Charisma, aptitude, decision making, collectedness, efficiency and personality. These six cores, determined by the KAN-SEN, can make any Navy Lieutenant to Captain eligible for a position as Commander of the Azur Lane. A written exam, a round of war...
And, as of recently, she's been very clingy. Won't leave my side (unless I go to the bathroom or something). And she always presses her breasts against any weak point she finds: my arms, my head, the front. Anywhere.
I feel as if she wants me.
And if I weren't so sure on my feelings for Hirata, I might oblige. Well, if Hirata doesn't mind, I'm not saying I would complain if Belfast wants me...
But as for right now, I will not date Belfast. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening.
My faith is my shield.
"...Belfast, don't."
Z23 looks up from her documents to see me, with a deadpan glare, tell off Belfast, who's about to grab my arm.
"...I need that arm, Bel."
Bel suffocates my arm within her breasts, instead.
Bel: "!!!"
I place my head on hers. "Payback."
She quickly let go of my arm, blushing the entire time.
"...Don't look at me like that, Nimi, Yorkie."
The both of them are looking at me with a 'get a room!' look.
My computer lights up with a notification.
'Commander. It's Hernandez. I feel like we made a breakthrough. Head on down here. Hint: 1911.'
Wait... did they upgrade my 1911? Hell yeah!
"Right. Gotta go. R&D made a breakthrough."
Yorkie: "What kind of breakthrough?"
"Oh, nothing major. Just one that lets me shoot Sirens with a pistol and actively injure them."
Yorkie: "Wait, actually?! Go!"
"Ya don't need to tell me twice!" I quickly rush out the door to head to R&D.
--
When Jason left...
Yorktown: "Belfast, please don't go and try to seduce the Commander."
Belfast: "By whatever do you mean?"
Z23: "Listen, Belfast. We all know you have a thing for the Commander. It's as obvious as the blush on your face right now."
Belfast looks away from Z23.
Yorktown: "But you trying to get him to understand will only distract him from his work."
Belfast, getting frustrated: "He rarely even acknowledges us! I mean, when he looks at you, do you feel the gaze of a man upon a woman, or just a commander and his crew? I don't want it to be like that! I want him to see me as a woman, to want me, to love me!"
Belfast's sudden outburst was unexpected, but poignant. Yeah, Jason rarely ever acknowledges the girls as more than just crew members. He does say the girls are as human as he is, but with little reactions to their seduction tactics, he's not practicing what he's preaching.
In reality, Davis is smart. He acts like a block of tungsten (a dense motherfucker), but, in truth, he acts like an anime protagonist because he doesn't want to deal with this form of commitment. And also because he wants to get together with Hirata, and he's not the kind of guy to act out of instinct.
Again, Davis is cautious.
Speaking of which, where is the (fake) anime protag now?
--
The Black Wisdom Cube floats above my weapons.
"...Where did you find that?"
Ray: "Miss Langley tripped over her coat and bumped her head against the wall." Ray was holding an icebag on Langley's head, proving his point. "A piece of the wall fell off, and this thing was just inside."
"Did you..."
Ray: "I grabbed it with a pair of tongs. I can't hold Wisdom Cubes. I'm not that ret*rded."
I grumble to myself. "Those three..."
"Right. So, what's this breakthrough?"
Ray: "Well, this Wisdom Cube, for some reason, started to float over your weapons, which glowed soon after. Dunno why, but that's what they're doing."
I grab the SMLE. It weighed a bit heavier than usual. Same with the M1911 and the M1. Hitching them onto myself, I look to Ray.
"Whatever the hell happened, it did something. Keep working on how the hell these shells work. I'll hand you some shot dummies and spent carts when I'm back." I shoot out my hand.
Ray, taking the handshake: "Can't wait."
--
The Black Wisdom Cube shines slightly stronger as the two men clasp hands in a firm shake. In an instant, the two figures changed appearances. The one on the left changed to a far older version of himself in pirate garb, alcohol reeks off his clothes. The other, older, was in a merchant seaman uniform, covered in soot.
Drunkard: "What is your name, my friend?"
Soot-covered man: "...Roberts. John Roberts."
Drunkard: "Welcome aboard, John. I am Howell Davis. It's good to see a fellow Welshman in these waters." A hearty chuckle soon came out of the 28-year-old. "Come now, John. Let us reclaim the seas for the fair men made sullied by that devil force of a King George!"
The vision soon clipped back to reality, with the two men still in a grip.
Jason: "Let's strike while the iron's hot, friend."
---
After this chapter, I'll be taking a break. I've been doing this nonstop, and it's affecting my grades. So, after I come back, expect weekly uploads instead of daily.
To sign us off, have a meme I found while looking for the picture used in Chapter 3.
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