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>>3468391
An awkward silence engulfed the room as I stared at the two and the two stared back.
I wanted to give them a typical greeting, something to at least ease her worries, yet I found myself struggling to speak from how dry my throat felt.
“I--”
“Thank goodness!”
In a burst of energy, Yanagi threw herself onto me, wrapping me in a close embrace. Her powerful, tearful tackle almost threw me off balance. I felt her arms locking around my chest, then the slight bristling of her hair as my childhood friend planted her teary face over my shoulder.
“You… you’re….”
However, this sudden burst of joy soon died down as she made some space between us and looked straight into my eyes.

“You’re not okay.” She lets go of her embrace, and the same worried look resurfaced. “Subaru, you haven’t left the room! Did you even eat anything?”
“Not...much.” I answered weakly. “There isn’t much appetit….”
“It’s been TWO DAYS! TWO WHOLE DAYS!” Yanagi grabbed the sides of my coat and gave me a hard shake. “You’ll die like this!”

“It’s fine, I’m not going to...”
“No you’re not!” My friend raised her voice. “Look in the mirror Subaru, you look like a ghoul!”
She did not wait for what I had to say. Instead, Yanagi flipped on the lights and stormed into the room, her eyes darting around frantically, searching for something.
Eventually, she locked onto a couple of empty plastic bags sitting on the corner of a disorganized desk, then swiftly picked one up for a full examination.

“Are these… IV fluids!?” Her eyes went wide. “Subaru, you can’t survive off this alone! Were you trying to kill yourself!?”

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>>3468407
I cannot deny that the thought did cross my mind more than once, but I don’t think sharing this information with Yanagi is a good idea.

“I… didn’t really have the appetite to consume anything else in the past few days…”
Honestly, while the IV fluids tasted horrible, I haven’t had any urge of going out to fetch anything else.

“Look at me.” Yanagi came back before me and clasped both of her palms onto the side of my cheeks. “Don’t do this to yourself, Subaru. What happened was not your fault. You should…”

“It is my fault.” I shook my head and swiped her hands away. “I should have brought Tewi along, even if it was against her wishes. I should have turned down Admiral Sima’s offer for dinner, that way those bastards would have never known who she was in the first place….”
“Subaru…”

“That's enough!”
My words were cut off short as Hibari stepped into the ring, frustrated and completely fed up with my attitude.
Hibari did not have the time, patience, or grace to stomach my negativity, and her displeasure was manifested in the form of a powerful backhanded slap on my left cheek. The pain registered almost instantaneously as the force of her knuckles collided with my cheekbone, causing me to stumble backward while static rang in my left ear.
“What are you going to say next, huh?” She stormed before me and grabbed me tightly by the collar, lifting me off the ground. “That you should have never taken part in this operation!?”

“YES, I SHOULDN’T HAVE PAR-”
Before I could finish, the same impact landed on my face again, this time on the right.

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>>3468425
“Koishimizu-senpai!”
I could hear Yanagi’s cry as Hibari’s right hand collided with my face again, this time finding its mark on my right cheek. “Please, he’s gone through enough!”
Yanagi rushed in and broke up our scuffle by planting herself right between us.
“Humph.” The pilot snorted, finally letting go of my collar as Yanagi grabbed my arm to prevent me from falling over. “You’re not the only one who lost loved ones in this war, Kurokawa. How about you pay some attention to the folks who entrusted their lives to you!?”

Be it her words or the aftershock of two consecutive slaps, Hibari’s actions did manage to strike a ting in my head, reminding me of the role I was assigned to by the Captain.

Indeed, I am Yamato’s acting captain now.
Everyone aboard this ship has entrusted their lives to me, for me to lead them. Yet here I am wallowing in self-pity, abandoning my duty and leaving everyone vulnerable. I cannot allow this to continue.

“Have you finally pulled your head out of your ass yet?” Hibari asked once again, standing before me with her arms crossed before her chest.

“I guess I have,” I answered, placing a hand on my reddened cheek.
“Good, now get off the ground and head to the bridge,” Hibari replied, her expression softening a little. “There are people waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
With newfound resolve, I dashed out from my disgraceful hiding and made way towards the bridge. I may have failed Tewi, but because of that, I cannot afford to fail everyone here too.

I stood before the watertight door leading to the bridge, the first time since two days ago. Without hesitation, I pushed open the door, not really putting much thought or preparation to return to my duty. On second thought, I probably should have.

“Crew, how have we been doing in the past few days?”
My question was managed to catch the attention of practically everyone in the bridge, albeit not in the way I had hoped for.

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>>3468438
“What are you doing here?” Isao Nishihara, my supposed first officer, was the first to raise the question amidst the numerous eyes gathered on me the moment I made my presence known. I could tell he hasn’t been fond of me before, but this time he wasn’t even trying to hide it.
“To resume my duties.” I answered truthfully, but that answer was far from satisfactory for him.
“You were AWOL for the past two days.” Isao began, nailing me in front of the entire bridge. “You suffered a nervous breakdown during the engagement, endangering the entire crew. You have shown yourself incapable of taking up the duty as the Captain of the ship. There is no place for you here.”
“Nishihara, I am still the captain of this ship.”
“Yes, and in name only. Nothing more.” He drove the stake farther down my heart. “Now go make yourself useful elsewhere. The rest of you, back to your stations.”

I found myself at a loss of words, not as much to Isao’s harsh words but the silence from the rest of the crew on the bridge, seemingly agreeing with him. As much as I’d hate to admit… he was right. Even if I wanted to wrangle with Isao now, there was little ground I had to stand on.
With my rekindled spirit more or less crushed, I unceremoniously retreated from the bridge and stood alone in the hallway, head hanging low.
For the first time since the beginning of this operation, I was at a loss of where my next step was. There must be something else I can do, under these circumstances...

>Find Yanagi, see if there is something she needs help with
>Assist Margaret in the engine room.
>Survey the hangars and help Hibari out, I owe her one.
>I used to work in the kitchen in Kure, maybe I could help in the mess hall?
>Write in?

>>3468458
>Assist Margaret in the engine room.
I was firmly in the Yanagi camp, but in the current circumstances I'm all for wooing Margaret. Because she can kill people well, and we have people we need killed.

>>3468458
>>Survey the hangars and help Hibari out, I owe her one.

>>3468458
>Assist Margaret in the engine room

>>3468458
>Find Yanagi, see if there is something she needs help with
>>3468594
The most important thing now is to refresh our minds and move on from the loss. Hunting down Fuxiang is a given but I would much prefer Subaru dealing with her by himself.

>>3471165
>I would much prefer Subaru dealing with her by himself
How do you imagine it? You think she'd agree to an honorable duel or something?

>>3468458
>Survey the hangars and help Hibari out, I owe her one.

>>3471205
Of course not, but there are a couple lot of opportunities where she could be forced into a similar situation.
We know Aiteng sends her out mainly for scouting and covert ops, and we also have a rough idea as to where she likes to hang out. Chances are we may run into her in Palawan, or catch her trying to escape like last time.

Vengeance pays off well should the MC carry it out by himself, and Waifus shouldn't be something picked based on the practicality of the situation.

>>3468458
>Assist Margaret in the engine room.
Was about to pick Yanagi since she still has the whole spyware project that needs to be set up, but I doubt she would be in the mood to do so.

Margaret could offer more emotional support just because she treasures her own family as much as our MC.

>>3471268
First of all the one we have to take revenge on is Aiteng (Subaru thinks Fuxiang is dead, though I'm absolutely sure she isn't). And Aiteng is a military commander who is hard to get to. We'll need all the resources and firepower we can get.
So actually our next move should be ousting Isao and taking back control of the ship.

There really is no need to rush for a waifu now desu.

Going by the standard VC narrative, we're going to face off against Aiteng's subordinates one by one, gradually leading to a final showdown with her near the end of the story.
We're pretty much set up for a warship v warship scenario, which in that case radar detection and firepower will be equally as important.

It's kind of silly to assume that we might be engaging any member of Beiyang on land. Probably Fuxiang, but she's MIA for now so that might not even happen.

>>3471622
But I don't want to just engage Aiteng at sea.
We could probably defeat and kill her, but she's a soldier and ready for such a fate. What kind of revenge would that be?

What we need to do is make her suffer like we suffered. Find someone dear to her and kill THEM first. And for that we definitely might need a land operation.

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>>3471698
>harming her son.
That's going too far.

>>3472856
Not at all.

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After that encounter at the bridge, a friendly face would be very much welcoming, to say the least. Yet at the same time, getting kicked out of the bridge left me quite directionless. Where could I go from here? I cannot turn around and force myself back into my old position, and I prefer not to cause any more trouble for Yanagi and Hibari after what they had to put up with earlier.

I began wandering aimlessly abroad the warship, walking deeper and deeper into the battleship’s inner workings. By the time I finally came up with a somewhat passable plan, I found myself again standing in front of the most intricate, centrifugal part of the super battleship - her boiler room.

“Here again, huh?” I thought to myself, looking upon the core chamber within Yamato’s boilers. Strong, fresh streams of sapphire light coursed through the pipes on the walls and floor underneath the catwalks I stood on, emanating outwards in rapid pulses that resembled fast heartbeats. The pipes conjugated to a gray spherical shell adorned with spiral carvings. The structure stood tall like an ancient monolith, more appropriate as an exhibition in a museum than a ship engine.

Judging by the pace in which the glow pulsate, Margaret must be working extra hard too.

It has been three whole days since I last saw her, which made me wonder what had transpired for the Valkyria in the past few days. Her duty onboard was pretty much constrained within this chamber, isolated from the rest of the ship. Because of that, Margaret rarely made contact with anyone else aside from the occasional orders from the bridge. Quite similar to the predicament I placed myself in for the last two days...

I placed a hand on the handle on the side of the door leading into the spiral structure, realizing how much I missed Margaret’s company.

Turning the hatch, I began putting force into my hand to open the watertight chamber. However, my actions immediately came to a halt as a low, angry growl shot out from the chamber.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The spiral-engraved door bulged a bit, and an eye squinted from the other side of the tiny opening.
The voice from the other side was instantly recognizable.

“Akasaka-san?”
“Kurokawa?”
Sounding rather surprised by my presence, Akane quickly opened the hatch, yanked me in with a hand, then immediately sealed it shut.
“Please refrain from entering without informing us first.” She scolded in her most polite tone possible, keeping her voice low. “See, I was this close to pulling a gun on you.”
My eyes drifted naturally to the pistol gripped firmly in her right hand. As usual, I could not tell if this was just another one of her bad joke, or if she was seriously planning to point that thing at the forehead of any person foolish enough to make an uninformed entry.

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>>3473902
“Akasaka-chan, is there something wrong?” Margaret’s voice echoed from the center of the core. Just like before, the Valkyria sat on that modified seat at the heart of the device, dressed in bare minimum to improve cooling. She appeared to be more at ease at handling the machine compared our voyage from Kure to Formosa, but the trickles of sweat droplets that glittered over the Valkyria’s exposed skin was a telltale sign of how hard she had pushed herself in the past few days. Interestingly, I also noticed a piece of dark cloth wrapped around her eyes…is that a blindfold?

> Margaret-san, please take a rest.
> Ask to have some time alone with Margaret
> Stay silent, Margaret needs to concentrate for now.
> Ask about the blindfold
> Write-in

>>3473908
>Ask to have some time alone with Margaret
Is this the lewd choice?

>>3473908
>Ask about the blindfold

>>3473908
Also a reminder that Akane was the one to take the shot who killed our sister.

>>3473908
> Margaret-san, please take a rest.

>>3473908
>Margaret-san, please take a rest.

>>3473945
To be fair, Satoru is more to blame on that scenario for being the guy that called the shot.

>>3473908
>Ask to have some time alone with Margaret

>>3475055
I think Subaru has the capacity to be upset at them both.

>>3473908
>Ask to have some time alone with Margaret

I feel that all this obsession about vengeance isn't going to get the MC anywhere. Instead it's better to focus on what was entrusted to us and completing the second phase of this operation.

Putting this out there because right now our MC just seems lost in terms of direction and what he should be focusing on. Avenging a close family member is important but forwarding the operation should always come first.

>>3479270
This course of action is rational, logical, and absolutely fucking OOC. As such, it is unacceptable.

Also, consider that the goal of completing the operation and enacting revenge are aligned most of the time.

>>3479281
>OOC
To be fair, Subaru is still kind of a blank state MC up till now, and I think this is the arc where QMs wants us to paint him into an actual character.
Then again, we're still stuck in the early stages of grief, so I guess being a bit irresponsible does sort of make sense as of the moment.

>>3479362
It would be OOC for almost any human.

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“Akasaka-san, may I have some time with Margaret-san?”
“Hm? Sure.” Akane mused, putting away her gun. “Miss Denisov could do with a break.”
“In private please,” I added, “If you don’t mind.”
My views on Akane has considerably changed since the encounter two days ago. The way she was able to follow that order without a second of hesitation was a quality found in many ideal soldiers. Yet at the same time, that quality of hers made me concerned in letting her know too much.

“Oh, of course.” Her lips formed a playful grin. “Try not to get too excited in there. She’s still got a battleship to power.”
I responded with an acknowledging nod and a sigh. The smirk on her face made what she was alluding to quite obvious. I, however, am not in the mood for jokes, nor do I see something like that happening anytime soon.
“I’ll be in the corridor, if you need me.” The ever so mischievous tanker flashed me a wink before swiftly exiting the chamber.

Now then…
Just like my previous visit, I approached the Valkyria sitting quietly on her ‘throne’, the same mass of electrodes attached onto her exposed skin. It was just as eerie and unnatural just as I had remembered it- and by the look of her tense expression wasn’t getting any easier for her either.
I braced myself to catch Margaret just in case if she lost her footing from exhaustion like last time .
“Margaret-san.”
“Subaru? Subaru-kun!?”
Upon hearing my voice, Margaret hastily ripped off the black piece of cloth wrapped over her eyes.
“Subaru-kun! It’s really you!”
The Valkyria’s strong emotions translated into immediate action. Margaret propelled herself out of her seat in an instant, snagging the electrode pads and causing their wires to hang messily around the seat. However, she could care less about little details like that.

Margaret pulled me tightly into her embrace, before I had the chance to answer with words. I responded by wrapping my arms over her waist, which more or less has come naturally now. I still remembered at one point where I found this sort of behavior a bit off-putting. Now, it has become the usual way the two of us greeted each other.

“...!!”
However, no amount of enthusiasm was enough to mask her fatigue and strain from constantly powering the core. The moment the two of us collided, I could feel Margaret’s center of gravity taking a massive shift forward, causing her tall frame to lean on me like a falling tree. Fortunately, I was fully prepared for a scenario like this

Slightly bending my knee, I braced myself and used my body to prevent her from tipping over.
“Margaret-san, you’re pushing it too much.” I told her, trying to balance myself while propping up her weakened state.
“Sorry.” She managed between labored, strained breaths.
“Have a rest.”
Summoning all my strength, I settled the tall girl onto a cushioned chair nearby. Then, I grabbed one for myself and sat right beside her.

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>>3479603
“Subaru-kun…” she began, eyeing me with as much concern for my well being as Yanagi did prior. “About the past two days…”
“I know. I wasn't in the best mood.” I replied, taking off my coat. Margaret only responded with silence and melancholy, unsure of what to say in this situation.

“I’m so sorry for your loss…” She muttered softly, sliding an arm over my shoulders as she lowered her head. “I cannot imagine what it’s like to lose someone so close to you.”
I gently placed my right hand over hers, trying to lock the grief into the back of my head.
“If there’s anything I could do, please let me know.” Margaret followed up, even if she’s not in the best shape to do anything.”
“Actually, that’s what I’m here to do.”

“Um...Hm? What do you mean?” Her eyes widened with curiosity
“Well… you see… I’ve been ‘reassigned’ here from the bridge.” I explained, trying my best to explain to Margaret without giving the impression that I’ve been kicked out in reality. “I’ll be taking care of you for the time being.”
“But what about Akasaka-chan?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me!” A jolly, high pitched voice exploded suddenly as Akane returned, rejoining us from behind. “Kurokawa-san’s help is much appreciated. I have other things to attend to as well, after all.”
So much for giving us some privacy…
“Please, do enjoy yourselves.” Akane chirped joyfully, walking up on us from behind. “I’ll be at the main batteries if I am needed.”
With that, Akane Akasaka skipped off while humming a light tune, seeming awfully happy to have someone take over her duties. But then again, I did remember her complaining about crunch times back in Formosa, so I guess I’ve actually done her a favor this time?

Regardless, taking care of Margaret is my duty now. I suppose I should start with...

>I’ll fetch you some hot water to clean yourself with.
>Have you eaten today? I’ll go grab a bite
>Let me fetch some things to make this place a bit more comfortable
>Write in

>>3479610
>I’ll fetch you some hot water to clean yourself with.

>>3479610
>Have you eaten today? I’ll go grab a bite
We can use Margaret as muscle to return control over the bridge, and we need to do this ASAP. Isao has technically committed a mutiny, so legally we're in the clear.

>>3479610
>Have you eaten today? I’ll go grab a bite
>>3479754
Aren't we already sort of doing so by being her caretaker? She's the one powering the ship, and we do have some influence over that.
I just hope we aren't going down the same path as Maximilian

>>3479928
She doesn't control the direction, firepower, communications and all other things. We need to reclaim our authority.

>>3479939
Which is pretty much what we're going to do bit by bit starting here, regaining the trust of our crew.

>>3479963
We already have Margaret's trust as it is.

>>3479610
>>Let me fetch some things to make this place a bit more comfortable

>>3479610
>Have you eaten today? I’ll go grab a bite
Preferably not disgusting canned squid or anything that might repulse her

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All this work powering the battleship must be very taxing for Margaret. Getting her something to eat should help her replenish stamina … and perhaps I should get some proper nourishment for myself as well.
Yanagi was right, IV fluids really were not an ideal meal replacement.
“Have you eaten yet?” I asked concerningly. While Margaret’s vitality has recovered a little since she first stepped out of the core, she still looked like she’s in dire need of a good meal and a good night’s sleep. “I’ll go fetch some food, and please take a break in the meantime. We can resume after your meal.” I said, standing up from my seat. “Is there anything, in particular, you would like?”

“I’ll take anything you choose.”Margaret nodded and muttered softly in response. “Thank you, Subaru-kun.”

Anything? The thought of grabbing some of my favorite treats immediately crossed my mind, should they be available in the mess deck. However, would Margaret appreciate them the same way I do?
Canned, salted and fermented seafood was an acquired taste, after all.
While Margaret wasn’t a picky eater, I doubt my preferences would fit well with what she required.
The last thing I want was to see her make the same face Yanagi and Satoru would whenever they come across my choice of food.

“I’ll be back in a moment.”
Walking out of the watertight door of the core, I quickly took the stairs out of the boiler room and made a beeline to the mess deck.

The mess deck was relatively empty by the time I got there. A clock hung upon the grayscale wall like an all-seeing eye, its arms striking precisely at 9:00. While my circadian rhythm has gone quite haywire for the past few days, I could still tell it’s night right now by the empty hall. It must be way past dining time for most of the crew anyhow.
While I’m sure the mess deck staff are about to check out, I could probably still push a little past time schedule with Margaret in the equation. As I walked past some long tables and steel benches locked firmly on the deck floor, I was caught off guard by a familiar figure cleaning the countertop.

“Khoshut-san?”
“Ah!” The abducted princess almost jumped out of her skin at the mention of her real name. She spun around quickly, panicked and searching around left and right for the source of the voice
“Don’t worry, it’s me.” I said, trying to calm her down as her eyes met with mine. She sighs in relief, then skeeted up close and placed an index finger over her lips.

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>>3490639
“I-it’s Saya, Kurokawa-san.” The princess instructed me with a reddened face. “I am Saya Shinjou, a volunteer from Formosa. P-please, call me that from now on. ”
I was genuinely puzzled by her demand. I understood why she would hide her identity, but why would she be here helping out, all of a sudden?
“So… what brings you here, Kho--Shinjou-san?”
“I… I wanted to help, in any way I could.” She murmured softly, slightly trembling from anxiety.
“But why?” I questioned her further, curious of her reasoning.
“I- it’s for Tewi-chan…” Amile turned away to hide her visage, before raising an arm to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. “What they did to her was... wrong.”
I pinched the neck of my nose. Looks like I’m not the only one severely impacted by that incident, but knowing that did not make me feel any better. In fact, the mere mention of my sister sank my mood back into the gutter.

“Why… Why would they do such horrible things?” The princess sniffed, she could barely hold back that torrent of tears behind her eyelids. It was quite surprising, to be honest, seeing just how important my sister was to Amile.

>Give her some space to grieve
>My sister… who was she to you?
>This is how war goes.
>Write in

>>3490644
>My sister… who was she to you?

>>3490644
>Cry together.

>>3490644
>My sister… who was she to you?

>>3490644
>My sister… who was she to you?

>>3490644
>My sister… who was she to you?

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“My sister... who was she to you?”
Amile paused for a moment and lowered her head.
“She was… the first person I could call a friend.”
A single droplet dripped down from the corner of her eye. In this instant, she looked not at me, but right through me. Sensing the teardrop slowly crawling down her cheek, Amile quickly swiped it away with her sleeve and spun around, hiding her face away.

A friend, she said?
I was reminded of the first time I met Amile, sitting in her lonesome self sobbing quietly. I can somewhat imagine her upbringing- unlike the Khan’s three prominent princes who always stood front and center in the public eye, the daughters of the Khagan were given the opposite treatment. With the exception of marriage and national events, they barely appeared before the public eye, making most aspects of their lives shrouded in mystery behind the heavy walls of the imperial palace.
Amile’s life appears to have been locked within the regal court too, isolated from the outside world and groomed to be a political chess piece, nothing more. For someone who has lived such a lonely, bleak life, finally making a friend only to lose her so soon… must be hard too.

“K-Kurokawa-san, are you here for something?” She asked between brief sniffs in an evident attempt to change the subject at hand.
“I’m here to get food for Denisov-san.” I took a napkin on the countertop and passed it to her, to which she graciously accepted and used to wipe off some of the moisture accumulated around her eyes.
“P-please go find Haruta-san. He’s in the kitchen” she offered me the general directions before turning aside to fetch more napkins. I felt that any further mention of my sister would turn her into a tearful mess, and to be honest, so would I.
“Take care.” I decided to leave her alone for the time being, at least give her some time to grieve.

Taking Amile’s advice, I headed towards the other end of the mess deck, towards the serving counter right next to the other exit.
“Haruta-dono?” I called out as I caught a glimpse of the masked man in the far end of the kitchen, resting on foldable stools after alongside his fellow army men we rescued in Aki. While they did serve as Captain Suwabe’s bodyguard for a short while prior to Operation Ten-go, they’ve been assigned to this position the moment we’ve boarded the ship, considering their general lack of experience in sailing and the marines taking up the combat duty aboard.
Though this transfer could be seen as an affront to his career, Ayafumi seemed rather comfortable in this position.

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>>3493857
“Who is it?” Ayafumi stood up from his seat and looked around, bringing the aproned soldier fully into view.
“Kurokawa?” His eyes widened in mild surprise as he identified who I was.
“I’m here to fetch some food for Marg… Denisov-san.” I spoke up, nearly letting slip of how close the two of us had become.
He walked up to the counter, eyes scanning me head to toe as if sizing me up, then shook his head with a sigh.

“You need food too.” He declared, pointing to the benches on the side. “Sit there and wait.”
He leaves, not giving me any time to respond.
“O...okay?” I did as told, and sat at a table closest to the counter.

“Oh, is that you, Kurokawa?”
No sooner had I landed in the seat, I found myself yanked into a forceful, yet non-hostile headlock by a familiar figure.
“S--Shirataki-senpai?”
“Hey.” He smiles jovially, holding me with one arm. “Haven’t seen you for a while!”
He lets go of me and shuffles a bit closer, bringing over his tray of the unfinished meal right next to me. My eyes darted around, scanning across the vacant mess deck, then back to the marine commander. To my surprise, Itaru was eating alone, in the absence of any of his aides or close friends.
“You’re eating this late?”
“Had to run some long errands earlier, no big deal.” He answered, returning to his meal and munched on a chunk of canned tomato. “Looks like you’ve had quite a long day, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah, I suppose…” I shied away from his advances, trying my best to avoid this topic.
“See, it’s written all over your face.” He pointed out with sharp observation. “Why not share the load? Maybe I can help you out a little.”
I turned back to him, just in time to see that same carefree, confident grin that never seemed to leave Itaru’s face. I can’t just push his goodwill away like that.
“Well…”
Relaxing my shoulders and locking my fingers together, I began reciting my day up to this very point. Itaru leaned forward, attention trained upon every minute detail of my accounts.

“I see, I see…” The tattooed marine nodded and leaned back onto his seat. “Well, don’t take Isao’s words too personally. That’s just how he functions. Means no harm, usually.”
“No harm? What he did was outright mutiny!”
“Mutiny? We won’t be here talking idly if it was!” He laughed off my remark as if like some hyperbolic joke. “I’ve known the guy since we were both brats in the academy. That’s just his way of telling you to take some time off, refresh yourself, and come back when you’re ready to take the handles again.”
“But I am ready, Shirataki-senpai.”
“I don’t think so, not like this at least.” He pointed a finger at my face as if signaling me to take heed of his words. “You gotta learn how to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.”

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>>3493860
I stared down on the table again, taking Itaru’s words to heart. While I still did not agree on the way Isao conducted himself back on the bridge, I cannot say for certain that I was taking good care for myself, nor in my peak condition to function. In that case, no wonder nobody spoke up for me back there.

Itaru gave me a hard slap on the shoulder. “There, go get some rest and sort your thoughts out. Isao mentioned something about ‘doing something useful’ right? I’m sure there are some important tasks you could do in the meantime.”
More important tasks, huh? In a split second, something clicked at the back of my head.

Maybe I know just what this important task might be.

“Thank you, Shirataki-senpai.” I rose up, much more motivated than before. “I think I know what to do now.”
“No problem,” He answered, “See, you sound much better now.”
Indeed, and right now, my utmost priority should be…

>Try to decipher the contents of the microfilm, find out what and where the treasures are stashed
>Wiretap the boiler room, investigate the Denisov Family’s true intentions
>Investigate the previous logs left by Captain Suwabe, there might be some useful information within them
>Write in

>>3493864
>Try to decipher the contents of the microfilm, find out what and where the treasures are stashed

>>3493864
>Wiretap the boiler room, investigate the Denisov Family’s true intentions
We've been sitting on this for far too long

>>3493864
>Wiretap the boiler room, investigate the Denisov Family’s true intentions

>>3493864
>>Investigate the previous logs left by Captain Suwabe, there might be some useful information within them

>>3493864
>Try to decipher the contents of the microfilm, find out what and where the treasures are stashed

>>3493864
>Try to decipher the contents of the microfilm, find out what and where the treasures are stashed

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Deciphering the contents of the microfilm, and uncover the national treasure entrusted to me by the Captain. But first, I need to find a way to read the contents of the microfilm, all the while taking care of Margaret…
I suppose it’s not the most sound plan to investigate the microfilm with Margaret in my proximity. I do trust the Valkyria, but not her brother nor his subordinates.

“Done!” Ayafumi announced loudly, ringing a bell on the countertop. I immediately hopped out of my seat to join masked soldier, who stood at the counter with two bento boxes stacked on top of each other, wrapped neatly with a piece of cloth to serve as handle.
“Make sure to finish all of them.” He finishes, wiping off his hands twice before pushing the bentos toward me. As I took the bento boxes, I quickly realized that these bentos were still warm.
“Thank you,” I siad, to which Ayafumi simply responded with a nod, then retreated back into the kitchen.
With the bentos at hand, I decided it’s best to deliver them while warm, not forgetting to give a nod to Itaru as I passed by him. Still chewing a mouthful of rice, he raised me a thumbs up as I exited the mess deck.

Despite carrying two sulking boxes of bentos, my body felt considerably lighter and agile with a clear goal in mind. Cracking the cipher on the microfilm might be tedious and time consuming, but if the Captain said it was doable, it was enough to get me motivated. Not to mention, he already gave me a good hint on the key to the cipher- the Iroha.
However, as I walked deeper into the maze of pipes and catwalks in the boiler room, an array of questions began forming in my mind.

How were I to view the contents of a microfilm?
I stopped in my track and pondered for a moment, struck with the realization of how little I understood about the technology as a whole. There has to be something on Yamato that could allow me to access the information. There was no way the Captain would’ve left such an valuable piece of intel to me without any directions on what to do with it. Surely I can find some related information in the Captain’s chamber, or perhaps I should ask someone who may be more familiar with the matter… but that would be for later.

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>>3506676
I returned to my track, finding myself back in front of the watertight door leading into the core.
“I’m back, Margaret-san.” I entered the core, raising the bentos at resting Margaret sitting on the side. “Haruta-san made bento for us.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up energetically as she stood up from her seat. As if the fatigue was instantly transformed into enthusiasm, the Valkyria joyfully watched as I laid the package on the table before her.

“This is for you.” I unwrapped the cloth tying the bentos together and handed Margaret her share, to which she opened with excitement without a second’s hesitation. The pleasant smell of freshly cooked rice and grilled fish quickly filled our proximity, giving me the urge to open up my box as well.
The contents of the both bentos were essentially the same- rice onigiris, grilled salted salmon, and tamagoyaki, all of which freshly prepared and steaming hot, with some boiled komatsuna and pickled daikon radish on the side. If anything, the bento is reminiscent of a balanced meal a mother would spend time to prepare for her children. Ayafumi certainly does not hold back in carrying his duties.

“Itadakimasu.” The two of us declared in unison, then quickly dug into our meal.
As the she picked up a pair of chopsticks, I quickly noticed that something was not right. With the times I’ve spent dining with Margaret, I was quite certain of her ability to use the feeding utensil exclusive to the orient. However, as we dined, she struggled to pick up chunks of fish with them. At first, I thought these were just coincidences, tiny mistakes that may happen out of the blue , until…
“Aah!”
Margaret let out a soft yelp as a hot, steaming piece of egg dropped onto her lap, then rolled onto the ground.
“Margaret-san, are you alright?”
I quickly responded, with a napkin in my hand. As I got close to offer the napkin, I realized the reason behind all of these little ‘mistakes’: her hands were actually trembling all this while.
“I’m fine, Subaru-kun” She nodded with a weak smile. “I was just a little tired, that’s all.”
‘A little’ tired must be the greatest understatement I’ve heard from her.
If any labor was enough to strain a Valkyria to the point of rendering her unable to perform basic actions, then it surely was an issue for great concern.

I looked at the dropped piece of egg on the ground, wasted as it was. It may be possible for Margaret to eat the onigiri with her hands, but definitely not the grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, and komatsuna included in the bento. Not only would she miss out on a freshly prepared meal, she would also miss the nutrients she needed to properly recover.
More importantly… I can’t bear to watch her like this.

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>>3506679
“Margaret-san, here.” I picked up a my own piece of tamagoyaki with my chopsticks and presented it right before her face. The Valkyria stared intently at my action, not sure what to make out of it.
“It’s alright.” I coaxed her with a smile, holding the piece of egg before her mouth. “Now, please open your mouth-”

Margaret’s cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink, then burst into the warm, angelic smile I knew her of.
“Thank you, Subaru-kun!”
Gently, she bit down on the piece of egg from my chopsticks, then quickly munched down the whole piece. I watched Margaret chew the delicately seared roll, savouring the taste that must be quite exotic and alien to her, then finally swallowing the bit in one gulp.

In time, I ended up feeding Margaret through her entire meal, including the rice balls. My own meal was half finished and turned cold by the time I was done, but I didn’t feel too bummed out about it. It’s quite a little price to pay to see Margaret happy and well nourished, after all.
“Now, Margaret-san, please take some time to rest and recover.” I suggested as I stacked the bento boxes together and wrapped them in the cloth I brought them here with.
“I will. Thank you again, Subaru-kun. I will see you… in a bit!”
Margaret responded with a soft yawn, before taking out a small pillow from behind her back and moving to the couch Akane occupied earlier. From the look of things, I suppose Margaret sleeps here too.
While the boiler room core had a few furniture for a small living room, it was far from an ideal place to lodge. I might have to bring a futon for her some time in the future.

As Margaret slipped into her dreams, the question of the microfilm resurfaced in my mind again. This time, I should weigh the options currently available to progress in this matter…

>Search around the Captain’s room, see what sort of devices are available.
>Ask Yanagi if she knows a device capable of projecting a microfilm
>Ask Akane if our ‘employer’ has something that can do the trick
>Write in

>>3506682
>Search around the Captain’s room, see what sort of devices are available.

>>3506682
>Search around the Captain’s room, see what sort of devices are available.

>>3506682
>Search around the Captain’s room, see what sort of devices are available.