>>3103035
>'Nope.' (End the conversation)
>'Eh, I haven't exactly bought into the concept of living through someone else's accomplishments.' (Skeptical)
>'No, I guess not.' (Concur)
>'Just puzzles me how KanMusu attitudes towards certain things are ... different, I suppose. You don't see that much with humans.' (Divert)
>Write-In

>>3103043
>>'No, I guess not.' (Concur)

>>3103043
>>'No, I guess not.' (Concur)

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You think about it. Not that you need a long time to consider your answer.

‘No,’ you concur, nodding. ‘I guess not.’

Kashima nods again, adjusting her stack as the both of you make your way down the street. A tent, right at the end of what seemed to be a wide plaza, is erected beside a row of buildings with what you guess to be a new layer of paint on each of them. The tent houses what appears to be half a dozen soldiers, either sitting on a large crate, the set table, or standing and chatting. That was probably what Kashima was talking about before.

Still, there was something that … puzzled you, if only a little.

‘Is there a reason why you were all by your lonesome?’ you inquire, turning to the KanMusu. ‘I know you’re a KanMusu, but wouldn’t it have been more effective just, well, getting someone to go and help you?’

‘It would,’ she admits, wearings a slight grimace, ‘but, well … I sort of, um … volunteered. It wouldn’t be considerate of me to just rope in anyone on something of my … own choosing. Besides, well, I’m a KanMusu, right, sir? Can’t call myself one if I can’t even carry a few boxes!’

You cock an eyebrow. She’d … volunteered?

‘You volunteered? On a weekend?’

‘I didn’t have anything else to do,’ she explains brightly, as if that was all it took to justify waking up this early on a weekend to do manual labor. If you were being honest, you would have drowned yourself by the docks if you’d woken up on a weekend with a desire to do work. ‘It wouldn’t have been fair seeing the Army actually working their hours while I just sat around doing nothing, you know …’

You wince.

‘You’re too nice for your own good,’ you quip without thinking; less an insult and more a showcase of your exasperation. ‘The song title is Working for the Weekend, not Wake Up and Work On The Weekend, you know?’

‘I’m fine, it’s fine, really,’ she hurriedly counters, like an employee trying to make sense of a report written in cursive. ‘The more I’m able to do … the less other have to, right? And it’s not as if I don’t have two hands to spare!’

You roll your eyes, setting your stack down. Never mind the dozens of feet to the tent, you needed to give your shoulder a good roll hearing that come out of her mouth. Honestly! Even for a KanMusu, there was such a thing as an unhealthy work ethic. You didn’t know Kashima that well, but odd behavior was odd behavior, regardless of the entity.

‘Besides,’ she starts again, smiling up to your taller form, ‘this is pretty much … all I can do now, you know?’

And then it hits you just why she is as she is.

>‘Yeah, I … I know.’ (Offer your sympathies)
>‘Come on.’ (End the conversation, continue to the tent)
>‘How long do you … have left?’ (Inquire)
>‘I’d make my last hurrah more meaningful than hoisting a few boxes.’ (Cold)
>Write-In

>>3103152
>‘Yeah, I … I know.’ (Offer your sympathies)
>"i dont suppose you know Takao's sister Maya?
i cant remember if Maya had the same condition as Kashima or not

>>3103152
>>‘Yeah, I … I know.’ (Offer your sympathies)

>>3103164
okay it was somewhat similar
Maya also has a damaged core
but also has corruption eating away at her

>>3103177
One has a gradually leaking core in the same mold of a gas tank with an unfixable leak, the other has cable threatening to snap under duress, but is also eroding away.

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You’re uncertain.

As you had been many times before, you are, once again, lost. It’s easy to throw a joke out, maybe make a quip … but with how earnest Kashima was, you feel as though anything you could say, that you would say, would ultimately spoil it. Understated or overstated, it took some brand of courage that you didn’t know the back end of to have to wake up with a barrel to your temple with a trigger pulled and the bullet ready to make that last home stretch … and wonder how she could help. Selflessness? A sense of duty? Design or by choice?

A choice made by design, maybe?

But at the same time … it wasn’t something that you could diminish; not at all.

‘Yeah, I,’ you pause, unsure of how to proceed, ‘I know. I know.’

Kashima smiles warmly.

‘I won’t do something if I didn’t want to do it in the first place,’ she exulted. ‘I guess it’s a little strange for you, but … even towards the end, if it’s just a little bit, I want to help. This isn’t something that I’m doing because I feel like I owe … or at least, not anymore.’

Her giggle only serves to cause you discomfort, however.

‘Not anymore?’

‘You don’t really need another lecture on our origins, do you, sir?’

You reflexively shake your head. No, that you definitely did not require.

‘I’m not sure just how much time I have left,’ she continues earnestly, wearing that same determined smile, ‘but if … when it comes, I mean … I want to be able to say that I did my all. I think that the one thing I don’t want is … that I still have some things left over, some things left to give, by the time everything’s said and done. I think that’s the same for the both of us, no?’

‘Both of us?’

‘Human and KanMusu,’ Kashima clarifies, transferring her load to one hand. ‘I don’t think anyone wants to go thinking that there were things that they could and should have done, right?’

You grimace.

That … hit way too close for comfort.

You’re not quite sure if she wasn’t doing it on purpose at this point.

‘I guess, yeah,’ you agree, if a little reluctant on a personal level. ‘It wouldn’t be ideal at all.’

She nods enthusiastically, the silver curls of her hair bobbing with the motion … before bending over and picking your load up in one swift movement.

‘H-Hey!’

‘I can take it from here,’ Kashima replies, taking several steps back as you attempt to grab the boxes out of her hold. ‘It’s just a few more steps.’

‘Kashi—’

‘I said it was okay,’ she says insistently … and all too energetically for someone with a foot in death’s office. ‘Don’t you have some things of your own to sort out, sir?’

‘How could—’

‘Thanks again for your help … I’ll be sure to put in a good word!’

She turns her back to you, skipping towards the Army tent.

‘Odd girl,’ you comment, chuckling to yourself.

>>3103283
4/5
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>Look for KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Visit Location (Specify)
>Wander
>Write-In

>>3103285
>Look for Nachi.

Give her the bookmark. Thats overdue

>>3103285
>>Wander
lets go find some sidequests
we need upgrades
plus im not sure if we have any active tasks aside from checking up on the Shaman
might wanna update the Task document Mech

>>3103292
Thanks for the reminder, I will.

>>3103285
Wander

>>3103285
>>Wander

File: Hey, Ojiisan.jpg (11 KB, 116x146)

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You turn your good eye up to the downcast skies. If the rain was to fall … that would be very unpleasant indeed. Already the autumn chill was merciless in its stride … and the promise of rain was something that you hoped wouldn’t come to pass. You tuck your hands underneath your armpits, ducking into an alley, hoping to cut through to the inner roads faster than you would have circumnavigating Yokosuka’s outer layer. It’d been a while since you’d just walked around town without a care … and dedicating a day to just enjoying the solitude of a lone walk, thus far, seems like a good call on your end. Rather than a bum rush of scheduling and to-do lists, stretching your legs down the roads of a city in the midst of its own rebirth was just … a welcome change.

When was the last time you’d done something like this?

‘Thirty-five … ah!’

The sound of leather hitting against concrete reaches your ears … and you exit the alley to find a black and white ball slowly bounce towards you, before coming to a roll and halting at your feet. You curiously gaze at the worn orb, which had seen more than its fair share of abuse. Turning your head up, you see a group of six children, four boys and two girls, staring at you apprehensively. It doesn’t take a firing neuron to know who the ball belonged to.

You give it a silent kick, tapping it with the side of your heel to reach their feet.

The boy closest to you, a child who couldn’t have been older than nine or ten and clad in a thick set of clothing, picks the ball up … and gives a silent bow of thanks. You nod in return, placing your hands in your pockets and—

‘Hey, Mister!’

You stop in your tracks, frowning. Turning on your heel, you see that one of the two girls had called out to you. She was in more … abused clothing than the others, with a set of mittens that could have doubled as your oven kit, with small frayed edges along her coat, more than likely a hand-me-down from her parents or siblings. She takes several steps towards your still form, wellingtons scraping against the recently surfaced pavement, wide brown eyes staring at you with curiosity.

‘Yes?’ you answer, curiously regarding her. Had you done something wrong?

‘You’re … you’re Sami-nee’s dad, right?’

It washes upon you like a dark tide, all-consuming, without mercy or remorse. Tendrils of despair and horror drag you down into the depths with no hope of return. It is like drowning; like sucking in air as though it is made of the very concrete and tar you stand on. This morbid truth, innocuous and brutal, from the mouth of babes.

Had you … really just been mistaken for Samidare’s … father?

‘Mister? You okay?’

The eye beneath the leather cover twitches.

>Write-In

>>3103485
>something like that

>>3103485
>well i guess you can say that i am
>more eye twitches
>realization that we are somewhat like a house husband

>>3103485
>Yes

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I'll be continuing this at 8 PM-10 PM unless ... well, you guys know my situation. I won't bring it here.

As much as you want to deny and struggle against it, the niggling voice at the back of your head that decidedly did not belong to a certain tenant taking up residence had opinions to the contrary. It didn’t help that your duties as Commander and Vice-Admiral had been more akin to that of a den-mother-cum-house-husband, managing and waving off the girls as they went off to do humanity’s dirty work and your presence in the kitchen being the more significant role to the one you played in the cockpit of the RAY.

You sigh as you run a hand through your hair, tilting your head down to face the girl.

‘Well, you could … say that I, uh, fulfill an equivalent capacity.’

She blinks.

You immediately remember you’re speaking to a ten year-old.

‘I mean, uh, yeah, in a way … I guess you can, uh … call me her … father.’

It feels weird to say it at all.

‘Eh?’

‘Never mind,’ you let out, unwilling to drag it on any further. ‘Is there something that you wanted to talk to me about?’

‘Uh, yeah, sorry, but, um … we haven’t seen Sami-nee around lately. Is she okay?’

‘She plays with you?’

‘Not all the time, but … she usually comes down from the factory to have a kick about with us when she finishes up with her work; we’re just wondering if she’s okay.’

‘Is she in trouble?’ one of the boys pipes up, shuffling towards you and throwing a pair of inquisitive eyes up.

You chortle.

‘Samidare’s fine,’ you clarify, nodding. ‘Things have just been a lot busier than they were before, so we’re a little squeezed for leisure. She just got back from a patrol this morning, too … probably dozing off back at the barracks by now.’

You pause for a moment, something finally catching your attention.

‘By the way, how, uh … how do you know me as her … father?’

It’s awkward, really, no matter how many times you say it.

‘You prefer to be called her stepdad?’

You wince. No, you did not. ‘No, I don’t, but … you guys are old enough to know that Samidare’s uh … a KanMusu, right? Is she … does she call me that?’

They shake their heads.

‘No, but … from what she tells us, you’re pretty much her dad, right?’

It’s awkward no matter how many times you heard it, too.

‘I wouldn’t … go that far.’

You really didn’t want to. Barely out of your frat boy phase, you’re reluctant to leap over the rest of your youth … what’s left of it, anyway. The kids seem to have some kind of shared brain wave among their little clique, before the bundled-up, brown-haired girl in front of you gives a satisfied nod.

‘But you love Sami-nee, right?’

You close your eyes and count to ten.

Kids.

>Write-In

>>3103780
Of coarse. Samidare is very special to me. All my girls are.

>>3103780
>more than my own life

>>3103846
This

Mech knows us too well. Giving us exactly what we want. Im worried

>>3103780
>It's not just love, but also respect for what she and everyone else does.

>>3103780
>>3103846
this

PSA: Mech's in the hospital. Hopefully its not too bad but he doesnt know how long hes gonna be in there.

Thread on hold till he gets out, at least.

>>3105275
Ouch..hope the dude's okay. But yeah, no worries, his health comes first :)

Feel better mech.

>>3106638
>>3106918
Thanks, guys. I'm alive and with a tube shoved up my dick. Don't neglect exercise.

>>3107061
>tube up your dick
christ man, what'd you do?

>>3107084
High uric acid (3 times the normal human amount)
Clogged kidneys
Bladder/Kidney connection on verge of necrosis
Sepsis risk at a high number
Almost lost my urethral tract

Exercise and don't eat shellfish in copious amounts.

>>3108224
Get well OP

>>3108224
Since I'm not a medical expert, all I can say is get well soon. I would also say drink more water since I had an uric acid/kidney stone problem before, but you have a tube up there and I'm not a medical expert.

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...sah!

session in 2 hours people

Just here to say I'm alive and will be running in a bit. Aches everywhere, but nonetheless alive and breathing.

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Again, a PSA for you lads:

Exercise. Can't emphasize this enough.
Fruits are your friends (Spinach for some reason isn't).
Red meat is nice, but not if you're not having your vegetables too.
Shrimp/Shellfish is the Devil's food.
If you're in a seat for more than an hour, it's a good idea to get up and stretch every 90 minutes or so to keep the circulation up.
Oranges help with uric acid levels the best.

Take care of yourselves. This shit is hard.

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You chortle, standing up straight and stretching both your arms overhead. As hesitant and embarrassed you are at the implication of the question, by this point, you suppose that there would be no escaping it … and it wasn’t like the Admiral had told you to put a lid on the affection. You actually had formal permission to be as free with said affection now; you didn’t have to bottle it up or keep it in an alley way someplace. Still … it was something to be asked up front on the nature and extent of that affection, and being put on the spot by a ten year-old who couldn’t possibly be doing anything but needling you for details underneath that veneer of innocence on the off-chance juicy gossip was to be found. You couldn’t trust ten year-olds.

But you did honor people with good answers, especially ones asked so earnestly.

Most of the time, anyway.

‘Of course I do,’ you announce lightly, beaming down at the now slightly-huddled group of children. Apparently the girl’s boldness had rubbed off on them enough to ease their own approach. ‘Samidare’s very special to me … just as much as any of them.’

‘How fast can they fly on water?’ one of the boys half-shouts, his wellingtons plodding as he scoots towards you.

‘Fly?’ you question back, frowning … before realizing just what it is that he was asking. ‘Oh, uh … pretty fast, actually. If you’re going by land rates, you’d probably see them keeping up with some racing cars on the track just as well.’

‘You mean something like three hundred kilometers an hour?’ another boy cries out in surprise, slightly bug-eyed at the declaration.

You have to summon some memories up.

‘The top speed a KanMusu’s ever reached is about Mach 1-plus. I don’t know about the details, but she was fitted in specification for a role … and it wasn’t feasible, I think. I’m not too big on that detail.’

‘Who was it?’

You frown. ‘I can’t remember, actually,’ you answer sincerely.

‘Is it true that Nagato-san can destroy like a whole city by herself?’

Of course it’d be the boys who asked that question.

‘I don’t think she would,’ you return soothingly, trying your best to not put unnecessary projections of your Sub-Commander into the heads of ten year-olds. As things were, they’d probably already imagined her spouting flames and deploying streams of rockets across a town and leaving destruction in her wake. ‘But she does pack a pretty good punch when it comes down to it.’

The boys glance at each other … before nodding in satisfaction.

‘So she totally could if she wanted to.’

You smile wryly. So much for that.

‘I bet that Yamato could like punch a hole in the earth if she wanted to!’

‘You can’t punch a hole in the earth, lame-brain.’

‘You’re just saying that because Nagato can’t!’

The two boys grab each other’s coats, growling.

‘Take it back!’

>Write-In

>>3113716
>settle down you two, both Nagato and Yamato are quite strong
>and besides, we all know Musashi is stronger than them both
i regret nothing

>>3113716
>break up the fight
Its fine to be passionate, but the girls the girls dont fight just so you can beat eachother up boys.

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‘Settle down, you two,’ you state with authority. It works enough that they both unhook from each other’s coats, albeit not without one or two glances to communicate their irritation at not being allowed to finish up; you wonder if you were ever like that back in the day. ‘No need to get all crazy over who’s better or who can punch holes through the Earth. There’s more things to compare two prospects than just who can punch a deeper hole … or any hole at all for that, matter?’

‘Then how do you know who’s the best?’ the fatter of the two aggressors questions, frowning. ‘I mean … you gotta be tough, right? Taking out the Abyssals ain’t no joke, right? So a stronger KanMusu’s the only way to go!’

The other boy—the observed Nagato fan—grumbles as he crosses his arms. It would seem that the discussion, too, had piqued the interest of the other four children. The two girls, characters you didn’t imagine to be of any sort of audience to the topic, stare at you expectantly, just as engrossed as their male counterparts. You count backwards from five for what felt like the thousandth time since the post had fallen onto your lap, trying your best to remember that what lies before you are half a dozen curious children looking to find a conclusion … and just enough to go by that they didn’t have to brawl for a proper answer. You weigh your thoughts, raising your hands and preemptively call for calm, a condition to your compliance.

You certainly do not want there to be six bruised minors as a consequence. That, you could definitely live without.

‘It’s not about who’s the strongest, the fastest or the smartest,’ you answer diplomatically … eliciting a collective groan as only ten year-olds could manage. ‘Hey, it’s not that simple, you know? The success of an operation usually isn’t about who gets their calculators up or who can blast the top of a mountain off the easiest. When you’re part of a team, part of a unit on a mission … what matters the most is that all of you work together.’

‘I bet Yamato works together with others the best!’

You let out a light chuckle.

‘She’s probably great at it,’ you concede, smiling. ‘But that’s not the point. What I’m saying is that you can be the best in the world at everything and you can make valleys with a single kick … but you’re always going to need someone to watch your back or do the things you can’t do. Just like people, they’re not perfect. Not Nagato, not Yamato. When you’re out of it, the only way to go is to put your trust in someone else to help bring you get back on your feet … and I don’t think that there’s anyone out there who’s done it alone.’

The second girl frowns.

‘That’s so girly.’

You laugh.

‘It is, yeah,’ you concede. ‘That doesn’t make it not true, though.’

‘Who do you think’s better?’

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You tilt your head. You kind of expected that question, really.

‘Speaking from experience? I think Musashi’s a one-man wrecking ball,’ you declare confidently. ‘Performance-wise, she’s pretty well-rounded.’

The two boys wrinkle their noses in disgust.

Hey, not all of the people in the world could be as much of a patrician as you.

‘Who’s the prettiest?’

You groan. When would the questions stop?

>Write-In

>>3113934
>Bismarck
Bisko>>>>>>>other botes in quest and out of quest
fite me

>>3113934
Thats nagato for sure

>>3113934
Sushi.

>>3113934
Bismarck

Also good to see you alive Mechanic.

>>3113967
i see another anon of fine taste is here

>>3113971
>>3113967
Still gunning for that bisko end, huh?

>>3113977
damn right
complete with a home with a white picket fence and a dog

>>3113977
Well its either her or the carrier, and the carrier fucking left us so...

>>3113983
Kaga will come home
just gotta keep the faith

>>3113986
One a female does what she does, There isn't any coming back into the family.

Also, Cause I doubt any of those I like would win since every time I've voted its gone tits up.

>>3113990
Who is it anon?

>>3113990
you must proclaim your bote loud and proud

Sorry guys, REALLY short break. Need to take meds and do a self pain check up. Be back to typing in half an hour.

>>3114088
not a problem

>>3113934
Takao

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‘Prettiest, huh?’ you let out, scratching the stubble on your chin … and actually think about it, much to your surprise. To your astonishment, picking out a singular face from the bevy of beauties proved to be quite tedious. If the kids had asked you (and your fellow candidates had) who it was back when you were first getting your feet wet, you would’ve rolled a four-sided die between the Kongou sisters and picked whoever came up top. Now? You’re doubtful in even engineering a scoring system; each and every girl just brought something to the table that was her own … and beauty wasn’t only skin-deep. Nagato and Takao conducted themselves with a professionalism that you just found alluring. Iowa had a certain step and flash that you couldn’t turn down … and even Houshou, with all her problems, carried a maturity about her that you admired.

But in the end, those were things that you felt, after all.

‘Bismarck, I guess,’ you answer quietly. There were certain things that that the other girls had brought to the table, of course; none of them were lacking … but you were, first and foremost, a man of tradition, and there was nothing more exotic than a stoic beauty in a kimono with an elegance akin to the finest blade. Not quite in possession of the earthly, grounded quality that you preferred in women … there was just something that elevated Bismarck’s worth in that aspect in your eye; the sharp, veiled eyes, the occasional upturn of a smirk of a woman of the diamond cut, untouchable and priceless, out of your reach.

Maybe there was something about the Forbidden Fruit Effect that worked at its core.

People wanted what they wanted, after all.

The girl frowns.

‘Eh? Who’s that?’

‘Never heard of her.’

‘She can’t be prettier than Yamato, I think. Definitely not’

‘Be serious about this …’

‘Hey, hey, you’re the one that asked the question,’ you return in exasperation, raising your hands to stop their curious squabbling; it’s amazing how they resemble bundled penguins. ‘Why’re you hawking me about it? It’s not meant to—’

‘Now, now, children, let’s not bother Mr Vice-Admiral over there!’

You freeze. You know that voice.

‘Heya.’

That’s a face you hadn’t seen a while.

‘Yuubari.’

‘Yuubari-neechan!’

The six instantly disperse, rushing to the green-haired KanMusu, who sports a white t-shirt and a pair of shorts much too short for the weather … and hauling a net of what appears to be every sports ball in existence. They clamor over her as though she is a Saint descended from the Heavens themselves, tasked with a net of sports balls to play with.

‘My, my, how surprising, Vice-Admiral?’

Her smile is downright unsettling.

‘To think that of all the girls you’d give that title to, it’d be to someone not in your Division?’

Oh, no.

‘I wonder what Houshou and the others would think …’

>>3114172
>'I'm sorry, please; don't tell Houshou and the others.' (Mercy)
>'They won't believe you.' (Challenge)
>'Do whatever you want, really. Not like I'm not used to it.' (Indifferent)
>'You're a sneaky one.' (Annoyed)
>Leave
>Write-In

I know I (almost) never had an "only one right answer" option, so I thought I'd put a throwback to the earlier chapters by putting one in for this one. As always, only one right answer here. Well, two, but one of those "answers" gets you nothing and loses you nothing.

>>3114176
>>'You're a sneaky one.' (Annoyed)
pls be right
i am terrible at making the right decision

10 minutes, guys.

>>3114176
>>'I'm sorry, please; don't tell Houshou and the others.' (Mercy)

>>3114237
anon, why would there be mercy from Yuubari?
we destroyed her mixtape
and the RAY but thats less important

>>3114172
>they’ll think I’m an incorrigible manslut and I’ll have to make it up to them.
>but they know I care.

>>3114243
pfft
sad thing this is absolutely true
shame i already voted

>>3114193
>>3114237
>>3114243
Three options. Gonna see where the dice rolls. Huh, the write-in one. This is unexpected. Care to explain the context/tone? It's important.

>>3114243
Would you care to explain the context and tone so I can convey whether you reached a correct decision, please? Thanks.

>>3114256
Introspective/self-deprecating/affirming his feelings about his division and faith in them

(By the way, while being pretty is certainly huge impact in shipgirls first appeal, it is without a doubt their radiant, selfless personalities that makes one build lasting bond of affection.
Of course Bismarck is not lacking in that department either, speaking as a nagato fan myself)

(Also this is not refinement of the write in, just a bit of blogposting)

>>3114296
It's okay. I'm pretty sluggish today anyway.

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You grin wryly, scratching the back of your head as you feel the eye underneath the leather heat up, if only slightly. You follow this up with a bow to Yuubari, mostly out of respect and awareness than any actual transgressions that you may or may not have conducted in the last few hours. She’d been deadly quiet about you since your return … and while you didn’t look forward to the lecture that would inevitably come up with the next assignment, you aren’t so much a fool to aggravate any outcome with the woman in charge of keeping you equipped with the very thing that enabled your survival and continued operation.

You are a moron.

You aren’t, however, of a reckless disposition.

Most of the time.

Occasionally.

Things just happened sometimes … most of the time.

‘I don’t think it’ll give them any new information,,’ you confess, letting out another sigh. ‘They’ll probably just chalk it down to my skirt-chasing habits and throwing hints at me to make it up to them for saying that I’d think any other girl would actually be prettier than them.’

Yuubari pats the heads of the surrounding children before taking a few steps towards you, setting the net of balls on the ground before crossing her arms and fixing you with an inquisitive stare. You instantly feel a tightened set of intestines; brown orbs scan you up and down in a motion that you likened to one of those tiny robots with eye-stalks in films, trying to scan for the remnants of human life amid ruins of a fallen city. It’s a developed fear, you think, on your part.

‘That’s not the sort of attitude that your Division would probably expect of you, Vice-Admiral,’ she states neutrally, picking up one of the basketballs and tossing it in the air for the children to catch. ‘You got to be more bold with those sort of statements, ain’t that right, kids?’

‘Eh …’

‘Dunno …’

‘That’s like a grown-up’s way of thinking, so …’

‘Too long, Yuubari-nee!’

You chuckle as Yuubari makes a face, placing her hands on her hips and throwing her nose up.

‘They know I care, regardless, even I can’t say with confidence that they’d score a perfect mark on that front.’

She rolls her eyes.

‘And that’s the kind of thing that’ll get you mauled one day,’ Yuubari states matter-of-factly, prodding your chest with an extended finger. ‘That dorky charm of yours isn’t going to divert things every time, you know?’

‘Is this one of those times?’

You’re answered by a healthy thwack on the top of your head.

Stupid question, rea—

‘Here.’

You look up. Yuubari, still standing before you, extends what appears to be a worn punch card of sorts; one with the Admiralty’s emblem emblazoned upon its face, albeit with a faded quietly.

Hesitantly, you pluck it out of her hands.

‘What’s this?’

‘A temporary access pass to the R&D chambers … just for you, though, so don’t go around flashing it,’ she explains, prodding her finger right to your nose. ‘It’s special.’

‘What’re you … giving it to me for?’

She smiles brightly

‘For being a good sport.’

3/5
>EXECUTE TASK (Specify)
>Look for KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Visit Location (Specify)
>Wander
>Write-In

>>3114381
>>Visit Location (Specify)
>R&D lab
lets hit it while its hot
get that gear

>>3114384
Sure, why not. Sidequest time!

>>3114384
Here we go again!

>>3114384
Do we have actual business there or are we just hoping something will come up?
If not, maybe checking in our bureaucracy and with our crew for ideas first would be prudent.

>>3114465
well we do need to check how weapon tech is coming along
gotta remember m8, we're in mid game now and our girls equipment is shit tier
we need to scramble up ways to get better gear quick

>>3114487
True that.

>>3114384
You guys do know it's the weekend, right? As in, you know, the weekend when people usually stay at home and relax and not go to work ... like tech labs? Which are probably places of work.

>>3114561
Nope. Not keeping track of weekdays. Cheers OP.

Hm, what else to do? If we wanted to be productive, maybe we can get headstart on stack of papers on our desk?

>>3114569
We could also look up the shaman I guess

>>3114561
Oops. I wasnt keeping track of the days.

Since we want more sidequests, i suggest we wander then. We do need some sweet sweet sidequest loot

>>3114384
so we
>wander
i suppose

>>3114561
>>Wander
Aight then back to wandering

Just to re-confirm that yes, I'm not going to be running today. Still in "rehab" of sorts and just took my anti-biotics so going to have a long nap.

>>3116566
have a nice nap
how many more days of rehab left?
15?

>>3116612
About that much, yeah.

Mech'll be running sometime today

Running in approx 1 hour. Need these cramps to die down first.

>>3117863
add another 40 minutes to that timer lads
Mech peed blood again

This is Mech. Just here to say that I don't wish this shit I'm going through on any of you.

>>3118241
We’re with you. May your admiral’s rod fully recover.

>>3118241
Oof

I'm alive, but unfortunately, I've downgraded from poultry and red meat to ... onions. Running in a bit.

File: Goya.png (265 KB, 425x750)

265 KB PNG

It’s hard for you not to notice. Not that it was easy to notice, but the rustling cans were too much of a giveaway by the fifth corner. You thought that you’d be able to put up with it for at least the next hour, but the fact that the person in question was being as discrete as a tank charging down a racetrack on a matinee invite was something that only an idiot would refuse to pay attention to. You stand in a semi-deserted stretch of street, the only known presence being two soldiers off to the side chatting about one thing or another as they shared a smoke. You’d deliberately taken a turn down this street to have a look-see on how the Admiral and Vice-Admiral’s progress on the rest of the inner township was going … and while the repairs had been completed as discussed, the many warning signs that laid about made it very apparent that the previous owners were unwilling to return to their usual operations. Ironic, really, considering the many lots on the outer rim had found some semblance of life.

The sound of a falling metal bar reaches your ears … and you do all you can to not lift a hand and give your temples a good rub.

The muttered cursing, too, was something that you believed was a detriment to her mission.

Without looking back, you can already feel the annoyed gaze of a certain Goya, peering from behind a small hill of scrap.

‘Good grief,’ you sigh, rolling a shoulder.

>Acknowledge her
>Ignore her
>Write-In

>>3120871
>>Acknowledge her
poor Dechi
lets bully her

>>3120875
That's the Shaman's job.

>>3120871
>Acknowledge her

File: Dust_goya.jpg (62 KB, 850x1511)

62 KB JPG

You’d honestly had enough some time ago. There was—there is—a limit to just how far you were willing to stretch a farce … and regardless of just how frightening she could be—and you had first-hand experience of that bit—it was just a sad sight to leave one of the deadliest hunters of the dark seas caught in the delusion that she hadn’t given her position and intention away five times over in the last fifteen minutes. Letting out another sigh, you press the band of your eyepatch and turn on your heel, marching towards the not-at-all innocuous pile of wood, metal and rock … and immediately peering behind it to see a pink-haired girl with her hands on her head, crouching down and drowning the world out, as if you would be magicked away by not acknowledging you at all.

To you, she looks like a pre-teen playing hide and seek and refusing to stare defeat in the face.

‘You know, when your quarry starts wondering if dumpsters crawl on their own volition,’ you start, gazing down at her prone form, ‘maybe it’s about time for you start looking at other avenues of enterprise.’

That gets enough of a rise out of her.

I-58’s head turns upward, glaring at you with a pair of bright pink eyes, the picture of a scolded child more than she the swordbreaker you know her to be.

‘Shut up, I don’t need your pity!’

Another sigh leaves your lips.

>Try to be friendly
>Antagonize her
>Question her presence
>Leave her be and go about with your business
>Write-In

>>3121001
>>Try to be friendly

>>3121001
>>Try to be friendly
i know she's not a friend and would totally have our ass killed if she could but i cant help but almost feel bad for her
almost

>>3121001
>try to be friendly

>>3121001
Try to be friendly

File: Silent But Deadly.jpg (568 KB, 850x1268)

568 KB JPG

‘You can’t do any worse than you already have,’ you chuckle, leaning over the collection of debris. ‘Besides, a weekend … you really going to work yourself sore on a weekend?’

‘Our stamina greatly outweighs that of your … mean ranges,’ she retorts, standing up and dusting her kneecaps off. You can tell that her words are meant to be a dig … but considering her rather sorry condition (relatively, anyway; you doubt she cared for the scrapes and lines that adorned her joints or the mess that is her shock of pink hair), you find no need to rise to the bait. ‘There is no need for your consideration or your doubt regarding whether or not I’m up to it.’

You can’t help but laugh, if only slightly. ‘You do realize,’ you start, wagging your one visible eyebrow, ‘that you’re talking with the person you’re meant to be trailing quietly, right?’

She puffs her cheeks, glaring up at you like a pug denied her treat.

‘Hey, hey,’ you backtrack, raising your hands—to which you hear a slight whine from your exoskeleton, probably some oil needed there—to pacify any hostile action in a preemptive movement. ‘I’m not trying to cheese you off, just making an observation, you know?’

‘Your opinions are not required,’ she spits back out.

‘Hey,’ you retort, staring back down at her, ‘we’re on the same side, if you haven’t noticed, yet. You think I’d care to even stop and talk to you if I didn’t think it’d be worth my time?’

‘I knew it! So there is a transaction that you require of—’

You slap your left palm to your forehead, letting out a growl as you throw your head back in frustration.

‘Can you just get your mind off it for two seconds?’

To your surprise, it succeeds in shutting her up.

Unwilling to let go of a chance to follow up, you continue, ‘I understand why you’re here, all right? I know what I did, you know what I did and you’re trying to keep me from digging holes any deeper than we already have the Court of Admirals would like nothing more than to put a pair of cement shoes on me. I get it.’

She doesn’t reply.

‘I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, Heaven stop me, but … in all honesty, is this really what you’re willing to sink to just because Taigei and the Court want you to keep tabs on me?’

She doesn’t reply to that, either.

You sigh, not knowing how to continue. You didn’t think you’d have to spend any stretch of the weekend talking down to a KanMusu that was more than willing to play the wolf to your meat scrap … but in all honesty, the circumstances of everything had just turned so absurd in the last fifteen minutes that you really can’t help but feel like throwing her a bone for once.

‘All right, I—’

‘There is a measure of dissatisfaction … yes.’

An answer. Good, at least you had somewhere to start.

‘This is not how I envisioned my post.’

>>3121207
>'If it's of any ... comfort to you, this isn't how I envisioned being at the frontlines, either.' (Empathize)
>'Not your usual speed, huh?' (Inquire)
>'Well, you must've picked something up by this point.' (Condescending)
>'How'd your draw the short straw?' (Inquire)
>'Is this the part where you tackle me to the ground and tell me to actually do something?' (Joke)
>Write-In

>>3121213
>>'Not your usual speed, huh?' (Inquire)

>>3121213
>'How'd your draw the short straw?' (Inquire)

>>3121216
>>3121222
Flipping a coin. Coin flipped.

‘Not your usual speed, huh?’

She blows a lock of hair away from the tip of her nose, stamping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest for effect. You don’t fall for either. So long as she didn’t grab you by the shoulders and shake you like a rag doll, you didn’t feel

‘Make no mistake,’ she grumbles, sounding a little bit defensive, ‘regardless of our assignment, the margin of deviation is tabulated to be, at the very least, of an acceptable value before the execution of the order. That means that you, Vice-Admiral, are most definitely my speed.’

You frown. That’s not what you’d asked at all.

‘That’s … not what I’m asking,’ you clarify, running your hands up and down the sleeve of your jacket. ‘You’re more used to tracking down rogue KanMusu, right? You’re probably bored out of your mind just tailing me around tripping over trash cans.’

She scowls, glaring at you for good measure.

She doesn’t, however, deny your claim.

‘Intrigue and subterfuge are my bread and butter … as you’d put it, yeah,’ she concedes, grumbling. ‘I can’t say that I don’t miss hunting down the odd rogue and bringing them back in for re-education. The Hunter’s Lodge used to have cases and piles of those, you know? You think that that bunch are good girls because they’re built that way?’

You frown, unsure of how to counter the statement.

>‘As far as I know, there’s an element of servitude.’ (Tentative, Practical, Factual)
>‘KanMusu love humanity.’ (Defiant, Faithful)
>‘You seem to be an expert on the topic.’ (Allow her to continue)
>‘I’ve seen enough of it to concede that point, I suppose.’ (Relate your own observations)
>Shrug indifferently
>Write-In

>>3121388
>>‘As far as I know, there’s an element of servitude.’ (Tentative, Practical, Factual)

>>3121388
>‘You seem to be an expert on the topic.’ (Allow her to continue)

>>3121388
Let her continue, im curios

>>3121388
>>‘You seem to be an expert on the topic.’ (Allow her to continue)

5-10 minutes, lads.

>>3122980
aight

File: Deadly Deadly Deadly Dead(...).jpg (414 KB, 617x900)

414 KB JPG

‘You seem to be an expert on the topic,’ you state neutrally.

She sneers in return, wrinkling her nose and narrowing her eyes. ‘You’re the one who’s being naive,’ she says pointedly, placing her hands on her hips. ‘All you humans know outside looking in is how nice and loyal all those goody-two-shoes are but you know what? I don’t really care about it, but your bunch take walking ahead blind to another level … so consider this proof of statement: when your girls go out of line, The Hunter’s Lodge is the one that makes sure they you get caught in their rampage.’

‘I know the function of your department,’ you acknowledge coolly, glancing around. ‘It doesn’t mean that your methods are something I totally agree on, though.’

I-58 lets out a loud snort, a smirk threatening to tug her lips upward.

‘You can say whatever you want, Vice-Admiral,’ she declares coyly, wiggling her hips in some odd gesture of mockery. ‘When you can come up with a better plan to contain a berserk war machine with enough firepower to reshape a cliff-side, I’ll put it in to the Taigei to pass on. Until then, I’ll stick with what’s tried and true.’

‘You don’t have any remorse at all, then.’

It’s not a question.

It’s a confirmation.

I-58 snorts again, turning her nose up at you.

‘You humans go around fighting wars left and right and everywhere you can and you shout out that you’re happy to win with a body count that people lost the progression report on about halfway through,’ she throws back coldly. ‘Compared to whatever motivations your side has, I can at least say that mine’s just to make sure that whatever collateral’s going out there’s at a bare minimum. I’m not there to stake a claim or anything … but it’s a hobby that I gotta admit that I’ve grown a little more than fond of, yeah.’

You stay your hand.

Whatever I-58’s stance was … agitating her was something that you didn’t want to do. Whatever your feelings, keeping this submarine satisfied and quiet, to you, takes priority.

‘Don’t make that face, Vice-Admiral,’ she practically cackles, staring back up at you. ‘It’s not as if it’s something that I’d instigate on just a whim … no more than you are.’

You can’t help it this time.

‘Pretty human of you.’

To your surprise, however … you’re met with another laugh.

‘It’s called due process, Vice-Admiral,’ she chides you playfully, shrugging and widening her stance. ‘I’m here for a purpose just like your Division’s out there to fulfill objectives. Without that organization, we might as well not be running at all.’

You’re not too sure if you shared that sentiment.

That part, however, is decidedly your more personal side talking.

‘But like I said … some hunts, well, I wouldn’t mind running again.

>>3123020
>'Some hunts?' (Pry, Roll a 1d6 each)
>'I don't know what to say to that.' (Indifferent)
>'So you ... embrace that part that says you're a machine, huh? You're one of the ones taking that far stretch of the spectrum..' (Inquire)
>'Doesn't excuse you being a bully.' (Annoyed)
>Leave
>Write-In

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3123041
>>'Some hunts?' (Pry, Roll a 1d6 each)

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>3123041
>>'Some hunts?' (Pry, Roll a 1d6 each)
im feeling lucky

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3123041
>'Some hunts?' (Pry, Roll a 1d6 each)

>>3123049
>>3123056
>>3123065
Not looking good, lel

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>3123041
>>'Some hunts?' (Pry, Roll a 1d6 each)

>>3123097
should someone roll again?

Rolled 6 (1d6)

well hope for a 5 or 6

>>3123420
WEW

>>3123420
This is how we win. With trolling and godlike luck.

>>3123564
i dont call all these 2's god like luck

File: Shiratsuyu.png (1.53 MB, 500x800)

1.53 MB PNG

‘Some hunts?’

‘What, they keep mum about it to the newbies, too?’

Your frown seems to provide her with enough of an answer. You want to give your own remarks to that condescending tone … but you doubt that she’d be open with anything else if you decided to do so. I-58 shuffles her feet, as if expecting said follow up … and when only silence dives off your lips, harrumphs and closes the gap, poking you smack dab in the middle of your torso. You cock an eyebrow, a little surprised … but not totally unprepared for the action.

‘How did they go about picking your ass to save the rest of their sorry skins?’

To that, though, you smile.

‘Animal magnetism.’

She snorts. ‘I doubt it,’ she harrumphs again, glaring up at you like some dissatisfied guard dog. ‘You’re super boring … and super troublesome on top of that.’

‘So I’ve heard,’ you agree, with all the sincerity you can muster.

She narrows her eyes, glaring at you again … before sighing.

‘Yeah, I’d really rather run all my Hunting Lodge assignments before putting my name in a ballot with you in that ballot,’ I-58 declares haughtily. ‘Shiratsuyu gave us less trouble and she reshaped a friggin’ cliffside!’

‘Shiratsuyu?’

You frown. The name … the name is familiar. You’d heard it before, but—

‘What, you don’t know Shiratsuyu? You have two of her sisters in her Division, you know?’

Two of her—

And it hits you.

‘Shigure’s sister.’

‘And Samidare’s,’ she tacks right on, grinning. ‘Man, she put up a fight.’

Your eyes widen as you add it up.

‘You—’

‘I didn’t kill her,’ I-58 cuts you right off, snorting and raising a hand. ‘I don’t know if you have this tucked in neatly yet, sir, but regardless of how I take it, a KanMusu is a war asset. Even someone like you knows that that’s not something that you throw out just because it bucked on its hooves a bit.’

You move to clarify your inquiry. ‘But … she went rogue.’

‘Oh yeah … a lot of ‘em tend to go rogue,’ she mentions off-handedly, ‘but she was one of only three cases that went rogue independently.’

‘Independently?’

There are four known classifications of KanMusu going rogue,’ I-58 starts, holding up a hand and sounding … eerily helpful. ‘ Most of them fall under external influence or malfunctions. Independent cases are rare; KanMusu don’t usually want to go hog-wild on the rest of humanity, you know? We’re here to make sure it doesn’t happen, right?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Well, unlike the other classifications … Shiratsuyu went hog-wild like you humans do: going totally AWOL on her own. No nothing … just ran on out on her Commander! Total AWOL!’

You stare back, surprised.

‘I know, right? Crazy!’

>>3124042
>‘So she chose … to go rogue? Can KanMusu do that?’
>‘You weren’t given a briefing at all?’
>‘Was she hard … to handle? To retrieve?’
>‘She died, didn’t she? KIA?’
>Write-In

This prompt, if nothing else, is evidence that I have given out WAY TOO MUCH LORE for a healthy Quest. I had to rifle through everything Shiratsuyu-related in this quest to make sure my information is consistent. THREE HOURS. That's how long it took me.

>>3124044
>>‘Was she hard … to handle? To retrieve?’

>>3124044
>>Write-In
"Something must have really horrified her for her to go off like that. I wonder what happened."

Absentmindedly toustle i-58. Shes just under us and at the right headpat/toustle level.

>>3124044
>Spoiler
Yes but you've built quite an interesting world which is a far more logical take on the story behind Kantai Collection.

>>3124044
Good man.

>"Do you have any idea what could have compelled her to go rogue? Nobody can possibly do such a large change in their course without reason or a stimulus."

>>3124056
>>3124071
>>3124088
Welp, that's a 15 minute extension due to a tie.

>>3124080
Thank you. Appreciated. I'm sorry that you guys have had to put up with my shit for the last 2 and a half years.

>>3124093
hey, you had to put up with our shit too

>>3124095
Yeah, but you guys can leave any time. So thanks.

>>3124071
Sure why not, keep up our guise of idiocy

>>3124093
>>3124097
To be honest way earlier in the quest you made it known that one mistake would cost us dearly, so far we've done alright enough to make sure all the girls come home alive but I think we're lacking in strength somewhat and I think you've given us quite a bit of leeway.
Of course you could also be giving us the rope to hang ourselves with

>>3124071
Dumb facade, on!

>>3124109
we've got like 60 miles of rope by now

Also mah dick's been hurting. Time to do a test. Be back later.

>>3124145
time to sleep then

>>3124114
This is a rube goldberg noose my friend

Don't know where else to ask this, so I'll do it here.

Is Ashes of Rhysode dead?

>>3128152
nope
Ashes should be next to run actually after this thread ends
2 bote threads to 1 ashes

>>3128157
though when that thread will happen all depends on Mech's condition

>>3128157
>>3128163
Good to know. I recently read through the archives and thought it might have died since the last thread ended on just a prompt with no votes.

>>3128174
oh yea it did
eh dont worry about it
was an argument in the discord that got out of hand and too heated

>>3128163
Actually, I lost my Ashes of Rhysode notebook with all the Mech lists. I've been looking for it the last several weeks. I need to find it first or it'll be a shitty run. Also, net died this afternoon.

>>3131207
RIP
didnt you spend a good amount of time on that list too?

>>3131893
The only thing I have left are the Rolling Rules.
-THE STARMAP
-THE GALACTIC POLITICS
-THE MECH LIST/PILOT TIER/PRICING TIER
-THE (OPTIONAL) PARTY MEMBER ENCOUNTERS
-THE NARRATIVE LAYOUT
It was all in that book.

>>3133852
ouch