Shigure barely inhaled before squeaking,
"WAIT!"
And the burning steel blade that was flying towards Shigure's neck instantly halted, causing the fire that flowed from it to dissipate into the air and heat up Shigure's face for an instant, slightly singeing her hair and exposing her eyes to a flash of bright-blue flames despite the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer squinting out of reflex and bringing up an arm in a futile attempt to protect herself.
The fiery remnants were colored a very distinct naval blue, something which registered on the periphery of Shigure's mind as the flames that seemed to burst into existence due to the slashing motion of the dull-red blade eventually returned to nothingness.
Shigure could see that the dark figure wore dark clothes and a peaked cap, which would explain why the light failed to illuminate her figure and facial features, Shigure warily widening her eyes in order to get a good look at her assailant.
Akitsu Maru was standing over her with her katana in hand, the sharp side of the blade mere millimeters from her neck, and she could see that the amphibious assault ship barely stopped her blade in time to prevent herself from decapitating Shigure.
The IJA ship girl was breathing heavily, and Shigure could see that the monochrome ship girl had a powerful killing intent reflected in her eyes, albeit dissipating upon identifying the "intruder" as a little girl, bringing her breathing under control while pressing her blade to Shigure's neck.
Shigure found herself trembling at the feeling of cold steel being pressed onto her jugular, sweating a little upon witnessing Akitsu Maru's killing intent directed at her, a fellow comrade, although she admitted she was asking for it when she climbed into the toilet like a suspicious person.
The blade itself also felt… off, in the sense that it felt a little too slick and reeked of metal, much like the stench of blood.
Akitsu Maru's somewhat boyish voice rang out and echoed in the small toilet, interrogating her about her suspicious behavior.
"Who are you, and why did you sneak in through the window?"
Shigure turned on her ship girl mode, certain that the katana could easily decapitate her if Akitsu Maru so desired, like Tenryuu did so to an unfortunate Wo-Class with her sword, Ezekiel in battle as she introduced herself to the suspicious ship girl with a katana, although Shigure admitted that one would respond with a healthy amount of suspicion and hostility towards someone who slipped in through a window, introducing herself while still lying on the floor and trying to keep her voice steady.
"I-I'm a Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer, Shigure. I turned on my ship girl mode, so I'm not some cosplaying human spy or an Abyssal in disguise, alright?"
Akitsu Maru dropped her scowl almost instantly, blinking a few times as she likely saw the status update flash before her eyes, before withdrawing and shrinking back as she lifted the katana from Shigure's neck.
Akitsu Maru grabbed the sheath with her left hand and mimicked wiping the flat part of the blade on her glove and the mouthpiece of the scabbard in a manner reminiscent of a swordsman wiping blood off of the katana before sheathing it as she straightened up, casting a shadow over the crumpled Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer that had turned on her ship girl mode to convince Akitsu Maru of her identity.
Akitsu Maru then smiled, a warm and friendly smile that differed from the "serial killer" attitude she possessed ten seconds before, something that really threw Shigure off-guard due to the abrupt change in Akitsu Maru's mood.
The amphibious assault ship extended her hand as a greeting, gave her a million-dollar smile and introduced herself.
"Salutations! I am the Hei-Class Amphibious Assault Ship, Akitsu Maru!
Nice to meet you, Shigure!"
Shigure blinked, unsure of how to respond to this sudden change in attitude as the monochrome ship girl went from wanting to execute her to being eccentrically friendly in a heartbeat.
The fact that she had no compunctions about drawing her katana and executing an "intruder" in a heartbeat than wait and identify the intruder's identity almost scared her off trying to interact with the IJA ship girl.
But she swallowed the lump in her throat and used her trembling arms to push herself up, Akitsu Maru patiently waiting for her to return the handshake all the while as she finally stood back up, her legs shaking like a newborn foal as she warily stretched her hand out to greet Akitsu Maru.
The fact that the amphibious assault ship almost crushed her hand with her handshake didn't help things, Shigure wincing as Akitsu Maru merrily closed the grip on her delicate hand, feeling the pain shoot up her arm as her bones shifted around painfully, wondering if she was going to suffer minor damage before she even sortied.
But the monochrome ship girl didn't seem to care about any of that, giving her a small salute as she secured her katana on a strap that hung on her hips, Shigure noting that the scroll that she used to summon planes was stored on her backpack, on its left where it was placed in a specially-made holster.
And noticing the strange equipment on the right of Akitsu Maru's bag made her stiffen up in fear as the amphibious assault ship leaned in and asked about her suspicious actions.
"But why were you sneaking about in a toilet, Shigure-chan?"
But Shigure's attention was transfixed on the firearm that she carried on her backpack, Shigure discarding the possibility of it being a rifle as the shape wasn't quite right, but obviously not a pistol since it was way too large to be one.
She eventually shook her head in order to clear her train of thought as she struggled to come up with a believable answer without giving herself away, finally deciding on a partial truth to cover her tracks.
"Well, you see… I saw Admiral Haru and Akashi walk away, and I was worried about them."
Oh god, she could feel herself getting sick of herself for lying to a fellow ship girl with a straight face, but she felt that she had no choice if she was to protect herself from the suspicion of Akitsu Maru.
It didn't make her feel any less bad about it.
"I wanted to check up on them, so I sneaked out to listen in on their conversation. And you know what I heard?"
Akitsu Maru seemed rather interested in what Shigure had uncovered, and her eyes were wide with curiosity as Shigure blurted out the half-truth and tried to sell it to her as the "honest truth" without retching at how underhanded it was.
"I found out that the Admiral was on the verge of being ill from all the planning and scheming against the Abyssals, and Akashi pulled her aside to talk to her about her physical condition. I was worried about the Admiral, so I knew that Akashi pulling her aside meant that something was wrong with Admiral Haru, or would go wrong if Admiral Haru continued on like this. She said that if Admiral Haru didn't get some sleep, she'd use chloroform to 'help' her get some rest. She's your flagship, so you'd know her best, right?"
Shigure didn't have to fake being concerned for her Admiral, but using that genuine feeling to mask her true intentions was what gnawed at her conscience.
But Akitsu Maru nodded energetically, Shigure knowing that although the members of the 8th Fleet had ... diverse personalities, they all ultimately cared about Admiral Haru and each other, Akitsu Maru confirming this as she raised her right index finger and replied heartily.
"Yep, that sounds like her, alright!
She may not look it, but she can be pretty caring if she tries!"
Shigure nodded in agreement as she pointed to the gun that was strapped to Akitsu Maru's backpack, still wary of the mood swings that the IJA ship seemed to be capable of as she took a slight step back out of genuine concern for her own well-being while in the vicinity of Akitsu Maru, but was still driven by her curiosity as she asked the IJA ship girl.
"But moving on from that.
What's that on your back, Akitsu Maru-san?"
Akitsu Maru twisted her body to look behind her, pulling out the gun in a smooth and practiced manner as she pointed the gun away from Shigure, the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer noting that the firearm's safety was thankfully on as Akitsu Maru boasted.
"This is a Anti-Abyssal Benelli M3 Super 90 Convertible Shotgun.
And I have Dragon Breath shells loaded inside it, ready to fire!"
Shigure saw that the black-colored shotgun was well-maintained and looked fearsome, as all shotguns did when viewed up close where they dealt the most damage.
Shigure wasn't too well-versed in firearms, but she could see that the shotgun had two barrels and used iron sights since it was meant to be used at close range while their aiming system would help them aim with superhuman precision.
The sliding mechanism was in place as Shigure theorized that the shell was ejected as the mechanism slid back after every shot was made to load the next shell, and the stock of the rifle was a solid black piece behind the firearm to allow the shoulder to absorb the brunt of the recoil whenever Akitsu Maru fired her shotgun.
And if the gun was modified to be capable of taking out Abyssals, the firepower of the shotgun was likely improved along with the material of the shotgun to accommodate the increased firepower, lest Akitsu Maru fire off a shot that managed to kill an Abyssal, but the shotgun itself fall apart as the default material of the Benelli M3 shotgun failed to contain the ignition of the enhanced bullet propellant.
And the name of the shotgun shell, Dragon's Breath, sounded dangerous to her, and made her wary of the IJA ship girl due to the fact that she didn't seem to practice proper gun safety as she had a twitching finger on the trigger despite having the safety switch on while standing right in front of Shigure, Akitsu Maru clearly trying her best to contain a slasher smile as she tenderly held her shotgun, ready to utilize this weapon of death in battle.
It also didn't help that Shigure was still stuck near the wall she climbed over to enter the toilet, the IJA ship girl standing in between her and the exit as she tried not to make it look too obvious that she was hugging the wall for dear life while hoping that the amphibious assault ship wouldn't accidentally kill her with the myriad of weapons she carried with her.
She tried to keep the IJA ship girl distracted while keeping track of the time, making sure that they wouldn't be late for the sortie as she pointed at the sheathed katana and asked Akitsu Maru about how the katana produced flames when swung, and why it produced blue flames instead of the usual orange flames.
"U-Um, Akitsu Maru-san, why does your katana produce blue fire when swung?"
Akitsu Maru, upon seeing that the Shiratsuyu-Class destroyer was one of the few ship girls who was interested in her equipment instead of preemptively scurrying away in fear while failing to notice that Shigure was seriously considering doing just that to get away from her, holstered her M3 shotgun and held her sheath, unsheathing the sword a fraction as she explained.
"My sword, Kagutsuchi, has cut through so many Abyssals that their blood, fat and fuel gathered on the surface of Kagutsuchi.
I did my best to clean the blood off, but it's stained the surface to give it the tinge of dull red that you see!
The chemicals and additives in the Abyssals' blood that's essential in lowering the freezing point of their blood to prevent complications when they dive into the freezing abyss were a little harder to clean off...
But when I found that those chemicals mixed together with Abyssal fat and fuel to give off a blue flame when I swing the katana at superhuman speeds, it made it look so much cooler that I didn't bother after that!"
Shigure blanched upon hearing that whilst fighting the urge to heave at the backstory of Kagutsuchi's ability, while the rational part of her mind acknowledged the fact that the Abyssals likely required those chemicals in their bloodstreams to prevent their blood from freezing up whenever they dived into the cold depths that reached sub-zero temperatures at times.
Noting the dull red tinge of the blade that almost made it look as if Kagutsuchi was made out of some sort of cursed crimson steel, while the unnatural glint of the blade was partially attributed to the reflective properties of steel, and most of it was the result of the Abyssal fat and fuel that coated the blade, Shigure noticing that the sharp edge of the blade was unnaturally colored, even when compared to the general color scheme of the katana.
When she brought up that point, Akitsu Maru addressed her concerns away by explaining, now engaged in the act of explaining her weapons to the terrified destroyer.
"Oh, that?
That's a custom-made sword edge that was reinforced to make the edge of the katana significantly tougher than the rest of the blade, and can easily create sparks that will cause the burst of blue flame that you saw!
Want to see it again?"
Shigure started to panic, feeling her heart nearly leap out of her chest as she brought up her hands and made a placating gesture in order to stop an unnervingly enthusiastic Akitsu Maru from setting something on fire, doing her best to stop the amphibious assault ship from showing off her deadly skills in a confined area.
"A-A-Akitsu Maru-san!
Y-You can show off your weapons and skills in battle, so we should be going now, r-right?"
Akitsu Maru blinked at that, before giving a heartfelt smile as she sheathed her katana and nodded in a disturbingly energetic manner, agreeing with her wholeheartedly.
"Yes, of course!
So, shall we, Shigure-san?"
Standing aside to motion to the door with her gloved right hand, Akitsu Maru looked to her expectantly as Shigure meekly smiled back and nodded, slightly exhausted by the chain of events and revelations thus far.
A thought suddenly struck her as she turned to ask the amphibious assault ship why she was lurking around in the toilet, shifting her head to look the IJA ship girl in the eye and asked with a tinge of suspicion.
"Um, Akitsu Maru-san, if I may ask, why were you hiding here?"
Akitsu Maru shifted uneasily upon hearing that, Shigure seeing through her and seeing her nervousness as the IJA ship girl admitted shyly.
"Well, I'm not so great with people that aren't my fleet-mates, since I don't have much to say to them.
I often stay in the toilet until it's time to sortie.
And when I waited until the lights automatically went out, I could feel that someone was climbing in through the window, and I drew my sword reflexively to try and kill the 'intruder'..."
Akitsu Maru scratched her head sheepishly, clearly embarrassed at how she reacted without identifying who it was and almost killed a fellow comrade, Shigure shaking her head and reassuring her.
"No, it was also partially my fault for re-entering the toilet in a manner that would easily arouse suspicion, so it was understandable that you'd be suspicious of me and react in a hostile manner.
I apologize for that."
But she remembered that it was possible for someone else to eventually realize that she overheard the secret conversation, and she looked to Akitsu Maru with a serious expression as she asked a favor of her.
"Akitsu Maru-san, I'm concerned about Admiral Haru, but some of the ship girls might be uncomfortable with the fact that I eavesdropped on them to learn about this.
So can I trust you as a friend to keep this a secret between us?
Please?"
Shigure fought back the sick feeling in her heart as she gave Akitsu Maru the 'puppy-dog eyes' look, determining that Akitsu Maru, while being extremely hostile to enemies to a homicidal extent, was actually really friendly if one could overlook her eccentricities, her introverted nature, and the fact that she carried and used weapons that could easily a ship girl just as it could kill an Abyssal.
And like she predicted, Akitsu Maru's eyes widened at the fact that a fellow ship girl would trust her as a friend to keep a secret, especially after she had almost committed an irrecoverable mistake of ally-killing.
Akitsu Maru gave her a wide smile, like a child who was eager not to disappoint a newfound friend as she bowed energetically and answered with a reassuring.
"Of course, Shigure-san!
It would be my honor to do so as a friend!"
Shigure nodded in relief over the fact that Akitsu Maru went from maniacally excited about executing her as a possible intruder, to excitedly wanting to be her friend the instant she proved that she was a ship girl, Shigure feeling immensely guilty over lying to a fellow ship girl and exploiting the IJA ship girl's desire to make up for a mistake to ensure Akitsu Maru's silence and to cover her own tracks.
As she walked past the IJA ship girl, she felt a strong chill race down her spine while wondering how much worse this day could get, before kicking herself mentally and reminding herself that she had a sortie to go on, and that she was going to fight an Abyssal Princess later today.
Sigh.