Our Bonds

"Zuihou! Zuihou-chan!"

I slammed open the infirmary door, only to be greeted by Rei who had a finger on her lips,

"Shhh! You are too loud. And have you been drinking? You smell of alcohol." (Rei)

"Are they alright? What happened?"

"Why are you about of breath? Did you ran all the way back here? I did said that they were fine in my message." (Rei)

"Huh?"

I took out my phone to look at her message again. It's says 'Zuihou and Zuihou-chan fell unconscious after crying their eyes out. I'm taking care of them in the infirmary. Just to let you know.'

"I kinda used the wrong words. I should have said they tired themselves from crying too much." (Rei)

I heaved a sigh of relief after realising I jumped to conclusions too early. I read the first half of the message and assumed the worst. Still...

"While they are physically fine, I'm more worried about the state they are in." (Rei)

"What do you mean?"

Rei drew the curtains, revealing the two girls lying on the same bed. They are hugging each other. Tears flow continuously from their eyes. Even asleep, they are still crying.

"I tried separating them but they won't let go. According to the girls that were there, these two were making Yakimo in the carrier's garden. Suddenly, they heard Zuihou-chan crying. Moments later, Zuihou also started crying. And here we are." (Rei)

These two cried themselves to sleep. Zuihou-chan is one thing, but I don't understand why did Zuihou do the same? Nonetheless, it's probably because of that.

"Any idea for her breakdown?" (Rei)

"Yeah. I'm the main-"

Before I could continue, there was a knock on the infirmary door. Shigure and Shigure-chan walked I'm. Their face and eyes were red, evident of them crying. Them too? What happened?

"What's wrong?"

Shigure-chan rushed towards me and gripped my hand,

"Admiral, is it true you rejected Zuihou-chan?" (Shigure-chan)

What? How did she know? I didn't tell anyone. Did Zuihou-chan tell her?

"We kind of felt and saw a bit of it... just now..." (Shigure)

"Huh? What are talking about?"

They both of them explained how they were suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of sadness while scenes of that night appeared in their head. That's why they discovered that incident. I don't understand how can that happen. Was it telepathy? But they shouldn't, or rather, don't have such a power.

"Was this the first time such a thing happened?"

Shigure-chan shook her head. So this wasn't the first time. After calming the both of them down, they told me what has been happening to them,

"The first time was when Admiral got called to HQ for the Abyssal Phoenix Princess incident. That time, even though I knew you would return, I felt scared, and guilty. Somehow, I felt that it was my fault that you were going to get punished. I thought that I won't be able to see you again. But, those weren't my true feelings." (Shigure-chan)

"I... felt that way too. It wasn't as strong as Shigure-chan, but I felt guilty. Then after a while, there was a warm feeling." (Shigure)

Rei and I looked at each other, unsure what to make of this.

Is this some new power the two of them have been hiding? But then, why did Shigure and Zuihou, who didn't have any mental cubes in their bodies, get affected?

"There were also times where I depressed for no reason. That usually happens when Shigure-chan is having those nightmares." (Shigure)

Sometimes, I even feel jealous. Why did Admiral choose the other Zuihou? I was the first one." (Shigure-chan)

"Eh? That's the first time I heard about this." (Shigure)

"Is it some kind of emotional resonance?" (Rei)

"What?"

"Like if the emotional is strong enough, one person can feel the same way as the other." (Rei)

"Like empathy?"

"Sort of, but it's more complicated than that. In psychology, there is something called limbic resonance. It's a concept about how emotional states can be shared between people. According to the guys the created it, our emotions are attuned to the people around us, especially those with a close connection. That's why, we are able to feel the same as others without verbal cues." (Rei)

I get the concept, but how does that got to do with- Oh, it's exactly the same. The four of them, without saying anything, have been sharing an emotional connection. What about the scenes that appeared in their head? And why did only the four them experience it?

The answer was simple...

"The soul of a warship and their mental cubes..."

"Eh? You mean-" (Shigure-chan)

"Only you and Zuihou-chan have a mental cube in your bodies. Apart from giving you two the ability to create things with your mind, it might have the ability to link thoughts and emotions."

"Whatever Zuihou-chan feels, you can feel it too. And whatever you feel, Zuihou-chan can feel the same. But that doesn't really explain how Zuihou and I can get affected." (Shigure)

"I may be going off a tangent here, but it could because you share the same name and soul. Shipgirls are girls possessed by the spirits of warsh.i.p.s. You inherit their past, abilities, and fighting spirits. It won't be surprising if two shipgirls with the same name and soul share the same memories and emotion."

"Like with the other Shigure from Azur Lane?" (Shigure-chan)

"Yeah. But in her case, she only shares the same memories."

But if this is the case, can the other girls from the other districts feel the same way too? Or those it apply to these two? Is this phenomenon proximity-based? Now there are more things we don't understand.

Even so, now is not the time for all this. I have bigger priorities.

Without knowing how Zuihou-chan felt, I have been doing things that upset her. I can't just ignore her feelings. That goes the same for the others.

Who should I side with? My own morals or the feelings of the girls who held on to their love all these years?