“Panpakapa~n!”
Atago was shouting loudly with her usual grinning face.
She was leading a fleet. Takao was behind her. Further behind were the four sisters of the Kongou-class.
A force unit sent from Yokosuka Naval District. A fleet of two heavy cruisers and four fast battleships.
After taking a look at the Equipment Utilization Request that was slipped underneath her office door, Atago immediately woke up the admiral who was dozing off and pinched him as he tried to touch her chest while still half-awake, then received his permission to use the instant-repair material. After that, she sent the Kongou sisters straight to the dock after they returned, repaired their equipment, and went to sortie once again.
The compass didn't go amiss for the second time either. And so, right now, they were rushing to Kagerou and the others' place.
“You two, thank you for guiding us. You may step back now,” Takao told the shipgirls who were cruising alongside her.
“Very well. But please let us stay a little longer,” said Ushio, who was towing Akebono. “Our precious friends are still fighting.”
Takao chuckled.
“It’s admirable, however, rescuing an injured friend is also a respectable duty. Those girls, we will be taking the responsibility to bring them home.”
“…Understood.”
Ushio nodded, then pulled Akebono and withdrew.
Takao sent a signal to Atago. Then, Atago raised her voice even more.
“Fourth battle speed on both sides!”
All of them increased their speed all at once.
Haruna said while surveying ahead, “Atago is such a slave-driver[1] too, isn't she? Immediately ordering us to sortie again, unbelievable.”
“It's urgent, so I will make use of whoever is available, whether it is Admiral or the battleships.”
‘Ufufu,’ Atago giggled. Haruna chuckled.
“Those girls, you're extremely fond of them, aren't you?”
“Yes. They called me Big Sis, so they are my precious little sisters.”
A surface battle was occurring ahead of them. Those girls confined the Abyssal Fleet swarms inside the columns of water splashes.
“Enemy: Abyssal Fleet, within firing range. Ready to shoot anytime~,” Kongou said.
Hiei, too, adjusted her aim. “We couldn't fight because of the compass earlier! I'm getting fired up! Here I go!”[2]
Kirishima narrowed her eyes to check before informing Atago, “Open all gunports. Everything is ready. Atago, we will start firing on your signal.”
“Oka~y. I understand.”
Atago turned to face the Abyssal Fleet, then shouted loudly, “Open fire—!!”
Gigantic shells spewed out from the clusters of gun barrels and drew an arc before swooping down on the Abyssal Fleet.
Columns of water splashes emerged before Kagerou's eyes.
It wasn't from the enemy. It was from allies. Moreover, it was from 35.6cm shells fired by battleships' cannons. The roaring sound of the impact enveloped the Abyssal Fleet.
Kagerou turned around. There was Atago and Takao. Then, the four sisters of the Kongou-class. Kagerou had never felt more comfortable hearing the sound of bombardments from battleships' main guns.
”Everyone! Atago-san and others are here, they've come to help us!”
Cheers rose among the destroyer girls.
“Anyone injured, step back! I'll send them flying!”
“Me too, I'll join you!” Satsuki raised her hand.
Next to her, Nagatsuki said as well, “Backing off here will bring shame to destroyers' name.”
“…Let's…do it…”
Kagerou nodded vigorously at Arare's words.
“Alright, let's do this again!”
Thanks to Atago's fleet bombardment, the Abyssal Fleet swarms were thrown into chaos. 'If you want to do it, now is your chance,’ their destroyer spirit seemed to whisper.
A Ro-class destroyer was split in half after it got hit by Kongou's shell. The surrounding area was caught by the explosion. During that time, Kagerou and the others dashed swiftly, weaving their way through.
Satsuki and Nagatsuki ceaselessly fired their 12cm guns. They hit the isolated He-class light cruisers one after another, sinking them with hell fires.
“Nagatsuki, you have become skilled at shelling, haven't you?!”
“I won't miss even a single shot now!”
Nagatsuki repeatedly fired with unparalleled accuracy, while Satsuki evaded left and right, toying with the enemy.
Meanwhile, Kagerou and Arare aimed and went for the big one.
Everything in their surroundings were just columns of water splashes. The density of the bombardment was so intense that it was incomparable to other areas. Kagerou had no fear. She sharpened her senses, dodging the shells with unbelievable reaction speed. Everything for the sake of defeating the enemy. To fulfill her duty as a destroyer shipgirl.
The rotational speed of their main engines were already at the maximum level. It roared as if obeying its owner. Pouring their energy on their feet and pushing their way through the waves, the destroyers charged forward.
“That one!”
Kagerou pointed at the Ru-class battleship.
“Let's attack her. If we sink her, the others will scatter away running!”
There was only one way for a destroyer to take on a battleship, and it was by using the lethal weapon they carried on their back. They had fired it a while ago, but the girls still had it. The Asashio-class and Kagerou-class were equipped with torpedo reloading gear. A valuable mechanism that enabled them to reload even during combat.
“Second load!”
The torpedoes were inserted into the launcher once again. A buzzer signaling the reload completion echoed.
The Ru-class battleship howled. The Abyssal Fleet were trying to gather around her. They were being rained down by Atago and Takao's shells there. Numerous Ro-class destroyers were sunk as well.
Between the waves, a different Abyssal Fleet figure emerged.
“15 degrees to the right! Chi-class torpedo cruiser!”
Arare changed her course after hearing Satsuki's voice.
“…I won't let you…”
Arare launched her torpedoes. The warhead on the tip of the lance that could blow away the enemy in a single hit plunged forward in a straight line. This time the fuse functioned properly. The moment it hit the Chi-class, it exploded and sent the Chi-class into the bottom of the ocean.
“Go! Kagerou!” Nagatsuki shouted. “It's right in front of you!”
The Ru-class battleship figure became bigger. It was glaring at Kagerou, full of hatred.
16inch shells were fired. Kagerou dodged it just before it hit her. Her body was covered in seawater, fragments rained down all over her, but she absolutely would not alter her course.
I will bring that battleship down.
The Ru-class battleship bombarded her. The wind pressure grazed her cheek. Then once more, this time the gun barrels on her shoulder were aimed at Kagerou's head.
A bombardment sound echoed. The Ru-class was staggered. Hiei and Haruna's attack struck it. The Ru-class lost her balance, and her gun barrels pointed somewhere away.
“Fire—!!” Kagerou yelled.
She launched her torpedoes and turned around at the same time. Then, the torpedo explosion resounded.
The Ru-class battleship was engulfed in blazing flames. It bent backward, exploding after igniting her own ammunition.
G̷͎͉̹͚̀̃͑R̷͔̙̥̈́Ȏ̴͈͊̽́Â̶̹̰̥͓͛̀̅A̵̙̣̣̓̿Ḁ̶̢̦́̈́̄…̸͓̑̉̈̀…̶̡̧̃͝
She let out a death agony from her mouth. She gradually became smaller, scattering the other Abyssal Fleets away.
The moment she was reduced into sea debris, the entire battle was over.
Kagerou and the others returned to Yokosuka port.
They brought Akebono ashore first and took her straight to the dock. According to Kongou, “It has been cleared out, so you can take your time~,” or so she said.
Naturally, the girls weren't greeted by applause on their return, let alone an orchestral performance. The fact that they rushed out while disobeying orders didn't change. However, many shipgirls took turns to see Kagerou and the others, some looked relieved, some strongly nodded, and some struck a pose pumping their fists.
Since the Special Exercise was halted midway, the ranking order was undecided. Some of the shipgirls were relieved because they wouldn't have to call Atago “Big Sis.”
After taking a short rest, Kagerou and the others were summoned before Atago.
Atago was waving the Equipment Utilization Request on her hand.
“Being unusually honest has both merits and demerits, doesn't it? Thanks to this, I was able to help you guys.”
She was glancing at the sheet of paper. Her usual smiling face and her slightly weird atmosphere was still there, which kind of made it scarier. Kagerou was sweating on her back.
“Ah, um…”
“I went ahead to rescue you guys because I noticed it earlier, but that also means I discovered that everyone was disobeying my order. You wouldn't be caught doing so if I hadn't noticed it, but you guys would've become scraps of ocean seaweed by now.”[3]
“Yes…” Kagerou cast her eyes down.
Atago put the sheet of paper on her desk.
“Now then, about your punishment.”
“I will accept it,” Kagerou immediately said. “I am the lead ship of the 14th Destroyer Division, so I am responsible for everything. Therefore, I shall enter the detention barracks.”
“No! The one who suggested that we go to help Akebono-chan was me! That's why the responsibility should only fall on me!” Ushio said, brushing Kagerou aside.
Nagatsuki stepped forward as if to cover up those two.
“We can't call ourselves a shipgirl if we can't protect our friend. I will bear all the blame, so you can dismantle me or do whatever you want to me.”
“Me me, I will enter the detention barracks! I wanted to try entering the detention barracks at least once anyway!”
“…I don't mind…detention barracks…or even prison…it's OK…”
Satsuki swung her arms around, and even Arare asserted herself.
Atago made a face that seemed to say, ‘This is troubling.’
“Hm, right. Originally, Akebono-chan's unauthorized sortie was why it led to this, so let's start with—”
Everyone responded to these words with the same remark, “Akebono has nothing to do with this!”
Atago's droopy eyes drooped even further.[4]
“Geez…” Kagerou straightened up her back. “We would like to take the punishment, please.”
“...Oh well, then, you will be under house arrest for a while. I will permit going around destroyer dormitories and the dock, but don't go anywhere aside from those places.”
“Yes. And what else?”
“That's your only punishment.”
Kagerou blinked her eyes at Atago's words.
“Errr… What about the detention or the court-martial…?”
“You want to be put into trial?”
“N-No. Not in the slightest.”
“Then, that's all.”
The 14th Destroyer Division members were staring in puzzlement. Atago gave them a warning, “It's just for this one time only. The next time you do it again, I won't let you call me 'Big Sis' anymore.”
‘I wouldn't mind that,’ Kagerou wanted to say. Atago glanced up at the clock on the wall.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Where are we going?”
“It seems like the people from the convoy fleet want to give a letter of thanks to the brave destroyers and the destroyer division they belong to. They expressed their gratitude over and over again, you know?”
Then Atago grinned.
“Well done. After all, destroyers are our pride.”
Hearing that compliment, Kagerou barely restrained herself from leaping in joy.
In the dock, or also known as Shipgirl-Exclusive Medical Treatment Facility. Kagerou and the others entered the room labeled with ‘One’ on the door.
The person who occupied the room was Akebono. They were coming to visit her.
“Don't you get bored of only seeing my face day after day?”
Kagerou replied to Akebono's words with a friendly grin, “I'm not bored at all, because Akebono is cute.”
“Hmph. Ridiculous,” she said, her face turning red.
The room was crowded with bouquets and fruits left by people who visited her. Some were from the people from the convoy who were rescued, some by the battleships, cruisers, and even the carrier girls.
The gifts from other destroyer divisions were usually attached with a message card. ‘Best wishes on getting docked. Get well soon,’ ‘To the proud uncooperative girl,’ ‘In commemoration of the heavily damaged. Dedicated to the heroic destroyer,' and such were written on the card, showing the other destroyer divisions' peculiar affection toward her.
A brave shipgirl was always respected.
Akebono was no different.
Kagerou looked around.
“Huh, Akebono is more popular than I thought.”
“There's no way that's true. If they really cared about me, they would've used the instant repair material on me, wouldn't they?”
“That's because they wanted Akebono to have a good rest.”
“I'm certain that they thought it was a shame that I didn't sink.”
Akebono looked away, perhaps trying to hide her embarrassment.
“I…don't think so…” Arare said while peeling an apple from the gifts. “The destroyer girls…spoke so highly of you…because…Akebono single-handedly held back the Abyssal Fleet…so the convoy could be rescued… Some of the girls…were also enthusiastic…saying that it would be their turn next…”
Hearing that, Akebono turned her face away even further.
“Only an idiot would do such a thing. You guys who also followed me also idiots.”
“We…wouldn't be able to save Akebono…if we weren't idiots…”
“You can say something like that now, eh? Destroyers somehow really are full of twisted and bad-mouthed girls after all.”
Everyone was looking at her with a grin.
“By the way, the other destroyers asked us to tell them about what the battle was like,” Nagatsuki said after clearing her throat. “I wondered which scenes I should make an impression of. And as expected, in my opinion, it would be best if I told them mainly about Akebono's extraordinary role, or so I thought…”
“Don't bother telling them such unnecessary things. Just tell them that a foolish destroyer fought alone and ended up in tatters and became a laughingstock, isn't it fine?”
“That's fabricating things. As expected, I had to be true to the facts.”
“You don't have to be accurate, just make it like it's a joke material for a banquet.”
At that moment, Satsuki raised her hand.
“Me! Me! I can imitate the scene at that time!”
Satsuki lay on her back on the floor, then flailed her limbs around.
“Wouldn't Kagerou and the others die?! I don't want everyone to die!”
“Huuh!?”
Akebono—who should've been injured—sprung up.
“What was that supposed to mean?!”
Nagatsuki nodded while folding her arms.
“Akebono, you were the one who said to make it like a joke. We can recreate the scenes as accurately as possible since we can match everyone's memories. I planned to show them something around these scenes as the emphasis.”
“Quit it!”
“This impression, the movement of the feet is excellent.”
Satsuki was still thrashing her limbs around on the floor. Her impression of a selfish girl who was throwing tantrums was, strangely, skillful.
“My beloved everyone will die! Even though I loved them!”
“Did I say such things?!”
“It's somewhat exaggerated, but that's why it's called entertainment,” Nagatsuki responded seriously. Ushio joined the impression while chuckling and took Satsuki's hands.
“Akebono-chan, didn't you hear what I said?!”
“I don't want them to die! I don't want them to die!”
“The way you grab Ushio's arms here is amazing.”
“Idiot!!”
Akebono pulled the blanket to cover her head as she yelled while flushing bright red to the ears. Kagerou and Arare were laughing while holding their stomach while watching the scene.
Kagerou shook Akebono's body. “Hey Akebono, the best part starts from here.”
“Shut up! This is why I hate being around destroyers! They're all idiots! Acting overly-familiar! Spouting nonsense like being friends or companions at any given chance! At any rate…for someone like me…”
A very quiet voice sounded from inside the blanket.
“But… Thank you.”
Naturally, those words were heard by everyone.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
In the prefabricated office building. Atago entered the room and saluted the Admiral.
“Thank you for your hard work,” A man who sat frivolously on a chair said. “I'm glad that the convoy was safe. What about the destroyers?”
“One heavily damaged. The rest only suffer minor injuries.”
“Let her rest in the dock. She's a praiseworthy ship. Please bring me the Equipment Utilization Requests and Sortie Authorization Requests after you backdate the time and date of the documents.[5] I'll sign them without looking at the content.”
After saying that, he glanced at Atago.
“In any case, you have already prepared it anyway.”
“Yes.”
Atago submitted the stack of papers she had been holding on her back.
The admiral signed them one after another. Atago was watching the scene with a smile.
“This incident seems to have brought the 14th Destroyer Division close together.”
“That's good to hear.”
“Admiral is extremely concerned about Akebono-chan’s reclusiveness after all.”
“Well, that's because destroyer divisions are the cornerstone of a naval district.”
“There's no need to ask her to bombard the office building anymore, it seems.”
“Letting her alone doing nothing would only leave her depressed. Besides, it was such a good opportunity to be spoiled by the battleships and carriers.”
He returned the signed documents to Atago.
“I'll leave it to you to send them to the higher-ups.”
“Understood. There was a phone call just now, I have put it on hold.”
“I'll take it, so please pick it up. How about a meal together with just the two of us this time?”
“You told Tatsuta-san the same thing the other day, didn't you? I have to decline, so no, thank you.”
Atago flatly refused straight away, then went out of the office.
The Admiral shrugged his shoulders, then took the phone receiver. It was connected after the encryption devices shutted out the several wiretaps that were attached to the phone.
“…Ah, it's me. Thanks for sending Kagerou over, that really helps. She's delivering great results just like what I've heard. With her, our destroyer divisions are perfect…What? Return her? Don't be ridiculous, she's already accustomed to the waters around Yoko District. Even if it's possible to return her, I still won't return her to you.”
He laughed, then lowered his voice.
“There's something I wanted to ask. It's about the Abyssal Fleet's activity. The recent raid on the convoy, it happened on a course where the Abyssal Fleet shouldn't have appeared. We managed to overcome the crisis, but...what about you there? ...Ah, as expected.”
The Admiral slightly nodded to the other person on the phone.
“Are the Abyssal Fleet approaching? They've resumed their activities, you know. …That reminds me, I'll be over there on my next official trip. I'll see you then.”
The phone receiver still hadn't been put down. The conversation between the two of them continued.
Yokosuka waves, basked by the sunlight, shone glitteringly. The pier, hit by the waves to-and-fro, soaked wet.
And the sea was, still calm and quiet as it was.
To be continued.
[1]: Hitozukai, a person who makes another person work very hard, often with little or no help or remuneration.
[2]: A reference to Hiei's in-game voice line when joining the fleet.
[3]: A metaphor for death at sea. Essentially saying ‘You'd be dead by now.’
[4]: Her droopy eyes become wider. Something like this.
[5]: Backdate, to put the date to be older than it should have. Making it like they have already received permission before they sortied.
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