Editing Kantai Collection - KanColle - Auspicious Seas, Phoenix Skies:Volume1 Chapter 2: Battleships and Carriers

<poem>Tendrils of warm sunshine sporadically reached through the curtains.
Did I...fall asleep...?
I awake on a futon, placed in a corner of the Command center. It might be an everyday bargain bin item, but my sleep quality deteriorates while spending long periods at sea; after returning to the dearly missed shore, this kind of cheap product feels like a luxurious bed.
As is the case of course now.
Surrounded by this wonderful warmth, I don't want to get out of bed.
Even so, I don't have time to sleep. I spent all of yesterday doing penalty laps, so I had best settle into my job as an Admiral as soon as possible.
I lift myself up.
My body immediately and painfully proclaimed that it was on a general strike.
"Aaaaahh..."
The sudden spikes of pain were enough to force a gasp out of me.
Additionally, I felt a crushing weight the moment I tried to rise.
——Are my arms spent?
Didn't feel like it.  It felt more like something was holding the futon down.
I raised my head and looked.
On the other side of the Futon——
A young girl was lying there.
That head full of silver hair and the white-and-crimson hachimaki both stood out. Though she had removed her rigging, she was still clad in her white priestess' uniform.
No matter how you look at it, Zuihou was sleeping in my futon!
"?!"
Even my heartbeat seemed to have frozen.
Plus, her collar lay half open——you could almost see a forbidden place. White skin, shiny collarbone, and those tiny hills...
——what should I do?
Cold sweat gathered on my neck.
There are no courses in the academy about how to deal with a disheveled girl in your bed.
Should I pretend I didn't notice and sneak out? But won't she get an embarrassing impression when she wakes up?
In that case, should I find a surreptitious way to fix that up?
Fix HER clothes?!
This isn't a joke! Touching a girl's clothes! Touching an unwed girl like this would be the act of an underhanded man!
But, since it's for her own good...
It must be done.
"Well then, pardon me..."
I reach out for Zuihou's chest
 
"What are you doing to her hangars?"
 
"Uwah?!"
A voice cold as ice struck me. I recoiled as if burnt.
Looking to the source of the sound——
The Commander's Room door were open; standing in the center was Kaga, glaring at me with a practically arctic glare.
"...I hope you have an explanation."
"Ah...no, it's...well, her clothes were messed up..."
"Because rape?"
"This is a misunderstanding!"
"Either way, could you get out from under that Futon?"
"Yes..."
"Also, please do not get too close to the shipgirls."
To be treated as someone suspicious so quickly...well, I suppose it can't be helped.
I climbed out of the Futon with a sigh.
I'm still hurting all over.
"Oww..."
"It seems that you are still alive?"
"Yes...unbearably..."
Kaga looked at me in the same way a doctor would regard a patient at a madhouse.
"After you finished running, your breathing and sweating stopped, your body temperature dropped and your lips turned purple. We all thought you died."
"Eh? Me?"
"You don't remember? Mm, well, you did lose consciousness, so that's to be expected."
She sighed as well.
To think I had run a lap at death's door.
I guess I went a little too far after all.
According to Kaga, a great number of shipgirls had crowded into the Command Room such that it was impossible for me to rest.
In the end, only Zuihou stayed behind to watch over me.
"Atago and Ikazuchi wanted to stay too, but they got rejected."
"It would have been a problem if they stayed...but why did Zuihou stay?
"She won at rock paper scissors."
"Ah? Huh?"
"That child's luck is quite good.  Luck is very important on the battlefield."
Kaga's gaze lay on Zuihou's sleeping face, her expression like that of an older sister watching over a younger sister.
I, too, looked at that cute face.
"I remember...the 'Zui' in Zuihou stands for good fortune. When there is a good omen, it's called 'Zuichou.'"
"Is that so."
"And Kaga-san's 'ga' means a gift, a blessing. That is a good name as well."
"I-is that so."
"Are you alright?"
Kaga's face was flushed red, and her hand covered her mouth.
"You're saying this kind of thing again."
"Hm? Could it be that you're embarrassed?"
"I'm not embarrassed, merely confused. Please stop with this kind of teasing and tend to the shipgirls' and naval district's needs. You will only be a bother if you remain a piece of blank paper in regards to affairs here."
She got angry.
"Y-yes," I stammered promptly.
 
"First order of business is the shipgirl meeting party...but before that, isn't it better to take a bath?"
"Ah, yeah..."
I took a whiff of my sleeve.
It smelled of sweat.
As I had no other clothes, I had run yesterday in this uniform; after sleeping in it as well, it had become fairly dirty.
Kaga pointed towards a cardboard box in the corner.
"Earlier this morning, someone from GHQ brought over the Admiral's personal belongings."
"Ah, that's great."
I open it to confirm; indeed, there are my spare uniforms. I can wear them, at any rate.
"Also, here."
What she passed over over a resupply form. Along with laundry, towels and other dailies, there was also a list of resources.
"Mm...there's fuel...gunpowder? Steel? Bauxite? Do you need such crude materials?"
"It's easier to consume it that way."
"Ah, could it be that these resources are here too?"
I looked back to that unbelievable existence the Marshal had shown me.
In response to my inquiry, Kaga thought for a moment.
"To not even know this...that's right, I heard humans do not construct or maintain the shipgirls' riggings."
"What? Then who works in the supply corps?"
"I'll give you a tour of the factory later."
Kaga glanced out the window.  Following her stare, it must be that building facing the sea. Is that the factory?
It's all a mystery to me.
"Well then, thank you. I will be heading to the baths."
"Please do, some shipgirls are quite easily triggered."
I head to the bathhouse.
The bathhouse is not in the same building as the command room. Following Kaga's directions, I went down the hallway, downstairs and then across another hallway.
Although I ran into other shipgirls on the way, there was not a single soldier like myself.
——Are there only shipgirls in this naval district? I thought this naval district would be a gathering of elites, but I haven't even seen maintenance crews.
I'm in front of the bathhouse.
On the wall are three wooden signs, listed one to three.
There's also a notice:
"If you're docking, please take a sign."
Right below it is a line that says, "Please return the sign once you're done."
This was probably to avoid situations where somebody went into an occupied dock.
"Mm...if this is for Shipgirl usage, it'd be a problem if someone came in while I was inside."
Although it would be odd for somebody to be bathing in the middle of the day, it's better to be safe than sorry. May as well take all the signs so nobody comes in.
It's not like I want to hog the bath, it' just that I don't want to run into someone of the opposite gender in the bath.
"This would probably be a problem if there were women in the military."
In the military, shower times were very strictly regimented in groups - if you missed your turn you'd have to wait for the next one. But since everyone was male, there weren't that many problems when it came with dressing and undressing.
I opened the wooden door.
 
A female with waist-length hair is removing her clothes.
 
Long dark hair; reddish eyes; tightly drawn muscle; slender limbs and a healthy skin tone; from head to toe, her skin was smooth and flawless.
With that curvy body, she could have been a western sculpture.
Two spikes stuck out like a goat's horns, something I recognized to belong to a battleship——Nagato?!
And she is currently staring, wide-eyed, in my direction.
"Wha..."
I seem to have forgotten how to move.
"Ah, uh..."
"Y-you are?!"
"Eh, uh...no, I...err..."
My mind's drawing a blank.  I got nothing.
I'm a sub-lieutenant...no, currently I'm a Lieutenant-Commander. Nono, now isn't the time to be reporting my rank...
My head is spinning.
Ah, that's a 4th sign in Nagato's hand. Alright, so there's four of them. I miscalculated.
Nagato's gaze sharpened as she glared at me, rooted dumbly on the spot.  
"I'm asking who are you?"
"Ah, oh...I'm, uh...Admiral."
"What? Is that so, so you were the Admiral Mutsu was talking about..."
It seems she understood.
I removed my hat.
"My deepest apologies. I thought that there wouldn't be anyone in here in the middle of the day."
"I just got back to port. But, Admmiral, could we discuss this in a bit?"
"Ah, ahahahah...yeah."
"Mm."
She placed her gloves into the clothes basket with an expression of displeasure.
That's only to be expected; you'd have to take off your clothes to bathe, and that wasn't going to be possible with me there.
 
Speaking of which, thank god she only took off her gloves. Things would be a lot worse if she had taken it all off.
 
Her now-gloveless arm, too, was tightly-knit muscle; quite beautiful.
If I don't watch up I might be entranced.
Wiping away my cold sweat, I left the changing room.
I'll have to wait outside, I suppose - there's no way we can go in together.
It turns out I had to wait three hours for Nagato to come out.
I spent all that time reading the data Kaga gave me.
 
Afternoon, 1 pm——
I've finally managed to assemble all the shipgirls and greet them.
Kaga remains the secretary ship.
Although some shipgirls were out on expedition, those that remained still outnumbered the average graduating class at the academy.
It seems like I met a lot of them yesterday, though.
Among them, of course, was Zuihou.
Atago, as well, waved affectionately.
Next to her, heavy cruiser Ashigara was giving me the "screw the greetings, just let me sortie!" look of a hungering wolf.  
And so my instatement meet-and-greet finally ended...or it should have.
Yet Aoba has her mike pointed at me again.
"Commander! What do you plan to do with this fleet? Please give us a word or two!"
"Mm? Ahh...umm...maintain discipline, strengthen training, so that we will become soldiers defending the nation..."
"Please be more specific?"
"According to our combat records...this fleet's carrier strength is rather weak, so I plan to strengthen this aspect first."
Murmurs and whispers as shipgirls began to speak among themselves.
Perhaps what I said is a surprise to them.
 
"Admiral, I cannot pretend I didn't hear that!"
 
The first to stand and speak is Nagato.
Her hands were at her waist and her chest thrust out - she gave off an air of courage just through standing.
I turn to address her:
"Does something dissatisfy you?"
"Might is firepower! Armor! Is not the ability to stand against the enemy battleships of utmost importance?"
"You are right, artillery firepower is important. But so are carriers and their planes."
"Can those planes penetrate abyssal armor? Large-caliber guns are the only true arbitrators between success and failure!"
"T-that's not true! Carrier planes can also carry the b-battlefield...probably..."
To everyone's surprise, the one who responded was none other than Zuihou.
Her attempt to defend the carriers wilted under Nagato's gaze, her voice slowly tapering off.
Nagato shrugged.
"I have no intent of looking down on planes. But if it comes to maintaining equipment, the first priority should go to main guns. This amount of firepower is insufficient to defeat the enemies in those waters. Mass producing large-caliber guns should be our first priority!"
"Uu..."
Zuihou seemed to have succumbed to Nagato's forcefulness.
This, too, cannot be helped. Zuihou was a shipgirl, but in front of Nagato and her distinctly military demeanor, Zuihou was just a regular girl.
Of course, Nagato has no ill intent.
She truly believed that main guns were the best weapon, a view cultivated after the countless battles that led up to this moment.
I straightened my hat.
"Mm...but, from battle records..."
"The Admiral has not yet observed shipgirls in battle, right?"
"...Yes."
Given, I had seen Zuihou that time in combat, but to say I had "observed" it was pushing it a little.
With a hmph, Nagato grinned confidently.
"Then witness it with your own eyes. That way, I can change your mind."
"Could you be planning to bring me to battle?"
"No, that's impossible. We don't have any means to let humans board. Moreover, I just want you to see a glimpse; moreover, the Abyssals are no pushovers. As such, witness an exercise between shipgirls!"
"Oh?"
Normal warships would also engage in fleet exercises. What would shipgirl exercises look like? I found myself truly interested.
"For the battleship faction, Mutsu and I are sufficient...but I don't think that's enough to make a fleet."
Nagato's eyes swept over the shipgirls.
With an "I'll go——" sort of look, Atago raised her hand.
"I'll do it too! I, too, want the Admiral to see my true strength~"
"Even if it's a fleet exercise, you can leave the guns and torps to me! The battlefield calls me! Victory calls me!"
It's Ashigara.
As heavy cruisers, they indeed stood second only to the battleships in firepower.
Nagato nodded.
"Excellent. Well then, who will stand for the Carrier faction? I understand we have only four, but we'll take on as many as you've got."
Zuihou was the first to stand.
"I-I will go! I may be a light carrier, but if I give it my all, I can do my part as well!"
On the topic of carriers, Kaga is a standard carrier; logically, she should be more powerful than a light carrier.
"Will you go as well?"
"If the Admiral commands it."
"I suppose it's better to let them decide among themselves this time."
A girl with a Kansai accent reported herself as Ryuujou, a light carrier just like Zuihou.
"Ara? Looks like y'all are gonna need my help."
Moreover, the sister Zuihou had mentioned, Shouhou, also stood up.  Although her class and dress were the same, Shouhou had a more...adult air. Perhaps there's some age difference between the two sisters.
But just three ships isn't enough——
At this time, a dark-haired young woman with a red archery uniform and a gentle expression stood up. She carried herself with the same dignity as Kaga did.  
"Aircraft Carrier, Akagi. If we're forming a carrier task force, you can leave it to me."
According to the records, she was the first aircraft carrier in the fleet.
She had experienced countless battles and was deeply trusted by the others.
She gave off a calm and mature air.
Nagato smiled confidently.
"Is this fine? I have no intention of hearing excuses."
"I had no plans to excuse myself from the start. This is an exercise, no? Daily training is indispensable."
Zuihou looked very pleased as she exclaimed,
"Thank you so much for joining us, Akagi-san!"
"Compared to thanks...the most important thing is to trust in your own training and the carrier planes you take pride in. Don't worry, we will definitely win."
"Yes!"
I murmured to Kaga out of the corner of my mouth.
"Akagi's quite respected."
"Of course. After all, it's Akagi."
"Mm."
It looks like Kaga is also someone who deeply respects Akagi.
And so, the exercise became a showdown between Nagato's Battleship faction and Akagi's Carrier faction.
Kaga, however, spoke with a note of unease.
"But...with these teams, it's a little worrying."
At that time, I did not understand the significance of Kaga's words.
Until I saw them at dinner——that is, the time when they resupplied...well, but that's a story for later.
 
And so, my welcome meeting was interrupted, and I found myself heading with Kaga to the command room.
She spread out a sea map onto the table.
"I propose that the exercise be held here."
The words "Naval District Waters" denoted the area.
While a few minor islands stood out, the currents were quite peaceful, and enemy appearance rates were also low; you could say that there were relatively safe waters.
"That sounds good. But shipgirls cannot carry human passengers, right? So how am I to watch the exercise?"
"Well then, please use this as a time to familiarize yourself with how to command your fleet."
"Hm?"
"There is a communications array in the Command Room that allows you to establish communications with fleets at sea and understand their disposition."
In front of me was a fairly old fashioned, boxy display monitor, along with a microphone and speaker.
"I can communicate with the shipgirls with this?!"
"Indeed."
"How convenient."
"I say communicate, but there are a lot of limitations as well. From here we can only communicate relatively short and simple orders. Based on the condition of the ships that deployed, please decide whether to continue advancing or to retreat."
"Just advance and retreat...? Ah, whatever. Without a good understanding of the battle situation, a Commander isn't going to be giving clear and coherent orders from across the ocean."
"Indeed."
"If only I could be on the front line...if I had a power such as yours..."
I voiced the wish that couldn't be granted.
Kaga cast her gaze downwards.
"...Please select a shipgirl you trust to lead the fleet to be flagship, and we will do all we can to meet your expectations."
"Ah...you're right, thanks."
Pre-battle preparations and analysis was my role.
The communication array's display flickered to life, broadcasting all kinds of letters and numbers.
Not unlike shipboard radar.
Kaga explained to me how to interpret the readout.
"This indicates an approximate numerical assessment of the shipgirl's condition, this is the remaining fuel and ammunition..."
"Mm...."
"While carriers have relatively low consumption in terms of ammunition, they must be resupplied with bauxite when they lose planes. Especially when the enemy claims air superiority."
"Ahh, this was brought up in the supplementary data."
Carriers needed to expend bauxite to recover their carrier planes. Since shipgirls aren't quite the same as actual ships, it's a little pointless to use common knowledge.
It seems like I have a lot to catch up to after all.
The bauxite needed for resupply is roughly proportional to the number of planes lost.
If air superiority is lost, most of the carrier complement will follow.
"Give Zuihou the Saiun."
The so-called Saiun was a scout plane made especially for carriers.
Although its name resembled that of the scout plane used in that past war, this was a plane specialized for shipgirl use.
Kaga seemed to have her doubts regarding my orders.
"If it's the Saiun, isn't it better to give to Akagi?"
"Let's specialize Akagi for attack."
"...very well, I will transmit the order."
The only planes currently available for action are the type 99 Dive Bomber and the Type 97 Torpedo Bomber.
Given, this naval district does have carrier planes such as the Suisei and Tenzan.
According to the data, the carrier of these planes happens to be Kaga.
But just the thought of the pride with which Kaga said "they're all good children" suggested that I would not be able to take them so flippantly.
Morale is also important.
I ordered Zuihou to carry the scout plane, while Akagi, Ryuujou and Shouhou were crammed with Type 97 Torpedo Bombers.
"The rest is up to you."
"Admiral, what is the reason for primarily using torpedo bombers?"
"From past war records, torpedo bombers bring better results if air superiority is guaranteed."
"Is that so?"
"Is that an issue?"
"Torpedo Planes bring bigger results, but they are also more easily shot down. Resource consumption will be heavy."
"How much, roughly?"
"There are many issues that affect a battle, no two are the same.  As such, field experience is very important."
That is to say, she didn't put much weight on the battle records?
Since I disagree, I suppose I'll have to run this on my own. Kaga is the secretary ship, after all and she's certainly not an Admiral.
"Well then, let's try out this rare exercise."
"Understood."
In this exercise, the Battleship team would carry no fighters, so air supremacy would doubtlessly go to the Carrier Faction.
Even so, the situation doesn't favor the carriers.
The Battleship Faction's Mutsu and Nagato were veterans, and did not do anything to alter their loadout.
All they carried were main guns, a secondary gun and a radar.
Having finished equipping themselves according to my orders, they finally sallied forth.
 
I observed the battle from my boxy monitor.
Kaga stood by me, eyes similarly fixed on the monitor, a hint of unease on her face.
Although I feel that the situation would be better if I had let her take part in the carrier faction...
She had a strong sense of responsibility regarding her position as secretary ship.
The two fleets were slowly closing in on each other.
"It's almost time?"
"...indeed."
Kaga nodded slightly.  
 
A Saiun buzzed over the endless sea.
 
It's a scout plane specialized for reconnaissance, built to be faster and longer-ranged than fighters.  
Thanks to the perfect weather, it was not long until they had seen the Battleship Team.
Zuihou reported the news:
"Enemy fleet detected! Two Battleships! Two Heavy Cruisers!"
She had also received some more specific information, such as their distance, position and bearing. With this, it would be possible to figure out their path.
They passed over the water as if ice skating.
There were no ships under their feet, after all.
What an unbelievable sight; but for a shipgirl, this was just obvious.  
Ryuujou reported to the report with unusual giddiness.
"Fantastic! They haven't even seen us! It's a jackpot for us, ain't it!"
Akagi, too, smiled with satisfaction.
"We can't be overconfident; let's give it our all. ...on the other hand, this looks to be a sure win!"
 
Listening to their conversation, I raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, isn't this kind of overconfident? Didn't she just say 'don't be overconfident'?"
"...This is Akagi's strong point."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes."
Kaga responded without hesitation.
She didn't seem like somebody easily swayed by others, so perhaps it really is Akagi's strong point. It seems like I still need to learn more about the shipgirls.
Kaga continued, her expression as calm as ever.
"That relaxed feeling is Akagi's charisma."
"Isn't it bad to be relaxed?"
Kaga is a person too. Rather, she's also a shipgirl...her judgement of Akagi shouldn't be accepted without question.
On the communication screen, Akagi announced,
"First attack wave, lift off!"
She stood on the sea, bow drawn.  
And let fly.
With a burst of light, they transmuted into propeller planes.
No matter how many times I see it, it's a little unbelievable.  
Following Akagi's order, the other shipgirls hurriedly launched their own Type 97s.
"Ah?!"
A sharp cry from Shouhou.
One of the arrows she had loosed was losing speed; it was plunging towards the sea by the time it had transmuted.
My grip tightened in front of the monitor.
——Don't fall!
I can offer nothing but my prayers.
That Type 97 reared towards the sky, tugging its torpedo cargo along. Leaving the waves behind, it caught up to the rest of the formation. It seems it had managed to escape.
Shouhou breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew..."
Having confirmed onscreen that the plane had escaped danger, I, too, let out a sigh.
"Whew..."
"Admiral, you're a little too uptight about all sorts of things."
Kaga voiced her thoughts from next to me.
As cold as always, huh.
But when that Type 97 had curved towards the sea, she, too had looked worried. She might be cold, but she can be warm too.
"...Admiral, is there something on my face?"
"Uh, ah, no."
I turned my gaze to the monitor once more.
Of the carrier team, Ryuujou was the only one not to use the bow and arrow, but another odd way.
She unreeled the scroll she carried to the wind, gently touching the rows of Ofuda neatly arranged like a carrier group across the scroll.
"All carrier planes! It's time to work, y'all! Work!"
A blue flame ignited at her fingertip,
with the words "Edict" floating in front.
As if possessed, the Ofuda transformed into Type 97s, their engines coming to life before lifting off the scroll deck.
I had never seen something like this before——these were the so-called shikigami. I had always thought them myths.
——Then again, it's not like I'm used to arrows turning into planes in everyday life either.
It looks like they each have their own ways to fight.
Taking the initiative, the carrier team sent out their carrier planes.
 
On the Battleship Team's side——
in reality, they had long since detected Akagi and company.
While they were quite a bit slower than the Saiun,
Nagato's Type 33 Surface Fire Control Radar——the only such piece of equipment of this power in the Naval District——could detect distant enemies from a great distance.
In these seas, with few islands to interfere, it could be employed at its maximum potential.
"Excellent, enemy detected! All elements of the fleet, follow me, Nagato!"
"It's my turn, huh. Very well then, witness it! ...Hm, #3 Turret, is there a problem?"
Mutsu was paying quite a bit of attention to the area around her stern. It seemed that was the location of the #3 turret.
Nagato's brow furrowed.
"Are you alright? Mutsu?"
"Ara, ara ara; are you worried about me?"
Mutsu regarded her with a playful gaze that could be felt even through the monitor.
Even if it's two girls, it's embarrassing; Nagato coughed, blushing as she continued.
"P-paying attention to the escort ship, that's the flagship's duty."
"Ohoho...Th~ank Y~ou. It's fine, don't worry."
"That's good."
Nagato ordered the fleet forwards at full speed once more.
The waves beneath their feet intensified.
The four turrets she carried surely must weigh a lot - her feet, half-submerged, left large waves in their wake.
And what magnificent waves they were.
Mutsu, Atago and Ashigara hurriedly followed.
Nagato altered their course slightly. Under ideal conditions, they would be able to make visual contact with the carrier team.
 
The image on the monitor became a sea map.
The symbols indicating the two fleets were closing in on each other.
The attack wave sent by Akagi and company towards Nagato and company now began their attack.
"This is the vital moment?"
I asked Kaga.
"Indeed...for carriers, the opening attack is very important."
Once they entered shelling range, the need to evade enemy fire would badly hinder plane launch. Without an early launch, the carrier team would be unable to win.
From the speaker, Nagato's voice boomed out.
"Enemy planes detected!"
Countless dark dots emerged from the clouds.
They closed in.
Nagato raised her hand.
"All ships, evasive action!"
Each of the four ships put a foot forwards, leaving curved furrows in their wake.
In this way it would be difficult for the enemy planes to accurately predict their paths.
Though they each seemed to strike out on random movements, there were no collisions or course corrections; they must have been fairly well trained to begin with.  
Whether it's shipgirls or regular ships, the basics of evasion were the same.
Those were to remain unpredictable;
Not to run into each other;
And not to break off from the fleet.
From the air, their paths were quite beautiful in their own way, wide curves and arcs that overlapped, all ultimately moving in the same direction. Like flowing Satin.
I suddenly noticed something.
The image on the screen had been taken from quite a high altitude. An altitude that not even the carrier planes should be able to reach.
"Kaga-san, who takes these pictures?"
"...nobody's seen the cameraman."
"Not even you?"
"The ones that created this communication array weren't human; these recordings, too, use as-of-yet-unknown technology. Does it bother you?"
"It does...but, I suppose I'll leave it to the experts. I just need to learn how to use it so I can set up a doctrine with which to defeat the enemy."
"Agreed."
 
The Type 97 Bombers descended through the clouds.
These bombers used torpedoes, the torpedoes each carried attached to their bellies.
Earlier, Zuihou had used Type 99 Bombers against the Ru-class, a dive bomber that dropped its ammunition from above.
Those armed with torpedoes were torpedo bombers.
Those armed with bombs were dive bombers.
While both were Carrier Bombers, this was a fairly good distinction.
Dive bombs limited the window with which enemy ships could react and minimizes the vulnerability of their users.
Moreover, dive bombs were much less complex than torpedoes, allowing a much more lightweight construction.
Lighter construction meant higher mobility, providing dive bombers with an evasion that torpedo bombers couldn't match.
But this time they would be using the Type 97 Torpedo Bomber.
Why use torpedo bombers at all then, with their lower evasion and the larger response window they afforded the enemy?
Because the parts of the warship below the waterline and armor belt——that is, the underwater portions, were much more vulnerable.
Moreover, warships were designed to come under fire; protected by their armored decks, warships were unlikely to be sunk by dive bombers.
On the other hand, a hole under the waterline meant sinking. Even if the flooding could controlled, the ship would be slowed, becoming even more vulnerable to succeeding attacks.
Although abyssal ships had some differences with normal warships, the principles under which they operated were the same - that was what I had read from the battle records.
And, of course, the same applied to shipgirls.
Would those torpedoes flying underwater have any effect on shipgirls, skating on the surface? It is a little unbelievable.  
The type 97s began their descent, hugging the water as they made their approach.
This, too, is warship theory——AA guns were designed to shoot down bombers high in the air.
Abyssal guns were similarly built.
In order to counter this, squadrons would often fly as far below the minimum angle of the enemy guns as possible to make it harder to shoot down.
As such they would have to go in at nearly sea level, even if it meant incurring the risk of hitting the surface.
If it were a real battle, they would also be braving bullets.
As this was an exercise, these were just practice bullets.
Stricken planes were plastered with colored dye and subsequently left the battle space.
"All allied units! Break through the enemy fleet!"
 
The wireless transmission probably came from the Type 97s. Occasionally, I caught a glimpse of something on the low-resolution monitor——well, now's not the time to worry about that.
The leading Type 97s soared, hugging the waves as they closed in on the shipgirls of the Battleship team.
The other flights followed.
While the shells were practice shells, they still carried a similar level of intensity.
The image of these pilots soaring through that barrage of shells was enough for me, a mere spectator, to feel shock.
Many of the planes turned away without launching, having been judged to have been shot down.
But there were many other bombers that had managed to avoid the AA fire.
Each briefly rose, dropping their torps.
Each torpedo, in turns, leaped into the water like divers leaping into the ocean.
The remaining torpedo bombers also launched.
But the launch height was insufficient.
The torpedoes that impacted before achieving the required angle bounced off the water, like a skipped stone.
Although there were weapons that used this kind of theory, torpedoes were not one of them; unfortunately, the Type 97's torpedoes were not so strong.
Some lost their propellers, and some shattered their shells; there were others that, having skipped as many as three times on the surface, crumpled and sank uselessly into the sea.
While they had at length entered the water, they were way too damaged to function as planned.
The only ones that shot at high speed under the surface were those that had been successfully deployed.
Though the shipgirls on the water were going quite quickly themselves, the torpedoes closed in at a much faster rate.
 
"Aohhhhhhh
Mutsu had just managed to dodge a torpedo——the one crying out was Ashigara, behind her.
She had evaded three torpedos, but there was one more underfoot.
An explosion, the moment her toes nudged the torpedo.
Normally, there would be a rather large plume of water...but this is an exercise, and all that happened was the sound.
But Ashigara had impacted with the torpedo while already sailing at high speeds, and she found herself off balance.
"Uohh!"
Her face slammed sharply into the water.
That looked like that hurt.
Mutsu, having successfully avoided the torps, smiled ruefully.
"Ara, ara ara."
"Uuuu...don't ara ara me!"
Ashigara stumbled up, holding her nose; it seemed that she had not received any significant wounds.
Either way, the torpedo had hit.
For a heavy cruiser to be sunk by a single torpedo would be a rather rare occurrence.
Exercise damage and condition was usually decided by dice as the battle continued. Normally, at least...  
But it seemed as if the die had already been cast, somewhere out there.
 
"Ashigara, engine room flooding."
 
The announcement rang out.
Once the engine room was flooded, the ship would not be able to move unless the water were pumped out——that is to say, she would need to leave the battle.
Ashigara's normally mature, grinning face was now replaced with wide-eyed anger.
"Ehhhh?! Why?! I just bumped it with my foot, how does that lead to engine flooding! I demand a reroll!"
But it seems as if her objection had not been accepted.
Well, rules were rules, and she slowed down.
"Repairing! I'm repairing! So let me!  Let me keep fighting! I haven't even opened fire yet! Not even once! Victory is calling me! Victory is calling meeeeeeeeee!!"
With a roar of gunfire, Ashigara opened fire with her main gun.
She opened fire in the end.
Of course, she had no target.
Seeing this, Kaga frowned.
"...it may be a practice shell, but it's still a waste."
As she spoke, I could imagine Ashigara being lectured as soon as she returned to port.
At any rate, Ashigara detached from the fleet due to (simulated) heavy damage.
Apart from this, Mutsu had also received slight damage, whereas Atago had been struck in one of her turrets, limiting a portion of her firepower. Of course, this was just a judgement, and nobody was damaged.
It seems as if Nagato was not hit...perhaps I should say "As expected of Nagato."
 
I crossed my arms in front of the screen.
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"One standard carrier and there light carriers attacked with virtually their entire attack compliment, and all they got for it was a single heavy cruiser——isn't that kind of little?"
"Is it?"
"This is my first time seeing a fight between shipgirls...carrier plane quality was important after all, huh?"
"...Plane quality and ability can be improved with training."
"So they need to work hard, then."
I doffed my cap, clenching it in my hand.
The white officer's cap immediately deformed. Just a bit of adjustment, and it returned to its previous condition.
"The opening torpedo strike doesn't seem too effective, based on our recent equipment..."
"...Yes."
 
The Carrier team was now in range of the battleship team, well before the second wave of bombers could hit.
 
Nagato roared out her orders.
"All main guns, fire——!"
She threw a punch into the air with the vigor of one trying to crack the very skies.
The turrets behind her bellowed with a ear-splitting roar as it belched out a searing plume of flame that dyed the surface red, leaving black smoke in its wake.
A high-powered shell burst forth from each of the double 41cm guns.
They may be practice shells made with special materials, but the effects of the gun blast were the same.
That vigor that could split the heavens; they could truly be called the stars of the naval battlefield.
 
At that moment, Akagi and company were hurriedly preparing the next wave.
They were well aware of their proximity to the battleships. However, carrier planes could not launch when moving at full speed. In order to more efficiently prepare the planes, the ship needed to be relatively still.
Furthermore, they needed to me mindful of wind direction, for the landing carrier planes' sakes.
Although I remembered seeing that carrier shipgirls would retrieve their returning planes in hand as arrows...
It turns out that it's not quite so simple.
Should the landing fail, accidents could happen, sometimes even damaging the carrier itself; it's a task that requires a certain meticulousness.
The shells impacted the surface,
sending fountains of water into the air.
Startled by the sudden waves, the light carriers let out cries of distress. Having collected the returning arrows, Akagi called out to the others around her.
"Don't panic! At this time our priority is getting as many planes into the air as possible!"
"Y-yes!"
Zuihou nodded.
A second salvo.
There were no explosions. In their stead was the sound of a fruit cracking.
"Ahhhh?!"
Shouhou's upper half had been hit and splashed with dye.
This was a yellow dye that couldn't be removed by seawater. It was for this reason that red was not used, as the area of a ship under the waterline was usually painted red.
——Normal warships would be painted red to prevent rust. The red on the shipgirls probably follows the same logic?
A lot of ships wore red on their boots and waist.  
Shouhou's shoulders drooped listlessly.
"Uuu...I'm hit..."
"Shouhou, Heavy Damage."
It seems like she had been taken a direct hit from a 41cm shell and gone straight to heavy damage.
When she had been launching, she wore a uniform that revealed her left shoulder and brazenly exposed the chest, protected only by a sarashi. And now, the point of impact was vividly shown via a fast-reddening welt on her skin.  
Seeing the mark on her chest, Shouhou flushed with shame.
"...To have to break off this quickly, it's frustrating."
Seeing her, Zuihou and Ryuujou exchanged glances before simultaneously regarding their own chests.
"Aren't we from the same class...?" Zuihou muttered under her breath.
"...What in tarnation? This kinda' treatment...this is plain unjust, innit? Aren't we all light carriers?"
Ryuujou clapped together her own chest.
They sure are taking it easy...or not. Nagato and Mutsu's long-range shelling sent up plumes of seawater once more.
Though the carrier team was still launching their carriers to match, the difference between the two teams could be seen at a glance.
The Battleship Team fired with practiced experience.
In contrast, the Carrier Group's planes needed to launch and then brave the barrage of anti-aircraft fire before dropping their bombs or torpedo.
Each step needed was another chance for the enemy.
The Carrier team could not even break off; compared to them, Atago went much faster. Even if they lost Battleships Nagato and Mutsu, the Heavy Cruiser could still catch up.
The bells were clearly tolling.  
It didn't help that the two sides continued to close in; at this point, even Atago was in firing range.  
The barrage was intensifying.
Akagi was stricken too. Judged to have taken "Heavy Flight Deck Damage," she, too, had lost her combat ability.
"Heavy Damage, huh...uu...everyone, the rest is up to you!"
"Aww shucks! They sure hit hard!!"
Ryuujou also broke off, stricken.  
Visually, it was clear from the amount of dye that covered her that she would be unable to continue fighting.
And now it would simply be a matter of time until the remaining carrier was run to ground.
Nagato and company had Zuihou completely surrounded.
There would not even be time to launch a carrier plane.
Nagato smiled confidently.
"Don't you look down on the Big Seven's true power!"
That was a hint to surrender.
But Zuihou had not given up the fight.
She drew taut the bowstring.
Nagato watched.
"Is this alright? At this distance, the only thing your planes could do is to ram us and damage the plane. Of course, you might be able to hurt us some as well."
If planes or comrades were wounded, it would not longer be a fleet exercise.
In the end, Zuihou did not loose her arrow.
Even so, she did not surrender. She looked around, clearly and desperately searching for a fighting chance.
Nagato closed in.
"You won't surrender, huh...they may be practice rounds, but they'll still hurt, you know?"
She raised her fist.
Zuihou held her stance as if immobilized.
 
"That's enough."
 
Speaking through the communication array, I gave the order to end the exercise.
Onscreen, Nagato retracted her fist.
Zuihou's shoulder also slumped powerlessly.
Mutsu and Atago high-fived, celebrating their victory.
The entirety of the carrier team looked crestfallen. Especially Zuihou, whose eyes looked a little red.
——It may not have been a real battle, but even a practice defeat stung, huh.
Nagato put her hands on her hips, head up and chest out.
Her expression was clearly visible onscreen.
"Hmph! How about it! A battle is about firepower! It's about Armor! Have you reevaluated your thoughts?"
I had a hell of a lot of thoughts, but this communication array didn't let me say an awful lot. For now, all I could transmit was the order to advance or retreat.
Kaga spoke: "...return to port."
"Acknowledged!"
It was a simple, short order, but the other side acknowledged the order with the nod and reciprocation of somebody experienced in using the communications array.
Nagato returned triumphantly. Close behind them, Mutsu and Atago looked proud as well.
Only Ashigara's face bore dissatisfaction.
On the side of the Carrier team, everyone looked somber.
Zuihou was crying:
"...Admiral, he...it must have been hard to say that Carriers are important too..."
Ryuujou put a hand no her shoulder, as if to comfort her:
"Ah'm sure it was...but don't be cryin' now! Cryin' means ya lose. If we can't take it, we'll jes' keep trainin'."
Akagi looked to the light carriers with a gentle smile.
"Haaaah~it's been so long, I'm starving," she remarked out of left field.
"I feel like I could eat just about anything."
Nagato pointed straight at AKagi.
"Is that so? Well then, next up will be a battle of stomachs!"
"Hmph...I won't back down here. I bet with the dignity of the 1st Carrier Division!"
Akagi smile with a confidence that could match Nagato's grin.
 
On the other side of the screen, I sighed.
"As expected of Nagato and Akagi.
Kaga turned:
"What is it?"
"The feeling between the Battleship team and Carrier team was complicated after that exercise...they must have said that to break the tension. They certainly are a match for each other on the dinner table."
Kaga looked once more to the screen at Akagi.
"...I see, you can look at it that way as well."
The screen switched to an exercise record.
Each shipgirl's accomplishments were listed.
The various statistics reported would have to be recorded and compared with previous combat records.
Kaga wrote down each of the listed reports.
"...The Admiral previously suggested that Carrier use be further explored...but given these experiences, will you be focus on battleship and heavy cruiser-dominated fleets?"
Just from the victor and loser, that would make sense. Firepower and armor clearly decided this battle.
But I shook my head.
"While this is my first time seeing shipgirls fight, i feel that the battleships and heavy cruisers are already well up to par. What this fleet is lacking after all is carrier power. The problem is hinged on the planes."
"...perhaps the enemy was simply too strong."
Kaga's face registered a downcast, complicated expression.
The possibility that the enemy was too strong existed.
After all, our "enemy" from the beginning, the Abyssal ships, had proved invulnerable to all the world's navies. All that could be done was to let them fire as they will and wait for them to leave.
"But let's not consider that possibility for now."
"Why?"
"Our duty is to simply fight, give it our all, and win. If the battle turns out to be unwinnable, we will simply have to take the defeat and use its lessons in the next battle."
Most unfortunately, the only people who would be able to make use of the lessons of defeat were those that weren't on the battlefield.
Warfare isn't an exercise or contest; defeat came with consequences.
No matter how strong the enemy before us could be, our duty is simply to do everything we can to obtain victory.
"...even if it could lead to shipgirls sinking?" Kaga muttered.
"...."
I had long since prepared myself for death.
Because I am a soldier.
But what about them?"
"Kaga, what do you think?"
"We live for battle. As long as it is to defeat the Abyssals, we will not hesitate to step forwards, even if it means giving up our lives...but, even so, we hate pointless sacrifice. Nobody wants to die, or to seek death without reason."
 
That's obvious.
They are not simply warships given form are.
They are not soldiers, who see death as glory.
The desire to live——that is the obvious truth, left unspoken.
If a Warship could speak, perhaps it would have said the same things Kaga had said...
As if to change the mood, she looked towards the window.
"...in a bit, the Exercise fleets will return...please have a tour of the factories before dinnertime."
I hesitated. At this time, should I not greet them at the harbor?
If I were to greet them, I would have to congratulate Nagato and the Victors in front of Zuihou and the losers.
There was no need to hurt them emotionally any further.
It would be best to speak with Nagato and Zuihou separately in person.  
Kaga had probably figured this out already.
 
——This was my first time in a command role.  Given my inexperience, it was imperative that I learned to pay attention to hearts and minds.
Kaga waited for me soundlessly.
I straightened my cap again and stood up from the leather chair.
"Understood. Please lead the way."
With that, I left the command room.
I left a sign with the words "Factory" on the door.
Nagato and Zuihou might come to make their report.
Or perhaps somebody would come with urgent news; either way, it'd be necessary to make preparations.
I left from a door facing the harbor.
In front of me was the endless ocean. </poem>