Our Bonds (A Kantai Collection Fanfic) (Remastered)

Chapter 30: A Typical Beach Episode?

So hot... Figures. It's already August, the peak of summer. Why must summer exist in the first place? Apart from giving us this excruciating heat, I can't think of anything useful for this obnoxiously hot weather.

"Admiral, have some cold tea." (Shigure)

Shigure placed the cup on my table,

"Thank you, Shigure."

Ah. There is one other use for Summer.

Instead of her usual black Shiratsuyu uniform, Shigure was wearing a black bikini with red and white accents, a typical Shiratsuyu-class design, a white jacket, and black shirt cover-up skirt. The dark colors of her summer outfit is a stark contrast to her pale white skin. I can see a bit of her cleavage.

It's swimsuit season in Maizuru Naval District. Most of the girls are walking around in their very own swimsuits. From one-piece swimsuits to bikinis, each girl has their own style of swimwear. It is the only time they are not afraid to show off some skin.

I take it back. Summer is awesome! Hooray for swimsuits!

There was a knock on the door, followed by Ooyodo's voice,

"Admiral. Ooyodo, requesting permission to enter." (Ooyodo)

"Come in."

Ooyodo swimsuit style is very similar to Shigure's. Her hair is braided and brought to the front, to keep her nape cool. A blue checkered strapless bikini top covers her breasts. A pale blue and green sarong wrapped around her hips. Her tall slender figure combined with this swimsuit style of hers gives off a rather graceful look.

"Admiral, I would appreciate it if you stop staring at me." (Ooyodo)

Her eyes were filled with disdain.

Shit. Was I staring?

Ooyodo just sighed and passed me a stack of paper,

"HQ has sent us a transfer notice for two Heavy Cruisers. Their request for transfer has been approved by the Marshal Admiral and are scheduled to arrive in a week. You should receive an email about it soon." (Ooyodo)

"Who is coming over?"

"The Italian Shipgirls, Pola and Zara." (Ooyodo)

Ah.

"Oh great. Tell Mamiya to lock down the wine cellar and limit alcohol sales."

"I already informed her. And just in case, Mamiya placed an order for additional cases of wine." (Ooyodo)

I shouldn't be surprised that Pola would request a transfer sooner or later. Brunei is a dry country after all, with strict rules on the sale of alcohol. An alcoholic like Pola wouldn't do too well in that kind of environment. She can still buy alcohol every 48 hours from a regulated importer but at a very high price. Looks like she couldn't take it anymore and requested to be transferred to Japan. Why post her here though?

At least her sister Zara is tagging along. She can help keep the drunkard in check.

"Admiral, HQ has ordered all Naval Districts to conduct internal exercises and compile a performance report." (Ooyodo)

So a new operation is coming then.

"Understood. I will formulate the fleet compositions and matchmaking. When's the deadline?"

"Two weeks from today. There aren't any additional constraints so we can do things as per normal." (Ooyodo)

"Got it. Tell Akashi to schedule equipment maintenance for the girls and ensure everything is in perfect condition. Order more training rounds if necessary."

"Roger." (Ooyodo)

"Is that all?"

"Yes. That is all." (Ooyodo)

"Alright. You are dismissed. Take the rest of the day off. Go relax on the beach."

Ooyodo smiled,

"I will take you up on that offer then." (Ooyodo)

Ooyodo closed the door behind her. I can feel Shigure's gaze. I'm going to take a wild guess here,

"Some sun will be nice. Shall we go too?"

"Eh? Where to?" (Shigure)

"The beach. You want to play too, right?" (Shigure)

"N-no. We have work to do." (Shigure)

Don't think I didn't catch that little smile you did just then,

"It's summer. I want to enjoy the waves once in a while. Work can come later."

"Is that really all right?" (Shigure)

"Meh. It's not like there are many documents and reports to clear today. I have two weeks to get that exercise report done. We have time. Come on. Let's go. I will meet you at the beach. I need to get my trunks."

A big smile appeared on her face,

"Yes. I will see you at the beach." (Shigure)

She exited the office with a spring in her steps. Her sisters are playing outside. It's kind of cruel for her to be working as my secretary while the others are out there enjoying themselves.

Also, this gives me an excuse to take a break and skip out on some work.

I sorted out the documents on my desk and organized them in a manner that is easy for me to know where each of them are, and went to my room to get on my trunks.

Oh... This...

As I looked for my trunks, I spotted something that brought back precious memories of a certain summer day. Tucked in a corner of my drawer, there is a blue one-piece school swimsuit for girls with the Hiragana for 'Zuihou' on its name tag.

{So cold~ Admiral! Over here! Take that!} (Zuihou in the past)

The scene of Zuihou and me splashing about in the water played in my head. It was the first summer since I got promoted. Like the girls who don't own their own swimsuit, she wore the standard one-piece blue school swimsuit. The two of us played till the sun set. How nostalgic...