"Achoo!" (Zuihou)
The sound of a cute sneeze woke me up and I opened my eyes to see Zuihou sitting up while pulling the blanket closer to her exposed, petite chest.
"Did you catch a cold?"
Zuihou rubbed her nose,
"Good morning, Admiral." (Zuihou)
"Good morning. Are you all right?"
"Yeah. It's just a little cold. That's all." (Zuihou)
Now that she mentioned it, it is a little cold here. I sat up and quickly felt a chill hit my chest.
"Woah! It's cold."
I stretched out to grab the A/C remote and turned up the heat. It wasn't this cold last night when we were doing it. It has been cold these past few days but not this cold. Once it got warm enough, I got out of bed and peeked out from the curtains. The sky is grey and the landscape has turned into something that is both beautiful and a pain to deal with.
"It's snowing."
"Eh? You're right! It's snowing! Wow!" (Zuihou)
Dragging the blanket over, Zuihou joined me at the window, peeking from behind the curtains.
"It's beautiful~" (Zuihou)
While she is admiring the landscape, I checked the weather forecast on my phone. It must have been snowing for a while, seeing as the whole naval district is blanketed with snow.
"Looks like we have to cancel patrols and expeditions today."
"Why?" (Zuihou)
"There is going to be heavy snowfall throughout the day. It meant even end up as a blizzard."
"That serious? But it looks so gentle now." (Zuihou)
"The weather is always unpredictable. Come on, get dressed. And keep yourself warm. It's going to be a busy day."
"We can at least play in the snow, right?" (Zuihou)
I stared at Zuihou. I know what she meant but...
"I'm fine with some outdoor play, but we will get sick if we do it in the snow. Maybe when it's a little warmer."
Zuihou stared at me blankly for a little while, before her face immediately turned red. Ha! She is getting flustered. She gets what I'm saying. She is so easy to tease.
"Th-that's not what I meant! Admiral, you pervert!" (Zuihou)
She threw a pillow at me, which was an easy catch.
"Come on. Let's get going before it piles up. Otherwise, we might have to shovel snow even before having our breakfast."
The two of us get dressed and leave for the mess hall. I had to put on a thick coat while Zuihou simply put on a scarf and a pair of gloves. I always envy how these girls can simply put on a scarf, stockings, or just one extra piece of clothing and be warm for the rest of the day.
"Damn. It's freezing!"
The biting cold combined with the morning wind immediately punched my face as soon as I opened the door and stepped outside. Some fairies are already busy shoveling and pushing snow aside from the walkways. Their tiny bodies struggled to wield the oversized shovels while they worked in pairs to move clear the path for us.
"Good morning. Thank you for your hard work."
The fairies immediately stopped their work and gave me a salute, to which I returned.
"Just clear enough for the girls to walk. We will help you shovel the rest later."
"Thank you. We will handle the rest after roll call." (Zuihou)
We quickly escaped the sheer cold outside and the warm air greeted us as we stepped into the mess hall. I was never good with the cold in the first place. I can handle cold temperatures, but only to certain level.
There were already some shipgirls gathered in the mess hall, some of them were queuing up for their food, while others gathered around the heaters. Looks like not all of them can handle this low of a temperature.
Slowly, other shipgirls started pouring into the mess hall. Some of them made a beeline to the heaters to warm themselves up as soon as they entered.
"Brrr... So cold!" (Nekokami)
"It's so cold!" (Ogami)
"Uugh... The cold is messing up my hair." (Kisaragi)
"Fusou-neesan... So warm..." (Yamshiro)
"Yamashiro? I can't walk properly like thi- Hyaah!" (Fusou)
The two dreadnoughts crashed onto the ground. What did they think was going to happen with Yamshiro clinging on to Fusou like that. That was not them being unlucky; it was them just being dumb.
After breakfast and the usual morning shenanigans the girls often get themselves into; it was time for roll call.
"Good morning, Admiral!" (All)
"Good morning, everyone. I will keep this brief. Due to the weather, we have change of plans. Expeditions, patrols, and practice will be cancelled. I want you girls to clear the snow off our walkways and make some preparations for a possible blizzard."
"But I'm already here though." (Nekokami)
...
The silence in the room is so loud.
Yes, her name literally means 'Blizzard' but... That was such a lame joke...
Some of the girls are not impressed, others are confused, probably unsure how to react or even understood the joke at all. Even the other trainees are exasperated, especially her best friend.
"E-eh? Was that too cold?" (Nekokami)
"Fubuki..." (Ogami)
"Yes?" (Fubuki)
"No. Not you, Fubuki. She is talking about the other Fubuki."
"Oh. I see." (Fubuki)
"Moving on. Akashi, are our snow-melting pipes operational?"
"Of course. Yuubari and I don't slack off when it comes to maintaining this base." (Akashi)
"That's right." (Yuubari)
Leave it to our two resident engineers to keep this base in tiptop shape.
"As expected. Once the walkways are cleared, turn them on. When the blizzard hits, turn it off but keep the heater on to prevent the pipes from freezing over."
"Standard procedures, right? Don't worry. We know what to do." (Akashi)
"Once our walkways are cleared, you girls can do whatever you want."
The room started to get noisier as the girls talked among themselves. Agano was the one to raise her hand first,
"That's that mean we can play in the snow later?" (Agano)
I was expecting someone to ask that.
"Of course. You can play in the snow, sleep, hide in your room, do whatever you want."
The room erupted with the squeals of these excited girls. I better keep them under control for now.
"Alright alright. Calm down. I'm not done yet."
With two claps, silence returned to the room.
"You are free to do what you want but only after you're done with clearing the snow from our pathways and don't overdo it. I don't want any of you girls to fall sick tomorrow. And Zara, make sure Pola doesn't drink herself to death again. You two have an expedition tomorrow."
"Why are you singling me out?" (Pola)
"Of course he would! You will spend the whole day drinking and not wake up until the following evening. Let's not forget your last binge-drinking session. Admiral had to reorganize the expedition fleet because of you!" (Zara)
"It's not that bad." (Pola)
"Pola, you empty Mamiya's entire stock of wine. I had to procure more using my own funds and make an expense claim later. You're lucky I am not restricting your alcohol consumption."
"I think you should. Maybe 1 bottle per week should suffice." (Zara)
"W-wait. Zara? You wouldn't do that to your beloved sister, right?" (Pola)
Pola looks like she is about to cry.
"That's a little too far. I was thinking one bottle a day."
"You're too soft on her, Admiral." (Zara)
True, but it's not as if I'm only soft on just one girl. But I do need Pola to control her alcoholism.
"If you fail to wake up for tomorrow's expedition, I will begin restricting how much you can drink. Got it, Pola?"
"Yes. I will control myself. I swear." (Pola)
Pola nodded fervently.
"And this applies to both of you as well."
I pointed at the fluffy dragon sisters.
"Why us?" (Hiryuu)
"What did we do?" (Souryuu)
"You two are Pola's drinking buddies. Hell, you helped empty our entire stock of wine that day."
"Oh. Now I get it. You two had a hangover. No wonder you two weren't able to attend morning practice that day." (Victorious)
"Victorious! Shhh!" (Hiryuu)
"Oops... Was I not supposed to say that?" (Victorious)
The British Armored Carrier covered her mouth with her hands. But it's not as if I was unaware of that.
Anyway, let's continue the briefing.
"Unfortunately, the secretary ship today will have to assist me with work. But don't worry, you will get to play once we are done. I don't think there is much today."
"..." (Prinz Eugen)
Weird. Prinz Eugen is my secretary ship for the day, but,
"Prinz?"
"Ah. Y-yes. Understood." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz Eugen looks a little out of it. She is usually excited when she is appointed as my secretary. Is she tired?
"That's all. Ooyodo, sent me the documents later. The rest of you, dismissed."
"Roger!" (All)
The girls left the hall in an orderly fashion. Only Prinz stayed back, waiting for me.
"Let's go."
"Yes..." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz and I made our way to the office. I tried to glance at Prinz a few times. She seems really out of it. The usual bounce in her steps, the cheerfulness she normally exhibits; they are not present today.
"Prinz Eugen, are you alright?"
"E-eh? Ah. Unn... I'm fine." (Prinz Eugen)
Her face is a little red and she is swaying a little bit.
"Are you sure? You don't look so good."
Prinz nodded slowly,
"I'm alright. Just a little tired." (Prinz Eugen)
I see.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"In a way, I guess." (Prinz Eugen)
A short while after reaching the office and settling down, Ooyodo showed up with the day's paperwork. Huh. It's quite simple today. It's mainly just the daily reports and some updates on the Wo-class roaming around in the Philippine Seas.
"Prinz Eugen, help me take care of th-"
Eh?
Some mucus hangs from her nose. Her face is flushed.
"Ugh..." (Prinz Eugen)
She doesn't look so good.
"Hold still."
"Eh?" (Prinz Eugen)
The heat from her forehead immediately engulfed my palm.
"Holy crap! You're burning up!"
"Eh? N-no. I'm fine. It's just a sneeze. That's al- Uuweeah~." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz just shook her head a little and she looks like she is about to collapse. Her body swayed and I caught her as she was about to fall. Yeah, right. It's obvious now that she is sick.
"You need to rest. Now."
"But what abou-" (Prinz Eugen)
"In bed. Now."
"Ad-Admiral. Your eyes are scary." (Prinz Eugen)
"Bed. Now."
After forcing Prinz to change into her pajamas and get into my bed, I searched for the medicine kit I stashed... somewhere.
Ah. Found it. It was in the third drawer of my desk. The medicine kit has the typical items like bandages, plasters, basic drugs such as paracetamol, and so on. What I need is just the thermometer. Human medicine isn't really effective on shipgirls, sadly. It helps them feel a bit better for a short while, though.
Grabbing the digital thermometer, I returned to my room, just in time to see Prinz Eugen sneezing again.
"
"Let me turn up the heating a little more. Here, take your temperature first."
"Okay." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz sat up and slipped the thermometer under her tongue. Best not to make it too hot otherwise she feels even more uncomfortable. I pulled her chair next to the bed and sat. After a short while, the thermometer beeped, letting us know it's done measuring her temperature.
"How is it?"
"38.5 degrees celsius." (Prinz Eugen)
"That's pretty high."
Prinz laid down and I pulled the blanket over her. She looks so weak now.
"Ugh... Sorry, Admiral. Even though we have work to do..." (Prinz Eugen)
"It's alright. We don't have much to do in the first place. Don't worry about it."
I pet her head. She is really burning up...
"It's rare for you girls to get sick. Do you know what you did, or maybe what you ate last night?"
I need to know what could have caused her to get sick, so I can relay that information to Akashi and get her to create the cure. If it's serious, we need to treat her fast.
Prinz Eugen looked away, as if she is trying to hide something. Okay. It doesn't seem like it was caused by anything serious like bad fuel.
"No. You will laugh at me." (Prinz Eugen)
She pulled the blanket to hide half of her face.
"Come on. It's not as if you did something silly like falling asleep under a kotatsu."
"...." (Prinz Eugen)
This reaction...
"Seriously? You caught a cold while sleeping under a kotatsu?"
"Uuu... I couldn't resist the comfort of the kotatsu." (Prinz Eugen)
Thank goodness. So it really is just a normal cold then.
"Yeah. I get it. The kotatsu is really warm and comfortable during this season. But anyway, get some rest. I will ask Akashi to prepare some medicine to make you feel better."
It's too early for lunch. I will get her something to eat later on as well.
As I got up, I felt a tug on my shirt. It was Prinz's hand.
"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep? Please?" (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz looked at me with teary eyes. She looks so cute and vulnerable now.
I can't possibly say no to such a request from a sick and cute shipgirl. I sat back down and smiled,
"Sure."
Her face brightened up a little and Prinz stuck her hand out from under the blanket. I did what she wanted and held her hand.
"Ehehe~ Admiral's hand... so cold. It feels nice." (Prinz Eugen)
"Is that so? That's good."
Prinz turned to look at me with those tired eyes of hers,
"Admiral?" (Prinz Eugen)
"Yeah?"
"Sing a song for me." (Prinz Eugen)
"You know I can't sing."
"Ehehe... I know. I was just teasing you." (Prinz Eugen)
"You little..."
I poked her cheek lightly.
"Sleep. You will feel better. I will get you something to eat before you take your medicine."
Prinz is starting to blink slowly. Looks like she is about to fall asleep soon.
"You are... going to cook?" (Prinz Eugen)
"No. I will burn down the kitchen faster than Aoba can take a picture."
The only thing I can cook is instant noodles.
"Heehee.... You may be right." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz squeezed my hand a little.
"Admiral... I..." (Prinz Eugen)
"Hm? What is it?"
"I... l..." (Prinz Eugen)
Silence. Her eyes are finally closed, and I can hear nothing aside from her soft breathing. She has fallen asleep.
But she was about to say something, wasn't she?
Her grip on my hand has loosened. She is relaxed now. I slowly let go of her hand and slipped it back under the blanket, being careful not to wake her up.
I guess I can ask what was she about to say when she wakes up.
There is some stuff to do before continuing my work. I filled a small tub with cold water and soaked a small towel in it. After wringing out the excess water and folding it, I placed it over Prinz's forehead. I will have to change it frequently later on.
"I will be back in a bit."
I whispered. It's not like I meant for her to hear, but it was just something I wanted to do.
Snow crunched underneath my boots as I headed towards the factory. Along the sidewalk, the shipgirls and fairies worked shoulder-to-shoulder to shovel the snow.
"Ah. Admiral! Yahoo! Slacking off again?" (Suzuya)
Of course the first person to catch me is the gal.
"Shut up. I'm going to Akashi for some meds."
"Oh my. You are feeling sick?" (Kumano)
"Eh? Commander? You are sick?" (Matsuwa)
"Commander is sick?" (Etorofu)
Oh no. The kids are getting worried and gathering around me...
"No no no. Not me. It's for Prinz. She caught a cold."
"Oh. That doesn't sound good." (Kumano)
"Prinz Eugen-san won't die, right?" (Fukae)
"She will live, right?" (Sado)
They are starting to get all teary-eyed. I know they are being concerned in their own way but isn't this a bit much of an overreaction?
"Of course. Admiral is taking care of her, right?" (Suzuya)
"Yep. She is in good hands."
Nice save, Suzuya.
"Why don't you girls visit her later? When she is feeling much better."
The Etorofu girls looked at each other before nodding in sync. Good. They have cheered up again.
"Let's buy her some dessert." (Hirato)
"Can a sick person eat something cold and sweet?" (Tsushima)
"We can ask Mamiya-san to make something suitable for her." (Suzuya)
"Oh. Yeah. We can!" (Etorofu)
"We will take it from her. Go." (Kumano)
"Thanks."
While the two Heavy Cruisers distract the little ones, I hurried to the factory.
Ahhh~ Some warmth at last. Okay, maybe a little too warm. The factory is hot enough for me remove my jacket.
"Akashi, Yuubari, you here?"
The loud banging I have been hearing ever since stepping foot into this building instantly stopped.
"Hm? Admiral? What are you doing here?" (Akashi)
Akashi poked her head out from behind a curtain.
"Oh. Admiral. What's up?" (Yuubari)
"What are you two doing?"
"Trying to see how we can improve our defense turrets." (Akashi)
Sitting behind the curtain was an oversized 12.7cm twin gun mount, suspended midair by a crane. We have these gun mounts installed along our defensive line. While it works against weak Abyssals like the I-class, it struggles with anything tougher than a standard Ho-class. Even so, its main purpose is to buy time for us to sortie.
"If we can get it to fire stronger rounds, it could defeat a Ri-class." (Yuubari)
"Yeah. But this is a small caliber gun. Anything bigger than a 23kg HE round and it tears itself inside out."
"Can we use the barrel of a 14cm gun?" (Yuubari)
"No. It will have to change the entire barrel fitting, which will subsequently force us to swap out the loading and firing components since they won't fit." (Akashi)
"Or you could try using a different type of ammo while keeping to the 23kg limit."
"That's... Huh... Yeah. That could work." (Akashi)
Looks like I helped a little.
"Anyway, I have something important I need you to do for me now."
"What is it?" (Akashi)
"Prinz Eugen caught a cold. Got anything that can help?"
"What's her body temperature?" (Akashi)
"38.5 degrees."
"Woah. That's high." (Yuubari)
"The small stuff won't work well in this case. I got just the thing." (Akashi)
"Urrgh. You are giving her that?" (Yuubari)
Yuubari had this look of disgust as she recoiled when Akashi said that.
"It's effective and you know it." (Akashi)
Akashi went to the infirmary wing of the factory. After a few minutes, she stepped out,
"Here. I suppose you know how to use this." (Akashi)
She handed me a large bullet-shaped pill. This is a... !!!
"Eh? Seriously?"
"Yep. It's better than your regular cold medicine. Works fast, too. Just ask Yuubari. She was my first test subject." (Akashi)
"HEY! DON'T TELL HIM THAT!!!" (Yuubari)
Yuubari buried her face in her hands. I can see her ears turning red.
I recall Yuubari getting sick a while back. Her fever was really high, almost as high as Prinz's right now. But the next day, she was fully recovered. Though it felt like she was embarrassed about something. Now I get it.
"I-I see... But you can't expect me to do it for her."
"Of course not. You can get Prinz Eugen to do it herself or ask some other girl to do it. It's still a sensitive part of a girls' body after all." (Akashi)
"Oh, so now it's a sensitive part of a girl's body? At that time, you didn't show me any mercy and just shoved it in." (Yuubari)
"Ahahaha. My bad." (Akashi)
I stared at the medicine she gave me. This is going to be awkward...
"Don't you have anything... more normal? I don't think this is a good idea."
"You want Prinz Eugen to feel better, right?" (Akashi)
I nodded,
"Yeah. Of course."
"Then that is your best option. A fever that high will take days for her to recover properly." (Akashi)
I gave the medicine one last look, before putting it in my breast pocket.
"If you say so. Thanks for this. Keep up the good work."
"Of course. Say hi to Prinz Eugen for me." (Akashi)
"I still can't believe you developed that thing. I can't be a bride anymore." (Yuubari)
"Oh please. You don't plan on being a bride in the first place." (Akashi)
Let's just leave this place quietly.
Now then, next is to prepare some food for her. But what should I get for her? Something that's easy for her to swallow would be best. Porridge it is then.
...How do I cook porridge?
I suck at cooking. Cup noodles are the only things I know how to cook.
Zuihou could help me with this but...
"Mio~ I wanna eat Karaage today~" (Nekokami)
"Ehh? But you just ate some yesterday. Besides, I don't think I can ask the chef fairy to lend me the kitchen whenever I want" (Ogami)
It's those two lovebirds. They are always together.
"But she let you use it yesterday." (Nekokami)
"That was because Zuihou wanted me to teach her my Karaage recipe." (Ogami)
Oh. No wonder the Karaage Zuihou cooked for me yesterday was even more amazing than before. It was thanks to Ogami-san.
Hold on....
"Ogami-san,"
My boots sank into the thick snow as I approached the pair.
"Ah. Admiral." (Ogami)
"Oops." (Nekokami)
The two girls stood at attention and saluted, with Nekokami-san dropping her shovel in the process.
"At ease. Good work, you two. Sub-lieutenant Ogami, you know how to cook?"
"Ye-yes." (Ogami)
"Mio is an excellent cook. She would make for a good wife." (Nekokami)
"Hey, Fubuki." (Ogami)
Ogami-san nudged her friend.
"Perfect. I need you to help me with something. Ah. This is not order, so feel free to decline."
"Y-yes." (Ogami)
"Can you cook some porridge later? Maybe right before lunchtime."
"Eh? Erm... I don't mind." (Ogami)
"Thanks. It's for Prinz Eugen. She caught a cold. I want her to eat something before giving her some medicine."
"Oh. So that's why. Is she alright?" (Ogami)
"Shipgirls can get sick?" (Nekokami)
"She is fast asleep now. While it's rare, shipgirls can get sick. They are still human after all."
"Ooh. I didn't know that." (Nekokami)
"You can visit her later after lunch, once she is feeling better."
"Okay. We will drop by later." (Ogami)
"Sure. I tell the chef fairy to let you use the kitchen later. I will pick up around lunch time."
"Got it. I will do my best to create some delicious porridge." (Ogami)
She is fired up.
"Thanks. I will see you later."
"Later~" (Nekokami)
"Yes. See you later." (Ogami)
Now to make a quick stop at the mess hall to inform the chef fairy to let her use the kitchen before heading back. It's about time the cold towel on Prinz's head needs to be changed.
I went to my room immediately after returning to my office. As expected, the towel has become lukewarm and Prinz is sweating. I adjusted the temperature and wiped the sweat off her forehead and face. Ah, crap. Even the cool water in the small tub from earlier has become warm. Got to replace it.
There. She looks so much more comfortable now.
There is still some time before lunch. I should do as much work as I can while checking up on her regularly.
So, the next few hours were spent on alternating between doing my work and taking care of Prinz. She looks so peaceful whenever I come in to change her towel. It's as if she knows I'm in the room. She even smiles a little when I pet her head.
Before I knew it, it is almost lunch time.
"I will be back. Wait for me, okay?"
Not that she can hear me, I suppose.
Arriving at the mess hall, I peeked into the kitchen and sure enough, the tall woman is inside, scooping something into a claypot.
"Alright. This looks good enough." (Ogami)
"Finished?"
"Admiral, you are here already." (Ogami)
Ogami-san spun around.
"Smells good."
"Ehehe. Thank you. I hope she likes it." (Ogami)
"She will."
Ogami-san closed the pot with its lid and placed it on a tray with a spoon and a small bowl.
"Thank you. This is really helpful."
"Glad to help." (Ogami-san)
"Where's Sub-lieutenant Nekokami?"
I thought she wanted her wife to cook Karaage for her.
"Fubuki went to the toilet. She would be back any time soon." (Ogami-san)
"I see. Say hi to her for me."
With Prinz's lunch in my hands, I returned to the office and carefully opened the door to my room.
"Mmmgh... Admiral?" (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz Eugen's eyes fluttered open just as I set the tray down on the nightstand.
"My bad. Did I wake you?"
She shook her head slowly,
"No. I don't think so." (Prinz Eugen)
"Feeling better?"
"A little. My head still hurts a little." (Prinz Eugen)
"I got some medicine from Akashi but want to eat something first? I had sub-lieutenant Ogami help me make some porridge for you."
Prinz slowly sat up,
"From Mio-san?" (Prinz Eugen)
"Yeah. I heard she is a great cook. Even Zuihou supposedly got something cooking tips from her."
"Is that so?" (Prinz Eugen)
"Yep. It's alright if you're not hungry now. I will just leave it here."
"I will eat it. I'm feeling a little hungry." (Prinz Eugen)
"Good. At least you still have an appetite."
I took off the lid and a fragrant smell immediately filled the room,
"Smells good." (Prinz Eugen)
"It does."
I scooped some into the small bowl and handed it to Prinz.
"Here. Careful. It's hot."
"
Prinz was about to take the bowl but she immediately pulled her hands back.
"What's wrong?"
"Erm... Can I make a selfish request?" (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz twiddled her fingers while giving me a sheepish look.
"Sure. As long as it's something I can do."
She is sick, so I can spoil her for a bit.
"Erm... Can you... feed me?" (Prinz Eugen)
Oh? That's it?
"Sure."
I scooped up some and blew on it to cool it off a little,
"Here. Ahhh~"
"Ahhh~~" (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz closed her eyes and opened her mouth. She is behaving like a kid. Cute.
Just like that, I fed the sick shipgirl. She smiled and giggled as I fed her. It's great that she is this happy. If my girls are happy, I'm happy too.
"Phew. That was delicious." (Prinz Eugen)
She finished the whole pot of porridge.
"Glad to hear that. I will pass it on to Sub-lieutenant Ogami."
Next... is the awkward part...
"Prinz, take this."
I took out the medicine and passed it to her. Prinz looked at it with a confused expression.
"What kind of medicine is this?" (Prinz Eugen)
"A suppository."
"Ehhh?!?! A s-suppository?! The kind that you stick up your...b-butt?!" (Prinz Eugen)
She is flustered. I knew this would get awkward.
"Ye-yeah. Akashi said this is the best way to cure you of your cold."
"Ughh... Why did she have to create such a thing...?" (Prinz Eugen)
"Can you put it in yourself?"
"Eh?!" (Prinz Eugen)
"I promise I won't look."
"You absolutely must not look! Okay, Admiral?!" (Prinz Eugen)
I turned away. Wait, it's better if I leave the room.
The sound of cloth being taken off entered my ears. It's too late...
"Uuu... It's a bit hard..." (Prinz Eugen)
The thought Prinz Eugen trying to stick something up a butt... No no no! Bad Keita. You mustn't have such thoughts about the other shipgirls.
"Nnn. Mngh." (Prinz Eugen)
My mind is pure. I possess no such perverse thoughts about my shipgirls.
"Mng... Um... Admiral?" (Prinz Eugen)
I can feel a tug on my shirt. It's better not turn around first.
"All done?"
"Can you help me?" (Prinz Eugen)
Eeehhhh?!?!
"Are you sure? I think it's better to ask other girls for this."
"No! I mean, no. I want Admiral to help me for this." (Prinz Eugen)
That initial "no" was loud. Why me?
But if it's for my precious shipgirl...
"O-okay. I will try not to look too much."
"Unn." (Prinz Eugen)
"How do you want me to this?"
"I don't know. Whatever is easy for you?" (Prinz Eugen)
Oi oi. You are asking me to decide? Prinz isn't usually like this. Did the fever scramble her brain?
Ugh. If you ask me...
"Maybe... If you can get on all fours."
"Unn." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz did as I said. She took off her pants and panties and got on her hands and knees. She used one hand to cover her other most precious place.
"I-I'm in your care." (Prinz Eugen)
Although I have seen parts of her butt when she gets damaged during a sortie, this is the first time I actually seen it bare. And at such close proximity as well. It looks so round and soft and squishy.
Calm down. You are just giving medicine to her.
"Relax. I'm putting it in now."
"O--okay." (Prinz Eugen)
I positioned the suppository right on her hole and pushed it in.
"Mngh... Nha!" (Prinz Eugen)
"Sorry. Did it hurt?"
"No. I just startled. That's all." (Prinz Eugen)
I did not expect Prinz to make that kind of noise.
Ugh. This is really awkward. She must be so embarrassed right now.
"I'm going to push it in deeper now. So just endure it for a little longer."
"Eh? But... it's dirty." (Prinz Eugen)
"Don't worry about it. It's not. Here I go."
"Uuu~ Okay. Ah! Hii~n." (Prinz Eugen)
My finger entered Prinz's butt, pushing the medicine deeper into her body. I can feel the folds inside trapping my finger.
"It's tight... Erm... Prinz. I need you to relax a little. I can't remove my finger like this."
"That's... Ahn! Admiral, please don't move your finger- Nnn! -like that." (Prinz Eugen)
"I'm not doing anything. And stop making weird noises."
"I'm not! Nha~ Ahn!" (Prinz Eugen)
"Sorry. That was me moving this time."
With some effort, I managed to wiggle my finger free.
"Hah... Hah... ~~~~" (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz fell to the side. Her face is all red and she looks tired.
"Yo-you're welcome."
"Prinz Eugen-san, are you okay?!" (???)
The door slammed opened and a blue-haired child shouted loudly. I quickly scrambled back onto the nearby chair.
"Sado, you dummy! You can't just barge in like that!" (Fukae)
"That's right. What if she was sleeping?" (Matsuwa)
"Ah! Commander is here too!" (Etorofu)
"Hm? Commander, why is your face so red?" (Tsushima)
"Eh?"
Oh crap. They kind of caught us at a bad time. Prinz didn't have time to pull up her pants and just hid her naked lower body under the blanket.
"It's just a little hot, that's all."
"Really? It feels warm and cozy here." (Hirato)
"Goodness. You guys are totes quick. Heya. You all right, Pudding-chan?" (Suzuya)
"Geez. I'm not Pudding-chan!" (Prinz Eugen)
Her butt really looks like pudding. So soft and jiggly.
"Hehe~ yeah yeah. The little ones want to give you something." (Suzuya)
"Yeah! Here." (Etorofu)
The Etorofu girls presented Prinz with some pudding.
"We asked Mamiya-san to make it for us." (Matsuwa)
"Yeah. It's good for your cold and it's delicious too!" (Sado)
"Wow!
"Oh. There's people in here already." (Ogami-san)
"Oh? Fubuki-san, Mio-san. You're here for a visit too?" (Suzuya)
"It's fine. We will just come back later." (Nekokami)
"It's totes alright. We were just about to leave anyway. Come on, girls. Let's go. Pudding-chan needs to rest." (Suzuya)
"Already? Can't we stay a little longer?" (Fukae)
"Of course not. Prinz needs to rest. Plus, we don't want you catching her cold."
"Aww... If Commander says so." (Etorofu)
"Get well soon, Prinz Eugen-san" (Matsuwa)
"Take care." (Matsuwa)
Suzuya left with the kids, freeing up the space for the other two.
"I will be in the office."
"Y-yes." (Prinz Eugen)
"We will take care of her." (Ogami-san)
"Leave her to us." (Nekokami)
I looked at Prinz, who gave a nod.
"Okay. I will leave her to you."
I left Prinz in their good hands. I can hear them chatting inside for a while. After that, it became quiet and the two girls slowly left the room. Ogami-san was carrying the tray while Nekokami-san had Prinz's pajamas in her arms.
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes. Like a baby." (Nekokami)
"Looks like she is feeling better." (Ogami-san)
"Yeah. I just... gave her some of Akashi's medicine. A little while before you guys came in. You can leave the laundry in the washing machine. I will turn it on later."
"Okie~" (Nekokami)
After dumping her pajamas into the washing machine, the two girls left.
Now then, after all that, it's time to focus on my work.
In the evening, I went and brought some food from the mess hall. It's something soft and easy to swallow.
"Prinz, you awake?"
Prinz is sitting up as I entered the room.
"I just woke up not too long ago." (Prinz Eugen)
"I see. I brought some food for you."
The color is back to her face and she looks lively. Akashi was right. That medicine was really effective.
I placed the tray on the nightstand.
"By the way,"
Is it a good time to ask about it now?
"What is it?" (Prinz Eugen)
"How is your fever?"
"Oh. I just measured it. It has already gone down so I'm fine." (Prinz Eugen)
Prinz raised her arms high to prove that she is alright.
"That's great."
"Now I can sortie, participate in exercises and even perform my duties as secretary ship." (Prinz Eugen)
"You can do all that even before you fell sick."
She has recovered. That's really good.
"Prinz, earlier in the morning..."
"Hm?" (Prinz Eugen)
"What were you about to say before you fell asleep?"
I don't know why. But I'm really curious about what she wanted to say. It feels important.
"...Did I say something?" (Prinz Eugen)
....
"You don't remember?"
"I remember asking you to stay with me and asking you to sing a song. But after that... Didn't I fall asleep after that?" (Prinz Eugen)
Was that all just the fever talking? Oh well...
"Was I about to say something?" (Prinz Eugen)
"I may have imagined it. Or maybe you were talking in your sleep."
"Eh? I didn't say anything weird, did I?" (Prinz Eugen)
"Nope. You didn't. Anyway, it's the end of the day now. After eating, you can go back to your room or you can stay here for the night."
"I want to stay here." (Prinz Eugen)
I knew she would say that.
"Sure."
I petted her head,
"Take a bath after you have finished eating. We can play a game later."
"Yay!" (Prinz Eugen)
Since I'm done with work and Prinz has recovered, we can have some fun for the rest of the day. I went ahead and set up the console as Prinz took her dinner. We spent the next few hours playing the new Mar*pa. It was fun, though we got our ass kicked by the CPU opponents though. We chatted, laughed and before we knew it, it was 11pm.
"It's 11 o'clock. It's totally night huh. Hmm~ It's almost time for us to rest." (Prinz Eugen)
"Let's go to sleep. We have a whole day of work tomorrow."
I tucked her in before turning off the night lamp and going into bed myself.
"Thank you for taking care of me today, Admiral." (Prinz Eugen)
I gave her one last head pat for the night,
"You're welcome. Good night, Prinz."
"
The next morning, everything was back to the usual. Most of the snow has already melted during the night and everyone went on with their regular duties. Prinz is participating in an expedition today. Even though I told her she need not go since she just recovered, she was insistent on it. Today, Zuihou is my secretary ship.
"Zuihou, this report-"
"Achoo!" (Zuihou)
Some mucus hangs from her nose. Her face is flushed.
"Eh?" (Zuihou)
Are you serious? Again?
"Eh?" (Zuihou)
After changing a reluctant Zuihou into her pajamas and getting her to bed, I measured her temperature.
"38 degrees celsius. It's a high one."
"Uugh..." (Zuihou)
After playing that much in the snow yesterday, I shouldn't be surprised if one of them got sick today. I just didn't expect Zuihou to be the one that falls sick.
"Rest for now. I go get some medicine from Akashi and some food for you later."
"Thank you, Admiral. Admiral…" (Zuihou)
"Yes?"
Zuihou stuck her hand out from under the blanket. I instantly knew what she wants.
I pulled a chair closer to the bed,
"I'm here. I will stay here till you fall asleep."
"Ehehe~" (Zuihou)
Zuihou fell asleep faster than Prinz did yesterday. I repeated the same steps as yesterday; getting medicine from Akashi and requesting Ogami-san for another bowl of porridge. When it was closer to lunchtime, I picked up the food from the Ogami-san and Zuihou woke up when I entered the room.
"Feeling better?"
"A little." (Zuihou)
"I bought something for you to eat. Wanna have it now or later?"
"I can eat it now." (Zuihou)
I passed Zuihou a bowl of porridge,
"Here. Careful. It's hot."
"Ye- Waah!" (Zuihou)
?
"Erm..." (Zuihou)
"What is it?"
"Well..." (Zuihou)
Hold on. This conversation flow is way too familiar...
"I'm a sick person today... So, feed me." (Zuihou)
I knew it!
"Um...."
"Aaahhh~" (Zuihou)
She didn't even give me a chance to response. She just closed her eyes and opened her mouth like a baby bird demanding food.
"Aaahhh~" (Zuihou)
Let's tease her a little bit.
"Not yet?" (Zuihou)
She opened an eye, confused as to why I took my own sweet time.
"Pfft."
"Wh-what?" (Zuihou)
"No. You always tell me not to treat you like a kid, but you are being quite childish and clingy today."
"Co-come on! I want you to do it at a time like this!" (Zuihou)
Cute.
"Yeah yeah. Here. Aahh."
I fed her the porridge.
"Ehehe~" (Zuihou)
She is so happy about it.
"Once you have your meal, it's time for your medicine."
After finishing her meal, I gave the suppository to Zuihou. She looked at with a blank expression.
"A mini HE shell?" (Zuihou)
Where did you get that idea from?!
"Of course not. It's a suppository. It's the most effective medicine Akashi has."
"Eh? Isn't that the kind you put in your butt?!" (Zuihou)
She has the same flustered expression as Prinz yesterday.
"Ye-yeah. Can you do it yourself?"
Zuihou pushed the medicine back to me,
"Y-you do it." (Zuihou)
Huh?
"Hold up. You seriously want me to put this in for you?"
"Be-because it's scary to stick things up my butt." (Zuihou)
Zuihou took off her panties. She really isn't giving me any time to retort today.
Fine. Let's do this again. Plus, since it's Zuihou, I can mess with her a little. Though, I shouldn't take it too far. She is still sick.
"Lift up your legs."
"Like this?" (Zuihou)
Zuihou laid on the bed while I held up her legs. I have seen her ass plenty of times, but this is the first time I'm sticking something inside.
"I'm going to stick it in now."
"Unn..." (Zuihou)
I pushed the suppository into her butt.
"Uu... Auu~" (Zuihou)
"I'm pushing it in deeper now."
Her inner walls wrapped around my finger as I inserted the medicine deeper.
"Nha! Hii~n! Ahn!" (Zuihou)
It felt as though a switch within me was flipped.
"Nn!" (Zuihou)
"Zuihou, you surprisingly like this sort of thing, don't you?"
I wiggled my finger around inside her, watching her squirm in response.
"N-no, I don't! Nna! Ahn! Deep in my stomach... Something is... Nn! ..." (Zuihou)
"Should I stick something else inside?"
"Fueeehhh~~?!" (Zuihou)
"Just kidding."
I pulled my finger out of her ass. Zuihou laid on her side, twitching a little and panting.
"My bad. I was just teasing you."
That was close. If I hadn't remembered she was sick, I would have gone all the way.
"I-it's fine..." (Zuihou)
Hm?
"I-if Admiral want to put it my butt, I don't mind..." (Zuihou)
The tip of Zuihou's ears are red. Even though she is looking away, I can see how embarrassed she is.
More importantly, did she just give me the greenlight to do her in the butt?
"Zuihou..."
Zuihou peeked at me with teary eyes,
"Admiral..." (Zuihou)
I cuddled and petted the sick girl,
"Thank you. But we will do it some other time, when you are feeling better. Right now, get some rest."
"~~~~" (Zuihou)
She is all sweaty now.
"Zuihou, take off your clothes."
"Eh? Didn't you just tell me to rest?" (Zuihou)
"It's not comfortable to sleep while you're covered in sweat, right? I will wipe you before you sleep."
"O-oh. Okay. Thank you, Admiral." (Zuihou)
She looks so disappointed. I'm already holding myself back.
I hugged my sick girlfriend,
"We can do it once you feel better. Okay? So be a good girl and focus on recovering."
"I-it's not like I want to do it right now. Admiral, you pervert." (Zuihou)
After wiping her body and changing her pajamas, I stayed right by Zuihou's side on the bed and pat her stomach till she fell asleep.
I almost let my lust take over me today... But at the very least, our private night battles will get more interesting pretty soon. I need to make some preparations for it first.