Simulated Lanes

Chapter 26 - Return to Base

Darkness, that's all (Y/n) is seeing right now... well... for the third time in this story anyway. The last thing he remember is that he transformed to Genm, and he let Kuroto do his thing. Speaking of, the person himself then appears in front of him.

"How was it?" (Y/n) then asked.

"It went unexpectedly well~" Kuroto said while grinning. "I managed to retrieve all of the Gashats that were kept from those Proto Braves, which means-"

"That we rescued Taiga!" (Y/n) interjected.

"Exactly. He should be able to return to you once you activate his Gashat." Kuroto said. With that in mind, (Y/n) felt relieved knowing that Taiga is safe. He also assumed that he managed to escape from Ironblood as well, thanks to the Kimewaza Slot's Stage Select feature, but he doesn't know where exactly he is right now.

"So... where are we?"

"I don't know. As far that I could tell, we're at some island while your body is too tired to move." Kuroto replied.

"So the only way to know now is to wake up, got it." (Y/n) said. He closed his eyes for a moment, to shift his view to his real body in real life, and when he did it, the first thing he saw is a familiar ceiling.

"Wait... this is..." He muttered, but he then feel weak all over his body, still tired from all the moving earlier during the demonstration. Despite that, he manage to recognize the surroundings by moving his head around. "... I'm back... to Azur Lane..."

He then tries to at least shift himself to a sitting position, and noticed that he only carry Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat. He then wonders where the rest of them are, but it was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He turned his head to see it open, revealing Belfast looking towards him. The maid were shocked for a moment, but then turn calm as she walked towards the teen.

"Miss Belfast..." (Y/n) said, not sure of what she's going to do with him. The maid then stopped in front of him, before hugging him as tight as she can, instinctually making him blush. "W-whaa?"

"Sir (Y/n)..." She whispered, before moving her head to face his. "Do you know how worried Lady Hood were when you were gone?"

(Y/n) have no answer to that. He can't make an excuse since his disappearance were sudden... at least, to his assumption. But Belfast's next words changes things quickly.

"There's no need to play innocent anymore, Sir (Y/n), or rather, Sir Snipe."

(Y/n) can only stay silent upon the reveal. She knows Snipe's true identity, and he couldn't refute it because of the disappearance as well. He wanted to ask her of how she knows about it, but Belfast still looks at him directly in the eyes, making him unable to do anything because of the guilt.

"Miss Belfast..." He tries to say something, but couldn't.

"We thought that you're dead." He then sees tears forming from Belfast's eyes. "We couldn't find your body after that sudden attack... yet Lady Hood denied it. She believed that you're still alive, possibly being captured by our enemy, but it looks like her prayers had come true..."

Belfast hugged him closer than before, letting out a sob before composing herself.

"And now, you're back, all thanks to the two Dragon Empery shipgirls that found you stranded on an island nearby. Needless to say, everyone is very glad to see you return."

As Belfast finished her explanation, (Y/n) silently thanked the shipgirls who brought him back. However, he has another concern, and it's all about Hood and possibly Enterprise, and the only way to deal with it is to explain everything.

"... Alright." He said while gently pushed her away so he can compose himself, followed by his stomach growling. "... I'll explain everything, but if you could... can I have something to eat?"

Belfast nods as she gives one more hug before leaving. Before leaving the room however, Belfast took another glance at the teen, "And welcome back." Before finally doing so. (Y/n) can only sigh after the entire conversation, seeing that he can't hide his secret anymore.

"It bound to happen sooner or later, you know." Kuroto said.

"I know. It's just that it happened in the worse way imaginable." (Y/n) replied. "Now I have to deal with Miss Hood and Miss Enterprise later... And honestly? I don't think I would survive this..."

Shortly after, another round of door knock is heard, and the door opens to reveal Javelin entering the room.

"(Y/n)!" She exclaimed, feeling relieved upon seeing the teen as she run towards him. "I thought you were gone for good..."

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Javelin." (Y/n) apologized while he pat her head. "I thought I was safe until that attack happened. But don't worry, I'm here now, and I'm going to explain everything to Miss Hood later."

"You better be..." Javelin said, "She was in an emotional wreck ever since that happened. She already lost our Commander, and losing you just made her heart sank." (Y/n) got curious when he heard about the Commander Javelin mention, but he decided to keep it in his mind for now.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I'll make sure that she knows everything about me and Snipe. After all...

We need more help now that Ironblood knows about the Driver."

(Sorry for the short chapter!
As always, I hope you guys enjoyed, and Peace Out!~)