The heavy metal doors of Azur Lane's base storage zone slid open to both sides, revealing a scene of busy yet orderly activity before Kenji's eyes.
Rows of towering metal shelves were neatly arranged, stacked with all kinds of supplies, carefully sorted and labeled.
Dozens of Manjuus wearing safety helmets of different colors darted nimbly between the shelves. Their round bodies and crisp "chuu chuu" calls wove together into a unique symphony of work.
One Manjuu wearing a red safety helmet, clearly the foreman, was the first to notice the unfamiliar visitors.
It flapped its little wings and flew over at once, one short mechanical arm emphatically pointing at the "No Unauthorized Entry" sign by the door, while it chirped out an urgent warning.
"It's saying this is a restricted zone and people can't just walk in," Javelin translated softly at Kenji's side, a gentle smile on her face.
Kenji, however, was not rattled in the slightest. He crouched down and gently scooped the Manjuu up into his hand. His fingertips brushed over its smooth casing as he carefully examined the joints in its limbs.
"A purely mechanical life-form..." he murmured thoughtfully.
At first, the Manjuu in his palm was a little flustered, but it quickly calmed under Kenji's steady presence, its small black electronic eyes flickering with curiosity.
"Commander Kenji seems really interested in them?" Javelin asked, tilting her head, her purple ponytail swaying lightly with the motion.
Kenji placed the Manjuu back on the floor with care, and casually straightened its slightly crooked helmet. "Just confirming their structure. These little guys are neither male nor female, which saves a lot of potential trouble."
After all, he had always been more than a little jealous of them in the past. Those little things could appear anywhere, from all sorts of swimsuit events to every kind of special scene, always buzzing around the shipgirls at their most charming moments.
Now that he had confirmed, for certain, that they were really nothing more than robots, the feeling in his heart was... rather satisfying.
"Chuu!"
The Manjuu seemed very displeased with that remark and protested loudly, making Javelin burst into barely suppressed giggles.
"As the new Chief of Logistics, I should at least introduce myself to my subordinates," Kenji said calmly. He took out the crystal ID card Prince of Wales had given him.
When the Azur Lane emblem gleamed under the overhead lights, the Manjuu froze.
A moment later, it collapsed straight down on its round bottom, helmet knocked askew, looking as if it had just suffered a great mental blow.
Kenji reached out and lightly patted its head. "From now on, this place runs according to my rules. Understand?"
The Manjuu drooped its head and reluctantly nodded. It forced itself to give a stiff salute and let out a weak "chuu..."
"Commander Kenji, if you keep that up you are going to crush their work enthusiasm," Javelin could not help pleading for the poor Manjuu, though there was laughter in the corners of her eyes.
Under the Manjuu foreman's guidance, the two of them started a full tour of the warehouse. Javelin enthusiastically explained the function of each area.
"The Manjuus with blue helmets handle ammunition management, the green ones take care of food supplies, and the red helmets belong to the foremen who coordinate all the work..."
Kenji listened while carefully observing every corner of the warehouse.
Labels on the shelves were clear and easy to read, supplies were placed in perfect order, and the aisles were kept remarkably clean.
Just then, a Manjuu came pushing a small cart piled high with crates. The boxes were stacked so precariously that they were on the verge of toppling.
Kenji reacted quickly and reached out to steady the load. The Manjuu chirped gratefully, its black eyes shining.
"Commander Kenji seems to know very well how to get along with them," Javelin remarked, noticing his calm, practiced movements. Her tone held a note of curiosity.
Kenji did not answer her directly. He simply smiled.
His gaze drifted, almost unintentionally, to Javelin. The afternoon sunlight spilled through the high windows and fell across her figure, outlining her in a soft halo of light.
Her dress traced the curve of a slim waist, and between her white over-the-knee socks and the hem of her short skirt, a perfectly measured band of bare skin showed. Her entire being radiated a youthful, lively charm.
"Speaking of which, do you have any plans for today, Javelin?" Kenji suddenly asked.
"In the morning I need to patrol the western sea sector, and in the afternoon I will be at the training grounds practicing new spear techniques."
Javelin gripped the lance in her hands a little tighter, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Commander Kenji, would you like to come and watch? I have been practicing a new thrusting move. I want to give everyone a surprise in the next exercise."
"I will come if I have the time," Kenji nodded. "But for now, I have to take care of these first."
He picked up a supply inventory sheet, his brows drawing together slightly. "The consumption rate is much faster than projected."
"That is because the Sirens have been getting more and more active lately," Javelin replied, her tone growing a little worried. "Everyone is being deployed far more frequently than before."
Kenji glanced around the warehouse, eyes lingering for a moment on a row of shelves that already looked a bit bare.
The situation in this world seemed even more tense than he had imagined.
...
At the same time, in the main building's grand hall, Prince of Wales stood before a stained-glass window, a cup of black tea in hand.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the colored glass, casting shifting patches of light and shadow across her figure.
From the receiver of an old-fashioned telephone in her hand came a steady female voice.
"A human? At a frontline base? That is certainly unusual."
Prince of Wales gently traced the rim of her teacup with her fingertip, her tone retaining the composed grace typical of the Royal family.
"What is even more surprising is that, according to his own words and Javelin's report, he was swallowed by a black hole and then suddenly appeared on the beach near our base."
"What?!"
The voice on the other end rose sharply, full of shock and doubt, the speaker's composure clearly shattered.
"Wales, are you certain this is not a joke? A black hole? How is that possible? A human?"
The voice coming through the line had lost its usual calm and was filled with stunned disbelief.
Prince of Wales sat down elegantly behind her desk, gently swirling the rich-colored tea in her cup. The faint curl of a smile tugged at her lips, as if she had expected this reaction.
"My first response was exactly the same as yours."
"But Javelin saw it with her own eyes. She would not mistake something like that, and she would not lie. More importantly, this human named Kenji Hayashi does possess certain traits that, for now, we cannot explain."
Silence fell on the other end of the line. For a brief moment, only the faint crackle of static could be heard, as if the person there was trying to digest this astonishing information with all their might.
"This completely contradicts everything we know about physics,"
The voice finally came again, thick with confusion. "The gravity of a black hole is overwhelming. How did he survive, and furthermore... how did he emerge on your base's beach unscathed?"
"That is exactly what confuses me the most," Prince of Wales admitted without hesitation. She set down her cup.
"But more important than how he crossed a black hole is the power he displayed afterward. He is able to generate Coins out of thin air, and also... pure Oil."
"What?!"
A distinct sound of sharply drawn breath came through the receiver.
"A double miracle? First surviving a black hole, then creating resources? Wales, this sounds far too fantastical. Are you sure this is not some elaborate new trap devised by the Sirens?"
"I considered that possibility immediately," Prince of Wales replied coolly. "But my psychic perception, as well as Javelin's feedback, both indicate that he is not lying.
"More noteworthy is the peculiar affection, or perhaps possessiveness, he displays toward us shipgirls. It is very pure, and completely different from the utilitarian intentions I have seen in other humans I have dealt with."
"In that case, we should be even more vigilant," the woman on the other end said, her voice heavy.
"Anyone who can return from beyond a black hole's event horizon is, by definition, a colossal unknown. His presence might bring changes we cannot predict."
"Which is precisely why we must keep him within our sight, rather than push him away," Prince of Wales countered thoughtfully.
"Imagine if such a resource-creating ability were to fall into the hands of the Sirens, or worse, some other hostile force. The consequences would be catastrophic.
"For now, I have appointed him to oversee the base's logistics. That way, we can maximize the usefulness of his abilities while keeping him close enough to observe every move he makes."
"You have handled it well," the voice on the line said after a pause of contemplation. "But I must inform you, I have already dispatched investigators to the Dragon Empery. They will search ancient records and legends for similar cases or clues.
"It will take time, but it is a necessary step. In the meantime, you must ensure he is under thorough observation... in a way that does not arouse his suspicion or displeasure."
"I understand."
Prince of Wales looked out the window, her gaze falling on the deep blue sea, where the afternoon sunlight glimmered across the waves.
"However, if what he says is true, and he truly has the potential to command our shipgirls in coordinated combat...
"Then his arrival might be the key turning point we need to finally break this long stalemate against the Sirens."
"Do not be overly optimistic," the other warned, voice cautious.
"A human body is far too fragile. On a real battlefield, he will always be the weakest link, liable to fall at any moment.
"Furthermore, the very fact that he is a survivor of a black hole makes him a walking bundle of unknowns. We need more time to watch and verify."
"But what if his greatest value is not on the front line," Prince of Wales pressed, her voice carrying a rare hint of passion, "and instead lies in the rear, where he could provide nearly unlimited supplies for us?
"Please, imagine this: the girls fighting at the front no longer need to count every shell and every drop of fuel. Warspite's main guns could roar continuously, without pause... the strategic advantage this would give us is beyond measure."
The seductive weight of that scenario plunged the other end of the line into a long silence.
...
Not long after the call ended, there was a soft knock at the office door.
"Come in."
Javelin stepped inside with light, quick steps, her face still carrying a hint of lingering happiness. "Your Highness Prince, I am back."
Prince of Wales turned, her expression gentle. "So it is you, Javelin. How are things on Commander Kenji's side?"
"Everything went very smoothly!" Javelin reported. "Commander Kenji is really serious about his work. He is carefully checking every line of the warehouse inventory and studying the personnel assignments.
"But..."
She recalled what she had seen earlier and could not help but smile again.
"He seems to really like interacting with the Manjuus. Just now, he had the foreman Manjuu running in circles. The poor little thing almost didn't know what to do."
Prince of Wales let out a soft laugh at that, shaking her head with refined amusement. "It seems he is getting along quite well with our hardworking little partners.
"In your opinion, what kind of person is this new Commander Kenji?"
"He is a... very special person," Javelin answered after thinking seriously for a moment. Her fingers absently twined around a strand of purple hair.
"Even though we have not known each other for very long, he has this gentle aura that makes you want to get close to him without realizing it.
"And he is very focused when it comes to work. Just now, when he was looking over the inventory, he seemed especially serious, like he was really bothered by the fact that our supplies are running low."
Prince of Wales nodded lightly.
"It seems you feel it as well," she said, a faintly profound look in her eyes.
"You have done well today. Go back and rest properly.
"Also, I just received a transmission from Illustrious. She and the fleet have already departed from the Royal homeland. They are expected to arrive at the base in three days.
"Once they arrive, our anti-air capability will be greatly strengthened."
"Really? That is wonderful!"
Javelin's eyes lit up at once, her face blooming with pure joy.
"It has been so long since I last saw Sister Illustrious! I have to get ready. I definitely want to give her a surprise!"
Watching Javelin skip out of the office, as light and joyful as a butterfly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curved Prince of Wales's lips.
She turned again to gaze out at the endless sea, her eyes distant and deep.
A newcomer bearing secrets and power... and a Royal elite fleet already on its way...
Perhaps fate really was starting to tilt in Azur Lane's favor.
At that same moment, in the storage zone on the other side of the base, Kenji stood calmly before a group of Manjuus wearing different colored helmets, explaining the next phase of their work priorities.
His voice was steady and clear, carrying a quiet authority that inspired confidence.
These little fellows, usually so lively and mischievous, now held their round heads high, listening in complete silence. From time to time they nodded solemnly, chirping out earnest "chuu chuu" sounds to show they understood.
Sunlight poured in through the tall warehouse windows like warm spotlights, bathing Kenji and the Manjuus gathered around him in golden light.