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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 1 Chapter 4 Part 5

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Translator: Kurehashi Aiko

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PART 5

 

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[–––––– Sometimes I really think that you are way too good-natured for your own good, you know that?]

 

As soon as the meeting was concluded, all of the maids returned to their assigned duties, and while they were back in the kitchen, Sheffield opened her mouth and voiced her opinion right away.

 

[H-Hey, Sheffy? Even for you, that’s a little bit……]

 

When Edinburgh reprimanded Sheffield like that, the maid only looked at her with indifferent eyes, shrugged her shoulders, took out the necessary cleaning supplies from the closet and went on her way to finish cleaning without saying anything more. And since both Kent and Suffolk went on their way to do some other tasks that needed to be taken care of, right now Belfast and Edinburgh were the only ones who were left in the kitchen.

 

[I mean, there was no way for me to actually be able to refuse a direct request from Her Majesty.]

 

[Yeah, and that smile of hers was just played at a perfect moment. It was just so sly and cunning……]

 

Even though Edinburgh scratched her cheek here, Belfast was still able to let out a sigh of relief that was long overdue here. 

 

[At any rate, right now there is nothing more left in this for me but to try and do my very best. But more importantly, Nee-san. What do you think about Eagle Union’s move?]

 

[Eagle Union’s move? So, who are we talking about, again?]

 

[San Diego-san, San Diego. Don’t you think that it is really interesting to see that Eagle Union chose her as their representative, even though they could go well with the two who guaranteed them victory in past years?]

 

[Ahh, yeah, about that…… It certainly makes you a little bit worried, doesn’t it?]

 

Edinburgh then put her finger on her chin as she stared at the ceiling, lost in deep thought.

 

[That being said, I surely see her singing and dancing a whole lot here and there, so I think that she is certainly the type of an Idol, and a performer for sure. I don’t think that Eagle Union would do anything to diminish their chances for winning this years’ competition, especially since they are on a winning streak like that.]

 

[So in other words, this means that the other side had chosen to once again go down the Idol path, although in a slightly different version from before.]

 

[Yeah. And there is no doubt in my mind about it: she is going to be a tough opponent, for sure.]

 

Just as Edinburgh said those words, the two maids could hear a loud sound of knocking onto the kitchen’s door.

 

[Yes? Who is it?]

 

Belfast called out in the direction of the doors in a loud but polite tone of voice.

 

The two maids waited for an answer, but what they were waiting for never actually came back.

 

[Hmm, just who could it be?]

 

After waiting for a little while longer and still not getting the answer, Belfast finally decided to approach the door and turn the handle.

 

When she opened the door with the sound of metal fittings creaking loudly, she could see on the other side a small person who was standing with her head hung low, while hugging a stuffed toy tightly to her chest.

 

[…… Oh my? Unicorn-chan?]

 

The small purple-haired shipgirl looked at Belfast with her eyes wide open and her mouth opening and closing rapidly, as if she wanted to say something here, but she didn’t seem to be able to say anything right away, unable to find the words from all the stress and anxiety.

 

After crouching down so that they could be on the same eye level, Belfast smiled softly at Unicorn.

 

[What’s wrong? What happened?]

 

[…… Umm. It’s actually about that dress. It’s about the advice for that dress.]

 

Belfast immediately connected the dots and assumed that the dress that Unicorn was talking about was the one she would have to dress for the contest, in front of the entire audience.

 

[We will have to measure your sizes before the School Festival comes about…… And we will have to re-tailor the dress itself……]

 

[Oh, I see. So at the meeting earlier, it was just an example with a temporary size that was just to show everyone how the finished product will look, correct?]

 

When Belfast nodded her head in understanding, Unicorn finally rose her face from the stuffed toy named Yuu-chan and said:

 

[For tomorrow…… Please come to my Sister;s room. She said that we are going to make you shine like the brightest star on that stage. And Unicorn…… Unicorn is going to give it her best…… as well……]

We can make it twinkle as one.

 

[Thank you very much, Unicorn-chan. That’s actually really reassuring.]

 

Belfast then gently stroked Unicorn’s head, her thin and very soft hair gave off a pleasant aroma. Unicorn enjoyed the sensation on top of her head for a little bit, before she eventually buried her embarrassed face in her plushie companion Yuu-chan once more, and run away from the door. I’m getting away from it.

 

Belfast watched Unicorn’s back until she could no longer be seen from the entrance to the kitchen, and then stood back up.

 

[When it comes to that dress, I don’t really think that I have what it takes to wear it all that well, to be perfectly honest.]

 

Edinburgh crossed her arms on her chest when she heard that, raising her eyebrows as if she could not believe what she just heard.

 

[Huh? Y-Yeah, about that…… Even if you say that, Bel, everyone saw you out there, and they are perfectly aware of the fact that there is no one else who would better impersonate the notion of “dignity” and “elegance”. So isn’t it fine? Maybe you are just worrying too much here?]

 

[It will be fine, huh? I wish it would really be so simple.]

 

After smiling in a troubled way and closing the door to the kitchen, Belfast clapped her hands together in front of the kitchen table, as if trying to give herself that extra motivation boost that she was so desperate to have right now.

 

[I don’t know why, but when you put it that way, Nee-san…… I also start to think that it is something that is only natural here, for some reason.]

 

There aren’t that many days left until the School Festival comes about.

 

Belfast pondered that matter for a while in silence, before eventually, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to do on stage, she lifted her hands from the table and set about preparing the meal.

 

* * *

 

She never intended to make light of her newfound situation, and she intended to see the matter through until its very end.

 

However, it was right the very next day that Belfast started to sincerely regret becoming a beauty pageant contestant.

 

[And now what exactly is this supposed to be……?]

 

Right after breakfast, until that moment Belfast day seemed to be just the way it was supposed to be, perfectly fine and ordinary. However, that came to an abrupt end when she came to the center of the Academy to do some errands, and noticed that the walls of the surrounding buildings were filled with posters of none other but herself.

 

It would not be anything all that weird, if not for the content of those pictures. Because those pictures were the ones that depicted herself from that time when she was forced to wear that school swimsuit as a part of the punishment game.

 

At the exact moment the Head Maid could feel that her entire body started to tremble in an uncontrollable way. And while she was starting to wonder if it was not all that too late for her to back away from becoming the beauty pageant representative or at least persuade the Royal Navy from going down the dreaded Idol path for it, she could feel that someone was tapping her on the shoulder. She then turned around instantly, wondering just who it might have been.

 

[So? What do you say about that, huh? I tried to make a promotional poster right away because I wanted to increase our chances of winning as soon and as much as possible.]

 

Belfast knew it right away from looking at the photos used for creating the posters, but the poster was still the work of Queen Elizabeth and none other.

 

Next to Her Majesty was of course Warspite, with a whole bunch of those swimsuit posters in her hands.

 

[Your Majesty…… As expected, so it was you who was behind all this, and……]

 

When Belfast opened up her mouth and managed to force her confused words out of it, she was unable to actually finish that sentence properly, because she could feel as if a thunder struck right alongside her spine when she heard a certain sound coming right from behind her back.

 

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