>>2506825
>'Did you just call me Vice-Admiral?' (Confused)
>'Why are you in ... that?' (Refer to her scarf and mitts)
>'I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)
>'Oh, hey Murakumo. Sorry, need to get going.' (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2506830
>>'Did you just call me Vice-Admiral?' (Confused)

>>2506830
>'I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)

>>2506830
>'I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)

>>2506830
>'Did you just call me Vice-Admiral?' (Confused)

>>2506830
>>'I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)

>>2506830
>>'I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.' (EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING)

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You decide to get to the bulk of the reason you had sought her out in the first place. You’d honestly kill yourself if you’d ended up forgetting to talk to her about it after having run all across town for that one, singular purpose. Not to mention the fact that you’d spent the last few days running around to get everything done as fast as you can. You didn’t need to. As her superior officer-cum-handler, it was well within your rights to just wave it off and just slide it under a few stacks, but … Murakumo had asked nicely, politely and frankly, impressed you with her zeal to bring something to the table that she felt was lacking among her peers … and you had accepted. Whether you did it out of pure altruism or with an agenda of your own in mind (Whatever it was), you’d done it … and you weren’t about to waste all that effort by forgetting to inform her of its completion at the end of it all.

‘I managed to get everything you needed sorted out.’

She raises an eyebrow, peering at you curiously.

‘I … asked you to sort out something for me? Sir?’

Now it was your turn to throw her a look.

‘Your dojo,’ you re-emphasize, rounding on the crux of the point … and feeling a pinch of irritability creeping over your shoulder. ‘You wanted to run a class instructing on melee combat?’

‘Oh.’

Her expression only increases the measure of your ire.

‘You actually … did that?’

‘Of course I did,’ you huff, tucking the notepad underneath your armpit, taking a deep breath. ‘The Admiral’s already agreed to rotate the schedules, so if you have a particular period in mind, you can go to him and re-confirm; the technicians from The MagiTek Department have already said yes to a requisition of gear to help you with your classes … which I’m sure that you’ll thank them for. You might also be getting a bigger class than you expected, because one of Tenryuu’s requests was for me to contact Mamiya to help with advertising the class to a bigger audience in the first place and I was able to convince her to do that, not to mention having to ask the techies again to get Sendai some weird speciality shuriken that she wanted made before she agreed to anything and I managed to talk to Ikazuchi about her role in all this, but I told her that I could only agree to her terms with your permission because it involves having her sister Inazuma being one of the participating Instructors.’

You let out a breath, feeling as though you’d gone five rounds with your Gym Instructor.

No, not five. Three. Three rounds.

‘Oh.’

You cast her another flat look.

‘That’s all you have to say to that?’

‘No, Inazuma, it’s just … I’m not sure if she’s … instructional material. She’s a little … uncoordinated, I think, lacks authority.’

Why did that assessment sound so … familiar?

>Write-In

>>2506926
“Well no one starts off perfect, i’m a walking example of that. Perhaps you can have her in as an assistant instructor first or something in that style? It’ll be a good learning experience for her and a chance for her to grow and expand her skills. ‘Sides, instructors can also learn and grow while teaching.”

So, i just kind of want to put this out there, but i think we should rethink who we put as our secretary ship. I think takao really needs it alot more than houshou.

>>2506960
This

>>2506960
supportin

>>2506960
i support this

>>2506961
i think houshou, that has been around a lot longer has a better grasp of whats going on with pepole, since you know, carriers are more "human" than the normal shipgirl

>>2506973
In terms of pure ability they are both extremely close. If either of them are better its not going to be by a noticeable amount. What im talking about is the emotial damage not giving takao the job would bring. Just earlier she was playing the role already.

>>2506982
Why does she need it more though

>>2506973
I have to agree with>>2506982
In terms of ability, they both would make great secretaries, no questioning it, but in terms of who needs it more, I feel that takao needs the win, for lack of a better term.

>>2506961
>>2506973
Both bring up very good points on eligibility, ability.

>>2506973
Takao is also more experienced dealing with people in general since thats her previous job anyways.
>>2506995
This is her area of expertise. To her, this is where she sees her time to shine. Her basically acting as secretary earlier shows that its just natural for her. To say 'nope going for X' is going to be saying she isnt good at her job. How do you think she would react if we deny her one of her strongest points?

>>2506995
It seems like, whrn you look back and really pay attention more, takao is in a worse place then we seem to think and also comes off as very eager to get the position, what with her already following us around and doing the job last thread. In terms of pure logic, both houshou and takao are trained and experienced in paperwork, management, and working well with humans on a professional level. On a personal/emotional level however, between the two, it seems likely that takao will take it much worse off if she isn't picked while houshou is much more confident in both her skill and relationship with the commander. Picking either will net us a great secretary, but I honestly believe picking takao will have the added benefit of both boosting her self confidence and assuring her of her relationship with the commandee.

File: Kumokumo.jpg (714 KB, 615x980)

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As the realization hits you a moment later, you can’t help but … chortle. Not a full blown chuckle, but more of a concealed guffaw. You’d heard that assessment before, all right. Too many times for your own liking. Rubbing the back of your neck, you let out a sigh, feeling your mood lighten considerably with Murakumo’s assessment of Inazuma. You lift your hand, setting it on her fluff of thick, blue hair … and giving it a fatherly tussle. Murakumo whines, placing a grip around your wrist, not pulling it away as much as she was attempting to steady its movements. Another breath escapes you and you let your hand rest on top, giving her a fond smile.

‘No one’s perfect,’ you start, letting out an amused noise from the depths of your throat, ‘because if that was the standard, I wouldn’t be your Commander now, would I? I can understand that you only want the best up there giving out advice, but … maybe you could afford to let it slide just this once? I don’t doubt your judgment or whatever it is that you have in mind, and I’m sure you have good reason to run preliminary assessments on your peers, but maybe all Ikazu—Inazuma, I mean … I mean Inazuma might actually be able to take something from this.’

Murakumo lets out a grunt, turning her head downwards, but otherwise says nothing.

‘Look at it this way,’ you continue, attempting to sway her a little bit more, ‘I almost got you guys killed on our first mission and you guys stuck by me. Whether by choice or by … personal preference, I’m not going to put myself on the cooking stove to say, but I think I can say that it’s about the same, yeah? Even if you think she’s a little meek or just … well, just …’

Your hand shakes with slight wobble Murakumo makes with the slight bob of her head.

‘I think that you and the others’ll pick up enough of her slack to still make it a success,’ you reassure her, giving an encouraging nod of your own before drawing your stretched arm and nestled fingers from the top of her head, placing your slightly-chilled digits in your warmer pocket. ‘Even if you don’t think she’s up to it, I’m sure that you and your dream team are, right?’

Murakumo huffs, looking away and crossing her arms. Her cheeks are pink and she looks irritable, but …

She doesn’t deny you.

‘You … You have everything sorted out, right, sir?’

‘That I do,’ you reply, nodding. ‘All the equipment, all the others, even scheduling … all you need to do is re-confirm with The Admiral and you’ll be free to run … whenever you’re able to slot it in. I think Mamiya’s putting some work in, too … make sure to thank her for that.’

Murakumo makes a noise, biting the inside of her lip and moving her head in a circular motion before …

Nodding.

‘Fine.’

>Write-In

>>2507094
“And no thanks for poor little me?”

Tease the cute murakumo. Best starter.

>>2507122
going for this with the addition of apply headpat to fluffykumo

>>2507122
>>2507174
This including headpats, while calling her "murokumo sensei"

>>2507174
>>2507179
You just gave her one.

>>2507122
This
>>2507190
Theres always room for more headpats mech.

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‘A thank you would be nice, too,’ you muse, rubbing your palms against the fabric lining of your pockets. She doesn’t give it, however, instead puffing her cheeks and crossing her arms as she turned away. ‘Or you can just do that; it works as well.’

Murakumo throws you a small glare, looking very much like a displeased child … before uncrossing her arms and slumping her shoulders, wearing a minute upturn of her lips, accompanied by a look of fondness. She adjusts her scarf and her gloves, struggling to find the words to convey her emotions. It was strange and … surreal to you, no matter how many times you were exposed to it. You’d always believed, right from your instatement as their superior, that KanMusu were just as human as you were, as the man selling bao or that old lady running the card shop. Yet, every time one of them brightens up, weeps their eyes red or just bites their lip in confusion and begging for help, you felt …

It felt like you were staring at the rising sun for the first time in your life.

Over and over again.

‘Thank you, Vice-Admiral,’ she returns playfully, dropping into a mocking, equally playful bow and holding her hands aloft as she crossed her ankles for effect. ‘Your fulfilment of this duty well beneath that of your usual responsibilities is greatly appreciated. You have this humble Murakumo’s eternal gratitude.’

You don’t miss that squeak, either.

She could take the mickey out of it, sometimes. Perhaps Carriers weren’t the only ones inclined towards human habits.

>'Did you just call me Vice-Admiral?' (Confused)
>'Why are you in … that?' (Refer to her scarf and mitts)
>'Right, need to get going. I’m sure you do, too.' (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2507232
>>'Did you just call me Vice-Admiral?' (Confused)
>dont have to change how you call me

>>2507232
>>'Why are you in … that?' (Refer to her scarf and mitts)

>>2507232
>>'Right, need to get going. I’m sure you do, too.' (Leave)

>>2507232
>write-in
“au contraire, fair mademoiselle. It was my absolute pleasure to be of assistance.”

Sketch a bow.

Ham deserves ham. All in playful fun.

>>2507245
this, we need to up our ham game

>>2507235
>>2507240
>>2507242
>>2507245
Flipping for elimination.

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You return the gesture in kind, going forty-five degrees and smirking mischievously.

‘It was an absolute pleasure, Miss Murakumo.’

The both of you share a sort of giggle that only a pair sarcastic twins having a brainwave could have, before it throws right up and gives way to full-blown grins. You shiver slightly, hopping on the spot to keep your blood flowing. You were sorely mistaken thinking autumn noon would be any more comfortable than the autumn morning, but … once again, you’d been proven wrong. Murakumo, in comparison, looked positively toasty, all bundled up in pink, looking like an odd frosted cupcake given sentience and hopping on her feet.

‘I’m going to go and check in with the MagiTek … is there anything else that you need from me, sir?’

>‘No, nothing at all. I need to get going myself.’ (Allow her to leave)
>‘Is there a reason that you called me … Vice-Admiral?’ (Inquire)
>‘Why are you in … those? That?’ (Refer to her scarf and mitts)
>‘I was actually thinking of finally putting up the Secretary post. Are there any suggestions you’d like to put through?’ (The Secretary Position)
>Write-In

>>2507280
>>‘I was actually thinking of finally putting up the Secretary post. Are there any suggestions you’d like to put through?’ (The Secretary Position)
lets get her thoughts
cant hurt

>>2507280
>>‘I was actually thinking of finally putting up the Secretary post. Are there any suggestions you’d like to put through?’ (The Secretary Position)
never hurts to ask

>>2507280
>‘Why are you in … those? That?’ (Refer to her scarf and mitts)

File: I OFFER MYSELF AS TRIBUTE.jpg (254 KB, 850x1133)

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You decide it didn’t hurt to ask. You’d already set the decision on Houshou, but a second opinion didn’t hurt before you finally turned it in … officially.

‘Actually,’ you start, clearing your throat and holding up your pad and folders, ‘I was told by the … Admiral to finalize my assignment for the Secretary post. I was wondering if you had anyone in mind as a nom—’

‘ME!’

Right, that was … quick.

>Write-In

>>2507300
WHELP, WE'RE FUCKED. i vote this waifu.

>>2507300
>Well, that was a quick response. Ill keep it in mind.

>>2507300
>Write-In
“Really? Its a serious amount of paperwork. Why do you want it?”

>>2507310
supportin
>any reason why?

>>2507300
>Oh? Any reason why?

File: BOOMKUMO.jpg (53 KB, 341x359)

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You back off slightly … and immediately remember just what your position was in this. When The Admiral had warned you about how coveted the position was … you didn’t think that it would’ve triggered a whole-hearted change in demeanour. You’d known Murakumo to be a little … abrasive, but ultimately well-meaning and with the best immediate interests of the cause in mind, even if she tried to hide it often. It was a side that was very human … and one that you wanted, very much, to be able to draw out with frequency. The Murakumo standing before you, her wrists together and her hands balled into fists under her chin with her eyes practically sparkling with the innocence of a child being promised a present for good behaviour, though … that, you didn’t expect. You steady yourself, raising a palm to maintain professionalism, but otherwise feeling a little on edge yourself.

‘That’s a … a response, yes,’ you clear out, taking a step back to put some distance between you and the positively glowing KanMusu, ‘Is there any reason why you’d like to take the post, Murakumo?’

‘I get to be Secretary!’

You raise an eyebrow. That was it?

‘I … I’d make a great Secretary!’ she declares, her eyes growing noticeably brighter. ‘I’d be able to talk with the other Secretaries … I could even talk with the Admirals and I’d be great at sorting out paperwork! I could be!’

You take another half-step back.

>Write-In

>>2507372
>I mean...WHY do you want to be a secretary? What's so good about the position?

>>2507383
this
>desire to know more intensifies

>>2507372
I see. I appreciate the enthusiasm, ill think about it.

>>2507372
How about Vice-Secretary?

>>2507383
this

I will be running in about two hours.

>>2507385
Supporting

>>2507383
This.

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‘I mean … why would you want to be a secretary?’ you clarify further, trying your best not to sound exasperated. The cold was … still there, but you felt yourself rather energized by the flow that the conversation was taking; it kept you warm, if nothing else. You liked being warm. ‘It’s just a lot of paperwork, isn’t it? Meeting people, actually having to put up with horrible work hours and … well, me and my unreasonable demands. Not to mention having to juggle your job as a KanMusu and defending the coast and having to come to a stack of work on top of that and managing every affair coming my way.’

Granted, that might have been what Nagato was doing for you right now, but something told you that the position of Secretary in the context of how the Admiral took it wasn’t just restricted to what she was up to. You didn’t know if she was The Admiral’s secretary last (You’d have to ask that one of these days), but she did prove to be more than helpful in regards to picking up the slack.

Maybe she could take the role …

‘That’s not what it’s about!’ Murakumo huffs, throwing her hands wide and … looking troubled. ‘Being a Secretary means … it means that you trust us.’

‘I trust you to sort out paper and tidy the corners as is,’ you reply, feeling a little confused. ‘Seems a little out there to put that much value in something that just puts heaps of responsibility … unless it’s about the pay—’

‘You don’t get it!’

You take a step back, a little surprised by her outburst.

By her expression, so did she.

‘I … I’m sorry, Vice-Admiral, sir, but,’ she takes a brief pause, biting her lip and shifting away, ‘we … you know that we’re not human. That much you can tell, and that much we know, but … no, no buts. We aren’t human. We came here to fulfil a purpose and when it’s done … no, that’s not what it is.. To be your Secretary … your official Secretary, it means that a human puts a level of trust in us that we … that elevates us. More than the MVPs, the campaign medals … it tells us KanMusu that we’re the ones welcome as …’

Murakumo turns her head away.

‘It means that you put enough value in us to see us as … professional confidants and not just,’ she pauses again, ‘and not just tools or … or war machines. That you have enough belief in us to talk with other humans as your voice … your hand, it’s … for a lot of KanMusu, it means that someone trusts us to be … not KanMusu.’

You stare at her, not saying a word.

‘It’s silly, but … in a way, it’s a sort of validation I guess,’ she mumbles, shifting her feet again, ‘and being a Secretary is something like a declaration that that KanMusu is the one you’d trust to be … you when you’re not there. Not just dealing with arms requests or requisitions but … an actual extension of your will. That’s what it is … to us.’

>‘That has to be some of the most asinine bouts of tethering I ever heard.’ (Devalue)
>‘So, being a Secretary, to you … means rather than just an assistant or something, it’s some sort of symbol?’ (Clarify)
>‘That’s a lot to say about a role that’s just about putting in to paper on a more frequent basis.’ (Blunt)
>‘Sorry, I … thought it was just something you girls chased like a promotion or something.’ (Understanding)
>‘Would you like the job?’ (Promise her the role)
>Write-In

>>2507762
>‘Sorry, I … thought it was just something you girls chased like a promotion or something.’ (Understanding)
this makes a good bit more sense

>>2507762
>‘Sorry, I … thought it was just something you girls chased like a promotion or something.’ (Understanding)

>>2507762
>>Write-In
I already see you as more than just war machines, heck you are even more human than an actual human and put us real humans to shame.

If anything, its us humans that need to earn your trust and confidence

>>2507778
This. Might her feel like she doesnt need it as much (maybe)

>>2507758
>>2507778
This

>>2507778
this

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You let out an exasperated sigh, placing your hands on your hips and observing the … slightly-deflated KanMusu. She didn’t look depressed, but that admission was … it had probably taken a lot out of her to confess that to you. Despite not claiming to be human, she had a pretty decent understanding of human values. Her tone, her argument … it was meant to reinforce just how much worth was put into a mere title that other humans would have taken for face value. You’d never thought about it in that way before. Everyday was something new about their practices, their perceptions … that you had thought you’d understood but only realized you’d missed entirely. That the position of Secretary meant to you nothing more than a job while to Murakumo—and possibly the others—to be a sort of vindication to their efforts was …

In a way, you found it …

Beyond your understanding.

Did they really need something like that title to tell them that they had worth?

But at the same time … who were you to point that out, truly?

‘You know that I already see you more than just …’

You shake your head. No, that’s not what you wanted to say. You didn’t want to patronize Murakumo.

‘You’re a lot more … human than you give yourself credit for,’ you state, offering a fond smile to the pink-cheeked KanMusu, ‘and I think there’s a sizeable portion of the populace that you could run rings around if there was ever a score to tally on that. Don’t think any less of yourself just because you don’t need to eat, sleep or lack taste. From what I see, it’s us that have to catch up to you, so … so you don’t need to put that kind of label or point on yourself to be human. Don’t put yourself down … and don’t think that you’re any less valued just because you can’t. I can speak from personal exposure that, if anything, we’re the ones that need to earn your trust and confidence.’

Murakumo sniffles, but otherwise returns the sentiment with an energetic nod.

You raise your hand again, placing it on her head once more … and allow your palm to rest against the fluffy strands of her hair. Your mind, however, harkens back to the days in that old apartment, staring at cheesy advertisements and recruitment rehearsals, that one phrase standing out above all else:

Protect their smiles.

‘Does that mean you’ll make me Secretary?’

And that’s when you realize that you’d swallowed the bait. Hook, line, sinker … rod, boat and empty chum bucket.

She looks up at you with a sparkle in her eyes, reminiscent of Iowa’s own sheen at the prospect of devouring your supply of food. With every passing second staring into those excited orbs, you feel your resistance being stripped away.

Kasumi would be shaking her head in disapproval now, you reckon.

>Write-In

>>2507856
its a inmensly important decision, i have much to deliverate before choosing someone

>>2507856
This a very important decision, its something i will have to really think about before i commit.

>>2507862
>>2507870
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

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‘This isn’t something that I can just throw out there, Murakumo,’ you reply, lifting your hand and placing it back in your pockets before taking the pad and paper you’d tucked under your arm right out again. ‘I’m sorry—no, that’s not the word I want to use, it’s … uh … urgh … right; I mean …’

Murakumo raises her gaze to meet your uncertain one, looking—and there was no other word for it—heartbroken. It takes more than just a little willpower to keep yourself from breaking down and giving in to her whims without so much as the tears escaping their ducts, but you manage to—albeit reluctantly—draw on your reserves to actually steady yourself in this unprecedented onslaught. Was this how uncles behaved with their tiny nieces, pointing towards candy stands and begging for a lollipop when their parents had explicitly told you not to? Or how big brothers had to decline their little sisters’ requests to follow you and your friends to watch a movie? Letting out a sigh, you hold up the pad and bring it to her attention. It was a lot heavier than it looked, but your steel prosthetic was more than suited for the task. You don’t know how Takao had managed such a task, strapping all those notes onto one wooden board …

‘It’s something that I have to give proper evaluation for before I finalize my decision,’ you declare diplomatically, your brain finally managing to regain some of its footing. ‘I understand how much this means to you … and how much it means to everyone else, too, I reckon. Well … not fully understand, but I get what getting the post means to you, but to me, I need to know that the person that I hand these duties to is the most suited one for the job.’

You square your shoulders, ready to pat yourself on the back and—

A sniffle reaches your ears. You look down to see Murakumo rubbing her nose, letting out a small squeak.

‘I … I’m not suited?’

Oh, no, now you’d done it.

‘No, no,’ you hurriedly rush in, almost biting your tongue, ‘that’s not what I mean, but … for me, Murakumo, it’s also a responsibility. Murakumo, before I make the choice, I have to be certain that the person I had these responsibilities to is someone that I know will be able to carry out decisions in my stead. You’ve seen what Nagato goes through as Sub-Commander. I reckon Secretary would be a much bigger burden than just filling out those forms and running the frontlines, right?’

‘But that’s why—’

‘That’s why I need time to think this over.’

Time.

You’d promised The Admiral that you’d have it done by tonight and that Houshou was the clear choice.

What a stupid decision that turned out to be, really.

‘I’m not just asking for your best,’ you clarify further. ‘I’m asking for the best fit for the task. You get that right?’

She sniffles … and nods.

‘Okay …’

>Write-In

>>2507939
Oh don't be like that, you need to keep your chin up Lead Instructor Murokumo, you've got subordinates and students to keep strong for now.

>>2507942
this

>>2507939
>>Write-In
Give her a hug.
"Now now murakumo-sensei. I'll see you at home later tonight, alright?"

>>2507939
This>>2507942

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‘Don’t be like that,’ you start, moving to cheer her up and tucking your pad away again. ‘That’s not how you’re going to let people see you, is it? What would your students think, seeing you like this? You need to keep that chin up, Miss Instructor … or you’re going to see all sorts of gossip going around, you know?’

Murakumo nods again, taking a step back and placing her hands to her sides, following your request and raising her chin and wearing a strong face. It’s almost a little too much for you, that small gesture … but it’s also a reminder that regardless of your decision, your stance, all she needed was the reminder to adhere to what she was and care not for what you understood of her. You didn’t have to be right or wrong … not where Murakumo was concerned. She would follow her duties, regardless of which step you took.

It was a little … paradoxical, you supposed, that she’d be so quick to follow orders but at the same time so inclined to be more than just the strip of command that she was given. Murakumo’s chin trembles slightly, but she’s otherwise back into a fully-disciplined mode of conduct, remembering her place … and knowing yours.

Maybe that’s why something like a position was so important to them.

It was something to hold on to.

‘I’m sorry for that display, sir,’ she apologizes, her mannerism a far cry from the emotional burst that she had erupted into before. ‘I’m sure that whoever you have in mind … will definitely be suited to carry out your will and help with our efforts.’

‘Right.’

She shifts slightly, then a little more … before dropping into a bow and declaring herself tardy for a rendezvous, throwing up a salute and running towards the MagiTek Department, light feet making heavy sounds as she jogged away from you.

You’re unsure on whether you did the right thing or the wrong thing.

But at the end, as a soldier … it probably didn’t matter to her.

As a KanMusu, however?

You couldn’t say.

3/4
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>Look for KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Visit Location (Specify)
>Wander
>Write-In

>Rendezvous with Akashi—Staff Assignment (Medical Unit)
>Review the MagiTek Requisition Approval (Compound Office, Magitek Administrator)
>Standard Requisition Review (Compound Office, Requisition Staff)
>Supply Unit Check
>KanMusu Facilities Review
>Meet with Unassigned KanMusu
>District Management (Fingers's Office)

Let over duties from the previous thread. All the urgent ones have been completed.

>>2508012
Those are your Vice-Admiral duties. You don't have to do those outside of your morning rounds.

Time to seek out more sidequests?
Or do you guys just wanna finish the bookdrive thing first

>>2508043
Admiral mentioned Akashi was supposed to meet him earlier. Maybe we could learn what held her up. Maybe it had to do with Kasumi?

>>2507999
>Seek out Officers/Staff
Lets see if Kasumi got the job under Akashi, whichever one we meet first i guess.

>>2508012
>>Rendezvous with Akashi—Staff Assignment (Medical Unit)

>>2508012
>>Rendezvous with Akashi—Staff Assignment (Medical Unit)

>>2507999
>Rendezvous with Akashi—Staff Assignment (Medical Unit)

>>2508126
>>2508286
>>2508358
Guys, that's your Morning Task list. That's not what you're doing in your free time.

>>2508847
Oh. Okay. How about hitting the gym then?

>>2508874
That is an option, yes.

>>2508847
alright then, lets go find Takao and ask her to be Secretary

>>2507999
>Look for KanMusu (Takao)
gotta make her secretary before she goes to the patrol

>>2508922
this. Lets get this out of the way

>>2507999
Look for Takao for make secretary

>>2507999
>Rendezvous with Akashi—Staff Assignment (Medical Unit)

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It was funny.

Prior to the last few weeks, you wouldn’t have imagined yourself a … running man.

Well, it would be assuming too much to call yourself a running man—jogging man, perhaps. You didn’t even bother throwing up hands for passing buggies, preferring to stride in your boots and fatigues and enduring the cold with a renewed sense of purpose. The wind (and thus the chill) intensifies as you run—jog—down the main road, passing by familiar, boarded-up shops. The streets weren’t quite populated, but there was that lingering feel of normalcy and populace. You’d seen more bodies in town lately, more people … friendlier smiles, less fear … and more importantly, less ruined buildings to fall on people to render any prior emotion moot.

Takao was on your mind.

You’d just seen her just about three … no, perhaps three and a half? Hours? You didn’t keep track of time.

She’d bolted of to the—

You were getting scatter-brained lately. You’d assigned her to Patrol duty, so that would make her shift … written on the pad she had so graciously prepared. You’d just been through the details, too. Perhaps Nee-san could do something about adjusting your mental capacity. It probably wasn’t normal for someone in their twenties to be so scatterbrained.

Everyone organism is unique in its own sense. You are no exception.

Why did that sound more like an insult than it did praise?

A quick flip of a few pages—and not even to the one that detailed the eventuality of a schedule change—reminds you of just where she is: in the main offices.

So that’s where you go.

Friendly waves and calls for attention prompt you to give your own in return. Another welcome change with the recent rebuilding efforts reaching fruition. Even some of the Army men give you nods and casual salutes of acknowledgement, which you also return … all the way back to Yokosuka’s Admiralty HQ and back to the offices. As your stamina finally feels that tugging drain, you can’t help but feel a sense of … accomplishment. You would never have dreamed of running across town twice prior to taking your post as Commander, and now …

You felt invigorated.

And a little tired, you supposed. Maintaining pace was something you’d have to inquire later, perhaps if The Instructor was willing to give a few pointers. But … later was later, and now was now … and Takao would be … upstairs. On one of the upper floors. You weren’t sure if the offices were labelled properly yet. You can only hope Takao’s did.

First floor: nothing.

Second floor, perhaps?

You march down the hallway, passing by the—

‘Vice-Admiral.’

You stop in your tracks. That was her voice. This wasn’t where she was posted, this was the …

This was the Requisition Office.

You peer inside, the door barely ajar and … Takao, standing there with her back to you, talking to someone.

‘You know that’s not my title anymore,’ a familiar voice chuckles, amused.

It was the Requisition Officer.

>Barge In
>Listen
>Write-In

>>2509183
>>Listen

>>2509183
>knock on the door politely
We already got caught eavesdropping today, don't need to do it again

>>2509178
>>Listen

Off note, we should reserve a slot today to go to the gym.

>>2509183
>Listen
Lets not be stupid and reaveal we are eavesdropping this time

>>2509183
>knock on the door politely

>>2509183
>Listen

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It was rude, but …

You really couldn’t help it.

‘I’m sorry, sir … old habits.’

You lean a little more against the wall, trying to get a better angle as to what they were doing … but all you manage to see is Takao’s back and her (admittedly rather ample) posterior. She shifts—uncomfortably or for the sake of it, you can’t tell—and brings her back closer to the door, prompting you to almost bend backwards. You see a hand—one that was definitely not Takao’s—and fingers creeping over her shoulder, making you realize that the Requisition Officer—the only other man in the room—had indeed put his hands on her. Rather than reeling back, though, Takao seems to steady herself to his touch.

He had been a Vice-Admiral before? Why wasn’t he out in the field? Had he retired?

‘Don’t be,’ he chuckles, loudly. ‘I was feeling a little nostalgic myself, coming back here … it must’ve been … what? A year?’

‘Eighteen months, sir,’ Takao corrects, giggling. ‘It’s nice to see that you’re up and walking again, I thought …’

She trails off, shifting again. There was an … uncomfortable atmosphere about the room now, but you find it instantly pushed out of the window with a gesture. His gesture. He envelopes her in his arms in a hug that … you can’t tell was between friends or lovers, but Takao doesn’t fight it. You see one rugged hand giving her several pats on the back in the embrace, before Takao—or the Requisition Officer—pulls away again, her heels noisily clicking in that bout of motion. Another loud sigh escapes the larger man and you see the top of his bald head and his ear shifting into your current line of sight.

‘Lost a lot of hair, though,’ he grumbles, prompting another giggle from Takao. ‘Frankly, I’d trade in both of my legs and half my motor functions to have my nice thick locks again. This … this is the kind of thing that has people thinking I’m some kind of single father or a divorcee.’

‘Sir …’

‘No, no, I’m fine with it,’ he sighs, ‘and it’s been … years, anyway. It’s hard to … expect any more from her than that.’

‘I’m also sorry about the …’

Takao trails off once more, the slight shift of her body communicating her discomfort.

‘There was nothing that you could’ve done … and I wouldn’t have held it against you, either,’ he declares firmly. ‘It was … confusing for both of us, and I know that you had the best of intentions, but … you’re a good girl, Takao.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ she lets out, barely loud enough for you to hear.

‘Can’t say the same about that friend of yours, though,’ he continues, an irritated tone in her voice. ‘I honestly wish they’d put some delicacy into her ears.’

‘Kaga means well, sir.’

‘Sex!’ he declares, throwing up his arms. ‘I still say it’s a glitch. No moral compass on that one, whatsoever!’

Takao sighs.

>>2509372

>Barge in
>Listen in some more
>Write-In

>>2509372
>>Write-In
Knock on the door politely.

We got the jist of whats going on, so lets just get to business without risking getting found out

>>2509376
>Write-In
Take 5.
Find a vending machine and enjoy some coffee for abit.

Come back in a moment.

>>2509376
>>Write-In
>knock politely while asking if the Requisition officer has seen Takao
gotta play it like we just got here

>>2509380
This is probably smarter, listen to this guy not me

>>2509380
actually yes, like this idea, let them catch up and then come back in 5

>>2509380
I support this, 5 minutes then come back and knock politely

>>2509380
this

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You walk away, heading back to the stairs and taking a seat on one of the steps. It was around the tail end of lunch time, so hopefully no one would be rushing up and down these steps with some pieces of paper … which would also, hopefully, allow the recent revelations some time to stew. The most surprising one being … that the Requisition Officer was a Vice-Admiral, once upon a time. Following a close second was that Takao and the Vice-Admiral were apparently on friendly enough terms that she’d kept track of his absence from The Admiralty. Maybe you could ask him for some pointers. Since you were only two months on the job, someone of his experience could have some advice to impart on conduct.

Then there was the fact that he apparently knew (and despised) Kaga.

Or more specifically, Kaga’s … promiscuity.

You wouldn’t deny that side of her, knowing what you did … and what the Carriers perceived that gaping hole in their emotional needs to be. Not after that …

You grip the fabric of your fatigues, shaking your head.

No, no … you couldn’t think of it like that. Not like that.

‘So they know each other, huh?’ you question, raising your head … and staring at the ceiling, the echo of footsteps above and below telling you that the place would return to its beehive of activity soon.

You scoot towards a wall as a pair of young ladies—not KanMusu, regular office workers—click-clack themselves down the steps, giggling to each other and paying your lone self no notice.

Funny … you distinctly remember this habit back in your high school days.

It was oddly … comforting.

>Stay here
>Go back and check on them
>Write-In

>>2509499
>Go back and check on them
Let's go talk to takao about that promotion now

>>2509499
>>Go back and check on them
lets get this secretary business out of the way

>>2509499
>Go back and check on them
Walk those leather shoes properly, loudly. Heel first to get that satisfying, audible “clock”. It’ll be a subtle way to annouce our incoming presence.

>>2509499
>>Go back and check on them

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You get up, dusting your fatigues and walk back towards the office. The door was … as you left it.

So were the occupants, for that matter.

‘I don’t know,’ Takao mutters, ‘I think I do care about him, but … it just feels strange. I don’t want to feel inclined to care for him just because … just because.’

They were still talking, it would seem.

‘Takao, I’m not … look, I won’t bend you over my knee and start smacking you like a little girl, but you need to take charge of your life,’ the Requistion Officer sounds out, his voice supremely annoyed. ‘You can’t just … follow what Kaga tells you is right. In fact, I don’t think I’d follow anything Kaga says is right, God … that one’s got a screw loose. There are boundaries. There are boundaries.’

‘You know that’s—’

‘I know that’s how you’re made,’ he cuts her off, loudly. You hear the slight shuffling of feet. ‘What I’m telling you is that you don’t need someone to tell you what your validation is. Do your job, stick to your guns … and maybe after that, if you want, you can put another foot forward, but right now, Takao … I don’t think I’d trust you to put anything in someone else’s hands just yet. As both your former superior and a friend … and a colleague, you don’t have the maturity for—’

‘Is that what you’re going to keep going back to, sir?’

Takao’s voice is loud and … icy, threatening. You’d never heard her take such a stance.

‘Takao, I’m going to be frank: you’re a KanMusu,’ he emphasizes, ‘and whatever you feel right now, even you don’t understand.’

No reply.

Silence.

>Write-In

>>2509641

God dammit.

>Write-In
Barge in loudly.
“Takao are you in here?”

Act like we didnt hear anything. And THEN directly offer her the post of secretary ship infront of that dude.

>>2509641
>fuck this guy
Knock on door, act suprised to find Takao, get her out of there

>>2509675
eh what the hell, ill support this

>>2509654
This. It will be painfully obvious we were eavesdropping if we dont have a good reason to be there other than takao. With this we can say we are here for her

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You decide that you’d heard enough. Whatever Takao and the Requisition Officer were talking about … you didn’t think she deserved to have something thrown at her like that. It was hard to be objective, of course, especially with your severe inclination to being more than just a little over-protective when it came to the well-being of your team, but … you couldn’t just leave her there to take it on the chin. Maybe she could; you certainly had faith in her character, her maturity …

But you were a creature of irrationality.

So even if she could, you couldn’t?

You knock on the door, not bothering with the order of things and sounding, ‘Takao, are you in there?’

The both of them turn to face you, one surprised … the other stoic, save for a raised eyebrow. You throw up a smile of relief, one that you wear with all the intent to showcase the falsities of a sudden arrival and your urgent search for your Heavy Cruiser. Takao’s surprise turns to confusion as you dust yourself off, tucking your pad and her notes underneath your arm before approaching the pair, shifting to a stance of apology as you remember just what you were trying to convey.

You had to make it convincing.

‘Sorry, I … am I interrupting anything?’

The both of them throw each other a brief glance, before Takao shakes her head. The Requisition Officer wears a tight smile and follows the action after. You raise the papers and the pad, pressing upon the surface and wildly looking around as if you were in a gaze. Acting like a moron had gotten you out of trouble before. Perhaps it would work just as well here.

‘Takao, I was wondering if I could go over a few things with you, uh …’

You spare the man another look, this time trying to look a little hesitant.

No use trying to make it all flow so easily. People would get suspicious, after all.

‘I’m sorry, are you sure?’ you inquire again, tapping your pad. ‘Takao?’

‘No, of course, sir … what do you need?’

‘There’s some thing I need to go over with you … do you mind if I cut into your time for a bit?’

You don’t miss the quick, edged glance the man spares you as you gesture towards the door. He either knew an act when he saw one or was just righteously annoyed at having been interrupted so crudely. At this point, however … you really didn’t care.

You just wanted her out of here.

Takao offers a small, reluctant smile. ‘Right.’

‘Commander.’

You give a nod to the bald man, following Takao out of the room and closing the door behind you. What questions you had for him—and there were many—could wait. Takao turns towards you, after which you gesture for her to follow, again. She doesn’t say a word, obediently following after you as you make your way towards the only place you know to be private: the empty office a floor up, where Nagato and Kasumi had shared a brief chat the night before.

>>2509797
Would it be illegal to deck a former Vice-Admiral or do we need to wait for equal rank?

>>2509813
Just what I needed. Someone breaking between posts.

You could only hope it wasn’t occupied just yet.

Arriving on the floor, you glance at the corridor heading towards the conference room, before turning your head in the direction of the office, trying to remember your bearings proper. Perhaps the conference room would suffice? All you were looking for was privacy, after all.

‘Sir?’

‘Right, sorry, this way.’

The office is in the same barren state it had been the night before. Which was good, because then you could trust that no one would bother you while you moved to settle your matters with her. You’d jogged across town twice for this … and you’ll be damned if you had someone barge in just to pull you or Takao away before things were properly settled. Takao closes the door behind her, peering at you curiously as she leaned against the knob, probably more than confused as to why you’d dragged her away from her—for lack of better word—job. The thick collection of files fastened to the pad cause your prosthetic to let out a slight whine as you lift it … and set it down on one of the tables.

‘Sorry about that,’ you apologize, wearing a guilty smile. ‘Didn’t mean to, uh … drag you from your post, but I kind of … need to go over a few things with you before the, uh, day’s end.’

You cough into a balled fist, nervously shuffling in place.

‘It’s quite all right, sir,’ Takao replies, dropping into a slight bow. ‘What can I do for you?’

>‘Who do you think would make … the best Secretary?’
>‘It’s about your Book Drive. I’m not able to do anything more, I’m sorry.’ (Abandon Task)
>‘I overheard your conversation … do you … know him?’ (Inquire into Takao’s past)
>‘Are you … angry at me? Truthfully?’
>‘Actually, this is rather awkward, but … it kind of slipped my mind. Sorry.’ (Leave)
>Write-In

>>2509820
>>‘Are you … angry at me? Truthfully?’

>>2509820
>‘Who do you think would make … the best Secretary?’

>>2509820
>‘Who do you think would make … the best Secretary?’
>You're about to say yourself, aren't you.

>>2509826
This

>>2509826
same

>>2509822
>>2509826
Christ guys, should we just ASK her to be?

>>2509833
I was going to, I just want to see how she reacts first on being asked about the subject

>>2509850
After her talk, her confidence is probably very low. As shown by her silence at the former vice-admiral’s remark. We ask her now, shes likely to offer up someone else, even if she wants it. Also, directly offering it to her shows our belief in her. That we already trust her. No matter what others say to her.

>>2509820
>write-in
“Takao, will you be my secretary ship?”

Maybe go down on one knee.

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>>2509929
Shoo.

>>2509820
>‘Who do you think would make … the best Secretary?’

>>2509820
>‘Who do you think would make … the best Secretary?’

I'll be running in about an hour, just telling you guys.

Sorry guys, canceling the session. Something came up. Personal business.

>>2509929
Supporting

File: TESTING TESTING.png (1.95 MB, 2048x1155)

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Testing, testing
ONE
TWO
THREEEEEEEE

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You try to sound as professional as you’re able.

‘Who do you think would make the best Secretary?’

Takao raises an eyebrow, but otherwise keeps her silence. Clearing your throat, you try your best to make the situation as clear for her to understand as possible. The fact that she hadn’t said a word spoke volumes for her own professionalism, however; after seeing Murakumo practically go giddy with … giddiness, you half-expected her to have at least some degree of enthusiasm regarding the subject. That she kept her silence and … looks as though she was pondering the question for real tells you that you might have something here. Still, it is better to make a remark even than it is to leave it crooked, so …

‘The Admiral, he … said that I would have to assign one. I already have a few picks in mind, but … considering your bevy’—bevy; you’d never used that word before—‘of experience, I was wondering if there are any … of those that belong to the Division that you could recommend?’

Takao doesn’t bite, however, instead bringing her fist to her chin … and biting her lip, looking deep in thought.

‘Objectively, I think that Houshou would be the most qualified,’ she begins matter-of-factly. You’re actually surprised that she doesn’t so much as nudge her name between theirs. ‘She was a Vice-Admiral in an experimental capacity … and as a Carrier, she has more emotional gumption than anyone not of the class. She’s served a few times before, so her experience tells more of a story than anything that I can give. Considering how the position is more an executor of your will, sir, than it is an independent arm of management, I think placing someone who you think is on the same page would benefit you more than anyone else.’

You can’t help but chuckle at that part.

‘Then wouldn’t that make Shigure or Samidare suited for the job?’

Takao actually laughs.

‘Samidare could use the experience, I suppose,’ she concurs, to your further surprise. ‘However, I wouldn’t assign her on the basis that she would take quite a bit of hand-holding to walk through the difficulties of bureaucracy. There’s on-base paperwork, and then there’s having to deal with the aftermath. Nagato knows enough to understand how much pressure it actually puts on us KanMusu.’

‘Pressure?’

Takao sighs, tapping her fingers to her forehead and looking away. Had you said something wrong?

‘We aren’t human, sir.’

So that’s what it was about.

‘The position of Secretary kind of requires an understanding; that the both of you are on the same emotional and professional page,’ she declares. ‘Not so much like partners, but … someone you’re able to fall back on in case you lag behind.’

‘And that’s … pressure?’

She pumps a fist, winking.

‘We’re war machines first, pencil pushers second.’

An understanding hum escapes you. You could see that.

>Write-In

>>2517633
“I see. Thank you for your advice then. Takao. So when would you like to start your new duties?”

>>2517657
ill support this
>and you're a lot more human than you give yourself credit for Takao. you've proved it to me time and time again

>>2517657
Supporting

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You chuckle in agreement, setting the pad on a nearby table and crossing yourself as you leaned against it. Takao … had showed a degree of poise, if nothing else. After what Murakumo had talked about the emotional component of the position of Secretary, the lack of her own self-promotion showed how mature she was in regards to the responsibilities that came with the promotion. She stares at you, cocking a curious eyebrow in your direction, more than likely trying to pervade your current thoughts. If she knew what you had in mind, however …

Well, you had an idea before. Now that she actually did showcase a measure of control when it came to it, there was an element of uncertainty that had begun to permeate the office. You wear a small smile as you raise your head, your intentions playing upon your lips as you finally make your decision on the matter at hand.

Not that there was much to argue in the first place, of course.

‘Thank you for your input, Takao,’ you announce, prompting a tight nod and a small bow from your Heavy Cruiser.

‘Of course, sir,’ Takao courteously returns, snapping herself back to a stand.

‘Of course,’ you repeat, humming and staring up at the ceiling before pushing yourself off the table and stretching yourself in an exaggerated yawn before turning your back to her. ‘So … how soon can you start your new duties?’

‘My new—’

She doesn’t finish, cutting herself off.

You frown, turning to face her.

Takao … was stiff. Her eyes dim, her lips open and her features pale, she stares at the wall behind you as though it held the secrets of eternity itself. She looks akin to a statue; more so than she does the living, breathing battle-ready organism, one hand raised and a finger outstretched … and another lazily to her side.

‘Takao?’

You frown, approaching her unmoving form … and waving your hand in front of her eyes.

No response.

>‘Takao?’ (Call out to her again)
>Place a hand on her shoulder
>Playfully squeeze her breasts
>Write-In

>>2517733
>give her a hug
>i know i havent been able to really talk or pay attention to you for the last few weeks but i want to tell you how much i appreciate what you do for me and hope this shows it

>>2517733
>Yes I want you to be my secretary, no I'm not messing with you. Do you not want the position?

>>2517733
>Flick her forehead.

>>2517733
Supporting forehead flicking.

>>2517733
Wave hand infront of her fave. See if she responds.

If she doesnt, look around see if the coast is clear.

Then give her a kiss.

You wrinkle your nose, raising your hand and cocking your finger behind your thumb ... before giving her finger a gentle flick on the forehead.

No response.

She was dead to the world, it would seem.

>Write-In

>>2517771
>look around in case anyone's around, if all clear then kiss

>>2517771
>give her a kiss

>>2517773
Supporting.

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Drastic times called for drastic measures. A thought of sexual harassment crosses your mind, but you supposed that it would be moot if she didn’t so much as blink at the flick to her head. Placing your hands in your pockets, you let out a breath … and gently lean forward, touching your nose to hers and breathing upon her lips, a slight—and amateurish—hesitance to your movements. You wait one second, then two … and with that threshold, move right in, giving her a gentle, but slightly lingering, peck. No more than what little boys and girls did to each other in preschool … only with less hacks of disgust and bruised cheeks in retaliation. Also, less teasing.

Much, much less.

‘S-Sir?’

It seemed to have brought her out of her reverie, though. She staggers slightly, prompting you to to throw and arm out to receive her. Her full weight bears on you—much heavier than you remember—and you bend your knees to catch on to her. Her bearings must have been lost in the shock. You feel … laughter?

She was laughing. Into the thick fabric of your fatigues.

Odd. Was she delirious?

‘Sorry, how …’

She trails off … before shaking her head. You stare at her in confusion, uncertainty … had something happened?

‘Sorry, I … must have dozed off or something,’ she begins apologetically, shaking her head, ‘I think I must have been dreaming … you asked me to be your Secretary.’

You raise an eyebrow.

Really?

>‘Yeah, that’s … that’s a dream, all right.’ (Agree with her sentiment, take back the appointment)
>‘No dream, Takao.’ (Confirm)
>Write-In

>>2517789
>‘No dream, Takao.’ (Confirm)

>>2517789
>>‘No dream, Takao.’ (Confirm)

>>2517789
>Write-In
“You mean a dream like this?”

Get down on one knee and ask her to be our secretary.

>>2517792
do it

>>2517792
This, posting frim nowhere since im paying bills

>>2517789
Do this >>2517792 Cause I hate any form of socail acceptable standing.

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You steady her wobbling self with some difficulty. Takao was a big girl and … despite your measure of experience with her in the physical sense, it was one thing to actively have her cooperating in shifting her balance and putting the full weight of her body against your torso and lap. It was much too sloppy on her part to qualify as leaning. No, leaning implied that your body, spine, hips and shoulders would be squared to receive her and she was aware of your limitations of support. She was draped all over you, like a drunkard crawling out of a hangover. The thought strikes your mind that you might have … both underestimated and overestimated the situation. It hadn’t crossed your mind that despite her inclinations to the contrary, that she’d be … as effected as the rest of the KanMusu by the appointment. Takao—despite her hold to the contrary—was, indeed, a little unstable, but … despite that, you believe that Kaga had done a pretty good job trying to keep that ship steady. She is able, confident … and you’d seen first-hand that she would be more than able to handle things on her own, regardless of how the administration took to her.

More than any of those factors, though … you trusted her.

Not in the way that you’d put it in a hierarchy like some asinine level-by-level sorting algorithm.

You just did.

She was capable.

She was eloquent.

And most of all, if there was anyone in the world that could send a city administrator into a crying wreck all the way up the hills, you would be a damned moron not to utilize the asset in its maximum capacity. It wasn’t like you were blowing your trump card on an innocuous play.

You were putting the best where the best needed to be.

And you trusted Takao to be the best … if she wasn’t already.

‘You mean in a dream like—’

You trip over, bringing her down with you. Your foot must have hooked against hers in trying to steady the both of you. Not that the reasoning mattered, of course, as you fell upon your buttocks with the head of a dazed KanMusu following after, pushing the air out of your lungs by force … and turning you into the temporary mattress to her equally-unbalanced form. You grunt in pain as you find your attempt to make the situation less awkward utterly derailed, now playing host to the hatless and slightly untidy form of your Secretary.

A Secretary that didn’t even know she had the job in the bag.

‘You mean in a … dream like this?’

Timing was never your thing. If it was, you probably wouldn’t have been single prior to stepping into Yokosuka.

She cocks an eyebrow, throwing you a gaze of scrutiny … that took what little air you had, wholly deflating your attempt.

You decide to go direct.

‘You’re my Secretary, Takao.’

No reaction. Perhaps you’d—

‘THANK YOU!’

Oh my …

She was …

Strong.

>Write-In

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>>2517857
Quick! She is going to break your spine with that Amazonian strength! You must do something!

>>2517857
>ACCEPT DEATH

>>2517859
>accept it
>tell her how much you appreciate her

>>2517865
also hugs and headpats

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Underestimated.

You had definitely underestimated it.

Despite it all, you manage to manoeuvre your arms and coil them around Takao in an attempt to return her embrace of de—you take a sharp intake of breath—light. It was honestly one of the few times you’d seen her genuinely happy. Not that Takao was naturally sullen by nature, but … she was always so serious, so direct when it came to her affairs—no, not when it came to her affairs; when it came to the task at hand. She did her work … light a good soldier, like a good … KanMusu. Feeling the last vestiges of breath escape your throat, you finally understand the why to their reasoning. Why KanMusu held such … value, even after Murakumo’s expansive lecture on the emotional weight of being given the post.

It was because it was the only way they could comprehend it.

Summoned to battle and die.

Summoned to battle and die.

Summoned to battle and die.

Or live.

Responsibility, validation … that was what this was about.

The name Secretary meant that. It was the most opaque that one could get at being …

Human.

For beings that would lay down their lives over and over again without a thought, only to be snarled at and sent marching again, what you had done was …

As close to a “thank you” as they could perceive.

Takao quickly apologizes, releasing her hold on you as the second creak sounds. You cough and gasp, throwing a wry smile up at her glowing face as her form seated itself on your abdomen. Her thighs were trembling … as were her lips. She seemed, for the time, at a loss for words, her palms pressing you down as she tried to gather her thoughts. Takao’s uncertainty, her shy, hesitant nature … was always welcome for a peek through. She shuffles slightly, causing you to shake in tandem with said motions. You grunt as you prop yourself up on your elbows, the KanMusu upon you shif—

‘Uh, um … sir?’

Your cheeks turn red as now you find yourself embarrassed, looking away and struggling to keep your excitement to a minimum.

Nothing doing, of course.

‘Thing has a mind of its own,’ you joke, shaking your head and grimacing at the … mark where your bodies locked around one another. So much for professional courtesy.

Takao shifts again.

Purposely, this time.

You bit your bottom lip as your eyes travelled to her covered stomach, her hips making minute, teasing rolls. A playful hum sounds from the bottom of her throat with the next movement … and the next. You open your mouth to voice a protest, but … nothing comes out. Your eyes are lidded, your thoughts hazy, your hips feeling uncomfortably hot and your groin enduring both the pain and pleasure of the friction of fabric. Your eyes don’t look up. Your neck had lost the strength. Your gaze is locked upon Takao’s wide, clothed, rotating groin, grinding and grinding …

‘T-Takao,’ you hiss out, your eyes watery with desire … and desperation. She doesn’t heed you, letting out an exaggerate moan and a cry as she rubs herself against you. The confines of your—

A loud buzz sounds from outside the door …

And everything stops.

‘I’M LATE!’ she shrills.

‘H-Huh?’

Takao’s upon your pelvic region becomes but a memory. She scurries to her feet, mumbling obscenities, adjusting her heels and straightening her pads … her hat. You stare at her bewildered, your thoughts still caught up in the obscenity of her touch, her—

‘I’ll see you tomorrow morning, sir!’

You find yourself gaping as your newly-appointed Secretary straightens her clothing, rushing out the door without so much as a hint of guilt or responsibility, leaving you with a problem that she’d deemed secondary to her own assignments. The door closes with a slam … and you find yourself on the floor, highly aroused, fully erect and with a distinct lack of willing attractive female to take care of the immediacy of the issue.

You’re not sure if that made Takao overqualified or just plain inconsiderate.

2/4
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>Look for KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Visit Location (Specify)
>Wander
>Write-In

>>2517915
>Visit Location (Specify)
Gym.

We’ve been skipping and if we want to lure kaga back, we need abs.

>>2517920
Send pics

>>2517915
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
Kasumi, see if she got the job or not.

>>2517922
You mean Akashi, actually.

>>2517920
supportin
we can check on Kasumi afterwards

So, how is commander going to sell this to rest of the fleet?

>I love you all, and I trust you all with my life, you know this. But after careful deliberation I’ve determined Takao is the most suited for the job on account of her previous experience and unerring conduct.

>sad and disappointed Nagato.jpg
>stunned and silent Iowa.jpg
>grinning and relaxed Musashi with tear welling up in her eyes.jpg
>Houshou huddled in the corner and crying.jpg

>>2517915
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
akashi

>>2517948
Orgy, I guess, while Tenryuu and Musashi takes the kids out.

>>2517953
>everything went better than expected
Bless your soul OP

>>2517948
Nagato’s slready our vice so shes got her post/trust
We won over hoshou after she raped us and realised she desired more than just sex.
Iowa’s raised differently so theres some doubt as to whether her reaction will be completely inline with conventional kanmusu.

Murakumo is gonna be crushed though. Better whip up a batch of tanaka salt ice cream.

>>2517963
You're welcome.

>>2517965
>We won over hoshou after she raped us and realised she desired more than just sex.
There is something wrong with that.

>>2517971
If it works, it works~

File: __bismarck_commandant_tes(...).jpg (151 KB, 850x716)

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Already ended the session, but testing

>>2517920
>>2517925

>>2517922
>>2517950
Let's see which one wins out: the gym ... or a run to see Akashi?

>>2519125
Gym

File: Akashi'll Fixit.jpg (1.69 MB, 4084x5911)

1.69 MB JPG

It had taken a while—and several flashes to the thought of a rusted, stained grill—but you were nonetheless to bring your body heat—and other unwanted biological developments—to a more acceptable state. You exit the office building, the cold air of the late afternoon more than welcome … although it does little to nothing to cure the overdrive your brain is going through at the moment. Takao had been more than just a tease; she was a knowledgable tease! And even if she hadn’t actually done it on purpose, the fact that she had left you in such a state irked—no, it still irks—you to the point you believe that you’re more akin to a crumpled piece of paper than you are a human being.

You’re mentally soggy.

‘Hey, Commander!’

You raise a hand to two young women in greeting, throwing up a smile for good measure. Letting out a sigh, you decide to get on with your day-to-day … and to expand the pent-up energy. Slapping your hands together (and finding yourself somehow immune from the biting cold sea breeze) you turn on your heel and make a march for the medical wing of the compound. If there was anyone that understood you it would be Akashi, after all.

No … no, that was wrong.

Still, you did feel like she deserved a visit.

The medical wing was practically next door, anyway.

You step right into the … rather put-together environment, finding the place barely different from your typical hospital lobby. Although, rather than the normal green and white—or a variety of softer colours that helped soothe the psyche—the place looked more … mechanical. Greys, silvers, browns, it was the complete opposite from how the MASH had been before. When you were hospitalized, the whole place had been covered in … covers and newspaper, but now it actually looked well on the way to being the specialized recovery centre it was meant to be. You look around, finding staff members muttering to—

‘Don’t put the concentration above point-one … if the reaction is still negative, go and get Yuubari or Ooyodo to see if we can re-requisition something that we can actually use.’

Ah, there she is.

And in a much less sensible state of dress than you would have rounded her conduct towards.

Clad in her … bikini, Akashi looks anything but the picture of an intellectual. Her form sleek with what could only be some sort of lubricant, she delegates her commands as any professional, with a finger in the air and a tone of authority. The two men and one woman that she speaks to nod and scribble down onto their pads, listening to her every word, before turning away and walking down the corridor, eager to execute her orders.

Then she sees you.

‘Oh, Commander,’ she greets, her goopy form throwing a casual wave and walking up to you, ‘or is it Vice-Admiral now?’

>>2519228
>'Enough about that ... Kasumi came your way, right?'
>'How was the deal with the institute?'
>'What ... are you covered in?'
>'All the responsibility, none of the respect or green.'
>'I should go.'
>Write-In

>>2519236
>>'What ... are you covered in?'

>>2519228
>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519236
>'What ... are you covered in?'

>>2519236
>>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519236
>'What ... are you covered in?'

File: Akashi.png (297 KB, 551x377)

297 KB PNG

‘What … are you covered in?’

She holds out a finger, swiping a smidgen of the translucent gel off her hand, holding it up for you to see.

‘This? It’s something that Yuubari and I came up with some time ago. We haven’t come up with a name for it, but it’s supposed to condition our bodies to receive more intense bouts of recovery. A put-in, take-out deal … or something, I dunno; you humans are the ones that came up with these phrases, but! I haven’t actually had any time to fine tune anyof it since we came up with it. So far, the changes that it’s done to my biological chemistry are minute, but … well, changes are changes, I guess.’

You raise an eyebrow in scrutiny, craning your neck to get a good look at the goo her finger.

‘You’re using yourself as a test subject?’ you question, before drawing back and crossing your arms. ‘Isn’t that kind of, uh …’

You know what you want to say.

You know what she expected to hear.

So you don’t.

‘Unsafe?’ you offer your words. ‘Shouldn’t you have an external factor as a test run or something?’

‘Please!’ she scoffs, placing her hands on her hips and puffing her chest. ‘What if this thing reacts horribly to Abyssal Red? Chemical chain reactions? Mutations? I can’t just slap it on a KanMusu just like that? That’d be reckless!’

You want to point out that what she was up to was just as reckless … but decide against it. Akashi didn’t look silly by any stretch—even as a senior staff member in a bikini—but you did have misgivings at putting oneself into the hands of fate for the sake of acting out a trial for a substance that had no discernible attribution elements. Still … Akashi didn’t seem like the type to act out purely on speculation, so whatever claim you had on the accusation of her recklessness was probably moot. She stands before you, a little agitated and goopy but otherwise alive and unharmed.

So the only thing you could do …

‘So how’s it feel?’

‘Goopy,’ she sighs, flicking the … goop onto the floor. ‘I haven’t seen a change in recovery time that makes it efficient to put into wide use just yet. I even broke my wrist for this … seven-seven differential makes it horrible to cost.’

You blink, shocked at the information.

‘What?’

‘You … broke your own wrist?’

‘It’s a prospective enhancement to a recovery process,’ Akashi huffs. ‘What’s the point of running an experiment on it without the basis of which it’s designed towards. Even you should know that, Commander.’

You open your mouth … before closing it.

You’re not sure if broken bones and wide open wounds qualified the same for humans as it did KanMusu.

>‘You’re … the Specialist.’ (Concede)
>‘I wouldn’t be breaking my own limbs just to see if they could heal faster, thanks.’ (Remark)
>Turn around and walk away
>Write-In

>>2519440
>>‘You’re … the Specialist.’ (Concede)

>>2519440
>‘You’re … the Specialist.’ (Concede)

>>2519440
>‘You’re … the Specialist.’ (Concede)

>>2519440
>‘You’re … the Specialist.’ (Concede)

File: AkaAkaAkashiii.jpg (42 KB, 480x667)

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It wasn’t a point worth arguing anyway. Akashi did what Akashi did … and you crashed the RAY and drove Yuubari up the wall whenever you did. It wouldn’t be fair to deal in hypocrisy.

‘You’re the … Specialist,’ you concede, wearing a wry half-smile.

She only puffs her chest out further.

‘You damn right I am.’

>'Enough about that ... Kasumi came your way, right?'
>'How was the deal with the institute?'
>'All the responsibility, none of the respect or green.'
>'I should go.'
>Write-In

>>2519504
>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519504
>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519504
>>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519504
>>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519504
>'How was the deal with the institute?'

>>2519504
>All the responsibility, none of the respect or green

File: __akashi_kantai_collectio(...).jpg (233 KB, 850x1085)

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‘How was the deal with the institute?’

Akashi runs a hand through her hair, inadvertently parting some of the slime upon her palms and fingers onto it … not that she cared, of course. In fact, she seemed rather … preoccupied with your question, glancing to the floor, then to the corners of the counter, almost bumping into one of the many passing characters carrying out their tasks behind her, who, with his considerable agility, dodged without so much as a glance in her direction. Seeing her sudden—if slight—leap into distress, you move to backtrack, but … immediately backtrack on that, too. It was best to let her get it all out … and if you piped her down mid-release, there was no telling what would happen next.

‘They all want the same thing,’ she grumbles, crossing her arms and scrunching her nose, ‘and I kind of expected that, but it’s like everyone’s trying to manoeuvre for a head-start. I don’t think I’ve repeated myself with you as I have with them this morning.’

You stumble slightly, indignant. You were too a good listener!

‘I guess I just find it hard to understand, myself,’ Akashi continues to grumble, ‘I mean … we’re all on the same team, right? We’re all trying to get ahead together and it feels like … it feels like they’re trying to stamp a patent on something specific as soon as they can manage! It’s crazy! I mean … I expected them to hate me. To call me stuff and junk and whatever obscenity you humans have for KanMusu and now I have to grapple with the fact that I have a bunch of research institutions trying to pull me in eight different places and none of them are willing to compromise on time or authority!’

To that, you can’t help but wear a slight grimace of your own.

You understood.

Not too well, of course, but frustration was a universal concept.

‘You know,’ she sighs, throwing back her head and staring at the ceiling, ‘I think that your kind are worth defending, yeah?’

The grimace only intensifies. That was … a bit of a stretch, but you weren’t about to stifle the flow of her output. You owed her that much, at the very least.

‘But sometimes, though … sometimes I just wanna put my hands on the side of your head … and just squeeze right down to your grey matter and yell at you to sit down, shut up and listen for a change! You can call our emotional matrix and our logical cortex screwed up thanks to our very nature, but you … you humans can be so self-destructive at times! I just want to … urgh!’

Told you.

You open your mouth to retort, but …

‘Akashi …’

She brings her gaze back down from the ceiling … looking like kitten that had been tossed in a box.

>‘I … can relate.’ (Sympathize)
>‘You gotta do what you gotta do.’ (Nonchalant)
>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)
>‘That’s … nice to know.’
>Write-In

File: eyebrows zui.gif (132 KB, 170x170)

132 KB GIF

>>2519635
>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)

Testing

>>2519635
>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)

>>2519635
>>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)

>>2519635
>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)

>>2519635
>‘You know, there are better methods to ask for help.’ (BATTLESHIP AND THE BEES)

File: Smug Takao.jpg (41 KB, 422x395)

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I forgot to announce that your new SECRETARY can be chosen to execute certain tasks. Not all, though. Some things require a certain personal touch, but ... you have to also consider what Takao's personality is like. Is she in a good mood? Is she good with people? How does she usually approach things? If you feel as though you need her to execute something in your stead, go ahead and send her, but be warned that your rewards from the completion of those tasks may vary.

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‘You know, there are better methods in asking for help.’

She seems to regain her energy almost immediately, taking a step back and snarling at the insinuation. You manage to keep your cool, however, as Akashi showing her emotion only further compounded just what you believed her to be: high strung from the circumstances that she had been dealt. Saying a word right now, though, would only make it accusatory at best and an uncaring remark at worst. Letting her follow up and pushing in after would be for the best.

‘I’m not asking for help.’

You decide to take that window.

‘You’re stressed,’ you emphasize, raising a finger and jabbing your hand in a motion perpendicular to its ‘Also, you’re covered in experimental goop and dressed in a bikini. You … need some help. If nothing else to keep you from … breaking uncharted ground.’

You’re not quite sure if that was the right way to finish that sentence, but …

‘I—’

It seemed to work, however, if her halt in sentence and the exasperated sigh that followed was any indication.

‘All right, I guess you’re right,’ she admits, now wearing a wry smile of her own, ‘I think I’m way over my head here … but I can’t ask The Vice-Admiral or Admiral for help. I promised them that all they’d need to do was oversee it and I’ll sort the small stuff out, but it’s only day one and I’m not sure if I can even stand being in the same room with any of them. All that lack of synergy … it’s like working with three Command—’

You raise an eyebrow at that.

She manages to stop, though.

‘I mean, it’s,’ she pauses again, raising her hands and creasing her lips as she waved them as though blowing invisible smoke, ‘it’s as though I’m handling all the problems that you bring to my table at once. Not that I … think you’re a bother, of course. Sir.’

You reply, ‘Of course.’

Akashi looks away, a guilty, troubled look in her eye.

‘Look, I’m …’

She sighs again, bringing a palm to her head as she makes a small, restrained whine.

‘I might not seem like it, but I am a little prideful, I suppose,’ she takes a sharp intake of breath with her pausing, before continuing, ‘and … dealing with people, that’s not something that I can get used to on this level. I’m all right chatting chemicals and theorems, but when it comes to negotiation, I’m …’

Akashi trails off, looking up at you with those round puppy dog eyes.

‘I understand.’

‘I won’t ask you to speak for me,’ she finishes adamantly, ‘but … if it actually comes to talking, would you …’

>‘I will, but if you’re asking me … I’m going to need some help, too.’ (Bring up Kasumi)
>‘Sure, I’ll help.’ (Agree to take part again)
>‘No, I … I think this is where I get off. This is your responsibility and you have a whole wing to help.’ (Deny)
>Write-In

>>2519828
>>‘I will, but if you’re asking me … I’m going to need some help, too.’ (Bring up Kasumi)
we are gonna need someone who understands this stuff to help us
plus Kasumi can bring the human side of the situation

>>2519849
Supporting

>>2519849
i support this

>>2519828
>>‘I will, but if you’re asking me … I’m going to need some help, too.’ (Bring up Kasumi)

>>2519828
>>‘I will, but if you’re asking me … I’m going to need some help, too.’ (Bring up Kasumi)

>>2519849
this

File: Kasumi Kasumi.jpg (158 KB, 639x715)

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‘I will, but if you’re asking me … I’m going to need some help, too.’

‘Right.’ Akashi nods. ‘Nagato or Houshou would probably be useful here, huh?’

‘Nothing … that drastic.’ You shake your head; you didn’t want to bring your Division into this if you could help it. Especially not Nagato or Houshou; the both of them already had a lot on their plate to sort out without you dragging them into this. ‘If there’s a human factor involved, then some experience in the field should be up to it. What about sending up one of the docs or specialists up, too?’

‘That could work,’ she says in agreement, nodding for effect. ‘I don’t think that there’s anyone I could assign, though … not a lot of them are privy to sensitive information.’

‘They don’t have to be,’ you state in return. ‘You just need to find someone who can actually communicate what you want to say and take the brunt without flinching. I think you’ll be able to find that among your fellow crew members.’

‘I think they’ll only start hating me more if I change the schedules around again … everything’s been so hectic since we got into proper operational capacity.’

Then … it hits you.

‘I … sent someone your way this morning, right?’

‘That woman? Miss … Kasumigaoka—no, Kasumi, yes,’ Akashi confirms, nodding tightly. ‘She’s … something, but there’s a distinct lack of her basic font of knowledge. It’s not so much that she clashes spiritually, it’s just taking her on when she has so little experience, it feels like … I would be doing a disservice to the ones who actually put the hours in to get into this position and …’

You bite your lip.

It had been a long shot, anyway.

‘You said no?’

‘I said that … I would review her case,’ Akashi elaborated further, ‘and that if I was able to find a capacity to fit her in, as a favour to you, I would reconsider my prior decision. We’re working in more than just a few delicate cases, here and I can only bring on the best if they actually have the qualifications for it. I can’t just …’

She trails off again.

No, it would have been unfair.

Both to Akashi … and to Kasumi.

‘Then what if she could demonstrate it in a practical capacity?’

‘E-Excuse me?’

That was the first time you’d ever heard her stutter in the face of a question.

‘If her education is incomplete, the Admiralty can fill in the gaps so long as she puts the hours in out of it, right? You can consider this her audition, of sorts … and with you around, she’ll clock in the hours just as well. She’s got no intention of letting go of her aspirations, and she’ll go through Hell and high-water to offer herself both to you and her own focuses.’

‘Yes, but … she’s human, Commander. You’re laying everything on a table that she might not—’

>'I understand, Akashi … I just wish I could have done better by her.' (Agree to not commit Akashi to Kasumi)
>'If anyone can, she can. And personal issues aside, you'll be hard-pressed finding anyone else willing to go the distance.' (Push your case for Kasumi helping in a practical capacity as her point)
>‘Right … you should bring one of your own, then.’ (Complete: BATTLESHIPS AND THE BEES)
>'Let's talk about something else, this … is getting too heavy.'
>Write-In

>>2520118
>>'If anyone can, she can. And personal issues aside, you'll be hard-pressed finding anyone else willing to go the distance.' (Push your case for Kasumi helping in a practical capacity as her point)
>>2520100
>>'If anyone can, she can ... and personal issues aside, you'll be hard-pressed finding anyone else willing to go above and beyond. Give her this chance, Akashi. I know how it's like to be turned down without so much as a second look. I think ... she does, too.' (Push your case for Kasumi helping in a practical capacity)
>Akashi, i can handle talking to others for you but im going to need help with it. Kasumi can offer another point of view that neither you or i can give.
>think of it as this way. you'd represent the Kanmusu side of this and she'd represent the human side and i'd be the one to help you both understand each other

>>2520126
this is ok, emphasis the fact that we are willing to talk/back akashi up when there is talking involved

>>2520126
Supporting.

File: Kasumi.jpg (803 KB, 707x1000)

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‘If anyone can, she can,’ you endorse, nodding in confidence, ‘and I know that her situation’s a little more … awkward than what you’re used to—not to mention the personal issues she comes with—but you’ll be hard-pressed finding anyone to go above and beyond in the first place. Not that I’m …’

You trail off, letting out a sigh and recounting your own emotions, your own biases. You hope that you were speaking out of personal exposure and opinion … and not just because you were here friend. Despite already pulling those strings from the start, you highly doubted that Kasumi would appreciate you pushing her case beyond what you had already done for her. Akashi’s uncertain look does tell you, however, that there was quite a bit of ground to make up, but …

The least you could do was open the door for her a little wider.

‘I think she deserves the second look … even if you don’t see it,’ you declare … with a tiny, uncertain squeak. You don’t know if you have conviction in it at all … mostly because of the fact that your own personal feelings still uncomfortably lingered on the issue.

But you had to do something.

Even if you ended up sounding like a hypocrite because of it.

‘I know what it’s like to be turned down and not have so much as a second glance thrown your way,’ you continue diplomatically, ‘and I think she does, too. Thing is, someone like her shouldn’t know that.’

‘Now you’re just waxing it.’

You close your eyes, throwing your head back.

‘Maybe,’ you concede again, ‘but she’s smart, she’s willing to do what it takes … and I’m willing to bet that she’ll be of more use in whatever it is you’re trying to pull than I can manage alone.’

Akashi closes her own eyes, crossing her goop-covered arms and squeaking with the shift in movement … before raising a finger—a prompt for you to wait—and walking away. You stay at the counter, covering your face in your hands and breathing heavily. You were definitely in over your head here …. what were you thinking? It wasn’t this hard dealing with Takao’s own requests; it wasn’t even a chore to manage Nachi and Tenryuu’s disdain, but when it came to Kasumi—an actual human element with a personal background to you—everything just seemed like a mess.

The Heretic had been right.

Five minutes go by …

Humans were more complicated than just links and words.

So much left unsaid, so much uncertainty …

Was this what it was really like to have it around? Truly?

Ten minutes …

But …

‘Here.’

You look up from your place at the counter, finding Akashi clad in her lab coat, handing you a … rather thick folder.

‘She can sort through that and help with the institutes, I’ll push the Admiralty for a budget and a form,’ Akashi states crisply.

‘Tha—’

>>2520654

That went well. I hope.

>Visit Location (Specify)
Gym

Gym time, time to get swole.

>>2520657
Hang on hang on, that copy-paste is missing a fucking line.

‘Don’t thank me,’ Akashi interrupts, turning on her heel. ‘If she’s as good as you say, I’ll take her.’

As she walks away, you can only hope that this was the right thing to do.

THE BATTLESHIPS AND THE BEES: UPDATED!

‘I want that on my desk by tomorrow, Commander!’ she calls out, throwing a hand up as she turned a corner.

You really did.

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

>>2520661
>Visit Location (Specify)
Gym

>>2520661
>>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
lets go find Kasumi and gets this done

>>2520661
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
THE BATTLESHIPS AND THE BEES

Find kasumi. Lets give her time to go through the material and plan for our negotiations.

Also wipe it down first.

Akashi got her slime all over it.

>>2520661
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>THE BATTLESHIPS AND THE BEES

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

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On the bright side, with it being this late … there was only one place that you’d put a bank on where Kasumi would be. On the other … you really didn’t like running so much in fatigues. With your libido having calmed down (somewhat), the body heat and energy had pretty much dissipated upon your exit from the medical wing … and the folder and thick pad felt more like dumbbells than they did lined stacks of paper. You’re thankful that your stamina had built up considerably—substantially—since you arrived in Yokosu—

Hem-hem …

And, of course, the voice in your head that rented an apartment somewhere in the nexus in your soul. You couldn’t forget her … or be rid of her (at least not at the current point in time).

Rude.

No sooner than you step into the compound of your barracks, however, the tell-tale boom in the skies above has you swearing up a storm, breaking out into a dash and landing yourself and landing right in front of the rigged porch. Sifting through your pockets, you pull out the keys right as the rain thunders down, entering the dark entrance hallway of the barracks … the thunder cracking as you shut the door.

You take your shoes off, shuffling onto the old, creaky, wooden floor.

The place is dark … perhaps no one had come back yet?

You walk towards the common area, eager to—

A hard sniffling sound reaches your ears as you stop just before placing your foot in. It was … restrained, a little loud, quaky, fearful and …

You peak around the corner.

Kasumi is there.

Her bags are packed, her face is buried between her knees …

And she weeps.

>Write-In

>>2520696
Don’t give up yet. I certainly haven’t.

>>2520696
>Write-In
“There you are kasumi.”
Call out to her and pull her to her feet.
“Alashi wants us to go through this folder and get ready for the negotiations tomorrow. I’m really gonna need your help to understand what all this means.”

Then as she starts to slowly process exactly what we’re saying, “It’s not over yet, we get this done right, there’ll be a position for you.”

>>2520713
supportin

>>2520713
Who is this Alashi you speak of? Could she be related to Akebono?

>>2520713
I'll support this with a spelling correction.

>>2520713
going for this

File: Best Friend of Yours.gif (2.82 MB, 500x280)

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‘Kasumi?’

Pretending not to hear something and trying to push on without hearing it was a skill that you had developed (but hadn’t quite mastered). It was highly likely, however, from what you and Akashi had talked about … that Kasumi’s bout was set on by the realization of a horrifying—and accurate—assumption that her follow-up to her efforts had lead to nothing more of the same. Calibrating your approach was hard … and remaining casual about it instead of going the route that you had tried and tested with your girls was even harder. She wouldn’t be so easy to fool.

Not that the KanMusu were, of course, it was just that …

And as your thoughts trail off, you realize that the Heretic was only growing more and correct by the second.

You find that it is just as frustrating for you, too.

But it could wait.

She stares up at you with wide eyes. You try to pull off the best puzzled and concerned look that you can give. There is only the hope that the light is bad enough to supplement your poor attempt at theatre. You can’t make out her expression as the shadows shift and darken the room soon after, the thunder booming outside doing little to alleviate the mood that had been set. Shifting around, you reach for the walls, finding the switch and flicking it.

As the lights flicker to life, you notice her hurriedly wiping away her tears … although she stays in her prone position in the floor. You approach her, taking the (rather heavy) folder and pad out from its spot under your armpits and holding it in your hand, offering the other for her to take.

Her grip is limp, but she does put her hand in yours. You pull her to her feet, trying your best to assess—and reassess, over and over, thousands of times per second—your approach to the situation. You didn’t want to set her off by stepping on the wrong loose nerve.

‘What’re you doing in the dark?’

Kasumi doesn’t answer.

And despite your better judgment, you use …

Humor.

‘If you’re trying to sort through your clothes, it’s better to do it in the light … we don’t get footed with the bill around here, so feel free to—’

‘I didn’t get it.’

You let out a breath.

An honest one. Akashi had told you before, but …

Facing two truths in the same day was never a simple thing.

You would know.

‘Miss Akashi, she said … that she’d review my case, but … I know what it means.’

‘Weird,’ you reply non-committally, raising the folder for her to see, ‘because she just asked me to find you and go over these together with you.’

‘What?’

‘She also told me to consider it your trial period. You pass this and—’

She grips the fabric of your fatigues, glaring up with you with angry—hateful—red eyes.

‘What … did you do?’

You open your mouth ... but find no words.

>Write-In

>>2520746
>do? i didnt do anything. Akashi needed help dealing with the Institutes and i volunteered to help her. but seeing how i dont really know how the Institutes operate and the stuff they do, i would need help
>and since someone applied for a position with her that seems to be in the perfect position to do so, so you got the job
fuck with this how you see fit

>>2520746
>Write-in
“I didn’t tell her anything that wasn’t the truth. Akashi needs help handling the negotiations, to directly talk with the representatives. But i dont really understand the material and akashi’s workload is already terribly full with wartime demands. I need help, to understand what I am negotiating for or i’ll be up shit creek without a paddle.

We need your help. *I* need your help. And no, i dont owe akashi any favours for this.”

>>2520758
this

>>2520746
Nothing special, just what I could to support the war effort, my friend and my comrade in arms.

>>2520758
supportin

File: Trouble Woman.jpg (69 KB, 850x478)

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‘Nothing that didn’t apply,’ you return diplomatically, taking a step back and placing the file between the both of you (as a form of insurance, in case she decided to get physical). ‘But … you can consider this your trial period, I guess; Akashi’s horrible at dealing with people and—despite my own misgivings—you’re probably better at manoeuvring around it than I am.’

‘I don’t need your—’

‘If this was a bout of pity, I wouldn’t be putting you in the same room as that man again, believe me.’

Kasumi halts, grasping her elbows and turning away, a hiss and the sound of grinding teeth escaping her lips.

She was angry.

She had made that more than apparent.

‘It’s not,’ Kasumi pauses, trying to collect herself, ‘do you even know what you’re doing to me?’

‘I’m trying to put the best possible—’

Kasumi, however, has none of it.

‘It you wanted the best you could have asked anyone else! Any of the specialists! Anyone but me! Do you even get how this looks now? I didn’t want you to do this out of guilt or any sort of … misplaced sense of compassion! This … this is just more of the same! Nothing’s changed!’

‘Kasumi …’

She rounds on you, jabbing a finger in your chest as she snarls at you through the waterfall of tears. ‘I accepted it because I thought you were just opening a door that I could step through. I don’t want … I don’t want to …’

The sound of thunder and rain echoes as Kasumi trails off, looking away again.

‘Oh, God …’

She hugs herself, choking out her words.

‘I don’t want to go back to that …’

>Write-In