After stopping by headquarters to pack for my temporary assignment to the Sakura Empire, I boarded the ship with Tirpitz.
"You packed everything, right?"
"Yes. No problems."
Tirpitz set her bulging bag down on the floor of the flagship.
"Good. We’re setting sail!"
Our ships would escort us as far as Iron Blood’s coastal waters, Vichya would take over in the middle, and then the Sakura Empire would escort us the rest of the way.
Even so, no matter how many escorts you had, there would always be a gap the moment they changed over. If Azur Lane or the Siren attacked during that window, even Tirpitz would not be enough to keep things from getting ugly.
So I checked the Phalanx and the rest of the defense systems before finally ordering departure.
There were no issues until the first escort handoff, but as we neared the second, thick fog began to roll in, and the radar started picking up strange signals.
"...This feels bad."
"Why?"
"There are signs that a Mirror Sea is forming. The Sirens may attack, so be ready, Tirpitz."
"...Understood!"
Tirpitz straightened her cap and answered with a solemn expression.
Sure enough, the atmosphere turned unstable, and raindrops began to fall.
I turned the searchlights up to maximum and ran sonar and radar at full power.
Apart from the occasional jolt from thunder, the small space inside the flagship, with rain hammering against it, was so cozy it might as well have had ASMR playing in the background.
Then, breaking the silence, the AI alarm began to sound.
"Warning. Signs of Mirror Sea formation detected. Please alter course."
"Huh?!"
I had been casually boiling ramen, but at the urgent alarm I hurriedly sat up and assessed the situation.
We had to act while the electronic equipment was still functioning properly.
I sharply changed course.
We still had not made contact with the Sakura Empire fleet.
Even though we had already reached the expected contact time, the Sakura fleet had gone completely silent.
"Don’t tell me... the Sakura fleet got trapped in the Mirror Sea...?"
Tirpitz muttered with a dark expression.
If that was the case, then things were still somewhat better.
The escort fleet sent from the Sakura Empire was made up of the elite, so even if they were trapped in a Mirror Sea, they could still fight their way out. But if we got trapped instead...
You didn’t need me to finish the sentence.
I launched a scouting drone.
I needed to find out whether this was just a storm or the Sirens’ handiwork.
After analyzing the atmosphere based on the photos sent back by the drone, I confirmed that the fog had a shape impossible for a natural phenomenon. That told me it was the Sirens’ doing.
'...I definitely smashed the Sirens hard enough that they shouldn’t be able to run wild anymore, didn’t I...?'
"An unidentified humanoid entity is approaching. Please be cautious."
At that moment, a single red dot appeared on the radar.
"A Siren?!"
Tirpitz asked urgently.
"...No. Siren humanoid entities never travel alone."
I denied her guess out loud, but I still couldn’t figure out who it was and ended up wracking my brain over it.
But before I could think any further, the red dot vanished in an instant.
"Target lost. Do not lower your guard."
"...What was that?"
...
After resting for a while, Enterprise forced her leaden body up and set out once more.
But the sky, ignoring her desperate feelings, brought in a mass of black, oppressive clouds.
"Damn it... weather like this at a time like this... even the heavens are cruel."
Enterprise tried to recall her scout plane.
At that moment, unbelievable information came in.
A ship she knew all too well.
"That’s...! That’s...!!"
At last, she had found it.
The ship she had dreamed of, the one that had even appeared in her fantasies.
The Commander’s flagship.
She could not have mistaken it. She had boarded that ship with him countless times.
Enterprise immediately pushed her output to maximum and headed for the vessel.
Crack—
"Huh...?"
An ominous sound reached Enterprise’s ears.
Then the view before her split apart like a mirage.
"No..! No...!!!!"
She was so close. Just a little farther and she would finally be able to meet him.
"I have to get to the Commander!! I can’t... I can’t be separated again like this!!!"
Enterprise screamed almost in tears.
But no matter how she shouted, the shattered view only split apart faster.
When reality crumbled into pieces, Enterprise’s strength gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
She cried in silence.
Then, unable to contain the surge of emotion, she finally burst into loud sobs.
"No...!!!! No!!!"
The sky that had been raging with wind and rain just moments ago had already turned eerily calm.
Ignoring even that unnatural stillness, Enterprise only cried out at the top of her lungs.
...
Queen Elizabeth was gripped by an unprecedented sense of unease.
The mere fact that the Commander had fallen into enemy hands sent a chill down the spines of every faction leader.
The Commander, who had suppressed the shipgirls more effectively than anyone else, was like a decisive weapon.
But what if that decisive weapon was on the other side, not ours?
She had no way to withstand the Commander’s meticulous plans.
No—she was not the only one. At this point, no shipgirl could stand against him.
Then a thought flashed through Elizabeth’s mind like a comet.
"..! Edinburgh! Belfast!"
At the queen’s command, the two appeared not long after.
"Search the Commander’s office right now. Bring me every document you find there. Now!"
"At once, Your Majesty."
"B-but...! The Commander transferred ownership of the barracks to the Eagle Union when he left... I’m not sure we have the authority..."
"That doesn’t matter. Are you going to stand there and rot into a dead tree instead?"
"Still..."
"Edinburgh."
Elizabeth fixed Edinburgh with a cold stare.
"Since when does a mere maid defy the queen’s orders?"
"I-I will obey..."
Once Elizabeth lost her composure, she transformed into a vicious, authoritarian figure.
The lively, merciful, teasing queen from before was nowhere to be seen.
After being driven out of the office by Elizabeth’s order, the two headed straight for the Commander’s barracks.
The familiar scent made their chests ache, but the queen’s orders were absolute.
When they opened the Commander’s office, Saratoga, an Eagle Union executive, was indeed sitting there.
"...What?"
"We have been ordered by Her Majesty to search the Commander’s office and collect all documents."
Saratoga stared at the two maids, dumbfounded.
"You kicked the Commander out and now you’re searching his office? What right do you have? This office already belongs to the Eagle Union. You can’t just search it however you please!"
"...It is the queen’s order. We are only obeying."
Belfast spoke with as much courtesy as she could muster.
"No. Don’t you realize what you’re doing is killing the Commander a second time?!"
Saratoga raised her voice.
"...Tch. So even you, Saratoga, abstained? I don’t think you have any right to lecture us on this matter."
"You...! What...!"
"Am I wrong? You abstained from the Commander’s impeachment vote, and now you’re acting like this... It’s nothing but hypocrisy."
"We...! We didn’t want to get dragged into a conflict between your royal faction and the Northern Parliament...! Who would’ve thought you’d really cast the Commander out...?"
Saratoga’s voice began to tremble.
"Are you just making excuses and running away? At the time, the ones holding the most voting power were you. I heard only Enterprise strongly opposed it... wasn’t that right?"
"...Have you ever been in our position? Do you know how miserable it feels to swallow everything you want to say just to accommodate the people at the front lines...?"
Tears welled up in Saratoga’s eyes.
"...A dog of the royal faction, and still..."
Saratoga stormed out of the office.
"...Please continue, sister."
"Ah... yes..."
Edinburgh glanced at the door Saratoga had left through, then moved her hands to follow Belfast’s lead.
"This should be enough."
After finding a stack of documents, the two delivered them to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth flipped through the pages one by one, then stopped at a certain sheet.
"...Good. Now we may be able to change the situation."
[Complete Iron Blood Suppression Plan]
That was written on the page Elizabeth had stopped at.
...
For Belfast, each day had lost its meaning.
No matter how much tea she drank, no matter how many delicious sweets she put in her mouth.
She felt nothing.
The moment she confronted the dirty secret of the council meeting.
Belfast could not suppress the nausea surging up inside her and ran to the bathroom.
"Ugh...! Uweeegh..."
After retching for a long time, Belfast, drenched in sweat, felt tears gather at the corners of her eyes.
The one who had cut down the Commander she adored was none other than the royal faction she served.
Belfast had thought that once the war ended, he had simply set everything down and left.
She had felt deeply hurt that he had left them without a trace of hesitation, that he had broken his promise to go with them, but she had decided that after the war, she would definitely seek him out again.
But after hearing the Commander’s voice, a seed of doubt sprouted in Belfast’s sharp mind.
Perhaps—perhaps this situation was not heading toward a happy ending or even a normal ending, but plunging straight toward the worst possible bad ending.
Because she was always at Elizabeth’s side, accessing confidential documents had been easy.
And then...
"Uweeegh!"
Faced with the shocking truth, Belfast could not contain her horror.
"Haa... ngh..."
Belfast let out a pained breath.
Though saliva and tears ran down her face, making her look unkempt, her eyes were burning.
Belfast made up her mind.
She would find the Commander and protect him.
She would never let him slip away again.
...
New Jersey was hunched over her desk with her head in her hands.
She had spent days working without proper sleep to calm the chaos in the Eagle Union, and now even her proud long blue hair looked dull, with dark circles under her eyes.
If only she had objected back then.
"Mm... for now, let’s abstain from this vote. That way we avoid friction with the Royal Navy and the Northern Parliament, and if the impeachment really goes through, we can take in the Commander when he has nowhere else to go! Then we get the Commander, and our position becomes even more secure. It’ll hurt to ignore him for now, but... we can explain everything later."
New Jersey was pummeling her past self over and over in her head.
If she could send a message back in time, she wanted to scream at herself not to do it.
That human hearts were not so simple.
She wanted to tell herself that.
Creak—
"...Who is it...?"
New Jersey asked without looking up.
"It’s me. South Dakota."
"What brings you here?"
"...I failed to stop Enterprise. The Cleveland sisters and Baltimore have been badly damaged and are currently in dock."
"...I see."
How easy it was for her. New Jersey thought that if only she could force herself to be that stubborn.
"This time, they went too far."
South Dakota spoke quietly.
New Jersey listened in silence.
She knew how deeply South Dakota depended on and was loyal to the Commander.
If she provoked her, New Jersey herself would not be able to stop her easily.
"I want you to understand that I did not follow Enterprise because I was thinking of you and the others. The Union is in unprecedented chaos right now."
New Jersey asked in a trembling voice, "If the Commander were here... he would have fixed it, wouldn’t he...?"
"...He would have."
With that, South Dakota left the room.
After she was gone, a small sound of muffled sobbing drifted through the room.
...
After the AI lifted the warning, the weather began to clear as if it had all been a lie.
Visibility improved, so I climbed up to the lookout tower instead of relying on radar and scanned the area with binoculars.
Beep— The radio crackled, and Tirpitz’s voice came through.
"Commander, we’ll make contact with the Sakura Empire fleet in five minutes."
"Yeah, I can see them over there."
We safely made contact with the Sakura fleet and successfully arrived in the Sakura Empire.
The one who welcomed me as soon as we entered the Sakura Empire was, as expected, Akagi.
"Commander~ Akagi was starting to think her neck would fall off from waiting for you..."
Without Bismarck there to keep her in check, Akagi boldly moved in close and got physical.
"Haha... yeah. You worked hard too, Tirpitz. Let’s unpack quickly and get some rest."
"Commander...? You came to the Sakura Empire, and you’re looking at another woman instead of Akagi...?"
"I know. But we still need to unpack."
Only then did Akagi pull back from her close embrace, as if reluctantly understanding.
The lodging we were shown was a large traditional Japanese-style wooden building, like a luxury ryokan.
"Wow... it’s huge."
"Agreed. We won’t have to worry about squeezing in a quick nap here."
After failing to get proper sleep on the flagship for so long, we hurriedly unpacked and rested.
After a short break, we left the lodging to handle the rest of the schedule.
"Oh? So you’re the Commander who was said to be coming this time."
As we walked along the path, we ran into two women dressed in white uniforms.
"Ah, Takao and Atago. Nice to meet you."
"My, you even know my sister’s name? How lovely~"
Takao was the one with her hair tied up and a stern manner, while Atago was the one with long flowing hair and an older-sister aura.
"Haha... I’d better know that much."
"I heard the escort who came with you was Tirpitz... Has her sentence ended?"
The topic could have been a little sensitive, so I quickly covered for her.
"Ah, right. I was newly appointed this time, so I granted her a special pardon."
Since it might have been a sore spot, I looked over at Tirpitz, but fortunately she kept a blank expression. She didn’t seem bothered at all.
"Are you on your way to the meeting now? We’re headed there too. Why don’t we go together?"
"Sounds good. Please show us the way to the meeting hall."
Guided by the Takao sisters, I arrived at the meeting hall.
The many torii gates along the way left a strong impression on me.
When I opened the sliding door and stepped inside, there were already many girls there who seemed to be important figures of the Sakura Empire.
Akagi was there too, of course, and greeted me enthusiastically the moment I entered.
"Commander of Iron Blood? I am battleship Suruga. It’s a pleasure to meet you!"
"I’m Shimakaze! I’ve heard so much about you, Commander!"
As I was greeting the others, a tiny girl with a somewhat different atmosphere came in and walked straight toward me.
'She’s small... really small, but... her vibe is completely different...?'
"How dare you! You’re not thinking something rude, are you?!"
The little girl barked at me.
The girl beside her came over and whispered in my ear.
"This is Nagato, the leader of the Sakura Empire. Please show proper respect."
"Ah... I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you. I’m the Commander of Iron Blood."
"Hmm."
Is it some kind of island-nation trait? Do they all put little kids in charge?
And right after that, another little girl who looked like Nagato trotted in behind her.
So that must be Nagato’s sister, Mutsu?
I turned my gaze and met Mutsu’s eyes.
Mutsu tilted her head, then started walking straight toward me.
"A... Commander, please move away...!"
When Nagato spotted Mutsu, she hurriedly tried to get me out of the way.
"W-why...?"
While everyone was flustered, Mutsu had already reached me.
"Ah... I don’t know!"
Nagato fled in a panic.
"Hey, hey! Who are you? Do you know Nagato? I’ve never seen your face before. Where are you from?"
She fired off three questions in a rapid burst.
Ah. So that’s why I was told to avoid her.
I couldn’t crush a child’s innocence, so I answered every question kindly.
After unleashing dozens more questions, Mutsu finally seemed satisfied and went back to Nagato.
"Haa... haa... She’s strong... that one..."
"I told you... to avoid her..."
Suruga said, pressing a hand to her forehead.
Then I came to my senses and looked for Tirpitz. She was talking with Nagato.
Well then, I supposed I could relax for a bit.
I leaned against the railing and enjoyed the view.
The island, with cherry blossoms drifting through the air, had a distinctly Eastern feel that stirred up a strange sense of nostalgia.
After a few minutes like that, Akagi drew everyone’s attention and said, "Aah, today the Commander of Iron Blood has visited us for tactical training and faction exchange."
Applause broke out all around the room.
"Ah, thank you for having me. I’ve recently taken office as Iron Blood’s Commander."
"I heard Iron Blood once had a Commander, but after repeated defeats, they decided never to have one again... How unexpected."
Nagato offered her thoughts on my introduction.
For some reason, it felt like Tirpitz was not being welcomed very warmly.
To confirm my suspicion, I formally introduced Tirpitz myself.
"This is Tirpitz, who came with me as my attendant."
There was applause when I introduced her, but it felt a little underwhelming.
Oh? Then I’ll throw them a bigger issue.
I couldn’t stand my subordinate being treated like that.
"And I used to serve as Azur Lane’s Commander. Not anymore, of course."
Everyone’s expression changed at my words.
Some looked shocked, some indifferent, and some showed a hint of hostility.
Akagi seemed flustered by my bombshell and whispered to me, "C-Commander...? Are you all right...?"
"Tirpitz."
"Yes...?"
"It was because only Tirpitz was being treated differently."
"......You really are an outrageous man..."
"And Akagi loves even that about me."
Leaving Akagi’s confession behind, I continued speaking.
"I trust you’ve all heard of my reputation. So you could say I’m a guaranteed check. While I’m staying in the Sakura Empire, I’ll do my best to use the knowledge I have to help your development. Thank you."
I finished with a short closing remark and went to sit down.
Takao, who had come with me, was seated next to me.
"...Is it true that you turned your back on Azur Lane?"
Takao asked me quietly.
"If you don’t believe me, ask Kaga. She and I crossed paths once in battle before."
Not in a very friendly way, either...
"Haa... my brain can’t keep up with this information."
"That’s because Takao is a muscle-brain..."
At Atago’s joke from the side, Takao shot her a sharp look.
"Pfft, got it. Hey, Commander. Takao has a surprisingly clueless side to her? Back when..."
"Ahem! Ahem!!"
Takao’s cheeks turned slightly red as she kept clearing her throat.
Anyone could tell that meant stop talking about it.
I changed the subject for Takao’s sake.
"Still, you don’t seem especially bothered that I came from Azur Lane. Some of the others looked a little hostile earlier."
"To be honest, I still can’t believe it. Why would someone who even held the top position in a faction betray them and side with us?"
"Haa... betrayal, huh..."
I let out a deep sigh and downed my drink.
"I’m not the one who betrayed anyone. I’m the one who was betrayed."
"...May I ask what happened?"
Takao’s expression darkened as she asked carefully.
I repeated the story I had told countless times before.
The two listened quietly, and soon their expressions changed as they bowed their heads to me.
"I-I’m sorry. It seems I misunderstood... I truly apologize for looking down on the Commander!"
"So that’s what happened... If you’re sad, you can always come hug this big sister..."
After a few exchanges, I got a rough sense of their personalities.
Takao was a stick-in-the-mud. But she was a stick-in-the-mud who admitted when she was wrong, and fast.
I respected that kind of stick-in-the-mud.
Or maybe that meant she wasn’t really a stick-in-the-mud at all?
Atago was kind by nature, but she hid her deeper thoughts.
"That’s enough. If you’re really sorry, then at least be my drinking partner."
"Very well. It is good to pour unpleasant memories into a cup and shake them off."
Takao gave a small smile and clinked her glass against mine.
"If you ever have worries, you can tell big sister anything~ I’m good at this sort of thing. Sometimes even Takao comes to me to vent..."
"Atago!"
"Hehe, all right. Then cheers!"
A clear note rang out, and the sharp bite of alcohol slid down my throat.
Then something I had been overlooking flashed through my mind.
Ah—Tirpitz.
When I turned to look for her, Tirpitz was leaning alone against the railing, gazing at the night sky.
"Tirpitz. I told you not to be alone."
At my words, Tirpitz turned only her eyes to look at me.
"You looked like you were having fun, so I didn’t want to interrupt. And I’m used to being alone. So... you don’t need to worry about me..."
Tirpitz wore a somewhat forlorn expression.
...This was definitely her feeling left out.
I was a little irritated by Tirpitz’s consistent attitude, and since I had been drinking, I bluntly shoved my real thoughts at her.
"Haa... Tirpitz, are you just timid, or are you stupid?"
"...What?"
"How long are you going to keep bottling up everything you want to say? You’re the same with your sister. Don’t you want to be closer than you are now?"
".........."
Tirpitz looked at me with her mouth slightly open.
"And if you don’t, then at least stop making it obvious. Staring at Hipper and Eugen, or Takao and Atago, from the corner like that—wouldn’t it be even dumber to pretend not to notice?"
After I’d finished talking, my chest went cold.
She was a former Commander fan, and what exactly had I just done...
My timid mode kicked in, and I fell silent.
"...Are you planning to take me in now, after I gave up everything in the north...?"
I stayed quiet until Tirpitz spoke again. I just stared at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
Tirpitz downed her drink and stepped closer to me.
"Then... are you saying I can follow you and melt into this world?"
I’d been wondering why she was dragging it out like that, and this was all she had to say?
What a total loser.
"That was the plan from the moment I brought you down from the north. What have you been doing all this time?"
"Fufu... is that so...?"
Tirpitz smiled.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and the moonlight, the drifting cherry blossoms, and her silver hair combined into such a beautiful scene that I forgot to breathe for a moment.
It was the first time I had ever seen Tirpitz smile.
I stared at her, dazed.
"Commander...?"
The wind blew, cooling the heat that had risen in me from the alcohol, and I felt a chill.
When I shivered slightly, Tirpitz asked, "Are you cold?"
Tirpitz took off her outer coat.
"It’s fine. You wear it."
Tirpitz shook her head.
"I’m already used to the cold. If the Commander catches a cold, it would be a huge loss to our strength. So please, wear it."
Since it was a rare kindness from Tirpitz, I reluctantly accepted her coat.
"Thanks."
I was about to go back to drinking.
"Tirpitz. Come with me. You came here as my attendant, so you should enjoy yourself too."
I took Tirpitz by the hand and led her back toward the banquet.
Was it from this moment on? Tirpitz began to change.
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