Beep-beep-beep—click.
"Comms offi—ah, no.... Haa.... This is Lieutenant Yoo Jinseong, Commander of Eagle Union."
Jinseong, who had naturally picked up the receiver at the phone ringing in the commander’s office, felt the terror of habit as he waited for the voice on the other end.
"[This is Colonel Dylan, Commander. And.... well, are you holding up?]"
"Colonel, may I speak honestly?"
"[Well.... of course?]"
"I’m dying.... The ones I’ve gotten close to here aren’t the shipgirls. It’s the Manjuu."
"[Ah.... th—]"
The Manjuu were chick-like creatures that existed only in the camps where the shipgirls lived. Unlike their cute little chirping and scampering around, their sizes varied wildly, and they were capable of handling all the base’s general work. They were also versatile enough to operate ships like command vessels, and to handle technical jobs such as welfare, construction, and more.
"Thanks to these Manjuu, I learned that the base doesn’t need a separate staff member just to handle things. I don’t know why, but they can communicate with me.... They’re incredibly competent."
"Those Manjuu are definitely worthy of study. They have a clear hierarchy of their own, so as long as you treat them with respect, I don’t think they’ll cause any trouble at all."
"I’m not worried about that, but...."
"Haa.... It seems the accumulated problems of past Commanders have made it hard to earn trust now. They probably only obey because they have to. Even at your inauguration ceremony, the atmosphere at the base was so tense that Ricardo and I.... and the people who guided you through Azur Lane.... all slipped out like we were running away."
"You never told me that kind of thing...!"
"I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance. But we were under confidentiality regarding the Commander’s dismissal, and you, with your unusually high aptitude, were Azur Lane’s hope!"
Jinseong flopped face-first onto the desk and roughly raked a hand through his hair. From not being able to discharge to everything that had happened since, it had all been nothing but injustice. He felt thoroughly cheated.
"Th-tha.... Has the schedule for the conference been set? Can I really discharge once the conference is over?"
"Yes. As expected, it’ll be about six months from now. The date is narrowing down around then."
This time, he really would be able to discharge. Jinseong swallowed the anger that felt like it might burst out of his mouth, then after a brief silence asked again.
"So.... Colonel, what did you call for?"
"Ah, the purpose of the call has been achieved. First, I wanted to ask how you were doing.... and to let you know that while the exact date isn’t set yet, the conference has been narrowed down to about six months from now."
"I see.... Then.... may I ask a few more questions?"
"Of course. Ask away."
"The Commander may have been dismissed, but there seems to be a problem at the base. The Manjuu are working hard, but the place is a mess. There’s definitely something the previous Commander broke, so couldn’t you help us restore that sort of thing?"
At Jinseong’s question, Dylan on the other end of the line let out a thoughtful groan before speaking a little more slowly.
"As you’ve probably already seen, the bases in each camp function like small societies. And they’re allowed to function that way. There are rules like that for the shipgirls’ autonomy.... and various other reasons. Even the upper ranks of Azur Lane’s navy can’t just go around meddling with a base."
"Like countries supporting each other.... if things are difficult, couldn’t you help a little?"
"I can’t tell you everything right now, but in fact, even that was blocked by the former Commander of another camp."
The Commander himself blocked people from asking for or receiving help when the base got into trouble? Was that even a real thing? Jinseong was reminded that beyond the problems he’d seen at the Eagle Union base, there were even more issues he’d need to hear from Dylan about. Something in this whole system was grinding horribly.
The call with Dylan ended with a promise that he would help as much as he could. But Jinseong judged that he wasn’t likely to get much help and stood up from his chair.
"Seriously, they can issue sortie or deployment orders to the shipgirls so easily, but when there’s a problem they can’t provide support? So this place runs like the military too...."
There was a large window in the commander’s office that looked out over the base. Jinseong stood before it and watched the shipgirls moving busily around the base. Just looking at it, the base seemed peaceful enough.
"For now.... I should start with the supply and welfare issues that actually have proper reports...."
Jinseong muttered as he felt around the desk for the paperwork and lifted it up.
-------------
"...."
"...."
"...."
The lady’s room. In Yorktown’s room in the residential district of the base, three shipgirls sat facing one another.
"Enterprise, Hornet...."
"Yorktown, sis...."
"...."
The silence was not a pleasant one. Yorktown looked at Enterprise and Hornet, both of them avoiding her gaze with bitter expressions.
"The other girls.... I can’t do anything about them, but at least you two could trust me enough to talk properly with the Commander, couldn’t you?"
"Sis.... I trust you, and because I trust what you say, I don’t think the current Commander is a bad person. But I heard that this Commander, at the very least, is someone who’ll leave us soon."
"Yeah. If that’s really true, wouldn’t it be better to show that we can run the base properly on our own, without relying on a Commander? It’s too hard to keep expecting anything from one anymore."
"You two are really....!"
When Yorktown’s face fell sadly, Hornet leaned forward sharply.
"Sis! Just thinking about that previous.... bastard still makes me sick! If I’m like this, then what about Saint Louis...! Even Saint Louis has gotten quieter! And now, barely any time after that happened, we’re supposed to welcome a new Commander? It’s too much.... This isn’t the first time something bad has ended like this, either. We need time too!"
Hornet’s tearful expression didn’t suit her usual lively personality at all. Yorktown had no choice but to fall silent.
"I’ll make sure my work and anything related to orders goes smoothly."
Enterprise added while fiddling with the cap she had taken off.
"The previous Commander, the one before that.... and the one before him too.... We’ve seen too many cases to just start over every time. For now, I want to support our flagship, New Jersey."
The three sisters parted ways without the conversation ending on a satisfying note. Watching Enterprise and Hornet leave the room with apologetic expressions, Yorktown looked down at her coffee, still warm.
"The conference isn’t that far off.... At this rate, in the worst case, to the Sakura Empire...."
Yorktown recalled what had happened at the facilities in Korea. Jinseong’s command had been very simple, but he had shown enough ability that cooperating with the hostile camp’s Shokaku didn’t feel bad at all. Judging by that Sakura Empire carrier’s active behavior, word of Jinseong had probably already reached their camp.
This was bad. We don’t need a Commander, and they do. He might really be taken away.
"For now, I should at least do my best to help."
Yorktown stood up and straightened her clothes.
-------------
"Whoa.... There’s a place like this in the base?"
Before Jinseong’s eyes lay a miniature amusement park. Of course, it was utterly quiet, with no sign of life. Even the entrance only had a notice that said, "Closed due to circumstances."
"Peep!"
The Manjuu flapped its tiny wings beside Jinseong with a face that seemed to cycle through sadness, anger, and shock. Fortunately, Jinseong could tell exactly what it was trying to express.
"It’s been a while since the operating budget was properly allocated.... Well, that makes sense. It looks like a convenience facility made for the shipgirls, but I guess it’s hard for everything to keep circulating just within this base."
Jinseong walked past the closure notice and into the park with one Manjuu trotting after him. Still, it seemed to be maintained and cleaned regularly, because the rides and shops inside weren’t dirty.
"...Is this okay?"
"It’s fine! Laffey sometimes naps here too! There’s nobody around, so let’s play a little!"
"Benson! Where are you going! Ugh...! I didn’t come here to play.... I should find Laffey...."
Voices came from not too far away, trying to sound quiet but still noisy enough to hear. Jinseong headed toward the place where it sounded like children were laughing.
"Let’s look for a shop that’s open today!"
"The older girls said everything was locked up tight, though?"
"Th.... uh....?"
"...?"
Three little girls popped out in front of Jinseong’s path. And they made eye contact with him, dead on.
"...Eek!"
"We’ve been caught! Run from the adult!"
"Waaah~! Rabbit-rabbit hop power!"
"Ah, no...."
Energetic little shipgirls. Even Jinseong, who wasn’t used to them, could tell at a glance that they were destroyers. He didn’t even have time to think about chasing after them, and could only stare at the empty space where they had vanished like the wind.
Still, they were children, weren’t they? Jinseong felt a bitter sort of relief at how they didn’t seem to carry the same distance he felt from the other shipgirls, and walked a little farther inside.
"...Wake up! I told you not to nap here! Laffey...! It’s our turn for coastal patrol today too!"
"Mmm...."
It seemed there were still shipgirls left besides the destroyers who had run away. Where Jinseong had arrived was a clearing with several benches and trees, a place where someone could sit and rest for a bit.
"Peep?"
The Manjuu flapped its wings and pointed to one side. Not far away was a bench shaded by a large tree. There sat a girl with long white hair tied half-up, and another girl with white twin tails. The twin-tailed one was completely sprawled over the bench, while the half-up-haired one was shaking her awake.
"What are you do.... ah, no.... what are you doing?"
"Eek?! S-surprised me...! Commander? Laffey! You really need to wake up now!"
"Sleepy.... still lots of time...."
"That’s because you’re napping in a restricted area! I don’t know! Ah.... C-Commander...."
As Jinseong approached and greeted them awkwardly, Hermann quickly got up from her seat, leaving Laffey behind.
"D-don’t get the wrong idea! I’ve got work with Laffey later today.... The Benson-class girls just said Laffey was napping here, so I came to check!"
"It’s okay. I’m not going to say anything about that."
He had only seen the sign saying it was closed; he hadn’t been told not to enter. Of course, entering a zone where maintenance was steadily declining was bound to cause problems, so it would have been right not to come in, but Jinseong didn’t have the mental room to nitpick and scold over something like that.
"W-what brings the Commander here?"
"Ah.... I’m checking on supply and welfare and.... things like that? There seem to be a few holes here and there, so I came to take a look. It doesn’t seem like the shipgirls’ management side is leaking at all...."
"That’s.... because of that bastard from before...."
That was probably how most of the shipgirls felt. Seeing Hermann clench her fist, Jinseong thought of all the cold reactions he’d gotten from the shipgirls so far and felt gloomy.
"But Hermann isn’t really keeping her distance from me? I’m just another Commander who doesn’t know anything either."
"W-what? That’s because you’re the Commander, obviously! Are you stupid? And Yorktown sis told me a lot about what happened in Korea and about the Commander."
Ah, Yorktown.... Even when we first met, you were such a kind lady. Were you truly an angel?
"Mmm.... Commander...? You’re the Commander.... Hello...."
Laffey slowly sat up, looking at Jinseong with a sleepy face. Hearing Hermann’s sigh, Jinseong lowered himself a little.
"Laffey.... What are you doing sleeping here? If something comes up and we need to call you, it’ll be hard to wake you properly."
"Mm.... Sorry.... This used to be my favorite spot...."
"Really? It is a nice spot."
As Jinseong nodded while looking up at the big tree, Laffey shook her head instead.
"Mm-mm.... A long time ago.... when I slept here, I could hear the other girls having fun really well...."
That one sentence hit like a painful blow. Even though this wasn’t a park he had closed himself, Jinseong felt a pang of guilt.
"Haa.... Why am I the one cleaning up after the mess left by those previous bastards...."
Jinseong stopped the complaint that was about to spill out by patting his cheeks a few times. Then he stood up again and reached out toward Laffey, only to stop.
Ah, don’t touch the shipgirls carelessly.
"...Nyu? Commander, these ears aren’t real ears. But you still can’t just touch them suddenly."
"Ah, no, I.... um.... Let’s go back and sleep first, Laffey."
When Laffey met his eyes, she stared at him for a moment as if a little surprised, then after a brief fidget, stretched both arms out in front of her. It was a sudden gesture, but Jinseong understood that it meant she wanted to be carried.
He didn’t hesitate for long. What was he supposed to do, just leave Laffey there? Hermann was already having a hard time too.
Jinseong lifted Laffey up in one motion and held her like a child. For a moment, he had the strange illusion that the rabbit ears she had said weren’t real were twitching, and Laffey immediately buried her face in his shoulder.
"Hm? You okay, Laffey?"
"...I’m okay. I wasn’t startled because I didn’t know what was happening."
Jinseong glanced once at the Manjuu and Hermann beside him, then turned his steps back toward the commander’s office.
"Hermann, you’re doing your part too. If it weren’t for you, I really would’ve ended up searching the whole base for Laffey later. Good job."
"W-what are you saying all of a sudden...! It’s obvious, obviously! U-umph!"
As Jinseong felt a little tearful with emotion in his heart, thinking that he had finally managed to properly interact with a shipgirl after so long, he didn’t notice Laffey twitching every time he naturally patted her back.
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