Chapter Text
Silence.
That was the Commander of Azur Lane's only response to the current predicament.
Left standing in the middle of the chaos ensuing around him and having no idea what exactly just happened, the Commander had a stunned expression on his face as he continued to stare in the direction that the kansen better known as Kent had gone. He was at a loss for words.
"…What just happened?"
Bringing his hands up to his eyes and rubbing them for a second, he realized that he did indeed see Kent and heard her say that she was looking for the commander. This just made his head start hurting a bit more.
"She said to meet up with the others but… where are the others?"
Not left with many other options, the Commander took off in the direction that Kent went hoping to catch up to her and learn more about what exactly was going on. The sound of airplanes flying over and across the island did raise many concerns in his head but for now, getting to whoever was grouped up was his biggest priority. Besides, how bad could things really be on the island?
Meanwhile, back with Akagi and Enterprise
*KA-BOOM!*
Things were bad.
Enterprise and Akagi were both thrown back several feet while their hands were barely holding onto their riggings. The two girls' bodies were covered in dirt, soot, and cuts everywhere. Dark spots indicating bruises taking shape appeared on Akagi and Enterprise's legs followed by parts of their outfits torn or ripped in random spots. Even the Red Spider Lily's tails looked to be burned in some parts with there not being an even length on each of her nine tails. Akagi donned a pissed-off expression on her face.
*Clack*
*Clack*
Not that far away from the two stood the Iron Blood girl who embellished fear into any who were familiar with her ravenous attitude when it came to her feelings being the only thing she cared about. Nothing else mattered in this state of being for her. It didn't help that Roon had her eyes glowing while remaining open and not blinking at all. Additionally, she walked at a slow pace giving the Eagle Union and Sakura Empire girls a sense of foreboding anxiety.
Pushing herself to stand upright, Enterprise looked over at Akagi and could see a trail of blood on the corner of her head. She looked to be in a rougher state than she was right now. This fight couldn't go on any longer.
"We… *gasp* have… to get her to calm down…" Enterprise tiredly said while clutching her right shoulder.
A look of irritation appeared on the kitsune woman's face.
"Calm down? Don't be ridiculous. *sigh* There's no calming down that beast. The only one who could do such a thing was Shikikan but he's nowhere to be found" Akagi annoyingly retorted.
"Still… we have to do something. We can't keep this up."
"*sigh* We could call for backup?" the dark brown-haired girl suggested.
Shaking her head, Enterprise was against that idea in its entirety.
"Not a chance. Right now, Roon has her attention on us. I don't want to get anyone else involved and in the crossfire. We need to keep her attention focused on only the two of us," Enterprise replied, still wincing at the pain coursing through her body.
"Grr. Easier said than done" the kitsune girl weakly replied. "Did you forget we are getting tossed around like rag dolls? We can't go all out against her yet she's not playing by our rules."
Understanding where Akagi was coming from, Enterprise still kept up hope that they'd be able to wear her down to the point that they could get the upper hand in this fight.
"Close-up attacks aren't doing anything, and our ranged attacks are being blocked with ease. We need a new game plan" the white-haired girl commented while pulling her string back on her bow and getting ready to fire an arrow.
Taking a second to watch the Iron Blood girl slowly walk toward them, Akagi figured any sort of plan would work in their favor right now. Honestly, at this point, anything given to them would be a miracle.
"Then we switch it up."
"How so?"
A look of trepidation glossed over the brunette's face before she closed her eyes and then opened them to relay her plan to the Grey Ghost.
*Clack*
*Clack*
"It's faster for you to move around and shoot your bow than it is for me to send out my planes. So, why don't we mix our formations up on Roon? You take an offensive stance while moving close and distanced. And I will stay back and summon as many planes as I can to provide you with cover fire. One of our attacks has to hit her in some way or slow her down" Akagi explained.
Considering what she was hearing, Enterprise figured that it wouldn't hurt to try this plan out. Currently, their only means of attacking was from a distance to avoid using any real firepower against Roon. Something like this tactic of up close and distance could help give them the edge they need.
"It's worth a shot. If all else fails, then we keep moving back" Enterprise grimly said while gripping onto her bow tightly. "We're the ones who made this mess…"
"Tch. Need I remind you that we are losing ground? If we keep retreating… we're going to encounter other more populated areas. And yes… we are the ones that brought this upon us" Akagi replied, staring at the area around her.
"Then we better make sure we deal with it. Ha… who would've thought our simple tactic of keeping this to ourselves would cause this kind of trouble?" the white-haired girl asked, chuckling to herself.
"No doubt. This exceeded my expectations, but… we should have known better. Our desire to find Shikikan clouded our judgment."
At this point, Enterprise raised her hand and adjusted her cap so that it was leaning a bit more down. This gave her a look of contemplation and thought while also portraying her as someone preparing for a fight and readying herself.
"Yeah… but I won't go back and claim that our decision was completely wrong…"
"Neither will I…"
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, a shot fired from Roon's riggings was sent right past them and caused a large blast to impact the ground. Dirt went flying with the two kansens hardening their gaze on the Iron Blood girl. She was now not that far away from them. A smile appeared on her face which made the whole mood and atmosphere drop down several degrees.
"…Are you two done yet?" Roon asked while shifting her eyes from Akagi to Enterprise and vice versa. "You two talk so loud… I could probably hear you from a mile away… maybe more…"
"Look… Roon- "
"Don't Roon me… You kept the most important bit of news in my life away from me… You hid the fact that Shikikan is missing… I'll never forgive you…"
"Roon."
Enterprise took a deep breath and quickly gathered her thoughts to try and speak to Roon. Things looked bad, but it was worth a try to talk with her.
"Roon. I'm sorry."
"…"
"You're right. We did hide the most important bit of information from you… I won't deny or try to make you think otherwise. And I know me trying to explain our reasoning for doing so won't matter."
"…"
Akagi, seeing where Enterprise was going with this, joined in, "We will accept all the blame. It's our fault this situation even got to where it is now."
"You're right about that… Shikikan…Shikikan…"
Roon kept walking toward them while having tunnel vision aimed directly at the two. There was no stopping her from the path she was walking. All she could think about was her Commander lost… taken… in trouble. She could have found him… searched for him sooner, but it was all thanks to these two.
It was at this point that Enterprise signaled to Akagi by clenching her left hand which appeared to be a signal that she sent to the kitsune woman to let her know about their plan of attack still in motion. With a firm nod, Akagi started moving her weight back and getting ready to jump back and start their plan of attack.
"Roon. Please stop this. We should be focused on finding Shikikan" Enterprise tried reasoning. "He's still missing out there and- "
"Oh, I'll find Shikikan. I'll find him and never let him go. Never…never…never…." Roon had a sad yet angry look on her face as she glared at the two girls standing before her.
It didn't help that she also had her hand in a position that was ready to start striking back. A better comparison of Roon's movement would be that of an old cowboy getting ready to draw.
"Roon."
A moment of stillness was set between the trio as they all looked at one another before the Iron Blood kansen decided to dispel the silence with one final statement.
"…I'll find Shikikan. And I'll tell him you two won't be seeing him for a while."
*BOOM!*
The short-haired girl fired a large explosive right between the two but had been too slow to hit them as Enterprise and Akagi were already on the move. The brunette kitsune girl had jumped back and was now throwing her red paper planes forward which transformed into airplanes flying overhead. Enterprise had dashed to the side and was firing arrow after arrow at Roon's riggings to try and disarm her. However, that did not deter the girl as she simply leveled her shoulder and had four shields start rotating around her body.
The glint in her eyes showed that she was done playing around.
"Akagi!" Enterprise yelled out.
"Already on it!"
With a wave of her hand, several of her planes changed their direction and had now turned around in the air to be focused directly on the Iron Blood girl. Seeing this attack, Roon jumped back and started breaking off to the left before firing at the planes and Enterprise.
*PEEEEEW!*
*KA-BOOM!*
Explosions rocked the area with dirt and smoke covering the area and debris flying all over. Enterprise had been forced to jump back and fired off several charged shots with her bow. The impact of these shots had caused bright flashes through the air. It also provided the white-haired girl to summon her riggings and launchpad to send out several of her own planes.
Now, in a war-torn area, the three girls were engaged in a focused attack to try and slow down the girl. Their main goal was to wear her down and try to even damage her riggings to the point where she'd be less of a threat. However, that plan wasn't foolproof.
"*Giggle* Is that the best you two can do? I'm not very impressed. This will be easy putting you two to sleep."
Explosions continued to rampage across the area along with Roon dashing forward at an incredible speed even with her riggings summoned. The sight of the cold-hearted girl dashing away and keeping her eyes locked on them caused worry to flood Akagi and Enterprise's hearts.
"Enterprise! Look out!" Akagi shouted while doing her best to target Roon.
Hearing the brunette, Enterprise threw herself to the ground and managed to narrowly dodge a barrage of gunfire sent her way. Rolling herself to the side and pushing her body up, Enty then pulled her bow back and prepared an arrow with her sights aimed right at Roon. She was given a direct line of sight against the girl. This was further proven by Akagi's planes raining fire on her and making her attention on defense weaken just enough.
"Roon! Stop!" Enterprise yelled out.
The response she received was a cold glare followed by the girl's glowing eyes looking right at her as Roon seemed to turn her sights toward the Grey Ghost. This was a battle that showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Meanwhile, back with a certain ship girl
Continuing her mission to try and find the Commander, Kent was now near the training range where she was hoping to find something regarding his whereabouts. She knew that it was highly likely that she wouldn't find anything, but that didn't stop the energetic girl from trying. In addition, it appeared that several other girls were also standing around the area talking amongst one another.
"Hey! Carol! Baltimore! Wash! South Dakota! Bismarck!" Kent called out to the girls she spotted.
Startled by the sudden call, the five girls all turned around and spotted her running up to them. Out of all the chaos ensuing now, they did not expect to see Kent of all girls show up here and now.
"Kent? What the heck are you doing here?" North Carolina questioned. "I thought you were with- "
"Yeah! I was. But I decided that I couldn't wait any longer! The Commander is in trouble and the sooner we find him, the sooner we can stop all this madness!"
Understanding where her heart was, Bismarck spoke up.
"I know where you are coming from. Shikikan is missing and right now, he's the only one that can rein in all the girls. Even now, my desire to find him is at an all-time high. And knowing that he's all alone… I'll be damned if I don't do something!"
Agreeing with the blonde Iron Blood girl, the others nodded their heads but not before coming back to the main topic at hand.
"Yeah, but we still don't have any clues about where he could be" Washington affirmed while glancing around the skies. "And it doesn't look like things are going to be calming down anytime soon."
Resting one hand on her hip, South Dakota had a thinking expression covering her face.
"With everyone running around you'd have thought something regarding Shikikan would appear."
"How so?" Baltimore added. "You forget that everyone is going crazy on the island. It's only a matter of time before the teams not on base find out."
"But that's it. All the commotion going on across the island from all the girls must've caused something to happen. Opened a door or blew up a hole where Shikikan might be. We still don't know what exactly happened to him" South Dakota reasoned.
Processing what she was saying, Washington added her own two cents to the conversation.
"While that sounds good on paper, it's still only an idea."
"At least it's something to go off" North Carolina replied. "There's probably other groups of girls looking around the island for the Commander."
Left wondering what else could be done, the group of girls was torn away from their thoughts when suddenly, a large explosion echoed across the area.
*WHOOSH*
*KA-BOOM!*
"What!? What was that?!" Baltimore yelled out.
Glancing in the distance, a puff of smoke from a shell hitting something could be seen from their position. The looming fear that things were growing out of control was weighing on their minds. Things had to change soon.
"That sounded close" Bismarck commented. "Too close for comfort."
"You don't think the explosions will hit us, right?" Kent worriedly asked.
The sounds of explosions while continuing in the distance were still something to be wary of. Especially with the explosion that just went off nearby.
"With an unpredictable situation like the one we are in now, anything is possible" South Dakota stated while glancing back at Kent. "Do you have any idea for where you could search next?"
Displaying a very serious thinking expression, Kent shook her head furiously.
"I have no idea where to search. I was just thinking about searching around the areas that the others have looked over. Doing a second round of searching. Maybe something new could have appeared?"
"That's one idea. And frankly, we're running out of options" North Carolina chimed in.
"We could check his personal quarters again. Enterprise said she was there once and didn't find anything notable, but we could check again…" suggested Washington as she had an anxious look on her face.
"Hmm…" Kent said while scratching her head. "I think no matter what as long as we keep looking for the Commander, then we'll find him in no time!"
Easily agreeing with her statement, the others all donned serious, morale-filled expressions. They would find their Commander.
"Right! We should join up with the others" Baltimore suggested. "The larger the force, the greater our chances are of finding the Commander."
"I agree. We need to rendezvous with the others" Bismarck added.
"Great! Then you guys go on ahead!" Kent said while getting ready to head out. "I'll keep searching for others along with seeing if I can find anything regarding the Commander."
"Will do. Stay safe out there, Kent" North Carolina replied.
"Same to you guys! Oh! I forgot. I happened to see Shikikan earlier. If you manage to see him, tell him about where the others are gathering. It looked like he was also searching for the Commander as well!"
And with that, Kent continued her expedition to help find the Commander and bring an end to the madness going on.
However, her words did not fall on empty ears as one by one each of the ship girls had their eyes shoot up along with their eyebrows.
"Wait… wait…" Baltimore repeated.
"Hold on…" South Dakota muttered.
"Just a minute… "Bismarck started to say.
"D-Did I hear that right?" Washington asked.
"…She… Did Kent…" North Carolina whispered.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
A moment of realization settled into their hearts along with their heads. What Kent said made no sense at all. And yet, it seemed all too believable.
"KENT!" Baltimore yelled out.
Alas, it was too late. The cheerful kansen was long gone and heading to an unknown location. This left the girls dumbfounded and unable to process what exactly happened.
"Shikikan… Am I going crazy? Is Shikikan… the Commander? Did she mix up someone's name?" Washington asked, hurting her head at trying to process Kent's statement.
"Easy Wash. Don't think about it too hard" South Dakota chimed in. "You'll only hurt yourself more."
Listening to her friend, the grey-haired girl simply rubbed her forehead while trying to keep her cool. Sadly, this didn't mean much.
"She said she saw Shikikan… what should we do now?" Baltimore asked, feeling that the situation had been flipped over on their heads. "Should we chase after her?"
Taking on a thinking pose, Bismarck was the first to answer.
"While it would give us some idea for where Shikikan could be… that's all it is. An idea. Kent encountered him probably some time ago. Meaning that he has probably moved elsewhere."
"Still… it would give us an idea of where he is" North Carolina proclaimed. "We're still in the dark about what's going on with him."
"The most important thing we can take away from this blunder is that Shikikan is okay. He's not locked away in some basement. He's out in public and witnessing what's going on" Bismarck clarified.
Relief threw through the girls as each one of them was showing joy on their faces. The fact that he was all right made their hearts relax a bit. That is… until a slow realization dawned on them.
"Wait. If he's not being kidnapped and wandering around, then he's bound to see everything that's playing out!" Washington shouted while feeling dread sink back into her heart.
Knowing their Commander very well, he would throw his hat into the rink and try to stop this conflict from becoming even bigger. He could get caught in a crossfire.
"Crap! We have to find him now!" Baltimore eagerly commented.
"We need to be careful. If we all ran in one direction, then we could miss him" South Dakota reasoned.
"I agree with South Dakota. We need to split up into two groups. One group finds the rest of the girls while the other group looks for Shikikan. Preferably in the direction that Kent came from" Bismarck stated.
A sense of direction and confidence filled her heart at this very moment. Knowing her Commander was so close yet so far drove her to act with her head rather than her heart.
"Got it! Carol, you're with me. South, Balt, you two go with Bismarck and find Shikikan" Washington said to her friends.
Nods of confirmation were given to the grey-haired girl before she and her sister set off in a sprint to find the others and let them know the news.
"So, any ideas on where we might find our long-lost hubby?" Baltimore asked the blonde Iron Blood woman.
"Well, I do have one- "
Suddenly, before Bismarck could respond, a large explosion could be heard causing them to go wide-eyed.
*KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
"That didn't sound good" South Dakota murmured.
"No… no it did not. I think I might know where Shikikan is and it's not pretty" Bismarck said.
The two girls knew exactly what she was getting at.
Hence, the trio took off and began making their way over to where the loud explosion came from.
Meanwhile… with Akagi and Enterprise
*KA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!*
"GAH!"
"AAAAHHHH!"
The sight of Akagi and Enterprise being shot back through the air and rolling across the grassy field which had now become a full-blown battleground was nerve-wracking. Their efforts to stop and quell the raging monster better known as Roon were not going to plan.
The Sakura Empire and Eagle Union kansens' plans of chipping down at Roon's defenses by switching up their attacks had done a great deal of damage at the start. However, that momentum did not go anywhere once they managed to piss Roon off even more.
"Nngh!"
Enterprise's body ached and she could feel a trickle of liquid flowing down the side of her arm. Her clothes were disheveled, ripped, and burned. She could already visualize herself in front of a mirror and the sight would not be pretty.
The same could be said for Akagi who usually had a more refined and elegant appearance, obviously for the Commander to see, however, the current situation caused her to look quite disheveled. Her hair was burned in some parts with one of her ears lowered and bruises all around her body. A cut on her cheek was visible and a pained expression stayed on her body.
"Enterprise… I don't think…"
"I know…"
Enterprise said weakly while pushing her injured body up. It felt as if a migraine had kicked her in the head along with the rest of her body feeling like Jello.
"We… have… to… get… up… for… everyone…!"
Biting down on her tongue, the white-haired kansen threw herself back and stumbled to say on her two feet. Her vision was lopsided, but her heart and mind were still fighting to stay up.
Watching her struggle to get up, Akagi also followed suit and did her best not to wobble. Alas, her tails had managed to balance her weight forward and have her standing albeit not very straight.
"She's… coming…" Akagi quietly murmured.
"I know…"
The situation with Roon had not gone as predicted. Rather, their goal of not hurting her directly and just trying to slow her down had been an utter failure. That girl… that monster… she was no easy target. The way she shrugged off air fire or arrows stabbing right into her legs or arms was something else. It didn't help that she always kept a cold and menacing glare on her face. Almost like she was toying with them.
"*cough* *cough*"
Akagi couldn't help her coughing fit and leaned herself over a bit.
"Any bright ideas?"
"I've got one… it's not very pretty" Enterprise tiredly responded.
"It's better than nothing…"
"Yeah…"
Before anything else could happen, a lone woman stood ahead of them with her riggings all summoned and wearing a sly yet terrifying smile on her face.
"I thought you two would be out from that last explosion. Guess I didn't make it big enough~" Roon happily stated while staring at the two.
"You don't have to do this, Roon."
"Please stop talking. You've wasted enough of my time. My Shikikan is still out there alone… I won't let him be alone any longer."
"We can work together and- "
"Please stop talking" Roon immediately fired back. "You're still wasting my time."
"Enterprise…"
"…I know…"
With one final effort, Akagi and Enterprise readied themselves for the final act against Roon. While the Iron Blood woman herself readied a massive bomb to be shot at them which would finish them off once and for all. A final closing act to this annoyance.
The little strength Akagi and Enterprise had to calm this mad woman would have to be enough for the others. They might not see how this situation plays out, but they could at least-
"Hey! What's going on here?!"
Shocked expressions dawned on the three girls as they thought they were hearing things in their heads. However, that idea was soon dismissed when the voice kept on talking.
"Akagi! Roon! Enterprise! What's going on!?"
"Sh-Shikikan?!" Akagi eagerly spoke.
Turning around, Enterprise instantly saw the figure of the person she cared for and loved quite dearly. The sight of him made her heart flutter and speed up. For a moment, all her worries had faded away.
"Commander!" she cried out.
"SHIKIKAN!"
Roon yelled while letting go of her riggings and weapons.
However, what she didn't realize was that the bomb she had been holding onto and prepared to fire had slipped out of her hands causing the trio to go wide-eyed at what just happened. Everyone but the Commander knew at that moment.
With time seemingly slowing down, Akagi and Enterprise jumped right in front of their beloved while Roon quickly dove right on top of the bomb instantaneously summoning her riggings. Before the Commander had time to react, he was forcefully pushed back through the air.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The last thing he could feel was two bodies hitting his before everything around him had faded to black.
Sometime later…
*Gasp!*
Throwing himself forward, the Commander let out a heavy sigh while beginning to have a coughing fit. His eyes quickly took in his surroundings while his hands started patting himself down up and down. It was then that he took in his visuals and could see that he was in one of the infirmary rooms on the island's hospital. The room he was in had nobody but himself in it.
That is… until…
"Shikikan! Everyone! He's awake!"
Helena was the first one to enter the room and shout to everyone else.
From the stampede of heels and shoes hitting the hospital floor, it sounded like a horde of girls were coming to check on him.
"Shikikan!"
"Commander!"
"Shikikan!"
"He's awake!"
One by one, the Commander was able to identify every girl who stepped into the room.
Hood, Prinz Eugen, Littorio, Takao, Atago, Prince of Wales, King George, Belfast, Mikasa, Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Dunkerque, Kaga, Littorio, Illustrious, Jean Bart, Baltimore, North Carolina, Washington, South Dakota, Graf Zeppelin, Vittorio, Richelieu, Bismarck, and many more.
Alas, the ones mentioned happened to be the ones he is Oathed to and… they do not look happy.
"Um… is everyone ok?"
"…"
"Guys…? Please say something. You're all just staring at me. Some of you have your hands on your hips and others are just staring… not even blinking" the Commander said while watching the women in front of him.
"…"
"…Err… Cleveland? Dido? Sandy? Laffey? Anyone? Please speak up. I'm getting kind of scared! Hornet? Formidable? Yorktown? I see you. Please? Akashi, I see your ears. Say something."
"Shouldn't you be the one saying something?" Jean Bart grimly said.
"Huh?"
"My love, you've really tempered the hornet's nest" Littorio suspiciously said.
This simultaneously caused Hornet to tilt her head at the mention of her name.
"Uh…"
"Shikikan…" Hood started to say before frowning. "Where have you been?"
"I… I…"
"We've been worried sick!" Zuikaku yelled.
"The entire day has been nothing but a search for you" Shoukaku added.
"We thought…" Richelieu brought a hand up to her chest before continuing. "We thought the worst had happened to you."
"What?" the Commander mumbled.
"Nobody knew where you were" Illustrious commented.
"It's been a wild goose chase trying to find you," Dunkerque said.
"Everyone was starting to lose their calm" Wales replied.
Realizing just how much of a mess this day had been, the Commander struggled to respond in time.
"T-There's a valid reason for- "
"Valid? Shikikan, you do realize that the island was mere hours- honestly, mere minutes away from being bombarded by a woman's love?" Wales interjected.
"Eh?"
"You should already know this, idiot!" Washington replied with a pink blush spread across her cheeks.
"It's pretty obvious, Shikikan" North Carolina piped in.
Analyzing and processing what his girls were saying, the Commander mentally face-palmed himself for not thinking clearly or having his head screwed on right.
"…Crap. Roon."
"Oh? It would seem my beloved still has a brain~" Prinz Eugen said while giggling to herself.
"Yes. And while she and the others would very much like to see you, I believe you owe all of us an explanation for your disappearance" Belfast chided.
With over a dozen pairs of eyes all on him, the Commander simply let out a stumped sigh before nodding to Belfast's declaration.
"You're right, Bel. I owe you all an explanation."
At this point, everyone seemed to lean in and listen intently to what he had to say. Additionally, Unicorn who had been in the crowd managed to sneak herself in while holding onto U-chan. She made it up to her big brother's bed and listened like everyone else for a proper explanation.
Rubbing the back of his head, the Commander of Azur Lane, and the husband of many of these girls began to give his side of the story.
"I… I wanted a day to myself."
The reaction to his response was met with almost dumbfounded expressions plastered over all the girls' faces.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Vittorio asked.
"I mean, I wanted to take a day for myself and just do what I wanted" the Commander further explained.
"But… don't you already do that?" Baltimore questioned while trying to understand what he was saying. "You're not confined to a schedule."
"I know that. What I'm getting at is I just wanted to have a day to myself. Just… me. Doing things that I like and not having to worry."
Once again, mixed reactions were present on all the girls' faces.
"Are… Do we cause you- "Mikasa started to say.
"No! Not at all! I just wanted a day to myself. It's not like a holiday break or anything regarding you girls. Or anyone for that matter. I just wanted to give myself a personal day. I knew that there were no orders, commissions, tasks, or problems going on today. It was practically a free day. Something that I don't often get. Even then, I made sure to have my work all ordered and taken care of while also informing the reconnaissance fleet of my request for the day. I let New Jersey know in case of anything and she probably told the others out there" the Commander explained.
Wrapping their heads around their Commander's request, a few girls could understand where he was coming from. Others were imagining themselves in a similar situation and needing to take some time for themselves.
"But… when we started looking for you… nobody could find you" Takao said, earning everyone's attention. "Enterprise, Akagi, Kaga, and Taihou were the first to notice your disappearance."
"They did… where did they first check?" he asked the black-haired girl.
"They said they first checked your office, Shikikan" Atago replied.
"My office… I haven't been there at all today. I made sure to get things organized yesterday."
"It was from there that they seemed to split up and start searching the island without letting it be known that you were missing. Enterprise, Kaga, and Akagi decided it would be best to keep it quiet so the island wouldn't fall to chaos and worry" Zuikaku said, adding a bit of depth to the girls' decision.
Part of the Commander was proud of his girls taking charge and making sure to not worry the others, but another part of himself was laughing at the trouble he caused. To think that everyone on the island was freaking out about him being missing.
"How long before things started to hit the fan?"
Several of the girls all stared at a certain red-headed Eagle Union ship girl who knew exactly what she had done earlier at the school.
"Everything was ok until Sandy blew it up," Hornet said aloud.
"Eheheheh…" was San Diego's only response along with blushing a bright red.
"Sandy."
"Y-yeah? Shikikan?"
"…What did you do?"
San Diego's face had become as red as Zuikaku's outfit due to how she recalled announcing the announcement of the Commander's disappearance.
"I…I… well… funny story…"
"She announced it on the intercom at the school" Pennsylvania bluntly said from within the crowd.
The Commander now had a deadpan expression washed over his face as he mentally facepalmed at the girl's action. No wonder things had gone to crap so fast. That was the lynchpin that truly set things off. Sure, more and more girls would've found out over time, but Sandy's actions let the entire island know.
"Err… well, look on the bright side! The Commander is here and healthy!" San Diego tried to reason.
"He's in a hospital bed nya" came the blunt reply from Akashi in the back.
A nervous yet comedic expression was painted on Sandy's face.
"Right… so, you all thought I was missing?" the Commander said, pulling the conversation back on track.
"Missing is putting it lightly" commented Graf Zeppelin. "Everyone was of the impression that you had been kidnapped and were being held somewhere on the island."
Sheer confusion appeared on the Commander's face.
"Wait! Hold on… that's what you guys thought?"
"Can you blame us? After Enterprise and the others couldn't find you after searching so many places and asking a bunch of us, the only reasonable explanation was that someone kidnapped you" Ticonderoga clarified in a direct tone of voice. "We were all scrambling to come up with any leads."
"This is also where Enterprise came up with the idea of a suspicious individuals list" Rodney added with a bit of a lighthearted tease.
Recalling the list, Zuikaku and a few other girls couldn't help but blush brightly or try to cover their faces.
"What list?" the Commander questioned.
"A list that was basically for the girls most likely to kidnap you. It started out featuring the more *obvious* girls that would do such a thing. But then it evolved and included a good number of girls you're Oathed to" Arizona explained, having appeared closer to the Commander from the crowd.
Processing this information, the Commander was left to his thoughts on how crazy things had gotten while he was away.
'I really caused quite a mess. I wish I could've seen it…'
"Hm… let me guess, Akagi and Roon were on that list?" he asked the girls.
"Yep! Seems you know your girls!" Cleveland remarked with a smirk.
"Of course."
"But… you'll be surprised who got added to the list near the start~," Hornet said while having a mischievous grin on her face.
It was right then that several girls right off the bat swiped their hands over her mouth. Disabling her from uttering anything else on the matter.
"O…. kay? I mean, I already have an idea of who might be on that list" the Commander simply responded.
"Huh? Who do you think was on the list?" Sirius asked, having been quiet this entire discussion.
"Well, the first girl to come to mind because I'm also looking at her is Zui."
"WH-WHAT?!"
"I mean, let's be real, Zui, you can get quite possessive. Especially around Enty."
The Auspicious Crane's face had reached a new kind of red as she couldn't help but divert her eyes and adorably cover her face. It made the Commander's heart skip a beat at seeing his adorable crane.
"I-I-I… *cough* W-Well, that's only because I care about you a lot! … and love you…" Zuikaku replied but kept that last part quiet.
Alas, the Commander heard everything and smiled.
'I also know you're not the only one that gets like that. Arizona, Prinz Eugen, Roon, Akagi, Helena, Littorio, Drake, and many more' he thought to himself.
"I know, Zui. I love you too. The same goes for everyone. Again, I'm sorry things got crazy. I just wanted a day to myself. And it wasn't out of spite or being fed up with any of you. I wanted to try something new."
"Was… was it fun?" Unicorn, who had been silently next to her big brother this entire time, asked in a curious tone.
Sporting a giant grin on his face, the Commander patted his little sister's head before nodding excitedly.
"You bet it was! I got so much done today. If Long Island were here, she'd be proud of me. I finished several games that were on my backlog."
"You go, Shikikan!" came the cheerful reply from Long Island within the crowd.
Listening to what he said, Belfast put two and two together.
"Wait… does that mean you were home? At your personal quarters?"
"Yeah. I was there for a good while."
Growing wide-eyed at his confession, the girls were left utterly shocked.
"No way…" Sirius muttered.
"How?" Dido questioned.
"I thought…" Formidable lightly spoke.
Based on the girl's earlier discussion with Enterprise, Belfast's suggestion for her to check his personal quarters and her ending up not finding him caused them some confusion.
"That doesn't make any sense… I suggested to Enterprise to check and see if you were home, but she didn't find you there."
Breaking down what she was saying, the Commander took a second to ponder her statement before realizing the bigger picture and how it fits into the girls' narrative.
"Ooh! I get it. She probably checked my place while I stepped out. Dang. She must've just missed me then" he said for everyone to hear.
"So, she really was only a split second away from seeing you?" Dunkerque asked, visualizing the scenario of Enterprise barely missing the Commander.
Rubbing the back of his head, the Commander nodded his head, "Yeah, she literally missed me by a minute. I stepped out to talk with my mom. After I got done talking with her, I went back inside my quarters and spent a few more minutes in there before I took off."
Hearing that the commander was chatting with his mother caused the girls he was Oathed to have a sense of standing up straight even though she was hundreds of miles away. It was a habit at this point.
Nevertheless, a new set of puzzled looks were worn by the girls.
"Took off?" Kaga mumbled.
"Mm-hm. After heading back to my place, I decided to go for a drive, so I made my way over to the Race Queen track."
Hearing this, Lexington, Victorious, North Carolina, Washington, Duke of York, and Monarch all leaned forward with perplexion written on their faces.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Washington grumbled out. "Did we seriously miss you too?"
"You're quite the slippery seal, my sweet Commander~" Littorio joked while brushing her hair over her shoulder.
"Huh?" the Commander said, seeing that Wash's outburst probably meant something silly along with Littorio's flirty comment.
"Shikikan, we had been at the racetrack for most of the morning. Doing maintenance on some of the cars as well as leaving you a little gift inside one of them for the next time you race~" Duke of York said while winking at him.
"Haha. Now I'm curious."
"Oh! You'll love it~" North Carolina chimed with a flirty smile.
"But seriously, we were there for a good chunk of the day. Til Enterprise stopped by and asked us about your whereabouts" Lexington replied while folding her arms across her chest. "We must've seriously missed you by a few minutes."
Scratching his cheek, the Commander began realizing just how much of a mess he had caused for not making his presence aware. It was also quite comedic to think that he missed encountering one of the girls by a few minutes or even seconds.
"So, you drove around the track? And no one heard the car echoing across the stadium?" Hipper questioned.
"I didn't encounter anyone there. I'm honestly surprised a manjuu didn't come out and see who was racing. Or that the sounds were picked up by anyone."
Taking on a thinking pose, Formidable was the first to speak up.
"Maybe… the planes flying overhead canceled out the sound of the car in the stadium?"
Now that was one idea that could be somewhat believable. Things had gone exceedingly bad at that time with the fear running through all the girls and everyone losing control.
"That's one idea. Plus, after I drove for a bit, I then went to the locker rooms and took a long shower."
"Dang it…" Wales silently muttered.
Missing the chance to spend some time with her dear Commander. This sentiment was shared by many of the girls.
"Yeah… I'm sorry for causing such a huge problem" the Commander shyly responded.
"Don't be, Shikikan. This isn't your fault… Ok. Maybe part of it is" Monarch said, offering a small smile. "But the most important thing is that you're safe and sound."
Nods of approval were shared by the girls as that was the most important thing to take away.
"I still want to apologize. I should've told you girls that I wanted a *me* day. But I didn't want to make it seem like I was fed up or tired of dealing with you all. I would never want that to happen. I love you all so much. I really just wanted to spend some time by myself and do things that I like."
"And there's nothing wrong with that at all" Illustrious gracefully said with a soft yet understanding tone. "You're allowed to have time for yourself. Why, I'd be more worried if you didn't do such a thing."
"Indeed! You're quite a busy man, Commander, even those with many responsibilities need to have some time to themselves. Royalty such as I decree this proudly!" Queen Elizabeth proclaimed to everyone loudly.
This resulted in Warspite sighing and shaking her head with a small comforting smile at her sister's antics.
"Ideally, let's not forget the biggest reasoning behind needing a break for yourself…" Hood suddenly said which gained everyone's attention. "Being surrounded by hundreds of women."
A set of giggles could be heard across the room and beyond. All the girls couldn't help but agree with that statement.
"Let alone the fact that you're married to a bunch of them, or that you're dating a ridiculous number of girls at the same time" Atago added. "It's certainly not an easy task."
"You're a one-man army, Shikikan" King George affirmed while nodding her head. "And you've certainly earned our respect and love for managing to handle this situation."
"Yes, you definitely need a break every once in a while" Vittorio replied.
Folding her arms along her chest and donning a slight pout, Jean Bart narrowed her gaze on her Commander and significant other, "Hmph. What happened to being open with us? You should've said aloud that you needed a break."
Watching and understanding Jean's tone of voice and how much she cared, the Commander could only nod his head and smile.
"*sigh* Haha… yeah. I should've just told everyone. Make things so much simpler."
"Don't take all the blame. It's also on us for putting so much work on you, Shikikan" Amagi gently said, earning everyone's attention on her. "We're a team. A very large team and we help one another. And you've done so much for us."
"How about we take this as a learning experience? For next time…"
With this said, everyone smiled and agreed wholeheartedly. A situation like this could be prevented from happening again much less becoming worse. Luckily, the Commander's sudden presence had stopped the situation from blowing up even more.
"Yes! And the next time you feel like a break is needed, please let us know and we will respect your wishes. It's the least we can do for you. You've done so much for us" Mikasa stated proudly.
"And nobody will go ballistic and lose their cool," said Kaga.
The communication being shared right now is a sign of the love and care that is shared amongst-
"SHIKIKAN! ARE YOU OKAY!? HONEY!?" came the hurried reply from a lively Eagle Union kansen.
Bursting into the room, New Jersey rapidly made her way through the crowd and was now close to him.
"Commander! Are you okay?"
"I'm good, NJ. Just a few injuries. Nothing too bad."
"Are you sure?"
Giving her a comforting nod, New Jersey let out a relieved sigh.
"What exactly happened? I've heard so many different explanations. Once we arrived back on base everyone seemed to be calming down from a state of panic. I even saw Kent telling everyone that she found you… twice."
A sequence of everyone facepalming or letting out annoyed sighs could be viewed as such a humorous sight. Kent had made quite the impact.
A few minutes later…
Having carefully made his way over to where Enterprise and the others were, the Commander slowly entered the room and could see his girls all battered up.
Akagi had her face bandaged up along with her left leg wrapped up. Her face was filled with scratches along with her upper body which was visible from the gown she was wearing. She also looked very tired.
Enterprise had her left arm in a cast along with a few bruises along her legs and shoulder. She was also wearing a hospital gown. An exhausted expression could be seen on her face.
Roon looked not as affected as the other two were. She was also wearing a hospital gown and had an annoyed expression on her face. However, once she saw the Commander that changed like a flip of a switch.
"Shikikan!"
"Commander…"
Wearing a smile on his face, the Commander made his way over to Roon first knowing how she tended to act when it came to him.
"Hey there, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused."
"Don't be, Shikikan. The fault lies elsewhere…" she replied while glaring at Akagi and Enterprise.
Seeing the mood start to tense up, the Commander carefully yet affectionately caressed Roon's cheek. This seemed to startle the girl but not before she donned a sweet smile.
"Roon. Don't put the blame entirely on them. I'm the one that should've cleared up the situation from the start."
"Shikikan! You don't have- "
"No. I do, Roon. And I owe not only you but Akagi and Enterprise apologies as well."
Perplexed by his admission, the two girls called out to him.
"Commander…"
"Shikikan. What is the meaning- "
"In all honesty, I just wanted a day to myself. I knew that there wouldn't be much trouble or commotion today. It was the perfect time to take a break and… I wanted to do things that I liked."
Enterprise now had an understanding look on her face as she listened to her Commander speak honestly and earnestly.
"…Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't done this before, Shikikan. You've been our Commander for several years now. Every day you're working your hardest to make sure we have a better life. You make sure we're all prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically with all our equipment being in tip-top shape. You spend so much time worrying about us that… you haven't really taken time for yourself. Even during festivals or events hosted on the base, you still manage to help everyone out" Enterprise lovingly explained while offering the man who won not only her respect but her heart a small smile.
Akagi, hearing the appreciation from the Grey Ghost's words, decided to step in and further boost this appreciation to her Commander.
"Shikikan. While I won't deny that my heart was hurt thinking that you were missing and in trouble, I'm glad you're safe. I'm also glad you took some time for yourself. As much as I want you for myself… I know you handle too much at times. *sigh* I'm also to blame for that. However, know that I love you with all my heart and body and demand that you let us know when you need to take a break. It's the least I, and everyone else, can do for you" Akagi sincerely said while showing her infatuation to the Commander but also a sense of truth to her words.
Hearing how much these two loved and appreciated him made the Commander smile happily. The girls of Azur Lane had come far from the first days of being their Commander.
Back when there were disputes across the board and the two main factions were against one another, how girls who were once enemies and rivals were now great friends and even considered family. The bond between kansens had been greatly improved and reformed and it was all thanks to the Commander. No matter how much he wanted to deny his involvement, it was still a team effort.
"I also think you should tell me next time, Shikikan" Roon chipperly said while sending a chilling yet passionate smile toward her Commander. "That way I'm the first to know and anyone who tries to bother you will have to go through me. Heehee!"
Enterprise and Akagi merely stared at her with blank stares.
"Ha… I'll take note of that, Roon. Thank you."
The Iron Blood girl simply hummed while being pleased.
"Also, taking what you girls and the others have said about supporting me in taking more breaks… I will for sure be taking another break here soon" the Commander freely said.
"Oh? That's a bit surprising" Enterprise chimed while widening her eyes. "I thought with how things had turned out that you'd hold back for a bit on taking breaks."
A sly grin appeared on the man's face as he began scratching his cheek.
"Well, that was originally my idea. But… something has come up. Or rather… a bunch of things…"
Within the confines of the Commander's mind, several different things were popping up in his mind. Things that had to do with what he liked and loved.
The thought of a new game featuring a blonde-haired protagonist wielding a buster sword…
The chance to play a remake of a game that involves the color blue and arcana…
The intrigue brought by a new game and publisher that featured a stylish and beautiful protagonist…
The curiosity of becoming involved in collecting trading cards and having a collection of them…
The excitement that many anime series were getting new shows and seasons…
The fascination in picking up the latest new novels to be released soon…
The peacefulness that could be brought about by taking up camping and being with those he loved…
The dedication it would take to include a few of his childhood sports on the island…
The entertainment that was growing from giving motorcycles a newfound interest…
And above all, the eagerness to see new games at an event coming soon…
"Yeah… I'm gonna be taking a lot of breaks soon. Haha!"
The three girls could only stare at their Commander with curious looks. They had no idea how crazy his interests and hobbies were about to become now that he'd taken such a liking to having a break.
This was only the start of many more ridiculous cases with the girls of Azur Lane and their beloved Commander.