Chapter 3: Fire
Part 2
The next day.
Kagerou couldn’t sleep a wink the whole night, and she was greeted by the morning bugle the moment she finally dozed off. She crawled out of bed while feeling the muscular pain, got herself dressed, then went for breakfast.
The First Officer’s Mess[1] is where the destroyer shipgirls have their meals in the dormitory. It’s basically the dining room, but traditionally it is called such.
A destroyer division is given a table to eat for themselves. Kagerou and the rest of the 14th Destroyer Division were eating their meals dispiritedly.
Each destroyer division was full of young girls, so every table was lively. They were at the age where they would laugh over playing with a mini steel reel.[2] Naturally the place was filled with shrill voices.
Meanwhile, Kagerou and the others looked as if they had just performed a Wake ceremony[3] the day before, as they had hurt themselves during yesterday's training. Not only that, the training didn't go well in the end. Even though it’s a profound thing, fleet maneuver is still the most basic among the basics. Since they couldn't even do that, it was only natural that they felt depressed.
Some of the destroyer girls were whispering with each other while looking at Kagerou who was enduring the pain in her body and having a gloomy look on her face.
She tried to listen to them while pretending to be indifferent and heard rumors such as “I heard that Kagerou-class is being forced to deal with Akebono,” and “Whoa, that's the worst thing to ever happen to her.”
She thought that was quite understandable, but she was offended when she heard “They can't even do fleet maneuvers, and it seems like they’re at a level where Akebono makes fun of them.” While that was true, they also trained desperately. Just look at the condition on their body.
The whispering continued.
“Those girls, I heard they’re called the 14th Destroyer Division.”
“I've never heard of them.”
“It's made up of the leftovers. They're all girls like that, you know?”
“I heard that even the Kagerou-class nameship is mostly just a plain girl.”
What a crap. If only Shiranui was here, you guys would just be a sorry bunch. We both will beat you senseless into the sea under the pretext of a night battle.
But her former partner wasn't here, and Kagerou could only argue in her mind.
Today's breakfast consisted of rice mixed with barley and taro miso soup. There were also eggplant pickled with salt and dried tsukudani nori.[4] They had to be physically active, so the seasoning was made to be strong. But she was too distracted to taste it.
Kagerou was already thinking of somehow finding a way to restore their reputation of being the leftovers.
It's no secret that the 14th Destroyer Division was considered the assembling of the leftovers on top of being the minor players, but it should be possible for them to rise out from that position. When she was at Kure, a shipgirl is someone who is described with the ability to show the strength to ‘add a new meaning from the word 'willingness' in the dictionary.’
For the time being, she wanted to do something about this funeral-like atmosphere and her aching body.
Kagerou tried to say something, but unexpectedly, Akebono spoke up first.
“It sucks, isn't it?” She was the only one who was lively in their group. “Why don't you say something at the very least? It would spoil my precious meal if you just kept quiet.”
“…Normally you're not supposed to talk during a meal,” Nagatsuki said. Among the other members who looked disheartened, she was the only one who kept her back straight despite her gloomy look, as she was eating her meal properly. “So just shut up and eat, Akebono.”
“What nonsense you’re saying. I wonder why the Mutsuki-class always try to overreach themselves.” Akebono waved her chopsticks. “Why don't you stop being so uptight and live a more carefree life?”
“I was born this way.”
“Born this way? Oh, so you've had this stupid personality to protect other destroyers since you were a baby, huh? I guess it's the influence of the mother who divorced the father because of domestic violence or something.”
“A destroyer's true duty is to escort others. I believe that the true duty of a warship is to protect the weak.”
“Huh, so destroyers count as warships?”
“Don't try to find faults with my words. I will not abandon others no matter what happens.”
Suddenly, Akebono's complexion changed. She put her chopsticks on the table.
“This idiot destroyer! You keep mumbling about things you can't even do, it's really annoying!”
Nagatsuki was startled by the suddenness of the outburst, but quickly retorted.
“What's wrong with protecting the weak?”
“'What's wrong' you said? Oh, yeah, I know. I know that even among the destroyers, the Mutsuki-class has the worst design.”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“If you understand that, then you should also understand that it's you who actually needs to be protected.”
“What did you say?!” Nagatsuki shouted and stood up. “I'm not like you! Don't tell me what you can't do!”
“You won't be able to protect anyone!”
The two were glaring at each other across the table.
All eyes were directed at the scene in the First Officer's Mess. Before long, conversations stopped going and they were watching the scene without even eating.
It was also the same for the rest of the 14th Destroyer Division. Kagerou was taken aback, Satsuki stared in wonder, Ushio was flustered, and Arare was the only one mechanically shoveling food into her mouth.
Nagatsuki and Akebono were directly facing each other, sparks flying. It was a critical moment. It seemed like even a single cough from someone was enough for the fistfight to start.
Then a voice came from another direction.
“Go~od morning, everyone!”
The one who entered the First Officer’s Mess was the secretary ship clad in blue uniform, Atago.
The destroyer girls started to stand up as if they were panicking. Atago stopped them with a gesture of her hand.
“Don’t worry, just stay seated, stay seated, it’s okay.”
The shipgirls who half-raised on their feet sat down again as they were. Nagatsuki and Akebono lost their momentum and also sat down.
Atago stood in a place where everyone could easily see her.
“Please listen to me while you eat. Actually, I ha~ve something to tell you all.”
There were no shipgirls who could continue eating after being told that by the secretary ship. They concentrated their attention so as to not miss a single word she was going to say.
Atago beamed.
“We will be conducting a special exercise for the destroyers in 2 weeks from now.”
The word ‘exercise’ made the destroyer girls twitch.
“Every destroyer division will participate in this exercise. We will rank the results and report them to the Admiral.”
Indescribable voices filled the First Officer's Mess.
They were something such as “That’s so sudden?!” or “Thank goodness it wasn't done unannounced,” or “I've got this one!”
For shipgirl exercises, an ally would act as the imaginary enemies, and then they had to shoot training rounds at the target and then be judged whether they hit the target or not. From there, the scores would be calculated, and they would be given points. Sometimes they also used live ammunition at a target ship. These experiences were so useful in practice that they were frequently conducted at each naval district, and it wasn't uncommon for the destroyers to compete against each other, just like what Atago mentioned.
The majority of the destroyer girls were delighted to take part in it. Unusually, the shipgirls who liked this kind of exercise were the destroyers. But the word "special" had caught their attention.
Atago continued, “Since a simple exercise is not very entertaining, we are going to involve an expedition for this exercise. Each destroyer division will perform a maritime escort mission, and the division with the most points will win.”
There were gasps.
Expeditions were solely conducted for the purpose of acquiring resources. The maritime escort mission was a mission to protect a convoy and the resources they carried on their cargo. At a glance, it was a simple mission, so the destroyers were often being tasked with the mission.
But this was far more nerve-wracking than the usual exercises. Even though they rarely encountered the Abyssal Fleet, it was still considered a real combat situation.
The fact that the exercise was deliberately called a “special exercise” was an expression of Atago's feelings.
“The raid attack will be performed by the cruisers and the battleships. They will also serve as the exercise supervisors to check whether the escort is going well or not. You can't cut corners, okay?”
She seemed pleased to hear the commotion.
“That's not all. In order to motivate everyone, we have prepared splendid prizes for the destroyer divisions with the best results~.”
Excited voices could be heard.
“First of all, the third place winner will receive an all-you-can-eat coupon for Mamiya-san’s special ice cream.”
A loud cheer spread out. All of Mamiya's special sweets were the most delicious no matter which one you choose. There were no shipgirls who weren't looking forward to it.
“The second place will be given the right to eat dinner alone with Akagi-san.”
The cheers were mixed with doubts this time.
“And first place winner… panpakapa~n!”
Kagerou asked Satsuki in a low voice, “What’s Panpakapan?”
“That's her favorite phrase.”
Atago announced at the same time as she muttered “Somehow it feels like a new store opening.”
“The right to call me ‘Big Sis’ for the rest of your life~!”
Wow, clap, clap, clap. She applauded herself.
The destroyer girls looked at each other in the face, seemingly drawing away. Everyone knew about her habit of making someone call her ‘Big Sis.’ There were hushed voices everywhere saying “Aren’t the third place and first place rewards should be switched?”
“It seems that everyone is pleased with the rewards.”
A muffled voice said “I'm not sure about that,” but that didn’t reach her ears.
“I'll inform you of the exact date and time of the exercise as soon as possible. Until then, please keep training hard, everyone.”
Atago left the room with a satisfied look on her face.
Everyone resumed their meal in the First Officer’s Mess with a complicated atmosphere around them. The conversations were “Dinner with Akagi-san means you have to be able to eat everything up, right?” or “How are you supposed to aim for third place anyway?” or stuff like that.
Kagerou, too, was ruminating over Atago's words in her head.
Is this perhaps our chance? Regardless of the prize, a win would definitely give us a good reputation. It would be a perfect opportunity to make a name for ourselves since no one has yet to know us, or even if they did, they would only know the bad reputation of the 14th Destroyer Division. Something similar happened in Kure, where I trained hard with Shiranui and others for the victory.
Above all, this is a great way to unify the whole group. A destroyer division who couldn't even perform acceptable fleet maneuvers would be reborn.
She told everyone at the table with a hushed voice, “Listen, everyone. Let's do the exercise. Our goal is first place.”
Satsuki looked puzzled.
“Do you really want to call her ‘Big Sis’ that much?”
“She's already made me call her like that. It's not about the prize. We are destroyers, aren't we? Isn't it natural to go for the win?”
“Well, that's true, but…”
“As things stand now, if we don't do anything, let alone being looked down upon, we're going to be treated like a burden. We definitely have to restore our reputation from this moment on.”
“Ohhh, so motivated, aren't you?”
“Of course. This is our chance to make our name known in Yoko District.”
“Me, I'm in, not sure about the others though.”
Satsuki said while looking at the other girls.
The response was dull, or rather none at all. Nagatsuki and Akebono were still reeling from their earlier exchange, Ushio was still being depressed since she couldn’t prevent the quarrel between those two, while Arare stopped moving since she had finished eating and looked like a radio controller with a dead battery.
Still, Kagerou said, “It's going to be all right. We can do it. We will be the best in Yoko District.”
She made a fist and clenched it tightly, to which only Satsuki responded, “Yeah!”
That day, Kagerou entered the study room before training and indulged in reading materials on maritime escort. To win, one must first know the subject in depth.
Back in Kure, she performed many missions, such as enforced reconnaissance and naval review rehearsal.[5] Those two were also categorized as expeditions because for some reason, there were also resources to bring back during the missions. However, she had never taken part on an escort mission.
“Uh, so a ship's bow is the safest under the protection of a fan-shaped formation. While the broadside is the most dangerous under the fan-shaped formation… I guess that means we have to protect the flank of the convoy.”
She mumbled to herself as she read through the thick book.
“In the case of escorting two ships, the general rule is to form a horizontal line… to protect the sides huh."
For the time being, she crammed the parts that could be useful inside her mind and quickly left the study room.
She arrived at the pier after cramming herself with the study for one hour instead of doing it overnight. She said to the members of her destroyer division who lined up in front of her, “Starting from today, we will train to escort a convoy. Since we're aiming for the top spot in the Special Exercise, as expected, I think it's better to focus our training on that.”
“I wonder if the other destroyer divisions are doing something similar,” said Satsuki.
That's only natural, so Kagerou admitted, “That's why we have to train harder than the other girls.”
“I'm not really good at fleet maneuvers. But individual maneuvers are my forte!”.
“That's all the more reason to work on that weakness,” Kagerou said encouragingly. “We're going to take first place.”
She looked at everyone.
As expected, she could see the doubt on their faces. The one who seemed the most motivated was Satsuki, but she too was half enthusiastic and half anxious.
The rest had no enthusiasm. Let alone anxious, there was someone who was also dissatisfied.
“Another ridiculous thing to do again,” Akebono said skeptically. “What's the point of trying to do something you can't achieve?”
“You won't get any better without trying.”
“It's just a waste of time.”
“Akebono is good at cruising, but the other girls are not, you know?”
“Then just do whatever you want.”
Akebono replied with a spat. Ushio extended her hand to her while calling out, “Akebono-chan…” but she brushed it away.
Kagerou raised her voice in an attempt to cheer everyone up.
“Well then, the 14th Destroyer Division will now begin the convoy escort training.”
“Yeah~!”
For some reason, there was a voice from behind.
Kagerou was startled and hurriedly turned around. There was Atago with her smiling face behind her.
Atago waved her hand lightly.
“As expected from a girl from Kure District, your spirit is on a different level. I'll give you a good look.”
“A-Atago-san?! Why?!”
“It should be ‘Big Sis,’ shouldn't it?” Atago then continued, “Occasionally, watching over the destroyer's training is also an important duty. Kagerou-chan has no one to watch over you, so I volunteered.”
Dammit, why did it turn like this, Kagerou lamented. Of all the people to watch over them, it's Atago. Even if it couldn't be helped if there's someone watching over them, she'd rather have someone with a less eccentric personality.
“But, aren't you the secretary ship?”
“There's no need to worry about the Admiral. He tried to be spoiled by Akagi-san, and now he’s become the target practice for Kaga-san's bow~.”
That Admiral is doing unreasonable things again, Kagerou cursed in her mind.
Kagerou tried to regain her composure somehow. She would have to train hard in order to achieve the first place, whether she was being watched or not.
They needed something to protect for convoy escort training above all. That was why Kagerou prepared something.
“I brought this as the replacement for the convoy, so help me put it together.”
What she had prepared wasn't an elaborate dummy of a ship model.
It was a doll painted in gray. It was a little shorter than a person's height, with two gun barrels protruding from its head, it wore a floating buoy with ‘Zekamashi’ written from left to right on it.[6]
She didn't just prepare one, but many. Atago muttered, “Oh my, how cute…”
“…Shimakaze's…turrets…?” Arare said intermittently. “Why…?”
“It's just stuffed dolls. I found them in the warehouse so brought them here. I mean, the warehouse has nothing but them,” Kagerou replied. And since there were quite a lot of them stored inside, she persuaded the guard to borrow them.
“What are… these for…?”
“These are body pillows!” It was Atago who answered Arare's question. “You can get a good night's sleep when you sleep while hugging them. That's why I put them there.”
“I feel like it will only make the higher-ups angry…”.
“It was the Admiral's idea, you know.”
This was an idea because the Admiral said he was lonely sleeping alone and asked each shipgirls to accompany him in his sleep, but they all refused. The reason why there were so many of them was because they tried to distribute them to the other naval districts and anchorages. And as expected, the heavy cruiser girls and above stopped the distribution, and the stuffed dolls that had lost their destination ended up sleeping in the warehouse. The person in question, Shimakaze, apparently danced wildly in celebration, exclaiming, “Rensouhou-chan[7] has multiplied!”
Kagerou tied the stuffed dolls together with a towing rope. Leading them was a small electric dummy that would pull them along.
“Then let's float them”
The dolls floated on the sea. It was quite a surreal sight to see the stuffed dolls wearing floating buoys with ‘Zekamashi’ written on it being lined up in rows.
“Position yourself according to my instruction. Umm, let's see, Satsuki, Ushio, and I will be on the right side of the convoy, and Nagatsuki, Arare, and Akebono will be on the left side, okay?”
The destroyer girls took their positions while staring at the stuffed dolls with a skeptical look on their faces. Akebono, who complained before, also followed suit, albeit grumpily.
“Somehow, I feel like the Rensouhous are staring at me…” Satsuki muttered, feeling eerie.
“Don't mind it. They're just stuffed dolls, so it doesn't have a mind of its own.”
“Isn't there something like a face painted on it? I feel like they're watching everything I do.”
Satsuki's body trembled in fear.
“Are you the type of girl who isn't good with ghost stories?”
“Yeah…”
This is troubling, Kagerou thought, but then she got an idea.
“Satsuki, switch position with me.”
“Eh, I'm taking the lead position?”
“I'll still be the one to give the instruction. so don't just run around recklessly.”
“Ehh, but I want to go full engine.”
Kagerou whispered to Satsuki's ear when she pouted, “The Rensouhous will be watching, you know.”
Kagerou ordered Satsuki to be in the leading position and then turned the towing dummy on.
The dummy began to advance while letting out the motor sound. The stuffed dolls were being pulled along.
“Follow Satsuki while maintaining your distance, everyone.”
Satsuki advanced as if being pushed by Kagerou's words.
Everyone cruised along with the stuffed dolls, albeit at a sluggish pace.
It took a lot of skill to maintain the formation. Looking ahead wasn't enough, they also had to pay attention to the sides while also maintaining the distance. Moreover, since they would be escorting a convoy, they also need to be on the lookout for enemy raids.
The towing dummy was letting out rumbling sounds. Then Kagerou shouted, “We're going to do the Z maneuver now!”
The towing dummy steered to the starboard automatically. The stuffed dolls were also being pulled to the right. Kagerou also followed to turn.
After a while, the dummy steered to the portside. She followed it carefully.
The ‘Z Maneuver’ is, basically, a zig zag maneuver. To avoid the enemy attacks, you move left and right like the letter ‘Z.’ Although it was an effective fleet maneuvers against aircraft, it was also frequently used by a convoy fleet that were wary against ambushes.
The towing dummy's timer kicked in and it made an even sharper turn.
“Don't let the formation collapse… Aren't you doing well, Satsuki? You're not rushing at all, you know.”
Satsuki, who was leading the line, was neither too fast nor too slow, as she kept maintaining her distance from the stuffed dolls.
She didn't look back. She was earnestly paying her attention to her side.
“I feel like I'm being watched somehow…”
“If you rush off on your own, I'm sure they will materialize into something.”
Satsuki shrieked “Eek,” and became even more cautious.
Kagerou suppressed her laugh. She entrusted the job of keeping Satsuki in check to the stuffed dolls because Satsuki didn't listen to her. Of course, the stuffed doll itself didn't have any monitoring function, but if Satsuki thought it did, then no problem.
“That's good, Satsuki, let's make a bigger move. Steer to starboard.”
They turned to the right.
“Steer to port… Hyah!?”
Bump. Kagerou collided with Ushio.
“Sheesh, don't break the formation.”
“I-I'm sorry. The movement is too sudden…”
“It's the Z maneuver, you know. You have to do it properly.”
“Umm… Can I say something?”
Ushio asked timidly, so she replied, “Sure. So what is it?”
The girl moistened her lips with her tongue before speaking.
“Umm, well, when you are escorting a convoy, you shouldn't make a sudden turn like that. You have to change the angle little by little, over and over again to make a big course change.”
Ushio explained with hand gestures. Kagerou's mistake was being pointed out, but she wasn't angry. Rather, she was surprised.
“You really know your stuff, don't you?”
“Kagerou-san's arrangement is in accordance with the “The Theory of Convoy Battle Formation and Shipgirl's Position” isn't it? But that has been revised. It said that it's better to deploy someone to protect the front and not just the flank when encountering the Abyssal Fleet. There are quite a few cases where the attack came from the front…”
“Wow, you know a lot. Was it from your experience?”
Ushio seemed to be surprised when she realized it. She covered her mouth with her hands.
“…Umm, yes, a little…”
“Hmmm. Nice, it's good to have someone with experience. I just read from a book after all.”
Haha, Kagerou laughed.
“Is there anything else I should also be aware of?”
“If the shipgirls are too considerate of each other's position, it can also disrupt the formation. It's also important to not let our relationship be like that…”
Ushio glanced sideways.
There, Nagatsuki and Arare were cruising as if they were embracing each other.
“Arare, I will protect you more than the convoy.”
“……”
Behind them, Akebono was advancing with a mocking look on her face.
Kagerou hurriedly called out to them.
“Nagatsuki! Arare! We are currently doing the Z maneuver, you know! You will collide with each other if you don't focus!”
As she said that, Nagatsuki and Arare were about to run into the stuffed dolls, and Kagerou hurriedly tried to move to the other side.
“Kagerou-san, the towing rope will trip your feet if you move panickedly!”
“Whoa, whoa!”
Kagerou hopped around as she heard Ushio's words. Akebono's face turned into contempt yet again as she watched silently.
Kagerou kept flailing around with her feet.
“I'm going to fall, I'm going to fall!”
“Kagerou-san!”
Meanwhile, Satsuki was repeatedly performing the Z maneuver in a cold sweat while being watched by the Rensouhous.
Note :
[1] : Apparently it was being named like that in reference to Royal Navy's “Gunroom.” It is basically the junior officers' mess on a naval vessel. It was occupied by the officers below the rank of lieutenant. In the wooden sailing ships it was on the lower deck, and was originally the quarters of the gunner, but in its form as a mess, guns were not normally found in it. The senior officers' equivalent is the wardroom.
[2] : I'm not quite sure about the translation, something-something about mini spinning wheel with a steel thread, a yo-yo perhaps? But yo-yo doesn't use a steel thread. Perhaps it's just a fishing reel. Or maybe a kite. I don't know.
[3] : A wake is a social gathering associated with death, held before a funeral. Traditionally, a wake involves family and friends keeping watch over the body of the dead person, usually in the home of the deceased. Originally meant to watch over the deceased in case they would ‘wake up’ from the dead, so it was originally being done for the whole night.
[4] : Preserved seaweed boiled in soy.
[5] : Both are a reference to the actual expedition in the game, the Expedition 05 and 07.
[6] : Shimakaze. Japanese destroyers have their names written on the sides of their hull instead of being given a numbered code designation, and it's also being written from left to right. But it was more of the traditional Japanese writing where they write from top to bottom from the right then continue to the left when the space is full. Also, this is how it looks.
[7] : Usually this would be translated as the ‘twin gun turret,’ but I kept it as it is since it was a nickname.
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