Part 1
The rainstorm was accompanied with violent wind. It's daytime, but the sky was dark. The wind created strong waves, while the rain was swirling. The splashes of seawater obstructed the view, resembling a white curtain.
Currently, the sea was in the midst of a storm. On a whim, the anticyclone was pushing out the cyclone to the east, consequently making an increased weather activity in the frontline. That was the cause of the rainstorm and the violent wind. Like a typhoon, the waves were raging, and the previously tranquil sea transformed into something like a crowd of wild beasts as a result.
All six destroyer shipgirls—the 14th Destroyer Division—led by Kagerou, were right inside of it.
“Both sides advance at cruising speed![1] Keep your distance carefully and don't bump into each other!”
Kagerou, who led the line, yelled at the wireless microphone. It's impossible for her voice to be heard in the midst of this storm if she spoke like usual. That's why she constantly shouting a while ago.
She didn't look behind. The striking wind gave her the illusion that it would shred her neck into pieces if she turned her head to look back just now. She proceeded to advance with the assumption that everyone would be following her.
The sea surface, their foothold, gradually rose. Kagerou's body was lifted and released from gravity force for a moment, then dropped back down.
She didn't fall over. Shipgirls were always equipped with stabilizers. Those girls were humanity guardians invested with enormous budgets, so it’s impossible for them to sink just because of a mere storm. Despite that their physiques were not so different from any ordinary girls, their strengths were exactly on a par with the average warships.
“Both sides advance at full cruising speed!”
Kagerou shouted again and increased her speed. As if responding, the storm began to intensify the wind and rain coming in front of them.
She called the shipgirl who should be right behind her.
“Satsuki! You're following me properly right!?”
“I am!”
The response came without a moment's delay.
“I still can see Kagerou's back perfectly after all!”
Shipgirls had navigation lights attached on their back which would turn on during nighttime or storms like this. This light was what Satsuki used as a guide. If it's too far, she wouldn't be able to see the light, however if it's too close, she would bump into Kagerou. The ideal would be to maintain a moderate distance.
At any rate, there's a storm right now, so all of 14th Destroyer Division members were earnestly maneuvering to keep themselves in a single line.
Kagerou forced herself to look behind. Certainly, Satsuki continuously maintained a proper distance behind her.
“If your rigging is damaged by the waves, report it immediately!”
“I've been training, so don't worry!”
Satsuki was a shipgirl of the Mutsuki-class destroyer, which was said to have problems with their toughness. In her case, she tried to overcome her shortcomings by training her body on her own.
Kagerou only did a quick glance to check on her, but she seemed to be sailing properly with both feet, and there didn't seem to be any damage on her rigging as well. It seemed like her training yielded good results.
Kagerou squinted her eyes towards the incoming wind and rain in front of her. She wondered what would happen when they exercised inside the storm, but so far, it's been going well.
“Arare, what about you?”
“I'm fine ....”
There was a mechanical-like reply somewhere.
“No problem. ... Just a little windy ...,” Arare said, in the middle of the storm that seemed like it would blow her entire figure away.
Arare, an Asashio-class destroyer, rarely expressed her emotions and usually was silent. Even when she opened her mouth, she would only say the bare minimum, thus she could be uncanny at times. However, in midst of this storm, her much needed composure somewhat gave her the image of being reliable.
Arare was right behind Satsuki.
“Even if Satsuki gets swept away ... I can help her ....”
“I won't be swept away, you know?!”
Satsuki quickly raised an objection towards Arare's words.
“I said it already, didn't I? I've been training.”
“But, Mutsuki-class is ....”
“We are both destroyers after all, so we are pretty much all the same! Rather than me, you should worry about Nagatsuki.”
There was a pause for a half a second, then Arare said, “I've stopped worrying about her .... On the contrary, Nagatsuki shouldn't be too dependent on me.”
“Oi, hold on a sec.”
Nagatsuki hurriedly objected.
“I’m not being dependent on you that much. I'm just relying on you a bit. It's quite the opposite, right now I'm the one who's covering for you, Arare.”
“Is that so?”
“That's obvious.”
Sea water engulfed her from overhead, and Nagatsuki's lines ended up sounding only like a squelch.
The wind and rain were getting more and more intense, taking away the leisure for the destroyer shipgirls to chat. They continued to be tossed around on the ocean like leaves.
High waves far exceeding their height formed one after another. The waves were crashing into each other and became even larger, rocking the shipgirls from their foothold. If they're not careful, they likely would lose track of their current location in an instant.
But Kagerou didnt intend to abort their training and return home. She was happy to sail out into the storm. When it came to real battle, they would have to fight whether at night or in a typhoon. So Kagerou wanted to put herself in the same situation.
‘The harsher the training, the more experience you get,’ was what her previous superior, Jintsuu, had said. She had experienced firsthand the validity of that statement since she had just put herself in the similar situation.
Kagerou looked forward. Then she declared to the destroyers following her behind.
“Change of formation! Form a Double Line! The vanguard of the first one is me, the other one is Nagatsuki!”
Nagatsuki responded “Understood” in a calm voice.
Despite the previous conversations, Nagatsuki's calmness was still very trustworthy. Her old bluffing characteristic had completely gone, and her heart had become composed. She became capable of paying attention to the situation of the entire members of the destroyer division. That's why Kagerou entrusted her with the heavy responsibility of the vanguard role.
But of course, the more shipgirls like her, the better.
“Ushio should take over the vanguard position from Nagatsuki after a while. Is that okay?”
Ushio seemed surprised, and after a pause, she replied “Y … Yes!”
Kagerou didn't give any warnings or encouragements for her. For Ushio, who often appeared timid, coldness was sometimes necessary. That was why she didn't say anything more.
Ushio didn't complain or refuse, and the silent determination communicated through the radio gave a sense that she had become stronger than ever.
“Retsu 2H!”[2]
After the signal was given, the line changed its course 25 degrees to the right. While turning, the shipgirls split into two formations with Kagerou leading one line and Nagatsuki leading the other line.
“Hou 1!”[3]
Kagerou continued to yell at the radio.
"Lets face the waves!"
At the same time, a lamp signal was sent out. The 14th Destroyer Division changed course 10 degrees to the right, directly facing into the raging wave.
They took on the rain. The wind was so strong that they couldn't look up properly.
The waves were finally coming. Their feeling were assailed by the rising sea surface. Even when they got over the top of a wave, a second and third wave would continue to hit them. Kagerou and the others struggled hard to maintain their distance between each other.
“Vanguard ship change!”
Nagatsuki's voice came from the other formation. Ushio stepped forward and then took the lead. After confirming it, Kagerou said, “First Battle Speed! Make adjustments of the Red and Black at will!”
Red and Black were the signals to increase or decrease the rotation speed. The speed of each shipgirls varied slightly depending on the performance and maintenance status of the main engine. Therefore, the speed could be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the main engine while keeping the speed category fixed.
Kagerou glanced at Ushio who was supposed to be beside her. She was maneuvering and trying to match Kagerou as her reference earnestly.
There were risks, but it’s not that dangerous yet. The weather was such that there could be a collision between shipgirls if they handled it poorly, but there’s no sign of that in Ushio.
‘Its safe for the time being, I guess?’ so Kagerou thought. Kagerou was now the leader of 14th Destroyer Division, but there's no telling when or where she would be replaced. It's possible that it could happen in the midst of a battle.
‘If only Shiranui was here, I could just entrust everything to her.’
She was Kagerou's partner during her time at Kure, a destroyer shipgirl she lived and trained together with. If it's that girl, Kagerou wouldn't have to say a single word, since she would understand everything.
Kagerou shook her head, ‘No, no, I have to stop such thoughts. I'm now in Yokosuka, not Kure. Beggars can't be choosers. Even in worst case scenario, I have to trust the members of the 14th Destroyer Division.’
Speaking of the worst, she's also worried that their cannons and torpedoes might be unusable. Kagero operated her rigging arm and moved the cannon to the front of her body.
It was covered in seawater, but there was no problems in using it so far. That was natural, and no matter what kind of storm it was, it would be bad if they couldn't use it.
She sent a radio for confirmation just in case.
“Everyone, is your rigging okay?”
"This is Ushio, there’s no problem.”
“Satsuki here, I'm fine.”
“Arare. Several ammunition magazines are lost.”
Kagerou murmured “Uh-huh.” Even if the cannons and torpedo tubes were fine, having ammunition loss or getting covered with seawater and being unusable were common occurrences. Many shipgirls describe this event by the phrase "getting struck by a whirlpool."
She trained today partly to prevent this from happening, since it was very noticeable on stormy days, but it didn't go quite well.
No measures had been taken at this stage. According to the opinion of important figures, having radar would make a dramatic improvement, but it couldn’t be supplied to the destroyer shipgirls easily.
‘I wonder if I should request it from the Admiral…?’
As Kagerou was thinking about this, she was slapped in the face by the waves. She almost fell over, so she panickedly rearranged her posture.
“At the next signal, we'll go back to Line Ahead. Akebono!”
“What is it now?”
"When we return back to Line Ahead, replace Nagatsuki as the rearguard."
“You’re really treating others harshly, aren’t you?!”
The rearguard in a Line Ahead formation was the second most important position after the vanguard. She had to keep the line intact and watch over to make sure no one in the fleet got separated. This was especially important on days like this when the weather was bad.
Akebono shouted as she moved next to Kagerou, "You’re always making me do annoying things, aren’t you! Why do I have to be the rearguard?!”
"Because you're the best at fleet movement! The best girl does the most annoying things!” Kagerou yelled back.
“Even now, when you’re next beside me, you don’t bump into me, see?”
“Like I said, that’s why…”
The water pressure was like a muddy stream. The rainstorm jolted their bodies. The seawater soared high and they were covered head first by the waves.
“Oh, come on!!” Akebono spat out the seawater in her mouth. "I haaate stormy weather!!" Then she yelled at Kagerou, “I hate you too!”
“That’s right! I like you!” Kagerou yelled back.
At that moment, Akebono's face turned red, but Kagerou, who had closed her eyes to avoid the rain, couldn't see it.
“Akebono, get back to the rear, the rear!”
“... I get it!”
Akebono moved to the rearguard position while muttering complaints. On the way, Nagatsuki asked her, "What's with that face?" and Akebono yelled, "Shut up!"
Kagerou issued a command without worrying about such exchanges.
“1st battle formation!”
The signal to switch over to Line Ahead was given. With Kagerou as the vanguard and Akebono as the rearguard, the 14th Destroyer Division proceeded through the storm.
"Let’s do the torpedo battle drills! Don't actually shoot them! Since if we lose it, we’ll have to listen to those snide remarks again!”
She could hear Satsuki's voice, “Kagerou was called out the other day, wasn't she?”
"Every time you guys lose a training torpedo, I have to increase my written apology, you know!? If you understand, then prepare for torpedo attacks!”
Each shipgirls took a shooting stance that suited them. They pointed their torpedo firing tubes in the same direction while being wrinkled by the waves.
The attack sound was cut off because of the storm.
.
.
What was the Abyssal Fleet?
It’s the common enemy of mankind, monsters that ruled the seas and devoured ships.
Well, then what was a shipgirl?
It’s an existence that could defeat the Abyssal Fleet, their mission was to save humanity.
If so, the shipgirls had to constantly train and increase their combat power. Otherwise, humanity would be destroyed. Therefore, they were placed in real battle or training situations and were not allowed to stop.
That was the reason for their existence as the shipgirls, and it was something that had been drilled tremendously into them during the aptitude test. That's why Kagerou never neglected her training even on stormy days, while the other destroyer shipgirls followed suit, even though they complained about it.
By the time they returned to Yokosuka naval base, the storm had subsided and the sky was clear. Kagerou and the rest of the 14th Destroyer Division climbed off the pier while soaking wet.
“Well then, today’s training is over,” Kagerou said while brushing her bangs up from her face.
"Let's go take a bath together."
A relieved atmosphere flowed through. After a training session like this, they would want to enter a bath more than anything. Some of the shipgirls prefered to just take a shower, but the overwhelming majority prefered to submerge their entire body in the bathtub.
They grabbed the towel and change of clothes they had prepared and headed straight to the bathhouse.
The bathrooms were located on the first floor of the dormitory. The carrier dormitory, battleship dormitory, and cruiser dormitory all had their own bathrooms, but the destroyer dormitory had the largest bathrooms. Because of the large number of destroyer shipgirls, this was the only point where the destroyer dormitory had advantage over the gap between the battleship and the other ship they were always being conscious of.
They undressed in the changing room. Satsuki swiftly rinsed herself off and went into the bathtub first.
“Yay!”
Her small body sank in the hot water and then resurfaced. Each of the other girls went in as well.
“Ah, it feels good.”
Satsuki flapped her legs.
“Taking a bath after training is really exceptional. Somehow, I feel like having a drink.”
“What are you talking about?” Nagatsuki said. She was leaning against the bathtub.
“You've never drank sake to begin with.”[4]
“I think I’ve heard about Jun’you-san and the others drinking in the bath though.”
The rainstorm was accompanied with violent wind. It's daytime, but the sky was dark. The wind created strong waves, while the rain was swirling. The splashes of seawater obstructed the view, resembling a white curtain.
Currently, the sea was in the midst of a storm. On a whim, the anticyclone was pushing out the cyclone to the east, consequently making an increased weather activity in the frontline. That was the cause of the rainstorm and the violent wind. Like a typhoon, the waves were raging, and the previously tranquil sea transformed into something like a crowd of wild beasts as a result.
All six destroyer shipgirls—the 14th Destroyer Division—led by Kagerou, were right inside of it.
“Both sides advance at cruising speed![1] Keep your distance carefully and don't bump into each other!”
Kagerou, who led the line, yelled at the wireless microphone. It's impossible for her voice to be heard in the midst of this storm if she spoke like usual. That's why she constantly shouting a while ago.
She didn't look behind. The striking wind gave her the illusion that it would shred her neck into pieces if she turned her head to look back just now. She proceeded to advance with the assumption that everyone would be following her.
The sea surface, their foothold, gradually rose. Kagerou's body was lifted and released from gravity force for a moment, then dropped back down.
She didn't fall over. Shipgirls were always equipped with stabilizers. Those girls were humanity guardians invested with enormous budgets, so it’s impossible for them to sink just because of a mere storm. Despite that their physiques were not so different from any ordinary girls, their strengths were exactly on a par with the average warships.
“Both sides advance at full cruising speed!”
Kagerou shouted again and increased her speed. As if responding, the storm began to intensify the wind and rain coming in front of them.
She called the shipgirl who should be right behind her.
“Satsuki! You're following me properly right!?”
“I am!”
The response came without a moment's delay.
“I still can see Kagerou's back perfectly after all!”
Shipgirls had navigation lights attached on their back which would turn on during nighttime or storms like this. This light was what Satsuki used as a guide. If it's too far, she wouldn't be able to see the light, however if it's too close, she would bump into Kagerou. The ideal would be to maintain a moderate distance.
At any rate, there's a storm right now, so all of 14th Destroyer Division members were earnestly maneuvering to keep themselves in a single line.
Kagerou forced herself to look behind. Certainly, Satsuki continuously maintained a proper distance behind her.
“If your rigging is damaged by the waves, report it immediately!”
“I've been training, so don't worry!”
Satsuki was a shipgirl of the Mutsuki-class destroyer, which was said to have problems with their toughness. In her case, she tried to overcome her shortcomings by training her body on her own.
Kagerou only did a quick glance to check on her, but she seemed to be sailing properly with both feet, and there didn't seem to be any damage on her rigging as well. It seemed like her training yielded good results.
Kagerou squinted her eyes towards the incoming wind and rain in front of her. She wondered what would happen when they exercised inside the storm, but so far, it's been going well.
“Arare, what about you?”
“I'm fine ....”
There was a mechanical-like reply somewhere.
“No problem. ... Just a little windy ...,” Arare said, in the middle of the storm that seemed like it would blow her entire figure away.
Arare, an Asashio-class destroyer, rarely expressed her emotions and usually was silent. Even when she opened her mouth, she would only say the bare minimum, thus she could be uncanny at times. However, in midst of this storm, her much needed composure somewhat gave her the image of being reliable.
Arare was right behind Satsuki.
“Even if Satsuki gets swept away ... I can help her ....”
“I won't be swept away, you know?!”
Satsuki quickly raised an objection towards Arare's words.
“I said it already, didn't I? I've been training.”
“But, Mutsuki-class is ....”
“We are both destroyers after all, so we are pretty much all the same! Rather than me, you should worry about Nagatsuki.”
There was a pause for a half a second, then Arare said, “I've stopped worrying about her .... On the contrary, Nagatsuki shouldn't be too dependent on me.”
“Oi, hold on a sec.”
Nagatsuki hurriedly objected.
“I’m not being dependent on you that much. I'm just relying on you a bit. It's quite the opposite, right now I'm the one who's covering for you, Arare.”
“Is that so?”
“That's obvious.”
Sea water engulfed her from overhead, and Nagatsuki's lines ended up sounding only like a squelch.
The wind and rain were getting more and more intense, taking away the leisure for the destroyer shipgirls to chat. They continued to be tossed around on the ocean like leaves.
High waves far exceeding their height formed one after another. The waves were crashing into each other and became even larger, rocking the shipgirls from their foothold. If they're not careful, they likely would lose track of their current location in an instant.
But Kagerou didnt intend to abort their training and return home. She was happy to sail out into the storm. When it came to real battle, they would have to fight whether at night or in a typhoon. So Kagerou wanted to put herself in the same situation.
‘The harsher the training, the more experience you get,’ was what her previous superior, Jintsuu, had said. She had experienced firsthand the validity of that statement since she had just put herself in the similar situation.
Kagerou looked forward. Then she declared to the destroyers following her behind.
“Change of formation! Form a Double Line! The vanguard of the first one is me, the other one is Nagatsuki!”
Nagatsuki responded “Understood” in a calm voice.
Despite the previous conversations, Nagatsuki's calmness was still very trustworthy. Her old bluffing characteristic had completely gone, and her heart had become composed. She became capable of paying attention to the situation of the entire members of the destroyer division. That's why Kagerou entrusted her with the heavy responsibility of the vanguard role.
But of course, the more shipgirls like her, the better.
“Ushio should take over the vanguard position from Nagatsuki after a while. Is that okay?”
Ushio seemed surprised, and after a pause, she replied “Y … Yes!”
Kagerou didn't give any warnings or encouragements for her. For Ushio, who often appeared timid, coldness was sometimes necessary. That was why she didn't say anything more.
Ushio didn't complain or refuse, and the silent determination communicated through the radio gave a sense that she had become stronger than ever.
“Retsu 2H!”[2]
After the signal was given, the line changed its course 25 degrees to the right. While turning, the shipgirls split into two formations with Kagerou leading one line and Nagatsuki leading the other line.
“Hou 1!”[3]
Kagerou continued to yell at the radio.
"Lets face the waves!"
At the same time, a lamp signal was sent out. The 14th Destroyer Division changed course 10 degrees to the right, directly facing into the raging wave.
They took on the rain. The wind was so strong that they couldn't look up properly.
The waves were finally coming. Their feeling were assailed by the rising sea surface. Even when they got over the top of a wave, a second and third wave would continue to hit them. Kagerou and the others struggled hard to maintain their distance between each other.
“Vanguard ship change!”
Nagatsuki's voice came from the other formation. Ushio stepped forward and then took the lead. After confirming it, Kagerou said, “First Battle Speed! Make adjustments of the Red and Black at will!”
Red and Black were the signals to increase or decrease the rotation speed. The speed of each shipgirls varied slightly depending on the performance and maintenance status of the main engine. Therefore, the speed could be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the main engine while keeping the speed category fixed.
Kagerou glanced at Ushio who was supposed to be beside her. She was maneuvering and trying to match Kagerou as her reference earnestly.
There were risks, but it’s not that dangerous yet. The weather was such that there could be a collision between shipgirls if they handled it poorly, but there’s no sign of that in Ushio.
‘Its safe for the time being, I guess?’ so Kagerou thought. Kagerou was now the leader of 14th Destroyer Division, but there's no telling when or where she would be replaced. It's possible that it could happen in the midst of a battle.
‘If only Shiranui was here, I could just entrust everything to her.’
She was Kagerou's partner during her time at Kure, a destroyer shipgirl she lived and trained together with. If it's that girl, Kagerou wouldn't have to say a single word, since she would understand everything.
Kagerou shook her head, ‘No, no, I have to stop such thoughts. I'm now in Yokosuka, not Kure. Beggars can't be choosers. Even in worst case scenario, I have to trust the members of the 14th Destroyer Division.’
Speaking of the worst, she's also worried that their cannons and torpedoes might be unusable. Kagero operated her rigging arm and moved the cannon to the front of her body.
It was covered in seawater, but there was no problems in using it so far. That was natural, and no matter what kind of storm it was, it would be bad if they couldn't use it.
She sent a radio for confirmation just in case.
“Everyone, is your rigging okay?”
"This is Ushio, there’s no problem.”
“Satsuki here, I'm fine.”
“Arare. Several ammunition magazines are lost.”
Kagerou murmured “Uh-huh.” Even if the cannons and torpedo tubes were fine, having ammunition loss or getting covered with seawater and being unusable were common occurrences. Many shipgirls describe this event by the phrase "getting struck by a whirlpool."
She trained today partly to prevent this from happening, since it was very noticeable on stormy days, but it didn't go quite well.
No measures had been taken at this stage. According to the opinion of important figures, having radar would make a dramatic improvement, but it couldn’t be supplied to the destroyer shipgirls easily.
‘I wonder if I should request it from the Admiral…?’
As Kagerou was thinking about this, she was slapped in the face by the waves. She almost fell over, so she panickedly rearranged her posture.
“At the next signal, we'll go back to Line Ahead. Akebono!”
“What is it now?”
"When we return back to Line Ahead, replace Nagatsuki as the rearguard."
“You’re really treating others harshly, aren’t you?!”
The rearguard in a Line Ahead formation was the second most important position after the vanguard. She had to keep the line intact and watch over to make sure no one in the fleet got separated. This was especially important on days like this when the weather was bad.
Akebono shouted as she moved next to Kagerou, "You’re always making me do annoying things, aren’t you! Why do I have to be the rearguard?!”
"Because you're the best at fleet movement! The best girl does the most annoying things!” Kagerou yelled back.
“Even now, when you’re next beside me, you don’t bump into me, see?”
“Like I said, that’s why…”
The water pressure was like a muddy stream. The rainstorm jolted their bodies. The seawater soared high and they were covered head first by the waves.
“Oh, come on!!” Akebono spat out the seawater in her mouth. "I haaate stormy weather!!" Then she yelled at Kagerou, “I hate you too!”
“That’s right! I like you!” Kagerou yelled back.
At that moment, Akebono's face turned red, but Kagerou, who had closed her eyes to avoid the rain, couldn't see it.
“Akebono, get back to the rear, the rear!”
“... I get it!”
Akebono moved to the rearguard position while muttering complaints. On the way, Nagatsuki asked her, "What's with that face?" and Akebono yelled, "Shut up!"
Kagerou issued a command without worrying about such exchanges.
“1st battle formation!”
The signal to switch over to Line Ahead was given. With Kagerou as the vanguard and Akebono as the rearguard, the 14th Destroyer Division proceeded through the storm.
"Let’s do the torpedo battle drills! Don't actually shoot them! Since if we lose it, we’ll have to listen to those snide remarks again!”
She could hear Satsuki's voice, “Kagerou was called out the other day, wasn't she?”
"Every time you guys lose a training torpedo, I have to increase my written apology, you know!? If you understand, then prepare for torpedo attacks!”
Each shipgirls took a shooting stance that suited them. They pointed their torpedo firing tubes in the same direction while being wrinkled by the waves.
The attack sound was cut off because of the storm.
.
.
What was the Abyssal Fleet?
It’s the common enemy of mankind, monsters that ruled the seas and devoured ships.
Well, then what was a shipgirl?
It’s an existence that could defeat the Abyssal Fleet, their mission was to save humanity.
If so, the shipgirls had to constantly train and increase their combat power. Otherwise, humanity would be destroyed. Therefore, they were placed in real battle or training situations and were not allowed to stop.
That was the reason for their existence as the shipgirls, and it was something that had been drilled tremendously into them during the aptitude test. That's why Kagerou never neglected her training even on stormy days, while the other destroyer shipgirls followed suit, even though they complained about it.
By the time they returned to Yokosuka naval base, the storm had subsided and the sky was clear. Kagerou and the rest of the 14th Destroyer Division climbed off the pier while soaking wet.
“Well then, today’s training is over,” Kagerou said while brushing her bangs up from her face.
"Let's go take a bath together."
A relieved atmosphere flowed through. After a training session like this, they would want to enter a bath more than anything. Some of the shipgirls prefered to just take a shower, but the overwhelming majority prefered to submerge their entire body in the bathtub.
They grabbed the towel and change of clothes they had prepared and headed straight to the bathhouse.
The bathrooms were located on the first floor of the dormitory. The carrier dormitory, battleship dormitory, and cruiser dormitory all had their own bathrooms, but the destroyer dormitory had the largest bathrooms. Because of the large number of destroyer shipgirls, this was the only point where the destroyer dormitory had advantage over the gap between the battleship and the other ship they were always being conscious of.
They undressed in the changing room. Satsuki swiftly rinsed herself off and went into the bathtub first.
“Yay!”
Her small body sank in the hot water and then resurfaced. Each of the other girls went in as well.
“Ah, it feels good.”
Satsuki flapped her legs.
“Taking a bath after training is really exceptional. Somehow, I feel like having a drink.”
“What are you talking about?” Nagatsuki said. She was leaning against the bathtub.
“You've never drank sake to begin with.”[4]
“I think I’ve heard about Jun’you-san and the others drinking in the bath though.”
“It’s just a rumour. Though I heard the aircraft carrier girls have a lot of heavy drinkers.”
“If that’s true, then I’d be jealous.”
"That's why, it's just a rumour."
It was true that aircraft carrier girls drink a lot, and it was said that it’s proportional to the hard work they do. It was also believed that the more carrier-based aircraft they lost, the more they drank, but no one had ever questioned the true meaning behind that.
“I'm sure all of the carrier girls like to drink… like Houshou-san… who even runs a store…” Arare said as she hurled the hot water up with her hand.
Satsuki looked up at the ceiling. “I've been there once.”
"The destroyers... everyone else has done it at least once..."
“I heard that she’s retired though, is that true?” Ushio joined the conversation.
In the evening, the light carrier Houshou sometimes made a snack corner stand in the kitchen. The shipgirls affectionately called it "Houshou Eating House" or "Houshou’s Tavern”.
Although she was a veteran who had been in the naval base for a long time, only a few have seen her sortied. For that reason, it was also rumored that she had been decommissioned from battle.
“Apparently, she's still on active duty from the official documents,” Nagatsuki said.
“I also heard that she personally volunteered to give her turns to the other carrier girls.”
“Is that so…”
Ushio's gaze wandered through the air as she submerged in the bathtub.
“I wonder, someday, will we be decommissioned too...?"
“If that’s true, then I’d be jealous.”
"That's why, it's just a rumour."
It was true that aircraft carrier girls drink a lot, and it was said that it’s proportional to the hard work they do. It was also believed that the more carrier-based aircraft they lost, the more they drank, but no one had ever questioned the true meaning behind that.
“I'm sure all of the carrier girls like to drink… like Houshou-san… who even runs a store…” Arare said as she hurled the hot water up with her hand.
Satsuki looked up at the ceiling. “I've been there once.”
"The destroyers... everyone else has done it at least once..."
“I heard that she’s retired though, is that true?” Ushio joined the conversation.
In the evening, the light carrier Houshou sometimes made a snack corner stand in the kitchen. The shipgirls affectionately called it "Houshou Eating House" or "Houshou’s Tavern”.
Although she was a veteran who had been in the naval base for a long time, only a few have seen her sortied. For that reason, it was also rumored that she had been decommissioned from battle.
“Apparently, she's still on active duty from the official documents,” Nagatsuki said.
“I also heard that she personally volunteered to give her turns to the other carrier girls.”
“Is that so…”
Ushio's gaze wandered through the air as she submerged in the bathtub.
“I wonder, someday, will we be decommissioned too...?"
Everyone went silent for a while.
There were replacements for them. They might be sunk and stricken, or they might decide to stay away from battle and be stripped from their rigging, and returned to being ordinary girls. At that time, they also relinquished their ship names and were no longer "shipgirls". Then another girl received the ship name and became the new shipgirls.
They weren’t forced to retire at any point in time. Even so, the question of how long and whether they could remain being shipgirls would eventually become unavoidable. Above all, there was also the serious and sensitive question of whether they would be able to remain alive until their retirement.
“...... Why do you have to think about that?” Nagatsuki said.
"We have a mission to fight the Abyssal Fleet. We should focus on what's in front of us."
"We are destroyers. Even if we're not decommissioned, we could still be sunk.”
"We are shipgirls, so there is always a possibility of death. We all have an equal chance of sinking, that’s why, for now we have to focus on defeating the enemy.”
Then Satsuki interjected, “I agree with Nagatsuki. We’ve not even participated in a large-scale operation. We haven’t done anything remarkable, you know. It's no use worrying about it, right?”
Everyone was almost convinced, but then Arare spoke in her usual monotonous voice.
“There's a chance we'll sink before we even do anything...”
There were replacements for them. They might be sunk and stricken, or they might decide to stay away from battle and be stripped from their rigging, and returned to being ordinary girls. At that time, they also relinquished their ship names and were no longer "shipgirls". Then another girl received the ship name and became the new shipgirls.
They weren’t forced to retire at any point in time. Even so, the question of how long and whether they could remain being shipgirls would eventually become unavoidable. Above all, there was also the serious and sensitive question of whether they would be able to remain alive until their retirement.
“...... Why do you have to think about that?” Nagatsuki said.
"We have a mission to fight the Abyssal Fleet. We should focus on what's in front of us."
"We are destroyers. Even if we're not decommissioned, we could still be sunk.”
"We are shipgirls, so there is always a possibility of death. We all have an equal chance of sinking, that’s why, for now we have to focus on defeating the enemy.”
Then Satsuki interjected, “I agree with Nagatsuki. We’ve not even participated in a large-scale operation. We haven’t done anything remarkable, you know. It's no use worrying about it, right?”
Everyone was almost convinced, but then Arare spoke in her usual monotonous voice.
“There's a chance we'll sink before we even do anything...”
Nagatsuki said reproachfully, “There. What do you mean by that? Pessimistic words will bring you bad luck. If we’re going to sink anyway, then we might as well fight for our friends till the last moment.”
“... Nagatsuki is saying something cool… How sly…”
“I’m not sly!”
“Until a while ago, you were hiding behind my shadow…”
"Now I have changed. I'm here not just to protect Arare, but everyone too.”
"As I thought, it's cool... How sly."
“Like I said, I’m not sly!”
Satsuki and Ushio laughed with "Ahaha."
Nagatsuki was indignant.
"Well, at any rate, if you're really worried about being sunk, you'll have to train yourself.”
"Did you do muscle training too, Nagatsuki?” Satsuki asked.
Nagatsuki's face frowned.
“Why would I…? No wait, that might be a good way, but…”
“We've got a lot of experience, it would be good if we can get stronger.”
Arare said in a monotonous voice, “If you want to be strong, maybe it's time to consider it...”
“You mean getting remodeled?”
“That’s right…” Arare nodded. Ushio, who was listening to the conversation muttered, "A remodel, huh… If I’m not mistaken, it is said to strengthen armour, but…”
Plans to strengthen the shipgirls to counter the Abyssal Fleet had existed for some time. Various methods were explored by the technical team, but they were ultimately summarized into two categories, `modernization` and `remodel`.
In both cases, the rigging was modified to improve their performance. Modernization was a rather simple process, and many shipgirls received it like having a snack.
On the contrary, a remodel could only be undergone once or twice, as they would work on the fundamentals of their rigging. Instead, a significant increase in performance was to be expected.
“If I receive a remodel, I suppose I’ll have less to worry about…”
“Me, I have received modernizations, you know?” Satsuki raised her hand. “I thought that maybe muscle training alone wouldn't work, so I tried it.”
“... Nagatsuki is saying something cool… How sly…”
“I’m not sly!”
“Until a while ago, you were hiding behind my shadow…”
"Now I have changed. I'm here not just to protect Arare, but everyone too.”
"As I thought, it's cool... How sly."
“Like I said, I’m not sly!”
Satsuki and Ushio laughed with "Ahaha."
Nagatsuki was indignant.
"Well, at any rate, if you're really worried about being sunk, you'll have to train yourself.”
"Did you do muscle training too, Nagatsuki?” Satsuki asked.
Nagatsuki's face frowned.
“Why would I…? No wait, that might be a good way, but…”
“We've got a lot of experience, it would be good if we can get stronger.”
Arare said in a monotonous voice, “If you want to be strong, maybe it's time to consider it...”
“You mean getting remodeled?”
“That’s right…” Arare nodded. Ushio, who was listening to the conversation muttered, "A remodel, huh… If I’m not mistaken, it is said to strengthen armour, but…”
Plans to strengthen the shipgirls to counter the Abyssal Fleet had existed for some time. Various methods were explored by the technical team, but they were ultimately summarized into two categories, `modernization` and `remodel`.
In both cases, the rigging was modified to improve their performance. Modernization was a rather simple process, and many shipgirls received it like having a snack.
On the contrary, a remodel could only be undergone once or twice, as they would work on the fundamentals of their rigging. Instead, a significant increase in performance was to be expected.
“If I receive a remodel, I suppose I’ll have less to worry about…”
“Me, I have received modernizations, you know?” Satsuki raised her hand. “I thought that maybe muscle training alone wouldn't work, so I tried it.”
“How was it?”
To Ushio's question, she tilted her head, “I feel like I haven’t changed much? I wonder how it is different from muscle training? Though I think maybe it failed.”
“How do you even know if it succeeded or not?”
“I don't know. But aren’t we all destroyers? It's not like there's going to be much difference even if we succeed in undergoing modernization.”
If it were a battleship, the effects would be apparent, but they’re just a small-sized warship that was even called "tin can". After all, there were some destroyer shipgirls who concluded that it was just a mistake and did not undergo the modernization process.
"I wonder if a remodel would be different?”
"I wonder about that. Maybe it's worth a try.”
Satsuki flapped her legs, causing waves to form in the bathtub.
Kagero listened to the exchange while taking a shower and thought, ‘A remodel, huh?’ So far, she hadn’t thought of getting remodeled. There were times when she wished to become stronger, but when it came to remodeling, it's a different story. In the first place, the remodeling itself was done to the shipgirl who was nominated by the admiral, so it was possible that their turn would not come around.
What's more, it became difficult to retire once they underwent a remodel. The admiral was reluctant to let go of the shipgirls that had been remodeled, and the shipgirls too, by saying “Because I’ve been remodeled,” chose to fight to the bitter end. It required a different kind of determination than retiring.
"Hey, have Kagerou thought of getting a remodel?” Satsuki's voice traveled through the air. Kagero gave the shower tap a big twist and it let out a large amount of hot water.
“I have never thought about that.”
“Even back in Kure?”
“I didn't have time for that, you know?”
Generally speaking, the training was so strict that she had to do her best to keep up with it every day. She was grateful for that though, because it made her tougher.
She closed the shower tap.
"A remodel is like something out of another world you know?"
"So it’s the same for Kagerou.”
"If I do that, you’ll have to be a shipgirl forever, won't you?”
“That’s so not bad I think?”
“I still can’t decide it out.”
Although she volunteered, she was just an ordinary girl before she was called by her ship name. Sometimes she also thought of her old life. She had nothing to do with fighting before, and yet now it became so violent.. She never told anyone about her actual name, except to the partner who she was separated from.
Would she receive a remodel? Or would she possibly remain just the same? Or would she rather decide to retire?
It's not just the destroyer shipgirls. It's a common trouble that all shipgirls have, it’s just that they don't talk about it.
The bathroom became quiet. The only sound was the water dripping from the ceiling.
“... It’s no use worrying about it." Akebono, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth.
“I’m not Nagatsuki, but, isn’t it fine if we just focus on the battle at hand? We are shipgirls. Nothing more, nothing less.”
She was immersed in hot water up to her shoulder.
"There’s no point being gloomy, isn’t it? At any rate, someday you'll feel like an idiot for worrying about it you know?”
“Is that so?”
To Satsuki's words, Akebono said, “I mean, sooner or later, this battle will be over.”
If it were a battleship, the effects would be apparent, but they’re just a small-sized warship that was even called "tin can". After all, there were some destroyer shipgirls who concluded that it was just a mistake and did not undergo the modernization process.
"I wonder if a remodel would be different?”
"I wonder about that. Maybe it's worth a try.”
Satsuki flapped her legs, causing waves to form in the bathtub.
Kagero listened to the exchange while taking a shower and thought, ‘A remodel, huh?’ So far, she hadn’t thought of getting remodeled. There were times when she wished to become stronger, but when it came to remodeling, it's a different story. In the first place, the remodeling itself was done to the shipgirl who was nominated by the admiral, so it was possible that their turn would not come around.
What's more, it became difficult to retire once they underwent a remodel. The admiral was reluctant to let go of the shipgirls that had been remodeled, and the shipgirls too, by saying “Because I’ve been remodeled,” chose to fight to the bitter end. It required a different kind of determination than retiring.
"Hey, have Kagerou thought of getting a remodel?” Satsuki's voice traveled through the air. Kagero gave the shower tap a big twist and it let out a large amount of hot water.
“I have never thought about that.”
“Even back in Kure?”
“I didn't have time for that, you know?”
Generally speaking, the training was so strict that she had to do her best to keep up with it every day. She was grateful for that though, because it made her tougher.
She closed the shower tap.
"A remodel is like something out of another world you know?"
"So it’s the same for Kagerou.”
"If I do that, you’ll have to be a shipgirl forever, won't you?”
“That’s so not bad I think?”
“I still can’t decide it out.”
Although she volunteered, she was just an ordinary girl before she was called by her ship name. Sometimes she also thought of her old life. She had nothing to do with fighting before, and yet now it became so violent.. She never told anyone about her actual name, except to the partner who she was separated from.
Would she receive a remodel? Or would she possibly remain just the same? Or would she rather decide to retire?
It's not just the destroyer shipgirls. It's a common trouble that all shipgirls have, it’s just that they don't talk about it.
The bathroom became quiet. The only sound was the water dripping from the ceiling.
“... It’s no use worrying about it." Akebono, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth.
“I’m not Nagatsuki, but, isn’t it fine if we just focus on the battle at hand? We are shipgirls. Nothing more, nothing less.”
She was immersed in hot water up to her shoulder.
"There’s no point being gloomy, isn’t it? At any rate, someday you'll feel like an idiot for worrying about it you know?”
“Is that so?”
To Satsuki's words, Akebono said, “I mean, sooner or later, this battle will be over.”
All of them instinctively agreed with her.
Akebono was right. They are shipgirls, and their mission was to fight the Abyssal Fleet. They could worry about it later. This wasn’t the place for them to be concerned about such a thing.
Satsuki's eyes flickered.
“Somehow, it's refreshing to hear Akebono's honest opinion, right?”
Akebono was right. They are shipgirls, and their mission was to fight the Abyssal Fleet. They could worry about it later. This wasn’t the place for them to be concerned about such a thing.
Satsuki's eyes flickered.
“Somehow, it's refreshing to hear Akebono's honest opinion, right?”
“Aren’t you being unexpectedly rude?”
“Even though your chest is flat.”
“Aren’t you the same as me?!”
"Because we’re destroyers. Though, Ushio’s really huge, don’t you think?"
“W-what is it…?”
“Can’t you divide it in half and give it to me?”
“I can’t. It’s impossible.”
“Don't say it like that.”
Satsuki tried to extend her hands to Ushio who twisted her body. The hot water sprang up with a splash.
"Doesn't a destroyer has no need for something that big?”
“This thing just grew up on its own!”
“So you’re aware that it's huge. I don't like it."
The two destroyer shipgirls frolicked out. Everyone was dumbfounded but did not stop them.
Satsuki brought up breasts as a topic not just to joke around. It was because the topic had become serious and she wanted to put a stop to it. Compared to the carrier and battleship girls, destroyer girls were less conspicuous and their lives were shorter. Thinking about the future has made it gloomy.
Rather than worrying about such things, it was better to distract it with laughter. She often did this sort of thing, and they all knew it.
Kagerou tried to leave the bath while looking sideways at Satsuki and Ushio who were playing in the bathtub.
“Huh… You’re done already...?”
She answered Arare words while looking back, "Well, I have to submit the training report."
“If so, I can help…”
It was a nice offer, but... Kagerou shook her head.
“It's okay. I need to get used to doing this alone, otherwise Atago-san might scold me.”
“Even though your chest is flat.”
“Aren’t you the same as me?!”
"Because we’re destroyers. Though, Ushio’s really huge, don’t you think?"
“W-what is it…?”
“Can’t you divide it in half and give it to me?”
“I can’t. It’s impossible.”
“Don't say it like that.”
Satsuki tried to extend her hands to Ushio who twisted her body. The hot water sprang up with a splash.
"Doesn't a destroyer has no need for something that big?”
“This thing just grew up on its own!”
“So you’re aware that it's huge. I don't like it."
The two destroyer shipgirls frolicked out. Everyone was dumbfounded but did not stop them.
Satsuki brought up breasts as a topic not just to joke around. It was because the topic had become serious and she wanted to put a stop to it. Compared to the carrier and battleship girls, destroyer girls were less conspicuous and their lives were shorter. Thinking about the future has made it gloomy.
Rather than worrying about such things, it was better to distract it with laughter. She often did this sort of thing, and they all knew it.
Kagerou tried to leave the bath while looking sideways at Satsuki and Ushio who were playing in the bathtub.
“Huh… You’re done already...?”
She answered Arare words while looking back, "Well, I have to submit the training report."
“If so, I can help…”
It was a nice offer, but... Kagerou shook her head.
“It's okay. I need to get used to doing this alone, otherwise Atago-san might scold me.”
The training and battle reports were handed over to the secretary ship first. The current secretary ship, Atago, had big breasts and a nonchalant attitude. Although sometimes she would press the destroyers by saying "Please call me big sister," she was also very perceptive. When Kagerou happened to identify a mistake on her document, she would grumble and said "You don't have to fix it right away, you know? In exchange, please call me ‘big sister’ a hundred times, okay?” Of course Kagerou opted to fix it immediately.
“Ah, if you're going to submit a report, can you also include a request for torpedoes?” Nagatsuki words could also be heard.
“I'm a little worried about current firepower. If we want to acquire a new one, we might as well ask for the powerful one.”
“Okay, I'll do it. But I think I've asked for it many times though.”
“Don’t give up. I can't ask for it so I’ll count on you."
This type of request was often made by the light cruisers that handled the destroyers. There would be problems with discipline and it would be out of order if the request was done individually, so it was stipulated in the regulations. In the case of the 14th Destroyer Division, it was done by the leader, Kagerou.
She nodded. "I'm going to be a little tight with my request. Don't expect too much, okay?”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. Well then, see you later.”
Kagero went back to the changing room.
She put on her dry clothes. The shipgirl clothes were their armor, and it wasn't something you would find on the street, but there was only one change of clothes available.
She went to the study room and wrote up a quick report on her desk. She checked the report several times to make sure that she left no mistakes. She didn’t forget to add a note at the end of the report, saying "To increase the destroyer's firepower, requesting an upgrade of the torpedoes to the new model.”
She left the destroyer dormitory and headed to the naval base office building.
On the way, she passed several shipgirls.
(It’s all unfamiliar faces...)
She thought as she followed them with her eyes. Lately, she felt like there were more unfamiliar shipgirls. Were they the newly recruited shipgirls? Or were they transferred here?
(Yokosuka is going to be a big group, huh?)
It felt like it’s going to be bigger than Kure where she once had been. Would there be enough dorm rooms and dock spaces? Would there be enough chairs in the first officer's quarters? It wasn’t something she had to worry about though.
She entered the naval base office building. She went up to the stairs, then raised a voice in the front of Atago’s room, "Pardon the intrusion.”
Atago was inside.
"Oh my, it’s Kagerou-chan. I wonder what it is?”
The blond haired woman smiled. She was still nonchalant as always. At a glance, it seemed like she wasn’t busy.
But that didn’t mean Kagerou could be careless. She already knew that this woman was good at doing her job regardless of her outward appearance.
Kagerou walked into the room and handed over the document in her hands.
"This is the training report."
"Well, it’s rather quick. Big sister is proud to have such an excellent little sister.”
Kagerou tried to ignore the second part of the dialogue as much as possible.
“I shall leave now.”[5]
“Ah, wait, wait!”
Atago flailed her arms.
"How cold, aren’t you my little sister?"
“Shouldn’t you understand?”
“Just a minute, I need to tell you something.”
Atago spoke without breaking her smile, “As a matter of fact, you should know that there's been an increase in the number of shipgirls in YokoBase lately, right?”
“Ah, if you're going to submit a report, can you also include a request for torpedoes?” Nagatsuki words could also be heard.
“I'm a little worried about current firepower. If we want to acquire a new one, we might as well ask for the powerful one.”
“Okay, I'll do it. But I think I've asked for it many times though.”
“Don’t give up. I can't ask for it so I’ll count on you."
This type of request was often made by the light cruisers that handled the destroyers. There would be problems with discipline and it would be out of order if the request was done individually, so it was stipulated in the regulations. In the case of the 14th Destroyer Division, it was done by the leader, Kagerou.
She nodded. "I'm going to be a little tight with my request. Don't expect too much, okay?”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. Well then, see you later.”
Kagero went back to the changing room.
She put on her dry clothes. The shipgirl clothes were their armor, and it wasn't something you would find on the street, but there was only one change of clothes available.
She went to the study room and wrote up a quick report on her desk. She checked the report several times to make sure that she left no mistakes. She didn’t forget to add a note at the end of the report, saying "To increase the destroyer's firepower, requesting an upgrade of the torpedoes to the new model.”
She left the destroyer dormitory and headed to the naval base office building.
On the way, she passed several shipgirls.
(It’s all unfamiliar faces...)
She thought as she followed them with her eyes. Lately, she felt like there were more unfamiliar shipgirls. Were they the newly recruited shipgirls? Or were they transferred here?
(Yokosuka is going to be a big group, huh?)
It felt like it’s going to be bigger than Kure where she once had been. Would there be enough dorm rooms and dock spaces? Would there be enough chairs in the first officer's quarters? It wasn’t something she had to worry about though.
She entered the naval base office building. She went up to the stairs, then raised a voice in the front of Atago’s room, "Pardon the intrusion.”
Atago was inside.
"Oh my, it’s Kagerou-chan. I wonder what it is?”
The blond haired woman smiled. She was still nonchalant as always. At a glance, it seemed like she wasn’t busy.
But that didn’t mean Kagerou could be careless. She already knew that this woman was good at doing her job regardless of her outward appearance.
Kagerou walked into the room and handed over the document in her hands.
"This is the training report."
"Well, it’s rather quick. Big sister is proud to have such an excellent little sister.”
Kagerou tried to ignore the second part of the dialogue as much as possible.
“I shall leave now.”[5]
“Ah, wait, wait!”
Atago flailed her arms.
"How cold, aren’t you my little sister?"
“Shouldn’t you understand?”
“Just a minute, I need to tell you something.”
Atago spoke without breaking her smile, “As a matter of fact, you should know that there's been an increase in the number of shipgirls in YokoBase lately, right?”
“Err, yes.”
She remembered the girls she had just passed by a while ago.
"I'm happy to have more little sisters, but not only that, the Admiral is planning a large-scale operation. That’s why we have been gathering them from all over the naval base.”
At these words, Kagero spontaneously said, "Oh, I see.”
No wonder the number of shipgirls had been increasing. She heard that the Abyssal Fleet had been rampant and violent lately, and the naval bases in various places, especially the overseas harbors, had been damaged. In fact, a few months ago, the exercise quickly turned into actual combat and Kagerou and others were also involved.
They were probably going on the offensive to push back the enemy forces at once. That's why they were being gathered at Yokosuka Naval Base.
Atago didn’t seem intending to elaborate or talk about it, but Kagero guessed so.
"Is this about the change for room assignments in the destroyer dormitory because there are more shipgirls?”
"There are still rooms left over there, so it’s okay. Instead of that, I'm thinking of telling you which girl is coming."
This time, Kagerou replied absentmindedly, "Huh?”
It had to be something along the lines of ‘I'm sure they all want to be my little sisters, so make sure you tell them beforehand.’ The senior shipgirls at Yokosuka naval base knew about Atago's peculiarity and were running away from her, but Kagerou had fallen for it before. This time, the destroyer shipgirls who didn’t know anything about Atago would probably be made to call her ‘Big sister.’ She felt sorry for them.
Atago flipped through the documents in her hand with a somewhat excited expression.
"Well, you see, they're coming from Maizuru, Sasebo, and there are even girls coming from Ominato… And then from Kure.”
“Even from Kure too?”
She remembered the girls she had just passed by a while ago.
"I'm happy to have more little sisters, but not only that, the Admiral is planning a large-scale operation. That’s why we have been gathering them from all over the naval base.”
At these words, Kagero spontaneously said, "Oh, I see.”
No wonder the number of shipgirls had been increasing. She heard that the Abyssal Fleet had been rampant and violent lately, and the naval bases in various places, especially the overseas harbors, had been damaged. In fact, a few months ago, the exercise quickly turned into actual combat and Kagerou and others were also involved.
They were probably going on the offensive to push back the enemy forces at once. That's why they were being gathered at Yokosuka Naval Base.
Atago didn’t seem intending to elaborate or talk about it, but Kagero guessed so.
"Is this about the change for room assignments in the destroyer dormitory because there are more shipgirls?”
"There are still rooms left over there, so it’s okay. Instead of that, I'm thinking of telling you which girl is coming."
This time, Kagerou replied absentmindedly, "Huh?”
It had to be something along the lines of ‘I'm sure they all want to be my little sisters, so make sure you tell them beforehand.’ The senior shipgirls at Yokosuka naval base knew about Atago's peculiarity and were running away from her, but Kagerou had fallen for it before. This time, the destroyer shipgirls who didn’t know anything about Atago would probably be made to call her ‘Big sister.’ She felt sorry for them.
Atago flipped through the documents in her hand with a somewhat excited expression.
"Well, you see, they're coming from Maizuru, Sasebo, and there are even girls coming from Ominato… And then from Kure.”
“Even from Kure too?”
It was the first naval base that Kagero was assigned to. She knew many people there.
Atago giggled.
"That’s right. In addition to the heavy cruisers Mikuma-chan, Suzuya-chan, and Kumano-chan from Kure, there’s also the 18th Destroyer Division member... the destroyer Shiranui.”
“... Pardon?”
She blinked her eyes in surprise and asked back.
“Just now, could you repeat it?”
“The second ship of the Kagero-class, the destroyer Shiranui, will be transferred to Yokosuka.”
After that, she seemed to say "Panpakapa~n," but Kagerou was no longer listening.
Shiranui was coming, Shiranui was coming. That brave and dignified destroyer shipgirl, who was praised by the strict light cruiser Jintsuu by "I have very little to teach you.” Her partner who could be relied on to the very end.
She couldn't believe it, that girl, that Shiranui was coming.
Kagero was about to rejoice. If Atago wasn’t there, she would have started dancing. Even now, she was on her tiptoes, almost spinning around.
She said vigorously, “Is that true?!”
Atago giggled.
"That’s right. In addition to the heavy cruisers Mikuma-chan, Suzuya-chan, and Kumano-chan from Kure, there’s also the 18th Destroyer Division member... the destroyer Shiranui.”
“... Pardon?”
She blinked her eyes in surprise and asked back.
“Just now, could you repeat it?”
“The second ship of the Kagero-class, the destroyer Shiranui, will be transferred to Yokosuka.”
After that, she seemed to say "Panpakapa~n," but Kagerou was no longer listening.
Shiranui was coming, Shiranui was coming. That brave and dignified destroyer shipgirl, who was praised by the strict light cruiser Jintsuu by "I have very little to teach you.” Her partner who could be relied on to the very end.
She couldn't believe it, that girl, that Shiranui was coming.
Kagero was about to rejoice. If Atago wasn’t there, she would have started dancing. Even now, she was on her tiptoes, almost spinning around.
She said vigorously, “Is that true?!”
 |
| *sparkle sparkle* |
“Of course.”
Atago chuckled.
“I'm not going to lie to you. You were in the same destroyer division as her, weren't you? I thought you'd want to know.”
“When is it? When will she be transferred? Please tell me!”
“I think you’re forgetting something...”
"Tell me, big sis!”
“She'll arrive tomorrow around noon.”
“So it’s tomorrow!”
It was so sudden. She was sure the documents she had in her hands went around in circles and got stuck somewhere, just like her. Normally, she would be tempted to complain, but thanks to the news, she would be able to see her soon. It was so magnificent that she couldn’t think straight.
Kagerou finally leaped.
“I'll come get her!”
"It’s fine to just wait, you know? Besides, it's just a temporary transfer for the upcoming operation.”
"Yes, ma’am!”
Kagerou saluted. Atago seemed like she was about to gently remind her, but the overjoyed girl barely registered it.
"The 14th Destroyer Division welcomes Shiranui!”
“... Since the supervisors are Takao and me, come ask us if you need anything.”
“Thank you, big sis!”
Kagero spun around like a dancer as she left Atago's room.
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