Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Note: Credit to where credit is due; thanks and shout-out to TheAverageAsian217 for convincing me to finally create a Commander character]

---

The upcoming exercise...

Alright. I can do this. I may be a new Commander, but I can do this! I... have to do this.

Don't think about that time. Just breathe. You're a Commander now. You have to do this-

---

"Commander?"

I was awakened from my thoughts by Suruga, who was standing in front of me. From her seemingly exasperated expression, she had been trying to get me out of my stupor for quite some time.

"Ah, sorry-!" I sat up in my chair, trying to recover any dignity I could retain by attempting to remain formal. "I, um... huh? I mean, yeah?"

Well, that failed. I wonder if I could resign as Commander...?

No, I couldn't do that. The exercise was going to start today.

Suruga removed her glasses - the ones I had given them to her as a gift when she started out as my secretary so that her eyes wouldn't be strained from all the reading - and began to speak. "They're here."

"They as in...?" As soon as I said that, I knew who she was talking about. "Ah, nevermind. Sorry." I arose from my seat. "Do you know the status of the exercise fleets?"

"Yorktown II, Independence, Hornet II, Northampton II, Langley II, Hammann II, Brest, Shimakaze, and Saint Louis are all prepared and accounted for. As for our opponents, they are currently waiting at the port for your arrival."

I nodded. "Got it." Grabbing my admiral's coat, I would wrap it around my shoulders before putting my arms through their designated holes. "I suppose we ought to follow etiquette, right?" I was still fairly new to the whole 'Commander' thing - this was my first naval exercise as a fully-fledged Commander. I still had to learn the ropes before I could properly believe in myself.

Suruga nodded. "Shall we set out to greet them?" she asked, a certain look in her eyes. She was thinking about something. I knew that look.

"We shall." Walking over to the door, I would open it up before stepping aside, holding the door open so that Suruga could walk through.

Nodding at me, she would pass through, but not before she stopped at the doorway. "Ah, Commander? One more thing."

"Go ahead." I tried to remain as formal as possible.

"... the formality doesn't suit you, okay?" Suruga would turn and smile at me. "You don't need to act so formally as a Commander."

---

Of course. After all, I was still new to being a Commander.

I still didn't even know how I managed to become a Commander - even less so a Commander of so many historically significant figures. Most of the other Commanders, some of them more suited for this job than I was, had to settle for small-time opportunities - operating a small fleet of destroyer escorts being the most common option available to them. Some were lucky if they got to command a fleet of KAN-SEN that they knew the names of prior.

Hell, I didn't even possess a strong Wisdom Cube Resonance. That was the main factor for a Commander's success - how well they were able to connect with the Wisdom Cubes, and therefore KAN-SEN. Even after two months of being a Commander, due to my low resonance I still had difficulty with truly connecting with a lot of the KAN-SEN at port. It was thanks to Suruga, my secretary, that I was even able to start talking to them.

However, many of them simply avoided me, instead opting for using Suruga as a middleman (middle-KAN-SEN?) to talk with me. If I had to be honest, I couldn't blame them. After what had happened with the last Commander and Enterprise, I wasn't surprised that my inauguration was attended by few KAN-SEN.

... if anything, I felt that the vast majority of them were disappointed in me. After all, I was disappointed in myself.

---

Ah, the port. It was one of my favorite places to be at the base. The wind of the sea flowing through my hair, the bright sun warming my young bones... I loved this area. Oftentimes, during the evening I would take walks through here, simply enjoying the beauty of nature instead of hanging out with the other human workers.

Not that I would enjoy myself interacting with the other workers. Like the KAN-SEN, they appeared to avoid me like the plague.

However, taking a walk wasn't the reason why I was here now. In my current situation, though, I wouldn't have minded one.

"So, you're the new Commander?"

A man in his forties - Commander Archibald, if I recall correctly - would look down at me, surprise etched in his eyes at my age. "You seem too young to be one. How old are you again?"

I was about to open my mouth when Suruga, standing beside me, answered. "Age is irrelevant here. After all, it's not age that determines the course of victory, but talent and experience."

Archibald looked at Suruga with disdain in his eyes. "I was asking him a question, not you. No one asked you."

Suruga stared back at him with a certain annoyance in her eyes, but before Archibald could say something more, I spoke up.

"Welcome, Commander Archibald." I tried to make it very clear in my tone that I was pushing aside the events of five seconds ago - truly, a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. "Before we discuss the exercise, I would like to be the first to congratulate you for your endeavors in pushing back the Sirens in the Atlantic Ocean. We're all safer, thanks to you."

Hey, I was trying to avoid hostilities, okay? Flattery was a good option, in my opinion; especially to people like him.

"... feh." Commander Archibald would look back at me, feigned disinterest etched on his face while his ego flared in his eyes. "You've done your research. Maybe you're a better Commander than I thought."

Of course, I was half-assing it. Thankfully, Suruga and I did research on him the night before the exercise, so I had at least something to go off of. "Thank you for your compliment, Commander Archibald." Lowering my head and holding a hand to my chest, I would do a small bow. "I hope to rise past your expectations of me in the coming exercise."

He smirked. "We'll see." He would then look behind him, where several KAN-SEN would be standing. "I assume you know who they are?" It was his own exercise fleet - the most powerful and experienced of his fleet, brought to my base to defeat a new Commander.

That bastard.

But, nevertheless, even I knew who they were.

"Of course. How could I not?" Leaning to the side, I would look at the shipgirls without the obstructed view from Archibald.

The one with blue hair was New Jersey - most likely the pride of his fleet.

The one with the big-ass katana was Hakuryuu.

The brown-haired girl with heterochromatic eyes was Georgia.

There were some more KAN-SEN in the fleet, but my eyes would be drawn to one in particular. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that...?" I murmured, not realizing that I had said that out loud until Archibald laughed.

"Why, yes it is. The pride and joy of my fleet," he said with a smirk on his face.

That bastard, Commander Archibald... how the hell had he convinced High Command to develop a ship like her?!

Actually, better yet, how was I supposed to beat her ?!

Standing right beside New Jersey, with a cloak hiding most of her features except for her face, would be a KAN-SEN that had recently made the news.

So that's why Archibald's fleet mostly consisted of battleship kansen. It was because they only needed one or two carriers in a fleet because of her .

Archibald would walk over to me, slapping my back. "My pride and joy," he repeated, seeming to love those words, "USS United States ."

---

Commander Archibald was one of the 'big names' of the Atlantic Ocean. Although I operated in the Pacific Ocean, basing my fleet from an artificial island in North Tarawa, I had heard rumors about him. Supposedly, he was a war veteran of the original war between humans and Sirens - back before I was born. After the war had concluded in no one's favor, Archibald published a story about his experiences and glories in the war, making him famous. Using this newfound popularity, he became the Commander of a fleet based in Boston and would go on to score several important victories in various campaigns in the Atlantic.

However, further research from Suruga and I revealed that most of it was heavily exaggerated, if not downright falsified. He did indeed 'fight' in the original war between humans and Sirens, but as a backliner who didn't even travel to the front lines even once. He had been a minor intelligence analyst for a small company that was involved in the war, however, so he used information from deceased veterans to write his book. When reviewing the information, both Suruga and I knew that there was only one way in hell the higher-ups allowed him to become a Commander in the first place:

He had unusually high Wisdom Cube resonance.

This meant that he could theoretically augment his own shipgirls' abilities through the resonance alone. Resonance was... confusing, to say the least. No one really knew what it was, but everybody knew that having high amounts of resonance was a good thing.

---

I wanted to scream badly, but unfortunately, due to other people in the office at the moment, I could only resort to screaming internally.

Unfortunately, the other KAN-SEN had other ideas. One, in particular.

"How are we supposed to beat her?!" Shimakaze cried out, finally not being able to take any more of the tense atmosphere in the office. I had gathered all of the KAN-SEN who were going to partake in the exercise fleet to my office. After Archibald and I parted ways, with Suruga showing Archibald and his fleet to their lodging for the next few days, I felt that this was needed. "I don't think my torpedoes can even scratch her! Did you see how big her rigging was?!"

Screw my social anxiety! Figuring out how to beat the Commander's fleet came first.

I was going to respond, but someone beat me to it. "Rigging size doesn't mean everything, Shimakaze," Yorktown II responded calmly. Sometimes, I admired her ability to stay calm under pressure. "Her size is likely her weakness as well - she'll be easy to spot from the air with our reconnaissance planes."

"But how are we going to defeat her when she's also got the battleship lineup?" Shimakaze responded. "It's not as if we can airstrike her when New Jersey's with her!"

This time, I would respond - speaking up for the first time in a very long while. "Well-" Seeing the KAN-SENs' heads turn to me, some even in surprise for me talking (hey, I didn't talk much), I suddenly lost my prior confidence. "... never mind," I said, my words coming out as a small whisper.

Aside from me trying not to fanboy over the famous KAN-SEN that were in my office, I still couldn't bring myself to be the center of attention for even a second. Small talk I could do - I had fared okay against Archibald, thankfully. But for large groups? I just... couldn't.

Goddammit...

After I looked down, the KAN-SEN would go back to their strategizing as if I wasn't there, with some of them having weird looks on their faces, except for one of them. While I tried to regain the courage to start being a Commander and put forth ideas, I suddenly felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, hey Suruga. How did leading Archibald go?" I whispered.

Weird. When did Suruga get back? I never heard the door open-

"Er... Commander, it's me." A gentle, compassionate voice would respond - a voice that definitely wasn't Suruga's. Looking up, I saw a white-haired KAN-SEN looking back at me.

... oh fuck, it was Yorktown II.

"May we talk?" She asked. Her voice was calm and gentle - but it also held a faint air of confidence. "In private, preferably."

... uh oh.

---

Once I closed the door, I would find the ground - red carpet, to be precise - to be very pleasing to the eye. I just couldn't bring myself to look at the Yorktown II.

But, it would be quiet. As I wondered why Yorktown II wasn't speaking, I realized something. She was waiting for me to speak.

Or was she? Maybe she was appreciating the silence? Wait no, then why did she ask to talk with me in private? Did she want to tell me that I was a bad Commander? I mean, I knew I was bad, but I didn't think I was bad enough for someone whom I've technically never met in person before to tell me-

Ah, goddammit! Screw my nervousness!

"So, um..." I still couldn't bring myself to look up. "What did you wish to discuss?"

"Commander?" I could hear her say. "If I may ask, could you please look at me first?"

... well, that was direct. Dammit, if only I had stronger Wisdom Cube Resonance, then surely I could mingle with the other KAN-SEN better...

But, nevertheless, I had to comply. Saying goodbye to my shoes and carpet, I would look up and see Yorktown II in front of me. "... Sure."

"That's better." Yorktown II would flash what seemed to be a motherly smile before she spoke once more. "Is everything okay? Have you been overburdened by work?"

... huh?

This was coming out of left field.

"I, uh..." I cleared my throat, trying to remain formal - until I remembered Suruga's words and tried to relax. "Work's been hard, but I've... I've been trained for it. Suruga's been helping me with a lot of it, though, so I can learn the ropes while being Commander."

Honestly, I practically owe my life to Suruga with how much she's helped me.

Yorktown II, hearing this, smiled a bit more. Her smile reminded me of a mother - one that showed unconditional love for the people she cared about. To her, I assumed that it was her fellow KAN-SEN. As for me? I'd be surprised if anyone really saw me as a proper Commander.

"That's great! I'm glad you're getting acquainted with your responsibilities, Commander." Leaning over, Yorktown II placed a hand on my shoulder. "But..."

Ah, shit, here it comes.

"Just as how we are not here only to fight, Commander, you are not here only to work. If you need to, take a break and come back refreshed later, okay?" She tilted her head. "We were worried that you had overworked yourself and were staying quiet out of tiredness."

... eh?

They... were worried about me?

No, no, she had to be lying. They didn't even know my name! How in the world were they worried about me?

But... if they really were worried about me - and I didn't think Yorktown II would be one to lie - then that meant that the weird looks were one of worry, not of anything like disgust. That meant that they cared - a lot more than I thought, apparently.

That...

That meant a lot more to me than I thought. And judging from Yorktown II's expression, she knew what I was thinking. Squeezing my shoulder, she continued.

"You should join us tonight," she said. "The exercise fleet was going to go out to eat dinner together - we'd love for you to join us."

"But I have to stay at the office... y'know, to come up with plans on how to beat-"

"Commander..." Yorktown II sighed. "As I said earlier, Commander, you're not here only to work. Planning may wait for dinner to end." Closing her eyes and taking a breath, I would notice that Yorktown II's were shaking.

... right, she still wasn't used to using her legs, huh?

"So, Commander... will you join us?"

Was this the feeling of being accepted?

"I'd... I'd love to join." For the first time in a long while, I was able to look into someone's eyes. 

Yorktown II's eyes were blue. That was the first thing I noticed.

The second thing I noticed was that her eyes were full of care - not currently towards her sisters; I was sure that she cared for them a lot - to me .

Even more, I realized that this was the 'weird look' that I saw the KAN-SEN have when I had spoken up earlier. They were waiting for me to lead them when I spoke up, and when I didn't-

Ah, I really needed to apologize to them.

Chapter Text

"Sir! Something seems to have come up with Subject-58!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"It seems that 58 is unable to exploit the benefits of Wisdom Cube Resonance. In other words, she's functionally dead weight to the fleet."

"..."

"Shall I scrap 58, si-"

"I risked my reputation on 58. No way in HELL is anyone going to scrap her!"

"Yes, sir."

"Do whatever you have to do to make 58 comply with Resonance. I don't care what you have to do, just do it."

"... yes, sir."

---

The exercise would be split up into three different parts. That had already been decided on beforehand.

The first part, which would be taking place tomorrow, would be a carrier vs. carrier battle. This would be led by Commander Archibald and me on opposing teams, with the goal of knocking each other out of the fight. Of course, we would be using training ammunition.

The second part was, for lack of a better term, gunships vs. gunships. This was where Archibald shined - other than Hakuryuu and United States, his fleet was pretty much made up of battleships and battlecruisers. A perk of commanding a famous fleet was that you got the good ships - most Commanders with lower Resonance and talent usually got Fletcher-class destroyers.

The third part was the traditional exercise battle - six ships vs. six ships. Nothin' new.

Although the exercises were usually like this, the general 'rule' was that there would be no winner. After all, this was supposed to be a dignified naval exercise between distinguished Commanders - yeah, no. It may be a 'rule', but more often than not exercises like these were televised and people could bet money on who they thought would win.

... and of course, the higher-ups looked the other way because they benefited economically from the bets. Why let a little corruption get in the way of a good exercise?

---

"The new and improved Hornet has entered da house!" Hornet II cheered as we walked inside a diner. "I'm starving! I wonder, what's on the menu?"

Yorktown II giggled. "Careful now, Hornet. Let's not get kicked out from this establishment before we eat, alright?"

"I concur," I agreed. I was still a new Commander; I didn't want to make myself look bad so soon in my career, after all. "Let's keep it down - there are other people here."

After the planning session, we all traveled down together to a local diner near the base to eat dinner. During the session, I managed to make more progress in being acquainted with the KAN-SEN than in the first few months I had spent as Commander.

Brest had a storytelling fetish. Shimakaze had a love for carrot cake. Northampton II was shy but opened up once you got to know her.

Had it been this simple all that time? Just to go up to them and talk?

Naw, surely there was something else I was missing - other than my Resonance, that is. I was just lucky.

Hornet II pouted, but would ultimately settle down. After we had made sure that everyone had made it - Langley II was quite small, after all - we would all go and sit at a booth near the entrance. There, Independence would pick up a menu on the table and skim through it.

"Hmm... it seems that today's specials are the loaded fries and... waffles? It's dinnertime," she remarked, frowning slightly. "Am I reading in the wrong area-?"

"Waffles? Do they come with syrup?" Shimakaze asked, suddenly interested in the menu as well. "Oh, they do!" She grinned, eyes full of joy at the possibility of eating the sugary food. Grabbing a menu for herself, she would begin to leaf through the pages at an astonishing rate, looking for more sugary foods to get.

... so that was why they included waffles. I chuckled at Shimakaze's love for all things sugary, and although Suruga was staring daggers at me, trying to convince me to persuade the hyperactive destroyer to pick literally anything else, I was perfectly content.

Yorktown II got the loaded fries and tea, Hornet II got a Hawaiian pizza and loaded fries, Langley II got the hamburger combo, Northampton II got something that I wasn't even going to begin to pronounce, Independence, seemingly trying to emulate Yorktown II and Hornet II, got pizza and fries, Shimakaze was still too busy looking at the menu, Suruga abstained, feigning fullness, and Brest got something French. Hammann II seemed like she wanted to get the hamburger combo, but to seem like an adult, she got the same thing as Brest did.

However, it should be mentioned that it took Hammann II three tries to somewhat correctly pronounce the name.

After everyone had decided on their choice, the only person remaining who was yet to buy was me. "So, how 'bout you, Commander?" Hornet II asked me. "What are you gonna choose?"

Once again, everybody would turn to face me, curious about what I was going to choose. At first, I mentally recoiled from being the center of attention again and was about to excuse myself. However, I then remembered Yorktown II's words from earlier - or rather, the intention behind them.

They weren't looking at me out of them thinking that was weird. They were looking at me simply because they wanted to know. And as Commander, how could I pass up the opportunity to get to bond with my fellow KAN-SEN?

... my mental voice was really starting to sound like a politician, huh?

Well, as long as I was improving myself.

... could that technically be classified as appeasement? Blegh, nevermind...

"Um..." I murmured, taking a look at the menu. "W-well..."

I had to be strategic about this. After all, what if I chose something that the others didn't seem to like? Then, would I become an outcast simply because of my choice of food? I had to be careful.

... Gah, why couldn't I have better Resonance?!? Then, I could be more assured of myself!

Wait, no, Resonance didn't work like that. Stupid Resonance.

I could hear the doorbell of the diner ring and some shuffling feet. It was a large crowd; hopefully, they would keep the noise to a minimum as I... strategically decided on my choice.

Then, I saw something. Yes, this was it. The universal food that everybody loved. This was surely the best - and safest - option. There was surely no way that any of the KAN-SEN here would hate this choice - and as a proxy, me! I was a genius!

"... how about the-"

"Well, I'll be damned. I never thought I'd see you here to dine at the same time as I."

Turning to face the new voice, about to tell the person off for spoiling my plans for revealing my masterpiece of a choice (and then compliment him on the rhyming scheme), I was shocked to see Commander Archibald standing there. Behind him, his KAN-SEN were busy picking a booth to sit in.

... oh. So he was the one who came in earlier.

Yeah, no, he wasn't going to get a compliment on his rhyming.

"You-! Oh, uh..." I cleared my throat. "Commander Archibald. It's a surprise."

"Indeed it is, boy." Ignoring Suruga's admonishment towards him for calling a fellow Commander a 'boy', he would continue to talk. "I see you wish to enjoy yourself before the exercises?"

"Of course. There's no use in stressing over something so much." I tried to smile, but it came out forced. "Granted, I wouldn't have needed to stress so much if you didn't bring your strongest units. Though I must say, I appreciate seeing the pinnacle of a KAN-SEN's potential."

"Thank you," he responded. We both knew that the tension was palpable - after all, in less than 24 hours we would be facing each other in opposition. It was like a football head coach running into their rival head coach outside of a Walmart the night before game day. "Though, I can't thank my experience. One's knowledge of the field only goes so far." With a sly gleam in his eyes, he continued. "I must say, having high Resonance is crucial to succeeding in this matter, eh?"

... he was right.

The best Commanders were the ones with the highest Resonance. They were able to connect with their KAN-SEN a lot more effectively than Commanders without much Resonance. In fact, it was more common for a non-Resonant Commander to resign than to retire - they were essentially playing the game at the hardest level of difficulty. Without Resonance, the guilt of knowing I wouldn't make it far into life as a Commander haunted me every day. I only wondered how many sleepless nights I could endure, trying to connect with my fleet in a way that Resonant Commanders were able to do effortlessly.

However, I had to remain strong - I was still a Commander. I had to do my job and stuff away my troubles for later. "Maybe so," I responded tersely. "Are you here to simply gloat about your advantage here? Not what I would have expected from an esteemed Commander like yourself."

It was a small taunt, and he knew it. "No, of course not!" Commander Archibald raised a hand over his heart, feinting shock at my words. "I simply came to give you a piece of advice."

"Which is?" I tilted my head, not sure how much longer I could keep up the formal look. "I apologize, but my KAN-SEN and I were about to eat dinner. If I may ask, I would like for you to wrap this up quickly." The intent in my voice was clear - I didn't want to hear his stupid advice.

Before Archibald could say anything else, however, one of his KAN-SEN tapped on his shoulder. "Er... Commander?" A black-haired heterochromatic girl would be at his side all of a sudden, holding a phone with a lit screen in her tapping hand and a bottle of Oxy-cola in the other.

Looking back, Archibald would address the one who had tapped on his shoulder. "What is it?"

"He's here." The KAN-SEN - whom I believed to be Georgia - spoke with a deadpan tone. Holding up the phone that was showing something on its screen, she would show its contents to Commander Archibald.

"Hm?" Taking it from Georgia, he would look through it before he grumbled something under his breath - something that sounded a lot like 'Commander' and 'moderator'. Handing the phone back to Georgia, he would speak to her - though, it should be noted that he spoke in a more gentle tone. "I'm placing you and New Jersey in charge until I come back. Don't overcharge my card." Reaching into his pocket, he would pull out a wallet that he handed to her.

Georgia would take it. "Thanks, Commander." She grinned - telling me that she would totally take the last part to heart - before she headed back to the booth.

Archibald would look once again at me. "Well, boy," he began, "I apologize, but we'll have to cut off from here. It seems that my contact wishes to speak with me sooner than expected. It was nice to... converse with you." With that said, he turned to his left and exited the diner.

That... was an interesting experience. The rest of us at my booth looked at each other, wondering what the hell just happened. I was about to say something to lift the awkward silence and tension, but somebody would do it for me.

"... oh, neat!" Shimakaze finally blurted out, having looked up from the menu for the first time. "They have an extra-sugary option for their syrup!"

And just like that (and with Suruga's groan), the tension was cut and everybody would laugh.

---

"I see that you've arrived early. I thought you weren't supposed to arrive until ten in the evening."

"Sadly, Bismarck's quarters were too cramped for me to stay on for long. I pushed her so that we may arrive here early. As we speak, she is currently checking us into our rooms."

"... I see." There was a sigh. "If I may ask, why did High Command permit you to be the moderator for the exercises? As far as I'm aware, you have no prior qualifications to moderate an event such as this."

"Isn't it obvious, my fellow Commander? I've never lost an exercise before."

"... And...?"

"Nothing more to it. Sadly, I can't say the same for you."

"Big talk for an incompetent man who views his KAN-SEN as objects."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"The only reason why you've lost all of your exercises, if I recall correctly, is that you exhausted your KAN-SEN to the point where your opponents were able to defeat your KAN-SEN easily."

"But I have won all of my recent exercises-"

"And even after you gained your advisor, you just had him do the hard work and win for you."

"... so what's it to it? The results justify my actions, does it not? I could say the same for you in your little adventures in the Atlantic Ocean. How are my actions different from yours?"

"Your actions require you to have an advisor - someone who's more competent than you, sadly."

"... you-!"

"Now, if I may, I have a dinner to attend and I am missing out on it. Say hello to Bismarck for me."

"You can't just leave-!"

"Goodbye, Acting Commander Jefferson."

---

I would be entering my office, tired from the dinner and the interactions yet still required to sign off on some paperwork, when I suddenly stopped.

Huh. That's weird. I didn't remember seeing my desk this neat. Had Suruga come by earlier? No, that was impossible - unless she had teleportation powers.

Dammit, Suruga, why hadn't you told me about this earlier?! I would have given you a cool superhero nickname, like... uh... Captain S? Suruga-man? Okay, maybe there's a reason why she didn't tell me-

Wait, no, focus!

"Hello?" I asked, turning on the lights. At the same time, I prepared myself to run just in case a murderer was inside the room. Hey, one had to be careful, right? I quickly made a mental estimation of how fast I could jump out the window if the situation ever came down to it.

Leaning on the side of my desk, a stranger would stare back at me. "Hello, Commander Finn."

Chapter Text

"... will she be okay?"

"It seems so. 58's vitals are stable for now, but if we don't figure out how to give her the ability to respond to Resonance..."

"..."

"Commander, I will ask you this again - should we scrap her?"

"..."

"If we leave 58 alive, but become unable to have her connect to Resonance, then she will die. It seems cruel to stretch her life out for something that may never come to fruition."

"... I've told you this once. I've staked my entire reputation on this."

"... I understand, sir."

"Keep on trying. The only thing 58 has left is hope - we can't give up when she still has that."

---

[Last night]

"Right, so... have I met you before?" While I was busy babbling off words off the top of my head, I slowly edged towards the doorway while trying to make it as indiscreet as possible. "You know my name. I don't tell many people my name."

"I only had to look up your official records, relax." With a laugh, the figure stood back up, putting his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. You don't need to run."

... ah, shit, so he did notice what I was doing. Maybe I should play more stealth games...

Wait, no, that wasn't the point.

"So... why are you here?" I was still slightly distrustful of him - hey, a murderer was still a murderer even if they said they weren't. "That's the part I don't get... aside from a myriad of other questions."

Picking up a paper, the stranger spoke. "I'm simply here because I have to be. Acting Commander Jefferson is here as moderator of the exercises, and so I accompanied him."

"Acting Commander..." Jefferson? That sounded familiar-

-oh.

Oh, him.

Oh, him.

"Wait, he's going to be the moderator?" I sighed. "And here I thought that Commander Archibald was bad enough."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mind Archibald. He may seem hostile, but in truth, he cares for his KAN-SEN. That enough redeems him partially. Jefferson, on the other hand..."

With a flat smile, I nodded, perfectly understanding the unspoken words. Jefferson was... infamous, to say the least. In fact, there was a running joke at the Naval Academy about him that if one messed up horribly enough, they had to serve under Acting Commander Jefferson.

"Well... could be worse. Could've been this base's previous Commander." I frowned at the mention of him. "As far as I'm aware, though, he's locked behind bars for good."

"Mm." The figure began to walk towards me. I initially took a small step back, but after I steeled my nerves (hey, he hadn't killed me yet), I let him do so. Stopping a few feet in front of me, he reached out a hand for me to shake.

"My name's Aven. I'm an advisor to Acting Commander Jefferson, but don't worry. I see KAN-SEN in a much more positive light than he does." He gave a small smirk. "Of course, that's not saying much. But, I really do."

"... well, you already know my name, so that saves some time." I reciprocated, shaking his hand. "I, uh..."

What was I going to say? 'Hi, Aven, nice to meet you! I'm a new Commander who has no Resonance and who's attempting to go up against a Commander with years of experience tomorrow! Wish me luck!'?

"I also see KAN-SEN in a positive light," I said, stumbling over my words.

Ah, so that was where it was; I was wondering where my social awkwardness had gone. God, I hope no one was getting secondhand embarrassment from this because I was definitely getting firsthand embarrassment.

... maybe I should have gone with the first option. That window was starting to look a lot more appealing to jump through.

To my relief, Aven chuckled at the statement. Letting go of my hand, he walked back over to my desk, staring at my papers in a seemingly absentmindedly way.

"Ah, that reminds me. What are you doing... here, specifically? In my office?" I resisted the urge to also ask why he was staring at my papers. Did he like doing paperwork or something? I mean, if I had to be official, I would have refused anyone who wanted to do my work. After all, it was my duty to look after my base; my Port-

Unofficially, I would have asked what his ideal starting pay was.

"I wanted to attach the name to a face. That's all there is to it." Aven turned around once again. He seemed to like walking around. "As someone who will... likely have to moderate the match for Acting Commander Jefferson, I wished to meet the Commanders who will be participating in that match."

"... ah, okay," I responded dumbly. "Well, uh... here I a-" I thought of something. "Wait, have you met Commander Archibald yet?"

"We've met a few times before, but we've never talked to each other in a meaningful way yet." Aven looked out the window. "But if you mean for this exercise, then no, not yet."

"Ah, alright." Looking out the window, I sighed. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but..." I vaguely gestured at my desk, "work." I was secretly hoping he'd stay and let me procrastinate-

"Fair."

Dammit.

Not sensing my outrage at his betrayal, Aven walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Just a small tip before I leave."

"Hm?"

"Your records show that you have little to no Resonance ability. However, don't let that bring you down. Instead, let it support your growth."

And with that, he exited through the door, leaving me in confusion.

---

The carrier exercise was the biggest part of the exercises.

Literally.

Although all of the exercises took place a few miles from Tarawa Atoll, the carrier exercise itself took place over a few hundred miles. It was no exaggeration to say that this exercise had the potential to take full days to complete.

Thankfully, no such thing would happen. If both Commanders were unable to detect the other's location within the day, then the exercise would end in a draw. This was both a help and a hindrance to Commanders, depending on the circumstance.

The objective of the carrier exercise was to 'sink' the Commander's flagship - with training ammunition, of course - which in of itself was a controversy. Better Commanders were usually given the ability to command battleships or aircraft carriers, while 'low-ranked' Commanders often had to make do with light cruisers or destroyers - even an oil tanker at one point.

But, nevertheless, the objective remained the same.

---

[Welcome to the first day of the Tarawa Naval Exercises! I'm Jimmy Wilkins and I'll be your host for the event.]

I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that the naval exercises were televised events. In front of me was a broadcast of the event, shown on a TV screen that took up a chunk of the wall in the bridge of my command ship. Currently, it was showing pre-determined footage of the participants and Commander Archibald. Sadly, as I hadn't racked up any impressive victories yet, no one in the media had thought to record anything of my nonexistent yet impressive achievements.

However, after the pre-determined footage, a live feed of Archibald's command ship was shown, presumably through a drone's camera.

[On one side, we have Commander Archibald - the hero of the Atlantic Ocean. With seven major victories under his belt and a supercarrier KAN-SEN, our analysts predict that this man will come out on top in all three exercises.]

On the front deck of the command ship, the drone showed Commander Archibald standing there. Looking up, he gave a simple nod to the camera before he looked back out at the sea. There was no strategic reason to be on the front deck - it was just for show. Being a famous Commander, he had to keep up appearances. This was a cheap and easy way to do it.

Of course, after the show for the cameras, he would go back to the bridge later to issue orders once the exercise began. He wasn't that dumb.

Speaking of appearances, I should probably do the same. Grabbing my coat, I mentally braced myself for the camera before I began to process of leaving the bridge. Going out to the deck, I waved at the camera, confident in myself. I then won all three exercises and become King of the World-

[And let the match begin!]

Oh, that motherfu-

They didn't even show my command ship!

---

Commander Archibald looked out over the sea from the bridge of his ship, the CS Victory. There wasn't much he could do at the moment - until States' reconnaissance jets found the opponents, all he could do was to reposition his ships to maintain mobility and minimize the chance of being spotted. Until then, all he could do was look at the skies, searching for any planes that he didn't recognize.

Alongside his ships were the carriers that he had brought along for the exercise - USS United States and IJN Hakuryuu. They were the reason why he wasn't looking at the radar at this moment instead of searching the skies - he knew that they had radar coverage down. Really, he was maintaining the excuse of sweeping the skies visually to not remain bored.

But of course, Fate had a habit of sending him things to do whenever he was bored.

"... Commander?"

Archibald peeled his eyes away from the skies to look at the speaker. Standing behind him was States, wrapped up in her cloak as usual.

However, she was also leaning on a walking stick - something that she didn't bring out into the public for reputation purposes. It was ironic - the biggest and most powerful ship in the world needed a cane to walk properly. The cloak partially hid her limp, but if one looked carefully, one could notice it.

"Yes?" Archibald looked down at her. "If you're not on your carrier, then something's the matter. Do tell me, please."

States looked down at the sight of his stare. "... you know my condition," she said in a soft voice. "I... wanted to ask something."

"Go ahead." From his years of leading the KAN-SEN, he knew what she was going to ask; however, he still let her go ahead with it. He knew her character - whether she wanted to be blunt or not, she still pressed forth, and who was he to take that away from her?

"... am I only here to give you a boost in PR?" She seemed... ashamed of asking the question. Why wouldn't she? Due to... complications during her creation, she was medically regulated to a walking stick at all times unless she went out into public. She had never once fought in an actual naval exercise or battle, instead having to rely on simulations to train.

She then seemed to shrink even further, reconsidering her words. "... nevermind, Commander. Sorry for asking-"

Archibald sighed. "States, if I may ask, what are you?"

"A... supercarrier, si-"

"Wrong." Uncrossing his arms, Archibald elaborated. "You're just as human as you and I. There's no shame in asking questions, no matter how dumb they are."

Hearing this from her Commander, States regained a little bit of her confidence. "Okay, but... still, why?" she whispered. "I'm inexperienced in battle, and you know my-" she suddenly descended into a coughing fit.

Archibald was at her side in an instant, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to ease the coughing. "Careful, now. We can always pull you out of this exercise if you don't feel ready." His voice was now... soft, unlike his earlier gruffness.

"I'm... fine..." she said between coughs. After a few moments more, she managed to regain herself and stood back up. "I'm fine. Please, let me fight... it's the only thing I can do..."

Archibald sighed. "USS United States. Please, look at me."

With wavering eyes, States complied, looking up at him.

"Do you know what I see?"

"I... I don't know, sir."

"I see your eyes."

"I... don't understand, sir."

However, Archibald continued. "Your eyes. They're blue as the ocean, did you know that?"

"I did, sir. But how-"

"But do you know what I see inside your eyes?" After a brief pause, Commander Archibald continued. "I see someone who likes blueberries and reading. Someone who stays strong, even without their walking stick."

"But-"

With a hand, he reached out and put a hand on her head, taking off her hood and ruffling her hair with a soft smile. "Butts are for sitting. You're not just something made for fighting - you're a human in your own right, with emotions, feelings, experiences, and knowledge. I don't want to hear you say that the only thing you're meant for is fighting, do you understand me?"

States' face showed the ghost of a smile as she looked up at her Commander. "Yes... I understa-" her face suddenly grew serious as she turned to look out of the bridge windows. "I see them."

His face instantly became stony as he rose up, turning to follow States' view. "... have Hakuryuu sortie her fighters. States, you ready your attack aircraft, but don't launch them now."

Commander Archibald sighed. It was time to show Commander Finn why Resonance meant everything.

"But... if I may, sir, why did you bring me here?"

Turning back around once again, he smiled. "We're up against an easy opponent. I figured that this would be a good experience for you."

---

Ah, shit. They managed to find us before we found them.

However, that was to be expected when your opponent was someone who could use jets.

With a sudden roar, I could hear Hornet II's AA batteries coming to life, firing their armaments at the incoming jet. A few moments later, I heard a telltale splash and grinned darkly. We may have potentially lost the exercise, but we at least took down something.

Picking up the radio transmitter, I hailed Yorktown II, Hornet II, Langley II, and Independence.

"CS Thunderbird to all ships. Which way did the jet come from? Over."

Independence was the one who responded. "USS Independence to all ships. It came from the East, Commander. Do we have permission to sortie our fighters now? Over."

"CS Thunderbird to all ships. Yes, sortie the planes. We'll be following Plan Alpha for this. Over."

Plan Alpha - the first of three plans that we had drawn up for today's exercise. It was a simple plan, really.

Firstly, all carriers with Type II rigging would transfer ownership of half of their fighters to Langley II. Meanwhile, Independence, who hadn't been equipped with Type II rigging, would sortie all of her own fighters.

Secondly, Yorktown II would send three of her recon planes in the general direction of where the jet had come from. With any luck, if we managed to be quick enough we could potentially spot our opponents.

Thirdly, the fighters that had been sortied earlier would follow the recon plane but would split up into two groups - one controlled by Langley II and the other controlled by Independence. If I had read Archibald correctly, when the planes converged later it would be for a pincer attack on his planes.

... of course, assuming that Archibald didn't have some funky plan up his sleeve. It was likely - he was an experienced Commander, after all. There was also his Resonance - with it, he was practically able to boost the abilities of his KAN-SEN simply by being near them.

Put simply, he was the ultimate morale booster.

And here I was, without any means to boost morale. Maybe I should have looked into cheerleading.

---

"Langley II to all ships. I've reached the rendezvous point, but I cannot confirm any visual sight of enemy aircraft. Over."

"USS Independence to all ships. I have also reached the rendezvous point and I concur with Langley II; there are no enemy aircraft to be found. Are we to RTB? Over."

... well, this was a problem. Of course, I had expected this - we were up against possibly the best Commander in the Atlantic. Picking up the transmitter, I would speak. "CS Thunderbird to Independence and Langley II, you are free to RTB. Repeat, you are free to..."

And that was when I realized something.

I was going up against the best Commander in the Atlantic. Who was to say that I was the one who had stumbled into a trap?

"... Langley II? Independence?"

"Yes, Commander? Over." Judging from my tone of voice, Independence knew that something was wrong.

"... would you mind looking up with your aircraft? Over."

"I'll send up a fighter, sir. Over." Hearing Langley II say this, I breathed a small sigh. If I was right in my thinking, then...

And that's when I heard frantic shouting over the radio from Langley II. "Langley II to CS Thunderbird! There are enemy fighters above our position and diving down!"

... well, this was one of the few times where I had wished I was wrong.

This was not going to end well.

Chapter Text

"Sir! Subject-58's body has accepted the Wisdom Cube."

"Thank God, so it wasn't a waste."

"Correct, sir. She is now showing signs of reacting to Resonance - shall I complete the procedure, sir?"

"Yes, do it... after all this time, she finally won't have to worry about whether or not the next minute would be her last - what's that? Why did the electricity cut out?"

"Sir! There's been a Siren attack on the base; they've cut off our power supply!"

"Dammit! Get the backup generators up now; we can't lose 58!"

---

"Commander! What do we do?!?" I could hear Hornet II saying over the radio.

Obviously, we won the ensuing dogfight. How could we have not? After all, I was the greatest commander in the history of commanders, and-

Yeah, we lost the dogfight. Horribly, in fact - we suffered heavy losses to our plane count while Commander Archibald only lost three or five. As it turned out, combining a Commander's inexperience with two KAN-SEN, one of which still testing out the kinks in her new rigging while having to control almost an entire air group's worth of fighters.

And now, my side was reeling from the loss, trying to think of a way to counter it through the comms. However...

"Calm down; we have backup plans for a reason."

"But we didn't account for-!"

"Wait, who's speaking? I can't figure out-"

"Why don't we instead-"

"No, we can't, we have to follow the plans-"

I finally had enough of the chaos and jumped in. "Everyone, please!"

However, my voice was unheard in the storm of voices. Some were doing the same as me and trying to establish reason - notably Yorktown II - but others were trying to figure out a new plan. If Archibald had access to our communications, then there was no doubt that he was celebrating our demise.

Until Independence spoke up, apparently having been quiet the entire time.

"USS Independence to all ships; please! There's no need to fight!"

This got everyone's attention - Independence wasn't the type of person to speak up in the presence of those whom she considered to be her elders. Everybody went silent, now realizing how badly their communication had gotten at their loss.

I mentally reminded myself to thank Independence later for bringing everyone to calm with eleven words before I hopped onto the comms once again. "CS Thunderbird to all ships; thank you, Independence. Let's put it to a vote - are we to use one of our plans or should we create a new one to adapt to our circumstance?"

"Yorktown II to all ships; I recommend we stick to our predetermined plans, Commander. However, given our current circumstance, I understand if we instead utilize an impromptu plan."

"Hornet II to all ships; I say we make up a new one! Hey, Archibald won't see that coming now, will he?"

"Ahem, Langley II to all ships - I concur with Yorktown II. It's better to fall back on an established plan than to charge into uncharted territory. After all, instead of praying when we're in trouble, we must prudently prepare for everything"

"USS Independence to all ships. I..." After a brief pause, Independence spoke up again. "I choose to go with a new plan. In my experience in nighttime battles-"

Hornet II snickered slightly.

"... again, in my experience in battles during the night," Independence rephrased, ignoring Hornet II, "coming up with new plans on the fly and adapting to the battlefield has yielded greater results than sticking with plans that may not account for our current situation."

... aaaaaaaand that left the deciding vote to me. Great, it was this trope. What was this, a fanfic?

Blegh, not the time. I would question the existential dread of thinking about whether or not I was a fictional character later. For now, though, I had to decide on what to do.

On one hand, Langley II was right. Our established plans were ones that we had spent hours figuring out. It just didn't make sense to switch over to a new plan when we had a few more up our sleeve.

But on the other hand, Independence also had a point. Going with a new plan was a high risk, high reward option. Additionally, if it was surprising enough Archibald wouldn't have a counterplan for it. However, if we stumbled into a trap, then it was functionally game over.

Or, of course, there was a third option that I couldn't grasp yet due to my inexperience. Sadly, there wasn't any time to think about it. Every moment I delayed in choosing a path was a moment that Commander Archibald spent readying his forces to strike.

"... how about we..."

---

Contrary to popular belief, although Archibald had originally been unfit to qualify as Commander, he had grown over the years. In fact, one could say that interacting with the KAN-SEN had given him the experience he needed to become a proper Commander.

And as a Commander, one had to find it necessary to stick by their subordinate's side always, even in the face of death. When one was on the high seas and was facing mortal peril, you had to count on the people you trusted to overcome any and all obstacles.

Fortunately for all involved parties, Commander Archibald was not in any mortal peril. In fact, he was taking it easy - standing in the bridge of his command ship, he was watching States' planes take off from her flight deck while the KAN-SEN sat beside him behind his desk, snacking on some chips. Thankfully, Archibald had had the right idea to clear off all the paperwork from it - he didn't want any crumbs to mess up his workspace.

They were both silent, simply watching the AJ Savages take off. But, as the last one lifted away from the flight deck, States turned to look at the Commander. "Sir..." she began.

"Yes?" Knowing States - now that she had partially managed to escape from her existential funk - Archibald knew that she was going to ask something deep or tell him something random. Archibald wasn't going to spill it, but there was a running bet in the Port about what random topic States could pull out of thin air. If he recalled correctly, Georgia got a month's worth of Oxy-cola from Akashi for guessing correctly that States would talk about pies at the New Years' celebration and their process of creation. Pumpkin pies, cherry pies, crea-

"I was thinking... is Commander Finn-"

"Just call him Finn. He doesn't deserve the Commander title... yet."

"Very well. Is... Finn really as easy of a target as you say he is?"

On second thought, Archibald preferred having to listen to States innocently talk about the unholy pies instead of this. Now that was an interesting Thanksgiving dinner discussion.

"What do you mean?" he asked, maintaining an air of formality.

"Well, you said that he had no Resonance, right?"

"Correct. His public records show that he has none whatsoever." The Commander had triple-checked the Archives to make sure that Finn had no Resonance to speak of, and all three times he had concluded with the same result - the young Commander he was going up against was going to be an easy target.

"So, then... how did he become a Commander? Especially a Commander of such prestigious... KAN-SEN...?" States looked up, curiosity filling her eyes as she pondered the subject.

Archibald was about to answer - something along the lines of 'luck and friends in high places' when his communications device suddenly lit up, signaling a hail from the opposition.

"Well, speak of that devil." Walking over to the desk housing the device, he touched a button labeled 'Contact'.

Immediately, the windows around the bridge darkened and a screen in front of him lit up, revealing a very disheveled Finn. The dimmed light from the windows made it clear to see that he was also very tired, judging by how he was swaying slightly. Had he not slept last night?

The dimmed light also prevented Finn from reading his location from the sunlight's angle. It was rare on occasion that a Commander was able to achieve victory by this, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"It seems that the Commander life hasn't taken to you well, boy." Archibald started the conversation, not letting Finn speak his part. He wanted to show his young counterpart the difference between them - he was the Commander of the Atlantic, a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, the person who had contacted him was merely a commoner playing a farce.

Finn nodded. "Clearly." His tone was dry - why wouldn't it be? After all, half of his fighter count had been downed. It was a surprise that he hadn't immediately sued for peace yet. "But, alas, all things must come to an end, correct?"

"Pardon?" Furrowing his brow, Commander Archibald slightly tilted his head. "I'm afraid I'm not following, boy. Did you sleep at all last night?"

"You know where my location is, correct?" Skipping Commander Archibald's inquisitive question, Finn went straight to the point. "I believe that it was your scout jet that Hornet II shot down." Turning his head to look at the girl beside Archibald, he nodded in recognition. "Good job."

"... thank you," States responded, her eyes thinning at Finn's statement. Was this a trap of some sort? No, Archibald had told her to not call Finn a Commander. That meant that he was incompetent enough to not be able to think of a trap, much less one that took into account his unfavorable position.

"Yes, indeed," Archibald stated with a firm nod. "If you must know, we've held back on our attack for now. After all, it's only midday. We have a crowd to please, do we not?"

To the Commander's pleasure, Finn scoffed. "Bullshit," he responded, throwing away Archibald's thinly-veiled lie. "We both know that you sent your attack aircraft after us. Though, if I may ask - are they Hakuryuu's or States'?"

"Hakuryuu's, obviously, with my fighter forces stationed around her planes in order to protect them. States' planes are indeed fast, but Hakuryuu has much more experience with handling anti-ship operations. If it pleases you, know that you are going to lose to my best attack carrier."

States cast a look at Archibald at this, but Archibald merely ignored this. "But," he continued, "I'd like to propose something."

"Oh? And what is this plan?" Finn seemed ready for it. Internally, Archibald laughed. Was he really so eager to save face as to accept anything that came for him? It was a mistake to hire this rookie as Commander.

"You surrender now, and I'll call back Hakuryuu's aircraft. Then, I will announce that you have conceded the fight after losing half of your fighter count." Archibald smirked. "After all, that is what the sensible Commander would do, correct? It would serve you well-"

"I refuse." And with that, Finn cut communications. The windows brightened up once again, revealing the sun in all of its glory and temporarily blinding Archibald from the brightness. However, when he recovered from the brief sting, Archibald sighed.

"States?"

"Yes?"

"Have Hakuryuu ready her attack aircraft and fighters and have them tail yours. Don't let them stop for anything." Obviously, he had lied to Finn about how it was Hakuryuu's aircraft he had sent first. "The boy's planning something."

"Yes, sir."

Archibald nodded before he looked out the bridge into the horizon. Right now, he had the advantage. Now, he only needed to press it in order to win.

It was like a button - press it hard enough and one could usually win.

---

Once I had cut communications, I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, exhausted from having to perform socially with another person. "Hornet?"

A voice over the comms spoke up. "Yeah, chief?"

"Ready your fighters. It's go time."

"Yes, sir!"

While Hornet II got her fighters ready and the rest of the KAN-SEN were waiting for the plan to commence, I reviewed what I had gathered from the conversation. Firstly, I absolutely hated the way Archibald looked down on me. Secondly, States without her hood was top-tier - with natural brown hair and bright eyes, I could see why Archibald was fond of her. Thirdly...

I wasn't surprised that Archibald had lied to me about the aircraft. States' indignant look at Archibald could have been because he had called Hakuryuu his best attack carrier when States' hull designation was literally 'CVA' (assuming, of course, that 'A' stood for Attack and not Atomic), but something told me that that wasn't the case.

It could have been the tingling feeling in the back of my head. It could have been divine fate smiling upon me. Maybe it could have even been me rolling a metaphysical natural 20. Or...

"Hakuryuu's, obviously, with my fighter forces stationed around her planes in order to protect them. States' planes are indeed fast, but Hakuryuu has much more experience with handling anti-ship operations. If it pleases you, know that you are going to lose to my best attack carrier-"

"BULL-" Hearing Hornet II's curse, I frantically cut off the comms device, making it seem like my fingers had spasmed from Archibald's news.

A cold sweat ran down my back, still unsure if Archibald heard it. Though, on the bright side, I could look forward to seeing Hornet II getting absolutely roasted by Yorktown II and Langley II once we got to Port.

Speaking of which... turning to the side, I looked at the two KAN-SEN. They were both on the bridge, waiting for their moment. Well, to be exact, Langley II was waiting for her moment - Yorktown II was looking out at the bridge, seemingly zoned out.

That was an issue. Yorktown II with her head not in the game either meant that she was remembering a past experience or had something preoccupying her mind - neither of which were good for the following hours. With a nod at Langley II, I walked over to Yorktown II and stood beside her, looking out the windows of the bridge with her.

After a silence that felt like eternity, I summoned up the courage to speak. "So... how's them Mets?"

This took the white-haired lady to my side by surprise. Turning to look at me, her face was one of confusion. "... huh? The baseball team?"

I needed better conversation starters. Clearing my throat, I waved the issue aside with my hand. "... nevermind. You, uh, seem to have something on your mind. Everything alright?"

Yorktown II turned to stare out the window, her fingers drumming on a table in front of her in a rhythmic pattern. "You recall how I am known as the resurrected Fighting Lady, correct?"

"Yes." I nodded, knowing of her title. How could I not? She was a legendary carrier, one fit to have her name written in the annals of history.

Yorktown II nodded at my response. "This exercise..." she frowned, thinking for a moment, before she spoke again. "Would you allow me to be frank, Commander?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." I was curious as to what she was going to say, but at the same time, I was also a little scared. Was she going to be resigned to what she thought was her fate? After all, I had heard of what the previous Commander had done. I was in fact surprised on how she was still walking on her own two legs.

"Commander Archibald has not one, but two debatably superior carriers, forged in a world that had changed from our time. They're meant to be the very best at what they do." She sighed. "Meanwhile, Hornet, Langley, Independence, and I are merely relics of a war long gone. But, more than that, all of us have histories that are... depressing, to say the least. While they have bright futures that they may shape to their own desires, we are left defined by our pasts, unable to break free from those chains." Her fingers gradually stopped tapping against the table as she continued to speak. "Commander, what I mean to say is, are we out of our league? You saw what happened with our fighters. Should we just... let the dawn fade?"

The room grew silent - it was as if the universe was pondering the problem posed by Yorktown II.

I mean, I was quiet for a multitude of reasons. I... had failed to realize that the loss of the fighters hadn't affected just me. Now that I thought about it, all of us had our emotions muted or wrongly expressed in a way - Hornet II seemed to be more unconfident in herself, Langley II for once didn't have any teachings she could fall back on - even now she was staring at the floor, processing Yorktown II's words - and Independence had grown more blunt than she usually was - hell, she had even snapped on all of us. The barrage of voices over the comms didn't help our situation (speaking of which, the comms was buzzing. I knew that Hornet II and Independence had listened in). How could I have not seen it? Was I just selfish?

And Yorktown II... I couldn't imagine what she was going through, or any other of the Type II girls for that matter. Here they were, with riggings that boasted new-and-improved armaments, only to be turkey-shot by a single carrier. Yorktown II was supposed to be the glue that held everyone together, and here she was, doubting her own abilities!

Even worse yet, if I could be selfish, now I had to be the voice of reason! I only got this job less than a year ago and I wasn't a licensed therapist! What could I possibly do?!?

Alright, alright. You can solve this, I thought to myself. Just re-examine the situation.

... other than 'we're fucked'. Thank you, me.

Closing my eyes, I pondered a response while sinking deeper into my mind, trying to pull something from what was the dark recesses of my subconscious. Anything was fair game. Any words of reassurance, comfort, joy - anything!

Then, as I was following the rabbit hole through Sun Tzu's The Art of War, I was reminded of something - something that I had learnt at the Academy before I became a Commander.

"Yorktown II - no, just Yorktown." That was how I began, in a nervous, yet self-reassuring voice. Then, I continued, trying to make my voice more reassuring than self-reassuring. I had to be the one who assuaged my subordinate's fears - not the other way around this time. Yorktown had helped me when I was at my worst at the meeting - now was my time to return the favor.

"When I started at the Academy, I was fearful of the Sirens. To me, they were this all-encompassing force that threatened to overtake everything I knew. Culture, religion, politics, places - everything that I knew could have been gone because of the Sirens..." I took a deep breath, letting the words beginning to sink in, "if it weren't for you and the KAN-SEN."

"It was not the Commanders - the ones with so much more experience than I thought I could ever hold a candle to - that reassured me that humanity was going to turn out fine. It was you."

The white-haired Fighting Lady of her namesake class turned to stare at me, her curiosity piqued by my words but with a certain look in her eyes. "Pardon?"

I cleared my throat, my self-confidence wavering as soon as she turned to look at me with the strange look in her eyes. However, I had to press through... for her. "The first week I was at the Academy, I... witnessed a Siren attack on the TV. It was a massive one..."

---

I was shaken from my sleep by the voices in the common area. Groggy from having woken up, I took a look at my alarm clock, confused as to why the sun hadn't come up yet. In my mind, I had thought that due to the noise outside my dorm, it was morning.

2:31 AM.

Alright, now this piqued my interest. Rolling out of my bed, I threw on a jacket over my pajamas hastily before I stepped out of my room, curious as to what was the noise from...

Only to see what was probably everyone who resided in the dorms huddling together to watch something unfolding on the big screen in the common area. Narrowing my eyes, I squinted at the screen to see what it was, and the results surprised me... unpleasantly.

A formal-looking man greeted me on the screen, reading off of a paper. From the bags under his eyes, it seemed like he also hadn't gotten much sleep as well. However, it wasn't his tiredness that I was focused on - it was what he was saying.

"Good evening, I'm Bob Gates. We interrupt this broadcast of HimeTV to bring you breaking news of a Siren attack on Pearl Harbor. Our very own Jeanne Dark is on the scene - let's go to her now, live, for more details. Jeanne?"

The screen now switched over to a blonde-haired woman holding a microphone, lit up with a flashlight while all hell broke loose behind her. At first glance, one could have even said that the chaos behind her was CGI - lasers, laughter, and an endless flow of mass-produced ships filled the horizon, with planes and humanoid figures dotting the skies.

In the common area, my fellow colleagues murmured with shock and fear at the scene. I couldn't blame them - the Academy was on the Western Coast of Eagle Union territory, located in a prominent port city. If Pearl fell, then it was a likely chance that our city was their next target. This was something that everyone here knew.

On the screen, during all the murmuring, the lady was speaking as well. "Good evening," Jeanne began, holding her hair back as the roars of the wind and shells filled the air, temporarily nuking her audio quality. However, after a few seconds, we were able to hear what she was saying. "As I said, good evening!" she shouted, holding a finger into her ears to at least try to dampen the sounds. "My name is Jeanne Dark, and I'm coming to you live from-" A large boom temporarily took over the audio before she picked up again. "The death toll continues to rise as the Sirens continue their attack! Unofficial reports say that the casualty rate is currently-" another boom silenced her.

This was bad news, and the common area knew it. Hell, I knew it, and I had just woken up in my PJ's. Already, some of the students had pulled out cell phones to contact family or friends. Sadly, I knew that my parents were heavy sleepers, and I had relatively no friends outside of the Academy to speak to at this hour. Therefore, I kept on watching, internally praying that someone was able to stop the attack, or at least halt it long enough for evacuations to take place.

The screen switched over to Bob's tired face. "Er... thank you, Jeanne. Where are the military reinforcements? Where are the KAN-SEN?"

Jeanne shook her head once the screen switched back to her. "No word on either of them. Anonymous sources claim that they're currently being bogged down with armament loadouts, but for now, there is little resistance to the Sirens' advance." Jeanne sighed before another boom sounded, cutting off audio quality for a few moments.

Bob spoke. "Shouldn't they have prepared for an ambush like this?"

"They should have," came Jeanne's response, "but they didn't. It seems that the Eagle Union's logistical capabilities have proven to be inferior to the Sirens' assault." She gave a terse sneer. "And still no sign of the KAN-SEN as well. Typical of the military."

Bob was about to say something before he saw something in the camera. "Jeanne. Jeanne! Behind you!" Shock filled his face as a strange white light faintly appeared in the camera behind Jeanne, briefly muddled by the chaos before it got brighter.

Turning around, Jeanne narrowed her eyes. "What is... oh. Oh, god." She turned towards the camera. "We need to run. Now!"

It was unspoken, but everyone knew what it was - a shell. Either it was a stray shot, or one of the Sirens had noticed her. Either way, it was too late to do anything, and apparently the person manning the camera knew this.

"Jeanne? Jeanne! Move it!" Bob yelled into the camera, as if he was able to change fate by shouting more. However, it was too late. Someone in the dorm screamed as...

A spear of light struck the shell, turning it into a firework and scattering it into pieces. The scream in the dorm was replaced by silence as everyone realized who had fired the arrow. A grey-haired woman walked into view of the camera, gently leaning down at Jeanne, who had collapsed into a heap. "Miss? Are you okay?"

"I - I..." Jeanne cleared her throat, looking up at the lady. "Who... who are you?"

"The group whom you insulted." The KAN-SEN raised a hand and the spear reformed in their grasp before looking at the camera. "Pearl will not fall today. I assure you, this is not a fairytale. The Sirens will retreat once again, just like they've done in Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and the Aleutian Islands."

Excited murmuring broke out in the common area as they watched the woman. She was the KAN-SEN who all of the students wanted to lead someday.

The woman continued. "But, remember this." In the midst of the battle, hell, and death, the angelic figure smiled. "Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go..."

---

"... just remember how far you have come."

"How far I've... come?" Yorktown II asked.

"Of course." I paused, giving myself time to think before I spoke once again. "Think about it this way. You say that Hakuryuu and States are superior, but they're merely blank slates. They're carriers that hadn't been built; something that can be molded by someone with the right skills."

"But you?" I continued. "You and everyone else here? You have a war's worth of experience. Only you know what it's like to truly battle in the War, back when KAN-SEN had to fight against KAN-SEN. The so-called 'New Guard' don't have this valuable experience. Only..." I pointed at her, "you do."

"But... how does this reflect the superior skills of them?"

I nodded. "Yes, that is correct. We did suffer quite a loss, but I'm sure that one quote you know by heart is 'we may have lost the battle, but we'll still win the war'." Reaching down, I grabbed her hand, trying to get my point across. "Please, don't quit yet. The worst moments are usually followed by the most beautiful silver linings. You have to stay strong and remember to keep your head up and remain hopeful. Where there is danger, there is opportunity - and right now, we have the opportunity to exploit an opportunity. Do you believe in me, Yorktown?"

To my surprise, Yorktown II didn't put her hands away from me, instead letting me hold them. "Y-yes, Commander." At first, her answer was hesitant, but at the end she gave me a firm nod. Her faith in herself was swayed, but her faith in me was still strong despite the odds.

I smiled. "Thank you, Yorktown. Do you believe in what I have in plan?"

She nodded. "I... do, Commander."

"Then, do you believe that my plan will work? That, with your resilience and my strategy, we will win this war despite our losses in battle?" I looked into her eyes now, no longer deterred by my lack of self-confidence. "Yorktown, you and everyone else here are so much stronger than you think. But, you never know what you can do until you try. I... understand that the enemy may seem superior on paper, but don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do. You may not have jets or any high-functioning armaments that our opponents have, but what you have is the strength to move forward and to uproot them in what they can do best."

Before I finished, I had one more thing to say. "Your past does not define you. Your past does not shackle you. It is your experience, and your choice to know what you want to do next. By all means, I will not force you to fight if you don't want to. If everyone wants to stand down, then stand down we shall. But... I know you're so much better than standing down."

For a long moment, Yorktown was silent. Then, she opened her mouth and spoke. Or rather, she laughed.

Uh-oh.

"You're correct, Commander." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. I can't let something like this keep me down." Settling down her laugh, she nodded once more. "I believe in your and your plan wholeheartedly, my Commander. The dawn you have brought us must not be lost here."

Nevermind, no uh-oh. More hoorah.

I smiled. "Thank you, Yorktown." Turning to the comms, I spoke. "Hornet, are you done readying your aircraft?"

"Yup~! Operation Skyfall, ready to go!" This time, the Hornet was much more enthusiastic with her answer. Instead of semi-confident and muted, she was now seemingly reassured. So, she had been listening in.

Not that I was complaining. I was banking on her listening in - it meant I didn't have to repeat myself.

"Excellent." I turned to Langley II. "Langley, do you know for sure that Archibald won't see this coming?"

With a smile, the green-haired teacher responded. "I've looked through his database of exercises. He's never seen this type of strategy before, so it's likely that he doesn't have a countermeasure to it due to how inconspicuous it is."

"Awesome." Then, switching comms, I contacted Independence. "Are your aircraft ready?"

"I've scrambled all the fighters I have!" came her instant reply. "USS Independence, ready to commence operations!"

It seemed that everyone was fired up by my grand ol' speech. Now... turning to Yorktown, I squeezed her hand before regrettably letting go of her hand. What? It was soft. "Well, you know what to do, right?" I gave her a grin. "I'm appointing you leader of this little operation. Can I trust you with this?"

Her reply was instantaneous and was music to my ears. One could even say that it was an Ode to Joy.

"Absolutely, Commander."

---

The plan was possibly one of the dumbest ones that I've heard of in a while due to how it exploited a small loophole in the rules of the exercise. However, that was the point.

It wasn't our goal to wipe out Archibald's task force - no, that wasn't possible with the amount of fighters we had on hand. No matter what I did, I couldn't shake off the planes from pursuing me. I could only delay the inevitable by steering my ship in a random direction, forcing the enemy planes to look for me. It was seemingly fruitless time, but that was what we were looking for.

I had no Resonance, but hell was going to freeze over before I gave in without one last fight.

After all, if I didn't take risks, then I had no place as a Commander.

"Independence, now!"

"Target locked!"

---

[Phase 1]

States' aircraft were almost to their destination when Phase 1 initiated.

Specifically, Phase 1 was to cause as much chaos as possible. Thankfully, I only needed one KAN-SEN to do that, and who better than a KAN-SEN who knew how to adapt on the fly?

Independence's fighters rocketed down, each one of them aimed for one of States' attack aircraft. Then, in unison and without warning, pops filled the air as the fighters let their bullets fly as if it was a Touhou game.

And just like most beginners trying out a Touhou game, the attack aircrafts struggled to try to dodge the streams of bullets and mostly failed. There were some that survived, but they were quickly picked off by Independence's fighters as they tried to flee. Although the fighters were less maneuverable, what they lacked in agility they made up for in speed (due to the dive) and the firepower they packed.

And just like that, States' attack had completely crumbled. If Archibald had decided to wait to sortie fighters as well, then the result would have been much less clear.

---

I wasn't an idiot - I knew that Commander Archibald thought lowly of me. After all, I was merely a new Commander and Archibald was arguably the best Commander in the Atlantic. Why did he have to worry at all?

Well, there was once a general who wrote a book that had a quote pertaining to a situation similar to this.

"If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."

This was Archibald's current problem. He knew himself better than anyone else knew him. He was confident in his prowess in combat, and he relied on his carriers while thinking lowly of his opponent.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

However, I also knew myself. I knew that I was anti-social and that social situations were awkward to me. I was a giant nerd. I was a young and supposedly inept Commander. Above everything else, I felt that I wasn't deserving enough of this position - that someone more capable should have taken the reins of being the Commander in my place. Someone with more Resonance could have bonded with my KAN-SEN more. Someone with more Resonance could have been a better Commander in battle.

But Admiral Nimitz didn't have any Resonance.

Nor Yi Sun-Shin.

Nor Horatio Nelson.

The Greats of History, the sinkers of fleets - none of them had Resonance; none of them had the capabilities we enjoyed today. The Martial Lord of Loyalty didn't enjoy the ability to send information across the globe at a moment's notice. No, he instead had to fight every single naval battle on uneven footing.

And this lack of Resonance was why, today, I believed I could win.

"If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

I knew myself, and Phase 1 was meant to make Archibald doubt himself.

Now, it was time for the checkmate.

"Yorktown! Hornet! Langley! Your time is now!"

"Roger!"

---

[Phase 2]

One hour later, Archibald heard the rumbling of plane engines. Curious, he looked up from the bridge. Had his sortie come back so soon? States should have notified him of the planes returning earlier - had she forgotten?

Reaching for the call button, he was about to hail States when he suddenly heard the pops of the anti-aircraft batteries coming from his two carriers and his own flagship. That was when he realized that his plan had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Pressing the call button, he hailed Hakuryuu. "Hakuryuu! Where are your fighters?!"

A response came immediately. "They're too far out!" Despite the urgency of the situation, Hakuryuu still sounded confident. "You got a backup plan, right? I suggest you use it now!"

... well, this was awkward. Archibald didn't have a backup plan.

But, what he did have was his Resonance. What was a competent Commander without it?

Closing his eyes, Archibald began to do the same thing that he had done over and over again. He imagined himself inside his headspace - for simplicity's sake, he liked to imagine it as a simple dark void.

Then, he imagined a bright white sphere of light, shining through the dark void as if it was a sphere. This was his Resonance - or, at least, a manifestation of it. It ebbed and flowed with his heartbeat, and upon its summoning into his headspace, it calmed down as if it were sentient, waiting for his orders. He only had one.

Help Hakuryuu.

And with that, Archibald reached forward and grabbed at the light, commanding it to do his bidding.

In the real world, Hakuryuu's anti-air batteries suddenly got a lot more accurate. Additionally, they began to fire faster, as if they received a major buff.

And in a way, they did. As Archibald's Resonance spread through Hakuryuu's body, she suddenly felt a rush of power and heat (not that kind of heat) and grinned. "Hmph; about time, Commander! Show me the fool that dares to challenge-"

The anti-air batteries suddenly stopped, silence filling the battlespace.

"The mighty Hakuryuu! Divine retribution befalls you!"

And with that, the AA batteries lit up once more, covering the skies with flak and bullets.

---

I had expected this.

Then, one might ask, why did you send a squadron of planes on a suicide mission if you knew that this was going to happen?

Good question.

See, those planes were pretty much unarmed - they were only meant for speed and to get past as much of the flak as possible before they were inevitably brought down.

Well, I was partially incorrect. My planes had been carrying some things.

Or rather, some KAN-SEN.

Let Phase 3 begin.

Let the heavens rain down hell.

---

As soon as the planes were decimated, Hakuryuu could spot three objects above her, each of them falling down towards the Earth as everything tended to do.

However, these three objects weren't objects at all. Rather, they were three very special - and very brave - KAN-SEN.

Yorktown, Hornet, and Langley, decked out in their rigging, had all popped by to say hi.

Unfortunately for Hakuryuu and States, they would also be leaving a gift before saying goodbye.

"Shit!" Hakuryuu cursed before she swiveled her AA armaments, trying to hit them. Meanwhile, States' AA began to flare up, the younger KAN-SEN just now realizing the severeness of the situation.

However, it was too late. The KAN-SEN were falling too fast and were too small to hit accurately. At about 1,000 feet above the ships, their riggings began to launch planes as fast as possible, each of them loaded to the brim with bombs.

As Hakuryuu and States watched in horror, these mini-planes grew to full size right after they launched away from their flight decks.

Did you know what else expanded to full-size? The bombs.

More accurately, the bombs that were now dropping headfirst towards the three ships below them.

In only a matter of seconds, the exercise concluded.

[The winner of the carrier exercise is: Commander Finn]

Chapter Text

In the bridge of Archibald's ship, the KAN-SEN watched as Archibald stood in front of them all, waiting to see what he gathered them here for. It was obviously going to be about their recent loss in the first carrier round, of course. But then, why did Archibald call all of them instead of only just the carriers?

The answer quickly came. As soon as States, the last one to arrive - bless her heart - hobbled through the doorway to the bridge and closed it, Archibald bowed in front of his subordinates.

"I... apologize."

... huh?

As the other KAN-SEN looked at him with various levels of shock and surprise, Archibald rose from his bow. "I let my own ambition and ego get in the way of our success. I should have led the carriers in a much more efficient manner and I should have guessed that the boy would resort to such tactics." His voice was heartfelt with each word he spoke - he meant all of what he said. "If you all so choose, I will step down as Commander for this competition and let one of you take the reigns until we arrive back in Boston."

Everyone in the room knew that he meant it. They knew that he meant it by the tone of his voice and the defeated look in his eyes. Everyone knew that he was blaming solely himself for the loss - if he hadn't been so cocky and arrogant, then he wouldn't have allowed himself to be distracted by the diversionary dogfight. His clothes were ruffled and his tie loosened - a far cry from the pinnacle of orderliness everyone in the room knew him to be.

For a moment, each of the KAN-SEN looked at each other, internally debating amongst themselves as to what to do. They had never lost an exercise before - they were going into new territory, and they all knew that whatever they did now would set the precedent for the future, should this happen again. After all, why wouldn't it? They had never dealt with a loss before - even in the most ferocious of battles, with the sea literally being picked up over their heads due to the nature of the Sirens' preferred battlefields, the Commander's Resonance had always seen them through the toughest of battles and morale-shaking moments. He was a beacon of iron light to them all - to see him defeated cracked this visage.

Finally, Georgia was the first to speak up. "Commander."

Archibald looked at the black-haired shipgirl and nodded at her. With permission to speak now, Georgia continued, her voice as serious yet warm as the summer winds.

"I believe I've told you this before, but I have a dream, as do all of us. It's a special kind of dream that may come tomorrow or never, but it's a dream nonetheless." Stepping forward, she put her palm on her chest in a dramatic fashion. However, instead of the usually cringeworthy act it gave out, it gave an aura of determined expression. "It's a dream where the seas are free of the stink of gunpowder, and all of the people of the world live in peace."

Silence reigned as Georgia collected her next words. Stepping forward once more and putting her other hand on Archibald's own chest, she continued. "And yet, even with this loss of ours, I believe that you are the only one who can achieve my dream as the Comman-" she shook her head as she gestured to the other KAN-SEN in the room. "No, our Commander. Losses are something that every Commander has to go through, but a true Commander is one who can overcome the loss and power through."

"I..." Archibald, surprised by Georgia's resoluteness, smiled. "... thank you, Georgia."

"No, thank you." Georgia shook her head. "You are the one who showed us that we were more than just weapons." Lifting her hand from his chest, she now put it on his left shoulder. "Thank you."

Commander Archibald nodded before patting Georgia on the shoulder, returning her gesture. "Very well, then." With a clear of his throat, he now looked at the rest of the KAN-SEN. "I shall continue as your Commander for the duration of the exercises." Sweeping his eyes across the room, he continued. "Unless, of course, anyone wishes to take my place?"

As everyone gave their various answers - all of them being some variation of 'no' - Archibald nodded once more in confirmation. Stepping back, he turned around and pressed a button on a table. A blue-tinted hologram of various plans popped up, obviously for the next day's battle.

They might have had a slight blemish on their spotless record now, but this blemish was no more than a stepping stone. They were all determined to learn from this mistake - never underestimate your enemies.

"Then, shall we get started on preparing?"

And underestimate they never shall.

"Yes, sir!"

---

In celebration of our recent win, the carrier KAN-SEN suggested a small party to, uh... celebrate our win. As one usually does whenever they flip off the odds before they... flip the odds.

... Look, my mind was fried from the occasion, having to socialize, and from the events of today. My wordplay wasn't exactly on the level of Shakespeare's at the moment.

As all of the diners at the Port were closed at this time of night, I had decided to open up my office to host the celebration. Retiring to said office, I was only able to put together the furniture and hide the paperwork before the doors had burst open, revealing the carrier KAN-SEN who had participated in today's exercise carrying various utensils, plates, drinks, and food. Suruga wasn't among them, sadly - she had retired for the night, trusting that nothing would explode. That, and that she wasn't a carrier.

One thing led to another, and soon we had a party on our hands. Another thing led to another, and suddenly Independence realized that she shouldn't had brought the alcohol.

"Whoo! We actually did it!" Hornet cheered, her face flushed as she raised up her glass in celebration. "Three cheers for our Commander-"

I cleared my throat, my face slightly reddening in embarrassment. "Hornet, you're getting tipsy."

And that's the story of how I met your mot - nah, I'm just kidding.

Yorktown smiled, holding her own glass as well. "But it is only etiquette, of course. We may have won the first exercise together, but you were the one who brought us all together for this to happen." She raised her glass. "Is there anyone here who is against giving our Commander a toast?"

With various exclamation of 'no's, Yorktown nodded before she began to speak. "Very well. In this case..."

Waaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiit. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Full stop. Pause. Naw, this couldn't be happening. I thought Hornet meant this as a joke!

My brain was short-circuiting as the attention circled around me once more. I could feel my grasp on my pseudo-calmness losing its grip by the millisecond; any more of this and I feared that I would react in a very socially awkward way.

... well, I mean, I was already acting socially awkward. That wasn't helping.

Dammit! What advice was there to help calm me down? Looking through my subconscious, I scrubbed through my memories in a desperate attempt to find anything that would help my current predicament.

C'mon, c'mon... there has to be something! I mean, navigating one's mind is like going through a large library, right? I just gotta find the Dewey Decimal System for this godforsaken place!

And then, just when all hope seemed lost I suddenly remembered a piece of advice, given to me by a fellow Commander-in-training from back in my days at the Academy.

Remember what the articles said about becoming more social! Like, uh... picture everyone naked when you feel anxious to speak!

... Looking at the extremely beautiful KAN-SEN all grouped around the table in front of me, I decided then and there that I was thoroughly and truly fucked.

Hey, I wasn't going to follow that shitty advice! I had to get out of here. My mind had gone haywire to the point where I just wasn't thinking straight anymore.

Just when I decided to clear my throat, stand up, excuse myself for the night, and hightail it out of there, however, there was a knock on the door to my office.

Huh? With the knock snapping me out of my stupor, I looked around the table. That was strange - all the carrier KAN-SEN that had participated in the exercise was here. Was it perhaps Suruga bearing some news? I thought she had fallen asleep by now.

Well, no matter. It gave me a reason to stand up and at least go to the door. Maybe I could make up an excuse along the way to leave? Maybe I could claim that I forgot something at home.

Nah, that wouldn't have worked. My bedroom was literally right next to my office due to me being too scared to actually leave the building (hey, what if I ran into a KAN-SEN who didn't like me?), so that was out of the question. As I stood up to answer the door, grateful for the interruption and allowing me to stall the toast (later, upon self-reflection, I came to the conclusion that I had done what was deemed as a, to put it simply, a dick move).

Heading for the door, I opened it up, expecting Suruga, and was instead met with Brest.

Huh, why is she here? I don't recall ever calling her for something. Maybe she just wanted to JESUS CHRIST WHERE IN THE ABSOLUTE FUCK ARE YOUR PANTS GIRL?!?

Standing in the doorway, holding a golden-colored lyre and a book and clad in... well, let's just say very loosely-defined clothing stood the KAN-SEN, with her blonde hair, elf ears, and blue eyes being the main things that caught my eyes.

Which was good, because... well, let's just say that I was trying very, very hard to not look down.

... wait, hadn't I met Brest earlier? If I recalled correctly, she had participated in the initial meeting before the carrier exercise. Now that I thought about it, I remembered seeing her there,  though I guess I just mentally blocked out the fact that she was basically wearing really thick string as her only clothes.

Seriously, girl, go to, like... any clothing shop. Was she banned from them all because of her indecent exposure or something?

Now, though, now that she took up my entire view, I couldn't ignore it anymore. Rolling the metaphysical nat20 to determine if I was going to get past the first five seconds of conversation, I spoke.

"Oh, um... hello, Brest. What... what brings you here?" I cleared my throat. "The carrier KAN-SEN and I were just having a get-together to celebrate our victory, would you like to join in?"

Brest smiled, tucking her book and lyre under her arm FINN DON'T AVERT YOUR EYES TO DOWN THERE JUST ASSUME SHE'S TUCKING THEM AWAY before speaking. "Hello, Champion." Tilting to the side to peek over my shoulder, she saw the carrier KAN-SEN seated around the table. "Ah, I see that you were partaking in a celebration of food and drink for your victory against our adversarial foe, were you not?"

"Oh, uh... yup," I could only reply dumbly. I could feel the blush rising through my cheeks as I slowly realized more and more that I was talking to a woman who was basically half naked. I had to calm myself somehow - I didn't want to make myself seem like a fool!

Standing back up straight, she giggled, seemingly not noticing my embarrassment. "I was merely here to inquire something of you for the gunship exercise tomorrow." Peeking over my shoulder once again, she looked at the ladies. "Greetings, fellow allies! May I borrow our Champion for a period of time tomorrow morning? I wish to ask him of certain details of tomorrow's exercise and his plans regarding it."

"Huh...? Oh, sure!" Hornet mildly slurred her words as she gave a thumbs up. "But, uh, can we toast him first? Hehehe..."

Oh. Oh, right.

Oh, goddammit.

I was starting to prefer being with the walking, talking NSFW tag in front of me over being toasted. This was their victory as well! They didn't need to celebrate me when they did all the heavy labor! I was just the one who pulled some stuff out of my ass!

Yet, as I looked back at Brest, I could only see her sweet smile and could only despair.

No. No. Nononononope. Please don't. Please let me lea-

"I find that to be an agreeable term. If I may, could I perhaps partake in this 'toast' as well? I would love to celebrate our Champion's victory, as well as all of yours's."

And that, kids, was how I ended up being toasted by several very hot ladies, one of whom barely wearing anything.

---

States looked out of a porthole, leaning against the wall next to the window as watery hell broke loose outside.

As it turned out, a freak storm showed up a few hours before dawn. As Tarawa didn't regularly receive sudden storms, both Archibald and Finn had concluded that this was due to Siren interference and postponed exercises until the storm passed or any Sirens responsible for the weather showed themselves. As such, the entire Port was put on alert - you never knew when the Sirens decided to make a move.

States sighed, a bit miffed that Archibald wasn't there with the exercise crew - he had decided to stay in his flagship to attend to what he called "foreign duties" - but understanding nevertheless. She never loved storms, especially ones as fierce as the one ripping through the Port at the moment.

Siren-caused storms had a special designated name for them - Howls. They had a relatively simple reason as to why they were named that - howling winds that swept everything that wasn't bolted down out to sea whenever Howls came along. Of course, there were other names for Howls depending on where you came from in the world, but the vast majority of Commanders referred to these types of storms as Howls.

The child-like KAN-SEN continued to dully look out the porthole window with nothing better to do with her time. After all, she had pretty much done her duty - she fought in the carrier battle, and she doubted she would be selected for the final exercise. Thus, she planned to just spend her days lazing around and flying CAP with her fighters - of course, she had to make sure that her fighters could fly in this weather first. She would get to it... eventually.

However, Fate had other plans for her other than lazing around and napping, as evidenced by the sound of someone drinking a beverage behind her. Turning her head and shoulders around, States saw Georgia standing there, sipping on some Oxy-Cola while looking right at her.

"Hello, Georgia. How... are you today?" Turning around, States grabbed her cane that had been leaning against the wall and leaned on it in order to turn her whole body around. "I trust the storms have not been... too much of a... hassle?"

The black-haired KAN-SEN shook her head in response. "Nope. If anything, having to look over the plans for our strategy once the Howl exits is stressing me out more than the Howl itself." Reaching behind her, Georgia pulled a bottle of Oxy-Cola out of seemingly nowhere before raising it towards the carrier KAN-SEN. "Want some?"

States shook her head. "Thank you, but... no thank you, I'm good. I appreciate the... offer, though." States never really liked carbonated drinks - the feeling of the bubbles popping in your mouth was simply too strange and tingly for her to comprehend as a joyous experience. "How goes the... Commander?"

"Could be better, could be worse." Georgia made a seesawing motion with her free hand. "On one hand, since we've pretty much finalized our strategy for the exercise, he has a lot of free time on his hands. On the other hand, he doesn't really know how to spend all that free time and he's going slightly mad from just reading." She sighed. "Damned Howl took out Internet by knocking out the satellite dishes, and apparently the Port's too broke to replace them until the end of the month." She shrugged. "Thankfully, our communication devices function more like walkie-talkies, so at least we don't have to worry about loss of communication during the exercises."

"That's... great to hear." States looked back out the porthole. "I wonder how... Commander Finn is doing..."

"Supposedly, he stays indoors all the time so this really hasn't affected him much." Georgia lightly wrinkled her nose. "Frankly? I just think he's wasting a lot of time when he could be outdoors and enjoying the sun. But, with the tight budget the Port has, I wouldn't be surprised if he spent a lot more time than others trying to balance the budget to make ends meet."

"I... see..." The reply was slow - as if States was deliberately mulling over every vowel that she uttered.

"Mm. Anyways, sorry, I got off topic." Georgia pointed towards the door. "The other girls were wondering if you wanted to join them to watch a movie. Something about a documentary about a famous singer? Think his name was Rick... Ashley? Astley? Something along those lines."

A light smile came upon States' face. "That would be... lovely. Would you mind... helping me there?"

"Sure thing, bud."

---

When I woke up this morning and took one look outside the window, I was thinking that maybe I had done something wrong to anger whomever was the Big Man upstairs because it was storming outside. When I checked my phone to see what was up with the freak weather, I got my unfortunate answer - a Howl had struck. The second exercise would be delayed until later.

But now, in my office, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and went back to my work, trying not to think about how Howls were associated with Siren attacks and how the Port currently wasn't in the best situation - strategical, logistical, and even financial - to repel a Siren ambush. Perusing through various manuscripts and paperwork, I was in the middle of trying to figure out the budget for the Port when I heard a knock on my door.

Huh, that was strange. I wasn't expecting any visitors. Suruga was out for the day, and the KAN-SEN tended to stay indoors whenever it was storming here. I didn't blame then - due to our limited budget, the outdoors tended to get... not so nice. It didn't help that the Port in of itself was on an artificial island - at any moment, the sand could always give way and I'd have to deal with flooding problems on top of the ever-tightening grip of the budget.

However, I would worry about that later. "Door's unlocked!" I said, subconsciously making a beckoning motion with my arm before realizing what I was doing. Ah... I'm glad no one saw that.

When the door opened, I was certain that it was going to be one of the KAN-SEN at this Port. Hell, it wasn't even off the table that one of the humanoid Sirens would waltz in - there had been sightings of Purifier roaming the Pacific Ocean.

What I didn't expect was for Commander Archibald to walk in through the door with a drenched blue umbrella.

Shit. I was not expecting him. But then again, I wouldn't have expected the Spanish Inquisition as well, so... it evens out, I guess? Maybe I should install a camera on the door so I could check whom it was.

Actually, no, that'd be kinda creepy. Nevermind.

"Uh... hello, sir," I began, my surprise overshadowing my knowledge that I was a Commander as well and could simply refer to Archibald by his name. "What brings you here?" A brief pause took hold of the air, and then I continued on. "Oh! I apologize. There, uh... you can put your umbrella in the bucket next to you-"

"We need to discuss." Archibald's usual tone had been replaced by one of tiredness and stress. When I looked more closely at Archibald, I realized that he had bags under his eyes and his hair was ruffled - not by the rain nor wind, but...

"Wait, have you been staying up all night?" I blurted out before I realized what I said. Goddammit, Finn! Archibald's not some buddy of yours! He's here on serious business, not to discuss the latest Shonen anime with you! He's your opponent, for fuck's sake!

"That is not relevant, Commander Finn. What I came here to discuss is prevalent to both of our interests."

... oh, shit, he didn't call me boy like he was some sort of Kratos wannabe. This was serious.

Clearing my throat, I nodded, trying to put on my best Commander face. "Er... very well. Come, take a seat." I motioned towards the chair in front of the desk.

With a curt nod, Commander Archibald put away the umbrella and walked over to the chair, his shoes making audible thumps on the carpet, before sitting down. Folding his hands on his lap, he stared at me with some sort of... I dunno, directness? I wasn't exactly familiar with how Commanders interacted with each other in a formal way. Was staring at each other the age-old greeting like how teens did high-fives? I very much would have preferred a high-five to a death stare, Archibald!

Wait, what if this was intentional? Maybe he was trying to get into my head and see how nervous I was! I mean, why wouldn't I be? This was Commander Archibald! He was basically the most famous Eagle Union Commander while I was some backwater peasant!

"Did you hear me, Commander Finn?"

Oh, shit, I thought too much. I shook my head. "Ah... sorry, si - Commander Archibald. Ahem. Yes. Wait, sorry, no, I did not." I silently drummed my fingers on my lap with growing intensity, trying to let out my anxiety in the quietest way possible. This was even worse than playing Monopoly with Anchorage. "Would you mind repeating yourself?"

With a flat expression, Archibald merely gave a sigh before retelling his words. "I would like to request your tactics regarding the carrier exercise. Your strategy of ferrying the aircraft carrier KAN-SEN over to the enemy strike group was cunning, but if I may be frank, also quite idiotic yet unheard of."

I blinked. That was it? Alright. "Well... I can't take any of the good credit for it, since it was after you slaughtered half of my fighter aircraft. It's really only thanks to the KAN-SEN that the plan was formulated, since they suggested we make a separate plan in order to try to catch you off guard."

"I see... so you adapted on the fly to an overwhelming situation."

Oh, come on! Was he really just trying to brag about his situation at that point? Was he doing what the young'uns called 'coping', 'seething', and 'malding'? God, I hoped not. That'd be awkward to see.

"Mm... I guess so?" I shrugged, putting a finger to my chin as I recalled the events that happened. "Though, in a real-life situation, if I ever had to do something like that then I would have needed to massively fuck up a sortie beforehand." I sighed. "... which would then lead me to being fired."

However, to my mild surprise, Archibald shook his head. "Plans do not survive warfare, boy. It takes an adept Commander to formulate a plan in the heat of battle... even if it was a plan as strange as that."

"Yes, it was quite idiotic, yet it worked. Does that mean that it qualifies as idiotic?"

Archibald tilted his head. "... Hm. You have a point, but in a real sortie, there is a high probability that your aircraft carrier KAN-SEN would have been captured shortly after by the Sirens. While your goal may have been to cut the snake's head off, you fail to realize that Siren tactics are similar to a Hydra."

"Yeah, fair enough. But, I was kinda grabbing for straws. I didn't have many options, and had we gone through with the original plan then we wouldn't have won the exercise." While I would never state it to Archibald, I fully admitted to myself that I took advantage of the fact that I only needed to knock out the flagship and not the pawns. In a way, it was like a game of chess - only the King mattered, and I had moved my Queen to checkmate my opponent. Looking out of the window, I stared at the rain sweeping across the sea before I looked back at Commander Archibald, who seemed deep in thought. "In the next exercise, though... I doubt I'll have any chance to pull off any improvised plan."

Silence met me, allowing me to get antsy while waiting for Archibald to respond. After a while, though, he did, his words slow and deliberate. "I suppose you know somewhat of USS United States, correct? You faced her during the last exercise."

Well, that was off-topic. "Yeah, pretty much." I didn't bother to tell him that Suruga and I had done a lot of research on his ships prior to the planning period for the exercises. But, even if I knew what planes States fielded, I doubted that that was what Archibald meant. "You wanna tell me about her?"

With a nod, he continued. "She had... complications during her development process, rendering her somewhat physically disabled and requiring a cane to even walk," he began. "Had I thought of the very same plan you had enacted, I doubt that I would be able to put it into action solely due to how physically fragile she is."

"I... see." No, I did not see his point. I was blind as a bat.

"What I am attempting to say is, please understand your KAN-SEN's limits."

... oh.

Oh, that was why he was here.

He never said it, but judging by his attitude to the KAN-SEN under his care, I knew he cared a lot for them. I mean, what Commander wouldn't? Archibald may have been a fake in the beginning, but the fact that he was one of the top Commanders in the Atlantic here and now suggested that he cared enough to try.

Did that mean he cared about my own KAN-SEN as well?

... did he think that he needed to care for my KAN-SEN as well because I wasn't taking enough care of them?

"You understand how Resonance works, correct?" Archibald's words snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, uh... yeah? That was a fundamental thing to know in Commander Academy."

"Then you must know that, in order to use Resonance, one must understand how far their KAN-SEN can go and are willing to go. You must know their limits."

"Uh... correct." I already knew that, but something told me that he wasn't trying to teach me stuff I already knew. He was no idiot, and so I let him talk.

"But... if one doesn't have any Resonance, then what do they do?"

"You have to have faith in your KAN-SEN, just as they have faith in you." The answer came automatically.

What? You think that I didn't spend entire nights pondering that question while I lay in bed? Everyone knew that I had the lowest Resonance. I wasn't some gifted child who could one-shot entire battles with their massive supply of Resonance. Even passing Commander Academy for me took more work than some politicians achieved in their lifetime.

"Oh? Care to elaborate?" Archibald folded his arms, raising his eyebrow and with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I couldn't rely on cheap parlor tricks to win. I had to rely on what my KAN-SEN could do with their natural ability. It was essentially the same thing as romantic activity (which I definitely heard of some Commanders taking part in with their KAN-SEN) - you have to trust your other half just as much as they trust you.

And just like that, I found myself beginning to talk.

"Well, sure, I may not have any Resonance, and you may think that I may not know my KAN-SEN's limits." I put my hands on the table, leaning forward on my desk. For some reason, I... didn't feel any discomfort from speaking. I had fully expected to be meek as I usually was during conversations - hell, I was half-expecting to act how I did during last night's toast - but... this guy was trying to question my place here, or at least I thought he was doubting my career.

"But, that doesn't mean that I try less than the other Commanders defending this world we live on. I put faith in my KAN-SEN, not because I'm sure that I have the skills necessary to win, but because I know that their expertise can win the battle. It doesn't matter what cheat skills anyone may have. It took hard work for me to be a Commander, and I'm not going to stop rolling the boulder up the hill just because 'I made it'."

I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to prove that getting to this spot wasn't some fluke of nature or a glitch in the Matrix. I wanted to prove that - no, I would prove that I wasn't going to be some failure. I had a lot of KAN-SEN at my Port who depended on me. The last thing I wanted to do was to let them down, even if my heart told me that I let them down every single day just by being myself.

And, for the first time in this meeting, Archibald let out a smile as if I passed some sort of test. "... perhaps I expected too little from you." Getting up, he nodded at me. "I hope you remember this conversation, Finn. However, please do not take this meeting as pretense for a lessening of difficulty for the next exercise." Walking over to his umbrella, he snatched it up before opening up the door.

But, before he exited, he turned to look at me once more.

"Oh, and Finn?"

"Yes?" I had lifted my hands off the desk and had sat down at my desk, ready to go back to work.

"I hope you remember this conversation, as random as it was."

---

"So, Champion..." began Brest after she shut the door to my office. "Where shall we begin?"

Before I get yelled at by the parents of whoever's reading this, I have to clarify a few things. Firstly, why are you letting your child go on Ao3 of all places? YouTube I can understand, but have you seen the amount of lewd fics here?

Secondly, she was merely talking about the questions that she wanted to ask about the upcoming exercise. In the meeting before the carrier exercise, we had all put forth various plans for all three exercises, but the gunship plans were the least detailed of all of the three.

What could I say? I main in carriers; I'm not that good with gunnery ballistics. All I knew from it was that things go up and things go down.

... granted, in the Commander Academy we did have to memorize complex kinematic formulas regarding ballistics, but I wasn't about to pull that out until I really needed to. Exercise or not, I doubted Archibald would actually use those kinematic equations to most effectively knock out our strongest fighters.

Ah, shit, that was foreshadowing. Nope, I wasn't going to fall for that. I made a mental note to review my notes for kinematics once I had the time.

Ah, apologies, I got off track. I'll get back to the main plot now.

When Brest led me to her room, I thought she was going to discuss the plans in a place that both of us could focus much easier rather than in the office or outside. Little did I know, however...

As Brest reached out, the lyre and book she had been carrying with her flashed with a golden hue before they disappeared into thin air, as if they had never existed at all. Before I could question her on that particular ability, however, she turned her attention to me and began to speak, cutting off any chance of asking her of the ability.

"But, my Champion, I must ask you one thing before we shall commence." Sitting down on the chair in front of my desk, the blonde-haired beauty motioned for me to come closer to her. "Do you care for a chat?"

"Oh, uh... I don't mind." Somehow, Brest's question felt more like an order than anything. Walking over, I sat down at my side of the desk, awkwardly motioning for her to continue. "Er... continue on, please."

Okay, look, I know that I put up a very good front when discussing with Archibald, but the last time I checked, he didn't think that ribbons were an appropriate choice for clothing. He also wasn't half-nude, thank fuck. 

"Very well, Champion." Brest leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. "If I may ask, how are your experiences with everyone at our Port?"

... wow, she went right for the zinger, huh?

"Oh, uh... it's been quite, er..." This was quite the awkward question to answer. I mean, who straight-up asks someone 'hey, how's your interactions with this group of people' out of the blue? It was almost as if she was getting at another point here.

Goddammit, what was it with people today and having ulterior motives to their conversations?!? Couldn't they just spit out what they wanted to say? If someone was going to murder me, I would have very much rather preferred them pulling out the Knife-inator 3000 and stabbing me instead of composing the world's greatest five-minute monologue!

"That's rather personal, sorry-"

"Champion, most of us are worried about you." Brest placed a hand on my shoulder, looking me dead in the eyes. "You're a new person here, yes? But you haven't been socializing at all with the rest of us. And from what I've learned, you've been spending a lot of time alone. You even said so yourself, didn't you?"

"Err, yeah..." That's right, I did.

But... why would anyone want to socialize with me? I was just some run-of-the-mill Commander who just got lucky enough to command a couple of well-known KAN-SEN. I wasn't special at all - hell, I doubted I even had any good traits at all! Why would someone respect a guy like me?

But... there was what Yorktown said to me, right? Even if I thought that I hated myself... Yorktown and the other carriers clearly showed me that they didn't hate me. In fact, did they... like my company? They tolerated my presence enough to let me lead them during the exercises, and from what I could tell, they didn't do it simply because I was their Commander.

And... there was that conversation with Archibald earlier. He was my opponent, yet he took the time to walk through a literal storm to ask me about why I was Commander despite my lack of Resonance.

So then... did that mean that there were more people who respected me, not as just a Commander but a... person?

When I had first became a Commander, I thought that my authority as the head honcho was the only reason why the KAN-SEN were following my orders.

But... was it because they were doing it out of the kindness of their hearts for someone like me?

"So, oh Champion, how about we fix that?" Brest gave a mysterious smile before she abruptly stood up. "Would you care to follow me?"

"But what about talking about the mission...?"

"The plans aren't going anywhere. There's no need for haste - we can always discuss them later."

---

So, Brest's idea of 'following her' involved me having to trudge through the storm outside the Port and into the KAN-SEN dormitory rooms. If it weren't for the fact that Brest had carried me bridal-style after I almost flew away for the third time, I don't think that I would have been able to make it 50 feet from the office doors to the dormitory doors alive.

And then she deposited me in a dump in the common rooms of the dormitory, where coincidentally, the KAN-SEN who were supposed to sortie for the next exercise were hanging out. And, from the looks of things, the worst possible outcome that could've came from this happened - my arrival immediately turned everyone's attention towards me. Or maybe it was because I had made a rather loud thump on the floor when Brest dropped me.

Saint Louis appeared to have been lounging on a couch while reading the Bible, while Northampton II seemed to be watching sports on the television in the corner. Shimakaze seemed to be playing on some sort of handheld console, while Hammann II was... were those robot cat ears on her head?

First we had Brest's clothing choice and now we had Hammann's eccentric headwear. What was next, a wooden ship KAN-SEN who had a thing for tentacles and pirate clothing?

Of course, whatever they were doing ended once they heard me land on the floor. Turning their heads towards me, a few seconds passed while Brest stood right behind me with a seemingly smug smile on her face. And then, the reactions started once they got over the... surprise? Shock? How do you even react to your boss being unceremoniously dropped onto the floor by one of your co-workers?

"Why are you in the dorms, you pervert?!?"

"Oh, uh... we meet again, Commander. How was your day... nevermind."

"... bonjour, Commander."

Shimakaze was too engrossed in her game at the moment to notice.

Trying to get up as fast as possible, I tripped over my own two feet and yet still somehow was able to recover. "WAGH-!" I cleared my throat, managing to stand up straight and ignore the snickers from Brest. "Uh... hello, everyone. I'm, uh... my name is-"

I straight-up had to do a factory reset to my brain to realize what I was saying. I was the Commander! I didn't need to introduce my name!

Okay, okay. Finn, you got this. You're here to interact. C'mon, you can do this. You can get over your social anxiety. You can do this-

"Are you staring at us?" Hammann crossed her arms over her chest, despite me not even looking in her direction. "Pervert!"

And just like that, my self-hype dissipated into the air as if it were my odds of scoring a girlfriend before the end of time.

Thankfully, I was saved by the person who had doomed me to this fate. Stepping to my side, Brest spoke. "Our Champion merely wanted to make our acquaintance before the upcoming exercise, Hammann. Would you be so kind as to show him some hospitality into our common room? He would like to get to know you all better."

Yup. Totally. I nodded at what Brest said, trying to make it seem as if she was telling the truth instead of her pushing me to interact with others.

Hamman II pouted, but reluctantly nodded. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Commander! No funny business!"

"No problem; wasn't, uh... planning to." As I awkwardly stood in place, trying to gauge my next action, I began to look around the room once again and noticed something.

None of them were actually interacting with each other.

This was news to me. But, then again, I had only really interacted closely with the carrier KAN-SEN. Maybe it was just that they were a lot more social with each other, or maybe they all had similar interests? Looking around the room, I found myself not being able to list a common hobby that they all shared.

Well, that wouldn't cut it! If we were going to win the next exercise, then shouldn't we have to build some sort of camaraderie with each other?

That might work. But, what would we all do together?

Looking at the shelves, I spotted an array of board games. Hmm...

Board games, check.

Table, check.

Window just in case I need to dive out if something goes terribly wrong? Check.

But which game...? It's gotta be something that everyone would enjoy.

Manjuu-poly? Nah, that'd go downhill fast.  Chess? I don't think Shimakaze and Northampton II would enjoy it, though I have reason to think that maybe Saint Louis would. Same thing with checkers.  Battleship is out of the question, since... well, it'd probably bring up some bad memories from Hammann II.

That left one last game on the shelf. And, fortunately enough, it was a game that I was sure that everybody would enjoy... I think. It left the players the opportunity to choose their own lifestyle, after all. That way, everybody could be happy.

Clearing my throat once again, I spoke. "So, uh... who wants to do the Game of Life?"

... shit, maybe I should've clarified tha-

"Pervert!"

"Wait, no-!"

---

After Brest just barely managed to convince Hammann II that my goals were not inappropriate in nature and that I had simply said the wrong thing at the wrong time, the other KAN-SEN decided to join in either because they pitied me so much from Hamman II's belittling or they genuinely wanted to play. Either way, as long as they were interacting with each other, I was good... even if my ego was taking hit after hit from the consistent bad luck I was getting.

Seriously, I had landed a job as a teacher and bought a mansion. What sort of bank would allow a loan to buy something like that?!?

"Hello, I'd like to apply for a loan."

"Very well. What is your occupation?"

"Art teacher."

"What are you planning to do with the loan?"

"Buy a mansion."

"PFFFT-"

But, regardless, I was still having fun, and it seemed like the other KAN-SEN were having fun. Shimakaze landed a gig as a streamer, Hammann II was winning big, Saint Louis was content with her 'life' even if she had modest earnings, and Northampton II had landed the prestigious 'athlete' job.

Brest had opted to not play, but she was still sitting with the rest of us and conversing. Sometimes, when she was struck with a moment of inspiration, she summoned her lyre and sang a little song for one of our actions, which was always exciting to hear. In a way, she was the ultimate bard - she could be single-handedly be anyone's hype squad.

However, though, that was all the ways Fate smiled, as it did not smile upon my luck. Having rolled the worst possible combinations of numbers, I managed to score the teacher job, the mansion, landed on the maximum amount of child spaces (I know that some versions of the Game of Life make having children a good thing, but I did not in fact want to have children), got fired no less than three times, and by the end of the game I was a wreck.

But, that didn't mean I had a bad time. Instead...

---

"And that's a wrap, everyone!" Shimakaze beamed as she held up the money she had earned over the course of her 'lifetime' in her hands, counting them in her head rapidly. "Wow, I earned a lot!" The ever-enthusiastic bunny girl, in celebration of her earnings, threw them all up into the air as if they were confetti, though she made sure to make use of her quickness to snatch up all the bills before they hit the floor. "How about you, Hammann?"

"Hmph! As if money was all I needed to have a good life!" Hammann II crossed her arms and pouted at Shimakaze's words, but it couldn't hide the smile from her face.

Why wouldn't she smile? She had won by such a big margin that I could have combined my earnings with two other KAN-SEN here and still wouldn't have been able to match that amount.

I smiled at Hammann's vain attempt to hide her growing ego before I turned to Northampton II. "How 'bout you? Did you at least enjoy the game?" Although Northampton didn't do as well as Shimakaze and Hammann II, she still had at least a decent 'life' - one that matched her interests, at least as far as I could tell.

Her response was at first merely a shrug, but after a couple moments she spoke. "Not, uh... um... not bad, I guess. How about... uh..."

"You alright there?"

"Oh, yeah... sorry." She gave a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm just bad at conversations."

Well, that explained why she couldn't seem to look anyone in the eyes. Was she just nervous or something like that, or did she have social anxiety? Well, she was interacting with the other KAN-SEN during the game just fine, so... I guess it was just me?

Damn, did my face look that bad?

"Hey, that's alright; I'm sorta bad at them as well. I guess we're just two peas in a pod in that regard, huh?" I leaned back. "Practice makes perfect, so I'm sure that you can just talk to new people you meet often and the problem will work itself out." Something clicked in my mind, but I decided to keep quiet about it for now.

"Well, yeah, but... nevermind, I guess that's true." She waved any concern aside with a wave of her hand. "Do you have any advice for having a conversation?"

"Uh... just be natural, I guess." I couldn't really tell Northampton II something I didn't know, so I fell back on that random infographic I spotted a while ago in Commander Academy about being social.

... hey, look, if it worked for other people, then it probably would work on Northampton II.

"I don't need to come up with anything specifically and should just try to be natural?" Northampton II asked to clarify. With a nod of my head, Northampton continued. "I see, I'll give it a try. Umm..."

She then fell into a period of silence while her eyes darted from my face to other objects in the room before looking back at me. At some times, she seemed that she was about to discuss something, but once she landed her eyes on me, she gave a small shake of her head before looking away again.

After thirty painful seconds of silence from her, she shook her head before looking down. "Sorry. I-I end up getting nervous as soon as I see your face..."

... ouch. I was actually that ugly.

Feeling my soul die inside little by little, I cleared my throat. "Wait, so... is it just me, or do you have trouble talking to other KAN-SEN on base?"

"... just you."

... now I wanted to go to a corner and cry.

But, before I could do so, someone spared me the shame of having to deal with how to respond to Northampton II. That someone was Saint Louis.

"Commander, if I may ask-"

"Go ahead!" I said, perhaps a little bit too quickly. Realizing that I may have accidentally brushed Northampton II, I quickly turned back to her to apologize. However, I saw her talking to Shimakaze and breathed a quick sigh of relief, grateful that at least the unintentional dick move I did didn't cause any harm.

Turning back to the person who spoke it, I was surprised to see Saint Louis. "Oh, uh... sorry."

"... it is alright, Commander. Now, if I may ask, even if the Iris does not smile on your actions... how can you remain so jubilant and calm even when you had such abject luck?" Saint Louis went to sit beside me, looking at Shimakaze interacting with Northampton II. "If Shimakaze or Hammann were to be in your place, I doubt that their emotional state would have fared just as well as yours."

While I could have simply just answered that I was used to it, I - for obvious reasons - didn't really want to say that.

"Well, as long as everyone else is having fun, then I'm having fun." I shrugged as I leaned back, using my arms to hold my upper torso up while crossing my legs. "It's only a game, anyways. It's not much of a big deal."

"So it does not irk you one bit?"

"Mm... if it was a game that I was really invested in, then I might feel bad if I lost the game. However, I wanted to play this game not because I wanted to win, but because I... guess I wanted to get to know y'all better? Sorta like an icebreaker game."

"Icebreaker game...?"

"Yeah, y'know, like a game that's used to have everybody get more familiar with each other?"

"Apologies, Commander; I ought to have made myself clear. I was confused as to why you used the Game of Life as an icebreaker game instead of something more casual like utilizing the television in the corner to play Manjuu in the Box."

"I'm horrifically bad at Manjuu in the Box." I chuckled. "I didn't want y'all's perception of me to enter a downward spiral from a single game."

The edge of Saint Louis's lips curled up in a faint yet humored smile. "I see, Commander. Though..."

The next few words would shock me.

"If I had to guess, none of the KAN-SEN here would have cared naught for your skills in game. Rather, we were more ecstatic by you interacting with us."

---

... huh?

"... I don't get it. Why is that a big deal?" It was just talkin' and chillin' with the homies, was it not?

Saint Louis put a finger to her chin, looking up to the ceiling as if she were mentally conversing with a higher being on what to say before responding. Her words were slow and deliberate, but they were still quite impactful.

"... when it had become apparent that you weren't going to interact with the KAN-SEN except for the KAN-SEN you appointed close to you, we were all worried because we all thought that you didn't care for us or we had done something wrong for you to not want to interact with us."

At that, suddenly, a lot of things clicked into place like a puzzle assembling itself.

During my conversation with Archibald, I thought that he had implied that he needed to care for my KAN-SEN for me - a thought that had somewhat irked me. At that time, I had dismissed it because I thought that he was just trying to steal my subordinates away from me. But... what if he was genuinely concerned of my lack of interaction?

Brest had asked of my experiences with everyone at Port. At that time, I thought that it had an ulterior motive - and to a point, it did. But I should have realized that Brest was a storyteller - literally half the things she said could have a double meaning. What if the question in of itself was genuine instead of a segue?

But... I hadn't meant for others to think that I was pushing them away! I was just shy, but... now that I thought about it in hindsight, my social anxiety had prevented me from interacting with others except for Suruga.

What if, because of this, they thought I didn't like them and didn't want to interact with them?

Well, in cases like these, there was really only one thing I could say.

Oh, shit.