Yorktown, with Hammann behind her, was talking with me at a table near the seaside. She wanted to talk about her concerns over Enterprise and Hornet.
"Hammann, come on, introduce yourself," Yorktown slightly pushed Hammann towards me.
"I-I'm a Sims-class destroyer - Hammann, Hull Number DD-412!" Hammann said with a slightly shy voice.
I know she is concerned over Yorktown. The Midway battle has made her overprotective of her. Still, I will try to make her trust me.
My eyes met with her gaze, she is totally Hammann that i recognize.
"Hey! Don't stare at me like such an idiot, you pervert!" Hammann shouted.
"Wait, no, you're misunderstanding. I'm just looking at your face." I blatantly denied. "I just thought you look cute."
"...I'm cute? Did you really think just complimenting me would make me happy? You moron!" Hammann threw a tantrum.
"Ow, Hammann! Wait a moment, please, I beg you." She threw a light punch to my body.
Yorktown, seeing the interaction between Greynar and Hammann, she slightly chuckled.
"It's been a while since I got to see Hammann react like this to another person. She has difficulty to express her true self and being shy."
I heard what Yorktown said. She is really a pitiful destroyer. Hammann doesn't really have anyone to interact with due to her bad nature outside of Yorktown class ships. Maybe her sister Sims likes to tease her, but she is still her sister and not another destroyer like her.
Yorktown called Hammann back and scolded her for her behavior. I assured Yorktown that it was okay and she was not really hurting me.
I sat back and sighed. "Back to our discussion, Yorktown. Are you concerned about Enterprise recently?"
Yorktown nodded. "From what I see, she is pushing herself too hard with the recent mission and sortie." Yorktown also added. "I wish she could refrain from exhausting herself. The title [Grey Ghost] was what really keeps her holding on to continue fighting. I, as her sister, just want her to take it cautiously and not push herself too hard."
I nodded. In recent times, I also noticed Enterprise's behavior where she looks very exhausted, which is why I wanted to plan an attack where her skills and power need to be reserved until the next battle.
"I understand your concern, Yorktown. I also want Enterprise to not take this too hard. I'm going to try to arrange a plan that works for us in both ways where she will deal with the Sakura Empire at the last moment."
Yorktown smiled. "Thank you, Commander, and also Hornet-"
I stopped Yorktown with a hand gesture. "I've talked to her about what she recently experienced. I think it's best if I personally help her gain experience and battles before we deal with the combined fleets of the Sakura Empire."
Yorktown nodded. I chatted with her for hours after we talked about her sisters. It was mostly a chat regarding her life and historical service, which I mostly know since I learned about naval warfare.
I bid farewell to Yorktown. After I talked to Yorktown, I had a new plan in mind involving getting a new ship. This would increase our firepower significantly.
"Akashi, have you settled in yet?" I knocked on the Gear Lab building that Akashi chose to settle in temporarily.
"Nya!?" Akashi jumped from her seat. "What is it, Commander?"
"I'll be back. Please ensure the safety of the harbor and make sure you can contact the Long Island defense anytime if they suspect something in the distance." I instructed.
Akashi saluted me, and I bid her farewell before making my way towards the teleporter she had brought along after her arrival at the NY harbor. However, it was important to note that the teleporter was not designed for transferring large groups of people. We could only use it to transport two or three individuals at a time due to its limited power source.
As soon as I stepped into the teleporter device, my surroundings swiftly shifted, and I materialized on the desolate island. Navigating through the dense foliage, I made my way to the concealed underground tunnel, which appeared exactly as it had during my previous visit. Placing my hand on the hidden lever, I heard a creaking sound as the door swung open.
Inside, I pressed my hand against the right side of the wall, and a screen materialized before me, displaying the current count of wisdom cubes in our possession.
"This amount might be enough," I muttered to myself.
As I stood there, approximately six wisdom cubes emerged from the depths of the underground, accompanied by a fragment of a ship scattered amidst them.
"I still don't know what that white cube was before Volga appeared, but I hope it was just my imagination," I mumbled, expressing my uncertainty about the strange changes prior to Volga's arrival.
I walked towards the wisdom cubes and grabbed a piece of a ship. But just as I was about to lay my hand on the wisdom cube, something went wrong. My hand would not budge, no, to be precise my whole body refused to move. Glancing to my pocket, the shard was reacting to the presence of the wisdom cube.
The shard in my pocket emitted a vibrant, crimson glow, reminiscent of the color palette of the Sirens. It started to levitate, trembling with intensity, as if signaling a profound connection between itself and the nearby wisdom cube.
Both shard and the wisdom cubes crashed to each other making a bright explosion that blinded my sight and deaf my hearing. I recovered from the explosion and saw a bright red floating wisdom cube.
Despite my panicked resistance, my body continued to move towards the levitating red cube, under the control of an external force. Trembling with fear, I fought against the compulsion to touch it. However, my efforts were in vain as my hand made direct contact with the cube. Instantly, the cube glowed with blinding intensity, and to my astonishment, it began to be drawn inside my hand, as if being sucked into my very being.
After a while, a sensation of excruciating, scorching heat coursed through my hand, causing my entire body to tremble uncontrollably. Overwhelmed by the intense pain, I let out a piercing scream, unable to bear it any longer. The agony became unbearable, and I succumbed to unconsciousness, my awareness fading away.
※ ※ ※
As I regained consciousness, it felt as though I had emerged from an eternity of slumber. However, upon glancing at my watch, I realized that it had only been a momentary lapse, and the perception of time had deceived me.
'What the fuck happened to me, i felt like i was in a pain before' I was wondering, delving deep into my thoughts.
I was lost in thought, forgetting about anything related to my previous objective. I looked around the room and realized that it was completely gone, with no trace left.
"Did the parts get absorbed by that red cube?" I wondered.
Examining my hand once more, I found no visible abnormalities. I pondered whether any noticeable changes would occur after that unsettling occurrence, but to my relief, nothing seemed to have transpired.
"Guuuggghhh, damn it," I grumbled in frustration as an intense headache suddenly seized me, causing me to weaken and collapse to my knees.
A vision unfolded before me, reminiscent of the one I experienced when I had touched the wisdom cube before. It seemed to be the same message conveyed by the rainbow cube—a revelation about my existence as a person from another world, or the possibility that someone had tampered with me.
As the countless numbers within the vision gradually vanished, leaving only one remaining, a timer displayed less than 25 minutes. Determined, I reached out and grasped it, hoping for the emergence of a stealthy, silent vessel.
Back in the room, a wisdom cube materialized in my right hand, a surprising sight, though I had no time to savor the spectacle. Treating the cube like a tennis ball, I flung it away, and it levitated in mid-air, spinning rapidly. Exploding into fragments, it created a cloud of dust, accompanied by a faint chuckle. Through the hazy vision, I caught a glimpse of her, a single deadly ship that once make a certain someone scared to death.
"Tadaaah! I'm Albacore from the Eagle Union! Commander, I'll be a member of the fleet from now on, so let's get along!"
I nodded and smiled to her. "Lets get along too, Albacore."
I sighed, this will be the last time i will touch a wisdom cube, unless it was an emergency.
