However, Samidare had been an observant student, and you were glad that you didn’t have to fall over yourself trying to explain the finer details of what your role really was about. Then again, you couldn’t exactly give yourself that credit … she was a KanMusu, after all. They learned faster than the average adult; despite looking like a young teenager about to blossom into womanhood, it was a reminder that Samidare was anything but.

Well, now you only had the Admiral’s appointment to sort out, so—

‘Sir! A question, if you will?’

You turn to Samidare, finding yourself mildly surprised to the see the Destroyer’s heels clicking together as she raised a hand like a student putting forth an inquiry.

‘Yes, Samidare?’

She hesitates as she brings her hands down, slightly shifting as she tried to find the words.

‘You and the Vice-Admiral aren’t … equals, right? Is it okay for you to be like that with him? There’s … a hierarchy to things, isn’t there? Is it really that all right?’

‘In my case, it’s a little different, though,’ you pause, ‘you might not want to try that on Nagato in front of the rest of the Division. You don’t want to undermine her in front of everyone by trying to be that … chummy.’

‘Eh, but I’m like that with you … and you’re like that with the Vice-Admiral,’ she stops in her tracks, turning her head to the side. Ten years of war and you found it hard to believe that she was this … green; maybe she had been a little sheltered. ‘I don’t think that your effectiveness is undermined in the least … and Nagato-san’s been accommodating to everyone in the time that I’ve known her …’

Your eyes go wide, if only slightly. She did have a pretty good point.

You think about it for a moment. On one hand, you didn’t feel like putting a gulf between any of your Division members—least of all with Nagato on one side—but on the other hand, Samidare did come here to learn from your conduct to apply to her own prospective “career”. You couldn’t well tell her that she could go around being chummy and getting authority or going to the other end of the spectrum and expecting those under her command to do their best by the rule of fear. Plus, Nagato seemed to have a handle on things and you didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry you already had so … what did you have to impart to her on the subject?

Hell, did it even matter to you?

‘Commander?’

>‘Because at the end … there’s a time and place for everything. Even differing leadership styles fall back to that.’
>‘The Vice-Admiral and I, well … it’s not so much a hierarchy so much as it is a relationship.’
>‘I never said I was perfect. I’ll probably never put a claim on it.’
>‘Maybe you’re right … maybe you should put a little bit more distance. As should I.’
>Write-In

>>2314335
>>‘Because at the end … there’s a time and place for everything. Even differing leadership styles fall back to that.’
>as long as you know when its time to be serious and when its ok to be more casual.

>>2314335
Can we combine "there’s a time and place" and "it's about relationships"? Like, you can be chummy with each other if you're that close, but given certain situations you have to act according to your expected position/rank?

>>2314349
Nothing wrong with you trying to mix it up to make a write in, no. The difference between mine is the tonal emphasis. If you can accommodate one with the other, I have no qualms.

okay 4chan ate my first one
WE NEED TO START TALKING SHIT THROUGH AGAIN
WE'VE BEEN TERRIBLE AT THAT
ITS WHAT HAS LED TO THE SHIT THATS GONNA HAPPEN SOON

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Guys, can we discuss what to do instead of voting right away?

>>2314361
these two
>>2314343
>>2314349
are going in the right direction since we're supposed to be showing Samidare how we do things as a Cmdr

So how about
"It's about relationships. If you're that close, you can be chummy with each other and treat each other casually, so long as it doesn't reduce job effectiveness. But sometimes there's expectations -- from events, from people, from the environment -- and you have to act as expected from your rank."

>>2314349
i am for this combo

>>2314366
Yeah, that sounds good. So this, then.
>>2314349
>>2314370

>>2314370
If you get the votes, I have no problems writing it up. Can you just give me the gist of the tone, please? Strict? Patient? Domineering? Any points you want to emphasize?

>>2314376
Patient tone I guess? Like a teacher explaining something to his student. And I guess the emphasis is "it's about relations, but sometimes you gotta meet expectations"

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You think about it very carefully.

You didn’t want to unwittingly cause any missteps here, lest you give Samidare the wrong idea. There was a difference between application and theory … and you had to make sure Samidare followed the spirit and not just the word. They didn’t cover everything in textbooks, after all.

‘It’s a … two-way street, see,’ you begin, slowing your pace as you approach the Admiral’s office, ‘more than about the hierarchy, it’s about a relationship. The leader’s in charge, he handles everyone under his umbrella, on his list … you get what I mean. But you also need to consider just how well that you know each other and just how much you can push a boundary until you’ve definitely crossed it. That, though, is a sure-fire way to lose the respect and trust of anyone; friends or subordinates. If it brings up morale, if it strengthens the synergy and execution of the entity, then there’s no problem taking that route. You can be as casual all you like, but when the time comes and you need to bring order out of chaos, all the pieces need to know who’s the King, the Horse, the Workers … all that stuff.’

‘So like you do in the Division?’

You consider it for a moment. It would bee too lazy to simplify it to that point.

‘Well, a little … but I operated more on assumption when I started out over actually taking a step back and letting it come to me,’ you explain further, ‘and that’s a hole I’m trying not to step into again. Delegating duty’s also a part of making the wheels turn, Samidare … and if you can’t do something, there’s never shame in leaving it in the hands of someone who can.’

She lights up a little at your words. It looked like you were on the track to a mutual understanding … or so you hoped.

‘Like the Vice-Admiral did with you … it doesn’t devalue his position?’

‘I rely on you to fight on the front … it doesn’t make me any worse or better off,’ you shrug, ‘it just means that my job is to make sure to get the most out of you. That’s the basic skeletal make-up of the task I’m handed … and you’re beholden only to your responsibilities. It doesn’t lessen what anyone does, but it does paint a picture of the weight that every decision made goes by a different measure based on where we stand. Just because you and I are friends doesn’t mean we can’t be Commander and KanMusu too, right?’

She pumps a fist as you walk up the ramp.

‘Right!’

As you move to knock on the door … you hear two voices on the other side.

‘A platform would strengthen the hold … and in these trying times, I don’t think you can afford to turn down a safety net, Admiral … not with the sharks circling as they are.’

‘And I know when I’m staring damnation in the face. The answer’s still no.’

>Announce your arrival
>Eavesdrop
>Leave
>Write-In

>>2314439
>>Announce your arrival
lets not listen in too much

>>2314439
>>Announce your arrival

>>2314439
>>Announce your arrival

>>2314439
>Announce your arrival

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You give the door a firm few knocks. As interested as you were in the discussion … it would be much too rude, too improper to press your ear to the door like some snooping busybody—and with Samidare here to learn from you, the last thing you wanted her was to pick up a habit on eavesdropping from your influence. Another conversation takes place, prompting you to give another knock. This time with your prosthetic and more audible. This time, you’re handed a sound of the Admiral most definitely giving you his permission to enter, which you do, opening the door and quickly moving into the warm shelter of his office … and immediately look up to see your superior sitting at the edge of his table, puffing on his pipe.

Standing in the middle of the room was the Vassal that you had seen from before, still clad in his felt hat and black suit, wearing a neutral expression as he regarded you … then turning back to the Admiral with a businessman’s smile.

‘I promised I wouldn’t cut into your time so much that I’d keep you from your work, Admiral,’ he lets out in a thick, oily voice that sounded pleasant … and at the same time, terrifying. ‘You know where to find me, of course.’

He holds out his hand for the Admiral to take.

The Admiral doesn’t so much as move an inch.

‘I’m not pulling up an escort for you this time.’

‘I’m familiar enough to make my way around,’ he chuckles mirthlessly, tipping his hat as he turned on his heel and moved past you, not even sparing you or Samidare a glance. Personally, you found yourself a little offended … were you just pots and furniture to him?

The Admiral doesn’t even spare him a glance as he leaves, gently shutting the door behind him.

‘Commander,’ he greets you with a casual salute, one that you return right as he straightens his uniform. ‘I see you got my message.’

‘Yeah,’ you nod, approaching your superior, ‘I heard that … you wanted to talk to me, sir?’

‘Yes,’ he nods in return, moving behind his desk to immediately pull up some files from his drawer—a few folders, really—mumbling unintelligibly under his breath. ‘Nagato and Akashi just handed me a recovery report on Iowa. According to the latest trials, she’s pulled herself up into combat eligibility … to which I have standing orders to communicate with Ominato to pull up the eligibility of assignment. We need all the help we can get … and with this development, I’m finally able to start slotting her in to an Admiral or Vice-Admiral’s unit. So I guess I have you to thank for managing her so well. Good job.’

‘Th-Thank you, sir.’

He wears a tight smile.

‘So, Commander, would you mind telling me why is it that when I asked her about her assignment preferences … she looked away, looking red as the damn sunset saying she didn’t want to be anywhere else but at your side?’

Oh.

‘Commander?’

Oh crap.

>Write-In

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So how about we stay as stoic as possible and just say something to the effect of "we spent much time with her and therefore she holds a close relationship to us", with the implication that this is just a personal thing and won't get in the way of her getting assigned elsewhere?

>>2314504
Up to you, really.

atm, he is just concerned as to why iowa responded that way when she was asked about being reassigned
thats the question we need to address first

right now, the best response would be to say that helping iowa overcome her weakness/illness and the trust built up by doing that and not being a douchnozzle as her previous commander has made her reluctant to leave our command and be assigned elsewhere

>>2314523
supportin

>>2314504
Commander helped Iowa back into working condition, seems like a good reason for her to have a preference.
Just don't mention the sexytimes, of course.

>>2314523
This

>>2314523

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‘Well, uh,’ you begin tentatively, trying your best to put on a brave front for Samidare, who you could tell by a glance was more than confused, ‘to be fair, sir, I was under the impression that there was no avenue to be left unattended with the issue of her recovery … and if I didn’t do my best at that, then … there wouldn’t be anything left in me to call qualified as a Commander. I didn’t take the road with the whole intention of, er …’

You trail off, unable to continue. The Admiral wears half a scowl, sitting against his table as he flips through the folders with a tight expression. Samidare is still at your side through all this, glancing back and forth between the both of you as though you were in the middle of a tennis match. You try your best to retain your composure. So much for setting an example for Samidare … you must look a right mess to her right now.

‘Commander, I cannot,’ he pauses, closing the folder and staring up at you, ‘in good conscience allow you to commandeer Iowa. Let’s leave out the fact that there are already two Battleships under your direct command. Let’s leave out that as of right now, the severance of your link with Carrier Kaga is still being carried out. How am I supposed to trust that your brain will not turn into mush the moment an active Stream connection is established between the both of you, through the RAY, through a direct link or even through an experimental dive? It would be irresponsible of me—irresponsible—to allow a Commander of your inexperience and capacity to risk your life—which, by our numbers, is a limited resource—and your sanity in an effort to accommodate a Battleship KanMusu that operates in the same tier as Musashi, who is already tethered to your ass.’

‘I … understand, sir.’

The Admiral may have sounded stable, but you knew that one step out of line and you’d be a memory on the wall.

‘So, enlighten me, Commander, just how and what’—he pokes you roughly with the corner of the folder—‘did you damn well do to turn this situation from a straightforward babysitting assignment to another one of your thrice-damned romps?’

‘Iowa’s damage wasn’t physical, sir,’ you answer crisply. ‘She’s suffered from trust issues even before … they were only compounded by her body trying to enter a state of permanent conservation. I can’t … explain how I did it, I mean, maybe she just opened up enough for it to activate itself right back up; sir she was almost raped back in Vanzer! She wouldn’t let anyone but her Admiral get back close to her … and when I did the first thing she did was run back up to her room, I—’

He raises a finger, prompting you to shut up.

‘Explain,’ he cuts patiently. ‘Cleanly … clearly.’

You rub your jaw. It was definitely going to get cracked after this …

>Write-In

>>2314607
shiieeeeeettttt
any ideas people

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So we should explain
>Iowa kills/hurts nearly everyone she connects to
>Nearly raped by one of her commanders
>Forced to travel over an ocean, taxing her magical capabilities
>All resulted in multiple trust issues
>Work and time with her has mended some of those issues and 'apparently' stabilized her metaphysical structure, returning her to active status
Did I get the gist of it? Anything else I should add?

>>2314614
yea thats the gist of it

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>>2314614
wrong pic

is the fact that the stream we have active with iowa not known by the admiral? or is it a different kind of stream is he referring to?

>>2314629
I think the implication is known that you did something extraordinary to flip her back into an active state. He has a strong, strong suspicion of it, I guess. He knows that it's probably less than what you say but more than he suspects ... or that's how you feel he knows.

>>2314639
so he knows we fixed her but not have an active stream with her then?

>>2314614
>just tell him what happened that night Iowa opened up to us, just remove the sex and replace it with a heavy emotional conversation
this is just an idea im throwing out here

>>2314641
There is a pretty underlying implication, considering that as Admiral, he probably had a gist as to the methodology of her reactivation being that intensive for such a quick fix. Considering neither Akashi was employed nor enough time passed for it to actually be fixed on her own, you'd think that the blinking red arrows pointing to you wouldn't be so damn inconspicuous at the very least.

>>2314642
if we are going here, we can then add the fact that after the heavy emotional conversation, a stream was inadvertently made

I was being nice to her. She opened up and came (puns intended) to trust me. We made a stream link.

The problem is, how do we get around explaining how our stream is not fucked up without admitting that we got mental coaching from a friendly neighbourhood heretic.
Even if Admiral could be trusted with such information, I'm pretty sure he'd have himself preferred to not know to maintain deniability...

>>2314700
i suppose not telling him unless he explicitly is asking would be ok

>>2314703
Well he's already concerned with our stream capacity so I anticipate he is going to ask how keeping Iowa on us is possible.

Maybe we could say we got some coaching from the First admiral? It's more or less true, and she was presumably seen visiting us, lending the story credibility.
However another issue is whether we should be using FA in that manner.

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‘Sir, I won’t bother you with the details that you’re already aware of, but … I think that you’re aware that Iowa’s weight class lends heavily to the circumstances,’ you begin, trying to start out small and build your case up. If the Admiral wanted the story, you’d give it to him piece by piece instead of a lump sum. ‘As a Battleship, you know that she’s already in a class of her own … but she was also Vanzer’s sole defender for years. I don’t think that there’s anyone in this country that can attest to defending the whole west coast of a continent with only one Admiral on their backs.’

‘What’s your point, Commander?’

‘My point is, sir, Iowa has trust issues,’ you continue coolly, taking a step forward, ‘and if you turn her away like that and shove her into some soulless, bureaucratic mess, you’re going to turn her away again. I’m not sure what the book says on KanMusu mental health, but I’m pretty sure that aggravating something that requires stability to maximize performance ratings isn’t something that the Admiralty is keen on having on a prospective asset.’

The Admiral doesn’t smile, but his features do soften … somewhat.

‘Iowa’s relationship with her first Admiral—or at least as far as we know, her only Admiral—was a familial one. When the toll of commandeering her became too much, there was an arrangement for her transfer. Her new Admiral—her Vice-Admiral—used some kind of geas … to immobilize and assault her. Her Admiral saved her, but since then, she’s been less than welcome to the idea of shifting that connection about. That, coupled with the sheer exhaustion she suffered trying to come all the way here … and contacting the Admiralty for a rescue effort contributed to her core being rendered into a crippled state. As things are, right now I’m the only one she trusts enough to put that connection and not break it … sir.’

‘That’s not a case to argue your stance, Commander, nor is it a fitting explanation,’ he counters gruffly, setting the folder down. ‘Two mysteries right now is how in the world do you have a capacity to support her weight class in addition Nagato’s and Musashi’s … never mind the rest of the Division and how in the world you opened it.’

You open your mouth to reply, only to be immediately cut off by a wave of that hand.

‘Let’s say I go to my own conclusion on that first point … that whatever the reason, you’re adaptable to your post. Your brain, your spirit, whatever … that they grew over your career. Let’s argue that. Now, my curiosities lie in two things: how this obviously emotionally-tethered connection was established in the first place … and what did you do to get to that point?’

‘Sir—’

‘Clean, Commander. I want it clean and neat.’

>>2315092
>'I ... I slept with her, sir. We, uh ... established relations on that front.' (Discrete, Honest)
>'It just happened, I guess? I can't say for sure.' (Evasive)
>'Talking with her, just ... getting to know her, sharing common interests...' (Discrete, Feign Innocence)
>'I ... didn't do it alone, sir. I had help.' (Reveal Shaman involvement)
>Write-In

by the love of god
lets discust before posting

as i see it
its a bad idea to reveal much, but we NEED to tell him something
half truths, to say something

I think we should go for a write in here. The admiral is a smart man and can read in between the lines fi he needs to. I say we tell him we just acted like our usual self, got nosy and was there to comfort her.

combo of 1st and 3rd seem like the way to go

>>2315113
Agreed; the sex is secondary to the "We were our usual autistic nosy selves and established an actual bond with her". We can leave the sex as vague/implicit, but it's important to say that we didn't jump straight to that.

>>2315113
how we word it?
"we talked with her sir, we managed to find common hobbies and, well i think i can call her a good friend. That might be the answer"

>>2315122
this is a good starting pt, we can just say it progressed like that to the pt she confided to us and stuff happened

>>2315121
You mean something like:
>"What do you mean THINGS?"
>"You know, things ... between a man and a woman ... that only a man and a woman can share ... in that sort of ... situation? Development?"
>[Point to the only girl present with a distressed look]

>>2315129
No, I meant more what >>2315122 + >>2315128 said, as in there was an actual build-up and social link go instead of just "teehee we had sex oopsie".

>>2315122
>>2315128
That should get the gist of what we are trying to say across. We keep it short and simple like he wanted and say everything we need to at the same time.

>>2315129
or we can just say that after a very deep and serious conversation, where-in iowa opened up and bared her heart and soul to us, things progressed from their and stream connections were established

my 2 cents
>'I ... I slept with her, sir. We, uh ... established relations on that front.' (Discrete, Honest)
out of the given options, this is probably one I'd take. But it could still put us on the firing line. And unless Admiral believes that love transcends boundaries of the stream capacity, it doesn't explain that other problem
>'It just happened, I guess? I can't say for sure.' (Evasive)
This one is almost certainly the worst option of the lot.
>'Talking with her, just ... getting to know her, sharing common interests...' (Discrete, Feign Innocence)
This might be viable if the admiral would rather pretend to not openly hear we're a manslut. By the same token he might get insulted that we're bullshitting him.
>'I ... didn't do it alone, sir. I had help.' (Reveal Shaman involvement)
Well now. Shaman would almost certainly not appreciate the attention. And I'm not sure of Admiral's position in the politics.
>Write-in
probably for the best if someone can come up with a way to explain both our relationship with Iowa and our capacity to support her without resorting to complete bullshit.
Maybe something along the lines of:
>I was nice to her, and she got opportunity to see how I relate with the other girls under my command. As for the capacity issue, I've taken liberty of carrying out mental training...
>(optional)...which I've done following advice from FA

>>2315152
admiral isnt asking how we our stream can now support iowa but how we made her be lovey dovey clingy towards cmdr and what happened to allow her to be like that to cmdr

>>2315175
What if we just explained that we got to know her and that her and the commander ended up bonding. Skip on the sex part but be honest that we ended up connecting and that the connection just....happened. It's not a lie, that is what happened, he can try to call bullshit but we could explain what the others in the division explained the day after, how the whole connection thing works outside of the machinery the admirality uses. You can try to argue against it, but it's hard to call bullshit on what is literally fairy magic.

>>2315181
thats ok, we are being honest on it and it actually helps that we treated her like a person and not a weapon or glorified onahole coz fuck that douche in vanzer

>>2315186
we found commonhobbies and things like that, adn bit by bit, became friends
thats the idea we are trying to sell here
adn it sells well because it IS true
exepte the whole we got it on adn that, but details the admiral does not need to know

>>2315199
If you just skip the sex part, it still holds strong, I'm all for it.

>>2315199
same

>>2315201
>>2315212
I know you guys are voting for this, but I can't make heads or tails of what this player is saying.

>>2315236
we found common hobbies and such things, so bit by bit we became friends

thats what we are try to sell the admiral, and it will workbecaus it IS true
just dont go into sex and such things like heresy

>>2315260
>Common hobbies
While I agree that this is the general course we should take, 'common hobbies' doesn't sound like something that would get someone to open up to you like that
Something along the lines of, "I tried making her feel welcome within the division, and we grew closer over time during training, leisure time, etc." would be better imo, without including the whole sex thing

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Roll call. Who's online?

Just caught up ready to vote. I have no idea what to do here though seems like a minefield. We need a great write in to save the day.

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>>2316424
Here

>>2316521
I feel like I've seen that before.

Roll call. Also, don't care. Running anyway because I want this over and done with.

>>2315260
I still don't understand you, anon, and I'm trying to make sense of what you're trying to say. Either because of how unsound it is grammatically or because you're deviating from the core of your argument or whatever, but I don't know what you're pushing for by trying to say "common hobbies". It feels like one sentence instead of a proper stance.

(what other anon wants to say in a nutshell)
basically what we want to say is that we treated her as a person and got to know her and due to our various interactions, helped along with having actual common interests like normal ppl, iowa became more and more accustomed to us and developed a healthy relationship

>>2317653
Okay, thanks for that. I'll take this interpretation.

People be sleeping.

Anyhow, my vote is for a write-in, though words fail me to properly translate it into dialogue.

Since he's asking to know our relationship and how we got that magic connection I don't think it's possible to be fully clean and neat as he put it because describing relationships is difficult and our admiral isn't' the most eloquent.

We genuinely care about Iowa problems and wanted to learn more which somehow translated to fairy magic triggering into this link. We, admittedly, lacked some professionalism because we wanted to build a genuine friendly rapport instead of a proper commander-Kanmusu relationship and that might have been what convinced Iowa to trust us since we're a terrible, terrible liar.

Pretty much what those anons said >>2315181 >>2315199

>>2317653
things progressed to there until it came to a point that iowa trusted cmdr enough to confide in him things she's been keeping close at heart.

as a consequence of that deep and serious discussion in which we said we'll take responsibility over iowa, a stream connection was made

iowa being a shipgirl that had a familial upbringing and due to her past, is reluctant to leave our division and be sent to someone else who may not treat her the same as we do

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You let out for a moment, weighing the Admiral’s question … and his demands that you keep it to the point; neat and clean, just as he said. The Admiral didn’t seem to be in any mood for you to cut corners, but to keep things from spilling over—and revealing that you had porked Vanzer’s sole defender along the way—you couldn’t damn well give him enough rope to drag you down the metaphorical pit. You don’t know how Samidare looks, but if she isn’t terrified, then she had more bravery in her tiny frame than you did in your gut.

‘Nothing that I wouldn’t have done with any other person that was under my Command, sir,’ you reply—a half-truth that you hoped was enough to throw your superior’s scent off, ‘I … was good enough to her for her to open up, I tried to actually communicate with her as a person over a KanMusu. I allowed her to open up at her own pace; not to say I didn’t pry in at times, but I actually tried to do my best to approach her in a way that she would be … comfortable with over lording my authority. As far as I know, I didn’t do anything special beyond trying to make her feel that the Division was some place that she belonged instead of a halfway house. Not to say that I didn’t have any help … Nagato and the others, Samidare, Musashi, Tenryuu … all of them were instrumental in her recovery. It wasn’t my lone presence that triggered the reactivation of her combat capabilities—it’s something I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without everyone else making it easier for her to make that leap.’

He raises an unimpressed glare to meet your gaze.

‘So you’re saying that you manipulated her?’

‘No, sir,’ you reply quickly, ‘I didn’t set out with the intention to twist her perception to the point where the sole benefactor was my person. From my side, I personally think of her as a remarkable woman on her own; she’s intelligent, determined and resourceful … but she’s also a good friend; a good person. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to pull people back up. I didn’t know that my conduct would have inadvertently result in her recovery … but I’m glad that it was. Goes to show just how much a little kindness goes, huh?’

He doesn’t return your good-humoured chuckle.

‘As much as that’s an option available to me, Commander,’ he continues coolly, ‘I honestly find it hard to believe that a Battleship who has a record as long as a bearded monkey of being a lone wolf, belonging to one Admiral—by the record—would suddenly shift her loyalties, never mind right in the chair, to decline the very idea of a transfer without even looking at the prospectus for someone that she’s known for less than a week.’

The Admiral takes a puff of his pipe.

‘Care to fill me on the details of that?’

>>2317709
>‘Because … that’s not the whole story, sir.’ (Confess to your relationship with Iowa)
>‘What if the details involved … a heretic?’ (Confess to your relationship with Iowa and the Heretic)
>‘Can’t say, sir. That’s all I can give.’ (Adamant)
>‘Is there something you’re trying to get at, sir?’ (Accusatory)
>Write-In

So confess to screwing her or not, guys?

>>2317728
very least, dont say shit bout the heretic

I think this anon laid out a good choice >>2314614 to explain Iowa mindset. She decided on it all on her own to refuse that transfer.

Though I'm also leaning to confessing everything, including the heretic. Laying it out in one big package.

>for someone that she’s known for less than a week
Someone that didn't treat her like shit like her old Admiral, and unlike her Vice-Admiral. Can someone explain why this is such an unnatural decision? Because I don't get it.

>>2317712
>>Write-In
>‘Because … that’s not the whole story, sir.’ (Confess to your relationship with Iowa)
some of that coupled with also us being 1000X better than previous admiral, a guy who used a geass on her to make her do stuff with him, and that guy was a poster child for the perfect admiral, is a good thing that iowa didnt loose her faith in humanity because for anyone else this would be time for REVENGE/BETRAYAL

>>2317738
Commanders generally get 1 BB max because the strain is too great. For some reason, you're handling 3, although that's pretty much your limit. Thank Nee-san for giving you that buffer and thank Musashi for essentially claiming her own space you don't need to sort her out.. I guess it's like a situation where you're essentially outperforming your designation.

>>2317757
Yeah I know that it's super suspicious that a rookie is commanding 3 battleships, but that wasn't my point.

>>2317762
Because KanMusu generally don't fidget in seats with red faces when asked why they're refusing a transfer.

>>2317757
we are the admiralty equivalent to audie murphy now, i wanna argue the point of us having more bbs than what a mere cmdr is supposed to have is fitting our actual role as being the schwerpunkt/spearhead for the counteratk

given the lack of stream capable individuals, i would assume from a military standpoint that consolidating your available forces under what cmdrs you have left would have made more sense

like how grouping up carriers from single carrier battle groups into larger carrier task forces maximized available firepower

>>2317768
There isn't a "lack", per se, of Stream-capable individuals. There is, however, a lack of Stream-capable volunteers.

>>2317768
iowa was raised differently than the shipgirls in taiyouga, she had a father-daughter thing while the rest were mentored by shamans

alas, it seems that just saying that she was brought up different which made her act more human like and have more grounded human emotions is an explanation the admiral is for some reason not considering

>>2317770
so they just need to conscript these individuals then, with how the war is going, i dont think it would be politically expedient for the govt to do that

So what's the consensus here, guys? I just got power back and want to start typing.

I believe anons want to explain Iowa past to the admiral in a bid to explain her reasoning in wanting to stay behind with the gang on the base.

Maybe that's also admitting to screwing her. Personally, I want to stress the angle of the Kanmusus themselves having helped her much more than we did.

Since he didn't ask how we're managing to hold onto so many BBs we only need to focus on talking about Iowa.

>>2317712
>>Write-In
your mistake is in thinking that iowa is the same as the other kanmusu when she is not

her only other admiral was a man who treated her not as mere weapon or even as a normal girl but as his own daughter

this familial treatment helped make iowa develop emotions and feelings more grounded and similar to humans compared to kanmusu here who were treated like mere weapons with efficiency first and emotion as and feelings second

then you have the guy she was supposed to be put under command of abuse his position and stream to force her to become his plaything and only be saved by her father figure/admiral arrive in time to save her and you can see why she is reluctant to trust others easily

is it not surprising to see why she would be extremely reluctant to leave the only other person who showed her the same kind of respect and trust and actual human affection behind?

with how normal people treat kanmusu, its no wonder that she would rather stay with the guy who treats her like a human is a much better deal than potentially risk veingg put under another person who sees her as just a mere weapon or worse

besides, it also makes perfect sense to always want to by the side of the guy you like

>>2318147
supportin

>>2318147
Sure why not.

>>2318147
That's it, familial treatment. Supporting this one.

If not we can just say she's kinda alien from Vanzer heh. Don't take this seriously QM

>>2318147
So you just want to say that she's only family, not admit to the sexual aspect to the relationship and try to enforce that, at least temporarily, it would be best for the Admiral and the brass to accommodate her until she's comfortable moving up and out?

>>2318184
i dont really think its good to hide that fact from him, he aint dense and just lying would be a dis-service to how straight he has been to us

its just that the sex just came out of left-field and not planned, just one person realizing that she likes and trust this other person enough to bare herself to him and hope he reciprocates and another person who accepted her and hopes he would be able to reciprocate in kind

its funny how in any other situation this would just be seen as a normal romance but given the ppl involved its being seen as unhealthy or not natural

>>2318184
I feel its implied towards the end that we're also fucking her, but without outright just saying it and enforcing that we have a bond of trust that is very difficult to attain for others, especially with the mentality Tayoiga has.

>>2318189
>>2318190
Okay, so let me get the gist for my write-up (Sorry if antsy, rushing to do this so I can get it in time for prayers).

"So you just want to say that she's only family, not to outright confess, but to at least confirm and imply the sexual AND the emotional aspect to the relationship and try to enforce that, at least temporarily, it would be best for the Admiral and the brass to accommodate her until she's comfortable moving up and out?"

>>2318201
i dont think she would ever be comfortable moving out but thats just me, also she is not just family

we kinda have a normal relationship with her aside from being her cmdr

>>2318201
The other issue with this is that i don't think we're hinting at her moving out at all,and instead trying to make a case as to why she should stay under our command on a permanent basis

>>2318201
There's no way he doesn't know, he has to be testing commander. Just tell him, maybe he'll even help keep it under wraps if we come through.

>>2318208
>>2318211
>>2318218
Come on, guys, I really need a final say so I can do my prayers. This hem-and-hawing seems to unnecessary and feels like you're trying to stave off the Game Over by time and fatigue rather than actually taking steps to try and work against it.

>>2318225
My vote is for what you put out >>2318201

>>2318201
Ok, voting for this.

>>2318225
It was basically this >>2318201 but without her moving away and instead staying.

>>2318225
if he asks then confirm it

File: Iowa Spilled Yoghurt On H(...).jpg (90 KB, 486x561)

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‘Iowa isn’t like other KanMusu,’ you argue further. ‘She was practically taken in by her own Admiral; her emotional growth, her matrix, whatever, differs from the basics of what the Shamans put forward. Iowa was raised by a human as his own daughter. She was afforded a greater experience with the spectrum of humanity than any KanMusu on record. She was gauged not by mission performance or need, but by anything a father could afford their child. The Admiralty’s experience with KanMusu has always been to detach them from the public and keep them within their own confines, to build their own relations and develop their own understanding … however they did it. Some worked perfectly and some didn’t, but Iowa was raised as a human being. She was encouraged and moved out of her confines by the hand of a human she called Dad. She’s back to square one with herself, but if you move her right now, sir, you’re taking out what she’s built and putting her into a box where she’s not even sure of the measurements.’

‘Good analogy,’ he comments gruffly. ‘Still not answering my question, however.’

‘Sir, please … I’m not trying to be selfish. If Iowa wanted out went under the Vice-Admiral, I’d have no qualms letting her go like that. Right now, though, there’s no one I trust to take care of her … to have her back like the Division. I already said I won’t take sole responsibility for getting her to this point, but I will do all in my power to ensure that her well-being—as well as all the well-being of everyone in my Division—is met. I promised her that much … and I won’t back down on it … Admiral, sir.’

The Admiral snorts loudly, shaking his head. ‘God damn, Commander. You promised her?’

‘I,’ your own cheeks turned red, ‘I … was unable to say no. I admit that’s a weakness on my part. Couldn’t say no. At … all.’

You twiddle your thumbs, looking down in shame.

Your superior groans burying his face in one hand. He seemed to get the implication just right.

‘You know, when I thought Nagato was insane … you know what, I do think that she’s gone insane, picking up and pushing you of all people,’ he grumbles, ‘but I suppose that I have instilled an unhealthy inclination towards troublemakers in her … like parent, like child, they always say. Honestly, though … really?’

‘If my capacity’s what you’re worried about, I’m a lot thicker up here than I thought before,’ you answer hurriedly, tapping your temple for emphasis. ‘I can handle it, sir, I promise.’

‘That’s not what I’m worried about,’ he glares at you, prompting you to shut up. ‘Do you understand just how unhealthy this is? How … unsanitary this looks on paper?’

‘What’s unsanitary?’

You cover Samidare’s ears quickly.

‘Commander, are you here to seduce my fleet or commandeer it?’

>>2318275
>‘To be absolutely fair, sir, as far as my commanding style goes, the difference is kinda … murky.’ (Explain yourself)
>‘May I argue the point that their performance has actually gone up since I … decided to ignore it?’ (Salvage)
>‘I wasn’t given the instruction manual to … avoid their feminine wiles, sir.’ (Embarrassed)
>‘It’s just a means to an end.’ (Detached, Serious)
>Look down in shame
>Write-In

>>2318279
>‘To be absolutely fair, sir, as far as my commanding style goes, the difference is kinda … murky.’ (Explain yourself)
Well no point in trying to cover up the truth, nor should we feel any shame in making the kanmusu feel more human

the write in seems very needed since in essence all of the stuff just happened

its not like cmdr seduced them but more of the division seduced him into this

not cmdrs fault that he treats them nice or something

>>2318275

Well I suppose the point we want to bring across now is that despite being a huge manslut and unprofessional conduct, we do not treat the girls as sexbots and our main goal is to win the war. For their benefit as well as the rest of mankind.

So, embarrassed for being put into spot like this, but explaining that we've fight in us and intend to deliver.

>>2318297
hard to not come off as a huge manslut when your the rare guy who treats them right

we may not have abs for days but we sure have heart, proper respect and non-discrimination on our side

>>2318279
>>Write-In
despite how it looks, all i'm doing is just trying to do right for my division

even if the other kanmusu may not be as human as iowa, they also have feelings and emotions even if they are not as developed as her

i treated them with the respect, trust and dignity as should be given to them just like any other person would do for the people theey are fighting with

is it not that hard to see that they would also develop feelings for a person that treats them right. it also doesnt help that any sane man would not be adverse if they used their feminine wiles on them

that and and with how the admiralty showcased them off, i doubt any fanboy would turn down a the chance to be with them

love can bloom in the battelfield yo

>Sir, it is true that I may at times have conduced myself in a manner not befitting my rank... (pause for Admiral to snort at the statement) ...but I can say without shadow of a doubt that my main goal, purpose and objective here is to fight and win the war.
>My interactions with the Kanmusu, under my command and otherwise, has only reinforced my conviction to that effect.

>>2318314
Seconding.

>>2318279
>>2318309
This

>>2318314
I support this one

>>2318279
>>2318309
i'd vote for this

>>2318325
>>2318360
>>2318388
>>2318415
>>2318309
>If the Heavens did not intend for us to fuck sentient weapons of arcane origin, why did they make them so damned attractive?

>>2318763
As long as we do it ethically!

>>2318314
Supporting

>>2318314
Support

Sorry guys, but I've been busy with a few things. I'll be running a session in about an hour.

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‘If I may be able to put word in on that sir, I’d like to at least line that while I haven’t exactly been the fit for a model professional,’ you grimace as the words leave your mouth, finally peeling your hands off Samidare’s head, ‘I’m not in this just because—or at least, I no longer—I mean … what I mean is that while my intentions may have been selfish and misguided, I’m more than aware of where my stand is required to be on the trenches. I’ve never strayed from that, even when I’m … you know …’

The Admiral rubs his temples. You don’t blame him. You’d probably be doing the same if you were in his position.

‘Commander …’

‘I just think that there’s a better way to get things out of the KanMusu under our command than just leaving them to their own devices,’ you argue further, ‘The KanMusu are here to protect us … and the least that we should be able to afford is the stance that we’re willing to consider them as our contemporaries rather than just tools … present company excluded, of course.’

‘It’s not a ground-breaking stance,’ the Admiral flatly comments.

‘I’d never pretend to claim that I’m a trailblazer in the scheme of things,’ you sigh, drooping your shoulders, ‘but maybe we should actually look and see if there’s anything we can get out of sentient warships that’s more than what we’ve given them.’

‘What’s your argument here, Commander?’

‘Maybe we should reconsider just what maximizes their responses instead of just following a textbook that tells us that the be-all end-all is to just link up and line up next to them instead of considering the context and the essence of what drives them and what drives us,’ you push further, hoping your jaw had enough calcium to withstand the inevitable impact of your superior’s fist. ‘You fight better next to the people you care about; you fight better when you’re doing it to someone you trust instead of just following orders. KanMusu … KanMusu will put themselves in the pathway of a cannon shell twice if it meant keeping one jackass safe, but a mom who’s at the head of the PTA won’t so much as scoot aside to let a KanMusu have a seat.’

‘And your point is?’

‘I just feel like … if they can love us like that, unconditionally and not even blink when we spit at them as thanks then why would I not want to at least give some back to them. All they want is to keep us, keep their loved ones, safe … but I’m not one to believe that kind of thing is undeserving of the notion of reciprocation.’

The Admiral sighs, scratching the back of his head. ‘The way you’re talking about it, it’s like you’re trying to justify that the foundation of a loving marriage is mutuality.’

'Well, sir ...'

>>2324108
>'This’ll probably be as close as I’m going to get to one, to be honest.’ (Joke)
>‘Considering the circumstances, I'd probably argue that the structure isn't that far off ... at least in some cases.’ (Pointed)
>‘I … wouldn’t go that far.’ (Forever alone)
>Write-In

>>2324114
>>'This’ll probably be as close as I’m going to get to one, to be honest.’ (Joke)

So are we arguing that the power of love is conducive to combat effectiveness?

>>2324154
Depends on your choice.

You can be casual about it, argue the point of contention or just back off.

>>2324114
>>‘Considering the circumstances, I'd probably argue that the structure isn't that far off ... at least in some cases.’ (Pointed)

>>2324114
>‘Considering the circumstances, I'd probably argue that the structure isn't that far off ... at least in some cases.’ (Pointed)

>>2324114
>‘Considering the circumstances, I'd probably argue that the structure isn't that far off ... at least in some cases.’ (Pointed)

>>2324114
>Write-In.
People have gotten married for less noble reasons, isnt the ideal marriage supposed to be of mutual love understood trust and respect?

>>2324114
>Considering the circumstances, I'd probably argue that the structure isn't that far off ... at least in some cases.’ (Pointed)
Probably isn't a good time to joke around

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‘Considering the circumstances, I’d probably argue that the structure isn’t far off,’ you grimace, rubbing the back of your neck, ‘but maybe we’re looking at things the wrong way … or rather, we haven’t looked deep enough in a way we never saw viable.’

‘You sound like a bleeding heart, you know that?’

‘What’s a bleeding heart?’

The both of you turn down to Samidare. You’d forgotten that you’d brought her around for her little … “internship”.

‘It’s the kind of people that get suckered into things without knowing what they’re getting into,’ you chuckle, giving her a soft pat on the head before turning up to face the Admiral once more, ‘but sir, think about it … there has to be something that we haven’t tried here. Maybe it’s a stupid old method and something for the cartoons, but it’s something worth pondering, isn’t it? It’s not as if we’re not at the end of our rope already. It doesn’t even have to be marriage or … or anything of that sort. People fight better—people can walk better—among those that they actually feel like they belong with. If they love us that much, we can at least try to put that forward. Nagato loves you, doesn’t she?’

The Admiral’s features harden slightly.

‘Commander …’

Maybe that was a mite too far.

‘I’m not trying to push the breakage of protocol or procedure … I know the hierarchy just as well as anyone,’ you backtrack a little, already bracing for impact, ‘but maybe we’re missing something here. Iowa … Nagato … Kaga, all of them are doing their best to hold the fort because we can’t do it for ourselves. Even if we can’t do what they can, we can shore up their cracks. It doesn’t have to be anything as big as what the Carriers want; what Iowa wants … but maybe instead of seeing them as tools of mass destruction, maybe we should consider them friends … family … loved ones.’

‘You’re asking for a lot.’

‘Admiral, we’ve been in their heads as much as they’ve been in ours,’ you argue further. ‘It’s not an unwarranted hypothesis.’

He snorts, raising an eyebrow. ‘Hypothesis?’

‘That it’s time to look at something beyond mere calibration thresholds and number-crunching.’

‘It’s a heavy consideration,’ he replies. Whether as a counter, in sarcasm or a genuine response at all on his part, you can’t quite tell.

‘’We’ve done heavier.’

‘How cold you are, son.’

You grimace once more. ‘Sorry, sir.’

‘Don’t be,’ he replies quickly, picking up the folders, ‘maybe it is time we explored the truth of this a little bit more.’

‘Sir?’

‘But before we get to that, if you’re going to take Iowa on … well, I have the forms right here. That is … if you’re still adamant on this.’

>‘Absolutely.’
>‘Actually, I think she’d do better under your Command.’
>Write-In

>>2324468
>>‘Absolutely.’

>>2324468
>Absolutely

>>2324468
>>‘Absolutely.’
>inb4 marriage form

>>2324468
>Absolutely

>>2324468
>‘Absolutely.’

>>2324468
>‘Absolutely.’

>>2324468
>‘Absolutely.’

File: Rank_Up!.png (11 KB, 248x143)

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‘Absolutely.’

The Admiral sighs, but doesn’t comment on it.

You spend the next period of time sitting at the desk, going over the details of her posting. While there wasn’t a permanent solution to getting the Admiralty’s impending book-throwing, the Admiral’s rationalization of the logic of the posting would and should at least keep it off your back for the length of time that it required for you to earn their good graces … hopefully. As you went over the forms (with Samidare’s helpful paperwork-sorting skills) you didn’t envy the MagiTek Departments workload. While KanMusu weaponry was inherent, pending any enhancements, the scope of Iowa’s preparation was one that you’d put on par with Musashi … and considering the workload that they were already buried in, you weren’t eager at the thought of the meeting up with them again. You doubt they’d let you leave with the capacity to breathe through anything larger than a straw.

The evening was already peeking from the horizon of the clock hands by the time the first vestiges of back muscle cramp made themselves known to you.

‘I’ll turn this in by the evening,’ the Admiral announces, shoving them back into the folder. ‘Iowa’ll be cleared for duty for tomorrow … and I’ll have the new duty roster up for you to undertake your new responsibilities.’

‘Yeah, I—new responsibilities?’

‘You have three Battleships under your command,’ he answers crisply, ‘surely you don’t think that didn’t come with new responsibilities?’

‘I,’ you briefly pause, considering it … and it did make sense. It wouldn’t do for KanMusu of that calibre to be bequeathed for your minute responsibilities … but you supposed a little more paperwork wasn’t exactly out of order, given the scope of the expansion.

One Battleship was one thing … but Musashi and Iowa under your command? That was definitely a call to attention.

‘I can’t give you an official word on it, and your title will still be Commander until we actually have a proper hierarchy under operation, but I suppose right now, I’d have to work you in the capacity of a Vice-Admiral.’

Samidare lets out a gasp, covering her mouth as she stares at you, wide-eyed.

‘V-Vice-Admiral?’

You find yourself speechless, staring at your companion … then back to your superior, who wears something in the mold of a grimace or a dissatisfied smirk, pushing himself up from his chair and making his way around the table and handing you what appeared to be a book—no, a manual.

‘It’s not an official promotion,’ he emphasizes, ‘but considering the size of your Division at this point—and it’s over-capacity by a fair damn margin, lack of staff be damned—I’m going to need you to pull double-duty beside the Vice-Admiral. Help with Expeditions and Patrols. All that jazz.’

>>2324636
>'Can I turn this down?'
>'I'm ... overwhelmed, but what kind of responsibilities? This is unofficial, right? So ...'
>'Expeditions? Forces?'
>'I won't let you down, sir!' (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2324640
>>'I'm ... overwhelmed, but what kind of responsibilities? This is unofficial, right? So ...'

>>2324640
>'I won't let you down, sir!'
Then collapse due the overwhelming pressure

>>2324640
HOLD UP NIGGAS>>2324644
>>2324649

>>2324640
>Do I get a pay raise?

Just so you assholes know, you've avoided the "big game over". HOWEVER, the prompt is still incoming ... but you'll now stand a much, much, much better chance of withstanding the barrage with the Admiral on your side. You basically just convinced him that there's a "maybe there's a chance that this idiot's on to something here; let him do his thing".

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>2324644
>>2324649
>>2324657

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To tell the absolute and utter truth … you’re unsure how—or what—to feel. This was the first time that someone had ever given you this sort of recognition. The circumstances may have been suspect, but … new responsibilities, a new scope to authority; that had rarely—if ever—been bestowed upon you. There’s pride, of course. Anything that warranted a job worth doing came with that upon achievement, but … this was the first time, really, that someone had decided that you were someone to be trusted with this. It wasn’t an order … and the Admiral could have really just vetoed anything you had to say, but instead of hanging you by his trident, he’d instead decided to give you a degree of trust that you weren’t sure you had been worthy of, even with the badge on your chest.

He believed you could do it. On his own terms and not by the command of an ink-laden piece of paper.

There was only one thing you could do.

‘I won’t let you down, sir.’

You throw up a salute, Samidare following your lead without so much as a hint of hesitation.

‘Admiral?’

The sound of a new voice has you turning … and bearing witness to a burdened Fusou, hoisting what appeared to be several bags of letters and paper. Your superior’s reaction is immediate … and predictable.

‘Commander, Samidare, if you’d both excuse yourselves?’

‘SIR!’

The both of you leave his office, closing the door behind you. You walk down the ramp, giving a good stretch of your sore bones, eager to catch up with the rest—or rather, what remained—of your day. You still had time before you’d have to attend the program in place of the Vice-Admiral … but you weren’t quite sure what to put up on your list of priorities. Perhaps a bite at Mamiya’s? Maybe a trip down to the gym?

‘Commander?’

You find yourself tilting slightly at the tug on your top. Turning your gaze downwards, you see Samidare looking up at you with a confused expression. She must have had another question on leadership and the like on her mind. Of that you have no doubt. The last hour or so must have been a little unorthodox, even for a KanMusu such as her.

‘Yes, Samidare?’

‘I was wondering,’ she begins tentatively, ‘that you talked with the Admiral about … letting Iowa-san stay on with us, right? You said that you … considered the structure not dissimilar with that of a happy marriage?’

You frown, now confused yourself. ‘I … guess. Why?’

‘So,’ Samidare twiddles her thumbs, shifting in place, ‘that means … to you, the Division is like … a marriage, right? A family? That’s how you see it?’

You rub your chin, briefly considering it. You suppose … you did, really. Not to say you were the most conventional in the approach, but beggars weren’t choosers.

‘I won’t argue against it, I suppose?’

‘So, in addition to my Commander, does that make you … my Onii-san?’

>Write-In

>>2324829
>Write-In
Of course!
>then give sami ALL the headpats

>>2324829
.....yeah I guess it does *headpat* let's go celebrate a little

>>2324829
I’m okay with this.jpg

>>2324840
>>2324845
>>2324839
>Dangle bai-
[CHOMP]
>Wait, I haven't even
>Chew-chew-chew
[BURP]
>More please

Thestateofmyplayerbase.png

>>2324885
But OP, there’s literally nothing wrong with some good natured platonic fraternisation. Sororisation. And who doesn’t like head pats?

>>2324885
Daughterus are for raising, and we clearly have been remiss in our duties.

>>2324840
supporting headpats

File: Samidareeeeee.jpg (9 KB, 189x266)

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It was hard to admit that you’d probably crossed the line.

At this point, though, there was no use doing anything but doing a well-choreographed dance falling down that pit.

‘Yeah.’

You place your prosthetic over her head, giving it a gentle tussle.

‘I guess it does.’

Samidare giggles playfully as her hands grip onto your wrist, looking up right at you, her eyes as bright as ever.

‘So where to next, sir?’

1/4
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>Look for KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Visit Location (Specify)
>District Management
>Wander
>Write-In

i think we gotta talk with nagato
or nachi and the bookmark, finaly after i dont know how long

but since sami is with us, gotta do something esle

>>2325248
>>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING (MURAKUMO PERSONAL)

Head to the gearheads about sendai's specialty request. If we can, pick up some donuts or snacks for them.

>>2325253
this
mayve we can get them to make yamato's battle umbrella thing

>>2325248
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING (MURAKUMO PERSONAL)

Let's find Hiei or Ikazuchi and talk about their involvement

>>2325248
Supporting >>2325253

>>2325253
That's contraband. However, you might be able to procure some if you level up your standing with the Military

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You decide to leg it. It was already too late to risk trying to wait for a buggy that happened to head your way; it’d be a less sizeable risk to hoof it across town to make your window and maybe catch one that was thundering in the same general direction that you were. It wasn’t as if you couldn’t use the exercise, anyway. Nee-san may have a hand in sculpting you into a more optimum form, but it was up to you to adapt yourself to the changes … and build habits around them. Not many people had a chance to start from scratch … especially with helping hand, but as you were, you really didn’t stand a chance at managing the rapid reconstruction once it actually hit.

So you run.

Or rather, you jog.

Samidare keeps pace beside you, of course, thankfully slowing down to preserve what was left of your meagre self-esteem. Considering she could probably break Mach 0.5 on an intercept, you were pretty sure that she didn’t have to really leg it right next to you in a manner as controlled as she did. With the weather going colder by the day, getting your heart pumping and blood flowing was paramount in keeping your capacities sharp. Since you had skimped on attending the gym, this was pretty much as close as you could get to a strenuous workout. By the time you’re on the familiar hill, you find yourself overlooking the plains on the other side, right as an Army truck thunders past you on its way to the officer’s compound—section, whatever.

‘Are you tired, Commander?’

You hold up a hand, silently requesting her to give you a moment.

Forget a hot summer’s day … you’d thought that this sort of thing would get easier. Right now, your arms felt as though they were trying to detach themselves from their sockets and that your knees and thighs were launching a protest against the rest of your body.

‘So that’s why … you do stretches …’

‘Commander?’

‘I’m all right, Samidare,’ you quickly reassure her, cricking your neck and assuming a brisk walking pace. ‘Come on.’

She takes her place right next to you as you begin thanking the stars that it was literally all downhill from here.

And by the looks of things, this neighbourhood looked like it was on its way back. There was some scaffolding here and there with the houses around … and many of the walls looked like they had been patched.

Maybe things would look better by the end of the year.

It’s not long before you’re within the compound and finding yourself standing in front of a familiar, scowling face.

‘Oh man, don’t tell me that you want something else?’

You give the young man a grimace as he kicks the office door open, gesturing you to follow him inside.

>>2325338
>'I need you to make some shuriken for Sendai, if that's possible.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)
>'Been busy lately?' (Small talk)
>'I see that this place is as clean as ever ...' (Joke)
>'You, uh, don't look so well.' (Concern)
>Write-In

>>2325340
>write in
>'I need you to make some shuriken for Sendai and a combat umbrella for yamato, if that's possible.'
it al sounds standard issue as hell, if you ask me

>>2325340
>>'You, uh, don't look so well.' (Concern)

Show some concern for them first, check in if theres anything they need or stuff we can help with. Then we do the request.

>>2325345
>>2325347
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

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‘You … don’t look so well,’ you voice your concern, closing the door right as Samidare jogs inside. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘It’s personal,’ he counters gruffly, dropping the box of files in his arms onto the floor as he booted—that was the term, you believed—up the computer on the table.

Still, it didn’t look like whatever it was on his mind was work-related.

‘Ranting to a stranger’s probably more effective than bottling it all up alone,’ you continue diplomatically, approaching his table. ‘I’d ask you to go on a bar-crawl, but you probably don’t even have a driver’s license yet.’

‘Hey, I—’

He cuts himself off, running a hand through his hair before placing both of them on his hips, staring up at the ceiling.

‘You’re right,’ he raises a hand in defeat as he straightens a pile to his left. ‘It’s just that we’ve been so busy lately … and with that new KanMusu—that blonde one, Iowa—being reinstated to active duty under this base, the bunch of us have stuff running through our fingers like a damned water flow. I’ve barely enough time to sort through my own things. My mom’s writing to me and I have to write back; I have to tell the home to keep sending me updates; I have to then call my idiot of an uncle and make sure that he’s making sure that she’s okay … and I have to tell my dad to go and cheese off when he wants to drop an ask for a check.’

‘Huh?’

‘Like Is aid, it’s personal,’ he sighs again. ‘I think you’ve kinda noticed that I’m kinda … wanting compared to the rest of the team, yeah?’

‘You’re a bit young,’ you shrug, ‘but you’re doing your job, right? I don’t think any of the KanMusu here have any complaints so long as you keep at it.’

You pause for a moment.

‘Although, personally, I’d point out that the pressure of the circumstances is probably overwhelming for someone like you.’

He glares at you. ‘What do you mean someone like me?’

‘You’re obviously the most intelligent guy in this room right now,’ you point out, raising both your hands defensively, ‘but you’re … what? I don’t think you’re even 17 yet, are you? If I had to make a guess … you probably didn’t have much room to wiggle getting here. If I pointed the cliché of empty libraries into the small hours surrounded by people your elder but none your superior, would I be barking up the wrong tree?’

He harrumphs, crossing his arms and pointing his nose away. He doesn’t, however, deny the accuracy of your statement.

‘So what’s up?’

‘It’s … my mom,’ he sighs. ‘She’s staying at a home right now. The quarterly payments are on the way and I’ve been negotiating for leniency, but … at the rate things are going, I’m going to have to try and find her someplace else.’

>>2325408
>'You mentioned an Uncle, right? Why not just get him to help out.'
>'What's the situation with your mother?'
>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'
>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'
>'I'd like to talk about something else.'
>Write-In

>>2325411
>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'

>>2325411
>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'

>>2325408
>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'

Someone's bullying family of a nerd in charge of developing experimental weaponry for the last line of defense against the terrors from abyss?
That's just wrong.

>>2325411
>>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'

>>2325411
>'What do you mean by "rate things are going"?'

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‘What do you mean by rate things are going?’

He lets out a sigh.

‘The Admiralty pays well … in fact, more than well—they pay right through the nose for the best of the best, but they’ve been kinda skimpy on payroll lately.’

‘Right, I heard …’

He stares at you, bewildered.

‘Wait, you didn’t notice?’

It was hard to notice when you didn’t even care for it in the first place. It wasn’t as if money was a particularly dire need of yours at the moment. Not like it was before.

‘Um, I generally,’ you give a hesitant shrug, ‘I don’t really have any financial obligations … I sort of upped sticks and went all-in going out here. I have the barracks and a bed … and supplies come in to give me enough food so I don’t have to go hunting—not that I ever have the inclination to, these days. So I never really bothered by it. Not that there’s a bank here that’s up and running to do anything of the sort, though.’

‘Well … with the mess that’s the bureaucracy,’ his nose wrinkles at the last word, before continuing, ‘payroll hasn’t been able to keep up with the load … I’ve already complained to the Admiral, but even he hasn’t so much as seen a number from the Court. Not that he cares, though … he’s probably already got a cushion from all that self-sacrificing.’

That was a little too far, even for you.

‘Hey.’

He raises his hands up in apology.

‘Right, yeah,’ he goes on, shoulders drooping as he picks up a sheet of paper, ‘anyway, the home’s already sent me a few slips … they’re going to literally dump her out on the street if I don’t pony it up somehow. And the Admiralty’ll probably only get to me once they sweep through the rest of the staff. At least that’s probably how it’ll go with my luck.’

>>2325447
>'You mentioned an Uncle, right? Why not just get him to help out?'
>'What's the situation with your mother?'
>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'
>'Why not just bring her out here? The medical facility's up and running.'
>'I'd like to talk about something else.'
>Write-In

>>2325449
>'You mentioned an Uncle, right? Why not just get him to help out?'

>>2325447
>'What's the situation with your mother?'

>>2325452
this

>>2325447
Let’s start with uncle, although that’s probably out of question for whatever reason or we wouldn’t be having this conversation... coming here is probably a possibility, although he might not want to bring mom to the frontlines.

It kinda boggles the mind though that a landlord would pick on family of military personnel of all people, especially that of a specialist.


If we don’t have liquid cash to help, maybe Fingers would know of someone?

Although military falling behind on paychecks is very bad sign of itself at any rate.

>>2325449
>You mentioned an Uncle, right? Why not just get him to help out?'

>>2325474
This pretty much.
>You mentioned an Uncle, right? Why not just get him to help out?'

File: NEEEEEERD.jpg (17 KB, 357x373)

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‘You mentioned an Uncle, right?’ you suggest. ‘Why not just get him to help out?’

‘The only thing that motivates my Uncle is a sack of sardines off the boat,’ he snorts. ‘He used to be a fisherman … but after the Abyssals came, he became an invalid when his boat couldn’t take the upkeep of trawling the waters. The Admiralty may be generous, but they can’t say they don’t play favourites, either … if you could afford it, they’d put up with something like an expedition out or give you a proper map on low-risk endeavours. I mean, it’s not as if the Abyssals go after every single boat that goes out there, yeah … but when the monsters are real, you generally want to steer out of the way—or stay out of their den.’

‘True,’ you nod. ‘It is usually the big lines that hire out the Admiralty … or rather than that, go far out enough for a good catch or close enough to not risk aggravating the parameters. Same case here?’

‘Just about,’ the young man sighs again, picking up one of the many littered files. ‘He hasn’t been out for years, though … and spends his time just lazing around waiting for whatever program he’s on to knock on the door with another check to pay the rent and get him some booze. It’s an effort just trying to get him to check up on Mom?’

‘Is she his sister or … ?’

‘Stepsister. They weren’t that close … my grandfather was his mother’s third husband or something, but they did keep contact. Not enough to help out when dad left, of course, but hey … that’s life.’

>'Your father ... ?'
>'What's the situation with your mother?'
>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'
>'Why not just bring her out here? The medical facility's up and running.'
>'I'd like to help, but ... I don't think there's much I can do, as is.'
>'I'd like to talk about something else.'
>Write-In

>>2325538
>'What's the situation with your mother?'

>>2325538
>'What's the situation with your mother?'

>>2325538
>What's the situation with your mother?'

Anons sure are nosy.

It's 3 AM, I'm going to bed now. Will continue later.

Good luck, guys. It's coming.

I'll be running in an hour.

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‘What’s the situation with your mother?’

His expressions go stiff as he turns his gaze to one of the cabinets by the wall … before sighing and turning back to you. It would seem that you had hit some kind of snag … but not one that he wasn’t uncomfortable at discussing. To that you thank the Heavens. You didn’t want to go about pushing buttons that you weren’t meant to be … especially from the personnel who were practically the lifeblood of operations.

‘My mom lives in a care facility, a home,’ he sighs, his shoulders drooping as he began his tale. ‘A couple ‘a years back, we moved by the sea. Dad had just upped and left, no address or anything and my Mom had to do whatever she could get her hands on for us to get by. This particular one had her being an assistant operator for one of the maintenance boats. Well, long story short there was a sort of freak accident … and a supporting structure collapsed. She … ended up paralysed from the neck down.’

‘I’m sorry.’

He doesn’t reply.

‘You know, of all the days that happened,’ he grimaces, ‘it was the day right after I got an offer of a full ride through the mail. She was so happy. We were already penny-pinching by the time the mail came in. I think she was happier about it than me. Couldn’t have been easy, putting up with my attitude and getting food on the table …’

He pauses for a moment, before letting out a heavy sigh.

‘I doubled between taking care of her and going to class. It was hard work, but … well, it was my job. Ended up kicking enough professors to the curb to get the Admiralty to notice me and bring me on. Never got my doctorate, but as long as the cheques kept coming in, I could at least keep my Mom … you know, have her kept taken care of.’

‘When’s the last time you saw her.’

‘Start of the year, I think … maybe before that,’ he bites his lip as the words leave his mouth, laced with regret. ‘Well, it was all fine and dandy until the ISSF and the Admiralty decided to give each other the finger and march in opposite directions … and I had to wait back then, too. I was working with the Carriers and the Shamans on trying to synthesize more materials, so payroll didn’t know where to make heads or tails of who owed me what. It was a mess. Now, though … well, I’m not a particularly timely payee to the home. They’re probably just waiting for a reason to dump my mother out on the curb at this point.’

‘So it’s all about money?’

‘It’s all about administration and bureaucracy,’ he corrects you, ‘now with the Admiralty operating under Taiyouga’s banner, they’re not sure where goes what and when and how.’

‘You mean what goes where—’

He silences you with a smouldering glare.

‘Right, right.’

>>2326688
>'Your father ... ?'
>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'
>'Why not just bring her out here? The medical facility's up and running.'
>'I'd like to help, but ... I don't think there's much I can do, as is.'
>'I'd like to talk about something else.'
>Write-In

>>2326691
>>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'

>>2326691
>'Is that why you took this job in the first place?'
>'Why not just bring her out here? The medical facility's up and running.'

These two lead together.

Well that rules out bringing her to the town.

>>2326720
No they don't. One is to question the reasons he took up a job with the Admiralty in a non-intrusive matter and the other is to question why such an obvious solution isn't on his mind. Besides, I don't allow "then" and "then" votes.

>>2326694
>>2326720
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

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‘Is that why you took this job in the first place?’

He grimaces as he steps around the piles of paper and boxes lying around. ‘Well, I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t have an interest in the application of the Shamanistic arts to technological development. I mean … I always thought that there was a sort of hidden cabal holding back society, but with everything that’s been spilling out—and what we’re now privy to—I think that they’re going to be the ones doing the catching up. I never really had an interest in magic or anything … but that it’d drive technological developments beyond the brink was something that I couldn’t turn away from. When they put it up, the paycheck was just a sweetener at that point. I wanted to see how fast, how hard we could test the limits of what the laws and the defiance of the preset laws of reality could achieve. No one who’s part of this picture doesn’t at least a little bit of that curiosity. KanMusu, Kantai Steel, The Stream, everything just connects into one big organisms. They live and breathe and function at an almost contradictory yet necessary state. For anyone with even an ounce of inquisitiveness, opportunities like this are their bread and butter.’

‘That’s a lot to go by, I reckon.’

‘Also, I guess … I wanted to do something big enough to piss my father off for even thinking of leaving us like that,’ he continues, running a hand through his hair. ‘It’s a little bit of pettiness and insanity, I think. Nothing better than proving your doubters and humiliating your enemies.’

You snort.

You definitely knew what that was like.

>‘So what’s the story with your dad?’
>‘The medical facility’s up and running. Why don’t you bring her here?’ (Suggest she come here to Taiyouga)
>‘Why don’t you go in-land, then? I’m sure that we can do a few days without you.’ (Suggest he attend to his mother)
>‘I don’t think that there’s much I can do.’ (Allow him to sort his issue out)
>‘I’d like to talk about something else.’
>Write-In

>>2326843
>>‘Why don’t you go in-land, then? I’m sure that we can do a few days without you.’ (Suggest he attend to his mother)
>plus i probably gonna be asking for another favor that'll drive you nuts
>and offer to spot him a payment for his mother if we can afford it

>>2326843
>‘The medical facility’s up and running. Why don’t you bring her here?’ (Suggest she come here to Taiyouga)

War effort couldnt spare him i bet.

We offer him this, if not we might be able to send some cash his way.

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‘Why don’t you go inland, then?’

‘Huh?’

Even Samidare turns to you at that one.

‘Why don’t you go inland? Go to your mother, the bank or whatever it is to sort it out … I’m sure that we can at least spare you a few days to take care of your dear old mother?’

He practically balks at the suggestion. ‘Wh-What’re you saying? We’re practically knocking on the grave at this stage! Even if I wanted to, there’s a ton of things that’re still on the cards. It’s not even about slack, either. Keeping the KanMusu maintained and the weapons, the equipment, the RAY … everything … it’s not just something you can just file away and decide to catch up later on, you know? That’s how backlogs become delays and delays … become failures! It’s not as if I haven’t thought about it, but there’s too much to do here to even consider leaving this desk for more than thirty seconds.’

You wanted to point out that you had caught him being away from the desk for at least two minutes, but considering the rhetoric, you decide it would be wiser to just shut up instead of trying to point out the details. After all, it was as he said: he was still one of the few brains that were still around making sure your girls didn’t end up at the bottom of the sea.

‘It’s like asking a fireman to just … step down the ladder and let the building burn down!’

You’re quite sure, however, that that was an exaggeration.

>‘All right, all right, it was just a suggestion.’ (Take the suggestion back)
>‘I think this is the one instance where it’d be okay to let that fire burn.’ (Insist)
>Write-In

>>2326867
>write-in
>‘Or what about bringing her to the local medical facility

>>2326867
>>Write-In
>ask Samidare what she thinks he should do

>>2326871
>>2326885
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

>>2326867
>>Write-In
Fire a weapon into the air.

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‘So, Samidare, what do you think we should do?’

‘Eh? M-Me? I don’t have the authority to—’

‘I know,’ you nod, cutting her off, ‘but part of being a leader’s lending an ear and a hand to the small things. Considering everything that we’ve been told … what do you propose should be the next course of action?’

Samidare considers it for a moment, biting her bottom lip.

‘I … I don’t know, really,’ she begins, clutching her chest as she takes a step towards the boy, ‘I understand … how you feel, but I could only put my sympathies from your perspective, Specialist-san. I know … how it’s like to not be able to go and tend to those you care about, but at the same time, as a KanMusu, I realize that I have responsibilities to tend to, no matter how hard I want to go and care to them. It’s not … it’s not an easy decision, I know, but no one can make it for you in the end. As a KanMusu, I understand that … that for you to leave your duties may be detrimental not just for me, but for the rest of the branch of Yokosuka. As things are, to allow for a potentially protracted move … it would be irresponsible to allow such a consideration, yes, by allowing such a move. Your duty to the many would outweigh your duty … to the one.’

‘Samidare …’

‘But at the same time,’ she continues, ‘I’ve … been away from Shigure-nee, Yuudachi-nee … sometimes not knowing if they were alive or if they’d come back. That I’d give anything to make sure that they were okay. I can understand that kind of compulsion. That … instinct. It’s not something that I would personally ignore. To choose between your current obligations and your duty to the ones you love … it can’t be easy. It’s not a decision that I would make under anyone else’s word but my own.’

You stare at her, impressed.

You never knew such a non-answer could be so eloquent.

‘I believe that you’ve already made the decision for yourself, though,’ Samidare goes on, a little bit chirpier than she had been before. ‘That you’ve thought about it all this time … you must have a solution of your own in mind, so if it would suit the Commander, I would like to relinquish my influence on this decision and allow it back to the hands of the one that would make it.’

You blink, surprised.

‘Leaders are guides, right? That’s what … what you taught me today, right? Whatever decision I wish to make should be for the benefit of the whole base, the whole Division … but at the same time, I have to allow my own subordinates to operate by their own terms instead of placing them on tracks of my own making. So, my decision is to … allow you, Specialist-san, to turn these gears yourself. I’m sure that you’ll find a solution, but whatever it is … we’ll always value you as an important member of this team!’

She wears an enthusiastic smile as she turns to face you.

‘Right, Commander?’

>Write-In

>>2326940
>right, that was a nice assessment Samidare. You're definitely learning
Switch to specialist
>though if you can't go to her, would it possible to send her here to be taken care of?

>>2326940
>Good answer, Sami. (Pat head)
>See if the nerd actually bought into anything she said

>>2326945
these two will work
>>2326946
>>2326948

>>2326948
>>2326946
Correct answers. Headpats are the only way

A part of me wants to try and catch up with this quest again...

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You wear a defeated smile, placing a hand over her shoulder as you communicate your approval. She’d approached it with more grace than you could … and she hadn’t even attempted to pick the problem apart how you had tried to. Samidare, in a sense, was right: there were some things that you didn’t have the tread to dictate, no matter how noble your intentions were. Besides, he was a smart kid. There was no way he didn’t have something in mind at this point … or at least, you think he did.

‘Right,’ you nod in Samidare’s direction before throwing one the young man’s way. ‘She probably put it a little bit better than I could … so there’s probably that. At the end of the day, it’s a call that you’re going to have to make … and I’m sorry if it felt like I was trying to push you in one way or the other.’

‘You’re right,’ he says in agreement, giving a defeated shake of his head. ‘Still … feels a little bit better to get it off my chest at least, so you were right about that much, Commander.’

You shrug. Truthfully, you were only speaking from your perspective, but applicability wasn’t an objective science.

‘Okay,’ he declares, clapping his hands together—a little more energetically compared to when he had marched through the doors, you notice—as he lets out an empathic breath. ‘I’m sure that you’re not just here to listen to me whine … what can I do you for?’

>‘I need you to make some specialized shuriken for Sendai, if that’s possible.’ (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)
>‘So, looks like you’ve kept busy.’ (Small talk)
>‘At least your hygiene hasn’t deteriorated …’ (Joke)
>‘Actually, it’s getting late. I should—we should—go.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2326980
>>‘I need you to make some specialized shuriken for Sendai, if that’s possible.’ (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)
now to add more to his workload and his stress levels

>>2326980
>(EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)
>Prepare for great wailing and gnashing of teeth

>>2326980
>>‘I need you to make some specialized shuriken for Sendai, if that’s possible.’ (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)

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‘I need you to make some specialized shuriken for Sendai, actually … if that’s at all possible.’

He scratches the back of his neck, making a face and sticking out his tongue in disgust. ‘Yeesh, she roped you into it too, huh?’

‘This … actually has a purpose,’ you chuckle, placing your hands on your hips. ‘She’s helping out with some extracurricular activities … or at least, that’s one way to put it. Sendai’s asking for a bunch of shuriken to help with … weapon discipline. She’ll be helping Murakumo out in training the KanMusu; though it beats me just what she has in mind for the Shuriken. Don’t know if they have any viability as a melee weapon, to be honest. You throw them, right?’

‘Not if you watch Hakkenden!’ he declares excitedly, motioning his arm in what appeared to be somewhere between a flex and a jab. ‘Arrows as knives, bows as staves … anything goes there!’

You shake your head, chuckling. It was a reminder that despite being an utter prodigy … he was still a teenager with interests that were common to his age bracket. You weren’t that familiar with Hakkenden, of course, beyond the fact that there was a lot of blood and … more blood in it. It did seem like the sort of thing a fourteen or fifteen year-old boy would turn the volume up on the television for. It was no wonder he had found a liking for the series.

It wasn’t your sort of thing; though, you’d be hard-pressed on calling someone out on taste, considering how you fanatically followed the exploits of fictional KanMusu. The young man rubs his palms together, letting out an energetic breath as he turns his gaze up to you.

‘Well, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be cutting into any of our unit testing or anything … but sure, I’ll be able to fit in something like that into our schedule, no problem.’

You can’t believe your luck.

‘Really?’

‘It’s for her, right? So I can just drop them off in her hands without having to get back to you?’

‘I guess so … she’s going to be the one using them, after all.’

‘All right, I’ll just give her a ring when we’re done so she can pick them up, all right, sir?’

‘Sure.’

‘Okay, right … so, if you don’t mind, I have some things to sort out, so …’

He wiggles his fingers towards the door; apparently it was time for you to leave. Throwing up a casual salute (which he doesn’t return) you step out into the cold, immediately tucking your hands underneath your armpits to preserve what little warmth you’re able. The door shuts behind you as Samidare dances into view at the bottom of the ramp, throwing up a bright smile.

‘Thanks, Commander … I learned a lot today!’

>>2327026
>‘No problem, Samidare … I hope that we can do this again some other time.’
>‘You sure you don’t want to come with me? You might pick up a few more tips.’
>‘So what did you learn today?’
>'It doesn't stop here ... but I think that you already know that.'
>‘Hope that my performance was up to par …’
>Write-In

>>2327027
>>'It doesn't stop here ... but I think that you already know that.'

>>2327027
>'It doesn't stop here ... but I think that you already know that.'

Good session guys, I'll be back later to continue with your doom.

>>2327027
>>'It doesn't stop here ... but I think that you already know that.'

>>2327027
>'It doesn't stop here ... but I think that you already know that.'

Running session in an hour, people.

You've been a great audience for the last 2 years. Hopefully the next 8 hours are going to be less painful for me than it will be for you.

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The both of you walk towards the exit of the compound. You had to either get back to the base first or grab a bite you weren’t sure that the branch would have. Either way …

‘It doesn’t stop here … but I think you already know that, don’t you?’

She wears a melancholic smile, staring at the setting sun, peaking through the forest on the hills.

‘Time doesn’t stand still after all, right?’ she starts, letting out a cheerful hum and interlocking her hands behind her back. ‘If you stay in one place forever … things aren’t going to wait for you to catch up!’

‘That’s a very philosophical take on things,’ you chuckle, realizing that you had reached the edge of the compound; the guard was off by the side, looking reading a comic book of sorts. If you weren’t in such a relaxed mood, you would have called him to attention … maybe. ‘I was thinking more along the lines that I probably barely scratched the surface on the topic for the day.’

She grins brightly, leaning over.

‘But it’s not wrong, is it?’

You think it over, if only briefly.

‘No,’ you return the smile. ‘It’s not wrong at all.’

She giggles in amusement, a calm glow in her eyes as she straightens herself.

‘Commander, if I’m aiming to be a better leader, then you’re certainly aiming at becoming more than you were yesterday, right? Little by little, step by step … nothing comes all at once, no change is made without you yourself realizing that improvement starts at that point; that you yourself are the only one that can take that step, even if it’s a nano-meter, forward. If nothing else, that’s what I’ve learned watching you, watching Shigure-nee … and maybe one day I’ll actually be able to understand a little bit more than I do now, but … for now, as a good student, I have to learn from you … and you have to learn from me, right?’

You open your mouth to say something … right as an overwhelming feeling of defeat comes upon you. You feel as though, if only in one aspect, if only for a while … you had been surpassed. Yet, at the same time, you felt … glad for it. It was a strange sensation; a strange mix of emotions. You do not know why you felt it or how it had come about, only that for some unfathomable reason, there was … pride.

You do what only you do … and give a good-natured tussle of her hair, to which Samidare giggles as she playfully lifts your hand from her head.

‘Sheesh,’ you let out, smirking, ‘how did you grow up so fast?’

Her grin only brightens further.

‘Because I had a good teacher!’

Samidare runs off with a wave, probably to go and meet up with Shigure … or straight back to the barracks for a nap.

Wherever she was headed, however, you realize that you needed to be somewhere that wasn’t here, either.

>‘I think I’ll grab a bite to eat … no harm, right?’
>‘A little early, but … I can head to the base now.’
>Write-In

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE BUILD-UP TO THE [CRITICAL ENCOUNTER]. CHOICES AFTER THIS WILL BE EITHER BENEFICIAL OR DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR CHANCES IN ADVANCING/SURVIVING THIS SCENARIO. GOOD LUCK.

>>2328614
>‘I think I’ll grab a bite to eat … no harm, right?’

>>2328614
>>‘A little early, but … I can head to the base now.’

>>2328614
>>‘A little early, but … I can head to the base now.’

>>2328614
>>‘A little early, but … I can head to the base now.’

>>2328614

>‘I think I’ll grab a bite to eat … no harm, right?’

>>2328614
>‘A little early, but … I can head to the base now.’

File: I Don't Care TBH It Shoul(...).jpg (9 KB, 259x194)

9 KB JPG

‘What to do … what to do …’

You ponder your decision. On one hand, you weren’t sure if there was going to be anything to eat on-base … and it wasn’t as if it was so late that you couldn’t head over to Mamiya’s to grab a bite and just grab a buggy to base. On the other … you really didn’t want to chance turning up to the meeting (Or whatever it was) with the program participants drunk. You didn’t trust yourself to say no to a drink … especially if someone like the Major or the Sergeant was around offering it. Running a hand over your stomach, you try your best to weight the—

Fatty.

That did it. On to the base it was. You’d already had a hearty lunch and you’d spent your whole life wolfing down anything on the table. It wasn’t as if you were going to drop dead on the spot from skipping dinner. You begin the trek uphill, making your way to the neighbourhood where Samidare had run off towards. Maybe you should have tried to convince her to stay with you. Evenings like this were best spent with someone for company, just shooting the breeze.

You step onto the main road, houses to your left and right and the setting sun peeking over your shoulder.

You hear a loud bang to your right and whirl around to see an intimidating-looking house, the wooden gate (of traditional make, but significantly smaller than the First Admiral’s) ajar. A quick glance tells you that the home wasn’t hit as badly as the others in the neighbourhood. A missing shingle and some cracks, but it looked sturdy, livable.

There were sounds coming from inside. Muffled, but … audible.

>Inspect the voice
>Be on your way
>Write-In

>>2328765
>Inspect the voice

What could go wrong here?

>>2328765
>Inspect the voice

>>2328765
>>Inspect the voice

>>2328765
>Write-In
May want to call some backup or some of the dudes under fingers before we head in

>>2328827
There's nobody around and we don't have a radio

>>2328765
>be on your way
i don't trust anything right now, especially not random encounters

>>2328765
>>Inspect the voice

File: Best Friend In Bad Situation.jpg (31 KB, 500x281)

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You place a hand on the door. It was heavy and leaning at an angle, so you couldn’t push it in or give it a pull … but you could slip in the space right between. Thanks to the rigours of your new (forced) diet, you’re able to squeeze right in, making as little noise as possible. Normally, you didn’t bother with such trivialities as this … and whoever it was that was inside—if it was anyone—had their own rights to whatever they were doing. A part of you even protested that it might well have been the owner of the house and you were trespassing.

Still, there was something that compelled you to ignore all common sense and wave it off as a bird or some hobo, and here you were in the front compound, staggering as your leg comes loose through gap, finding yourself staring at the cracked—but otherwise sturdy—foundations of the house. You tread lightly, staring at a few broken windows and what appeared to be an intact table right through a screen door that had shattered. The table was covered with a layer of dust and peering inside, you’re able to make out the living room. You step inside, giving the place a once over. It was definitely abandoned … but remarkably intact even after almost two months. Everything was practically untouched.

You hear shuffling sounds coming from another room, right through the arch.

You hasten your steps, nearing the source … and find yourself staring wide-eyed at what appeared to be a man … and a young woman.

A woman who happened to be Kasumi.

Kasumi’s top had been discarded; she was lying in what appeared to be a heap of broken wood … what appeared to have once been a table. The man was significantly older; or at least, he looked to be. Chiselled, rugged good looks couldn’t hide the hints of age under his eyes. His frame, while lanky, appeared to be in the midst of taking off his clothes. His member was on prominent display, standing out and painfully in anticipation of relief. He was a little shorter than you were, much less stockier; he looked like a marathon runner under the covers of a doctor’s—

Doctor.

That was a Kurosaki Research Hospital band on his wrist. As hazy as your memory was, you could make out the emblem. He shuffles indignantly, picking himself up quickly as Kasumi stares at you in shock … right as the man lets out a frustrated hiss.

‘Is there no privacy in this world anymore?’

You say the only thing that comes to mind.

‘Kasumi?’

She stares at you in shock. ‘What are you …’

‘You know this man?’

‘Sir, I can—’

Kasumi is unable to finish her answer as the Doctor snarls at you, gathering himself and bumping your shoulder—which, in any other situation would have been hilarious, as he stumbled back from his own effort—before going on his way. As he leaves, you hear the sound of something hitting the wall from a dull thud from the other room. He'd probably kicked something.

>>2328914
oh god tell me this isn't going where i think it's going

You find yourself unable to move from the spot, staring down at a still Kasumi, her mussed hair over her eyes as she trembled with … shame? Embarrassment? Fear? Whatever it was, it left you petrified and staring at her form. Her bare breasts glistened with sweat as the sun peeked in from the clouded windows like an unwelcome spotlight. She laid in the rubble that was once the kitchen table, as still as you were. Hisses of an emotion made its way to your ears at the same time the curses of the man, the doctor from just several seconds ago, leaves the premises. You take a tentative step towards your fallen friend, words failing to connect as you raised a hand to reach out to her.

‘Why … do you have to … inconvenience me at every damn turn?’

Her features contort into a gorgon-like stare, freezing you in place as her legs lay either side of her body, her form basking in the cruel light of the hot, cruel evening sun. She tries to push herself to a stand, only slide back down from the imbalance—her shoes must have been able to get enough traction from all the dust around—and letting out breaths of what you knew to do be seething anger.

‘It’s always about you, isn’t it? I can’t get ahead of anything without you stepping in and … doing everything in your damn power to … to … URGH!’

She picks up a block of wood, tossing it into the cabinet across the room. It hits the frame, clattering noisy to the floor, several of the held contents noisily spilling over and shattering over the floor of the kitchen.

‘Why do you keep doing this to me?’

She buries her face in her arms, her form trembling as she wept.

‘Why are you the only one who gets to be happy?’

>Write-In

>>2328949
HOLD UPS LADS

>>2328956
yeah holy shit i've got fucking nothing, someone else better come up with something good

WE DO THIS SHIT RIGHT, OUR CHANCES ARE GREAT FOR THE POTENTIAL GAME OVER
WE FUCK THIS UP, AND OUR CHANCES ARE SHITTIER THAN INDIA'S STREETS

>>2328965
What this guy said.

I can give you guys choices if you're feeling a little lost, though.

>>2328969
May help as there are a lot of things going on and no idea where to even start

>>2328969
>>2328983
this

>>2328949
>Write-In
"This is what you call happiness? Sex with a guy that's probably double your age in the middle of ruins? You deserve more than this, you just dont see it."

>the incident occurs
>we fail to back her up
>she gets sent to juvie and the incident is put on her record
>years go by, Kasumi gets out of juvie, tries to move on but the incident is basically a stain on her record
>does what she can to get past it but not many avenues
>starts doing what she can to put herself ahead
also assuming the training and studying to get into the Institute wasnt easy or cheap
im in the ballpark, just not where i need to be

>>2329022
Well, I have one right in. Am I going with this?