sandwiching his manhood between his groin and her slit, eliciting another hiss of pleasure from the man. "Shikikan, tell me the truth. How long have you been waiting for this moment?"
"Ngh... longer than I'd like to admit."
Shoukaku reached with her hand between their legs and took a hold of his hard dick, bringing the tip to kiss her entrance, then she leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "Me too."
With that said, she slowly dropped onto him until his hardness filled her all the way down to the hilt, the two of them letting out a moan of pleasure and shivering at the wonderful feeling. They looked into each other's eyes and joined lips once more. Shoukaku started moving her hips up and down in a deliberately slow manner, enjoying the sensation of his girth filling her all the way up to her womb. Ryan tried to buck his hips as best as he could from his position to match her movement, losing himself in the pleasure of her inner walls wrapping his member in a soft embrace. They couldn't hear the sound of their flesh slapping against each other; only the sloshing of the water around them was audible, and the fact that they couldn't see below their midriff because of it was a huge turn-on for them.
When they separated their lips to come up for air, Ryan moved one of his hands from her back to her chest, lightly groping her breast and sinking his fingers into her flesh, marveling at her suppleness. He leaned forward to kiss her again, then moved his head to the side to nibble at her earlobe, then down on her neck, suckling on her pale skin, now rosier because of the heat of the tub and their lovemaking. He went further down with each kiss, from her shoulder to her stern, then to her breast, until he finally reached the soft hardness of her pink nipple and started nibbling at it, eliciting another moan from the shipgirl. His ministrations sent a shiver down her spine, which, mixed with the heat that was spreading through her core, was enough to tip her over the edge. Her moans became louder and her movements faster with each passing second until her orgasm hit her like a tidal wave; she clamped down onto him and hugged him tightly, hiding her face into the crook of his neck, muffling her groans of pleasure, and spasming into his embrace until she slowly came to a stop in his lap.
She looked at him with bleary eyes, slightly panting from exertion and pleasure. "Shikikan... That felt so good..."
Ryan's expression darkened for a second. "Shoukaku… I haven't finished yet."
He put his hands under her butt and lifted her up in an impressive feat of strength, eliciting a gasp from the shipgirl. He switched positions with her and turned her around so that she was showing her back to him. Now she was leaning over the corner of the tub, with her hands on the floor and her butt in the air.
He let out a long breath of anticipation. From his position behind her, he had a perfect view of her shapely ass and her dripping cunt. She turned her head to look at him, still a bit disoriented.
"S-Shikikan, what are you- Ahn!" The Commander speared himself into her folds with a swift motion and without warning, taking her by surprise with the sudden intrusion.
Ryan started pumping his hips back and forth, each slam of his pelvis sending ripples through the flesh of her ass. He grabbed her waist with his hands, quickly picking up speed until he fell into a rhythm with his movement; soon, she started getting acclimated to his thrusts, and her high-pitched moans joined the sound of his groin slapping on her ass.
"Mmh… Shikikan, you are being so rough... haah… I like it, enjoy yourself into Shoukaku's tenderness to your heart's content... Ahn!" Shoukaku moaned loudly under his thrusts, and Ryan didn't need to be told twice.
He leaned over her and brought his face next to hers, whispering in her ear, "Shoukaku, say my name."
"Shikikan? Hyah!" Ryan slapped her ass cheek, eliciting a yelp from the shipgirl as both pain and pleasure coursed through her.
"I said… Call. Me. Ryan."
"R-Ryan… Ahn!" Another slap.
"Louder."
"Ryan. Haah!" Another one.
"Louder."
"Ryan, Ryan! It feels so good! I love you so much, Ryan! Aahn!"
In response to her calling his name in such a heartfelt plea, he wrapped his arms around her form and brought her up with him, with her back attached to his front. The fervor of their lovemaking made her hairpin drop into the water, and her white hair sprawled around her form. He sank his face into her neck and took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet musk. Both his hands were roaming her front, one between her legs, earnestly flicking her clit, the other groping her tits, as he kept pounding her from behind.
He could feel the pleasure slowly building up with each thrust; his loins were begging for release, his pace was gradually increasing, and his breath was becoming shorter and quicker. Suddenly, her folds clasped tightly around his cock as her body was shaken by another orgasm, and he couldn't take it anymore.
He erupted deep inside of her, groaning loudly into her ear with the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced in his entire life. All the pent-up stress, frustration, and desire he had accumulated over the past few months washed over him in a few seconds, and he dumped it all inside his lover's depth.
Shoukaku gladly took it all in, her body shaking in bliss. They stood like that for a few seconds, panting in exertion, and once they both came down from their high, she brought a hand to her belly. "Ryan, it's so warm."
He embraced her from behind, still trying to compose himself, and kissed her on the back of her neck, then brought his face next to hers and met her lips in another more chaste peck. Before he could say anything, two familiar voices reached their ears, and they both froze in panic.
"Brother, are you sure we can use the onsen at this hour?"
"Massachusetts told me this is the only time men are allowed in here; I don't think anyone will get mad if we take a dip for a few minutes."
"Goddammit."
Freedom and Sparviero appeared at the entrance of the onsen, both clad in nothing but towels around their waists. The former was helping his brother move around, and the latter had his cane in his hand and his blindfold still on.
Ryan and Shoukaku dove under the water right on time for Freedom to lift his gaze in their direction. He froze in his tracks at the sight in front of him. The Commander was leaning with his back over the corner of the tub, with his arms spread at his sides and a fake expression of nonchalance. The Sakura carrier was completely immersed in the pool, with only her head above the water and her long, white hair sprawled around her. Her face was a deep shade of red, whether for the embarrassment or the heat, he couldn't tell.
Sensing his reluctance to move, Sparviero addressed him. "What is it, brother? Is there someone else already?"
"Yep, the Commander, and someone that I'm not sure is supposed to be here."
"G-good evening, guys," Ryan waved at them sheepishly.
Shoukaku hid her face even more, leaving only her nose and eyes above the waterline. The idea of being alone in the onsen with only three naked men was sending her brain into overdrive.
"I see. Want me to lend you my blindfold?" Sparviero asked his brother.
"No, we'll come back another time. Sorry for the interruption, Ryan; you two keep doing your things."
"A-actually, we were just about to leave, right, Shikikan?" Shoukaku intervened.
"O-of course, not that we were doing anything in the first place," Ryan said, reaching for his own towel as Freedom turned his back on them to look at the wall.
The Commander covered himself and handed Shoukaku her own towel. The shipgirl quickly did the same and scurried away, trying to fight back the embarrassment. Ryan followed behind her, but not before addressing the pair of male Kansen.
"Guys, can I ask you to keep what you saw here a secret, at least for the time being?" He pleaded.
"What are you talking about, Commander? We didn't see anything, especially me," Sparviero replied, raising an eyebrow behind his blindfold, as Freedom made an okay gesture with his hand, still facing the wall.
With that said, Ryan followed Shoukaku inside the changing room, leaving the shipboys alone.
"Welp, that was embarrassing," Freedom said, turning to his brother to guide him to the closest pool.
"Hey, Freedom."
"Yeah?"
"We should take a different tub."
"Right."
AN: Don't mind me; I'm just setting up some stuff for the future and using some smut to fill in the blanks.
Next Chapter: On Our Doorstep