Chapter 2 : Dead Slow Ahead
Part 1
Anxiety is like mud at the bottom of a pond, you usually can’t see them.
By stirring it up, it will appear on the surface. That's exactly what's happening in the 14th Destroyer Division right now, and Ushio's words have brought it to the surface.
"Sigh… If you think about it, won't Shiranui be in another Destroyer Division?" Satsuki said, as if to convince herself.
“If, if that’s the case, I guess there’s nothing to be worried about…”
“It's hard to say…” Arare muttered.
“The possibility of… one of us getting kicked out…”
“Let’s stop thinking about such a thing.” Satsuki said wearily.
“Well, our performances aren't that good.”
“It’s not surprising if we’re being reassigned again…”
“Uu…”
Satsuki almost wanted to crouch down and bury her face to her knees.
The others more or less were thinking the same thing as Arare. Since that battle, the 14th Destroyer Division has become more familiar with each other and more united. They had gained confidence in themselves.
And then a shipgirl who had known Kagerou for a long time arrived. It would have been fine if that was all, but it was also possible that they would be kicked away.
Satsuki cowered and grieved.
“I want to drink. I want to forget this.”
“There you go again… Well, I would also like to drink if I could, but that’s impossible.” Nagatsuki said.
“We shouldn’t be worrying about it, should we?"
“But, there’s a possibility that Nagatsuki will be sent somewhere, you know?”
“I refuse.”
Nagatsuki denied Satsuki's words, but she knew very well that she couldn't do anything about it.
A breeze called "loneliness" passed through everyone.
“I… don’t want to be separated from everyone…” Ushio muttered.
"I can’t go back to the 7th Destroyer Division now......"
“It's the same for me. If Satsuki and I get kicked out of here, we'll be back in Sasebo again. I don't even think there's room left over there."
Nagatsuki was looking up at the sky. Arare also leaked out a whisper.
"I... can't go back to Kure now..."
“That would be weird.”
“It's like replacing Shiranui....”
"It’s possible, isn’t it? The number of destroyers in Kure is probably decreasing too."
It wasn't Nagatsuki who said that.
It was Akebono. She gazed while folding her arms and turned her mouth into a へ shape.
“Shiranui must have been very skilled, right? I'm sure KureBase is in trouble now that she's gone. Arare used to be in the 18th Destroyer Division, so maybe they'll let her take her place.”
“No…”
"Hey, Akebono!" Nagatsuki snapped at her.
“Don’t talk unreasonable things.”
“It’s not unreasonable, you see. If we’re talking about the possibilities, Arare is the first one to mention it.”
“You don't care when your friends are being separated from you?"
'It’s not like we’re friends anyway,'
She seemed like she was about to say such rude things, but when she realized that Ushio was staring at her, Akebono closed her mouth.
“Well, my point is, if you don't want to be separated, then you just have to do something to prevent it, right?”
“What does that means?”
“I mean like why don’t we just train?”
Akebono said uninterestingly.
“If we can prove that we are indispensable shipgirls to Kagerou, we may be able to do prevent it from happening."
Not only Nagatsuki, but Satsuki, Arare, and Ushio all looked doubtful.
“Is that true…?”
“I don’t know either. However, is there even anything else we can do?”
At that line, everyone fell silent.
For lack of a better word, destroyers were almost like expendables. They were fast, but their armor was just like paper, the more they sortied, the quicker they sank. That's why they need a lot of them.
There’s no other way to increase their presence than to get more victories. For that, the only way was to train.
Everyone looked at each other. They started to walk slowly.
“Today is a holiday, right?” Satsuki said regretfully.
“Yes, it is,” Ushio replied.
“I was supposed to go out with Arare. I even got the permission yesterday.”
Nagatsuki sighed, and Arare also nodded a little.
"We could also just quit."
Everyone else shook their heads at Akebono's line.
The slow walk eventually turned into a short run and finally into an all-out sprint.
Thus the 14th Destroyer Division dashed towards the pier.
Everyone looked at each other. They started to walk slowly.
“Today is a holiday, right?” Satsuki said regretfully.
“Yes, it is,” Ushio replied.
“I was supposed to go out with Arare. I even got the permission yesterday.”
Nagatsuki sighed, and Arare also nodded a little.
"We could also just quit."
Everyone else shook their heads at Akebono's line.
The slow walk eventually turned into a short run and finally into an all-out sprint.
Thus the 14th Destroyer Division dashed towards the pier.
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