Bab 33

I awaken to the sound of wind rushing by. Opening my eyes reveal that I am plummeting towards the ocean beneath me at terminal velocity. Forgetting that I am not actually in danger, I scream and begin flapping as though my arms would be enough to keep me up but this only causes me to lose what little control I had over how I was falling. Now spinning uncontrollably, I lose all sense of direction and before I know it, I have hit the water. 

BOOOM

When I finally reemerge, I find that, unlike my previous times, my ship is nowhere to be seen. Still, a quick check tells me that it's tucked away within me. Sighing with relief, I try contacting the navy but quickly find that this world lacks the satellites required to do so. In fact, thanks to this discovery, I have no idea where I currently am but I can at least tell that I am back in Azur Lane's world or at the very least, another world besides my own. 

????: [Screaming in a high pitched voice]

The sound is almost deafening but as I look up, I can't tell what to make of it. There, plummeting towards the waves, a girl screaming like a banshee and flapping like a bird. I briefly wonder if that's how foolish I looked as I fell but as the person comes closer, my eyes lock on to her clothing and for the first time, I recognise who it is. 

Moving swiftly, I manage to catch her small form right before she hits the water but the force of the impact sends us both underneath the waves. When we reemerge, however, I am surprised at how similar we look. Helping her to her feet, I'm still at a loss for words when she starts looking around, slightly confused.

Me: You got pulled in as well?

Jiangsu: I...well...I kind of...followed you in.

Me: I see. Well nice to finally meet you!

My outburst surprises her but the hug that follows surprises her even more. Truth be told, I should probably be mad that she did such a dangerous thing but who cares! I finally have my little sister with me and at least this way I can keep her safe. I can't tell how often I wondered how she was while Dalian and I were in Dragon Empery. Still, I wonder how everyone's going to react? 

Jiangsu: Wait...how do you know who I am?

Me: Hmm? 

Jiangsu: I mean...this would be the first time we are meeting like this, right?

Me: Your beret.

Jiangsu: Wh-

Me: Your name is on your beret.

Surprised, she takes it off and sure enough, Jiangsu is marked right there. I watch as her expressions shift before my eyes before finally settling on resolve. I guess she was hoping I wouldn't know who she was so she could play this differently but now that it's all out in the open-

Jiangsu: So...Uhm...where are we exactly? 

Right...I still haven't found that out myself. Still, I think I know since she turned into a KANSEN. There's only one place I can think of where she'd gain that form and that's my previous world. Before I can mention this, however, we both receive a transmission that confirms my theory. 

Hood: [This is HMS Hood. Unidentified vessels, please identify yourselves immediately.]

I am both relieved and surprised by her request. What does she mean unidentified? I am pretty sure she should have me registered in her system by now. I mean, we've fought, flown, and traversed the waves together. I would think that would make us at the very least acquaintances and not total strangers! Deciding to tease her about it, I first tell my sister that it's fine before turning my full attention back to Hood.

Me: [What do you mean unidentified? You don't recognise your best friend?]

To my surprise, she isn't the one to respond. Instead, chatter explodes across all frequencies as everyone jumps in on our conversation, exclaiming how happy they are to hear my voice again. Still, as they begin making their way towards us, I don't mention anything about Jiangsu as I really want to see how they'll react to a mini-me.  This is going to be fun!