THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW
In the Sakura Empire, a briefing is currently being held where Shokaku gives a report on the outcome of the mission to Nagato and Mutsu.
Nagato: I see, so Akagi hasn't returned.
Shokaku: Yes, not only that, she deliberately attacked us. There is no doubt that she has betrayed us.
Nagato: (sigh) (Whispers) I didn't expect her to stab us in the back. How is it possible that I didn't notice?
Shokaku: (The report continues) The black mental cube remains in the hands of Azur Lane, the situation is very serious. Kaga has insisted that we proceed with Project Orochi. What is your opinion?
Shokaku: It is too dangerous to proceed with the Orochi project.
Nagato: Doubting a friend is the last thing I want to do, but... difficult decisions require strong wills.
And so Nagato decides to cancel the Orochi project until the current problem is resolved.
On the other hand, at a restaurant in the empire, the Iron Blood girls are having lunch and discussing the situation in the Sakura empire.
Z1: Things are getting very difficult here.
Z23: The Sakura Empire is in a very dangerous situation, we, as Iron Blood allies... Shouldn't we be doing something?
Eugen: Ara, are you suggesting that we attack the Sakura Empire while they are confused? That was very sinister of you.
Z23: You know that's not what I meant!
Eugen: It's a joke. You can't wait to go rescue Ayanami.
Z1: You two seemed very close, or rather... very close.
Z23: (Uncomfortable) This is nothing personal, it's not!
Z1: Come on, girl, there's nothing wrong with being in love with someone.
Z23: We are women!
Hipper: (ignoring the conversation of the destroyers) Well, ignoring the jokes, Nimi is right, this is the best time to act in favor of the empire. What are we going to do, commander?
Eugen starts to think seriously for a few seconds, then Hatsuharu comes to leave food on the table for the Iron Blood girls.
Hatsuharu: Here is the anmitsu.
At that moment, Eugen, forgetting about the seriousness of the matter, starts joking with Hatsuharu by touching the Japanese destroyer's buttocks.
Eugen: ~Wow, how nice of you~ ~I could eat you completely~
Kagerou: Please, don't bother our workers!
Hipper: (Annoyed) Hey, sister! This is serious, don't play around!
Eugen stops bothering Hatsuharu, and she focuses on the meeting, but Eugen doesn't know what to do...
Eugen: Well... (What can we do?)
Meanwhile, at the Azur Lane base, the girls of the Royal Navy are playing golf to relax before continuing with the war. These times were necessary to keep morale high.
It was the queen batting the ball, the ball flies in a parabola and several meters further, the ball falls exactly in the game causing her subjects to applaud.
Sheffy: Not bad.
Warspite: I expected nothing less from my sister!
Next up to bat is Hood, while Hood plays, the queen goes into philosophical mode.
QE: What are the sirens?
Warspite: (doubts) Excuse me?
QE: They are our enemies, but... Where do they come from? What do they seek? It's a question we've asked so many times, but can never answer. Why do the sirens interact with humanity? If they truly want to annihilate us as it's often said, why be so indirect and not attack us once and for all? The key to all this is Project Orochi and why Akagi betrayed humanity.
After the words, Warspite looks worriedly at her sister.
Warspite: Let's hope nothing bad happens.
Meanwhile, Illustrious and Belfast are having a conversation in a house very close to the beach.
Illustrious: It's just as we feared.
Belfast: You're absolutely right.
Illustrious: It seemed strange to me that the Empire and Iron Blood opposed us without apparent reason, apparently it was all a plan orchestrated between the sirens and Akagi.
Belfast: You're absolutely right, I didn't expect Akagi to be a collaborator of the sirens. Do you think she is really Akagi?
Illustrious: I don't know, there is a small possibility that she is not Akagi and is an imposter, and the real one is either kidnapped or already killed.
Belfast: Yes, after all, she transported us to the world that seemed to be the one of the sirens. If it weren't for Izumo's help and your participation, I bet we would have never left that place.
The girls became very thoughtful and then Illustrious stopped thinking about it.
Illustrious: I think today we have a day off, it would be foolish to keep thinking about all this.
Belfast: (Smiles) You're right, we need to rest so that the answers can come to us. Stress can cloud our reasoning.
Illustrious: Belfast, take me for a car ride. Let's pass by Unicorn, she surely wants to go for a ride.
Belfast: As you wish.
Then both women moved to get into the vintage car that was outside the house.
Meanwhile, Javelin, Laffey, and Ayanami continue exploring the base. They cross the bridge to head towards the commercial area.
Ayanami: Where are we going today?
Javelin: Akashi takes care of the daily needs, so today... today we are...
At that moment, a car stops near them, and the window opens, revealing that it's Illustrious.
Illustrious: Good morning.
Javelin: Oh, it's you, Miss Illustrious, and... Unicorn.
Unicorn is sitting to the right of Illustrious.
Unicorn: Hello girls.
Illustrious: What are you doing out here?
Javelin: (Excited) Well, we are...
Laffey: On a date.
All the girls are surprised, but Illustrious quickly changes the subject and convinces the girls to get in the car to take them to the shopping area.
After a while, they arrive at the commercial area. This area is full of shops and shopping malls. There are also many girls who perform shows where they do acrobatics and other things to entertain the public.
Javelin: This place is always crowded!
Ayanami: (Asking Laffey) By appointment, what do you mean?
Laffey: That we are going to have fun as friends.
In that, the girls walk to have fun, Unicorn also joins the group of Javelin, Illustrious, and Belfast walking behind the girls. After a good while of aimlessly strolling, they stop at a dessert shop to take a break.
Javelin: This looks very delicious... Let's eat!
The girls start eating, but Laffey finishes her cake in one bite. Unicorn, who is the only one who saw Laffey do that, is shocked for a few seconds. On the other hand, Ayanami is very pensive. She has many doubts in her heart, but since she is not good at expressing her feelings, Laffey is the only one who noticed Ayanami's situation.
In that moment, Laffey steals a strawberry from Ayanami and Laffey eats the strawberry. Ayanami angers me with this kind of act.
Ayanami: You will experience the power of the demon.
Laffey: Show me.
Then the girls start fighting using cutlery as weapons.
Javelin: Hey girls! Watch your manners! Can't you be more elegant?
Meanwhile, Ark is drinking tea near the table where Javelin and her friends are.
Ark: This is priceless.
Belfast: Ark Royal, your nose is bleeding.
Izumo: Oh, that's not true! I just turned around for a second!
In that moment, Ark Royal is discreetly arrested by Izumo and taken away ninja-style.
Illustrious: (Laughs) It seems that Izumo is fulfilling her role as a shadow bodyguard.
Belfast: I would say she takes her job too seriously, almost like a mother overprotecting her daughter.
At night, the girls are having dinner as usual.
Javelin: Hey Ayanami, how is the food in the Sakura Empire?
Ayanami: It's the same.
Javelin: (doubts) The same?
Ayanami: Yes, the adults and the younger ones are very friendly, we share delicious meals, that's why the feeling is the same.
The girls look at Ayanami in surprise.
Ouch!
Just then, they hear a girl from the destroyer class scream. She was cooking when she cut her finger with a knife.
Glowworm: Ah, I cut my finger, well, it doesn't matter anymore...
Ark: Are you okay!?
In that, without knowing how, the quintessential British lolicon appears out of nowhere to do her usual thing.
Ark: It's just a shallow cut, don't worry, this lady will disinfect it.
Glowworm: (Terrified) Let me go!
In that moment, Ark Royal goes flying after being hit by a shotgun projectile.
Izumo: See you later, Baby.
Glowworm: Hey, is she okay?
Izumo: Don't worry, I used non-lethal ammunition.
Ark: How dare you interrupt my medical assistance to this beautiful loli!
Izumo: Dead or alive, you'll come with me, so don't resist arrest.
Ark Roya resists arrest and Izumo subdues her with 3 shotgun shots before taking her away with the military police. The girls are in shock from what they just witnessed.
Meanwhile in the Sakura Empire, Kaga meets with Observer at the secret shipyard where Orochi is being built.
Observer: The Orochi awakens with the will of countless souls embedded in its body. Orochi contains everything, having traveled through all the seas, collecting wills.
Kaga: (Doubts) Willpower?
Observer: Yes, Akagi's willpower also resides within Orochi. You must not let this end here.
Kaga: Yes, that's right... that's why I...
Kaga continues to think about Akagi without realizing that she is under the influence of an enemy's hypnosis.
Meanwhile, at the Azur Lane base, Ayanami is sleeping and then she wakes up and looks out the window while wondering about her friends from the empire. Then she gets dressed and goes out for a little walk. As she walks, she bumps into a girl wearing imperial attire.
Izumo: Ah, it's you.
Ayanami: Hello Izumo.
Izumo: (Joking tone) A nocturnal escape?
Ayanami: No, I'm just taking a walk. How about you?
Izumo: I am on guard duty, it's my turn for night watch today. Do you have trouble sleeping?
In that moment, Ayanami makes a difficult-to-read expression, but Izumo understands that Ayanami is worried and has many doubts in her head.
Izumo: What's wrong? If you want, you can count on me to solve your problem.
Ayanami: I don't understand, I really don't understand anything.
Izumo: What is it that you don't understand?
Ayanami: Azur Lane is my enemy. But they are all very kind to me. The battle, the Sakura Empire... the more I think about it, the more confused I am. Since the war started, I have stopped understanding everything that is happening.
Izumo: In that case, let me ask you a simple question... Do you want to keep fighting against us?
Ayanami: I don't know... but I feel that it's not right to keep fighting amongst ourselves.
Izumo: Well, in that case, your answer is that this fight is wrong and you don't want to fight against other countries except against the sirens who massacred humanity, is that correct?
Ayanami: Yes.
Izumo: I also think the same as you, I also don't want to fight against you.
Ayanami: Thank you.
Izumo: No, if you have any problems, you can come to me to clear your doubts. If you excuse me, I must continue working.
Ayanami: Yes. Thank you, you are truly a very kind person.
Izumo: I will always be there for people like you, if you have any problems, talk to me.
Ayanami: I will.
So Izumo walks away from Ayanami, and Ayanami continues walking until she arrives at the place where she met Javelin and her friends.
In that moment, a stuffed unicorn rolls through the grassy field and hits Ayanami's leg. Ayanami is surprised to see Yuu-chan, so she picks up the stuffed unicorn and looks in the direction it came rolling from. She realizes that it's Javelin, Laffey, and Unicorn.
Unicorn: Thank you for finding Yuu-chan that day.
Ayanami: Actually, I didn't do anything that time... I was an enemy spy and was infiltrated in this base...
Laffey: But that's how we were able to meet.
Ayanami: What?
Javelin walks towards the edge, imitating the first time they met.
Javelin: Wow! How did you find such a good place? You must have skill... My name is Javelin...
Laffey: I'm Laffey.
Unicorn: Unicorn...
Javelin: (Extending hand to greet) May I know your name?
This time without interruptions, Ayanami presents herself properly.
Ayanami: My name is Ayanami... it's a pleasure to meet you...
Javelin and Ayanami shake hands.
Izumo: (Watching from afar) Well, a new friendship is born, time to continue with my work.
To be continued