"Yeah! I got Tatsuta!" Lexington cheered, watching as her bombers covered the light cruiser in blue paint. Enterprise only rolled her eyes as she put up another squadron of fighters, the arrow taking almost no time to split into the planes.

"Yeah, that's great and all Lex, but we just lost Cabot and Chicago!" Saratoga yelled as she pointed to the retreating ship girls, Cabot's planes vectoring off to land with their carrier.

"Oh yeah.... Are we working on getting Yamato out!?" Lex asked as she moved out of the way of another salvo, a shell just barely missing her Flightdeck. Arizona gave a nod as she sent out her own Salvo towards the distant Japanese battleships, watching as the arcing shells fell among the girls.

"Hey! I don't mean to put a dampener on things, but we're one short compared to them!" San Diego yelled. Coral Sea only laughed in response as she put up another squadron of fighters, her mirth evident as she watched her pilots chase down a squadron of Zeroes, covering the white planes in dark blue.

"That just makes things more fun!" Coral declared, watching as her squadron went after another wing of Zeroes. As they did so, a wing of Zeroes armed with a payload of bombs made their way towards the carrier, their intent clear. Coral only watched the bombers with a clear expression of amusement, gazing at them as they neared her. But her fun was interrupted the bombers were struck by a squadron of Wildcats, their white paint scorned by the blue paint as well. Scowling, Coral gave a pout of the lips as Enterprise looked to the carrier. "Quit ruining my fun, ya buzzkill!" Coral yelled, shaking her fist at CV-6. Enterprise only glared at the carrier.

"Coral Sea! You can't be so carefree in the middle of a sortie! If you do, you will get sunk or someone else will pay for-"

The carrier was cut off as a shell impacted her in the back of her head, plastering the silver hair she was so proud of to her back in the red paint those of the Japanese were so fond of. Giving an irritated sigh, Enterprise glared at Coral as the Midway class howled with laughter, doubling over as she clutched her stomach as her laughter sounded off. Forrest and Fitch joined the carrier in laughter as Lexington looked to Enterprise.

"Hey.... E... You've got a little something...." Lex laughed but E only shook her head, grumbling to herself as she began to head back to Yokosuka, only prompting more laughter from the giggling trio.

"Make that two short!" Saratoga yelled as she and Midway fell back a ways, trying to put some more distance between them and the three Japanese battleships. In doing so, the two carriers exposed them self to the approaching right flank attack by the Japanese, Tenryuu and her destroyers charging directly at the two, taking no time to start firing shells their way. But they found themselves having problems as San Francisco, San Deigo, and the two remaining American destroyers put themselves in the way.

San Diego didn't hesitate a fraction of a second before her guns began opening up, throwing plenty of shells to keep the approaching girls on their toes. San Francisco followed her example, the heavy cruiser's nine eight inch guns joining the fray, giving up plenty of their own ammunition.

The two destroyers got in on the action too, their combined firepower of the two's eight five inch guns throwing shells at their Japanese counterparts, causing only further chaos as the four attempted to protect the two carriers.

Eventually, the four were met with luck as one of San Francisco's shells exploded across the entirety of Tenryuu's face, blinding the light cruiser with layer of blue paint, a fact that met the end of her run.

Wiping the paint from her eyes, Tenryuu turned back towards Yokosuka, much to the chagrin of her three accompanying destroyers. Still on the charge, the three Japanese destroyers kept up the attack as they tangled with the four American ship girls.

"Have we gotten any of their carriers out yet?" Langley asked as she dodged a stray shell, watching as Nagato fired off another salvo in the distance, doing her best to strike one of the five American battleships.

"No! Not yet!" Maryland called, looking back to the carrier only momentarily. "But it won't matter if we don't get Myoukou and her sisters out! Who, may I remind you, are charging right up the middle!" Maryland yelled. But as if to add to her point, a freshly fired salvo reached the fleet, new shells falling among them in plunging fire. Mississippi received the brunt of this, two shells find their way to her rigging, turning parts of the object a solid red. Groaning, Mississippi threw her arms up in annoyance as she looked to the Japanese battleships in the distance.

"Oh come on!" Missy yelled in retaliation, glaring at the distant figures. She, in turn was answered as a third shell struck her, covering part of her face and some of her hair in the red liquid. Only sighing, Arizona couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the sight.

"Sorry Missy, but you asked for that. You really did." Arizona mused, putting her hands on her hips in amused fashion as she looked over at the battleship, her guns remaining stubbornly still as her fairies found the next firing solution. As soon as they had done so, her fourteen inch guns fired off a fresh salvo. Maryland and Indiana joined her in doing so as Oklahoma looked to Missy.

"Get off the water, Missy! You're out so you should be heading back!" Oklahoma yelled as her guns put up a secondary salvo, hammering and keeping the distant Japanese carriers distracted. Mississippi threw her hands up in defeat again.

"I know, I know! I'm going...." Mississippi said as she began to head away from the battle. Giving a chuckle, Arizona looked back to the opposing heavy cruisers still coming their way, the opposing guns firing off salvos every chance they were presented with. Arizona in turn looked to the three subs that were resting just below the waves.

"Harder!" Arizona yelled. Submarine girl in question poked her head above water, her sisters not to far behind.

"You called?" The sub asked. Arizona in turn dodged an incoming set of shells as she pointed to the approaching heavy cruiser sisters and their two fellow light cruisers.

"Put a stop to their charge! And if you can, get them out! We don't need cruisers so close to our carriers!" Arizona ordered. Harder gave a quick salute before diving below the waves, followed by her sisters.

Under the waves, the three submarine descended to a safe depth before making their way forward, their plan being to end up below and behind the approaching enemy cruisers. But as they did so, Snook began to detect something.

"Harder! We've got approaching!"  Snook called through the radio, alerting her older sister to an unknown presence. Arching a brow, Harder sent out a single ping on sonar, not expecting to find what her sister was telling. But, low and behold, a good ways in front of the three, coming their way, was two signatures. Arching a brow, she sent out a second ping, trying to get a solid fix on the two mysteries.

"Hey...? Did we ever get all of their submarines out...?" Snook asked through the radio. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"We've got Goya and Imuya in front of us!" Harder said. "You two, keep them busy. I'm going for the cruisers!" Harder ordered. Her sisters sent affirmatives as Harder ascended a bit, hoping that the Japanese subs approaching would be more interested in her sisters still charging them head on rather than herself, her objective clear to be seen by anyone looking on from afar.

Watching below for a moment, Harder could just barely make out the forms of the approaching Goya and Imuya, the two seeming to be focused on her sisters at the moment, a grace that she doubted would last long.

Turning back to her objective, she watched as the opposing cruisers were crossing just overhead, their wakes easy to make out from under the waves. Watching only a moment longer, Harder entered position, not daring to make even the slightest of sounds, should she accidentally alert the cruisers above to her presence there.

Watching as after a moment, the heavy cruisers passed over her without incident, Harder began to prepare. Cueing her fairies, they began to load the torpedoes into her frontal launching tubes, five practice torpedoes being required. As she felt each one being loaded into their tubes, Harder made the last of the adjustments required for her launch.

After the Japanese cruisers had passed a safe distance overhead, she did one final check over everything. Giving a nod, she issued the order to fire. An order in which her fairies did not hesitate to execute.

For a few quiet seconds, there was nothing. Then, the first of Harder's torpedoes launched, traveling parallel to the water's surface, catching up to the unknowing cruisers up above. Then, the second. And third. And fourth. And fifth.

Harder watched as her torps followed the five, watching as the weapons began to gently rise so that they wouldn't cause as much noise when they finally surfaced.

Up above, the five cruisers were none the wiser.

"So, do we even have a plan for this little charge?" Ashigara asked as she, her two sisters, and the two Sendai class cruisers charged directly at the American fleet. Myoukou in turn looked at her as she dodged a stray shell.

"We are to keep the American's attention off of our carriers by any means required. If this means directing their attention onto us, then that is what we will do." Myoukou replied. Ashigara only nodded in reply as the five continued on their way towards the Americans. But as they did so, Jintsuu paused for a moment. This didn't fall unnoticed by either Nachi or Naka.

"Jintsuu? You alright?" Nachi asked, looking to the light cruiser. Jintsuu only gave a half nod, pausing further.

"Jintsuu! We need to move! We're sitting ducks out here!" Naka urged, waving a hand in front of her sister's face. That's when the first one surfaced, directly in front of the two.

"Torpedo!" Jintsuu called, suddenly coming to life. But her wanting came to little, to late for Nachi, as the torpedo impacted the heavy cruiser's foot, splattering the Myoukou class in Navy blue paint. The other nearby Japanese Kanmusu had no better luck than Jintsuu.

Naka got covered in the stuff as a torpedo hit a wave just right, raising into the air by mere inches, hitting Naka in the leg, covering the Sendai cruiser from head to toe in the blue stuff.

"This is no way to treat the idol of the fleet!" Naka yelled as she looked down at herself, looking upon her one blue covered hand.

The third torpedo caught Ashigara unaware as she was looking over upon her sister, catching her foot, covering her leg and part of her rigging in the blue liquid. Throwing her head back in annoyance, Ashigara sighed.

"Should've seen that coming...."  The heavy cruiser cried. By this point, Jintsuu and Myoukou were more than cautious. And it helped to, as a torpedo surfaced behind Jintsuu. But, she was more than alert. More than ready for this.

As soon as she heard it surface, she went to the right, watching as the torpedo sailed safely past her, watching as it impacted Nachi as well, annoying the heavy cruiser to no end.

Myoukou only gave a small laugh as Jintsuu looked on at the incident, only offering a small smile in sympathy. That's when the fifth torpedo surfaced, only mere feet away from Jintsuu.

This one, she was not so lucky on the dodge.

Jintsuu felt the impact of the water based missile on the back of her legs, feeling as the blue paint was splattered up and down her backside, her hair now dripping blue. Naka only laughed at the show of her sister's dismay.

"Well...." Jintsuu sighed, feeling as the blue liquid ran down the back of her legs, slipping off of her skin and into the water.

"That worked surprisingly well...." Harder mused as she popped up in front of Jinstuu, admiring the bits and pieces of her handiwork that she see. As she studied Jintsuu, Pargo and Snook rose up next to her, looking to their older sister.

"We got Imuya!" Snook cheered. "Covered her with blue." She said cheekily, her grin never fading from her face. As if hearing her name, Imuya surfaced, arms crossed and pout present.

"It was a cheap shot...." She insisted. Snook stuck her tongue out at the sub in response.

"All's fair in love and war." Pargo said, looking at the Japanese sub as well. Harder gave a nod as she looked around for Goya, but only found herself frowning when she did not spot the sub surfacing.

"Did we get Goya?" Harder asked. Snook shook her head as she looked to her sister.

"No. She slipped away when Imuya charged us." She said. Harder gave a nod as she looked back up to the Japanese cruisers watching the subs.

"So how's it feel to be bested by a simple sub?" Harder asked, the ever rare smile of victory upon her lips. Nachi just gave a small chuckle, crossing her arms as she looked back down to the sub.

"How's it feel to suck at math?" She asked in reply. Harder frowned in response as she looked at the girl. Suck at math? How could she? She was a submarine after all. Math was one of her best subjects. She knew when there was a time for victory celebrations. After all, she had successfully eliminated four opposing cruisers.

Harder's eyes went wide, prompting some laughter from Nachi and Ashigara.

There had been five cruisers!

Harder whipped around, trying to find the missing fifth, only to be greeted with a bang as her face was covered in red paint. Pargo and Snook were given no mercy either, as the back of their heads bore the brunt of the practice shells before they exploded in the red paint.

"Who knew, American subs are quite the cocky little bastards." Ashigara mused, looking down at the three freshly eliminated submarines. Harder only scowled as she looked to Myoukou, whose guns were smoking as the barrels cooled from their fresh salvo. The heavy cruiser only had the smallest of smiles on her lips, her amusement hard to miss.

"It is best to never let your guard drop, Harder-San. Or else, you will-"

The namesake heavy cruiser didn't get to finish her thought as two shells hit her head on, one splattering across her rigging. The second turned her hair dark blue, it now sopping wet with freedom. Harder just grinned at the cruiser as her sister's broke down into near hysterical laughter.

"Hey! Myo! Don't standstill for too long or you'll get hurt!" Arizona called from the distance, cupping her hands around her mouth. Myoukou only hung her head, giving a sigh before looking back up with a smile, looking to the American battleship.

"Quite true Arizona-San!" She yelled back, her smile easy to see. After a moment, as the continually fired shells soared overhead, Myoukou turned back to the present Kanmusu.

"I don't know about you all, but o could certainly use a wash and a soak in the docks. Will you all care to join me?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked between the various ship girls.

Needless to say, Myoukou's suggestion was gladly accepted.

Watching the Kanmusu, both Japanese and American, begin to head back towards Yokosuka, Arizona gave a sigh.

"We lost the Gato sisters...." She reasoned. Indiana gave a nod as her guns fired off another salvo in the direction of the Japanese battleships and carriers, hoping to strike one.

"So it would seem. We are without our subs. But we still have the superiority in our carrier numbers." Indiana surmised. Arizona gave a slow nod.

"For now, but who knows when we'll get-"

"HELP! NOW!" One of the girls bellowed. Arizona and Indiana turned to find San Francisco and Fitch firing off rounds at the rapidly approaching trio comprised of Fubuki, Yuudachi, and Sendai. The three were currently throwing the two American Kanmusu off their game, passing back and forth rather closely at the two. Apparently, with their last pass, the three had become quite bold.

Instead of their usual tactic, which had until now been swing by and run, this time they had gone with swing by and charge past like a bat out of hell. And clearly, the three marauding Japanese Kanmusu had a target set in mind.

The carriers.

"Shit.... Indiana, get back there and help them." Arizona ordered.

"On it." Indiana said before turning and promptly rushing forward, trying to prevent further loss of their carrier quantity. Taking aim, Indiana fired a salvo at the three, an action that was seen as little more than an annoyance as the three continued to charge for their carriers.

Fubuki cemented their goal as she opened fire, her shells hitting Bismarck Sea in the side.

"Owwww!" Bismarck Sea yelled as she looked down to her side, finding it covered in red liquid. "I'm bleeding!" Bismarck Sea yelled, waving her arms around frantically. Langley only sighed as she looked to Bismarck Sea, whilst at the same time keeping an eye on the approaching three.

"Bismarck, you're not bleeding. You're out." Langley laughed, looking down at Bismarck. The escort carrier's eyes widened with realization before breaking down into giggles.

"I knew that!" The carrier said. Langley only gave a nod with a roll of the eyes, a small laugh coming from her throat as well.

"Indeed. You know your way back to Yokosuka correct?" The motherly carrier asked, looking down at the girl. The escort carrier in turn gave a nod before wheeling around and retreating from the battle. Watching her go a moment, Langley turned her attention back to the approaching three, they still in turn putting out shells like a fire hose.

"Where's Bismarck going...?" Kit asked, no longer aiming her crossbow as she watched her sister retreat. As she did so, Yuudachi had fired a shot. Paint filled shell in turn hit her on the head, covering her hair in the stuff as it exploded. Pausing a second, as if trying to realize what just happened, Kitkun reached up and planted a hand on her head.

Pulling it back, she found herself surprised at the red covering her hand.

"I'm bleeding!" Kit called. The escort carrier found herself surprised as Langley paused in front of the girl, merely shaking her head as she bent down in front of her.

"You're not bleeding, Kitkun. It's paint." Langley reassured her. "Now, go. You should be able to catch up to your sister." Langley said. Kit only giggled in response as she gave a nod, quickly turning and going to catch up to Bismarck. Sighing, Langley immediately looked to check up on St. Lo. Who, in turn noticed this. And only giggled in reply at the woman's stare before firing off a new wing of corsairs. Langley just shook her head in reply as she looked back to the approaching Japanese Kanmusu. And found that Sendai had been eliminated. But Fubuki and Yuudachi were nearly on their doorstep.

"Can we get some assistance over here!? Anyone!?" San Diego yelled over the various noise of combat, her guns trained on the other side's combatants. It would appear that in making a charge, Sendai and the two destroyers had inspired a similar attack on the opposite side, this one consisting of Akatsuki, Hibiki, and Mutsuki. The three had sprinted past the two guards, and as they had done so, Hibiki had hit Forrest with four shells, turning most of the girl's outfit a solid red. So now, the lone Atlanta class cruiser was pouring shells upon shells over the three, hoping to score a hit one or two.

But the three destroyers were evading the various shells thrown by the cruiser, still heading straight for the carriers. The three combined with the two from the other side, the number of American carriers were fixing to diminish quickly as the five descended upon them.

"Maryland! Work with Indiana and get them out!" Arizona ordered. Maryland offered a nod as she went to join Indiana in the carrier defense. An idea that was not going very well as Fubuki and Yuudachi reached the carriers, taking no time in firing shells at Lexington and Saratoga, the former catching a shell on her arm. The latter caught a shell in the stomach, the two carriers therefore eliminated.

But a saving grace came in the form of a grazing hit, a shell nicking Yuudachi on the cheek, exploding across her face, covering the destroyer in blue paint. Giving a sigh, Yuudachi wheeled off of the assault as she attempted to remove the paint from her eyes, wiping at them a few times. Fubuki however continued to charge, firing off another shell. This one found a resting place on Franklin's Flightdeck, eliminating the carrier from play. But, before Fubuki could take another carrier from the battle, two shells struck her rigging, turning part of her stack and metal a dark blue, therefore eliminating the destroyer from play.

Giving a sigh, Indiana took a long glance at their now retreating carriers, wishing that they had acted faster. Turning back to their still active carriers, which now only numbered in at four. Watching them a moment, Indiana watched as San Francisco and Maryland approached her, coming to a pause next to her.

"We can't sit still. We've only got four carriers left and still three opposing Kanmusu. Act now, still later." Maryland said before sailing off, in the direction of the two Akatsuki sisters and Mutsuki. Indiana and San Francisco gave nods in turn as they followed suit, heading to link up with the only defender of the side, San Diego.

Seeing the three coming, the four remaining carriers headed to them for protection, their intent being to place themselves behind the two battleships and heavy cruiser while they dealt with the three destroyers.

"How did this go so wrong!?" San Francisco asked, looking to Midway. The flagship only shrugged as she dodged another shell fired by Hibiki. Fitch returned fire as she swerved through and between the retreating carriers, almost scoring a few solid hits on the destroyer but was presented with no such luck. Indiana and Maryland assisted her as San Diego fell back to their position, keeping the destroyers off their games with multiple shells thrown their way.

"Do we have a plan!?" She frantically asked as she dodged a falling shell, presumably fired by the distant battleships. Indiana gave a nod.

"Yeah. At the moment, we need to get rid of these three." She said. San Diego nodded as the five turned their guns on the three fully, each unleashing their own salvo at the girls.

And luckily, the combined salvos got them somewhere.

As they had fired, the resulting salvos from Indiana and Maryland had boxed the three in, Akatsuki and Hibiki in front. Mutsuki had fallen in behind the two as the trip charged for the carriers. But as the first two salvos had boxed the three in, Diego and Frisco let loose, their combined firepower going right down the middle.

The resulting fired impacted the remaining two Akatsuki sisters, covering the two from head to toe in Navy Blue paint. The splash down of the paint splattered some across Mutsuki, but not a decent enough hit to make it count as elimination.

That was fixing to change.

As the two Akatsuki sisters slowed their pace, preparing to turn around, Mutsuki had no where to go. And she bore the brunt of that flaw as the two battleships, newly reloaded, fired full salvos at the destroyer.

The nameship of the Mutsuki class never had a chance.

The destroyer was covered in blue paint faster than she could blink, over eight different shells striking her in various areas.

After all was said and done, Mutsuki looked down at herself, not bothering to suppress the giggle that bubbled up from the base of her throat, the destroyer's laughter easy to hear across the water.

"Blue is a real lady's color!" Akatsuki agreed with the laughter, grabbing the rim of her blue soaked hat, her smile easy to see. Hibiki only nodded in turn, her own outfit dripping of the stuff. The five American Kanmusu only chuckled in reply as they watched the three turn and go, presumably heading back to Yokosuka for some R&R after the battle.

But as for the five, they still had jobs to do.

Turning back to the problem ahead, the five turned just in time to watch Oklahoma and Arizona take hits of their own, their clothes covered in the red stuff. Giving a sigh, the two took a glance to the remaining nine.

"It's your ball game now." Arizona said, giving a wave as she and Oklahoma began to head back to Yokosuka. Giving a sigh, Maryland watched the two go for a moment before looking back to the remaining nine. As she did so, Indiana and herself took up the role of firing back at the Japanese battleships, trying to keep the three of their backs.

"So what's the plan?" San Diego asked, dodging a set of incoming shells. Maryland gave a shrug as she looked to Indiana.

"What about you Indiana? You got any ideas that might help us?" The battleship asked. Indiana gave a shake of the head as she watched a wing of Zeroes and a wing of Corsairs battle overhead, the sound of machine gun fire easy to here.

"Well we have to get their carriers out somehow!" San Francisco said, watching as the two American battleships fired off another few sets of shells in the direction of the nine Kanmusu that they were attempting to eliminate. But before another thing could be said, Fitch came forward, her arm raised impatiently in the air as she attempted to get the attention of the older, heavier classes girls.

"Yes Fitch?" San Francisco asked, looking to the destroyer expectantly. Fitch in turn pointed across the water to the nine.

"I have an idea!" The destroyers exclaimed. The other eight Kanmusu traded a few glances between one another before looking to the destroyer.

"And this idea is?" Indiana asked, looking to the destroyer. Fitch only grinned wildly as she began to explain her brilliant idea.
-------------------------------------

Nagato and Mutsu watched the distant Americans vigilantly, keeping a careful eye on the remaining nine. As they did so, Zuikaku called over the radio, still safely under the protection of Yamato's AA.

"What's the plan? Cause I feel that just allowing them to do whatever is going to be bad for us in the long run." The carrier reasoned. Nagato heard answers of agreement from the other carriers, Jun'you making her agreement known verbally.

"Z's got a point. We have the advantage. And we should use that to ensure our victory." The light carrier said over coms, agreeing with the Fleet carrier. Nagato only nodded in response as she spoke to the third battleship of their fleet.

"Yamato, are your AA defenses still stocked on ammo?" She inquired. Yamato made a noise of confirmation in turn, giving a nod to the battleship as Nagato looked back to the woman.

"Yes Nagato-San. My AA defense is still well stocked and my fairies are ready to act a moment's notice." Yamato reported. Nagato only nodded her head in turn, turning her attention back to the Americans. But as she had done so, she immediately noticed something wrong.

Where there had been nine American Kanmusu, Nagato could now only see six of nine. Arching a brow, Nagato turned to her sister.

"Where did they go?" She asked. Mutsu shrugged, taking her own glance over the group.

"I am unaware. They were present only moments ago." Mutsu said, looking out at the girls. Nagato nodded as she watched them. But as she did so, she noticed that Maryland and Indiana were slowly but surely heading for herself and the other Japanese Kanmusu. And as they went on, the two continued to slowly speed up. Something that made Nagato uneasy for more than one reason.

"Prepare for close combat!" She ordered. Yamato and Mutsu, the only two still available for such combat, gave nods as their fairies checked their weapons as the two battleship's approached, making their way across the water as the sky continued to play host to the multiple planes still present and active above them. "Fire!" Nagato yelled.

The three battleship's guns lit up in a symphony of fire and explosions, the resulting shells sent flying at the approaching American battleships. Battleships in question simply dodged the shells as they continued on their path, as if the flying shells were nothing more than minor annoyances to the two.

But as Indiana and Maryland continued sailing along, their own guns answering those of the Japanese, the Zeroes above could finally get a good look at them. And just what they were hiding.

"Nagato! They're hiding the other three behind them!" Zuikaku called as she received reports from her Zeroes. Nagato nodded as she watched the two approaching once again, but this time watching for anything peculiar. Firing a shell at Maryland, she waited to see if she could see it.

And as Maryland moved to the right to dodge the shell, Nagato saw it. She saw the movement behind the Battleship, the much smaller form of one Gleaves class destroyer. But just as quickly as Nagato had spotted it, it vanished just as easily as Fitch fell back in line with the leading battleship. In turn, Nagato, Mutsu, and Yamato fired off another set of salvos, their intent on getting the two battleship's out of action.

Their only accomplishment out of the Salvo however came in the form of the splash down as the shells missed the approaching Americans. The two American battleships in turn answered their salvos with some of their own, sending the blue paint shells soaring over the water in high arcs as they headed straight for the Japanese Kanmusu.

And they were met with no such luck as the Nagato sisters moved from the path, the shells flying past them. And it was at this point that the two American battleships decided on a new course of action.

Straight up charging the two head on.

Doing so, the two battleships turned up their speed, charging straight ahead. As they did so, Nagato and Mutsu adjusted their aim, preparing to eliminate the two battleships from play, their goal to gain access to the girls behind the two.

"Shall we fire, Nagato-nee?" Mutsu asked. Nagato shook her head in reply as she looked back to the approaching girls.

"We'll wait until they're closer. We don't want to chance them getting around us." Nagato said, watching as the two neared, still closely guarding their followers. "Fire on my mark." Nagato said. Mutsu gave a nod as she waited for her older sister's order, her guns sitting in wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

"FIRE!" Nagato yelled, prompting the immediate fire from both her sister and herself, sending a total of 16 shells at the two American battleships. Shells that took no hesitation in slamming into the two in various areas.

Nagato had done what she had intended. She had ended the threat from the two battleships with little to no problem at all. But, in doing so, she had overlooked one very important detail.

She now had to reload.

And three, far more maneuverable Kanmusu were still in play.

Much too close to their carriers for the stoic flagship's liking.

Just as soon as they had come, the two American battleship's begin to slow, prompting the three hiding behind them as cover to sprint across the water, their goal clear.

First, there came San Francisco, taking no hesitation in delivering a full salvo into Mutsu, covering the skirt less battleship from head to toe in Navy Blue paint as she sprinted past the second of the Nagato class.

Second, there came the third of the Atlanta class, San Diego, taking no time in throwing up shells in the direction of the Queen Battleship, Yamato herself. But the light cruiser's intention wasn't to eliminate the battleship, no. Her intention was to throw off her aim as she made her worried about dodging. Made her worried so that the third of their crusade could do what she needed.

Fitch, the last and smallest of the three, charged forward out from behind Indiana as she raced across the water, shadowing San Diego as the cruiser neared Yamato. As Yamato finally took aim and fired, San Diego bore the brunt of the attack. In turn, Fitch took no hesitation in aiming and rising fire, eliminating Yamato from play.

With the battleship girl out of action, and Nagato still dealing with San Francisco, nothing was standing in the way of getting to the carriers. And both Fitch and the Japanese carriers knew it.

"Oh shit!" Zuikaku yelled as a destroyer fired shell soared past her head, another one following close behind. "NAGATO! HELP!" Zuikaku hollered as another shell flew just above her flight deck.

Shokaku had no such luck, as a shell met her stomach head on, turning it a dark blue as the shell exploded. But, apparently Fitch wasn't taking chances, as another shell hit her in the exact same spot, splashing another layer of blue onto the carrier.

The second Japanese carrier to meet elimination came when Fitch turned her attention to Ryuujou, taking no time in dispatching the carrier, the scroll she utilized doing nothing to stop the shells.

This continued among the other carriers, Fitch dispatching and dealing with each one with the image of professionalism. All the way up until Souryuu, the carrier only smirking as the destroyer approached her.

"You've lost, Fitch. Your carriers have been eliminated. And you can't take Nagato on by yourself." Souryuu said. Just to be sure, keeping an eye on the carrier out of the corner of her eye, Fitch took a look back to the carriers. And found herself unsurprised.

Retreating back to Yokosuka, Midway included, the four carriers were falling back. With them, their planes went as well. Meaning Fitch was not only the last American Kanmusu in play, she was the last American anything in play. Watching a moment, she looked over to San Francisco as well, having now been dyed red as she had attempted to tangle with Nagato. It didn't fall unknown to Fitch that the Japanese battleship was watching her closely, her guns making the smallest of adjustments. Watching only the briefest of moments longer, Fitch turned her attention back to Souryuu.

"You've lost Fitch. Just give up now." Souryuu insisted. Fitch looked unsure a moment, taking a glance down at the water, before looking back up with a grin.

"Oh well." Fitch said before taking aim with her guns. As she did so, she heard a blast behind her. Moving to the side, quickly wheeling around, she made it just in time to watch Souryuu get covered in red paint, Nagato's aim being better than perfect. She just hadn't expected Fitch to move so quickly.

With the carrier eliminated, Fitch waisted no time in taking aim at Nagato and firing. And she was greeted with surprise as a shell hit the battleship in the chest, turning her white top blue. Letting out a cheer, Fitch threw her hands in the air.

"Woooo!" Fitch cheered. Nagato only smirked in response as she watched the destroyer cheer. But as she did so, she also noticed the movement off to the side of the girl, something emerging from the depths.

Fitch never saw the type 93 long lance practice torpedo coming.

She only learned of its presence after  it covered her, head to toe in red paint.

"Did I do good?" Goya asked, poking up from beneath the waves, looking between Nagato and Fitch. Nagato only smirked again as Fitch sighed.

"Awwwwwww!" Fitch cried, looking down at her paint covered form. Goya only laughed in reply as Nagato nodded.

"Mock battle is over. Score was 30 to 29, advantage Japanese. Let's head back." Nagato said. The other girls gave nods as they began to head that way. Fitch and Goya were sailing next to each other as they conversed with each other.
-------------------------------------

Coral Sea stretched her arms as she stepped out of the launching chambers. Following her was Midway, Langley, and St. Lo. Giving a yawn, Coral looked to her older sister.

"So? You think Fitch has a chance?" The carrier asked, somewhat expecting an answer. Midway only shrugged as Langley gave a nod.

"I think it's best to have faith in her. She is a destroyer after all." Langley said, quietly taking the lead as she walked in front of the other three. The group of four were currently heading towards the docks, intent on relaxing and washing the paint off of them.

But as they were heading that way, they were intercepted by both Ishigara and Anya. And neither looked exactly happy.

"Midway. Come here." Anya said, hands behind her back as she looked to the carrier. Midway only nodded as she approached the two, her face its usual void of emotion.

"Yes Admiral?" She asked as she approached the two. She looked to Ishigara as he began to speak.

"It is to our understanding that live bomb was utilized during the Mock battle this afternoon. It was discovered that Bismarck Sea was the one who's plane had loaded it on. But, she had done so under your orders it would seem." Ishigara said, his voice void of amusement. Midway nodded.

"Indeed." She said. Ishigara only stared back at the girl.

"And your reasoning for this?" He asked, crossing his arms as he did so. Midway took a glance to Anya, who gave a nod. Looking back to Ishigara, Midway explained the order that had brought the live bomb into play.

"I ordered the usage of the live bomb to attempt to throw those of the Japanese off their game so to speak. This was supposed to be a mock battle. And even though I have yet to face the Abyssals in actual combat thus far, the idea that a battle has set rules is a fool's dream and will get someone killed." Midway stated. Ishigara watched the girl a moment before giving a nod.

"Your reasoning, I can understand. That doesn't get you off the hook however. What if that bomb had actually hit one of the girls?" He asked. Midway shook her head again.

"Not possible. The orders I gave to Bismarck were quite simple. The first order was that the bomb was to be dropped a safe distance away from the girls. If the distance required for order one was not obtainable, order two would take over. And that was simply do not drop the payload and return to Bismarck rather than risking injury." Midway stated, putting her hands behind her back as she spoke to the Japanese Admiral. Ishigara nodded for a moment.

"Though not my first choice, I see no reason to continue with punishment. No one got hurt and you do make a solid case. Though, Midway, should you choose to mix a mock battle up again like this, send Admiral Johnson or myself a warning next time would you?" He asked. Midway gave a nod.

"Will do Admiral." She said before turning to Anya. "Is there anything you wish to say Admiral?" Midway asked. Anya gave a shake of the head.

"No, Midway. My concerns are taken care of for right now." She said. Midway gave a nod a she promptly turned and left, rejoining with the other three carriers. As she did so, Anya looked to Ishigara.

"I'm surprised you didn't go with a consequence for her actions." Anya said. Ishigara only shrugged.

"We're going to need her for the sorties tomorrow. And out of all of your girls, I don't see Midway the one to cause the problems. More like the one to solve them if anything. And like I said, no one was harmed. So there's not much reason to push it further." He said. Anya only nodded in response as she watched the four head to the docks.

Eventually the four carriers reached the entrance to the docks, stepping in to find various piles of neatly folded clothing spread about on various shelves and benches. Giving a shrug, the four began to strip down as well, soon replacing their clothing with towels as they wrapped themselves. When adequately prepared, the four stepped further into the docks.

As they did so, the found the other girls that had already been eliminated as well, paired off and spread around the various pools inside. For example, Oklahoma was set in front of Arizona as the latter attempted to scrub the red paint out of the Nevada's hair.

It would seem that whoever had produced the practice rounds had never heard of washable paint. And if they had, they had chosen to ignore its existence.

Other pairs included Saratoga and Franklin, Enterprise and Bismarck Sea, Lexington and Cabot, Myoukou and Kitkun Bay. The last pair of those seemed to be causing great distress to the three other Myoukou sisters.

Another pair, however unlikely it would seem, was the combination of Mississippi and Musashi. The Japanese battleship had her hair down as she attempted to scrub the last of the red paint from the American battleship's hair, a task which seemed to be not exactly the most graceful thing.

"Ow! Hey, watch it Mushi! You're cleaning my hair, not strangling an Abyssal!" Mississippi reasoned. Musashi only rolled her eyes in turn as she continued to scrub the New Mexico's head.

"Trust me. When you finally go up against the Abyssals, you'll know that they get off easy compared to this. This paint isn't exactly easy to get out you know." Musashi replied. Mississippi only sighed as she leaned back against the battleship, closing her eyes as Musashi continued.

Another notable pair included the four person team of Tenryuu, Tatsuta, Atlanta, and Juneau as they attempted to wrangle the task of terrors that was the Gleaves and Akatsuki sisters combined. Fitch excluded since she and San Diego had yet to arrive from battle.

As the four carriers fully entered the docks, Arizona looked over to them.

"So how'd it go? Who's left?" The battleship asked. Midway shrugged as she slipped out of her towel, slipping down into the middle bath, Coral settling in behind her as the third of the Midway class began to scrub her eldest sister's head.

"Fairly well. When we left, it was down to San Francisco and Fitch on our end." Midway replied, looking to Arizona as Coral Sea attempted to remove the splotches of red paint that decorated Midway's jet black locks.

"So how'd you four get eliminated?" Oklahoma asked, wincing every now and then as Arizona hit a sore spot during her scrubbing. Midway gave an unusual sigh as she looked across the bath to Oklahoma.

"Though our pilots are obviously skilled, only three of the American carriers have been on the water in a combat setting before today. So it is safe to assume that combined with the pilots of the Japanese experience with our pilots lack there of, it could be chocked up to skill and the differences in said subject." Midway explained. Oklahoma gave a nod as she laid back against Arizona, the battleship saying nothing as she continued to scrub Oklahoma's head. Instead, Arizona looked to Midway as Langley settled down into the bath, St. Lo taking the place in front of the motherly carrier.

"What about Indiana and Maryland? Did they get eliminated?" She asked. Midway nodded in reply.

"Yes, but they elected to stay and observe the final moments of the mock battle. I am unsure of who the ultimate victor was however. But, Fitch seemed to be doing a number on the Japanese carriers." Midway recalled. Arizona nodded as she dumped a bucket of water over Oklahoma's head, rinsing the soap from her hair while also further drenching the battleship in more water. And based on the shriek that escaped the Nevada class, the water wasn't exactly what one might call warm.

"Arizona!" Oklahoma seethed, taking a glance at the battleship behind her. Arizona only laughed as she traded places with Oklahoma, the Pennsylvania class girl now leaning back as Oklahoma began to scrub her hair clean. Arizona winced as she began the process.

"Tell me again who made the paint non washable?" Arizona asked as Oklahoma dug into the battleship's scalp far more than needed, no doubt as payback for the surprise rinse of ice. "Cause I want to have a few words with them." Arizona said. Mississippi only laughed in reply as she continued to lean back against Musashi, the Japanese battleship voicing no issue as se continued to wash the brown locks of the New Mexico.

"And as interesting those words would be, I'm sure." Mississippi began. "I'm not sure they would survive those words." She laughed. Arizona only rolled her eyes as Pargo poked her head above the water of the bath, laughing at Arizona.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" She laughed. Arizona only rolled her eyes as she looked at the sub.

"You're just saying that because no one's tried to get you sitting down so you can be washed. Let me assure you, when we had open hands to do so, we'll be making sure you and your sisters are taken care of as well." Arizona said, watching the sub like a hawk. Pargo gulped momentarily before diving back down below the surface, retreating to the far end of the bath where her sisters were sitting as well. Arizona only laughed in reply.

But, before the Battleship could say anything further, someone dashed in from the front entrance as they dove into the main bath, drenching anyone nearby in another layer of water.

When they looked back, they saw that Fitch was now in the bath as well. Looking back to the entrance, they saw that the rest of the girls were entering as well now. Giving a sigh, San Francisco walked over, taking no time in shedding the towel as she settled down next to Chicago.

"Sore are we?" Chicago questioned as she quietly navigated her way behind San Francisco, taking no time in starting to wash the blonde locks of the heavy cruiser. San Francisco only sighed as she gave a nod, releasing a sigh of contentment as she Chicago began to clean her hair.

"You have no idea. Remind me next time not to go up against Nagato alone when all her guns are aimed at me. That shit hurts, practice rounds be damned." Frisco said. Chicago only gave a light laugh in response as Arizona and Oklahoma looked to the entrance, watching as the others entered the docks as well. One source of amusement in particular was Souryuu, as she walked in wrapped in a towel. But instead of being covered in blue plaint like most of her other fellow Japanese Kanmusu, she was covered in red paint. Lexington couldn't help but let out a bout of laughter, a couple of other Kanmusu joining her in doing so.

"What happened Souryuu? Our paint is red, not blue!" Tenryuu howled in laughter. Souryuu only sighed as she and Hiryuu settled into one of the smaller baths, just the right size for two of three people. Shokaku and Zuikaku followed their example, settling into the bath next to theirs. Nagato and Mutsu however went for the main bath, joining the other battleships as they settled in next to Arizona and Oklahoma, Mutsu settling down behind her older sister.

"So how did it end up?" Arizona asked, taking a glance over at Nagato. The dark haired battleship, her headgear having been removed to make it easier for Mutsu, only looked over at Fitch.

"Fitch would have won it, had she remembered that all of our subs hadn't been eliminated. Instead, when she hit me, she started the celebrations too early, leaving her open for Goya to strike." Nagato said, looking over to the destroyer, who's hair was currently being rinsed by Tatsuta. San Diego, not far away, was chatting away with Tenryuu as Atlanta scrubbed the red from her hair. Giving a nod, Arizona looked forward as she summed it up.

"So, Japanese victory then? Down to the very last girl?" She asked. Nagato nodded in turn.

"Indeed. Though, San Diego taking the hit from Yamato for Fitch was surprising. I was sure at least one shell would've gotten the destroyer." Nagato mused, looking over to Yamato, who was sitting on the edge wrapped in a towel next to Musashi. The second of the Yamato class seemed to be wrapped in a discussion with her sister and Mississippi. Arizona nodded.

"Alright. But one thing I'm unclear on. How did Souryuu become covered in red paint?" Arizona asked. Mutsu giggled as Nagato sighed, watching as the suds of the soap washed over her hair.

"A lapse in my judgement, combined with the underestimating of Fitch." Nagato replied. Arizona nodded.

"You think we're ready for the upcoming sorties?" She asked. Nagato in turn looked to the Pennsylvania class, studying her for a moment. After a silent moments, she gave a nod.

"I do. I do indeed."
-------------------------------------

As each and every of the Kanmusu involved In the mock battle got their hair cleaned of the paint, they one by one began to leave and get dressed.

But, when Arizona, Oklahoma, and Maryland left the docks, waking into the dressing area, wrapped in towels, they found Anya waiting for them.

"Admiral?" Arizona asked, somewhat surprised. She held her towel just a little tighter as she addressed the woman in charge, looking at the blonde woman. Woman in question just nodded, looking between the three.

"Ladies." Anya replied. "How was the docks?" She asked. Arizona and Oklahoma just shrugged as Maryland only smiled, sauntering over to the woman. Leaning against her, she looked down at the woman.

"You're welcome to find out any time you wish. You just have to promise that I'm in attendance when you do." Maryland purred, running a finger along the Admiral's cheek. Anya only smiled, an innocent little smile, as she looked up to Maryland.

"Not if you want to continue walking normally." Anya replied with a small little smile. Maryland's eyes nearly shot out of her head, they widening so large. She wasn't alone though, as Arizona and Oklahoma looked at the woman like she had grown another head. Anya, however, just looked to Arizona and Oklahoma as if she hadn't just said that. "Jokes aside, I have something I wish to talk to you three about. You three alone." She said.

It took a moment, to shake of their stupor, Maryland just a twinge longer, but they eventually did so as Arizona looked to Anya.

"And that is?" The battleship inquired. Anya took a short sigh before she spoke further.

"Your whereabouts on the date December 7th, 1941." She replied. She noticed some surprised expressions, but chose to ignore them for the moment.

"May we inquire as to why?" Oklahoma asked, arms crossed across her chest as she held her towel in place. Anya nodded.

"The upcoming sorties, one of them will be heading to Pearl Harbor. Now, I bring this up because you three have places on this sortie. And they're yours. But that's only if you want them." She said, looking between the three. After a moment, Oklahoma looked to the Admiral.

"Why ask us? You know we'd go where ever you order us to." The battleship stated. Anya gave a nod.

"Yeah, I know it. And I respect you for it. But in this case, I can't simply order you to. Not where this is concerned. I will only order you to if you want to go there. If you don't, for whatever reason, I can switch you out with one of the other battleships for a different sortie." She explained. The three battleships only watched her in silence.

"Do you not think we can handle it?" Arizona asked after minutes of silence, looking her Admiral in the eye. Anya shook her head.

"No. I don't know what you can or can't handle. And I don't have the right to decide that. That's a decision that only you three know the answers to. I'm just the messenger." She said. The three traded glances with one another for a moment before they looked back to their Admiral.

"I don't know about these two, but I've got no problems." Maryland said, looking Anya in the eyes. The admiral gave a nod as she looked to Oklahoma.

"I'll go." The battleship stated. Anya nodded in turn as she looked to Arizona.

At first, the battleship didn't say anything. She didn't even open her mouth to do so. But, after a few moments of silence, she gave a sigh.

"I figure it's best to meet these kinds of things head on rather than put it off. So yeah, I'll go." Arizona finally spoke. Anya nodded.

"Alright. I'll make the final arrangements and finalize them with Ishigara. I'll leave you ladies to get dressed now." The American admiral said before turning and exiting the building, leaving three very confused battleships in her wake.

After a few moments, Maryland looked to the other two.

"What do you think she meant with not being able to walk normally?" She asked.

Arizona and Oklahoma sighed.
-------------------------------------

A few hours later, and dinner was well underway. The various Kanmusu, both Japanese and American, were well on their way to satisfied appetites.

And once again, the groups that had been so prevalent when the new girls had arrived were no longer together.

For example, Saratoga, who had been so against their alliance with the Japanese, no longer sat at an American only table. Still very much against the idea no doubt, she had put it to rest as she sat at the same table as Hiryuu and Souryuu, the three very much buried in a conversation comparing the Wildcat against the Zero. And based on the amount of yelling coming out of the three, it was an easy guess that the argument wasn't about to go down easily.

Another such group was the new American battleships. They had taken well to their Japanese counterparts, as most of the battleships on base made their place at one table, conversing with one another. But, somehow, despite all the chaos, Haruna had found a spot at Arizona's side, despite her sisters being on the other side of the table.

Another of these new groups included the now ten destroyers that were the Akatsuki and Gleaves class and their five minders, the Atlanta and Tenryuu classes. The fifteen filled up a table without much trouble as they conversed with each other.

Yet another of these new groups was the entire Submarine grouping of Yokosuka, sitting at their own table with their one minder, Taigei. The older girl just smiled as she listened to the collective subs argue amongst each other, something about master of torpedoes.

And, in a rare occurrence, the two motherly carriers were present as well. Sitting at a table, the two never failed to gather a crowd of carriers, included but not limited to the Akagi sisters and the three Casablanca escort carriers.

For the sixty that were involved in the Mock battle that day, their level of full was just edging on the line of acceptable. But it was doubtful that they would simply stop at acceptable.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Ishigara asked, sipping at a cup of tea. Anya nodded as Sofia watched.

"I assume you mean this whole thing in general? The fact that Warships are coming back to us in a human form? That they're coming back into what five years ago, would've been written off as utter lunacy?" She asked, sipping at her own coffee.

The three humans of the group had long past their limit, now instead settling on simple beverages. It was a wonder that they had eaten as much as they had, but here they were, the girls passing them without a second thought.

"Well, yes." Ishigara said. "But not what I meant. I meant the fact that, sixty, seventy years ago, these girls were throwing shells at each other as if it were going out of style. But now, here we are in the present, and they're sitting together at dinner like old friends." He mused. Anya nodded in a knowingly fashion.

"I wouldn't call them old friends per say, but it's certainly an improvement. Say, do you ever wonder what's out there for them? After the war?" She asked. Ishigara and Sofia in turn looked to Anya in a questioning manner.

"What do you mean?" Sofia asked. Anya shrugged as she sipped at her drink.

"I mean what's waiting for them after we don't need them. After the Abyssals are beaten. Will they go back through the gateway? Or are they here to stay?" She asked. Sofia paused a moment, taking a glance at the girls, before giving a shrug.

"Don't know. But I think that's a bridge best crossed when the end of this war is in sight. Right now, we've got tons of Abyssals to turn to fish chow, both here and over in the Atlantic." She mused. Ishigara gave a nod at that.

"Sound advice. Now speaking of turning Abyssals to fish food, I believe we have sorties to assign and fleets to organize." He said. Anya and Sofia nodded as the three stood from their seats, drinks still in hand, as they turned to look to the girls. Sofia had Anya hold her drink as she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"LISTEN UP!" She yelled, her voice bounding off the walls of the mess hall as the girls quieted down, 89 pairs of eyes on the three. Sofia smiled as she took her drink back from Anya, the American Admiral stepping forward as she did so.

"As I'm sure some of you are aware" Anya began. "There have been rumors of some sorties upcoming to you girls. Well, these aren't rumors. They're true, and these are your fleet assignments for the Sorties taking place tomorrow." Anya said, drawing a few rushed whispers from the girls. "Now, listen up. First Fleet. Your mission is scouting in the Southern Pacific! Fleet will be comprised of Harder, Pargo, Snook, Iku, Goya, Imuya, Hachi, and Shioi! Report to Admiral Ishigara's office at Zero five hundred hours tomorrow morning for further briefing." Anya called. This sent a flurry of whispers among the subs as Sofia stepped forward, giving a nod.

"Fleet Two! Patrol off the Coast of China to calm the fears there! Battleships are Ise, Hyuga, and Indiana. Carriers are Hiryuu, Souryuu, Taihou, St. Lo, Kitkun Bay, and Bismarck Sea! Heavy Cruisers are Myoukou, Ashigara, and San Francisco! Light Cruisers are Sendai and Jintsuu! Destroyers are Fubuki, Shirayuki, and Murakumo! You will receive instructions in Admiral Johnson's office tomorrow morning at Zero Five Thirty hours!" She listed off from the mental list in her head. She stepped back as more excited whispering broke out, but only for a moment until they fell silent again as Ishigara stepped forward.

"Third Fleet! Patrol off the Coast of Canada to deal with recent sightings of Abyssal carriers and battleships! Battleships are Hiei, Kirishima, and Mississippi! Carriers are Saratoga, Lexington, Kaga, Jun'you, Houshou, and Langley! Heavy Cruisers are Nachi and Haguro! Light Cruisers are Naka, Kitakami, and Ooi! Destroyers are Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hatsuharu, and Amatsukaze! You will receive instructions in my office tomorrow at Zero Six Hundred Hours! That is all!" He yelled, sending up yet another wave of whispers among those involved. The whispers continued all the way up until Anya stepped forward again, a slight smirk upon her lips as she watched for a moment. Eventually, she began.

"Fourth Fleet! You're heading down to Pearl Harbor where you will receive more instructions in the days to come! Battleships are Arizona, Oklahoma, Maryland, Yamato, Musashi, Nagato, Mutsu, Kongou, and Haruna! Carriers are Midway, F.D.R., Coral Sea, Shokaku, Zuikaku, Zuihou, Shouhou, Ryuujou, and Cabot! Heavy Cruisers are Takao, Atago, and Chicago! Light Cruisers are Atlanta, Juneau, San Diego, Tenryuu, Tatsuta, and Yuubari! Destroyers are Bristol, Ellyson, Mervine, McCalla, Forrest, Fitch, Akatsuki, Hibiki, Inazuma, Ikazuchi, Yuudachi, Shigure, Harusame, and Shimakaze! Your fleet will launch at Zero Four Hundred Hours tomorrow Morning!" She finished, setting off just about each and every girl into waves of whispers. Some just looked surprised though. "As a final note, for those who missed or were not listening! The girls not involved in Sorties tomorrow are as follows! Chitose, Chiyoda, Enterprise, Akagi, Mamiya, and Taigei! That is all!" Anya finished, sitting back down at her table with the other two. But the whispers and conversations had only increased. And the questions were stacking up.

Except for Enterprise.

Her only question was why.

Why hadn't she been selected?