Our Bonds

Hmm... This feeling... Is that a plane?

Currently we are being sortied to Casgadama Island to take out an Armoured Carrier Princess. It was tough. Yuudachi, Agano and Suzuya all took moderate damages and all of us were exhausted. We made sure to take out all of the abyssals in this area. So why is there a plane flying around nearby? Well, not exactly. It's still pretty far out of my radar range but I can feel it. Since last year, I was able to feel what kind of planes are in the sky, even before our radar picks up on them. Something about Acoustic Location and vibrations in the air. I don't know how I got it, but it's surprisingly useful. This plane is neither an abyssal nor anything I know of. It has a very weird feeling to it. This is definitely a foreign plane but it's not those dreadful planes which the Eagle Union uses. Those have a scary sound and feeling to them.

"Zuihou, what's wrong? You have been staring at the sky for quite some time." (Yamashiro)

Yamashiro sailed up beside me.

"There is a strange plane coming from over there."

"An enemy?" (Yamashiro)

Yamashiro took up an anti-air stance. Shigure also did the same.

"No way. We are already exhausted." (Agano)

"I'll fight it out, with a hammock as a sail if I have to!" (Yuudachi)

"No. You're the most injured out of all of us. I can still use my flight deck, so leave this to me!" (Suzuya)

"Wait."

The vibrations are getting stronger . It feels like it's closer to us.

"It's coming."

Soon, our radars started picking up something. It must be that plane. A white plane with red nose flew past us.

"Is that it?" (Agano)

"It's not hostile, right?" (Suzuya)

The white plane circled around a few times before returning I'm the direction it came from.

"What's up with that?" (Agano)

"Maybe it wanted to see if we were friendly?" (Shigure)

"Whatever it wanted to do, I'm glad it's gone. We can't afford another battle." (Yamashiro)

"That's right. I'm tired too. Let's go back."

Maybe Admiral can spend some time with me today. Things have been busy lately so we couldn't see each other much.

"Phew. I want to take a bath." (Suzuya)

"Yuudachi wants one as well poi!" (Yuudachi)

---------------------------------------------------

"A white plane?" (Admiral)

"Yeah. It just circled around us a few times before going back."

"Did it do anything else?" (Admiral)

"No. It seems that it was just scouting." (Shigure)

"By the way, Admiral, that seems like a lot of work." (Yamashiro)

Apart from the injured, the rest of us went to give our report to Admiral. He seems very busy. There is a tall stack of papers on his desk and he is writing something vigorously.

"It's a pain but I still have to do it. Oh, and you don't need to worry about that plane you just discovered. It came from Azur Lane's new Carrier. Some weird class that has a shipgirl in every category. To top it off, all four of them look the same."

Admiral explained as he continued writing. He even showed us a picture of the new class. All four from them really look the same as each other. The planes on the Carrier variant looks like the one we saw. She looks like an idol. She looks familiar somehow. I think I watched a video with someone that looks like her.

"Admiral, do you need any help?" (Shigure)

"Thanks for the offer but this is my job. Besides, you girls must be tired from today's sortie. Go and rest. Good work today. I'll be fine." (Admiral)

Shigure and Yamashiro looked at each other before leaving. Now, I'm alone with Admiral! It's been so long!

"Admiral, do you want to take a break? Working too hard can be bad for your health. I don't want you to collapse again like last time."

"I'll be fine. This amount is nothing compared to that time." (Admiral)

"Should I make some Tamagoyaki?"

"No thanks. I won't be able to finish anytime soon. It will just become cold and stale later on." (Admiral)

It's no use. When Admiral gets too focus, he tends to decline everything you try to do. Alright. If words don't work, let's get physical.

I tried hugging him, teasing him, kissing him on the cheek, but he didn't respond to any of them. He just continued writing. Should I just wait for him to be finished? Though, it looks like it would take a long time.

Just then, I noticed a pink bottle sitting on the coffee table. What is this? Wine? There's a cute little ribbon tied to the neck of of the bottle.

"Admiral, where did this bottle come from?"

"The Admiral from Sasebo sent it over. If you want, you can have a sip."

Without looking up from his work, Admiral somehow knew what I was talking about. I was expecting him to look at me at least for a bit. Fine! I will just enjoy this wine for a bit.

I poured a bit of the wine into a cup. What a nice aroma. It has a sweet taste too...