At dawn the next day, as the sky lightened with the first hints of sunlight, the temporary base bustled with activity.
Azur Lane's shipgirls and Bulins were busy checking supplies and making preparations for the return journey.
anwhile, the Fleet of Fog shipgirls erged from their quarters in small groups, curiously taking in the sights of the land around them.
Previously bound by the restrictions of the Admiralty Code, they had been unable to remain on land for long periods.
Now that the Spirit of Origin had lifted their constraints, they felt a newfound sense of freedom.
As they interacted with the shipgirls of this otherworldly fleet, the Fleet of Fog shipgirls quickly discovered that many among the Sakura Empire shared their nas and identities.
Two worlds, two shipgirls of the sa na—this was a historic mont of encounters across dinsions.
"So, you're Musashi, the second ship of the Yamato-class, just like ?"
A tall, violet-haired fox-eared shipgirl stood before Arpeggio Musashi.
Her height was nearly on par with Setsuna's. Given that the expedition was soon to return, and with no outsiders in the base, the shipgirls had changed into their casual attire.
Dressed in an opulent violet-and-gold shrine maiden outfit, her very presence radiated elegance and pride.
"..."
Arpeggio Musashi tilted her head up to look at Azur Lane's Musashi.
"That's . What of it?"
She had to stand on her tiptoes just to reach the other Musashi's chest level.
The sheer difference in their sizes made her dizzy.
What the hell?
Aside from Yamato, the Fleet of Fog shipgirls were utterly outclassed by their Azur Lane counterparts in terms of physique.
—And that was only because Azur Lane hadn't introduced its own Yamato yet.
"Hmm... If the Commander hadn't told , I would have mistaken you for a destroyer."
"But that's fine. Since we're all allies now, I'll take good care of you."
Taihou crouched down to be at eye level with Musashi.
She patted Musashi's head before leaning in closer, her expression as sweet as honey.
"Oh, by the way, I just rembered sothing: 'Commander? Why would we ever need such a thing?'"
"That was sothing you said, wasn't it, Miss Musashi? Could you repeat it for one more ti?"
"???"
Arpeggio Musashi quickly realized that this aircraft carrier held grudges.
Back when they first t, she had arrogantly dismissed the need for commanders, looking down on the Azur Lane shipgirls.
Yet now, here she was, with Setsuna as her Commander.
True surrender.jpg.
The only problem was... having her past thrown back in her face like this was a bit too much to bear.
"Could you reenact that mont for us?"
"You know, standing atop a warship, one hand on your hip, chin raised high, with that smug expression, saying, 'What use is a Commander?'"
Yukikaze and a few other smaller shipgirls gathered around, giggling at her expense.
"???"
Musashi lowered her head, covered her face, and squatted down in silence.
After returning with Setsuna, she had a feeling this would beco a common occurrence—getting teased by Azur Lane's shipgirls at every opportunity.
"Alright, that's enough."
Richelieu clapped her hands and pulled Taihou away.
"Musashi has already apologized to the Commander."
"Since we're allies now, let's put the past behind us and work together for his sake."
"..."
Musashi let out a long sigh of relief.
"By the way, where is the Commander?"
Richelieu suddenly realized sothing.
"And where's Belfast, who's supposed to be taking care of him? And Nagato?!"
...
On the distant horizon above the sea.
The Eternal Snowfall hovered silently in midair.
Inside the bedroom.
Setsuna slowly opened his eyes to find a fluffy-eared shipgirl curled up in his arms.
Nagato's sleeping posture was impeccably neat. She had curled up like a little fox, using her own fluffy tail as a blanket.
Nagato's fox ears twitched slightly as she slept.
Her expression was serene and sweet, her breathing soft and steady.
"So cute."
Setsuna couldn't resist gently stroking Nagato's ears.
Yesterday had been an entirely new experience.
Sure enough, after spending so much ti around aircraft carriers, battleship onee-sans, and cruiser girls, a little variety was refreshing.
Nagato was also a battleship—how wonderful.
She embodied the perfect blend of elegance and cuteness, well-mannered, thoughtful, with a hint of shyness and introversion.
She wasn't as endowed as so of the others, but her innocent and awkward charm had its own irresistible appeal.
It made one want to cherish her even more.
"Mmm..."
"Commander, that tickles..."
Nagato's ears twitched as she buried herself deeper into his chest.
Here, she felt warm and safe.
For once, she could set aside her role as the Sakura Empire's flagship and simply be an ordinary girl.
"Ti to wake up. We're heading back today."
Setsuna gently patted her.
"Mmm..."
Nagato groggily opened her eyes.
"Commander, does this an... I'm now your oath-bound ship?"
"Of course."
Setsuna chuckled, lightly pinching her soft, slightly chubby cheeks.
"How do you feel?"
"Mmm... It's different from what I imagined, but... it's not bad... I had only heard about it from Taihou before..."
"Commander, you're actually quite gentle..."
Nagato pouted, playing coyly.
Setsuna had never seen her act this way before.
Normally, Nagato tried to appear mature, doing her best to stand on equal footing with the older shipgirls.
But just like Taihou, it seed that after forming an Oath, so shipgirls unlocked a new side of themselves.
"How did I do?"
Nagato tilted her head up from his embrace.
"I may be small, but I'm still a battleship! I'm definitely on par with Richelieu and the others, right?"
Pfft—
Setsuna had no idea where Nagato's competitive streak ca from.
"You were great."
He reassured her.
In truth, she had been completely overwheld yesterday, leaving him to take the lead the entire ti.
Compared to Richelieu or Taihou, who were far more experienced and cooperative, Nagato was still a bit clumsy.
She lacked their finesse, but her small size had its own advantages.
For one, she was much easier to carry around.
"Mmm... Commander, how do you know so much..."
Nagato buried her face in her tail, her tone a mix of embarrassnt and curiosity.
"I've... had a lot of practice with the others."
Setsuna almost blurted it out.
Knock, knock, knock—
A light tapping ca from the door.
Belfast entered gracefully, carrying two trays of breakfast, which she placed gently on the table.
"Good morning, Commander. Good morning, Miss Nagato."
She lifted her skirt slightly in a polite curtsy before attending to Setsuna's morning routine.
With practiced efficiency, she retrieved fresh clothes from the wardrobe and gathered the previous night's garnts, tidying up the room with seamless grace.
Her movents were so fluid and elegant that they were a sight to behold.
"Wait... why are you so skilled at this? And why are you even here?!"
Nagato clutched the blanket tightly, watching Belfast's practiced motions in a daze.
This was Setsuna's ship, yet Belfast moved around as if she were in her own ho.
"Why, because I have served the Commander the longest, of course, dear Sakura Empire's Nagato."
"Tending to his needs is my foremost duty, so naturally, I am always by his side."
Belfast responded with a composed and elegant smile.
"Though, starting today, you're one of us as well."
"Us?"
Nagato blinked, confused.
"I an Taihou, Richelieu, Yat Sen, and that Spirit of Origin... Surely, you don't intend to monopolize the Commander all by yourself?"
"The other sisters wouldn't be too happy about that. Even as the flagship of the Sakura Empire, you couldn't possibly handle everything alone."
Belfast chuckled as she spoke.
"W-What are you talking about?!"
Nagato stamred, her face turning scarlet under Belfast's teasing.
"Hmm... You seem like the type who'd be easy to bully, Miss Nagato."
The head maid's eyes glimred as she studied Nagato carefully.
In terms of combat ability, her battleship-class firepower was undoubtedly formidable.
But in certain other areas... she seed far too innocent.
"I-I will not sit idly and allow that to happen!"
Nagato hurriedly declared.
"No, Belfast ant 'bully' in a different way..."
Setsuna ruffled Nagato's hair.
"Once we all spend more ti together, you'll understand."
"Eh? Spend ti together? All of us?"
Nagato was confused but instinctively sensed so hidden aning.
After a long and hesitant process of getting out of bed, Nagato eventually made her declaration in front of the gathered Sakura Empire shipgirls, so of whom stared in astonishnt.
"From this day forward, I am not only the flagship of the Sakura Empire's Combined Fleet—I am also the Commander's oath-bound ship..."
"I may be inexperienced, but please take care of ."
"...?"
The Fleet of Fog shipgirls tilted their heads, puzzled by the strange sense of ceremony among the Azur Lane shipgirls.
anwhile, so of the Sakura Empire shipgirls looked on with expressions ranging from surprise to envy.
"Commander, did your trip to the Black Bullet world and bringing back millions of lolis change your preferences?"
Gudako whispered as she nudged Setsuna.
"Could it be... 'In youth, one does not know the joy of lolis, mistaking onee-sans as treasures'?"
"?!"
Bonk—
Setsuna gave Gudako a swift flick to the forehead, making her crouch down clutching her head.
"I have always been fair and treat all shipgirls in the port equally."
He cleared his throat and replied in a serious tone.
"But you used to say you only liked the bigger ones... And all the previous ones were more, uh, well-endowed..."
Gudako imdiately started digging up his past statents.
"I've upgraded my preference system to be more compatible with a wider range of shipgirls. What, you got a problem with that, stead bun?!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon/DaoOfHeaven
User Comments
0 comments from readers