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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 1 Chapter 3 Part 12

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Translator: Kurehashi Aiko

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PART 12

 

[The pot seems to be all ready, so let’s enjoy both the food and the sake, shall we?]

 

Following Belfast’s words, everyone reached the pot and sipped on their sake.

 

[Somehow…… It certainly has a really unique flavor to itself.]

 

While saying that, Repulse picked up a 1.8-liter bottle and vigorously stirred the sake that was still inside of the bottle, and then she did the same to the one that was still left in her own cup.

 

[Yeah, it might not be that bad overall, but I personally do not like the fact that it has that slightly fruity aftertaste to itself.]

 

When the shipgirls decided to take a look at the label to see if there would be a list of ingredients, mainly fruits, posted there, they sadly found no such thing. But when she tried the sake herself, Belfast had basically the same impression as her colleagues. She thought it was an easy-to-drink, never-tiring taste with a rich fruity aroma and a deep flavor to boot.

 

Before long, the 1.8-liter bottle was once again placed in the middle of the table. Each cup was tilted, and sake was poured into the empty cups, filling them once again.

 

[Well, I don’t know, somehow…… It’s really good, and I think I’m actually starting to really like it.]

 

Reharus kept smiling while her face was becoming redder and redder with every cup she drank. She was obviously drunk at this point in time, but she did not stop pouring more and more sake into her cup.

 

Renown, who was next to her, has not turned red on her face, but her eyelids have become really heavy and she herself was starting to behave really drowsy.

 

[Please excuse me. I’m getting really sleepy for some reason, so I’m going to lie down for a bit.]

 

After finishing her meal in a proper way, Renown put down her chopsticks and stood up unsteadily in order to take out the futon that was stored inside of the sliding door closet.

 

[Oh, that’s dangerous, dear! Here, let this Rodney help you a little bit.]

 

Rodney stood up in a hurry as well and helped Renown to spread out her futon, on which she quickly fell asleep on the spot.

 

Rodney returned to the table after laying out the futons for everyone else while she was being at it, sat down on the legless chair, and poured sake into his own cup once again.

 

[What a blessing to have futons here! If you have a futon on the floor, even if you pass out from drinking too much, you’ll be able to fall asleep quickly and without incident.]

 

Even though Rodney drank a whole lot of sake herself, her tone of voice was still pretty gentle, almost motherly to a certain extent.

 

[Huh? Oh my? What’s thish~? Don’t you think that you had a little bit too mush to drink, dear Rodney~?]

 

On the other hand, Repulse was already in a state that could have been summed up as confused drunkenness, her head swaying from one shoulder to another like a metronome.

 

With a gleeful smile plastered onto her face, he lifted the cup in the air and looked towards Belfast.

 

[Oho? And what do we have here? What have we here~? Aren’t we all drinking tad a little bit too much, huh, ladies? What say you to that, Bel?]

 

Belfast quietly put her cup on the table, and answered after a moment of silence.

 

[No, not really. I don’t really think so.]

 

Her tone was as clear and dignified as usual, and she did not look to be the least bit drunk.

 

[Huh, what the hell!? So, doesh that mean that it was only me and my shishter who got piss drunk in here or what~?]

 

Despite just how frustrated her expression seemed to be, Repulse seemed to be in a pretty good mood herself, and she just continued to smile as she looked at Nelson.

 

[How about Nelson, huh? Are you drunk already? Or are you having fun? Huh? What’s it gonna be?]

 

Nelson had just finished eating the contents of the pot and was drinking the sake that was still left in her cup.

 

Rodney watched the situation for a while with a genuine interest, and then she quietly put her cup back on the table.

 

[…… Am I perhaps too cold, I wonder?]

 

Nelson was looking down this entire time without letting go of her sake cup.

 

Hearing that question, Repule let out a slightly baffled and slightly entertained voice at the same time.

 

[Gee, I don’t know, you see…… Sometimes I get a feeling like I’m saying really mean things that make me pass as cold and uncaring. But deep down inside of my heart I know that I need to try and be more honest with myself and also say things that won’t offend others so much…… But being honest with yourself is so hard! I just can’t do it, no matter how hard I try!]

 

At the same time, Nelson’s hands that were holding onto her cup started to visibly shake.

 

While everyone was at a loss for words due to that slightly shocking confession, and the only thing that could be still heard was the clattering of the table, Nelson suddenly began to cry.

 

[Am I really…… too cold?]

 

Once Nelson raised her face up, everyone could see that tears were flowing down her cheeks without stopping.

 

In addition, her behavior and her mood swings were so sudden right now, that there was no way that anyone would be able to just consult her and tell her that everything will be alright here.

 

So, not knowing that Nelson was so deeply troubled by her own aloof personality and seeing her cry so openly just now, everyone could just stand there and watch her son while being perfectly stunned.

 

[Hey, I want you to tell me something…… Surely I am a useless person…… *Sniff* …… I’m sure that because I am like that, I am hated by everyone around me…… And soon, soon no one is going to even want to sortie with me…… *Sniff* I’m going to be left behind……Completely on my own, for sure……]

 

After that, there was a long period of silence broken by occasional sniffing and crying coming from Nelson.

 

Judging from the way this conversation was going, at this point in time Nelson was surely waiting for someone to actually step up and try to console her in any way.

 

However, clearly not knowing what to say, both Rodney and Repulse looked at one another, troubled as they folded their arms on their chests while thinking deeply.

 

[–––––– That’s not true.]

 

Belfast suddenly said so as she sat right next to Nelson.

 

[There is nothing wrong with you, Nelson-san. And you are certainly not a bother to anyone. And here’s some good advice for you to think about: If you can’t express your feelings with words for some reason, then perhaps you should try and take action instead.]

 

Then, after Belfast took down the entire cup of sake in one swift gulp, she put it back on top of the table and then leaned closer towards Nelson, her body staying in a very close contact with her body.

 

Nelson, who was only crying and crying up until now, was so surprised by Belfast’s spontaneous action that she instinctively panicked and tried to lean backwards, to put some much needed distance between them.

 

[…… H-Hey, wait a minute! Y-Your body, i-it’s close, way too close……!]

 

But Belfast only continued to get closer to Nelson, touching her chin softly without hesitation, and then pointing her index finger and tracing it alongside Nelson’s chin in a sensual way.

 

[How about I do something like this? Will that help you cheer up, perhaps?]

 

The Head Maid said so with a truly impish smile painted all over her lips.

 

While watching the series of spicy events unfold right in front of her eyes, it was more than enough for Repulse to completely sober up on the spot.

 

[U-Umm, R-Rodney…… -san? I don’t want to think that this is what I think it is, but I fear that it is exactly what I think it is.]

 

[Y-Yes. I was actually thinking the very same thing as you were just now, Repulse-san……]

 

The two of them would then face one another, both of their faces being awfully pale right now.

 

Belfast’s appearance was the same as it always was, so her fellow shipgirls foolishly assumed that Belfast was not drunk in the least, but apparently she was even more drunk than anyone else in the room at the current moment. And it was starting to show.

 

[N-No, s-stop it, Belfast……]

 

Before Nelson could even realize what was going on, she was already caught deep in Belfast’s pace, and what was even worse, her back had already hit the backrest of her chair, meaning that she had nowhere else to lean backwards to. She then tried to get up and get towards the window to try and get away, but Belfast slowly approached her while still being on all fours.

 

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