"We’ve arrived, Commander. Welcome to the Sakura Empire."
"Ah...."
The Sakura Empire’s main port sat on two large islands. The larger of the two was the Sakura Empire’s home port. After getting off Shokaku, what Jinseong saw was a home port dotted with a mix of old Japanese-style buildings. The newer, taller buildings scattered here and there seemed to be the port’s main structures.
Shipgirls from the Sakura Empire who looked like they’d come out to greet them at the port, and other shipgirls climbing up onto the dock one by one. Seeing that, Jinseong, Dylan, and Ricardo rubbed their eyes and blinked several times.
"Wow.... To think all the shipgirls have ears and tails like some kind of beastfolk...."
"I’ve never seen a shipgirl with horns before, either."
"I’m starting to wonder if this is really Earth...."
Beastfolk who moved around naturally, greeting each other and chatting. Jinseong felt as if he’d been sent into a fantasy world.
"First, we should let the entire Sakura Empire know that the Commander has arrived, right? This way~"
Following Akagi’s guidance, Jinseong headed toward one of the newer buildings. It reminded him of when he had first arrived in the Eagle Union.
Jinseong standing on the stage in the main auditorium, the shipgirls gathered with complicated expressions, Dylan and Ricardo unable to step forward because this wasn’t an Azur Lane faction and forced to stand there like decorative screens—an awkward Commander inauguration ceremony that somehow managed to grind to the end thanks to a few shipgirls who at least put on an enthusiastic show out of courtesy.
"Then.... Shall I show you around the home port?"
Akagi, who had been smiling and clapping toward Jinseong, approached him lightly. At her gesture, Shokaku and Zuikaku, who had accompanied them until now, and Kaga also came up beside Jinseong.
"First, let’s go to the Commander’s office where you’ll be working."
The Commander’s office was in a newer building not too far away. Jinseong had thought the building, the floor count, and the location in the home port were similar to the Eagle Union’s, but once he stepped inside, he was met with a Commander’s office that was incomparably emptier.
"It really does look like it only has the bare minimum...."
"It’s been quite a long time since we stopped having a Commander. There were many issues, so the Sakura Empire hasn’t kept one and has been running the home port on its own."
At Shokaku’s words, Jinseong looked around the office for a moment and scratched his head.
"There’s even a decent-looking bed here.... But then, didn’t that mean I didn’t really need to come here at all?"
"We know that having the Commander here brings many advantages. Besides, the news from the Eagle Union gave us quite a lot of hope~"
At Akagi’s words, Jinseong could only look at her with a doubtful expression. What kind of trouble had happened here?
"This place where the Commander will be working was only kept in shape, after all. From now on, if you want anything brought in, we’ll help as much as we can."
"Then shall we move on?"
After that, they toured the main facilities where the shipgirls gathered to hold meetings, including the command room, cafeteria, warehouse, and dock. Finally, they stopped for a moment in one area.
"Now then, from here on, this is where our shipgirls live. While you’re here, you’ll need a place to stay comfortably, right? You can choose whichever place you like from here!"
"Uh.... Ah...."
As Akagi clapped her hands and explained, Zuikaku let out a sigh and covered her face with one hand. She seemed embarrassed. Naturally, Jinseong’s eyes went wide as he raised a question.
"No, don’t you have something like a dormitory....?"
"Unfortunately, it was demolished long ago. Fufufu."
The Sakura Empire had gone a long time without appointing a Commander. The main facilities, too, had long since been reduced to only what was necessary or required for appearances, while everything else had been torn down.
Jinseong let out a deep sigh at the news that he would have to step into a women-only area here as well.
"Um.... A-Akagi. Is there anywhere else I could stay? No, before we came here, those two from Azur Lane who were with me were properly shown guest quarters, weren’t they?!"
Dylan and Ricardo were not present at the moment. The two had already been shown to temporary lodging with other shipgirls and had split off. Looking at Jinseong, who was clearly flustered, Akagi shook her head with an apologetic expression.
"Unfortunately, there isn’t anywhere else suitable.... It wouldn’t make sense for the Commander to keep staying in guest quarters for months on end!"
"Yeah, Commander.... And the Sakura Empire actually gets quite a lot of visitors for other reasons, too."
Unlike her disappointed expression, Akagi seemed oddly pleased as she smiled, and Zuikaku chimed in beside her. Jinseong looked toward the lodging area spread out before him.
The mix of newer buildings and traditional structures seemed to reflect the individuality of the shipgirls. Of course, as time passed, more and more shipgirls were poking their heads out to look at Jinseong.
"Hmm.... I think there should be one or two places, so I’ll go check around a bit. Zuikaku? Stay close to the Commander."
"Huh? You’re going alone, sis?"
"...Shokaku, don’t do anything pointless."
After Shokaku gave Akagi a look of exasperation, then greeted Jinseong and left to look around, Akagi stared after her with a glare, snorted, and took the lead.
"Then I’ll show you the place where we stay last. If you see a place you like, you have to tell me right away, okay?"
"No.... Uh, okay...."
Jinseong had no choice but to follow behind Akagi. He thought it was lucky that Shokaku was there.
"There are several distinctive things about the lodging area, but the one I think you’ll like most is the large hot spring in the center."
After walking a little farther, a large traditional-style building with steam rising from it came into view. It was certainly an appealing place to him, too.
"So you’ve got an open-air bath here? Right.... A hot spring really is cliché here, but if it’s not there, it feels like something’s missing. Can I use it too?"
"Ah.... Um."
Kaga, who had been silent until now, opened her mouth as if hesitating, then fell silent again. Jinseong’s gaze immediately landed on her, but Kaga turned her head slightly away as if avoiding his eyes.
"Of course. It’s a place the Commander can use as well~"
"Akagi senior.... Even so, isn’t it a little much for the Commander to bathe with everyone together...?"
"What?! No, what kind of hot spring doesn’t have a men’s bath.... Ah...."
"There’s no reason for a men’s bath to be needed here."
Jinseong quickly realized this was the shipgirls’ living area, while Kaga spoke calmly as if he were asking something obvious. Zuikaku gave an awkward laugh.
"Now, shall we keep going?"
With a meaningful smile, Akagi quickened her pace. Jinseong let out a small sigh, wiped his face dry, and started trudging along again.
What stood out most to Jinseong in the lodging area was the structure, which seemed divided into two sides around the central hot spring. It looked like it had been arranged for a reason, but the buildings were all a mix of modern and traditional styles, and since Akagi gave no further explanation, he could only take it in as a sight.
"You’ve taken a full look around, so how is it? Did you find a place you like?"
"Well.... Um...."
"Or shall we just go straight to my place? Akagi would be delighted to stay with the Commander~"
Jinseong had no answer to Akagi’s question.
"But Akagi, from what you just said, and from how it looks, all the rooms seem to be in use right now and someone’s already staying in them.... So wouldn’t that mean I shouldn’t be choosing one?"
"If you choose one place, I’ll of course ask the girl there whether it’s okay for you to stay with the Commander."
What kind of answer was that? Jinseong briefly wondered if he’d heard her wrong, but he continued carefully.
"No, if there’s already an owner living there, why would you even ask...? Wouldn’t she obviously say no?"
"Most of them would want to stay with the Commander. If not.... then they’d have to move somewhere else. Fufufufu."
"Why would you kick out someone who’s living fine there.... Ah, no, Shokaku! Let’s keep looking at the place Shokaku found and decide after that!"
He had said it felt like this wasn’t Earth, but was this a place where Earth common sense didn’t work either? Jinseong waved his hands and quickly left the lodging area. He could only look around and hope Shokaku would bring back a good answer.
"...Sis."
"Hm? What is it, Kaga?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"...."
Watching Jinseong’s receding back, Kaga started the questioning. Akagi wiped the smile from her face and touched her lips.
"It’s been a few years now, but compared to any other faction, we Sakura Empire have suffered the most sexual scandals."
"I know."
"That’s why most of the girls here don’t trust commanders, outsiders, or men very easily. That’s also why we started rejecting the commanders they tried to send from the mainland...."
"What are you trying to say, Kaga?"
Akagi stared at Kaga with sharp eyes. Kaga closed her eyes and let out a small sigh before answering.
"If it’s a rude question, I apologize, but I was only wondering why you keep leaving room for that man. It’s enough to make people misunderstand easily. Of course, I know that man is the only special existence in the world...."
"Because it makes him easier to use."
"...."
At Akagi’s cold answer, Kaga fell silent again.
"From your experience so far, you should know this too, Kaga. The difference between having a Commander and not having one is pretty big. And you saw it too, didn’t you? How the Eagle Union girls are clinging to that Commander to an almost excessive degree...."
"Yes...."
"That’s proof enough. Whether that Commander is competent or incompetent doesn’t matter. From now on, we’ll use him as the spearhead to cut off the unreasonable demands the mainland keeps making of us."
Zuikaku, who had been listening from a little farther back, let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Haa.... What are we supposed to do, sis...."
-------------
"Are you really sure this is okay, Commander? It’ll be very hard for you to get to work."
"This is way better than the other options! Thanks, Shokaku."
"Hmm, I don’t mind staying with the Commander, though...."
"Ahem, cough! Cough....! Anyway, it’s late today, so hurry back. I’ve got some organizing to do too!"
"Yes, y-yes...."
Shokaku left with a sour expression. In the traditional-style building, Manjuu were still taking care of the remaining tasks needed for daily life, as if they had been managing the place all along.
"Manjuu.... You’ve never looked so welcome...."
"Peep?"
A sea view stretched out beyond the window from a slightly elevated spot. It was a lodging with a great location. And through the window on the opposite side from the one facing the sea, there was an enormous cherry blossom tree.
"Was it called a sacred tree? Looking at that, it really does feel like a fantasy world.... It’s basically a world tree, isn’t it?"
Among the candidates—shipgirls’ dormitories, abandoned guard posts, and so on—the place Jinseong could most accept was an unused house on the island with the sacred tree, one of the Sakura Empire’s two islands.
It was a place where shrine maidens lived, so he would need permission, and because it was on a separate island, getting to the Commander’s office would be a long commute by boat. Those were concerns, but Shokaku seemed to have gotten permission from the shipgirls called shrine maidens, and Jinseong actually viewed it positively.
"I’m going to become a cold, useless Commander now, after all...."
Jinseong made up his mind to argue with Dylan about his discharge as soon as tomorrow came, and then moved to learn from the Manjuu how to use the traditional furnishings in the house.
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