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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 11

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Translator: Kurehashi Aiko

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PART 11

 

[Besides, if you don’t start doing it soon, the lunch break will be long over by the time you will be finished here!]

 

The moment York heard Enterprise’s words, she kicked off the sand from the ground and ran towards the mud pool at full speed.

 

[I am going to be the one who will finish first and receive a bountiful lunch offering!]

 

York went so fast that the sand she was kicking from under her feet was flying all over the place, while York herself was shaking her fists in a gesture sensing her imminent triumph in this exercise.

 

[Hey York! But we haven’t even decided the order in which we are going to do it yet!]

 

Even though Yuudachi yelled those words out loud like that, the distance between York and the mud pool was already less than five meters.

 

[First come, first served! Have you ever heard about a saying like that!? Everyone, the next time we meet will be after our stomachs are swollen with delicious food and ––––––]

 

As she spoke, York jumped up with tremendous momentum and grabbed the pole that was sticking from the mud pool.

 

In no time at all, the pole drew an arc with York present at its end. As for York herself, she was standing up straight, clinging to the pole and trying to climb up to the top that that the pole would allow. However, the pole was already falling towards the opposite bank of the mud pool, and in the end York managed to land a spectacular dive into the mud pool without being able to climb very high in the air.

 

The other students could only watch with their breaths held back as York plummeted face-first into the mud pool, followed by the nasty sound of something heavy sinking into the nasty liquid.

 

It was too plain to call it a special attack, and no one was able to come up with possible words that could possibly cheer York up after that spectacular failure of hers.

 

[–––––– Right! York is out for now!]

 

Standing on the other side of the mud pool, Enterprise announces this to everyone through the loudspeaker she was holding in her hand.

 

[And now, who is going to be the next challenger, I wonder?]

* * *

Belfast, who was watching this whole scene play out while maintaining some distance from the four Destroyers, glanced at her wristwatch while listening to Enterprise’s voice.

 

Belfast was informed by Hood that the students from the school were supposed to have their lunch break in the Royal Navy’s cafeteria in the middle of the school day. They would all be served a simple lunch meal made by the port “Manjuus”, and their seats were already reserved there in advance.

 

As far as times goes, it was almost time for that particular moment, but from Belfast could see right in front of her eyes, the lesson here was far from being over.

 

Of course, other people were also going to be using the dining room, so if they would not make it there in time, their seats would have been taken, as a matter of course. But this was not only relevant to the students, but to the instructors here as well. Belfast and the others would not be an exception from that rule.

 

[Umm, Ranger-san?]

 

Looking to the side, Belfast could see that at the moment both Ranger and Niimi were building a huge sandcastle together.

 

Hearing Belfast calling out her name, Ranger raised her face from the sandcastle, her expression seemingly asking what it was that Belfast wanted to know.

 

[I really want to think that I am actually wrong about this one, but if the children won’t manage to finish Enterprise-san’s lecture before the lunch hour is over ––––––]

 

[Well, of course they are going to go without any meal. Isn’t that only to be expected?]

 

It was a very blunt and straightforward answer.

 

[And knowing Enterprise, it’s not something that she would not be able to do. Actually, I am pretty sure that something like that has already happened before.]

 

[And just what on Earth is she hoping to teach those children through a lesson like that?]

 

[Hmm, actually, when you put it like that…… But actually, she always seems to be doing more or less the same thing, every time. After all, when it comes to things that children want to do, there is only one thing that comes to mind, wouldn’t you agree? But when it comes to actual execution of that idea, she is always putting some variation to it, like…… She can get really creative about it.]

 

While Belfast was wondering what it could possibly be that Enterprise wanted to convey here, Niimi and Ranger continued to add sand to their castle and harden it with their hands. After a moment of silence, Niimi spoke up once more.

 

[It’s more of a recreational activity than a regular class, isn’t it?]

 

After a moment of thinking about those words on her own, Belfast nodded her head in agreement.

 

Niimi took her eyes off of the sand castle that they were making for a moment, looked at the struggling students, and then let out a short and shallow sigh.

 

[I think that enterprise’s intentions here are to focus more on the attempts themselves rather than the goal waiting at the end of the road. After all, it’s pretty boring to just sit behind the desk indoors for the entire day. Well, but I mean, just because it’s like that ––––––]

 

[Hmm? What is it?]

 

When Belfast asked her that and urged her with her eyes, Niimi said only a few words in response as she immersed herself in building the sand castle once again.

 

[But when it comes to me, I would not really want to do that kind of activity. My clothes would get completely covered in mud.]

 

[I’m right here with you.]

 

While pinching the hem of her maid uniform with her fingers, Belfast gave Niimi’s words a huge nod.

 

[Uuuhhh…… I lost~…… ]

 

While York managed to get herself out of the mud pool, while all of her hair and clothes were dripping with mud all over, Cygnet cried out loud. As a result of the rock-paper-scissors match that they all held while trying to determine the one who would go next to take the mud pool vaulting challenge, she was the one who lost miserably and had no other choice but to do it.

 

[D-Do your best, Cygnet-chan!]

 

Following Javelin’s enthusiastic cheering, Yuudachi also directed some stern warning words at Cygnet.

 

[You have to build the right amount of momentum when you’re going to hit that pole!]

 

[E-Even if you say that, I don’t think I can……]

 

[Hey, everyone? I don’t care who it will be, but can the next person please hurry it up? At this rate, the lunch break is going to be over before we are going to be finished here.]

 

Cygnet then reluctantly started running across the sandy beach.

 

However, each of her step was way slower and less energetic than usual.

 

Looking at how tense she was at the current moment, Belfast would not be all that surprised if she ended up tripping over her own legs at some point.

 

Most probably, Cygnet really did not wanted to land in that mud pool no matter what, and that thought alone combined with immense fear were running circles in her head, holding her back and weighting her down. It was obvious that nothing good would ever come from it.

 

And then the tension inside of Cygnet’s head managed to reach its absolute limit, rendering her unable to tackle this challenge no matter what she would try to do.

 

[T-The mud! The mud is scary! I don’t wanna! I don’t wanna~!]

 

Finally, when she let out those words of honest from her mouth, there were only two meters left between her and the mud pool.

 

[Ei! Eeeeeeiiiiii!!!]

 

Cygnet clung to the pole with her whole body, but perhaps because she lacked the momentum that Yuudachi spoke of a moment ago, the pole fell right in front of her before she could get it up and make it stand straight.

 

[Fuuueeehhh~~~!?]

 

And when Cygnet was at the height of her “jump” like that, a strange voice unlike any normal words could be heard leaking from her mouth, and the Destroyer simply let go of the pole all at once.

 

–––––– SPLOOOSH!!!

 

[Cygnet! Same as York! You’re out!]

 

Hearing the voice of Enterprise quietly reporting through the loudspeaker, Yuudachi held her head in her hands in a gesture of pure desperation.

 

[See!? What did I tell you!? That’s why I told you to build up that blasted momentum……!]

 

[J-Javelin is going to go next!]

 

Javelin’s shoulders could only shudder in sheer terror when the next round of rock-paper-scissors was over and she was the one who ended up losing.

 

[I’m scared! This is way too scaryyy!!!]

 

[I-It’s fine! You’re going to be fine, you’ll see!]

 

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