Thaw out a Second Life

Uneasiness

On a rare visit to the Sakura Empire, one of the kansens who entertained her as a guest are the duo aircraft carrier Akagi and Kaga. The former is visibly unhappy staring at King George V's ever optimistic and calm expression while the latter's expression remains stoic and quiet as usual.

"Ho~ I'm glad you recovered quickly Akagi"

King George V ignores Akagi barely tolerating her casual and carefree demeanor, but the knight commander is more focused on the Sakura's brewed herbal tea which is different from the black tea of the Royal Navy.

"......I encountered Bismarck META not too long ago" Akagi speaks first
"I'm surprised you're unscathed. Last I heard, you were sent flying before she left the scene"
"That was another matter" Akagi scoffs
"Then what is it time?"
"Tell me, it wasn't really Bismarck's sister who came back, is it?"
"......"

The unexpected question surprises King George V for a second, but her gaze becomes tensed and she loses her cheerful smile.

"Hmph. So you do know something after all" Kaga crosses her arms
"So she told you, huh....."

King George V slightly relaxes her expression and takes a sip of her tea to ease her nerves. She's not hostile or raising her guard which baffles Akagi in blinking several times.

"No wonder she forced me to deliver this"

Akagi gently places a cylinder containing a fragment on the middle of the table.

"What is this for exactly? If Bismarck META had you deliver this, then it must have some use" King George V narrows her eyes
"A piece of the dead META's wisdom cube where another META drained half of the freezing ability there"
"From what I can tell, this will return a portion of her strength as a META, but I don't think Tirpitz would be pleased to see this"
"I don't particularly care what is this for as long as it's out of my hands" Akagi sweeps her left hand
"Hahahaha! How amusing" King George V wholeheartedly laughs
"What's so funny?"
"Akagi, were you threatened into delivering this? It must be her punishment for harming her little sister"
"....."

Akagi's silence is a confirmation to King George V as Akagi is unusually grumpy and impatient today.

"Bismarck META is still looking after her sister her sister, huh" King George V shrugs
"Even as a META, their relationship is still complicated" Akagi massages both sides of her temples
"More complicated than the regular one. Tirpitz META still doesn't like her, but Bismarck META is still trying to make amends after the whole being ressurected against her will"
"So it's true Bismarck META managed to resurrect her sister" Akagi's ear twitches
"Don't attempt it. What Bismarck brought was a zombie driven by the primal instincts to fight and kill until she's destroyed"
"I'm not. I don't want to see.....that again" Akagi tightly clenches her fists
"......" Kaga pats her on the back

It's an incident many kansens are aware of and King George V is one of the kansens who joined to undo it, so her expression is a solemn and pitying one.

"Tirpitz META isn't a threat, so you don't have to target her"
"The body belonged to the normal one, doesn't it?"
"......" King George V stays silent
"It's why I was confused by her scent. Her presence and scent are a normal kansen, but she utilizes the corrupted power of a META"
"......."
"She's Iron Blood problem and not mine, so I don't care whether they'll find out or not. She's practically a META possessing a dead body" Akagi shakes her head in dismay

There's no benefit in meddling with the issue between Bismarck and Tirpitz. Akagi doesn't directly admit it, but she dislikes the scent of the lying META occupying the body of a deceased kansen.

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Orthrus is returned to the storage, inactive but completely intact despite the head-on clash with a heavy cruiser recently. In fact, it's completely unharmed much like its kansen owner. The enormous rigging modeled after Geryon is suspended a meter or two off the ground by several chains while Neumark performs maintenance on it.