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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 2 Chapter 3 Part 6

However, the round cat would still go forward without showing any sign of hesitation whatsoever.

As if it knew the way towards the Royal Navy’s Dormitory, Bel-chan saw the round cat advancing without hesitation, and the little maid believed it was a right choice to follow it until the very end.

Although she nearly tripped over the snow many times now, Bel-chan managed to pass the remote hut where Erebus and her other friends were staying at, and she reached the backyard of the Royal Navy’s dormitory before long.

「Thank you very much…… Little Kitty.」

After saying words of gratitude while being out of breath at the same time, the round cat simply looked at her as it cocked its head slightly.

「Oh yes, that’s right. Here, you can have this……」

As a token of her gratitude and appreciation for everything that the round cat has done, Bel-chan took out the scones wrapped in cloth and gently placed them right in front of the round cat on the ground.

After seeing that the round cat seemed to have accepted the scones and started to slowly eat away at them, Bel-chan pushed open the back door leading to the Royal Navy’s dormitory.

「I’m sure that Belfast-nee-sama is going to be able to do something about it!」

The snow that was still on Bel-chan’s shoes melted away due to the temperature difference between the indoors and the outside, leaving small puddles of water on the ground and carpets with every step that she took.

Dropping water droplets from her winter clothes onto the thick carpet, Bel-chan hurriedly ran towards the kitchen.

「Just a little more…… Hang in there just a little bit more, little birdie……」

Bel-chan spoke to the little bird in a calming manner to cheer it up, and she reached the door of the dining room in what seemed to her like a record time.

With all of her weight on her, she pushed the door inside and she ran straight to the open wooden door leading into the kitchen.

Beyond the opened door, Belfast and Sheffield were just talking about something.

「Nee-sama! Belfast-nee-sama!」

Hearing Bel-chan cry out like that, Belfast looked at her as she just barged into the kitchen.

「What’s wrong, Bel-chan? Why are you in such a hurry?」

Before she even managed to properly talk about the situation she was in, Bel-chan thrusted her hands straight out in front of Belfast’s face.

「Oh my, this bird……」

After taking a serious look at the bird, Belfast raised her head.

「It looks like a redstart to me. It must have probably migrated here from the north.」

「Red…… start……」

Belle tilted her head, seemingly confused by Belfast’s words just now.

「That’s the name of this bird. But even so, looking at the way its feathers are on that wing…… I think it is most certainly broken.」

Belfast stared at the feathers on the bird’s wing with a serious look, and she took the bird from Bel-chan’s hands and slowly laid it down on the table.

After that, she went towards one of the shelves at the wall and came back right after that with a first-aid kit in hand.

「My knowledge on treating animals is fairly limited, as I have only read about it in literature in the past, and only a little bit, but…… it seems that I have no other choice but to give it a try right here and right now.」

Belfast then put the first-aid kit next to the little bird lying on the table, and she said to Bel-chan in a calm voice.

「Bel-chan, could you please step back a little bit so that I can try to treat that poor thing?」

However, Bel-chan refused to leave the place where she was standing, shaking her head.

「Hm? What’s wrong?」

「I can only watch from the side like this…… I really am no good, aren’t I?」

After she said that with a weak voice and a frown on her face, Bel-chan looked directly at Belfast.

By the time she returned to the kitchen inside of the dormitory, Bel-chan had been able to realize just how worthless she really was.

She was unable to do anything when she saw the injured and weakened bird, so all she could really do right about now was to sympathize with it and let Belfast take care of its treatment. That was very painful and pathetic for her to experience.

「I… I… I can’t really do anything for the little birdie here…… if only there was some way with which I could be useful……」

After thinking for a moment about what she heard just now, Belfast opened her mouth and spoke up.

「That’s not true, Bel-chan.」

「Huh ––––––?」

Opening the first aid kit, Belfast pulled out a disinfectant and gauze from it.

Belfast then took out a single match stick from inside of her apron, tore off its head, and then passed it onto Bel-chan.

「You are going to treat this poor thing right away. Just follow my instructions and everything should be fine.」

「I…… am going to do it?」

「Yes, that’s right.」

After saying that, Belfast chuckled a little bit.

「Knowing you, Bel-chan, you will surely be able to do it. Because you’re the head maid, and you’re a fine maid who teaches me directly.」

Those exact words slowly permeated Bel-chan’s mind.

Bell-chan then nodded her head, and tightened her expression, which had been pretty bleak and without a spark up until just now.

「Right! As you wish, Nee-sama!」

「Now that’s the spirit. Now then, please come over here.」

As Belfast told her that, Bel-chan stood in front of the little bird that was lying on the table.

「Originally, bone fractures in birds’ bodies require a procedure called “pinning”, in which a pin is inserted into the bone to keep it together and intact, but there are no tools here that can perform such a full-scale and precise operation. All we can do now is to apply some basic form of first aid. Please keep in mind that it may not be possible for the bird to make a full recovery with just that alone.」

「I-Is that so……?」

Hearing that lackluster reply, Belfast quickly scolded Bel-chan.

「Please, don’t make such a pained expression, Bel-chan. It is the duty of a maid to never waver in her actions and convictions, no matter what the circumstances might be, and to provide the best possible service to the person she devotes herself to.」

「…… Ah.」

Immediately reflecting upon those words, Bel-chan looked at the bird once again.

「If…… If that wound does not heal, I will definitely take care of it until the very end.」

Belfast nodded her head slowly, then pointed to the matchstick from earlier.

「We are going to use the matchstick instead of the splint here, so let’s first disinfect the injured part of its body properly, and then fix the broken wing with it and tie it all really nice and tight to keep it firmly in place.」

* * *

As Belfast told her what to do at every step of the procedure, Bel-chan applied a splint to the wing of the small bird, and once that was done she could finally let out a small sigh of relief as she raised her face.

「Good work, Bel-chan. Very well done.」

After saying that and handing her a towel with which she could wipe her face, Bel-chan noticed something.

Her forehead was drenched with sweat, and it must have been that way throughout the entire procedure just now.

「–––––– I have also found something like this.」

Turning around, Sheffield was standing in front of the wooden door. She seemed to have left the kitchen completely unnoticed, holding a small birdcage and a book in her hand.

「I saw the bird cage in the warehouse a while ago. I also brought a book about wild birds. I think it will be helpful because it describes their ecology and diet in great detail.」

「Ah, thank you very much, Sheffield-san.」

Bel-chan then bowed her head deeply, but seeing that Sheffield just turned her face away from her.

「Well then, I will just leave it here.」

After saying that and placing both items sloppily on the table, Sheffield disappeared from the kitchen again.

「Did I made her angry by any chance……?」

Bell-chan raised her head and stared at Belfast, having a hard time figuring out what exactly happened here.

「Don’t worry about that, Bel-chan. It’s just the way in which Sheffy is all the time.」

Belfast said so with a laugh as she gently put a redstart inside of the birdcage.

「Now then, Bel-chan, please carry this bird cage to our room. I still have my duties to fulfill for today, so for the rest of the day you will have to take care of the bird on your own.」