After finishing a deep, passionate kiss with Tirpitz, the mood was starting to turn lewd, but I wanted to check if the three-way fight had ended, so I headed for the broadcast room. For some reason, however, Tirpitz kept clutching my T-shirt, refusing to let go. Come on, please let go, big sis.
“Tirpitz, please let go of my shirt. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Ah... no, Commander, it’s not that. I... I have a favor to ask.”
I turned back, wondering what she could possibly want, and saw Tirpitz’s face flushing a deep red. Well, that kiss from earlier was pretty intense. I never imagined Tirpitz would be the one to make the first move. God, she’s way too cute. I love you so much, big sis!
“And?”
“Th... the inspection is about to start soon... Would it be all right if I stood beside you...?”
It wasn't an impossible request, but was there something more to it? Some kind of hidden meaning? Shrugging off the thought, I readily agreed.
“That’s fine by me.”
“Really! Thank you so much, Commander!”
Tirpitz looked incredibly happy. It was the first time I’d ever seen her—someone usually so reserved with her emotions—smile like that. I would learn later what it actually meant to stand beside the Commander during inspection. It was a huge deal: it meant acting as the Commander’s secretary for the entire day. I didn't know it yet, but I had just signed away my freedom.
“But if inspection is soon, I don’t exactly have the right outfit for it. Do you have something I can wear?”
Right now, I was in a white T-shirt and shorts, which would probably be embarrassing for a shipgirl whose core was female. But the Commander's perspective was different; for the shipgirls, seeing his bare skin was an enormous reward. To them, the Commander was an idol, an untouchable angel. A single photo of him was enough to make them eat three bowls of rice without needing any side dishes. That said it all.
“Then how about the Iron Blood fleet uniform, Commander?”
“Yeah, that should work. Could you lend me one?”
“Understood, Commander. Heh heh heh... matching outfits with the Commander... heh heh heh...”
Tirpitz muttered something darkly under her breath, but time was running out, so she took my hand and began leading me away. I wondered where she was taking me.
Before I knew it, we arrived at a building: the Iron Blood dormitory. Then it hit me. She was taking me to her own room! A woman’s room, no less! Was this a stroke of luck or a disaster?
“Tirpitz! I’m not ready for this! It’s broad daylight; the other shipgirls will see us!”
Hearing this, Tirpitz fell into a massive dilemma: she had successfully brought the Commander to her room, so should she pounce on him now or not? In a fleet overflowing with Commander fangirls, a chance to claim him first might never come again.
But Tirpitz soon gave up. Even she felt the mood wasn't quite right. She resolved to wait for the night they truly became one. Ambushing the Commander like this didn’t suit her temperament. Still, she felt a sense of relief knowing she had secured her claim first.
“Heh heh heh, don’t worry, Commander. I won’t do anything now... yes... not now... that is...”
I let out a sigh of relief as Tirpitz started rummaging through her wardrobe. As it turned out, she had been crafting and storing an outfit she wanted the Commander to wear when they were finally bound together—specifically for their wedding day.
While Tirpitz searched the closet, I began looking around her room. It was rather bleak: a desk, a chair, and a vase. However, the wallpaper had been decorated in the colors of the Iron Blood flag. There were two beds; one was neatly made, but someone seemed to be sleeping in the other.
The rustling must have been too loud. The woman in the other bed let out a groan and started to wake up. I was doomed. I could feel my life taking a hard left turn. Then, the woman sat up.
“Mmm... Tirpitz... you’re so noisy... let me sleep...”
Her hair was tied into a ponytail for sleeping, a beautiful blond that looked like molten gold. Her blue eyes still held a lively spark, though they were clouded by exhaustion. She was wearing nothing but a plain, boxy T-shirt, and below that... the infamous "pantsless" fashion. She was openly showing off her beautiful figure.
It was Bismarck, the last ship I had ever built.
Seeing her normally stern presence like this created an incredible sense of gap moe. As I admired her, Tirpitz finally found the clothes. She held up a gray dress uniform, a black tie, and black uniform trousers. Wait, I was discharged just the day before yesterday, so why am I being made to wear a dress uniform? How many ranks was I promoted by?
“Mmm... Tirpitz... who’s this...? And that outfit... didn’t you stay up all night making it so you could give it to the Commander when he came...? Is it really okay to hand it over so easily...?”
Rubbing her eyes and scratching her stomach, Bismarck spoke to Tirpitz. This had gone beyond gap moe; it was completely shattering her image. And those little flashes of Bismarck’s... something. Thank you for the meal. I offered her my silent gratitude.
“Ah! Sis, let me introduce you. This is the Commander, who has finally returned. Commander, this is my proud older sister, Bismarck.”
“Whaaaat? The Commandeeeer? But the Commander was gone for so long... huh?”
“Hello, Bis-chan.”
Bismarck and I locked eyes. Of course, she had assumed I was gone, so she hadn't known I'd returned today. I had planned to tell everyone later, but this was a much faster reunion than expected.
Bismarck seemed unable to believe this impossible reality. She actually pinched her own cheek, asking Tirpitz if this was a dream.
“Little sister, is this really real? Really? Is it really the Commander?”
“Yes, sis. So hurry up and get dressed. You look a mess. Inspection is starting soon, so get ready and let’s go. And Commander, I made this outfit for you. You can wear this.”
“Thanks, Tirpitz.”
At last, Bismarck came to her senses, and her face instantly turned crimson. She had finally realized her state of dress in front of the Commander she loved most. I had certainly gotten an eyeful, but behind Bismarck’s stern aura, there was always a girl’s heart overflowing with feelings. The phrase “strong on the outside, soft on the inside” fit her perfectly.
“Kyaa...”
“Kyaa?”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Bismarck let out a shriek of maidenly panic and fled into the next room. Ah, today our Bismarck was truly the ultimate champion of gap moe. Thank you, God.
“Alright, alright, Tirpitz, let’s get ready and go. The others are waiting.”
“Yes, Commander. I’ll be by your side.”
But first, I had to change.
“Tirpitz, could you turn around for me?”
“Hm? Why should I? Between you and me, Commander?”
I couldn't handle those heart-eyes anymore. Hah. Farewell, my modesty. I couldn't beat a shipgirl, so I just changed as fast as I could. Once I was done, Tirpitz gave me a thumbs-up while bleeding from her nose, wearing a dazzling smile that suggested she might fall in love all over again on the spot.
“Commander, it suits you perfectly.”
Today’s atmosphere is really falling apart in all the right ways.
====
It was time for the morning inspection, when all the shipgirls woke up and began their day’s duties. As was custom, they gathered in the main auditorium and started the day by looking at the framed portrait of the Commander, praying for his return. That was the morning inspection.
The shipgirls believed this world was worth protecting simply because the Commander had been born into it. For that reason, they worked tirelessly to survive each day.
But today, something felt off. Akagi, No. 4 of the Commander fan club, felt that the voice heard on the broadcast today was one no Union idiot could ever imitate. She’d heard that Sandy sometimes played pranks with a cassette tape of the Commander’s voice to cheer the shipgirls up, but she also knew Sandy had been punished severely for it, so she had been holding back lately.
Something... something was happening. Still, they had to begin their duties, so Akagi prepared to do her job. But Kaga and Amagi, who felt the same strange sensation, spoke up in concern.
“Big sister, is something wrong?”
“My, Akagi, what’s the matter?”
“Ah, no, Kaga, Amagi. I just feel like something is going to happen today. My instincts are telling me so.”
“That would be lovely, sister. I do hope the Commander returns soon...”
“Kaga thinks so too, doesn’t she? And so does Akagi? This Amagi may end up going to the underworld before the Commander returns, *cough cough*... Ahhh... when will you come, Commander...”
Kaga, Amagi, and Akagi were all top-tier members of the fan club, and the most intense of them was, of course, Akagi. She had betrayed the gods of the Sakura Empire to devote herself solely to the Commander, faithfully preserving that obsession. Kaga and Amagi were nearly as insane as she was.
“Haa... at last, the time has come. I shall go up to the podium now.”
“Big sister, please be serious.”
“Yes, Akagi, offer a serious prayer. A prayer for the Commander’s return.”
“My, we’ve always done it this way, and we always will. Heh heh heh...”
Akagi climbed onto the podium and looked over the shipgirls gathered in the main auditorium. From left to right were the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Iron Blood, Northern Parliament, Vichya Dominion, Sakura Empire, and Iris Libre. Every ship the Commander had ever built was gathered here.
Akagi took the microphone and spoke quietly.
“Now then, shipgirls, another day has dawned. Please offer your prayers today as well, praying for the Commander’s return. All hands, bow your heads.”
As everyone lowered their heads, she did the same. Ahhh, I’ve been waiting so desperately for the Commander to come back. If he comes, this Akagi will show him heaven...!
While they were praying, the sound of someone climbing the stairs to the podium echoed through the room.
creak creak creak
To disturb this sacred prayer time without remaining silent? Heh heh heh... I’ll kill you...? Just as she was about to lift her head and deploy her aircraft, she heard the voice of God. The voice of the God she had wanted so badly.
“Tirpitz? What are they doing?”
“Ah, Commander, what the shipgirls are doing right now is a prayer for your return.”
“What is this, some kind of cult...”
No, no, no, no! Hearing that voice exactly as she remembered it, Akagi suppressed her emotions and looked toward the source. During prayer time, you weren’t supposed to raise your head until the end, but if this moment was real...!
“Aaaah... aaaahhh!”
Akagi realized that her prayer had been answered. The Commander she always saw in her dreams, the Commander who had appeared here dressed smartly in a naval uniform like a prince on a white horse, the Commander who had captured her heart the moment she first saw him—he was right there.
“Aaaah... Com... Commander...? You... you’ve returned...? H-how...?”
“Ah, Akagi, sorry, just a second.”
The Commander snatched the microphone from Akagi and started checking the sound. Tirpitz stood beside him. Akagi just stared blankly, unable to believe this reality. She felt like she was only half-awake. Right, this is a dream. It can't be reality.
[Mic check, one two, one two. Ah, everyone? Please raise your heads.]
When the Commander spoke, the shipgirls were thrown into total confusion. That voice was definitely the Commander’s, but no matter how advanced technology had become, it hadn't reached the point where a giant portrait could speak. All the shipgirls looked toward the source of the voice in confusion. And then, every single one of them dropped their jaws.
There, stood their god.
[Hello, shipgirls I built?]
Hearing that voice, the Vichya Dominion and Iris Libre shipgirls dropped to their knees and began praying to the Commander. It felt as though hallelujahs and hymns of joy were ringing in their ears.
[Since you’ve all been praying so much,]
The Eagle Union shipgirls began singing their national anthem—the anthem of freedom, offered to the Commander.
[and wished for it so desperately that the entire universe came together to help,]
The Royal Navy maids and knights offered the greatest salutes they could possibly give, each in their own way, to honor the Commander.
[it seems your dream has come true.]
The Sakura Empire shipgirls began throwing themselves into dogeza toward the Commander. Among them, Kaga and Amagi bowed so hard it looked like their foreheads might crack open.
[Everyone.]
Tirpitz and Akagi, standing beside him, were on the verge of bursting into tears. They looked like ticking time bombs, ready to explode if anyone so much as touched them.
[It’s really wonderful to see you all again.]
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Joyful, ecstatic screams erupted from every shipgirl present.
If a third party had seen this, they would have had no choice but to call it a cult scene.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register