What kind of flower do you want to be?

"Very well then, it's my pleasure to meet you Hylia. Please don't show that face, I'm sure the commander didn't have any ill will in those words."『Hood』

"Ah... hn." (Hylia)

"..."『Hood』

"It's alright, I'm really fine. Thank you Mrs. Hood." (Hylia)

"Yes, you're welcome."『Hood』

"..." (Hylia)

...

....

.....

「Azur Lane academy, Royal Navy's dormitory」

"... Zei, meanie." (Hylia)

In the Royal Navy dormitory, where Hylia and Javelin previously played the role of an errand girl to help the nurses in there along with Javelin.

For now, the surrounding situation had started to get under control thanks to the arrival of several members of the Royal maid corps.

"Much appreciated you two, Javelin is one thing but to made our guest used their hand to help us is... I'm very ashamed. Please have a rest, this apply to you as well Javelin."『Warspite』

"Every little help matters, thank you."『Jervis』

So it's okay for Hylia and Javelin to rest or maybe to see how their friends are doing in the other dorms, said Jervis and also Warspite who was there.

Hearing their words, Javelin felt very relieved because even though she felt exhausted, she's also very happy because at least she had helped some of the ship girls who were there.

Because of that relieve too, she wanted to see how her friends were doing and asked Hylia to join her if the feasty haired girl wanted to.

"Lia-chan! Want to see Laffey and... Lia-chan?"『Javelin』

Hearing her invitation, Hylia didn't answer right away and just kept looking at her palm. After hearing the message from Sakura Zeimachi that Hood delivered to her, once again the little girl's confidence was being tested again.

"... Lia-chan."『Javelin』

"Umm... excuse me~"『Vestal』

Javelin who noticed Hylia's somber demeanor intended to ask if something was wrong, but before she could ask, Vestal the nurse who happened to stop by before the awakening of those ship girls too wanted to join them with her destination the Eagle Union dormitory.

Of course, neither Javelin nor Hylia would mind. After all, Eagle Union's dorm wasn't that far away.

"Hold- Wait a second. Can I... asked something weird to you?"『Perseus』

In the end, before the three of them left there to say their goodbyes, Hylia was greeted by several ship girls who asked her some simple questions. Those ship girls were the ones who had been wondering what Hylia had to do with their commander.

Once again, even though Hylia didn't feel exhausted, her mind was being tested again with these questions. But well, she and the other two has successfully escaped from that place though.

"I see~ So you want to know what basketball is? I bet you're gonna like it. Hopefully, those girls are fine."『Vestal』

Accompanied with another furrball known as Fuwa on Javelin's head, Vestal spoke in a very lively atmosphere as she told about difference and many other things in Eagle Union's.

Hylia couldn't wait to see what Vestal had just said as she slowly forgot the reason of why she became low-spirited, meanwhile Javelin was in the middle of trying to get Fuwa away from her face.

They spent their time with a pleasant chat and a little fight with furrball, until eventually.

"Fuwa."

"... This is, magic?" (Hylia)

They saw a foreign pitch darkness, formed like a dome of droplet which is near their destination dormitory. The dark dome slowly stretched until it finally overwhelm every side of the port, academy, and even the city as well.

The two ship girls at first tried to escape from the reach of the black dome, but after they were stopped by Hylia who asked them not to fight back, and not to stay away from her...

"Are we... are we really going to be fine? And is that really from commander?"『Vestal』

"Yes! So it's going to be fine, but just in case. Fuwa, please stay with them while I'll use Alastoru's protection to advance." (Hylia)

"Fuwa..."

"Uhmm, don't sulk okay. They're our friends after all." (Hylia)

As Hylia told them to not stray from her, the three of them went ahead onto their destination with Hylia who're in her half-demonification form, leading them in the circumstances of darkness fall.

--------------------

『PoV of Hylia』

Everything I could see is darkness, darkness that not even the most brilliant flames could pave through. Stepping my feet in this darkness, I felt... so scared.

Cera had previously told me that there was darkness which, even though it seemed scary, the truth was that they only wanted to achieve peace.

But this darkness is not the same, it's not different... but yet still not the same.

"I can't found the way, Bestal could you guess the way?"

Even then no matter how scared I'm to be, I need to march forward. That's what I like from Rabbel (Bell Cranel).

"Ehh!? Uhmm... I think that way!"『Vestal』

"Ughh if this is the case, then I should've brought my flashlight."『Javelin』

Within this darkness I did feel something similar to falna, and also magic flowing in all directions.

Based from my understanding, only a few people can use and propagate falna like this, and they're mostly gods just like Tia (Hestia) and Hepha-hepha (Hephaestus) which have gifted those falna to their familia.

'Does it mean, Zei is a god as well?'

'[That is false, holder.]'「Alastor」

'Alastoru? Then why could Zei use divine instrument, or something like this?'

'[... It is because he could, so he used it.]'「Alastor」

'That is... right I think?'

Falna will only be given by gods who decides to took mortal into their blessing. While I was with Rabbel in Orario, Tia was also willing to give falna to me and make me a member of her familia while I was still roaming around with Fuwa.

However... for some reason Cera who came later kept telling me to turn it down, even though I also wanted to have a cool image like Rabbel on his back. I can't really understand why, but Cera said if the blessing from multitude beings will only last long.

"Lia-chan do you know what is this?"『Javelin』

"Hn, so far there's no harm for us. But I'm not really sure whether this are blinding spell or field magic. Bestal, do we need to head straight from here?"

"Y-Yes! I think its just straight ahead and we'll reach dorm's backyard."『Vestal』

'Is that so, then I guess it won't take much longer, but...'

I don't intend to move in haste considering our dark surrounding, but if we go at this speed then Vestal will continue to feel even more scared. If all we have to do is to went straight, then there's nothing wrong with gassing straight ahead in full throttle.

Full speed ahead, pull out the brake.

"Fuwa, full speed ahead! Don't forget to tow Jaberin and Bestal too!"

"Fuwa!"

'Alastoru, please lend me your strength.'

'[A trifling matters.']「Alastor」

Okay, with this I think I can quickly get to our destination without having to make Bestal feel scared any longer. I'm not used to these wings yet, but every time I borrow Alastor's power these two things always grow behind my back.

"Lia-chan!?"『Javelin』

When these wings sprouted from my back, Jaberin and Bestal looked shocked and amazed. If I were in their shoes I'd be the same, because not only are these wings too bright and uncomfortable, they're too big.

'Fheww... thankfully they're not scared of the flames and lightning.'

"I'm fine Jaberin. Are you ready Fuwa? This time we're not doing zoom-zoom okey?"

"Fuwa."

Fuwa who had changed to her second stage started to form a stance by my side with Jaberin and Bestal on her shoulder, and it seems... the two of them were even more surprised when they found out about this Fuwa's form.

"In three... two... one..."

---------------------

Sakura Zeimachi was already moving. Pieces driven to achieve an elusive goal, on a board where every play seems pointless.

For「the fool」who frequently do the same mistake, there's one perfect sentence which pictured his own life.

Life is frightening for those who forget the past, let the present pass by, and worry about the future.

For「the fool」who always abandoned his pass, picking the easiest way by being indifferent for his own future, and continuing to being a worry-what about other's future.

Undoubtedly, both the self from the past (Zeimachi) to the present self (Sakura Zeimachi), is now living the life he was so afraid of.

Yet stranfely, he instead felt comfortable with living in that fearful life.

...

Nothing, let's continue and put his life away for now.

Inside the Eagle Union's dormitory, the place that Hylia, Javelin, and Vestal were currently headed for.

"..."『Eldrige』

There is a ship girl who is walking alone in a dark and scary corridor since she doesn't have relatives or close friends just like Javelin and co, on the floor above.

She's Eldridge, a ship girl who had previously been on an escort mission with the previous Cleveland's fleet.

After she was done with her mission, and learned the same news about what was going on in the other dormitories, Eldridge followed the other ship girls to see the medical room in Eagle Union's dormitory.

"..." (『Eldrige』appeared to be dejected with her ahoge hung low)

But as it turned out, there's barely anyone who was warmly welcoming her. Although it's true there's some who simply asked her well doing, but they're too busy with their own sister ship which made her felt like an outcast and walked away from that place.

As she walked out, she also met Enterprise(?) and Hornet who was standing upfront on the entrance, but since they said if nothing was wrong then Eldridge calmly returned to the dormitory while walking aimlessly inside the dormitory.

"Hn!" (『Eldrige』shake her head as she hung her head high)

In the middle of the corridor that had turned pitch black due to the spell discharged by Sakura Zeimachi, Eldridge was looking left and right to make sure where she currently was.

"..." (『Eldrige』used her long ahoge as a pointer)

Even though it's a little difficult to see her surrounding, uniquely Eldridge can detect her surroundings by using her long ahoge. The ahoge moved like a compass, as if it could show Eldridge the way.

And then, as she tried to pinpoint the correct coordinate of her friends and colleagues, Eldridge stopped at where she's standing due to the result she had found.

"Everyone? ... Fine. Commander? ... commander is... close?" (Her hair was moving in the direction she asked )

As she dumbfoundedly gazes to the direction where her hair is pointing, Eldridge's expression which was previously similar to a lost child in a mall, slowly changed into a ship girl who had been fully charged up to 200%.

With those little feet, Eldridge ran to the nearest window she could find to look at the outside scenery that if based on her ahoge's lead, her commander is there.

"... Can't see." (『Eldrige』furrow her brows as she stick her face to the window)

Too bad, the situation outside was even darker than inside the dormitory which actually made Eldridge unable to see anything except for Astra Sphere that was floating somewhere.

Even so, Eldridge still tried her best to look out of the window no matter what. And after a few minutes passed by, her effort paid off.

"Commander?" (A spark came out of her hair as she saw her commander's figure)

-----------------------

"Eh? The spell came off?" (Hylia)

"Fuwa?"

"Hmn, as expected you thought the same Fuwa. Why did it end so sudden?" (Hylia)

On the back side of Union's dormitory, there's Hylia who noticed the odd thing that had happened.

While running with Fuwa who was carrying Javelin and Vestal on her shoulders, the feasty haired girl quickly dispelled her Demonification form as she found it too bright and dazzling.

It was not strange for the feasty haired girl to did this, because after a few short minutes had passed by when Sakura Zeimachi handled his six-problems, the light of the sun from the sky above had returned to illuminate the port and the creatures in it.

Which meant she no longer needed the help of Alastor as a source of light, but still Hylia thanked the blade and allowed it to return to its astral form.

The feasty haired girl breathed a sigh of relief as she turned back to see how Javelin and Vestal were doing, but how shocked Hylia is when she saw their condition.

"Jaberin? Jaberin!? ... Bestal? Bestaaal!? Fuwa, didn't I said we're not doing zoom-zoom before!" (Hylia)

Usually, the thing she called as zoom-zoom was the method they commonly used when they had to speed-run the dungeons in Oriario. With teamwork and synchronized footwork, the two of them could traverse five floors at once if they wanted to.

"Fuwaa..."

Just an info about her unusual common sense.

"What do you mean it's not your mistake?! Look at how white their eyes are!" (Hylia)

Scolding Fuwa for being too harsh with her friend, Hylia hugged the two ship girls who seemed to have fainted from Fuwa's shoulder due to the massive tremor when they're being carried by the Muki-muki creature.

The first victim was Vestal, it seems the ship girl had lost her consciousness from a while ago. Therefore Hylia decided to carry Vestal on her shoulders even though she had to admit… Vestal felt heavier than what she thought.

"Ah... Lia, Lia-chan... I can see... the light... ughhh..."『Javelin』

Next is Javelin. Oh, looks like there's still one survivor.

"Jaberin?! Jabeeriinn!" (Hylia)

Or maybe not, Javelin has fainted the same as the first victim which made her on the same position as Vestal.

-------------------

「Azur Lane academy, front yard of Eagle Union's dormitory」

Back again to the battlefield, which was the epicenter of the spell that has made darkness fall over the entire island and the waters around it.

"Yotto, to. Hmm? Here I thought what happened, why you blacking out so sudden my other half. Looks like... hmm? Ah... this idiot. What're you thinking eating a banana full of fiber before you eat your rice?"「Observer?」

In the middle of the battlefield attended by several stunned ship maidens, there's a man's body lying next to a floating orb. It was clear, that body is belonged Sakura Zeimachi who for unknown reasons fell unconscious in the middle of deploying his field-type spell when he used the Astra Sphere.

And beside him who was unconscious, was the figure of a high-level Siren who also somehow managed to stand beside the man while touching his face.

The elite siren is the Observer. The Siren who has a shape similar of a seductive girl while also has lots of tentacles on the back of her body.

"Khuuh... What just..."『Hornet』

"Commander? Is commander fine- !!!"『Enterprise?』

Thanks to the discarded spell, though only for a few minutes, those ship girl had received malfunctions in every one of their senses which made their bodies, rigging and minds difficult to be used.

Enterprise(?) was the first to recover followed by Hakuryuu and also 1# who had noticed the presence of the top level Siren.

Not needing any words or signals between them, those three charged straight at the Siren in an attempt to distance it from their commander.

"Oya... now what should I do?"「Observer?」