Chương 98: Chapter 96: Picture Day
I could feel a small burning sensation in my lungs as I breathed in the cold morning air. My legs are freezing and I'm starting to regret my decision.
For some reason, I feel like going for an early morning run. In this freezing winter morning. It's been a while since I actually ran in the morning. Usually I would do some weight training and the simpler exercises like push-ups, sit-ups and squats whenever I'm free to maintain my figure and strength. I should have worn sweat pants for this, instead I decided to go for a hoodie and some shorts.
I can see my own breath as I prepared myself. After completing my stretches,
"All right. Let's do this."
"Ou~ Admiral, good morning!" (???)
Before I could take even a step forward, a young high-pitched voice stopped me. I recognize that tone anywhere.
I turned to see Shimakaze, wearing a sports bra which further emphasizes her near non-existent breasts, and bloomers. I can see her usual black thongs sticking out from her bloomers. Oh right. Shimakaze frequently goes for an early morning and evening run, if she isn't assigned to any task. Amatsukaze is usually her running partner.
"Good morning, Shimakaze."
"Going for a run? That's rare, Admiral." (Shimakaze)
"Yeah. Just felt like it today. Where's Amatsukaze? She's not with you today?"
"Amatsukaze has an 8-hour long expedition later." (Shimakaze)
"Oh right. She's going on a Resource Transport Mission."
Shimakaze hopped on the spot, her signature bow bounced along.
"Wanna race?" (Shimakaze)
"Hell no. The many times we did that, you left me in the dust. I'm just going for a 2.4-kilometer jog. You are going for a 2.4-kilometer sprint."
"Heehee. If you are afraid to lose, just say so." (Shimakaze)
"You brat! Bring it on!"
The two of us got into a ready position,
"On my count. 3… 2… 1!"
---------------------------------------------
"Haah... Haah..."
I can't help but lay on the field to catch my breath. I know it's not a good recovery method but who cares.
The result of our little race was obvious… This girl destroyed me…
Goddamn it! Why did I fall for her taunt?!
I'm dying...
"Admiral, you're so slow." (Shimakaze)
This damn rabbit... She's poking my face like I'm some kind of tortoise.
"Shut up. Leave me alone."
She dodged my hand as I tried to swat her away.
"Hee hee. You're not gonna catch me." (Shimakaze)
"Tch! This girl…"
Shimakaze continued to dodge as I swiped at her. This is getting annoying…
Ah. That's right.
"See? You're just too slow!" (Shimakaze)
I grabbed her thong and stretched it as far as I could. Shimakaze's smug expression immediately changed into a fearful one once she knew the peril she was in.
"Hang on, Admira-?! Owh!!" (Shimakaze)
The sound of elastic fabric slapping against her skin and Shimakaze yelping was so satisfying to hear. Though, dealing with the disgruntled Destroyer was less fun.
Oh well, nothing a few head pats can't fix.
Once I'm done, I went back to my office. I only wanted to work out and get a little sweaty. Now, I'm cold, extremely sweaty, tired, and covered in dirt. Lying on the damp field was a bad idea.
"Haah... Let's just take a shower, get breakfast, and head to the classroom."
I went into my room to get my uniform and towel. Huh? The bed has been made. So, Prinz Eugen had already woken up. She came to my office last night while I was finishing up the remaining pieces of reports due today. She was still asleep when I woke up this morning. She must have changed and is eating breakfast in the mess hall by now.
I grabbed what I needed and head into the bathroom.
"Eh?"
"Hm?" (Prinz Eugen)
The first thing I saw when I entered the changing room was a rather cute and attractive bare butt. And Prinz Eugen face looking back at me as she was putting on her panties. She is going for a classic white today. Prinz Eugen really lives up to her nickname 'Puriketsu-chan'.
"E-" (Prinz Eugen)
Oh no.
"Ah. My bad!"
"EEEEK!!" (Prinz Eugen)
I slammed the door shut. Her screams can be heard from outside.
"Wh-wh-why are you here, Admiral?!" (Prinz Eugen)
"That's my line! Why didn't you lock the door?"
"I did!" (Prinz Eugen)
"Well, you clearly didn't!"
"Geez! I wasn't ready for this!" (Prinz Eugen)
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Admiral, shut up! Pervert! Lecher!" (Prinz Eugen)
"Okay. I get it already!"
The door swung open and an angry, fully clothed Prinz Eugen emerged. She glared at me
"Grr... Hmph! [Admiral, Sie Idiot.]" (Prinz Eugen)
I have no idea what she just said, but she is clearly pissed.
"I'm sorry. Forgive me."
I pet her head.
"Mmmh..." (Prinz Eugen)
I can feel her pushing herself against my hand gently.
"Mmm. Okay. Admiral, I'm sorry too. Maybe I really didn't lock the door after all." (Prinz Eugen)
"That's okay."
I stroked her face and her chin,
"I will see you at the mess hall for breakfast."
"Nn. See you later!" (Prinz Eugen)
She is quick to change gears. She became chipper all of sudden.
Once she left my office, I closed the bathroom door behind me. Ah. I will have to call Yuubari for this later. Looks like something broke. The door can't be locked.
It's only morning and things are getting chaotic already. It's never a dull moment here.
After taking my shower and putting on a fresh set of uniform, I head to the mess hall. There, I spotted my cute girlfriend, Shigure, Shioi, and Purinkets-, I mean, Prinz Eugen sitting at a table. Looks like they saved a spot for me. I got my food and joined them. We talked, laughed, and ate our food. After that, it was time for roll call and everyone went off to do their duties for the day.
As for me, I went to the classroom where my trainees were waiting. As soon as I stepped in, the five of them stood at attention and saluted,
"Good morning, Admiral!" (All)
"Good morning, everyone. At ease. Take your seats."
I returned the salute and the five of them sat back down.
"I hope you all had a nice break over the weekend. Now, before we begin the next lesson, I want each of you to tell me one item we learned last week. Takeshi-san."
"Yes. Erm... The different shipgirls classification." (Takeshi-san)
"Okay. That's a good answer to start with. Nagamura-san."
"The five basic formations of a fleet." (Nagamura-san)
"Good. Ogami-san."
"Yes. Let's see... The different types of Abyssal and their variations." (Ogami-san)
"Ah! Mio, I wanted to say that!" (Nekokami-san)
Ogami-san simply winked at her friend and sat back down.
"Then, Nekokami-san."
"Nya? Er... Ah. Which formation to use for which engagement" (Nekokami-san)
"Alright. Lastly, Hashimoto-san."
"Yes. The basic yet optimal equipment loadout for each role in the fleet." (Hashimoto-san)
"Good. Looks like all of you still remember the basics. This week, we are going to kick it up a notch. Today, we are going to learn about Combined Fleets. We have more theory to cover this week, but if there is time, we will move on to something more pratic-"
My phone started buzzing.
"Excuse me."
I check the caller id. Why is Rondo calling me?
"I need to take this. Kashima, take over for a little while."
This might take more than a while.
"Okie~ Now then, where were we? Ah yes. Combined fleets..." (Kashima)
I left the room and answered the call,
"Hello?"
"There you are. You weren't answering the landline." (Rondo)
"You guys forced me to become a teacher for the next three months. Of course I wouldn't be at my desk all the time."
"How are they? Especially you know who." (Rondo)
"So far so good, I guess. Hashimoto-san is a little too eager to learn. More importantly, you didn't call me just to talk about her or ask me out for a drink, right?"
"Even if I didn't call you, gorilla would." (Rondo)
"Oh hell no. I will hate that."
The mere thought of Hashimoto-san's father calling me is enough to make me piss myself.
"I would invite you out for drink once my schedule is cleared." (Rondo)
"Your schedule is never clear."
"Jokes on you, I'm on a 3-day leave next week. Gonna spend some time with the missus." (Rondo)
"Oh. That's nice. How is Houshou's pregnancy going?"
"She is going into her third trimester. The doctor says the baby is forming well. We are preparing the house for our child." (Rondo)
"That's great. You better tell me when your child is born. I will come to visit."
"I will. I'm getting excited and worried at the same time. Anyway, there is a new task for you." (Rondo)
Nope.
"Say hi to Houshou for me."
"Oh, come on. Not this again." (Rondo)
"What now? Another emergency sortie?"
"If it were, I wouldn't even be calling you." (Rondo)
"Then, what is it?"
"The old man is calling everyone to do PR for the IJN." (Rondo)
"For what? Recruitment?"
"It's Misaki-chan's idea. She wants to let the world know about the shipgirls existance." (Rondo)
"These girls have been around for 8 years already. They will have to be living under a rock not to know about them."
"You will be surprised. Misaki-chan actually went around her school, asking everyone she can find if they knew about the Abyssals and Shipgirls. More than half of them are unaware of such a thing." (Rondo)
Huh?!
"You are kidding, right? That's just within her school, right?"
"I hoped so at first. But after sending some of the servicemen out to do some research, most of the people in the survey group are blissfully unaware of the war, let alone the existence of the shipgirls. Hell, even those that knew had initially forgotten about it." (Rondo)
"That bad, huh. Okay. I can understand that it sucks that the general populace is unaware about the girls and what we are doing, but why the need to do PR at this point? Wouldn't just open another can of worms?"
I waved at Suzukaze and Kawakaze who sped past me. Their clumsy sister, Samidare, tripped over her own legs and fell down as usual while trying to catch with the duo.
"That's... Huh. For once, you are making sense." (Rondo)
I helped her up and gently brushed the dirt off her. Samidare bowed, expressing her thanks, before running off… Into a wall... Why is that girl so clumsy?
"Shut up. I will hit you the next time I see you. But what I said was correct, right? If people find out we are using girls that look young enough to be someone's granddaughter to fight sea monster, it's bound to draw some flak."
"That's true... Why didn't I think of that?" (Rondo)
"Because you're dumb?"
"Shut up. I will bring this up to the old man. But we still have to get some pictures and videos." (Rondo)
"Why?"
"You know how the old man treats his daughter. Apparently, Misaki-chan decided to make this her mini project and present it in class. It's going to be a video presentation." (Rondo)
You got to be kidding me!
"The presentation is in two days." (Rondo)
OOIIIII!!!!
"Two days?! Why are we being dragged into a kid's project?"
"I know. My... aunt can be a bit eccentric... most of the time. But you know how kids are. On the bright side, if we raise awareness for our girls, it can give us an excuse to implement special programs like shipgirl discounts for movies or food. Maybe instead of the scenario you brought up, it could help garner support for our girls instead. Then, we can increase funding for our organization, and pay our guys and the shipgirls even more." (Rondo)
Well, more money is always a plus.
"Fine. I will play along. What do I need to do?"
"It's simple. Do you have a camera?" (Rondo)
"Nop-Oof!"
Something hit me from behind and threw me onto the ground. What that heck?! I tried to roll over and discovered the culprit.
"Admiral-san!" (Yuudachi)
"Hey, Yuudachi! That was dangerous."
"What happened?" (Rondo)
"Tackled by one of our resident pups. Yeah. I don't have a camera."
Yuudachi continued to hug and rubbed her face against my chest. Looks like I'm stuck here for a little while.
"That's fine. You can just use your phone. Take as much pictures as you can by the end of the day. Capture as many moments as you can of the shipgirls. Be it while they are training, playing, or even just hanging out. Send them and a couple of combat videos to HQ today. Aoba will pick the good ones and splice them together to make the perfect presentation for Misaki-chan. Some photos of the trainees too will be good." (Rondo)
"Okay... So, anything goes, right?"
"Yep. Just don't submit anything freaky." (Rondo)
Ah wait. There is a perfect moment right here.
"I won't. Anyway, I got to go. There is a perfect photo moment right in front of me."
"Alright. Just make sure to submit the photos today." (Rondo)
"Yeah yeah. I got it. Bye. Say hello to Houshou for me."
I hung up the call. I turned on my phone's camera and angled it to capture Yuudachi. It's a little hard to get the correct angle... Got it.
"Yuudachi, look over here."
"Poi?" (Yuudachi)
"Smile."
I pressed the capture button and a bright flash appeared. Oh crap!
"Hyah!! What are you doing, Admiral-san?!" (Yuudachi)
Yuudachi recoiled and covered her eyes.
"Sorry. I was just trying to get a picture of you. I didn't realize the flash was on."
Yuudachi blinked rapidly. Her eyes are still half-opened and she continued to rub them.
"Ugh... Everything is all sparkly poi..." (Yuudachi)
"My bad. I didn't mean to blind you."
I checked the picture I just took. Her face is little big but it's a good picture nonetheless. It's cute.
"A picture?" (Yuudachi)
Yuudachi looked over at my phone. Looks like she has recovered from the flash.
"Yep. Orders from the top. Some kind of PR thing."
"Mmgh... I look weird poi. Take another one, Admiral-san!" (Yuudachi)
Alright. I will humor her for a bit.
"Okay. Strike a pose for me."
"Yay! Er... What should I do~? Ah. What about this?" (Yuudachi)
Yuudachi put her hands up and made a claw-like gesture. She bent forward and showed her teeth,
"Ga~ru~ru~" (Yuudachi)
She is trying to act like a wolf?
"Alright. Hold that pose."
I snapped her photo and checked it. Hmm... This is cute, but I still prefer the previous one.
"How is it?" (Yuudachi)
"Here."
I showed her the photo and she smiled gleefully.
"Heehee! This is much better~ Take one more!" (Yuudachi)
"Sure. What kind of pose are you gonna make?"
"How about-" (Yuudachi)
"Yuu~ Daa~ Chiii~" (???)
Yuudachi flinched at the sound of that bloodthirsty voice. I can feel the bloodlust leaking from the tall, dark shadow as she lingered over the Destroyer.
Yuudachi slowly turned around,
"H-hello, Yahagi... Eek!" (Yuudachi)
Yahagi grabbed the poor Destroyer's head,
"I was wondering why you hadn't show up for practice. You were here disturbing Admiral, huh." (Yahagi)
"Th-that's not true, Yahagi. I-I was helping Admiral-san with work. Ow ow ow!" (Yuudachi)
Ah. Yahagi has tightened her grip on the poor pup's head.
"Making Admiral take photos of you is considered work?" (Yuudachi)
"I'm going to die of mistreatment, poi~!" (Yuudachi)
I should save her.
"Yahagi, it's true. She is helping me with some work. Orders from the higher-ups. I have to take some photos for some PR thing."
"Oh. Is that so?" (Yahagi)
The cruiser released her grip on the little doggy. Yuudachi clutched her head,
"See? I told you so." (Yuudachi)
"I'm sorry. But that's another matter." (Yahagi)
Yahagi grabbed Yuudachi by her scarf.
"That still doesn't excuse you from practice!" (Yahagi)
"Poi-! Admiral-san, save me!" (Yuudachi)
"Sorry. I can't do anything about that."
"Admiral, if you need some photos, come over to the training grounds after a while. Maybe our practice sessions can make for a great shot." (Yahagi)
"That's a great idea. I will head over there later."
"Pooiiii~~!!!!" (Yuudachi)
Yahagi bowed and dragged Yuudachi away with her. Now then, I should head back to class for a bit. Maybe snap a picture or two of the trainees taking lessons from Kashima.
I walked back to the classroom. From the window, I can see the five trainees jotting down notes while Kashima speaks. I snapped a picture of this scene in front of me. Kashima noticed me and waved. I will just pop in for a bit.
"Kashima, I won't be back for a while. HQ gave me a rather weird order. I will leave them with you."
"Roger~" (Kashima)
"Admiral, may I ask what was the order?" (Hashimoto-san)
"A PR photoshoot."
"Admiral, did you need help?" (Ogami-san)
"Mmm... Nah. I will be fine. I'm just going around and taking photos. Oh. Let's take a group photo with Kashima."
"Eh? Me?" (Kashima)
"What's going on?" (Takeshi)
"Beats me." (Nagamura)
I gathered them together with Kashima in the centre.
"Say cheese."
Yep. This looks like the typical high school photo with the class's homeroom teacher. Nekokami-san and Ogami-san did the typical double-peace pose, Takeshi-san had both thumbs up, Nagamura placed a fist on his chest, and Hashimoto just stood at attention by the side.
"Let me see." (Nekokami-san)
"Here."
I showed the picture to Nekokami-san and Ogami-san.
"Hey, Hashimoto-san. You're too stiff." (Nekokami-san)
"Why did HQ give you such an order?" (Hashimoto-san)
"It was a direct order from the Marshall Admiral himself."
"Excuse me?" (Hashimoto-san)
"It's to raise awareness about the Shipgirls. Apparently, not many people know about their existence or the war itself."
"Huh?!" (Nagamura-san)
"That's horrible!" (Ogami-san)
"Yeah. Hence why we are doing this."
If I tell them it was Misaki-chan's idea, the Marshall Admiral's reputation will be hanging by a thread.
"Anyway, I'm off to get more pictures."
"Ah. Wait. Let's take one with only us girls." (Nekokami-san)
"Hold on. Fubuki." (Ogami-san)
"Sure. I need more content anyway."
"See? It's fine."
Nekokami-san skipped to her bag and took out four pairs of glasses.
"You brought them here?!" (Ogami-san)
"Of course. This is yours, Mio." (Nekokami-san)
Nekokami-san wore a pair of blue cateye glasses and handed her friend a pair of red half-rimmed spectacles. Those red ones look familiar...
"Kashima-sensei, here. Rei-chan, here." (Nekokami-san)
Kashima received a red frameless one while Hashimoto-san got a purple wayfare one.
"They are non-prescription ones. Mio and I bought them last weekend." (Nekokami)
"Why would you buy non-prescription glasses? And why did you give them to me?" (Hashimoto-san)
"This was Fubuki's idea. She wanted a glasses crew." (Ogami-san)
"Why? What's so great about glasses?" (Takeshi-san)
"Ah. That question is not-" (Ogami-san)
Nekokami-san's eyes suddenly shone.
"Glasses are really versatile. First, you can have glasses-wearing girls take them off and suddenly become beautiful, or have girls wearing glasses flashing those cute grins, or have girls stealing the protagonist's glasses and putting them on like, "Haha, got your glasses!" That's just way too cute! Also, boys with glasses! I really like when their glasses have that suspicious looking gleam, and it's amazing how it can look really cool or just be a joke. I really like how it can fulfill all those abstract needs. Being able to switch up the styles and colors of glasses based on your mood is a lot of fun too! It's actually so much fun! You have those half rim glasses, or the thick frame glasses, everything! It's like you're enjoying all these kinds of glasses at a buffet. Don't. You. Think. We. Really. Need. To. Give. Everyone. Glasses?" (Nekokami)
…
"Excuse me???"
What was that? She just started talking really fast about glasses all of a sudden. I barely understood half of what she said. The other two guys look just as confused as I am. Even Kashima is stunned.
After Nekokami-san forced Hashimoto-san to take an all-girls photo with them, while wearing glasses, I made my way to the factory. Hopefully I could catch Akashi and Yuubari working on some equipment. Sure enough, they are working on something. Yuubari was wearing her usual orange jumpsuit and wielding a flamethrower.
"Give it more heat." (Akashi)
"Okay!" (Yuubari)
Yuubari put on her goggles and a large stream of fire burst out of her flamethrower, engulfing whatever she is trying to burn. That's so cool! Ah. I quickly snapped a photo.
They seem engrossed with burning... whatever they are burning. I will just leave them to it.
Next stop, the training grounds.
Along the way, I managed to snap some pictures of the Mutsuki-class, Etorafu-class and Tenryuu playing tag on the field. As usual, the little ones have Tenryuu wrapped around their fingers. Fusou and Yamshiro sat on the bench. They shared a scarf as they enjoyed each other's company. Suzuya and Kumano were looking at their phones and chatting away. Occasionally, they would show each other something on their phones and giggle.
I reached the Cruiser and Destroyer Training Grounds. They are preparing to have a mini exercise! Agano, Yuudachi, Arashio and Miyuki in the blue fleet. Yahagi, Asashio, Fubuki and Shigure in the red fleet. This is what I wanted to capture. They are a little far away for me to get a clear shot...
Hmm...
Ah. I know what to do!
I ran over to the Carrier Training Grounds. At this time, they should be there.
I watched Zuihou and Shouhou fired an arrow into the sky. Both arrows transmuted into a squadron of Reppu Fighters and split off from each other. Each squadron formed a V-formation and made a beeline towards target boards. Once they are in range, the planes tore the target boards to shreds. Of course, I caught this impressive scene on my phone.
"Zuihou! Everyone!"
I waited for the fighters to return back to them before called out to the group. Zuihou was the first one to turn. She looks extremely happy to see me. So cute. Zuihou ran over to me,
"Admiral, what are you doing here?" (Zuihou)
"Came to see us practice?" (Hiryuu)
I stroked Zuihou's head,
"Kind of. I'm sort of the photographer for the day. HQ gave me a rather ridiculous order to snap as many interesting photos of you girls as I can."
"Ooh~ So ya need us ta do a cool pose?" (Ryuujou)
"Nope. Just be natural. I already got a picture of Shouhou and Zuihou launching their planes and destroying that target board. Oh. Before I forget, Zuihou, I need your help."
"What is it?" (Zuihou)
"Do you have your Saiun with you?"
Zuihou turned to check her hanger
"I don't think so. We are doing Fighter training today- Ah." (Zuihou)
She took out an aircraft with a distinctively shaped cockpit,
"I forgot to leave it behind." (Zuihou)
"Oh well. It's not like it will affect our training much." (Hiryuu)
"In fact, this helps. Right now, Yahagi and some Destroyers are having a mini exercise. I want to take some cool photos of the battle. They should be in the midst of it by now."
"So that's what you need my Saiun. Sure. I will be right back~" (Zuihou)
Zuihou placed her Saiun back into a hanger and ran over to the shoreline. I drew her bow and fired off an arrow, which transformed into a single Saiun Recon aircraft. The aircraft flew to the direction of the Cruiser and Destroyer Training Grounds.
"You girls can continue with your training. I will just borrow Zuihou for a bit."
"Aite." (Ryuujou)
"Understood." (Shouhou)
"Make sure you return Zuihou to us, alright?" (Souryuu)
"Yeah. Don't sneak off with her." (Hiryuu)
"I won't."
Huh? Somehow, it sounded as though those two knew about our relationship. Was it just my imagination?
I went to sit on a nearby mooring pole while I wait for Zuihou to collect my intel. Woah. That's cold! I will just stand.
I snapped another photo of the Carrier group. This time, it was a shot of Ryuujou summoning her planes from her scroll. I also took a shot of Hiryuu, Souryuu and Victorious launching their planes. I looked at Zuihou. She has a hand over her ear, as if listening and communicating with the fairy pilot. She looks a little cool doing that.
That's a picture for my private album.
After a little longer, the Saiun flew back to Zuihou.
"Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work." (Zuihou)
Zuihou returned the plane back into her hanger and turned around to face me. The both of us walked up to each other. Well, I was walking. She was skipping.
"I'm done." (Zuihou)
"Thank you. I could always count on you."
"Heeheehee~" (Zuihou)
I pet her head as she smiled.
"I will send pictures to the console in the Command Room later." (Zuihou)
"That's great. I was planning on going there later to download some combat footage."
"Should I meet you there for lunch later? I will bring some Tamagoyaki." (Zuihou)
Ooh~
"Yes. I can't wait to eat some of your Tamagoyaki."
She smiled gleefully and nodded,
"Okay!" (Zuihou)
"Hey~! Zuihou, are you done?" (Hiryuu)
"I got to go. I will see you later!" (Zuihou)
"See you."
Zuihou ran back to the others to continue her training. I should get going as well.
There is still some time before lunch. I can start looking through and downloading some combat footage. I head back to the main building and into the Command Room. I scanned through the various recordings we have collected over the years. Oh. I remember this one. Operation AL. One of the first major operations I undertook. I should pick the smaller ones. The major ones will be a little too extreme for public eyes.
...The date stamp on this combat recording... The day...
No. I'm over it already. Zuihou and I are a couple. I'm happy now.
A knock on the door made me jump. That must be Zuihou. I opened the heavy door for her. Zuihou was holding a cloth bag.
"It's Noon! Admiral, I made a bento for you ♪ Will you have some of the rolled eggs that I made?"
"I will eat it!"
I closed the door once she is inside. We set up the bento boxes on the table in the middle of the room. Zuihou's Tamagoyaki is delicious as usual.
Today is another peaceful day. I will continue to look at more recordings later.
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