The Northern side of the Pacific Ocean, which a month ago blazed as if scorched by a heat that made it boil, caused by steel and fury, has returned to the embrace of its calm and blue depths.
The residual radiation from the underwater nuclear explosion has been neutralized by Akashi's decontamination technology, assisted by Hood, Graff Spee, San Diego, and Kaga. This cleanup took an entire month, leaving only gentle ripples whispering against the dock walls. A soft breeze blows, carrying tidings of peace to every corner of the Azur Lane base for each respective faction.
Seagulls fly about, and cherry blossoms bloom in the gardens. The trees are lush, and the atmosphere is cool and green. Several ship-girls have returned to enjoying the peace that was nearly snatched away by the arrival of fellow guests from a foreign world.
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POV Narrator: A Peace Bought Dearly
In the Iron Blood district, the usually stiff military atmosphere has thawed. On the balcony of their headquarters, Bismarck sits gracefully after removing her heavy ceremonial cloak. She no longer wears her tight military uniform as before; now she can relax in her prideful attire.
Before her, Prinz Eugen giggles as she serves slices of sponge cake, its aroma sweet and inviting. Admiral Hipper grumbles occasionally as Eugen tries to swipe her strawberry, but beneath the bickering, there is an unspoken sense of relief. They know that if not for that "foreign ship," they might have been preparing for a mass funeral today.
Bismarck herself is still pondering whether she needs to apologize by visiting directly or wait for them to meet on their own. Bismarck props her chin with a hand resting on the arm of her chair.
"Should I go there directly... or wait for her to come to me?" she says.
"Oh, has the Lady of Iron Blood entered 'calm mode'?" Eugen teases, resting her chin on her folded hands atop the arm of the chair Bismarck is currently occupying.
"Be... quiet... you know, I once pointed my cannons right at her face; I saw how terrified she was back then. I never expected her resolve to surpass her innocence," Bismarck says, her face flushing slightly as she turns away from Eugen's close, searching gaze.
In the Eagle Union territory, the sun shines brightly yet refreshingly. On the beach, Yorktown and Hornet relax under a large parasol, enjoying the sun's caress in their swimwear. The Benson-class destroyer girls are playing water volleyball: Benson, Bailey, Kalk, and Hobby. Nearby, San Diego plays in the water with Cleveland, Brooklyn, and Helena. They play joyfully. No radar alarms scream, and no stealth jets haunt the horizon.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Navy gardens, the afternoon tea ritual is conducted with solemnity and grace. The battleship girl, HMS Queen Elizabeth, sits upon her garden throne while Belfast expertly pours tea into exquisite porcelain cups. Several Maid-class ship-girls picnic on the green grass, laughing freely as they watch swans glide across the pond. The elegance that had been so nearly shattered has finally returned. Hood and Prince of Wales are seen sitting together on different chairs in the garden, beneath the shade of lush trees, accompanied by the small CV, Unicorn.
But the most poetic atmosphere resides within the Sakura Empire. Cherry blossom petals fall like snow, their pink hues dancing on a cool breeze. The wind drifts into a serene traditional medical complex. A thin curtain by the window of a recovery ward fluttered open, revealing a sight that would touch the heart of anyone who saw it.
There, upon a large bed with pristine white sheets, two ship-girls lie fast asleep in a warm embrace. An embrace that might lead to a shock for one of them upon waking up...
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POV Izumo: An Unexpected Warmth
My eyes feel incredibly heavy, as if tons of steel were pressing down on my eyelids. Slowly, my consciousness begins to return. The first thing I sense is the soothing scent of incense mixed with the fresh fragrance of cherry blossoms. It is very fragrant and calming. For a moment, I realize that I have been asleep for a long time. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was being shot from behind, and then everything went dark.
I try to move my fingers. They feel stiff, but they respond. My memories spin rapidly: the roar of the Su-39's cannons, the searing pain of 30mm shells piercing my waist, and Ayanami's tearful face before everything went pitch black. Yes, it felt like I had died. But, it seems not.
"Ugh..." I groan softly.
It was then that I realized something felt warm and... a bit heavy on my chest. I open my eyes slowly, trying to focus my vision. For a moment, I freeze.
There, resting right on my chest, is the head of a girl with large fox ears, sleeping peacefully. Her raven-black hair is draped across me, and she hugs my body as if she never wants me to leave again.
"L... Lady... N-Nagato...?" I whisper in my mind, almost unable to believe it. The Supreme Leader of the Sakura Empire, the most respected Battleship-class Kansen, sharing a bed with me and holding me?
I glance toward the sofa in the corner. There, Ashigara is fast asleep in a slightly comical position, hugging a pillow. Near a small table, Mogami is busy preparing hot tea, her back turned to me.
I also look at the other bed across the room. My heart melts at the sight. Akaneko is curled up comfortably in Sweet Jolly's arms. Both are sleeping so soundly, as if the weight of the world has finally been lifted from their shoulders.
"You're awake, Izumo?" Mogami's soft voice breaks the silence. She turns around, holding the teapot with hands that tremble slightly from shock and joy.
"Mogami... where am I? Why... is everyone here?" My voice is raspy; my throat feels like a desert. Mogami walks over, setting down the pot and pouring a glass of water for me.
"You are in the Sakura Empire medical wing. You've been in a coma for an entire month, Izumo. We were all... so worried," she says to me.
A month? I fall silent. My mind, still thinking like a 35-year-old man, immediately calculates the lost time. But Mogami continues, smiling sincerely.
"Azur Lane is at peace now, Izumo. Thanks to your sacrifice. The giant aircraft carrier that killed Juneau has been killed and destroyed by you. For now, these seas are safe," she explains.
A small movement on my chest makes me look down. Nagato has woken up from our chatter. She rubs her reddened eyes, then looks at me with a gaze of immense depth. There is no stiff, authoritative leader here; only a girl relieved to see her friend return from the brink of death.
"Izumo... my sweet fox, are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Nagato asks, her voice trembling. She tries to touch my arm, my leg, my cheek-wanting to feel if I am still in pain after being unconscious for a full month.
I nod slowly, though my entire body feels like it has been crushed. "I... I feel better, Lady Nagato. Thank you... for staying with me."
I try to sit up. Nagato and Mogami immediately assist me. I realize I am not wearing a kimono, but only a black sports bra and the tactical shorts I usually wear as undergarments. There are no bandages or cloths wrapping me; perhaps they removed them while treating me once they saw I had physically recovered, even though I was still unconscious. My ship's innate self-repair energy truly has its own uniqueness. In the game, ship repairs can be done limitedly during battle with repair kits. Perhaps now that I have become a ship-girl, that repair ability has become automatic but limited in use. Coincidentally, it was fully consumed while I rested.
"I want to... stand," I insist.
"Izumo, don't force it! Your legs are still stiff from a month-long coma," Mogami warns.
But I don't care. I want to feel that I am truly alive. With Nagato's help, I lower my feet to the cool wooden floor. Sure enough, as I try to stand, my knees shake violently. I nearly collapse if Nagato hadn't caught my waist. Yes, even though the repair energy could restore me, it couldn't fully restore my speed of movement.
"Steady now," Nagato whispers.
I take a staggered step, dragging my feet toward the bed where Jolly and Akaneko sleep. Every step feels like needles pricking my skin, but my resolve is stronger. Reaching their bedside, I kneel and embrace them both at once. The tears I had been holding back finally fall.
"Jolly... Akaneko... I'm home," I whisper into their ears.
Jolly wakes up at my touch. Her eyes widen, and she returns the hug so tightly I could hardly breathe. Akaneko wakes as well; she says nothing, only sobbed uncontrollably while burying her face in my neck.
"Welcome back... Captain," Jolly sobs.
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POV Narrator: Before the White Gates
A few days later, Izumo's condition begins to improve rapidly thanks to Akashi's intensive care, the Wisdom Cube energy supplied by Nagato, and the repair ability of her innate energy core. Though her stride is still a bit limping and she has to use a simple wooden cane, Izumo insists on going out for some fresh air.
That morning, Izumo stands before the grand gates of the medical building. She wears a white shirt and a 3/4 skirt. From a distance, at the busy main dock, she can see the silhouette of her ship, JS Izumo, surrounded by steel scaffolding. Many Repair-class ship-girls are hard at work. Her shattered flight deck is being reconstructed.
Suddenly, firm footsteps echo from behind.
"Quite a view, isn't it?" Izumo turns. The figure in the legendary officer's hat and black-and-white cloak stands there. USS Enterprise. The Grey Ghost stands beside Izumo, looking toward the docks with a gaze of respect.
"Lady Enterprise," Izumo tries to salute as best she can, despite the ache in her shoulder.
Enterprise raises a hand, signaling Izumo to relax. "You don't need to do that in your current state. You've done more than enough."
Enterprise pauses, letting the sea breeze blow through her white hair. "You know, Izumo, you are very lucky to have them. You didn't make it back here after that horrific battle by a miracle, but because of them."
Izumo listens intently.
"After you fell from the enemy deck, Ayanami was the first to move. She carried you across the water, making sure your head stayed above the surface and providing constant first aid to your cannon wounds all the way home. She refused to let go of you even after we reached the base," Enterprise says with a faint smile-a rare sight.
"And it was the ship Javelin that carried the heaviest burden. She connected the tow lines to the hull of your JS Izumo, which had reverted to its ship form after your rigging shattered. Javelin pushed HMS Javelin's engines to their absolute limit, exerting power that should have been impossible for a Destroyer, just to pull your massive aircraft carrier through the Pacific waves. Nimi and Laffey stood guard by your sides, ensuring no remnants of the enemy could get close. They said you were attacked just after finishing off the enemy, so they feared stray bullets might return from the destroyed foe," Enterprise says.
Hearing that, my chest tightens with emotion. I imagine little Javelin straining with all her might to tow my giant aircraft carrier.
"Where are they now?" I ask, my voice wavering.
"In the left-wing ward. They are physically and mentally exhausted, but they insisted on seeing you the moment they wake up," Enterprise replies.
Izumo falls silent, then looks at Enterprise with resolve. She gives the most perfect military salute she can manage. "Thank you for the information, Lady Enterprise. I... I want to see them now."
Enterprise gives a small nod. "Go. They are your heroes, just as you are ours."
With a steadier pace, though still a bit stiff since Izumo's legs haven't fully recovered, Izumo walks toward the left wing of the medical building. Her mind is fixed solely on the four little girls who had risked everything to bring her home.
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POV Izumo: A Promise Behind the Ward Door
I arrive at a wooden door labeled "Destroyer Ward." I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. My hand on the doorknob trembles slightly.
I open the door slowly.
Creek...
Inside, the room is filled with morning sunlight. Four beds are lined up. I see Javelin sitting on her bed, holding a bandage to her leg; Nimi is reading a book with her arm in a cast; Laffey is-as usual-asleep while sitting up; and Ayanami is staring out the window with a vacant gaze.
As the door opens, they all turn in unison.
Javelin's eyes widen. The book in Nimi's hand falls to the floor. Ayanami springs to her feet so fast her chair tips over.
"Izumo-nee?" Javelin whispers, her voice breaking.
I smile, tears welling in my eyes once more. "Sorry for making you wait so long... my heroes."
They all embrace me together, except for the sleeping Laffey. That day, inside that small ward, the gap between a modern ship and WW2-era ships vanished. All that remained was a friendship forged in the fires of battle and cemented by the promise to always come home together.
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But not everything that sinks is truly finished. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at the site where CN Type 004 went down. Where the ship was shattered and sank to the ocean floor, including the body of the ship-girl, Long Chao, who sank to the bottom with a gaping wound in her chest, pinned beneath the ship's iron wreckage that crushed part of her body.
A light of energy flickers from a nearby reef, approaching the wreck. It envelops the entire wreckage and the girl's body. The green light blazes and suddenly vanishes, taking everything it enveloped-the wreckage and the ship-girl-with it. Where did it take them? Will she be rebuilt? Izumo and her friends must remain vigilant.
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To be continued
Chapter 10: Plans to Explore the World