"So you’re saying someone who used to be a deputy commander is coming here to educate me?"
"[That’s right. It seems like a few parts were forced through, though....]"
"What on earth does the upper echelon of Azur Lane even do?"
From the standpoint of someone cleaning up after the previous Commanders’ crimes, Jinseong thought he had already seen more than enough. With a slightly irritated voice, he snapped at Dylan.
He could understand that they were all trying to grab Commander positions in every faction for the sake of doing whatever they wanted with the shipgirls. But why were they going this far with him, of all people, when he was only a temporary Commander?
"[Hmm.... It’s not exactly the kind of story you’d want to hear, so I’ll keep it brief.]"
"Is the structure complicated?"
"[No, actually, whether it’s Azur Lane or the Red Axis, the structure is very simple. There are just factions.]"
Dylan’s explanation was indeed simple. Azur Lane consisted of a single Secretary-General, department heads in charge of each duty, and a few officers who assisted them. The real decision-making power lay with a gathering of Azur Lane’s Secretary-General and the heads in charge from the navies and national leaders of countries around the world.
That gathering was what they conveniently called the "upper echelon," and all that existed there were two factions.
And the position of Commander within each faction was far more special than he had expected, with a great many exceptions.
"[It means the shipgirls hold a tremendous amount of power. So even if you’ve got insignia on your collar, that’s only a marker showing how far people are supposed to address you respectfully. It means nothing.]"
"Then.... what are the factions in the upper echelon?"
"[There are two. One faction says we should sweet-talk the appointed Commanders and get them to work for us. The other says they need to be firmly disciplined from the start so they’ll obey the upper echelon’s orders without resistance.]"
"Neither of those sounds like it would help me."
"[Of course not.... The department heads in Azur Lane, myself included, are all useless, so we just pray nothing goes wrong.]"
In the brief silence that followed, there was a knock at the Commander’s office door, and Yorktown came in. Jinseong looked at Yorktown, gave a greeting gesture, and stood from his chair to head toward the window.
"So this whole thing was carried out by the people in the faction that wants to discipline me?"
"[Yes. For now, that faction is larger too. Which means....]"
Yorktown quickly glanced over Jinseong’s desk, confirmed there were no empty cups on it, and headed to the coffee pot to brew some coffee. Before long, the rich aroma of coffee began filling the Commander’s office.
"How is the Eagle Union base doing right now? I’ve heard you’ve been doing well, but I was also told quite clearly that you didn’t want outsiders brought in."
"I’m not really sure either. As you know, there have been a lot of problems caused by the previous Commanders.... I’m doing my best to clean things up, and since I’m the Commander for now, it seems fine enough, but I can’t guarantee how the shipgirls will react to outsiders."
"Just make sure Lieutenant Colonel Matthew doesn’t end up causing any trouble with the shipgirls."
After finishing his call with Dylan, Jinseong let out a deep sigh. Was he a Commander, or was he a cleanup specialist?
By the time Jinseong returned to the desk and thanked Yorktown for the coffee she handed him, there was another knock at the Commander’s office door.
"Commander! I’m coming in!"
It was New Jersey’s voice. Jinseong, who had been looking at the door while holding his coffee, met the eyes of New Jersey as she burst in. Seeing her, Yorktown realized she was here for the same reason.
"Did you.... tell him? Hear about it?"
"Mm.... not yet?"
New Jersey and Yorktown’s conversation made Jinseong set down the coffee he had just sipped and sit back in his chair. What on earth were they all doing now?
"Commander! Sorry the news is late. I heard Azur Lane is sending someone to handle your education."
"Ah, I came to tell you that too."
"I just got a call from the head of personnel administration and found out. I thought maybe I could finally stay quiet after a little over a month in this seat...."
"Did the Commander try to oppose it too?"
"Of course I did. It was pointless, though...."
"I see.... Are you still okay, Commander?"
"Well.... I’m not exactly thrilled either. It’s not like New Jersey and Enterprise aren’t handling everything right now anyway, so what good would it do for someone like me, who isn’t even from the navy, to stick my nose in? This state, where I’m basically just a manager, is probably best."
"But Commander, as the Eagle Union’s Commander, I don’t think it’ll be possible for you to never go out to sea at all. Personally, I’d like to go out to sea with you."
"Yorktown.... I guess so."
"It’s true that, regardless of background or command style, there are a lot of girls who want to go out to sea with a Commander who has high Cube aptitude. We’ve never had a Commander with aptitude this high before."
Yorktown’s eyes especially shone at the thought of Jinseong going out to sea with her. She had briefly experienced training with him before, so she seemed even more curious now.
"For now, all we can do is prepare properly for what’s already happened. The separate quarters.... was the Commander’s old lodging the most usable place among the accommodations? Let’s use that."
"What?! Why the Commander’s quarters.... Then what about you, Commander!"
At Yorktown’s shocked tone, Jinseong pointed, as always, toward the bed where Laffey was sleeping soundly.
"I don’t know why they brought her into a workplace in the first place, but the facilities here are good. It’s not a hassle either."
"Huh? Why is Laffey here....?"
"She’s been living like that for a while now, New Jersey...."
Yorktown seemed about to say more, then paused after thinking for a moment. Jinseong looked at New Jersey and continued.
"They said there’s also a special mission to go out for educational purposes, right? You know about that too, don’t you?"
"I do. Enterprise will be handling the preparations for that mission."
Jinseong nodded as his thoughts settled one by one.
"Good. That’s fine. It’ll be okay. He’s coming as an education officer, and he was even a deputy commander, so there shouldn’t be any trouble with you girls. I’m counting on you."
He figured the base’s atmosphere had already been bad to begin with, so this was probably Dylan’s concern. It was a perfectly reasonable worry, and all he could hope for was that the Eagle Union shipgirls, who had already built up some prejudice against outsiders, would handle things well.
"Let’s start by clearing out the quarters I was using."
-------------
"Once again, welcome to the Eagle Union. This is the quarters where you’ll be staying during your time here."
After walking together, the group stopped in front of the Commander’s quarters where Jinseong had been staying. There were several shipgirls there, including Yorktown and Enterprise, along with Jinseong and Lieutenant Colonel Matthew, who had come as the education officer. New Jersey stood close between the two sides, acting as interpreter.
"(English) You’ve prepared a fine place."
Matthew briefly watched the Manjuu carry his luggage into the quarters, then turned back to Jinseong.
"(English) Lieutenant, you’ve received the schedule from Azur Lane, yes?"
"Yes. I have. I was told there will be a special mission combined with training in a few days, and that there will be pre-deployment training before then."
"(English) You’ve been properly informed. I’ll prepare the location in advance and head to the Commander’s office at the time you were given."
"Understood. Do you have no other plans today, sir?"
At Jinseong’s question, Matthew swept his gaze over the shipgirls standing around him as if they were his escorts.
"(English) That was my intention, but.... I should take a proper look around the base. I’ll inspect whether it’s being run properly."
New Jersey stiffened for a moment. Hearing her hesitant translation, Jinseong almost laughed as he thought, once again, that this was just the same old "newly transferred high-ranking officer trying to establish discipline" routine he had seen plenty of as a soldier. Army or navy, they all did the same thing.
But the shipgirls didn’t seem to see it that way, since Yorktown’s expression darkened and Enterprise pulled her cap down low.
"Will you be going right away? If not, I can come back when you call for me."
He had seen this plenty of times himself back when he was a soldier. Company Commanders and platoon leaders were always being dragged around like this. It was annoying enough when it happened to someone else, but now that it was him, it was a pain in the neck.
Matthew frowned at Jinseong’s words and shook his head.
"(English) No, I don’t need the lieutenant. Assign me an adjutant to accompany and assist me."
"...?"
Jinseong’s thoughts stopped dead at Matthew’s sudden remark. Not only was asking for an adjutant strange, but saying he didn’t need Jinseong? Wasn’t that supposed to be Jinseong’s job in the first place?
"(English) What are you standing there blankly for, Lieutenant? I said to assign one of the shipgirls from this base as my adjutant. I heard a little about things before I came here, and.... is there a shipgirl named Bremerton?"
Even so, Jinseong was dumbfounded that someone sent here as an education officer would demand an adjutant. He knew this wasn’t even the kind of job that needed someone to help out that badly.
"Ah, yes. There is a heavy cruiser shipgirl named Bremerton at the base. But Lieutenant Colonel Matthew? Setting aside any other issues, her own wishes are the most important thing here."
"(English) Wishes? What wishes does a soldier have! A soldier’s duty is to obey a superior’s orders and preserve order! Are shipgirls not soldiers? With a mindset like that....!"
"Mm...."
"(English) I understand that this shipgirl named Bremerton was one of the shipgirls involved in the previous Commander’s dismissal. If she’s here, send her straight to my quarters without any further discussion."
A chill ran down Jinseong’s spine. The three he had deliberately left alone, never bothering them and letting them rest quietly—Hornet, Bremerton, and Saint Louis—were the shipgirls who had had trouble with the previous Commander. And now Matthew was openly declaring that he wanted to drag a landmine over and step on it.
Jinseong’s mind spun rapidly.
"Th-then.... I-I’ll call Bremerton separately first, have a talk with her, and ask for her opinion. I think that’s a necessary procedure as the Eagle Union’s Commander."
"(English) Hmph. Call her immediately."
Matthew wore a sour expression, as if granting even that much was a reluctant concession, then went into the quarters.
"...."
Aside from Bremerton’s issue, Jinseong could feel the backs of his neck and head burning from New Jersey, Yorktown, and Enterprise standing behind and beside him.
-------------
Knock knock. Click.
"Commander? You called for me?"
"Y-yeah...."
Bremerton opened the door to the Commander’s office and stepped inside. She had pink twin tails with slightly dull blue highlights, and her uniform and hot pants worn over a bikini swimsuit were similar to Hornet’s outfit, though her swimsuit was a deep pink.
"What’s the occasion? You’ve never shown any sign of calling me before~"
She had supposedly been one of the shipgirls involved in an unpleasant incident, but Bremerton looked perfectly lively and cheerful. Jinseong felt cold sweat running down his back, but he stood from his chair and guided her to the guest sofa.
"Do you like cold drinks? Want to try a sparkling lemonade made with soda water?"
"Sparkling lemonade?! That exists? I want to try it!"
Jinseong headed to the refrigerator beside the coffee pot.
"I know lemonade isn’t usually carbonated, but in my home country sparkling lemonade is much more familiar. I like it too."
Jinseong poured the sparkling lemonade into a glass and brought it back to the sofa, setting it down in front of Bremerton. Bremerton immediately gulped it down, then squinted and smiled brightly.
"Uwaaaah....! This is great! I’ve already had some, but maybe I should take a picture?"
"I’m glad you like it. Hmm.... should I just get straight to the point instead of beating around the bush?"
After setting down her glass, Bremerton nodded and looked at Jinseong. After a brief moment of thought, Jinseong began speaking right away.
"Lieutenant Colonel Matthew, who came to the base today.... the education officer, specifically asked for you. He said he needed a shipgirl to assist him, and he was very clear that he wanted you."
"Oh, um.... me?"
"Yes. And, well, Bremerton, there was something unpleasant involving the previous Commander’s dismissal, right? So.... that sort of thing."
There was no reply from Bremerton, but Jinseong could already tell the answer from the gloomy feeling mixed into her smile.
"So I’ve been trying to avoid calling you unless absolutely necessary. Especially for something like this. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll tell him properly and find another way. So...."
"Mm-hmm~ I’m fine. Did you think I’d be all down in the dumps and moping over something like that? No way! I’m more worried about Saint Louis than me."
At Bremerton’s cheerful reassurance, Jinseong shook his head and found himself at a loss for words. Bremerton picked up her glass and finished the lemonade.
"You called for me specifically, so you want me to assist that education officer or whatever he is, right?"
"Haah.... Yes. There’s nothing more to add."
"Got it! It’s not like I’ve never done this before. I’ll assist him as long as I can."
"Yeah. Thanks, Bremerton."
"Ahaha~ Wow, this is really kind of ticklish, being stuck next to the Commander like this and talking together. Oh, but! Make me lemonade again next time, okay? With soda!"
"Haha. Sure, as much as you want."
While Bremerton slowly finished the rest of her lemonade, Jinseong spent a little time chatting with her. Then, after seeing Bremerton wave goodbye and leave the Commander’s office, he trudged back to his chair.
"Man.... I didn’t even do anything, and I’m exhausted.... No, wait. If the education officer needs an interpreter, wouldn’t it be enough for me to just learn from New Jersey?"
Why was he even being educated when he had less than half a year left until discharge? Jinseong let his head thump down onto the desk again today.
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